What To Do When The Product Key Doesn’t Work When Updating To Windows 10 ?

Reader Question:
“Hi Wally, I was using a copy of Windows 8.1 that I got from my college’s DreamSpark subscription. I tried updating to Windows 10 but the internet connection wasn’t working. I was able to get my hands on a Windows 10 ISO and tried a clean install with it. Now it tells me that my product key is not valid. I can’t get through the installation.” – Daniel C., USA

Before addressing any computer issue, I always recommend scanning and repairing any underlying problems affecting your PC health and performance:

Step 1 : Download PC Repair & Optimizer Tool (WinThruster for Win 10, 8, 7, Vista, XP and 2000 – Microsoft Gold Certified).
Step 2 : Click “Start Scan” to find Windows registry issues that could be causing PC problems.
Step 3 : Click “Repair All” to fix all issues.

Setting up weekly (or daily) automatic scans will help prevent system problems and keep your PC running fast and trouble-free.

Wally’s Answer: It is upgrade time in PC land and everyone’s trying to get their hands on the new Windows 10. Many people have been able to upgrade successfully. Microsoft announced that more than 14 Million devices were running Windows 10 twenty-four hours after its release.

Of course, with something as complicated as updating your operating system, there can be problems in some cases. Windows 10 is no exception. Here we will try to solve your problem regarding the Windows 10 product key.

Problem

The Windows 10 setup was run from a bootable DVD or USB. A Clean installation was chosen but it did not complete. Setup says that the Product Key is invalid, and does not continue.

Cause

The product key in case of a Windows 10 upgrade, works like this. When you upgrade to Windows 10 from a Windows 7 or a Windows 8 PC, your computer’s motherboard gets registered with Microsoft’s databases. If you’re eligible for a free upgrade then your computer gets registered in the database and you get to install Windows 10.

For your first installation of Windows 10, you cannot choose a Clean Install. That option is only for people who have purchased a Windows 10 Product Key.

Solution

Here is how you can fix this problem with the Windows 10 product key:

If You Still Have Windows 7 Or Windows 8 Running On Your Computer

Upgrade to Windows 10 normally by using Windows update. It will download the upgrade and install it. If everything goes well, your computer should get registered with Microsoft servers and you will be able to get Windows 10 installed and activated on your computer.

If Windows 7 Or Windows 8 Is No Longer Running On Your Computer

You can also choose to download a program that produces the Windows 10 ISO. You can download it from Microsoft’s own website by clicking here. Burn the ISO to disk using any free and reliable disk burning software. You can also make a bootable USB.

Product Key - Windows 10 - Installation -- Windows Wally

Once you have a Windows 10 installation DVD or USB, you can use the clean install option to install Windows 10 as long as it has already been upgraded successfully to Windows 10 using Windows update or from running the Windows 10 setup from within Windows 7 or 8.

You will be asked for a product key, skip that step. Then, you should encounter the product key again, skip it again.

In the end, the Windows setup should look at the Windows database and see if the computer is eligible for an upgrade.

If you had upgraded to Windows 10 from Windows 7 or Windows 8 then you should be able to get the upgrade this way.

I Hope You Liked This Blog Article! If You Need Additional Support on This Issue Then Please Don’t Hesitate To Contact Me On Facebook.

Is Your PC Healthy?

I always recommend to my readers to regularly use a trusted registry cleaner and optimizer such as WinThruster or CCleaner. Many problems that you encounter can be attributed to a corrupt and bloated registry.

Happy Computing!

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About the Author

Wally PhillipsWindows Wally is a helpful guy. It’s just in his nature. It’s why he started a blog in the first place. He heard over and over how hard it was to find simple, plain-English solutions to Windows troubleshooting problems on the Internet. Enter: Windows Wally. Ask away, and he will answer.