How To Install Windows 10 Home From Pro

10 product keys, meaning they could be entered during installation to activate the free license, without the need to upgrade first to "activate" the hardware with Microsoft's activation servers. I have tested this scenario multiple times on hardware that originally shipped with Windows Home and was upgraded to Windows 10 Pro. After the upgrade was complete, I used a bootable USB flash drive containing Windows 10 setup files to reinstall a clean copy of Windows 10 Pro, skipping the option to enter a product key as part of setup, as shown below. When prompted, be sure to choose Windows 10 Pro as the edition to install. Other critics argued that Microsoft should not have triggered any downloading of Windows 10 installation files without user consent. Upon initiating a Reset, Windows will give you options for saving, or not, the user data and personal files you've saved on your PC since you began using it.

However, the Reset process always deletes installed applications – that is, any software that didn't come with the Windows 10 OS. If you don't want to reinstall your personal software, consider fixing your system by reinstalling Windows 10 using installation media . Download the Windows 10 media creation tool from Microsoft.

This tool will download the correct Windows 10 installation files for your system, and help you create an installation DVD or flash drive. Start it up and select the "Create installation media for another PC" option to create installation media. Microsoft stated that these devices would no longer receive feature updates, but would still receive security updates through January 2023.

Microsoft will continue to support at least one standard Windows 10 release until October 14, 2025. The installation process of Windows 10 has two main parts, including the setup and out-of-box experience . In the setup process, that's where you will select some of the basic settings, and you'll find the options to erase the hard drive, configure the partitions, and clean install Windows 10.

The out-of-box experience happens after the setup is complete, and it's the stage where you'll configure your settings, such as region, network, account, privacy, and other settings. Also, your most important personal files should always be backed-up to external storage (USB drive, DVD, cloud account, etc.). Even though multiple reset/reinstall options promise to preserve your data, unexpected problems can sometimes occur. And while you can reinstall your favorite software and redefine your application settings, personal photos and business files may be irreplaceable. In March 2016, some users also alleged that their Windows 7 and 8.1 devices had automatically begun upgrading to Windows 10 without their consent.

In June 2016, the GWX dialog's behavior changed to make closing the window imply a consent to a scheduled upgrade. It was concluded that these users may have unknowingly clicked the "Accept" prompt without full knowledge that this would begin the upgrade. The upgrade offer was marketed and initiated using the "Get Windows 10" application, which was first downloaded and installed via Windows Update in March 2015.

Third-party programs were also created to assist users in applying measures to disable GWX. As of the May 2019 update, the minimum disk space requirement has been increased to 32 GB. In addition, on new installations, Windows permanently reserves up to 7 GB of disk space in order to ensure proper installation of future feature updates. Feature updates prior to version 1909 are distributed solely as an in-place upgrade installation, requiring the download of a complete operating system package (approximately 3.5 GB in size for 64-bit systems). Unlike previous builds, version 1909 is designed primarily as an update rollup version of 1903, focusing primarily on minor feature additions and enhancements. The full upgrade process is still used for those using builds prior to 1903.

A new iteration of the Start menu is used on the Windows 10 desktop, with a list of places and other options on the left side, and tiles representing applications on the right. The menu can be resized, and expanded into a full-screen display, which is the default option in Tablet mode. A new virtual desktop system was added by a feature known as Task View, which displays all open windows and allows users to switch between them, or switch between multiple workspaces. Universal apps, which previously could be used only in full screen mode, can now be used in self-contained windows similarly to other programs.

Program windows can now be snapped to quadrants of the screen by dragging them to the corner. When a window is snapped to one side of the screen, Task View appears and the user is prompted to choose a second window to fill the unused side of the screen (called "Snap Assist"). The new Start menu takes after Windows 7's design by using only a portion of the screen and including a Windows 7-style application listing in the first column.

The second column displays Windows 8-style app tiles. Myerson said that these changes would occur in a future update, but did not elaborate. Windows Phone 8.1 would share nearly 90% of the common Windows Runtime APIs with Windows 8.1 on PCs.

To install Windows bit, purchase Windows bit from Microsoft and perform a clean install of Windows bit from the Microsoft download site. In some cases HP might not provide compatible software and updated drivers for your model. After you complete the steps, repeat the instructions to backup the remaining accounts . In addition to making a copy of your files, it's also a good idea to create a list of the installed programs with their respective product keys to know the apps you may need to reinstall after the installation. Getting hold of the Windows installer is as easy as visiting support.microsoft.com.

Whether you've paid for Windows 10 already or not, anyone is allowed to download a Windows 10 ISO file and burn it to a DVD or create installation media on a USB drive for free. Once that's done, you can boot from your installation media and load Windows 10 onto your PC. During installation, Microsoft asks for an activation key. You can skip it, but eventually, Windows will start alerting you that your install isn't activated.

Be sure to select the correct type of installation media for the copy of Windows 10 that's licensed for your PC — Windows 10 Home or Professional. (If "Windows 10" is the only option, you can safely use that and it will detect what version you want.) You should also choose your language and select whether you want the 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows here. Most people will want the 64-bit version, but you can create installation media that includes both, and the installer will automatically select the most appropriate one when you use it to install Windows on a computer. The OS restricts software installation to applications obtained from Microsoft Store; the device may be upgraded to Windows 10 Pro for a fee to enable unrestricted software installation. As a time-limited promotion, Microsoft stated that this upgrade would be free on the Surface Laptop until March 31, 2018. Windows 10 S also contains a faster initial setup and login process, and allows devices to be provisioned using a USB drive with the Windows Intune for Education platform.

Windows 10 received generally positive reviews upon its original release. If you already have a backup of the device and files. The computer is configured to start from a USB flash drive, and non-essential peripherals are disconnected. Then you can skip this part and jump to bootable media creation and a clean install process.

You can file the product key away after you've completed a Windows 10 Home to Pro upgrade successfully. Your update has been converted to a digital license tied to your specific hardware. Microsoft's activation servers will detect your hardware and immediately activate Windows 10. The Reset process returns the operating system to factory-install condition using a "recovery image" .

The recovery image is created when Windows 10 is first installed and saved in a discrete portion of the hard drive, so you don't need installation media to use the Reset option. You don't even need an Internet connection, although you do need a decent amount of free disk space, since the stored image must be maintained throughout the process. Many would argue that downloading Windows without paying for or already owning a product key is ethically wrong. That said, Microsoft has made this process easier over various Windows iterations and lessened the limitations and nagging that happens when you don't activate.

The company isn't trying to close this loophole, probably because it's more interested in driving user numbers. I've even seen well-known vendors and Microsoft partners do press presentations with watermarks on their desktop. This edition is designed for "special-purpose devices" that perform a fixed function . For this reason, it excludes Cortana, Microsoft Store, and all bundled Universal Windows Platform apps . The "Go Back" feature, which allows you to reinstall a previous version of Windows, is available for 10 days after installing Windows 10. The Windows installation files occupy a large amount of hard drive storage space during that time.

The files are deleted automatically after 10 days. However, if you want to regain the storage space before 10 days have passed, you can manually delete the files. The Go Back feature, which allows you to reinstall a previous version of Windows, is available for 10 days after upgrading to Windows 10 . However, you can delete them manually if you want to free up storage space before then. If you have completed a clean installation of Windows and kept nothing, navigate the setup experience with the help of Cortana. If you chose to keep your personal files and apps, you do not need to set up Windows 10 again.

Once you complete the steps, the computer will start from a USB flash drive to proceed with the clean installation process. On Windows 10, a clean installation defines the process to wipe out the hard drive and start from scratch with a new setup when the device is having problems. For instance, this method can resolve memory, startup, shut down, apps, and performance issues. In addition, a fresh install can improve battery life, and it's perhaps the best approach to eliminating viruses and other types of malware. This article doesn't really answer the question at hand.

How do we switch the installer from selecting Home edition when what we want to put there is Pro? The latest windows 10 installer we can create with the Media Creation Tool does not make a distinction between Home or Pro versions, only between 32 or 64 bits and it can include both. How do we tell the installer WHICH version we want to install if it automatically defaults to the one the system automatically qualifies for?

We never get that question, the installer "assumes" Home for Home and Pro for Pro. "What you will have to do instead is use the default Windows 10 Pro product key to upgrade to Windows 10 Pro" We will never get this question. If we run the installer on top of a Home edition, it will try to re-install Home and won't ask any questions and won't prompt for any keys. On systems that came preinstalled with Windows 8, Microsoft introduced a new mechanism for product activation. Instead of using the old OEM SLP key method, which allowed major brands such as Dell, HP, and Lenovo to install Windows in bulk, a unique product key is embedded in the computer's firmware. This also removed the need for the Certificate of Authenticity stickers you would see attached to a PC running Windows 7 or earlier versions.

Microsoft describes the behavior as design, but it's an extra bit of chore and confusion when the setup is complete. After you've successfully performed a Home-to-Pro upgrade, you can file that product key away. Your upgrade is now a digital license, attached to your unique hardware.

If you perform a reinstallation of Windows, Microsoft's activation servers will recognize the hardware and activate Windows 10 automatically. Once you have the license and you are ready to install windows 10, go to the following link in order to download the windows 10 installation media tool. This will be titled "Create Windows 10 installation media" with a link provided.Click on the following link to open the Microsoft support website to download the tool now.

Hyper-V is a Windows-only hypervisor used for running virtual machines on CPUs that support virtualization. If you plan on running VMs, this feature might be worth the cost of Pro, but if virtualization is all you need, there are free products like Virtualbox that offer more features and work with multiple operating systems. While Hyper-V is included with your Windows 10 Pro license, it needs to be downloaded and installed separately. Install Windows 10 from the installation media like you would any other operating system. Restart your computer with the USB drive or DVD inserted, and boot from that device. Select "Install Now" once the Windows installer starts.

The classic method of performing a clean install is still our go-to option with Windows 10. You just need to download and create installation media, either on a DVD or a flash drive, and install it from there. This is particularly useful if you've purchased a new Windows 10 PC and it includes manufacturer-installed bloatware you don't want.

Or, you may need to perform a clean install on a computer without an existing Windows system after installing a new hard drive. Of course, you'll miss out on the good pre-installed apps, like the free DVD player program that comes with many PCs. However, you can always install VLC to get DVD playback or use one of the more fully featured Windows Media Center alternatives.

10 Home and Pro is "Semi-Annual Channel " (formerly "Current Branch", or "CB"), which receives stable builds after they are publicly released by Microsoft. Each build of Windows 10 is supported for 18 months after its original release. Unlike previous versions of Windows, Windows Update does not allow the selective installation of updates, and all updates are downloaded and installed automatically. Users can only choose whether their system will reboot automatically to install updates when the system is inactive, or be notified to schedule a reboot. Version 1703 allows wired networks to be designated as metered, but Windows may still download certain updates while connected to a metered network. Windows 10 Setup allows you to do a clean installation of Windows 10 or to keep your personal files and apps.

HP still recommends backing up all data in the event of any data loss. I just plugged the license key you listed above in the screen that comes up when you choose to change the product key. After a brief install and a reboot I had Windows 10 Professional. When I logged in Windows showed it was unable to activate.

A couple minutes later I looked again and it said it was activated with a digital license linked to my Microsoft account. Microsoft offers several ways to download Windows 11 manually. One is to use the Installation Assistant app, which you install on your PC to trigger a normal upgrade install via Windows Update. The second is to use the Windows 11 Media Creation Tool, which automates the process of creating a bootable USB install drive or downloading an install ISO file. Once you have a USB drive, you can either boot from it to perform a clean install or run the Setup app from within Windows 10 to do a normal upgrade install. You can also burn the ISO to a DVD, but installing from any USB drive, even an old USB 2.0 drive, will be much faster, so you shouldn't do that.

Finally, you can just download an ISO file directly from Microsoft's site. If you've already purchased a Windows 10 Pro product key, you can click onChange Product Key and simply enter your key to upgrade. Windows will check the key against Microsoft servers. Once it validates your computer will download some of the required files for Windows 10 Pro, prompt you to reboot, and then switch you into the new version of the operating system.