Windows 10 Pro on Flash Drive

[Novirius]

I have a Windows 7 non-OEM disc with the product key. I also have a Windows 7 Ultimate upgrade with a product key that only works if I have the base version installed. I heard that Windows 7 Ultimate users may upgrade to Windows 10 Pro and I would like to save both the installation and product key to my flash drive. I have a few questions though:

1. I saw the link to download Windows 10 to a USB/Disc, but how does it know I am qualified for Windows 10 Pro? Would I have to install Windows 7 Home > Ultimate before installing Windows 10 every time I want to fresh install Windows 10 Pro?

2. Do I need any of the Windows 7 Product Keys? What are the limitations for using my Windows 10 Flash Drive if I plan to install on a new system or on the same hard drive? Will I still have access to Windows 10 Pro?

Thank you for taking the time to respond.

 

[TheRyuu]

If you scroll down on this page[1] (which I assume you've already visited) where it says "Download tool now" you'll be able to download an iso and make a bootable usb drive. I don't know if this tool can be ran on Windows 10, they seem to claim it can't.

So long as you make a copy of the iso that it creates you should be safe. It does not require a license key to run and you can choose what version of Windows 10 to download (it will try and guess based on what you have but you can override it). You can run the tool as many times as you want so you can create multiple iso's if you need them (I don't think you do). I think the Pro version uses the same install media but I could be wrong.

tl;dr I THINK you don't have to worry about any of what you're concerned about.

[1] https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

 

[Mushkins]

The media creation tool is what you want, and it absolutely works with Win 10 (they might not have updated the technet download page, MS does that all the time). There's only one version of the Win10 media, it will install Home/Pro/Enterprise based off of the product key entered during installation.

1) As of the 2014 "Fall Update" for Windows 10, all Win7 and Win8/8.1 keys have been made valid Win10 keys for their respective versions. You do not need to do an upgrade and then a reinstall for a clean install/key update. Just plug your key in and it will know what to do.

2) You *MUST* keep your Win7 Pro key. It *is* your Win10 key, they are one and the same. You cannot install Win10 and then reinstall Win7 with the same key on another PC and run both simultaneously, this is illegal. The media used to install is irrelevant, it's just generic media and is not tied to any specific key. You can chuck the flash drive or format and reuse it, and then make a new one before reinstalling if you want.

 

[Novirius]

Thanks for your quick and thorough response. If I understand correctly, the ISO I download will let me pick which one to use and I can use my upgrade key from Windows 7 Ultimate to unlock Windows 10 pro? If so, I'll be enjoying Windows 10 soon. Thanks again!

 

[Mushkins]

Thanks for your quick and thorough response. If I understand correctly, the ISO I download will let me pick which one to use and I can use my upgrade key from Windows 7 Ultimate to unlock Windows 10 pro? If so, I'll be enjoying Windows 10 soon. Thanks again!

Correct. You don't even need to pick anything, it will automatically install the right version as the installer asks for the product key as one of the first steps (unlike the XP days where it waited until the end).