Windows 8.1 to 10 upgrade

[RickyLeRoy]

Can I upgrade my hp 15-g003sl from existing Windows 8.1 to Windows 10 ? It's necessary a new license or It's right the existing one ?

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi:

You should be able to get the free upgrade from W8.1 to W10, by clicking on the blue Update Now button at the link below.

Download Windows 10 (microsoft.com)

[RickyLeRoy]

Ok I want to replace my mechanical disk with ssd one and to apply new fresh install with Windows 10 according to MS tool, which you suggested previously, without to use HP image with 8.1 Windows. Can I have issue with  license and the product key?

My target is to install windows 10 directly on new ssd disk. Where Windows retrieve the Product Key ?

On body there is no PK windows label.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

OK, so what I would do is to upgrade now to W10 on the mechanical hard drive.

That way it is activated with a digital license.

Then you can clean install W10 for free on the new SSD.

To clean install W10, you will have to select the edition of W10 that you upgraded to (probably W10 Home).

Then when you are asked to enter a product key, select the 'I don't have a product key' option, and W10 will install and automatically activate once you are connected to the internet, since Microsoft has a record of your PC having been previously upgraded to W10.

[RickyLeRoy]

I'd like to understand where Product Key of Windows 8.1 is written, It's inside BIOS?

If I upgrade to Windows 10 and I got digital license, now what kind of license I have?

Can I extract Product Key by Nirsoft software and to use it to fresh installation of Windows 10?

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

The product key is in the BIOS.

You can use the free utility that I zipped up and attached below to view and print out a report regarding the product key and the version of Windows the key is good for.

It is usually more difficult to clean install W10 and try to activate it with the W8.1 product key.

I think it can be done, but I have never done it before. 

I have always done in-place upgrades to W10 and then clean installed it when I changed from mechanical hard drives to SSD's.

Normally, upgrades to W10 are done from within Windows, and then you don't have to do anything.

Check out this article, which will answer any other questions you may have.

Here's how you can still get a free Windows 10 upgrade | ZDNet