11-06-2020, 10:07 AM
I'm trying to figure out what Windows key Microsoft will register if I should do an upgrade to Windows 10. My current Windows 7 is Windows 7 Professional. However it is an OEM upgrade on the same computer. There was a copy of a 32-bit Windows 7 Home on it before.
What happened was when I purchased the computer and asked for Windows 7 Professional 64-bit, the retail store unbeknownst to me loaded Windows 7 Home 32-bit instead. I never thought to check this. It was completely daft. Like how would one load a 32-bit system on a computer with 8GB RAM - also Dell Optiplex 9020 is a business computer - why load Windows 7 Home on it? Problem was that I didn't use the computer for approx 10 months after I purchased it, as I was still very much attached to Windows XP and my previous computer of the time. So by the time I started using it there was little I could do to sort the retail store out. It was a discount back street little shop as well. Outcome of this was I was only able to use 4GB RAM out of the 8GB available RAM and it seriously bugged me that I was conned.
Any way, I lived with this for two years until end of 2016 when I did a major upgrade of my computer RAM from 8GB to 16GB RAM. I also purchased an OEM Windows 7 Professional 64-bit Disk and License and had that installed and successfully activated on my computer. It obviously had a different Microsoft Key than what was originally installed. When I check my current computer system for the MS Key it shows the latest one for Windows 7 Professional.
So I'm trying to figure out if I should go for an upgrade to Windows 10. Will I end up with Windows 10 Professional or Windows 10 Home? What key is attached to my mother board or would Microsoft be able to see with its upgrade process? Maybe I should do a clean install instead of an upgrade and then enter my last activated Windows 7 Professional Key? Instead of a simple upgrade?
What happened was when I purchased the computer and asked for Windows 7 Professional 64-bit, the retail store unbeknownst to me loaded Windows 7 Home 32-bit instead. I never thought to check this. It was completely daft. Like how would one load a 32-bit system on a computer with 8GB RAM - also Dell Optiplex 9020 is a business computer - why load Windows 7 Home on it? Problem was that I didn't use the computer for approx 10 months after I purchased it, as I was still very much attached to Windows XP and my previous computer of the time. So by the time I started using it there was little I could do to sort the retail store out. It was a discount back street little shop as well. Outcome of this was I was only able to use 4GB RAM out of the 8GB available RAM and it seriously bugged me that I was conned.
Any way, I lived with this for two years until end of 2016 when I did a major upgrade of my computer RAM from 8GB to 16GB RAM. I also purchased an OEM Windows 7 Professional 64-bit Disk and License and had that installed and successfully activated on my computer. It obviously had a different Microsoft Key than what was originally installed. When I check my current computer system for the MS Key it shows the latest one for Windows 7 Professional.
So I'm trying to figure out if I should go for an upgrade to Windows 10. Will I end up with Windows 10 Professional or Windows 10 Home? What key is attached to my mother board or would Microsoft be able to see with its upgrade process? Maybe I should do a clean install instead of an upgrade and then enter my last activated Windows 7 Professional Key? Instead of a simple upgrade?