Disputes in "Is upgrading w7 & w8 on VB at all possible"

[smithlar]

I'had used "Installing Windows 10 using the media creation tool" to download the Windows 10 iso file (Win10_English_x64.iso) weeks before it ever came up here. The trouble is my Windows 8.1 (or, 4 that matter Windows 7) product key. It simply will not work with Windows 10 on VirtualBox (it works on irons), when it (the product key) belongs to the upgrading OS, or is this fluke now fixed?. It looks, indeed, that you have not tested this out. Besides, Microsoft instructions on the pages you posted above are either for mouse pushing computer illiterates or for M$ pundits, who know how »Windows 10«, »Windows 10 KN«, »Windows 10 N«, and »Windows 10 Single language«, in the Select edition drop-down list, map to Windows 7, Windows 8 or 8.1, Home, Professional and who knows what else (you do the permutations).

I'll check all my upgrade procedures again, now that I am a bit more sure, that it should work, and try to figure these things out at one point. If I get it working, I will inform you all. Thank you for indirect thumbs up, smithlar.

Cheers

Sadly, we have no control over Microsoft's web page designs or product decisions

There are (usually) no VirtualBox Developers on these forums; we are VirtualBox users just like you.

Win10 seems to be very picky about the Product Key - both on iron and virtual.
The VirtualBox Developers have no control over the logic Microsoft uses
to determine whether or not a key is valid for a particular installation.

Microsoft treats each VM as separate PC, requiring its own license and key distinct
from the Host and any other VMs.

Some upgrades work with the key of the VM being upgraded, some do not.
Microsoft's usual rules for keys still apply - OEM keys usually do not work in a VM;
You can not use the same key for the Host and the VM, or for more than one VM;

Some folks have had to uninstall non-std device drivers, etc (revert some Windows non-defaults s/w)
from their Win7 and Win8.1 systems before doing the Upgrade to get their key accepted - both on iron and virtual.
That is why you uninstall the VirtualBox Guest Editions from the VM before trying to upgrade
to Win10 - that removes non-std drivers that Win10 Upgrade s/w may not accept. Microsoft's
key validation for Win10 is much more restrictive than for previous Win versions.

If you cannot make the (unique) key associated with the existing Win OS installed in your VM
work with the Win10 Upgrade, then you are probably going to have to talk to Microsoft Support.

Good Luck

[BillG]

The upgrade is a free offer. Like all free offers, there are conditions. Microsoft has tried to spell out the conditions, but because the Windows OS supports so many devices and so much software from third party suppliers, there are always going to be combinations which cause the upgrade to fail. There will also be checks to ensure that the qualifying OS passes Windows Genuine Advantage tests, and that has always been a can of worms (which is sad, because it only inconveniences bone fide Windows users. Pirated versions aren't affected). I had a problem with this on an OEM Windows 7 install on a Dell Inspiron.

If your system is one of those affected by any of these problems and you really want to upgrade to Windows 10, I would recommend that you do a clean install of the qualifying OS and upgrade as soon as it has successfully installed and activated. The installer will probably offer you the option to do so. I would not add any non-standard hardware devices or software until after the upgrade is complete and the OS has activated.

Once the system has activated as Windows 10, you can do a system reset or a clean install of your Windows 10 OS without worrying about product keys (you simply skip the product key page) if you have problems with your Windows 10 install.

[smithlar]

Just today, Microsoft announced fixes to the Win10 Activation Key issues.
Folks with Activation issues in the original RTM ISOs will have to get the latest
(as yet unreleased) ISO's., or get help from Microsoft Support.
Here is a link to an InfoWorld article providing an overview and some details.
The details are restrictive, but I will not repeat the entire article here.

http://www.infoworld.com/article/299217 ... ation.html

Here are a few snips from the article.

Finally, Windows 7 and 8.1 owners will be able to use their product keys to activate Windows 10, but a big question remains.
In an abrupt and most welcome turnaround, the latest beta test version of Windows 10, build 10565, allows you to use your valid Windows 7 or 8.1 product key to activate Windows 10. Moreover, promises Microsoft, if you install Windows 10 on a machine that has the product key burned into its firmware (as is the case with the vast majority of modern machines), the Win10 installer will dig for the key and you’ll be rewarded with a fully activated copy.

Does it really work that way? Hard to tell. Microsoft hasn’t yet released the build 10565 ISOs, which would allow testers to perform a clean install and see if the reality meets the claims.

The Key and Activation issues are Microsoft issues, not VirtualBox issues.
All we can do is provide suggestions for workarounds.
For detailed help folks will have to go to Microsoft Support.

[socratis]

The Key and Activation issues are Microsoft issues, not VirtualBox issues.

Does that mean that we can now close this (VirtuaBox off-topic) thread and move on? Please...

[mpack]

Yes, I think we've probably had enough of this discussion now. In any case the premise was nonsense from the start. If you have a bone to pick with Microsoft, ask Microsoft.

Locking.