12 posts shown.
fadedorca66 said:Did you try using the key yet to see if it actually works?
I haven't tried it yet because I'm still waiting for the laptop to arrive; the DVD itself explicitly states it's intended for a new PC build, which—given how shockingly low the price was compared to what I expected for a full retail package—makes me think it's definitely an OEM version, especially since the packaging looks way more stripped-down than anything you'd find at Best Buy.
fadedorca66 said:Sure, there's really no point in rushing toward the big update just yet, especially while they're still tripping over all those unpatched bugs.
Fine, if that's how it is, then whatever, but let's be real—that's an OEM DVD, and as someone who isn't a tech wizard, I find it absolutely mind-boggling that they even sell stuff like that; most of what hits the shelves is just OEM junk, and if you actually want a proper retail version, you're forced to cough up extra cash. It’s honestly infuriating, like being asked to pay $33 for a single cheap paper napkin.
I’m jumping back into this mess once again because I honestly can't wrap my head around why everyone is acting like it's impossible; isn't every single machine running Windows 10 supposed to be able to upgrade to Windows 11 without all this ridiculous drama?
fadedorca66 said:Look, theoretically, if they came pre-installed from the factory, you should be fine, but let’s be real: retailers out there pull all sorts of shady moves just to push OEM Windows licenses that basically become useless bricks the second you finish installing them.
If the key fails during installation, just click the option saying you don't have one; then you can always give Microsoft support a call to figure out where the snag is and see if those Windows licenses can even be transferred to another machine (assuming they actually are OEM).
And honestly, if you can't get it to work, it isn't the end of the world because you can always grab a working one on eBay for a few bucks and call it a day.
Great, I really hope the process goes smoothly. Thanks 👍
coppersailor28 said:If that's the case, there shouldn't be any issues at all...
But honestly, I'd feel much better if @fadedorca66 weighed in to confirm that.
👍
I appreciate you both; you've been a huge help. 🙏
coppersailor28 said:You can usually tell by looking at whether Windows 10 was already pre-installed on the machine you bought—essentially, if the software license was bundled directly into the purchase price of the computer itself.
In your specific situation, the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) would be Microsoft...
Think of it like this: if (hypothetically speaking) Bosch decided to install GE motors inside their appliances, then GE would be the Original Equipment Manufacturer—acting as the 'OEM' provider for the motors built into those Bosch units.
When dealing with (a computer featuring a 'factory-installed' Windows OS), that serial number is strictly tied to that exact, specific installation on that one particular machine.
I bought Windows separately; my old laptop had DOS, but this new one came with Linux, which I'm planning to wipe out.
fadedorca66 said:It really depends on whether you're dealing with OEM Windows or Retail versions. If they're OEM, there's a chance the key might give you some grief, but honestly, just give it a shot and see.
In my opinion, trying to slice up a 512GB drive into multiple partitions is like trying to fit a whole Thanksgiving dinner onto a single saucer—it’s just too little room to work with; I’d much rather just leave it as one solid partition and call it a day...
I'm not going to bother partitioning them; instead, I'll just be more diligent about keeping my backups current. As for how to verify the Windows status, everything was bought at Best Buy based on the PS, and they worked perfectly fine for updates without any drama.
fadedorca66 said:You’re honestly just making your own life harder if you don't grab the latest ISO and run the install from a USB stick. If you insist on using some ancient, dusty installation disc, you're basically signing up for a marathon of endless updates that'll eat up hours of your life for absolutely no reason.
When you're running the installation, you should just click through every existing partition and hit Delete until they're all gone, then select New to start fresh. You can specify exactly how much space you want for that primary partition, leaving the rest of the drive as unallocated space so you can easily create a second partition later once Windows is fully installed. That said, if we're talking about a small SSD, I honestly wouldn't bother with partitioning at all—it’s like trying to divide a tiny studio apartment into separate rooms; you just end up suffocating your storage capacity for no real reason.
That was exactly my strategy: grab an ISO from my old original installation disc, burn it to a thumb drive, and just get it done. I’m banking on the hope that the product key hasn't expired or become obsolete by now. I've got a 512 GB SSD to work with, and I'm currently wrestling with the whole partitioning dilemma. On my previous machine, I set up two separate partitions just in case the operating system decided to crash and burn, but honestly, it felt like a hollow safety net because, in the end, the entire hard drive gave up the ghost anyway. 😵
coppersailor28 It’s like watching a slow-motion train wreck where everyone expects you to cheer for the impact. You can't just sit there and pretend the tracks aren't broken!
Look, I'm going to be blunt here: I really don't have you to worry about.
You can spin up additional partitions whenever the mood strikes you; honestly, the only real hurdle to carving out a new partition is whatever technical bottleneck you happen to be staring down at that moment.
It’s absolutely infuriating when you’re trying to manage your workspace and suddenly you're staring at a brand-new Local disk that’s been assigned some completely random drive letter instead of the one you actually need.
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It starts with the Local disk (C:) drive and just keeps spiraling through the alphabet until you’re staring at a Local disk (Z:)—it's like watching a slow-motion train wreck where one thing leads to another in an endless, exhausting chain.
It really just comes down to how much breathing room you have on that Local disk, because if you actually have enough capacity to slice it up into two, three, or even more partitions, then you're golden.
When it comes to the whole ordeal of installing the Windows 10 OS, it's nothing short of a complete circus. I don't even know where to begin with this nonsense. That should be plenty to get you started. I'd suggest taking a close look at those various "deals" out there—really scrutinize them to see which one actually makes sense visually and isn't just some cluttered mess of confusing text.
If you find yourself needing a translation, don't bother clicking the main link for every result; just hit '... instead.Translate this page.'.
Let's talk about that website.?
Thanks a million, I really appreciate it—that was a direct and straightforward answer. Honestly, I think I’ll just grab the ISO file straight from Microsoft's site and burn it to a USB drive instead. Trying to hook up an external DVD drive with an installation disc feels like asking for trouble; based on all the horror stories I've been reading online, it’s probably just begging for a headache.
coppersailor28 said:When you're running the installation, you're going to have to make a call between
- wiping the drive entirely
- carving out a brand new partition (giving you two separate spaces)
- or just installing right over the existing one (which, in your case, means hitting that single partition you've got for a dual boot setup)
Since you aren't looking to juggle a dual boot situation (using the same disk or even the same partition), formatting the whole thing is probably your most logical move.
It’s especially true if there aren't any critical files sitting on that laptop that you can't easily toss onto a thumb drive or some external storage for a bit—or if you just don't care about them...
But if you actually have files you intend to hang onto (meaning you want to open them, save them, etc.) while you're working in the Windows 10 environment:
In that case, I should probably go with the option to format the disk, but if I decide later that I want to split it into two partitions, will I actually be able to do that?
Hey everyone, I just picked up a new laptop running Linux, and I’m looking to wipe the slate clean by installing Windows 10 using an original disc I have lying around from an old machine. My main concern is whether performing a fresh Windows installation will automatically scrub Linux from the system entirely; I have absolutely zero interest in a dual-boot setup and want every single trace of Linux purged so it isn't just sitting there hogging up my storage space. On top of that, could anyone tell me if I'm likely to run into any technical headaches trying to install Windows 10—which is probably at least four or five years old at this point—onto an SSD via an external CD drive? Thanks in advance
@ Dana Reyes5
That’s the way to live, honestly. When I was facing the choice, it was either invest in a bike to finally reclaim my health from a decade-long battle with Type 1 diabetes, or just buy a high-end PC and spend even more hours rotting away in front of a screen. I am so incredibly glad I chose the wheels. At first, I was so fired up I actually considered diving headfirst into some insane extreme cycling discipline. That initial burst of adrenaline eventually leveled off, though, and now my biggest headache is just the sheer hassle of riding through the city—navigating urban traffic, cruising along the coast, trekking through the woods, all while dealing with the constant anxiety of whether someone is going to swipe my bike if I stop at the grocery store. It’s this exhausting cycle of being tense at the checkout line, rushing back to the bike, and then finally feeling that rush of relief once I can hang my bag on the handlebars and coast home. It provides this unparalleled sense of freedom and uninhibited joy, like a throwback to those simpler times when you didn't give a damn about what anyone else thought of you. Mind you, I have to admit, I still would have picked the computer 😂