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I've upgraded my desktop computer from Windows 7 to Windows 10 long time back. So initially I had Windows 7 Pro license. Now I need to re-install Windows10 on the same desktop computer. Question - do I need to go through Windows 7 -> Windows 10 upgrade chain or I can directly install Windows 10? If last, would it accept Windows 7 serial or it will recognize my computer/license when I sign in to my Microsoft account?

Pablo
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Because you used the Windows 10 free upgrade offer, you can install Windows 10 directly. When you first installed and activated Windows 10, a digital entitelement activation was created and stored on Microsoft's servers. This is tied to the hardware of your computer. Assuming the major physical components are largely still the same as when this was done, the Windows 10 activation process will be able to match your new installation with that original installation and the activation process will complete automatically.

(As aptly noted by Mokubai, when prompted for a product key during installation, choose Skip and Windows will automatically activate once it is able to connect to the Internet.)

I say Reinstate Monica
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  • I am going to change HDD since it is faulty now. This is the reason of re-installing it on the same PC. – Pablo Jan 01 '18 at 23:40
  • It should still work. You'd have to change more than just a hard drive. – I say Reinstate Monica Jan 02 '18 at 00:59
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    It would be worth mentioning that the process is to install Windows from the USB stick and when it asks for a key you simply need to "skip" the step and Windows should activate itself next connected to the internet. @Pablo – Mokubai Jan 02 '18 at 02:22
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Yes, you can reinstall Windows 10 directly.

Here is official information:

How you activate Windows 10 after reinstalling it depends on how Windows 10 was originally installed on your device.

If you activated a free upgrade to Windows 10 or bought and activated Windows 10 from the Microsoft Store, you have a digital license for your device. This means you can reinstall the same edition of Windows 10 that your device has a digital license for without entering a product key. During reinstallation, if you’re asked to enter a product key, you can skip this step. Windows 10 will automatically activate online after the installation is complete.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/12440/windows-10-activation

Waka
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