Hi, I wanted to ask if it is possible to install Windows 10 Education, which I get for free from the university, on a PC that has no operating system.
On the university side it says:
Requirements for using a current Windows version:
A qualifying operating system license (Windows basic operating system) is available,
the software is only used for study and research purposes. The software may not be used for business or other commercial purposes.
n-place upgrade
The "In-Place Upgrade" is carried out under Windows 7 during operation.
Advantages of this method include keeping personal documents, some settings, and upgrading compatible programs.
Disadvantages here are possibly legacy issues that are transferred to the new operating system, such as redundant or unwanted software, incorrect settings that can affect the stability of the operating system.
manual
After successfully downloading Windows 10, unzip the downloaded file (additional software may be required, such as https://7-zip.de/download.html).
Then start "setup.exe" and follow the installation instructions until the upgrade installation is complete.
Please note that not all applications can be transferred to Windows 10, so that isolated installations may be necessary. It is also possible that errors that already existed under Windows 7 are transferred to the new system through the in-place upgrade.
Clean Install
The clean but more complex method is the "Clean Install".
Advantage: With this method, the hard disk is completely cleaned up and cleanly reinstalled. No remnants are transferred to the new operating system here.
Disadvantage: All data must be backed up and programs then reinstalled. This method is particularly recommended for systems that have not been reinstalled for a long time.
manual
Before you can perform a clean installation, you must urgently back up all documents and important settings (e.g. Browser profiles, bookmarks, program settings) externally.
Please also note that programs must be completely reinstalled and program licenses that have already been used must be re-used after the reinstallation.
For the installation you have to create a bootable medium (USB stick or DVD) and start the device with it. This will take you to the installation environment, where you have to follow the instructions.
After successful installation, you can install all required programs and transfer the saved data.
I have a licensed Windows 7 version on my laptop. Can I use this to create a bootable stick and load Windows 10 onto the PC, or is it still only possible if a licensed Windows variant is already on the PC?
You format the hard drives before installation anyway, so it doesn't matter what was on it before.
Just install like any other operating system.
You need an active windows license, so the device must have been activated with windows 10 (or in 7 should also work)
As far as I've seen it so far, Microsoft's Media Creation Tool does not support the Education Version, you can either go to the trouble of finding an ISO for the Education Version on Microsoft's side and transfer it to the USB stick (at least 8GB) via Rufus burn and create a boot stick or alternatively you can record a normal USB stick with the Media Creation Tool, install Win 10 normally, preferably without an account first (Internet cut) and then activate the education version.
It's way too complicated.
Buy a Win10 Product Key on the Internet for 10 to 20 euro and install Win10 as normal.
