Dec 2015 UPDATE: There ARE two ways to do a bare metal Windows 10 install from a machine with a Windows 7 or 8 licence:
AUG 29 2015 UPDATE: Please read the COMMENT below BEFORE trying this as we have found it does NOT work. I am working with MS Partner Support right now to clarify this problem and develop a solution.
OCT 18, 2015 UPDATE: The answer is that you can NOT do a clean install of Windows 10 without a product key. After banging through this with Microsoft Partner Support over the last two months the official response is that if you wipe your old machine (i.e. hard drive fails…) and you want to get Windows 10 without a Key, you MUST reinstall Win8.1 and then upgrade to Windows 10 (most likely using the disks you made using the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool outlined in the original post below).
…For the Windows 10 activation on the OEM machines, you need to first upgrade the Windows 8.1 machine to Windows 10, then Microsoft Activation Service will record the machine’s activation’s status and license(not the key) information. At this time, once you reinstall the machine with Windows 10, you don’t need to provide the key (you can skip the product key step) during the installation, the new Windows 10 on the machine will be activated automatically by the Microsoft Activation Service. This is descripted in the following article: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/activation-in-windows-10
…you need to do the upgrade first to get the Windows 10 Digital entitlement. Once you get the digital entitlement, you can reinstall the Windows 10 anytime, and it will be activated…
If you are a Microsoft Partner, you can read the entire thread which provides more detail HERE. Thank you to “Green” for digging into this problem.
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The short answer is YES you can do a clean install of Windows 10 for free, but only after doing the upgrade from a previous version of Windows:
Once you’ve upgraded to Windows 10 using the free upgrade offer, you will be able to reinstall, including a clean install, on the same device. You won’t need a product key for re-activations on the same hardware… You’ll also be able to create your own installation media like a USB drive or DVD, and use that to upgrade your device or reinstall after you’ve upgraded.
So if your hard drive dies after you are running Windows 10 you can reinstall without a key and without paying as long as you have made the backup using the Win10 Media Creation Tool.
If you want the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool make sure you get the updated version see how to get the current version of the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool.
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Any updates for this, Ian?
YES!. I will update the post, but it boils down to you need the November 2015 update (or newer) of Windows 10 which is also called TH2 (for Threshold 2). If you have that installed, it will be activated and from that point on, the Windows Licensing Servers will remember that machine is licensed and should activate automatically.
I did exactly what you said.....it took hours, then I was told that at some point I would need a product key. You are a bunch of timewasting wankers
I have not tested this but I have been told by MS tech's at a Partner event that this is the solution. I just went through the process on my new laptop and found that it did NOT work. Now I am unhappy too. I will investigate and let you know if I find a way to get this to function. Sorry for the hassle.