I’ve got a laptop that came with Windows 8 (non-pro). Back then I bought a Windows 8 pro key and used it to upgrade the laptop to pro.
Flash forward to now. I was in the Windows 10 Insider fast ring running the Pro version on this same laptop. I just got tired of being an Iinsider, so I did a clean install of v1607 on the laptop. During the install I was not asked for a product key. Post install I found that it had installed Windows 10 home. Apparently it looked in the BIOS and saw my old non-pro product key and just assumed that was the right thing to do. Ok, fine.
So, I used Change Product Key in the System control panel to enter my old pro product key. Once I did that, Windows 10 immediately informed me it was upgrading my system to pro and went through a 5-10 minute install, after which the system now reported it was the pro version. All well and good, right?
Except that I’ve discovered certain pro features are missing (e.g. the Users and Groups snapin in mmc). When I try to install it, mmc tells me I can’t because it is not supported under my edition of WIndows. What the what? The system control panel reports I am running pro, but mmc thinks I am not.
Ideas on how to fix this?
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bc
Hello bc,
You can use an option in the tutorial below to verify which edition of Windows 10 you have installed.
Windows 10 Edition - See which Edition you have Installed
lusrmgr.mscshould open Local Users and Groups for you if available.
Probably best to clean install and put the generic Pro key in pid.txtand save that file in the Sourcesfolder on your installation USB.Code:[PID] Value=VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T
That should skip the check of the 8 key in BIOS/UEFI, install Pro and will activate automatically if 10 was activated before.
Windows Setup Edition Configuration and Product ID Files (EI.cfg and PID.txt)
That's the thing. The product key I gave it was definitely a pro key. Further, it went through the Home to Pro upgrade. Post upgrade, system control panel identifies the OS as Windows 10 Pro, but lusrmgr.msc says "This snapin may not be used with this edition of Windows 10.'" The upgrade process seems to have failed to add all the pro features. Things like HyperV and Remote Desktop are there, but not the users and groups snapin. That's what I am looking to try to fix (and since a clean install never prompts me for a product key but rather assumes its home based on the original product key baked into the BIOS, another clean install won't even help).
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bc
Aha, thanks for that. I was not aware of that capability. But why a generic key? Why not my actual pro key?Probably best to clean install and put the generic Pro key in pid.txtand save that file in the Sourcesfolder on your installation USB.Code:[PID] Value=VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T
That should skip the check of the 8 key in BIOS/UEFI, install Pro and will activate automatically if 10 was activated before.
Windows Setup Edition Configuration and Product ID Files (EI.cfg and PID.txt)
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bc
Either would work. Generic key just means your install USB isn't tied to the one PC. In either case it should pick up your digital entitlement to activate.Aha, thanks for that. I was not aware of that capability. But why a generic key? Why not my actual pro key?
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bc
Thanks for the clarification.Either would work. Generic key just means your USB isn't tied to the one PC. In either case it should pick up your digital entitlement to activate.
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bc
For those of use that did the free upgrade to 10 Pro, we all have the generic key. Thus that's the key we use in our PID.txt. Without it my laptop will install 10 Home, like in your situation. Check your key, if it ends in -3V66T, you also have been using the generic key. That key is the one given out with the Digital Entitlement you get via the free upgrade.
