UKC

OK, so my desktop spectacularly crashed yesterday. I have tried and tried and failed to re-instal ubuntu which won't have it, despite a new HDD.

Anyway, I have been liking Windows 10 on my laptop so I have managed to install it on the desktop with no problems. I installed it using an iso image disc downloaded courtesy of Microsoft.

I installed without a product key. My question is that if I purchase one of the numerous keys advertised out there on the net, will they work? They seem to come in at all sorts of prices, £10 to £30, or £200 odd from Mr Gates himself.

I was considering buying from here:

https://softwaregeeks.co.uk/product/windows-10-pro/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIsfGp2...

Are there any real downsides?

Thanks all

In reply to Siward:

I don't know but if you would be so kind as to buy the £10 one and let us know how it goes I'm sure many would be interested

In reply to BnB:

Ha! The other option is to buy a genuine sealed boxed Windows 10 disc from various sites, about £60 odd. I'm sure they're all fake though!

In reply to Siward:

Was your desktop originally supplied with Windows pre-installed? If so, there should be a iicence key sticker somewhere on the case, and if it was Windows 7 or 8 then you can use that to licence Windows 10.

In reply to andyjohnson0:

Possibly XP! But since then it has had a new motherboard, new processor, new HDD and SSD, new graphics card etc so it's a bit like the axe which has had the handle and head replaced numerous times.

In reply to Siward:
Can't upgrade to Win 10 from XP, as you probably know, so a new licence is the way to go. The softwaregeeks site looks reasonably legit and seems to have an actual real company behind it (https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/10599124) with real premises, so you'll probably get a real key. Its an OEM key, so Microsoft say you're only supposed to be able to buy it together with parts to build a working system - but MS tends to ignore this unless large number of licences are being sold. Be aware that an OEM licence can't be transferred to a new computer, and even upgrading your existing system with a new motherboard can be considered to be a new computer. At this price thats probably not a big problem though.

The £10 keys on ebay are unlikely to work, or if they do my eventually be revoked by Microsoft, so don't bother.

In reply to Siward:

I regularly buy keys from cairnquay on Ama2on and never had a problem. Going rate for W10 £18.

In reply to Siward:

I took a punt on a £16 Microsoft office key on eBay and it works fine, so personally for a under £20 I'd probably risk it.
There was something in there about me having a broken unusable pc as part of the deal that they weren't going to ship me...