I have a few computers with Windows 8/8.1 Home edition that need to be upgraded to professional editions of Windows in order to join a newly created company domain. I have a couple unused Windows 7 Pro OEM kits, so in theory I could do a clean install to convert them to 7 pro (and I don't think my users would complain, except for the time that takes and the hassle needed to keep their files).
However, I've learned that after upgrading to Windows 10 for free, as long as you bring it up to update 1511, you can use Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 keys to upgrade to Windows 10 pro, which I figure might be a little quicker at least and puts off end of life that much longer… but I can't find anything specifically stating if this use-case works with the key from an OEM Kit. I also don't really know much about OEM software, so even if this works I'm not sure if there would be disadvantages that might make purchasing new keys worth the money.
So, in short: Does the option to upgrade Windows 10 Home to Professional using a Windows 7 Pro key work if that key is OEM, and are there any disadvantages to this over purchasing a retail key?
Best Answer
It will work no problem. I did it many times on my clients' machines.