All done and everything works and is activated.
Now, back to the changes needed to do this. As I said above, Microsoft caught on to all of this I guess and they have disabled the automatic activation for the 10130 beta( something gets downloaded during install I have read that stops you from being able to activate it without some extra work ).
Originally, after 10130 was installed you went to the system location where it shows the activation status and clicked on activate and then entered the generic product code/key which would then lead to it activating. Now, when you click on activate it prompts you to download the newest version of windows instead which takes away the ability to enter the generic product code/key and thus your ability to activate 10130 and ultimately upgrade to the newest version of Windows 10.
However, the link with the walk through on this has been updated with some manual steps to activate the 10130 beta and thus allow you to proceed with the free upgrade to the newest version of windows 10. I used the new updated walk through to upgrade an older Dell Inspiron with Vista and it worked perfectly. I am actually using that computer to post this( testing things out before I give it back to the owner ).
Everything still works spot on in the walk through link and as said it now has updates to account for Microsoft trying to shut this down. I highly recommend if you want to try this that you follow the instructions in the link TO THE LETTER. Do that and it should work no problem for you. This is the 3rd system I have done now with Vista. Haven't done an XP one yet and may not have time before it expires but it does work on Vista.
Use this link and follow it to the letter...
Upgrade XP/Vista To Windows 10 Free
Couple notes for you...
1. - The walk through makes mention of this happening but I found it happened at more places than claimed and at times in different places. You are going to get quite a few popup like windows during installation of the 10130.iso that basically says this version of Windows 10 is about to expire. Just ignore it and click close/cancel. Any time it comes up close it out and continue on with the step by step instructions from the walk through.
NOTE - during the manual entry of the product code/key and then manual activation process you have to type some info into a command prompt. PAY ATTENTION to the walk through and what is shown. There are spaces that have to be entered. Not under scores( _ )but blank spaces using your space bar. It will not work unless you enter the info EXACTLY as it is shown in the walk through. You also enter the dashes( - )in the generic product code/key. Just look close and enter the spaces and dashes where it is shown.
2. - This time I did the entire thing start to finish without creating/logging into a Microsoft profile. You do not have to have one for this to work and for it all to activate. You can elect to skip this step in each installation( 10130, upgrade to newest, and clean install of newest )and it will still activate. I read somewhere that for the activation of the upgrade and clean install to work you had to log into/create a Microsoft account during install when prompted. The walk through dispels this but I missed it before today.
3. - I decided to do a clean install off a USB after doing the upgrade on this system. On the previous installs I just left it as is after upgrading over the 10130 beta. I wanted to see if there would be any activation issues doing a clean install over the upgrade to the newest version? Wanted to know if it will activate or not without a product code/key to use? Even though you get a code/key when the upgrade activates it is not one that will work if you ever have to enter it manually.
So, I took the plunge and did a clean install after the upgrade was done and shown as activated. Works like a charm and activated with no hassle. One note though, 2-3 times, at least, during the install it asked me to enter the product code/key off the packaging( i.e. like I had bought Windows 10 on a disk at the store ). Obviously that isn't something I have the ability to enter. I was nervous but just kept ignoring it( not now, do later, etc... )and let it finish installing. When it was done I went to the system area showing activation and it showed it was activated.
And remember, come October 2nd, the 10130 beta will no longer work so get to it if you want to do this. Hope this new info helps.
If you see it then you can use it to reinstall your Vista system to factory fresh if you have issues with Windows 10. To use the recovery partition you( might be different for you but this is how I have always done it - multiple systems )...
1. - Save anything you do not want to lose( files, e-mail addresses, etc... )
2. - Shut the computer down
3. - Disconnect everything from the computer except for the monitor, mouse, and keyboard( printers, USB drives, etc... - everything )
4. - Restart the computer
5. - Immediately begin pressing either F8, F10, F11 or "Alt-F10" before the boot screen changes( i.e. the 1st screen you see with the mfg's logo ). Each computer mfg uses a different button so you will need to try them all until you find the right one for your system. I would start with F8 as it is most common.
6. On the menu option screen that comes up, again, depending on the mfg, you will have options to repair or restore your system. You are not looking for system restore though. Ignore that. Look for restore to or reset to factory image. I have always found it under repair. Select restore/reset to factory image and follow the instructions which will set the system back to just how it came out of the box new.
The important thing is to leave that recovery partition untouched( don't delete it during the 10130 install )until you are sure Windows 10 will function properly on the machine. I actually did that with the system I upgraded yesterday. The OS disc was gone for it too and I actually had to restore it to the factory image before I did the 10130 install as it had some USB issues I needed to correct just to be able to do the install.
So, either clone the hard drive or just leave the recovery partition alone until you load 1030 and see that everything works ok. If it does then you can remove it during the clean install of the newest version of Windows 10.
