Help Upgrading From Windows 7 To Windows 10

[Japanimater]

Back in 2010, I built my first computer with an:
-[Mobo] Asus P6TD Deluxe
-[CPU] Intel i7-920
-[PSU] XFX Black Edition 750
-[OS] Windows 7 Pro
Since then, I upgraded the other parts with:
-[GPU] GeForce GTX 950
-[RAM] 24GB(4GB x 6) G.Skill DDR3-1333
-[SSD] Samsung 1TB 850 EVO
I also never overclock as I want my components to last as long as possible.

I never upgraded my OS since I paid $300 for the disc way back when and I decided that if I absolutely had to upgrade, I'd rather build a whole new PC.
Also, I didn't want to have to stop using something I paid for just because of "planned obsolescence".
However, around the same time Chrome, my anti-virus, and Steam will stop supporting Win7, I can no longer afford the type of PC I would build if I HAD to upgrade.
Fortunately, last year I panic-bought a USB of Windows 10 Pro when I saw how bad Win11 was at work.
Originally, I was going to save it for a new build in x-years.
Now, I'm going to have to compromise and use it to upgrade my current PC.
What I need help in is with advice on compatibility and preparation.
Since Win 7 and 10 have practically the same system requirements, I assume my processor could handle 10, despite it not being on the list of ones approved/tested for 10.
My main concern is from what little I could find, it looks like my motherboard may not be compatible for reasons that weren't given.

As for preparedness, I don't know what to expect when I initiate the upgrade.
I have a legal paid-for license of Win 7 Pro and I'm upgrading using an official USB containing a legal paid-for license of Win 10 Pro.
Is it going to automatically do a fresh install or will it let me choose to just do an upgrade?
If I upgrade, will it overwrite my Win 7 license or can I still install 7 on a different system in the future?
I'd really rather not have to do a dual-boot, as I'd have to learn how, if the upgrade process is pretty solid.
I'm an amateur at this, but I can still follow instructions.
I know I could just "look up a guide", but I'd rather trust the collective knowledge of such a community where the information can be fact-checked, disputed, and rated amongst users.

The caveats are:
-I will not use Linux
-I will not use third-party programs
-I cannot upgrade my hardware at this time
-I will not click any links unless it's a well-known site such as Superuser, Stackoverflow, Reddit, etc.

Please and thank you.

[Omega]

Everything should work fine if you install Windows 10, you same old Windows 7 driver should all work without issue under Windows 10.

It is best to do a full reinstall.

You did not have to buy a Windows installation media, you can create one yourself using the Windows media creation tool.

You are able to upgrade your Windows 7 license to a Windows 10 one, there was no need to buy a new license key.

After having installed Windows 10 try activating it using your Windows 7 key. Just to be extra clear; do it AFTER the install, not during it, it will not accept the Windows 7 key during the install. It will then upgrade your Windows 7 key to a Windows 10 one, your Windows 7 license key will continue to work under Windows 7.

Windows 10 stores its license key in the UEFI, this mean it can automatically reactivate itself again upon subsequent reinstalls. Once activated you no longer have to worry about license keys with Windows 10 anymore. This is assuming your mainboard has a UEFI and not a traditional BIOS, I think these x58 mainboards were released right around the time when UEFI started replacing BIOS on consumer hardware.

[Quint]

Oprindeligt skrevet af Japanimater:

I'm an amateur at this, but I can still follow instructions.

Yeah. It shows.

Win7 keys work with Win10. And as far as I know they work on Win11 aswell. Money wasted, basically.

I do not think Win7 shutoff has anything to do with planned obsolescence. Win7 is unsupported now. It's only logical to stop support.

[Phénomènes Mystiques]

Think this has been stated, but clean installations of Windows 10,11, and 12 are the best way to upgrade without any madness. Merging the Win7 (or whatever) to the newer versions may break the system.

It is recommended to clean install these newer MS OS's.

[Crashed]

Make sure to grab the latest drivers for the GPU, which is still supported by NVIDIA. NVIDIA Windows 7 drivers will not run on Windows 10.

[emoticorpse]

Make things easier on yourself and for the moment forget all about Windows 7. Just pretend you have no pc and look up a fresh build designed around Windows 11 (I'm assuming one of those keys should work) to be on the safe side. Then if you seriously want to go back to Windows 7 you can use your old pc or do it on your new pc if you really want.

[Illusion of Progress]

Others gave very good information for your main questions so I won't reiterate it.

What I will add, given the fact that you've held on to this for so long and state that you can't upgrade hardware now, is that Windows 11 (and likely, future versions) will "require" at least an Intel 8th general or AMD Ryzen 2nd generation or newer CPU (may be some soft exceptions on older systems if there's a TPM 2.0 header and chip installed, but these are probably not common).

You very well can "work around" this requirement with almost no effort, but given the impression I'm getting by your lack of desire to go with third party methods, I did just want to throw it out there if that is the case. Windows 10 loses official support in October of 2025 and you might be able to stick with it beyond that point (given you are still using Windows 10) and by that point your hardware (at least the platform) will be between a decade and a half to two decades old. That's quite the run.

But if you plan on sticking within the official and supported range of Windows, that's something you might want to be aware of in the coming years.

[mtono]

i say: just use the windows software update/ windows 10 website...(i am german and i dont know the english microsoft website(search the web for it). second: read the information and update to windows 10. this is easy and takes about an hour, or so. it has to work correctly and if not, i guess that you have hardware troubles.
i would do so. i have tried this, it must work and is part of microsoft software functios. if you dont succeed, ask in here.
i like windows 10 a lot. i am using windows 11. windows 10 is very good, too, for gaming. no game needs windows 11 yet...afaik.
gg&hf

[Crashed]

Oprindeligt skrevet af Illusion of Progress:

Others gave very good information for your main questions so I won't reiterate it.

What I will add, given the fact that you've held on to this for so long and state that you can't upgrade hardware now, is that Windows 11 (and likely, future versions) will "require" at least an Intel 8th general or AMD Ryzen 2nd generation or newer CPU (may be some soft exceptions on older systems if there's a TPM 2.0 header and chip installed, but these are probably not common).

You very well can "work around" this requirement with almost no effort, but given the impression I'm getting by your lack of desire to go with third party methods, I did just want to throw it out there if that is the case. Windows 10 loses official support in October of 2025 and you might be able to stick with it beyond that point (given you are still using Windows 10) and by that point your hardware (at least the platform) will be between a decade and a half to two decades old. That's quite the run.

But if you plan on sticking within the official and supported range of Windows, that's something you might want to be aware of in the coming years.

6th (except Extreme) and 7th Gen has the required TPM support, and 7th appears to have the required VBS support.

[Overseer]

The safe option is always a complete fresh install. The only problem i see is that board is so old that it does not even have Win 10 drivers. So you will have to gamble a bit when it comes to performance.
If you can invest a little you could get a new small SDD of 128-256 GB to do a fresh install of 10 while the old SSD is unplugged. That would allow you to install and test it without having to touch anything on the old SSD. Then boot into the new OS and copy older files without any stress. And if needed you can still return and boot into the old system via BIOS. Then over time use both SSDs where OS and other stuff are simply separated while getting rid of the old OS. If you do it correct dual-boot is only a button during boot.

[mtono]

i think: let him do straight update by windows 10 support download website. it works 100% and the threadstarter may learn to do an upgrade on his own. no extra money needed...microsoft know what they do. i have been testing...it will work...if not, he has defective hardware. also he can do clean install later.
thx for reading.

[battlezoby]

Oprindeligt skrevet af Japanimater:

I also never overclock as I want my components to last as long as possible.

This is probably just trvia for most people, but at least in theory, even q tiny amount of underclocking can make a significant increase in the lifespan of your CPU and motherboard, and save a bit of electricity as well.

Generally speaking, the heat and power used by electronics tends to be proportionate to the square of the clockspeed, so lowering it will cause things to run well within tolerance levels.

The reduced amount of heat and power can also help out everything else in the machine as well, although your GPU is going to be a power-monger as well, although I get the impression modern GPU's are pretty darn good at lowering their power usage based on your graphics level - or at least some of them are.