From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

I would like to get some help (discussion?) regarding buying one of the
cheap 11 Pro update codes and updating 11 Home. Want to figure out how this would work and still leave the 11 Home programs and settings the same.
--
<Bill>

Brought to you from Anchorage, Alaska


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From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

Bill Bradshaw <bradshaw@gci.net> wrote:

I would like to get some help (discussion?) regarding buying one of the cheap 11 Pro update codes and updating 11 Home. Want to figure out how this would work and still leave the 11 Home programs and settings the same.

Without researching, I thought you simply enter the license code
(product key) for the Pro edition to get replace the license code for
the Home edition. That is, all the Pro stuff is already there in the
Home edition, but the Pro license unlocks what is made unavailable in
Home.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/upgrade-windows-home-to-windows-pro-ef34d520-e73f-3198-c525-d1a218cc2818
Windows 11 Pro product key is available
3. In the Change Product Key window that opens, enter the 25-character
Windows 11 Pro product key.

When buying cheap license codes, get from a reputable seller that offers refunds, and is communicative (responds when you ask them a question,
just like the one you asked here).

I got a $10 Win11 Pro license at BleepingComputer.com, but they are
often a front-end using StackCommerce for a seller, so any refunds
probably are between you and the seller, not between you and
BleepingComputer.

https://deals.bleepingcomputer.com/sales/microsoft-windows-11-pro-7

A problem is that you have to activate the license within 30 days, but I
wasn't yet ready nor prepared to smash my Win10 build, and I wasn't sure
I wanted to bother with Win11. I installed Win11 into a virtual machine (VirtualBox) from an ISO gotten from Microsoft, used Rufus to alter some
setup (no TPM required, Bitlocker *off* by default, local/offline
account instead of prodding to connect to an MS account). I then used
the $10 license key, and Win11 successfully activated. At $10, I was suspicious the seller might be slicing out seats from a volume license
instead of selling standalone licenses.

If it didn't activate, and if BleepingComputer didn't resolve the issue,
well, it was just $10. So, not a big issue. However, I did a fresh
install of Win11, and inside a VM. You are trying to upgrade an
existing installation of Win11 by changing its license key, and maybe
that license key isn't valid. Then you would have to repeat the license
key replacement with the old Home license hoping it worked. Problem
there is if you actually have the Home license key, if it is a
standalone license, or you bought a pre-built computer with
pre-installed Windows, and the license is a bulk one by the computer
maker using sysprep to image several hosts.

Before changing the existing license key with a new one from possibly a
suspect source, and you're going to step atop your only Windows
installation, make sure to save a full image backup beforehand. If all
goes south with the new key, you could restore from the image backup.
Not a logical or file backup, not by using System Restore, not by using
the included MS Backup program, but a 3rd-party backup program (e.g.,
Macrium Reflect) to save an image (not on the OS disk) covering all
partitions on the OS disk, so you can restore to the exact same state of
the drive before the license change.
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From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

Bill Bradshaw wrote on 11/24/2025 10:46 AM:

I would like to get some help (discussion?) regarding buying one of the
cheap 11 Pro update codes and updating 11 Home. Want to figure out how this would work and still leave the 11 Home programs and settings the same.

Windows 11 Home or Pro
=> Settings/System/Change Product key/Change
When prompted insert the new Pro product key.

Ensure you obtain the product key from a reputable source(not all cheap
Pro keys are provided by reputable sources)
Not all product keys are the same - Pro, Enterprise, OEM, Volume
Licensing, etc.
--
...w¡ñ§±¤ñ
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From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> wrote:

Bill Bradshaw <bradshaw@gci.net> wrote:

I would like to get some help (discussion?) regarding buying one of the
cheap 11 Pro update codes and updating 11 Home. Want to figure out how this
would work and still leave the 11 Home programs and settings the same.

Without researching, I thought you simply enter the license code
(product key) for the Pro edition to get replace the license code for
the Home edition. That is, all the Pro stuff is already there in the
Home edition, but the Pro license unlocks what is made unavailable in
Home.

That's exactly right.

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From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

Bill Bradshaw wrote:

I would like to get some help (discussion?) regarding buying one of
the cheap 11 Pro update codes and updating 11 Home. Want to figure
out how this would work and still leave the 11 Home programs and
settings the same.

Thinks for the answers. That seems simple after I do a complete backup with
a Macrium bootable flashdrive. Now I will do a search for a low cost
upgrade.
--
<Bill>

Brought to you from Anchorage, Alaska


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From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

Bill Bradshaw <bradshaw@gci.net> wrote:

Thinks for the answers. That seems simple after I do a complete
backup with a Macrium bootable flashdrive. Now I will do a search
for a low cost upgrade.

I don't recall if Macrium Reflect has a simulated restore to test it can
access and successfully read a backup. If you have a spare [USB] drive,
you could test a restore to there to ensure you really can restore back
to Home after trying to upgrade to Pro. If you don't have a spare
drive, you could test using Reflect inside a VM to restore to a virtual
disk. I've had to restore several times, so I'm sure Reflect will
restore for me. But if this is the first time using Reflect, somehow
test it really can find your backup files, and successfully restore. I
don't remember which backup program it was, but was very disappointed
when booting using its boot-time entry (loads WinPE which had the backup program added) could not find where my backup files were stored. Argh!

https://www.macrium.com/viboot

That will let you test if you can mount the backup as a virtual disk,
but really doesn't test restoring from a backup file.

https://www.macrium.com/compare-macrium-backup-and-recovery-software

That doesn't list ViBoot. It may be available only in some editions.

https://kbx.macrium.com/macrium-reflect-x/macrium-viboot#Installing-Macrium-viBoot
"Macrium viBoot can be installed during the Macrium Reflect X
installation ..."

So, ViBoot may only be available if you buy their more expensive
Workstation edition.

Home: $30 during Black Friday sale; else, $40.
Workstation: $65

Since ViBoot is probably not an option, and really doesn't test a
restore, stick with testing restore (while still having Home) to another
drive or into a VM to make damn sure you can get back to Home if the Pro license you get is bogus.

The license I mentioned is unfettered. That is, it is not an upgrade,
but a new install. If you upgrade, your old license may become
fettered: it cannot be used once you upgrade, because it was the basis
for the upgrade. I didn't bother going into the EULA to see how
Microsoft was putzing with license control for Win11.

The license I mentioned costs only $10 (for both Home or Pro editions).
The caveat was a warning that the license had to be activated within 30
days of purchase, but since activation is at Microsoft then I don't know
how Microsoft would know when you purchased.

You found it cheaper than $10?
Or maybe you're not ready to upgrade Home to Pro within the next month.
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