system guide / windows 10
Windows 10
Create the install USB with Microsoft's own tool, install clean or upgrade from Windows 7 or 8.1 keeping your files, then activate online, by phone, or move Home up to Pro.
pchelpmate-setup / windows 10 / select a guide
Which step are you on?
- USB CreationBootable USB with the Media Creation Tool
- Clean installationFresh install from a bootable USB
- ActivationActivate with a product key
- Phone ActivationWhen you hit activation error 0xC004C008
- Upgrade to ProMove from Home to Pro with a product key
- Upgrade from 7 / 8.1Keep your files and apps while upgrading
Windows 10 reached the end of support on 14 October 2025, so it no longer receives security updates unless you are paying for extended updates. It remains the most widely installed version by a wide margin, which is why these guides stay here: creating install media with Microsoft's own tool, installing clean, upgrading from Windows 7 or 8.1 without losing your files, and activating a key online, by phone, or when moving from Home up to Pro.