Question Activating Windows IoT Enterprise LTSC ?

[TFOSAFEG425]

Dear Community,

i work for a small company, where we build our own industrial PCs with robust hardware and we now want to use Windows IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021 as the OS.

Now i downloaded the Evaluation .iso from the Microsoft page. The desktop therefore contains the watermark saying: "Windows 10... Evaluation" and "License not activated"
Which is what i expected, but now my question:

Can i now activate Windows IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021 with a valid license key, or is the Evaluation .iso from Microsoft some sort of nested environment where problems and errors could occur when trying to activate Windows from the Evaluation installation?!

Do i have to install another Windows version to update from or can i just move on and activate Windows from within the "Evaluation" Windows install?

Thank you very much in advance!!

 

[Ralston18]

Question being "can you just activate the evaluation install and not need to reinstall Window IoT Enterprise again" - correct?

FYI:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/evaluate-windows-11-iot-enterprise-ltsc

As I understand your post, the answer (via Microsoft) is the last bulleted item below "Installation Guidelines".

Without activation the evaluation version will simply become "problematic".

My conclusion being that full and legal activation is all that would be necessary to re-establish full functionality.

And for even more information:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/w...whats-new/windows-10-iot-enterprise-ltsc-2021

However, Microsoft has the final say in all that.....

 

[TFOSAFEG425]

Question being "can you just activate the evaluation install and not need to reinstall Window IoT Enterprise again" - correct?

FYI:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/evaluate-windows-11-iot-enterprise-ltsc

As I understand your post, the answer (via Microsoft) is the last bulleted item below "Installation Guidelines".

Without activation the evaluation version will simply become "problematic".

My conclusion being that full and legal activation is all that would be necessary to re-establish full functionality.

And for even more information:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/w...whats-new/windows-10-iot-enterprise-ltsc-2021

However, Microsoft has the final say in all that.....

First of all, Thanks for your Reply!

If i do understand you correctly now, what i just need to do is:

1. Boot the PC with Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021 - Evaluation - installed
2. Activate with a valid license key
3. I have a "normal" Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021 OS licensed and without any "Evaluation stuff" on top?!

Is that correct? The first link you sent does explain it for Win 11, i suppose the same applies to win 10?!

 

[Bob.B]

First of all, Thanks for your Reply!

If i do understand you correctly now, what i just need to do is:

1. Boot the PC with Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021 - Evaluation - installed
2. Activate with a valid license key
3. I have a "normal" Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021 OS licensed and without any "Evaluation stuff" on top?!

Is that correct? The first link you sent does explain it for Win 11, i suppose the same applies to win 10?!

You understand that w10 is coming up on eol?

 

[Eximo]

You understand that w10 is coming up on eol?

Still supported through 2032, that is the the LTSC part of that.

 

[Ralston18]

@TFOSAFEG425

"10" is "what's new".

"11" is "evaluation"

And your plan/requirement is to move from 10 (fully active) by upgrading it's now installed "11" evaluation copy install to fully active using the same license?

Correct?

I would expect that that is doable overall.

However, I would look for some Microsoft SOP/procedure to execute the upgrade.

No third party tools or methods.....

And I would also ensure that I had full backups at the ready - just in case.

 

[TFOSAFEG425]

You understand that w10 is coming up on eol?

No that could not be more wrong. As @Eximo pointed out, the IoT Enterprise version gets support until 13.01.2032

 

[TFOSAFEG425]

@TFOSAFEG425

"10" is "what's new".

"11" is "evaluation"

And your plan/requirement is to move from 10 (fully active) by upgrading it's now installed "11" evaluation copy install to fully active using the same license?

Correct?

I would expect that that is doable overall.

However, I would look for some Microsoft SOP/procedure to execute the upgrade.

No third party tools or methods.....

And I would also ensure that I had full backups at the ready - just in case.

The plan is to go from a Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021 Evaluation to an activated Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC non-Evaluation.

And the question is, if that is manageable just by typing in my valid product key or do i need to have another Windows Version installed?!

 

[USAFRet]

The plan is to go from a Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021 Evaluation to an activated Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC non-Evaluation.

And the question is, if that is manageable just by typing in my valid product key or do i need to have another Windows Version installed?!

When you downloaded this eval ISO, what did the documentation from Microsoft say?