A field sales laptop currently runs Windows 10 Home. Management now requires every computer to join the on-premises Active Directory domain. The user must retain all personal files and installed applications, and the machine is rarely on site, so downtime must be minimal. Which installation approach BEST satisfies these constraints?
Install the latest Windows 10 feature update through Windows Update.
Deploy a company Windows 10 Pro image to the laptop using Microsoft Deployment Toolkit.
Boot from a Windows 10 Pro USB installer and perform a clean installation.
Enter a valid Windows 10 Pro product key in Settings to perform an in-place edition upgrade.
Only Windows 10 Pro (or higher) supports joining an on-premises Active Directory domain. Home can be converted to Pro without reinstalling the OS by entering a valid Pro product key in Settings > Activation. This edition upgrade is an in-place upgrade, so the process keeps user data, installed apps, and settings with very little downtime. A clean install from a USB drive or deploying a new MDT image would meet the domain requirement but would erase the existing environment or require lengthy data migration. Installing the latest feature update does not change the edition, so the system would still be unable to join the domain.
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