Do 8.1 and 7 machines upgraded to 10 have to create Microsoft accounts so they can reinstall?

[+Warwagon MVC]

In order to clean install Windows 10 later on a Windows 7 or 8 machine that has been upgraded to Windows 10, does that computer after upgrading to 10 have to sign into a Microsoft account, so Microsoft knows you upgraded? Because after upgrading 1 Windows 7 Desktop and 2 Windows 7 laptops I was never prompted to create or sign into a Microsoft account.

So If all of these people upgrading their windows 7 machines or (8 machines that never created a Microsoft account) didn't create Microsoft accounts after they upgraded, when they bring their PC or laptop into my shop, and if that machine needs a reinstall, am I going to have to put Windows 7 or 8 back on and then upgrade them back to 10 and have them create a Microsoft account?

What if they bring it back in after 1 year when they can no longer get the free upgrade?

Or does the Activation server some how record the PC information separate from a Microsoft Account.

Edited July 30, 2015 by warwagon

[Nogib]

Server stores system Hardware ID.  Has nothing to do with having or not having a MSA on the system.

[PGHammer]

That is actually quite sensible, especially since an MSA can cover multiple PCs (while the PCs themselves have different logins - PINs, for example).  Right now, my desktop and two notebooks login with the same MSA, but their PINs differ from each other (no two systems have the same PIN).  My mom's AIO gets upgraded in the next three days - she has no MSA, despite running 8.1 (choice - no other reason).

[webeagle12]

No you don't have to sign in to Microsoft account.  I never did and everything worked for me just fine. It did took a while for activation to kicked in ( 2 hours) but it worked. If you see activation error messages, wait a little while.

[kachan64]

You will be User1 or something. I did that for Windows 7 to Windows 8.1 before.

If u do a clean install, you have the option of skip Microsoft account under register page. I did it for a friend recently and took me like 5 min to figure this thing out lol And I Googled it last