Windows 10 - Clean Install Options

bigdogchris

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Interesting article about doing clean installs of Windows 10. If this article is correct, it seems activation information is stored in the cloud. When you reinstall with an ISO your system is automatically activated without a product key. If you swap your motherboard you will have to buy a license.

For the record, Microsoft has always considered a motherboard "the computer" and the Windows 10 free upgrade offer only extends for the lifetime of the device, not a free license for the user to reuse on new PCs.

How Windows 10 Will Handle Clean Installs
Jun 19, 2015 Rod Trent

Much has been said about the Windows 10 free upgrade for consumers that will release on July 29, but very little has been uncovered about what the process might be for clean installs after the upgrade. Richard covered this topic just a couple weeks ago, but there were burning questions remaining even then.

Here's a little more clarification from Microsoft. More and more of the free upgrade pieces are falling into place.

Once your device upgrades to Windows 10 using the free upgrade offer it will activate online automatically. This information will be stored as a record so when you perform subsequent installations, the activation code will be automatically applied, as long as it’s the same computer and the exact same Windows 10 edition. As long as you take advantage of the free upgrade offer time period (1 year from July 29), you will be able to clean install the same edition of Windows 10 that you upgraded to on the same device during and after the free upgrade offer. A new license will not be required for purchase since activation is automatic.

Installation media will be made available for you to download (ISO) so that you can create installation media on a USB drive or DVD. Product key information will not be required and Windows 10 will activate online automatically. The online activation will happen automatically after a clean install of Windows 10 if the device has already been upgraded and activated online the same Edition of Windows 10.

If something major happens to the device that requires something as monumental such as a motherboard change (basically turning it into a new computer), Windows 10 will require re-activation – which will require you to purchase a license. This is what Microsoft means when it says "life of the device." Additionally, you can't transfer a license to a new device. But, if something disastrous does happen, it's usually more cost-effective to just buy a replacement device anyway and that should come pre-loaded with Windows 10. However, if you happen to buy a new device with an older OS installed, you can get the free Windows 10 upgrade as long as it falls in the free upgrade offer period.

SOURCE
 
I'm a bit curious how this will work in practice. Hopefully seamlessly. I ended up just tossing the most bare-bones Win 8.1 install I could and putting the public release of 10 on top of it. If you tell it to keep no files or settings, it's pretty close to a clean install as-is.
 
I have seen this on just about every one of their OS releases lately. I think it will probably be the same as it is now. If you swap motherboards, you may have to call a support number and get a key or something, but I can't see them charging for an OS if a motherboard fails.
 
I have seen this on just about every one of their OS releases lately. I think it will probably be the same as it is now. If you swap motherboards, you may have to call a support number and get a key or something, but I can't see them charging for an OS if a motherboard fails.
"Free for the lifetime of the device." If a motherboard dies, the device has failed.

If it was a paid OS I would agree but considering it's free I doubt they would keep giving it away free every time someones motherboard "dies".
 
i'm not so sure about that. If it is run as a service like android things get more complicated. If you buy a new OS what happens to all of your purchased apps and stored data?
 
i'm not so sure about that. If it is run as a service like android things get more complicated. If you buy a new OS what happens to all of your purchased apps and stored data?

Apps and media purchases from Microsoft's app and content stores and OneNote data are tied to your Microsoft account like all of the other platforms. This is the reason why I think most consumers are better off with a Microsoft account particularly if they use Microsoft's services.
 
this is why i don't think they will make you buy a new license with a new motherboard. This is supposed to be the final windows so it wouldn't make sense if you need to rebuy it with every build.
 
wow, I've been saying that this is how it will work for how long now?
 
this is why i don't think they will make you buy a new license with a new motherboard. This is supposed to be the final windows so it wouldn't make sense if you need to rebuy it with every build.

I guess we'll see. But if reactivation policy works with 10 as it does with previous versions of Windows then I don't think that replacing a motherboard would require buying a new license.

Also, not really sure where this notion that this is the last major version of Windows. It'll be the last until the next.
 
I guess we'll see. But if reactivation policy works with 10 as it does with previous versions of Windows then I don't think that replacing a motherboard would require buying a new license.

Also, not really sure where this notion that this is the last major version of Windows. It'll be the last until the next.

http://mashable.com/2015/05/08/windows-10-last/
Speaking at Microsoft Ignite, the company's multi-day event for connecting with the IT crowd, Jerry Nixon, one of the company's developer evangelists, broke the news.
"Right now we’re releasing Windows 10, and because Windows 10 is the last version of Windows, we’re all still working on Windows 10," he said.
 
Last version of Windows doesn't mean the last OS that will come from Microsoft. I'm pretty sure there has been talk about retiring the Windows brand for a long time now.
 
Last version of Windows doesn't mean the last OS that will come from Microsoft. I'm pretty sure there has been talk about retiring the Windows brand for a long time now.

It just doesn't seem plausible that Windows 10 will the last major version of a general purpose OS from Microsoft. Maybe the Windows name will be retired but with new versions of Android and iOS and OS X coming every year the Windows 10 brand will simply get old after a while.
 
At a certain point they're going to have to change the OS just to stay fresh and that can be pretty confusing with a single name. I can see them dropping the 10 moniker down the line and just calling it "Windows" or even just retiring the name altogether in favor of something new.
No way do I believe they'll keep the Windows 10 name alive for a decade without offering up something else.
 
At a certain point they're going to have to change the OS just to stay fresh and that can be pretty confusing with a single name. I can see them dropping the 10 moniker down the line and just calling it "Windows" or even just retiring the name altogether in favor of something new.
No way do I believe they'll keep the Windows 10 name alive for a decade without offering up something else.

Why not? Apple has with Mac OS X.
 
but what you seem to gloss over is that the name of the OS is "Mac OS 10" - the X is the Roman numeral 10.
 
Why not? Apple has with Mac OS X.

Because this is Microsoft. They can't even keep the same names for their own apps for more than a year or two.
I'm sure they'll reinvent themselves in another few years and make an about-face.
 
this is why i don't think they will make you buy a new license with a new motherboard. This is supposed to be the final windows so it wouldn't make sense if you need to rebuy it with every build.
Windows 10 free upgrade is for the current device you own. I don't think their intention is to give you Windows for free forever on every new build you have. Eventually you will have to buy a new OS.

I guess we'll see. But if reactivation policy works with 10 as it does with previous versions of Windows then I don't think that replacing a motherboard would require buying a new license.
I expect Windows 10 to still use product keys, just look at the preview builds as proof. If you buy a system builders edition I'm sure you'll still use keys.

But when it comes to the free upgrade, it's that device only. Microsoft clearly defines a device (computer) as the motherboard. If your motherboard fails, I agree, they probably will let you reactivate on a replacement board, if you call them, just as they do now. But if you build a new PC and want to reinstall they are not going to give you a new free OS. If you build a new system within the free upgrade period, you would have to install 7 or 8 and go through the upgrade process to activate that new build. But once the free trial is over and you build new I expect you'll have to buy 10.

I know everyone wants Microsoft to just give you a key and an ISO for free to use forever on any new computer you build, but how does that make any sense from a business standpoint to do that? If it's Microsoft brand hardware, they control the "lifetime" of the device just like Apple does. Apple gives away OS upgrades for free because it's their own hardware they are supporting. But PC is unique in that you can build your own and in that case you're still going to have to buy Windows at least once.
 
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but what you seem to gloss over is that the name of the OS is "Mac OS 10" - the X is the Roman numeral 10.

Nah, I says it as I see it. It Apple wanted to call it Mac OS 10, it would be Mac OS 10. I'm not in for that pretentious stuff.


As for Windows 10, basing it on the board makes sense. I'm probably going to do a Sky Lake build some time later this year (assuming they have some clock overhead) so I'll just leave Windows 10 until then. If any of you guys are in the same position you might want to wait too.
 
Nah, I says it as I see it. It Apple wanted to call it Mac OS 10, it would be Mac OS 10. I'm not in for that pretentious stuff.


As for Windows 10, basing it on the board makes sense. I'm probably going to do a Sky Lake build some time later this year (assuming they have some clock overhead) so I'll just leave Windows 10 until then. If any of you guys are in the same position you might want to wait too.

Then you are saying it wrong and missing my point.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OS_X

OS X, whose X is the Roman numeral for 10 and is a prominent part of its brand identity, is built on technologies developed at NeXT between the second half .....
 
actually they clearly said oem get a device locked os and retail keys get a retail license. So if you got your copy of windows with your pc you get the life time of whatever network ethernet port is on the motherboard because that is what is used to track the motherboard. well that and the hardware on it but usually it is the hardware mac address. If you have retail copy of win 7 or 8 you get what sounds like a one device at time but I'm waiting to see.
 
Metro and the metro apps have been something that have bugged me for quite a while. I found some really useful PowerShell commands to remove *all* of the Metro apps (including the store). Edge and the settings app are still Metro but everything else is gone. Now it's like having Windows 7 with new features like virtual desktops.

For those interested, here are the commands:

Code:
//remove all of the installed metro apps
Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers | Remove-AppxPackage

//remove all of the apps from the backing store so that they are completely purged from the system
Get-AppXProvisionedPackage -online | Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage –online
 
Last version of Windows doesn't mean the last OS that will come from Microsoft. I'm pretty sure there has been talk about retiring the Windows brand for a long time now.

Why? It's an incredibly well known brand with lots of "brand equity," along with brands like Nike or Coke or Harley-Davidson. MS might change the product a lot, but not the brand. My two cents here.
 
actually they clearly said oem get a device locked os and retail keys get a retail license. So if you got your copy of windows with your pc you get the life time of whatever network ethernet port is on the motherboard because that is what is used to track the motherboard. well that and the hardware on it but usually it is the hardware mac address. If you have retail copy of win 7 or 8 you get what sounds like a one device at time but I'm waiting to see.

So what if you got an external PCIe Ethernet board that you move from motherboard to motherboard?

What about a laptop that has only WiFi and USB ports?
 
actually they clearly said oem get a device locked os and retail keys get a retail license. So if you got your copy of windows with your pc you get the life time of whatever network ethernet port is on the motherboard because that is what is used to track the motherboard. well that and the hardware on it but usually it is the hardware mac address. If you have retail copy of win 7 or 8 you get what sounds like a one device at time but I'm waiting to see.

So what if you got an external PCIe Ethernet board that you move from motherboard to motherboard?

What about a laptop that has only WiFi and USB ports?
Retail activation is not tied to the MAC or a specific component of the motherboard. It is most certainly not tied specifically to the MAC address. I do not believe Microsoft has ever stated their method of detection other than to say it is tied to the computer and that the computer is the motherboard.

A. Generally, an end user can upgrade or replace all of the hardware components on a computer—except the motherboard—and still retain the license for the original Microsoft OEM operating system software. If the motherboard is upgraded or replaced for reasons other than a defect, then a new computer has been created. Microsoft OEM operating system software cannot be transferred to the new computer, and the license of new operating system software is required. If the motherboard is replaced because it is defective, you do not need to acquire a new operating system license for the PC as long as the replacement motherboard is the same make/model or the same manufacturer's replacement/equivalent, as defined by the manufacturer's warranty.

The reason for this licensing rule primarily relates to the Microsoft Software License Terms and the support of the software covered by those terms. The Microsoft Software License Terms are a set of usage rights granted to the end user by the PC manufacturer, and relate only to rights for that software as installed on that particular PC. The system builder is required to support the software on the original PC. Understanding that end users, over time, upgrade their PCs with different components, Microsoft needed to have one base component "left standing" that would still define the original PC. Since the motherboard contains the CPU and is the "heart and soul" of the PC, when the motherboard is replaced (for reasons other than defect) a new PC is essentially created. The original system builder did not manufacture this new PC, and therefore cannot be expected to support it.
Licensing FAQ
 
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OEM licenses work just fine when moved to a new motherboard as long as you call the support line and explain to the agent why the motherboard has changed. If you have a system failure and need to replace the hardware, Microsoft isn't going to hold that against you.
 
Retail activation is not tied to the MAC or a specific component of the motherboard. It is most certainly not tied specifically to the MAC address. I do not believe Microsoft has ever stated their method of detection other than to say it is tied to the computer and that the computer is the motherboard.

Licensing FAQ

I was at a Microsoft training during the release of Windows 7 and they actually went over some of the components that are included in the hash. There is information from the system BIOS, the main CPU, the video card, information from the hard disk firmware, and the MAC of the network interface. the big caveat to all of this is that they never use information from REMOVABLE devices (eg, USB, firewire, eSATA, etc). They only use information from devices connected to buses that are expected be affixed to the machine.

Then, as hardware changes there are various weights assigned to components. If the BIOS changes then this assumed to mean that the motherboard changed and this has a higher weight than if just the video card changed. If there are enough changes then this triggers the activation process to trigger a manual re-activation.
 
OEM licenses work just fine when moved to a new motherboard as long as you call the support line and explain to the agent why the motherboard has changed. If you have a system failure and need to replace the hardware, Microsoft isn't going to hold that against you.

there is no confirmation they will continue to let people skate on reactivation with a phonecall. people are just assuming that because it was that way in the past it'll be so for Windows 10, I'm not assuming anything until we see a EULA and some reports of people being able to switch motherboards with a phonecall.
 
OEM licenses work just fine when moved to a new motherboard as long as you call the support line and explain to the agent why the motherboard has changed. If you have a system failure and need to replace the hardware, Microsoft isn't going to hold that against you.

Yaah. What if the original motherboard is no longer available? And why not, for the same $$$, buy a new/faster/better motherboard?
 
I was at a Microsoft training during the release of Windows 7 and they actually went over some of the components that are included in the hash. There is information from the system BIOS, the main CPU, the video card, information from the hard disk firmware, and the MAC of the network interface. the big caveat to all of this is that they never use information from REMOVABLE devices (eg, USB, firewire, eSATA, etc). They only use information from devices connected to buses that are expected be affixed to the machine.

Then, as hardware changes there are various weights assigned to components. If the BIOS changes then this assumed to mean that the motherboard changed and this has a higher weight than if just the video card changed. If there are enough changes then this triggers the activation process to trigger a manual re-activation.
Great information. Thanks for sharing that. I think we all suspected that it was numerous amount of components but now we know. I have heard of people swapping video cards and being prompted to reactivate Windows.
 
Does anybody know if you can COMPLETELY bypass the Windows store and go straight to the ISO and clean install there?

If you guys remember, Windows 8.0 to 8.1 Microsoft tried to force you to update through the Windows store. But clever enthusiasts found a way to go straight to 8.1 without actually having to go through the Windows Store crap. You basically download Win 8.1 ISO, then enter a GENERIC KEY that let's you install, then once you reach Windows 8.1 UI, you enter in your 8.0 key, and the whole OS becomes fully legit and activated.

I wonder if you can do something similar in Windows 10
 
Does anybody know if you can COMPLETELY bypass the Windows store and go straight to the ISO and clean install there?

If you guys remember, Windows 8.0 to 8.1 Microsoft tried to force you to update through the Windows store. But clever enthusiasts found a way to go straight to 8.1 without actually having to go through the Windows Store crap. You basically download Win 8.1 ISO, then enter a GENERIC KEY that let's you install, then once you reach Windows 8.1 UI, you enter in your 8.0 key, and the whole OS becomes fully legit and activated.

I wonder if you can do something similar in Windows 10

Something like this will definitely be possible for Enterprise/VLK customers, since the previews for Server 2016 have this option available.
 
" if something disastrous does happen, it's usually more cost-effective to just buy a replacement device anyway and that should come pre-loaded with Windows 10"

LOL. I ain't drinking the grape Kool-Aid.
 
" if something disastrous does happen, it's usually more cost-effective to just buy a replacement device anyway and that should come pre-loaded with Windows 10"

LOL. I ain't drinking the grape Kool-Aid.

Well since most business computers are laptops this may well be true. Man hours are so expensive that nobody wants to start to replace a laptop motherboard unless it's covered by warranty. Even then the worker gets just a new laptop to replace the old one to avoid down time.
 
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