Which raises questions, what the hell kind of policy are they going to have if your motherboard goes or the harddrive...
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Microsoft To Provide Free Windows 10 Upgrades For 2 To 4 Years
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Comixbooks
Fully [H]
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I'm sure the nice guy from India will be able to understand while trying to get your copy registered again but then again maybe not. Installing has never been fun for me even at the "We're getting things Ready" screen.
Windows 8 has been a lot faster of a install thanks to SSD drives and automated phones that make you enter codes.
Zepher
[H]ipster Replacement
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the motherboard is the only part that makes the difference. if it fails, you can replace it with the same one or an equivalent one from the same vendor.
Sorry, I dont mean to ball ache you
The problem is it doesnt make it clear whether only one change of computer is allowed at the time of the upgrade or if it can again be changed later and if so, more than once.
It would also defy the way that Windows 10 is licensed as stated on that same page.
For example you cannot ever enter the Windows 10 key, it is automatically assigned.
If you change hard drive, you re-install windows and the your hardware is detected and the correct key automatically assigned.
So once a "device" has Windows on it, how do you move that windows install to another "device"?
Microsoft have made it abundantly clear at every opportunity that Windows is "tied" to a "device" for the life of that "device", so it doesnt look possible.
That's been answered. The license is tied to your Microsoft account.
It's just like it's always been. It's one license. Retail versions can be transferred to another machine, as long as it's removed from the previous machine. OEM versions are tied to that machine, period. At the worse you may have to call in the activation, but that also is possible with Windows 7 or 8.
Semantics
2[H]4U
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Not sure why this confuses anyone it's nothing new that's one of the differences between OEM and Retail.
rezerekted
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You do not have to buy a new license to continue to use Windows 10.If I were forced to guess, it would be that you would not get Windows 10.5 in 2020 for free on that computer. However, you would get 10.1 through 10.4 without cost. This is only a guess but, no, you do not need to buy a new license.
You will be forced to pay in order to get security updates. Win8.1 will get security updates far longer than the life of a "free" Win10 license. Microsoft would not give away Win10 for free without a catch somewhere.
No, at *best* you *may* be able to call in to re-activate. It remains to be seen whether or not they close that loophole for Windows 10.
People are just assuming "well I could do it for 7 and 8" but that means jack for 10 before we have a final EULA and people actually test the phone re-activation on a different motherboard.
Nenu
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No it isnt, there are no longer new versions of windows, this is not the same.
What changes is the hardware, thats how they are going to make their money.
I'll say it again
"Microsoft have made it abundantly clear at every opportunity that Windows is "tied" to a "device" for the life of that "device", so it doesnt look possible [to transfer a license from one device (machine) to another]."
It's not a loophole, it's in the retail license. I deal with retail licenses at my job, and usually as long as you haven't reactivated the key in the past six months online is fine, if it's less the automated phone activation works fine.
But anyways, keep believing the blog spam if you want.
You will be forced to pay in order to get security updates. Win8.1 will get security updates far longer than the life of a "free" Win10 license. Microsoft would not give away Win10 for free without a catch somewhere.
Were those who purchased Windows 8.0 forced to pay for Windows 8.1?
rezerekted
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No, but according to two articles I have now read that have been posted here after 2 -4 years you will have to pay to get more Win10 upgrades.
But Microsoft did use 8.1 upgrade to force people to sign up for their App store in order to get it. I had actually used GPedit to disable the store on my PC so was quite annoyed to learn of that I had to enable it.
Point being, I do not trust Microsoft to give me a *free* Win10 upgrade with no strings attached.
But Microsoft did use 8.1 upgrade to force people to sign up for their App store in order to get it. I had actually used GPedit to disable the store on my PC so was quite annoyed to learn of that I had to enable it.
Point being, I do not trust Microsoft to give me a *free* Win10 upgrade with no strings attached.
You're talking about upgrades now. Previously you were talking about having to pay for security updates:
rezerekted said:
Do you have a source for that, or are you just making that up?
rezerekted
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You can blame Microsoft for all the speculation because they are not coming clean with *exactly* how the license works.
For all I know upgrades may also mean security updates.
For all I know upgrades may also mean security updates.
coolpurplefan
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When I found out Ubuntu Linux is compatible with some programs, I decided if I build a secondary machine, I'm likely to use that. Hehe.
Ugh.
So effectively, if you have Win 7, you have a LONGER use than 10? Really? (2020 is 5ish years away...)
So, why would I want to upgrade to 10 then, when my system is perfectly stable, and running like I want it to?
I understand for the retail license. The loophole I was referring to was people using the same phone activation line for OEM, or for those $15 upgrade copies of Win8, etc. A lot of people are assuming things will remain exactly the same for Windows 10 and I'm saying let's wait and see before we start shooting our guns in the air.
Only if you believe rezerekted. Which you should not do. He made that up.
You don't have to. It's Microsoft's job to make you want to. That's going to be extremely difficult, which is why they're doing the free upgrade offer.
All the paranoids are looking for "the catch" where Microsoft screws everybody who takes the free upgrade offer. But if Microsoft did that and pissed off everybody who took the offer, that would defeat the whole purpose of the offer - which is to get a bunch of people to try Win10, decide it's good, buy more licenses and recommend Win10 to others.
If you want to entice the mule to go forward by dangling a carrot in front of its nose, the carrot needs to be a carrot, not a turd, because the turd won't work.
The EULA for the free upgrade offer will be out for an entire year before the offer is over. So will the details of its lifecycle.
Everyone is fretting about this like they HAVE to all upgrade on the 29th.
Just chill.
Sit back and wait a couple of months to see what other report back. Simple.
Then if reports are goo then go ahead and upgrade. If not, stay as you are.
No need to panic.
Just chill.
Sit back and wait a couple of months to see what other report back. Simple.
Then if reports are goo then go ahead and upgrade. If not, stay as you are.
No need to panic.
bigstusexy
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I still believe that windows is becoming a service, as such there will be a fee. It's only confusing because we think of software with version numbers and they are getting rid of that only in the naming. While they think this will be their last core and just go on with endless modification. You'll get security patches but not newer features. Want DX 13 if it's outside the regular life limit? You'll need to pay for upgrades, however the IP v6 stack overflow flaw would still be patched without you paying again.
The way I feel about it is meh, I'd still be buying a new OS anyway and it's just the way things are going.
The way I feel about it is meh, I'd still be buying a new OS anyway and it's just the way things are going.
DedEmbryonicCe11
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My Windows 7 Pro license is only OEM so I've had to call in to the phone line to reactive it every time I do a system upgrade. I've read through the longer Upgrade FAQ and I've yet to see a downside to purchasing a retail license of 7 / 8.1 Pro *now* when they are at greatly reduced prices compared to the $199 10 Pro will be in 2 1/2 weeks. That way I have a guaranteed Retail Pro license for 10 even if they change it so that we can't use the phone activation anymore. As far as I see it, the worst case scenario is that phone activation works fine with an OEM license and I sell my unopened retail copy at a small hit. The best case scenario is phone activation is no longer an option and I've saved $50+.
Which begs the question, why would any home user buy a new 10 license over a 7/8.1 license when they are essentially the same? The most time consuming portion of a system upgrade is all the OS updates and reinstalling software *after* the OS is installed. If it saves me $50 I have no problem spending an extra hour to install a blank slate 7 / 8.1 and then installing 10 over that.
Which begs the question, why would any home user buy a new 10 license over a 7/8.1 license when they are essentially the same? The most time consuming portion of a system upgrade is all the OS updates and reinstalling software *after* the OS is installed. If it saves me $50 I have no problem spending an extra hour to install a blank slate 7 / 8.1 and then installing 10 over that.
That is the issue, the reports are not clear and concise... Rather, they are "goo."
You'd think Microsoft would want EVERYTHING to be 100% clear, so the consumer would want to get the upgrade.
Yet, they aren't. And the spinners spin it to the negative.
I guess they still have not learned the key aspect of selling. Properly informing the customer...
Nenu
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The idea is to send a message to MS in the hope that they will make it more amenable before release.
I thought similar last night.
I intend on a complete system change in a couple of years, when a worthy upgrade from a 2500K appears.
If my Win 7 Home key effectively becomes an OEM because they wont allow me to transfer to new hardware "after" Win 10 upgrade is installed, there is no point upgrading.
My current Windows key lets me change my hardware at will, I will be keeping it that way.