What exactly do we know about the Windows 10 free upgrade?

[LauRoman]

The press releases and the talks about the Windows 10 free upgrade were a little vague on what exactly that entails.

 

1. What exactly does "for the life of the device" mean?

 

2. What happens to activation if i somehow i have to reinstall the OS? (happens less and less to me, but is still an issue for some people)

 

3. Can one use the upgrade only once from within the previous Windows install or will they be given a Windows 10 license key to replace the old one?

 

4. If the device is EOL can't we install on another machine? If not, will the previous license (say windows 7) be blacklisted form being used after the device that was upgraded o windows 10 is defunct and the 10 license is unusable? (At this point this is only a theory butMs did say for the life of the device)

 

I do have a fair number of Windows 7 licenses and i really don't want to have any of them be unusuable after i decide to upgrade and am not happy with what the license is restricting me to do. I honestly would have wished for it to be a free upgrade for Vista in the first week or two just to test out if/what the upgrade restrictions are if any.

 

Do not compare it to the Windows 8 25$ upgrade because that was permanent and reusable upgrade, and aparently there were no device restrictions. Citations are not really necessary, but neither are wild theories. Please do not come here to say that i am free not to upgrade to 10 or that upgrades will be cheap after that. That may be almost definitely true, but is not what i'm asking at the moment. I will probably mark as spam posts that are not at least slightly topical to these questions.

[WelshBluebird]

Why would it be any different to previous Windows upgrades? 

[MikeChipshop Member]

Exactly the same as previous OEM upgrades except if you upgrade in the first year, you don;t hand over any cash. Simple.

[Obi-Wan Kenobi]

I'll try my best to answer all of your questions. 1-20: IT'S FREE!

[spaceelf]

The reason there is still confusion is Microsoft themselves aren't exactly clarifying the issue.

 

Their Partner Support still seems to be under the impression it's only free for the first year then you'll have to pay for it, according to http://techreport.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=102035

 

As far as I can tell that's a load of crap, but I am not Microsoft and don't know why they wouldn't just come out and say that if that was how it's going to be.

[LauRoman]

What does, for the life of the device mean?

I'll try my best to answer all of your questions. 1-20: IT'S FREE!

It's not free if i have to give up a key for Windows 7 that i bought for a 10 key that can only be used on one device ever and may not be usable after the device is defunct/need reactivation because of too many hw changes.

I just want clarification that the Win 10 key is reusable in perpetuity (until activation servers are shut down) and i an use it on as many machines as i want (as long as i remove it from the old machine and activate it on the new one).

That is absolutely not clear at all at this moment.

[spaceelf]

Probably that the free license only applies for one device and can't be transferred.

[LauRoman]

Probably that the free license only applies for one device and can't be transferred.

Even if the old key is retail? Ok so if the key is not transferable, and i scrap the machine that has win10, will the 7 key still be usable/able to be reactivated? If not, than exchanging a "unlimited" instalation license for one that is only good for one machine, is not a great deal, at all.

[spaceelf]

I doubt anything at all will happen to your original OS license.

[LauRoman]

I doubt anything at all will happen to your original OS license.

Probably but it's not clear, is it? I don't mind giving up a 7 license for a free 10 one, or even if i did pay a delta. But giving up a license that has (security) support until 2020 for one that has support only until the machine gets scrapped is the worst deal ever.

 

I honestly don't want to be a downer, but Microsoft should clarify the issue. You should give up your transferable license for a transferable one. If not, they should come out and say it. If the Win10 license is severly limited in activations compared to the ones for Win7 i have i still probably will upgrade at least one machine, but i really would like to know the details.

 

This will be flushed out when the OS actually gets released, and people will test, praise or bash the new license, but we should probably have an idea how it works beforehand.

Why would it be any different to previous Windows upgrades?

Because, at least at the moment, it seems one exchanges a retail license for one that seems to behave a lot like an OEM one.

[FunkyMike]

Probably but it's not clear, is it? I don't mind giving up a 7 license for a free 10 one, or even if i did pay a delta. But giving up a license that has (security) support until 2020 for one that has support only until the machine gets scrapped is the worst deal ever.

 

I honestly don't want to be a downer, but Microsoft should clarify the issue. You should give up your transferable license for a transferable one. If not, they should come out and say it. If the Win10 license is severly limited in activations compared to the ones for Win7 i have i still probably will upgrade at least one machine, but i really would like to know the details.

 

This will be flushed out when the OS actually gets released, and people will test, praise or bash the new license, but we should probably have an idea how it works beforehand.

 

Honestly how do you get the idea that you will need to "give up a licence".

 

Nothing will be given up. How else do you expect all the Windows 7 laptop users to upgrade?

 

They all run on the same Windows 7 OEM keys.

[CG-88]

The way I read it is when Windows 10 is first released it will be a free upgrade for selected operating systems for the first year only. The reason for this is as I believe, quicker uptake by the masses and to make it more appealing to people. They will also give the option for a fresh install.

 

The above will probably be based on your current licence and will somehow be registered to it to generate your new windows 10 licence so lets say for example, you need to wipe and start from scratch a few years down the line - you wont have to pay to reinstall windows 10 even if you originally got it for free because you originally took the offer within the first year. 

 

In regards to your current licence on whatever OS you are on, this wont be affected by the upgrade and you will see be able to downgrade and keep the current licence.

 

The only thing I don't know is how Microsoft will check the licences for upgrades. Maybe the licence from 8.1 or something will be the licence for windows 10? Or maybe the licence you have for 8.1 will generate a licence for windows 10 that you will need to save externally and anytime you need to reinstall you use this.

 

Either way, its free and your current licence wont be affected

[LauRoman]

The above will probably be based on your current licence and will somehow be registered to it to generate your new windows 10 licence so lets say for example, you need to wipe and start from scratch a few years down the line - you wont have to pay to reinstall windows 10 even if you originally got it for free because you originally took the offer within the first year.

That's absolutely not what i asked. Currently i have one Windows 7 license (actually i have more than one but that's not the point) and i can put that on any machine as long as i remove it from the old one and reactivate by phone. That's how any retail license should actright?

If i upgrade to Windows 10 support will be given for the life of the device? What does that mean? Can't i move my Win10 license from one machine to another the same i did with Win7, if my machine breaks down or i buy a new one? That should be the way it works, but are we sure that's what's gonna happen? Or is Microsoft gonna tie that Win10 license to that machine forever?

 

Honestly how do you get the idea that you will need to "give up a licence".

Nothing will be given up. How else do you expect all the Windows 7 laptop users to upgrade?

They all run on the same Windows 7 OEM keys.

Do you know how a retail license works or have you never used anything that didn't come preinstalled with an OS? What i was asking is that the Win10 license generated from the Win7 one i already have will be as reusable on other machines as the Win 7 one? Or will it be forever tied to the machine i did the updgrade on even though the original Win7 license i could move to any machine i wanted.

In regards to your current licence on whatever OS you are on, this wont be affected by the upgrade and you will see be able to downgrade and keep the current licence.

The only thing I don't know is how Microsoft will check the licences for upgrades. Maybe the licence from 8.1 or something will be the licence for windows 10? Or maybe the licence you have for 8.1 will generate a licence for windows 10 that you will need to save externally and anytime you need to reinstall you use this.

Either way, its free and your current licence wont be affected

How can i be sure of that, and where does MS state anything like that that is not for Enterprise customers.

[xWhiplash]

That's absolutely not what i asked. Currently i have one Windows 7 license (actually i have more than one but that's not the point) and i can put that on any machine as long as i remove it from the old one and reactivate by phone. That's how any retail license should actright?

If i upgrade to Windows 10 support will be given for the life of the device? What does that mean? Can't i move my Win10 license from one machine to another the same i did with Win7, if my machine breaks down or i buy a new one? That should be the way it works, but are we sure that's what's gonna happen? Or is Microsoft gonna tie that Win10 license to that machine forever?

 

I think it will work like it has in the past with OEM versions.  If you needed to replace your motherboard or upgrade some components, you can just call them up and re-activate.

[xendrome]

Can't i move my Win10 license from one machine to another the same i did with Win7, if my machine breaks down or i buy a new one? 

 

Technically you aren't able to do that now with Windows 7, the license is tied to the original machine you installed it on. Just because you can activate it doesn't make it legit.

 

Anyway the main question I have is. What if I install Windows 10 on my system on the 360th day of the freebie, and my OS gets corrupted and I need to do a clean load on the 366th day. Am I totally out of luck? Or will MS provide a ISO download and key that will work past the 365 days of the freebie?

[LauRoman]

Technically you aren't able to do that now with Windows 7, the license is tied to the original machine you installed it on. Just because you can activate it doesn't make it legit.

What makes ou say that? I have moved at least one Win7 RETAIL license on at least 5 different machines since i bought it. Begining with the second reinstall/move i had to do it by phone and the automated activation system asked me if i use (present tense, not used) that license on more than one machine (not a previous machine) and i got it activated afterwards. Of course i format the old machine/partition where the license was previously on.

Man, it seems that nobody in this thread has ever installed/reinstalled/moved a retail copy of Windows.

 

People don't seem to get that all my licenses are retail and can be moved from machine to machine, while respecting the terms of the license by having one license on only one machine, at any given time. But will upgrading one of those retail win7 licenses tie the resulting win10 license to the machine it was use on forever without me being able to use it on another one?

 

What i am asking is that if i have a RETAIL Win7 license, will the free Win10 license act pretty much as an OEM one, by being tied to one machine only, ever? Even though my original license was RETAIL?

[Stoffel]

What makes ou say that? I have moved at least one Win7 RETAIL license on at least 5 different machines since i bought it. Begining with the second reinstall/move i had to do it by phone and the automated activation system asked me if i use (present tense, not used) that license on more than one machine (not a previous machine) and i got it activated afterwards. Of course i format the old machine/partition where the license was previously on.

Man, it seems that nobody in this thread has ever installed/reinstalled/moved a retail copy of Windows.

 

People don't seem to get that all my licenses are retail and can be moved from machine to machine, while respecting the terms of the license by having one license on only one machine, at any given time. But will upgrading one of those retail win7 licenses tie the resulting win10 license to the machine it was use on forever without me being able to use it on another one?

 

What i am asking is that if i have a RETAIL Win7 license, will the free Win10 license act pretty much as an OEM one, by being tied to one machine only, ever? Even though my original license was RETAIL?

 

We all understand what you are asking, but all we can do is speculate, MS is the only one at the moment who knows how this will work.

If you don't want us to speculate, don't ask questions nobody knows the answer too at the moment!

[LauRoman]

We all understand what you are asking, but all we can do is speculate, MS is the only one at the moment who knows how this will work.

If you don't want us to speculate, don't ask questions nobody knows the answer too at the moment!

You and one other understand. Other people seem to be answering that yes OEM win7 keys are upgrade-able, which is not what i asked. Or that the Win10 license is valid after the free upgrade year, which is true, but again, not what i asked. Some people seem to think that one can't move retail licenses, which is bogus, but not what i asked.

 

I don't mind people speculating, but answering different questions alltogether?

 

What experience have people had with upgradind a RETAIL Win7 license to Win8? Is the Win8 license, that was bought as a 25$ upgrade using the Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant software just as moveable to another machine as the 7 one was or was it tied forever to the machine it was bought on?

[Mando]

Technically you aren't able to do that now with Windows 7, the license is tied to the original machine you installed it on. Just because you can activate it doesn't make it legit.

 

Anyway the main question I have is. What if I install Windows 10 on my system on the 360th day of the freebie, and my OS gets corrupted and I need to do a clean load on the 366th day. Am I totally out of luck? Or will MS provide a ISO download and key that will work past the 365 days of the freebie?

Partially untrue mate

 

Retail Windows 7 SKUs (Win 7 home prem, professional & ultimate) can be transferred legally up to 3 different machines (only live/Activated on one though) in the keys lifetime, before triggering a manual re-activation. 

 

OEMS however die with the machine as you have stated, Retails do not.

 

this is also why retail boxed copies of windows costs more than OEM

[LauRoman]

Manual reactivation, after the old install has been scrapped, of course, does not make a retail license illicit.

[Mando]

Manual reactivation, after the old install has been scrapped, of course, does not make a retail license illicit.

huh Illicit?

 

You are legally allowed to move Retail COA/licences to a new PC (3 times it states), it tells you this in the Terms and conditions supplied in the retail box (on COA card iirc) at work atm so a VL customer, but ill check my retail boxes when I get home for you.

 

Apologies if I sound a douche, but ill take what MS tell me professionally and privately as a customer thanks they know what I am legally allowed to do with their product.

 

If you have ever tried to find this out from MS you know how tricky it can be, best I can do for now is from TechNet forums (we can trust a MS MVP right?)

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-windows_install/how-many-times-can-i-transfer-my-license-from-one/4f60cc24-2533-4986-a327-8aaeffbaacde

 

Andre Da Costa replied on October 6, 2012

• 

MVP Community Moderator Wiki Author

If its a retail license, you can transfer it as many times as you like as long as it is removed from the previous computer it was installed on.

If it came preinstalled on your computer, it is tied to the first computer it is instaleld on.

OEM versions of Windows 7 are identical to Full License Retail versions except for the following:

- OEM versions do not offer any free Microsoft direct support from Microsoft support personnel

- OEM licenses are tied to the very first computer you install and activate it on

- OEM versions allow all hardware upgrades except for an upgrade to a different model motherboard

- OEM versions cannot be used to directly upgrade from an older Windows operating system

 

What is OEM software?:

http://support.microsoft.com/gp/oemsupport_1/en-gb

Licensing FAQs:

http://www.microsoft.com/OEM/en/licensing/sblicensing/Pages/licensing_faq.aspx

 

 

So yes, you are legally allowed to move retail SKUs to another PC as long as you remove that key from previous PC, that's the point of buying retail at a premium cost over OEM, always has been.

[LauRoman]

huh Illicit?

 

You are legally allowed to move Retail COA/licences to a new PC (3 times it states), it tells you this in the Terms and conditions supplied in the retail box (on COA card iirc) at work atm so a VL customer, but ill check my retail boxes when I get home for you.

 

Apologies if I sound a douche, but ill take what MS tell me professionally and privately as a customer thanks they know what I am legally allowed to do with their product.

I definitely moved the license more times than that using manual reactivation.

 

Also beware of what a corporation puts in their TOS/TOU as it may possibly be in conflict with consumer protection laws in your country. (using the general "your" here, not you specifically).

 

And again, you are not answering my question if the Win10 license will be transferable if the license used for the upgrade was retail or if the Win 8 license resulted from the 25$ update when they first launched was easily transferable from machine to machine if the original win 7 license used for the upgrade was retail.

[briango]

Did you miss what Stoffel said?  " We all understand what you are asking, but all we can do is speculate, MS is the only one at the moment who knows how this will work.

If you don't want us to speculate, don't ask questions nobody knows the answer too at the moment!"

 

You want answers to questions Microsoft has yet to answer.  Just how good of an answer do you expect to get here?  

[Shiranui]

As long as MS phone operators are prepared to give you the benefit of the doubt when you claim that "I just changed my harddisk and increased my RAM, then authentication failed", ALL keys are transferable.

[Mockingbird]

This is what I've heard:

 

Windows 10 will be available as a free upgrade from Windows Update ONLY.  

 

There will be NO clean install of Windows 10 unless you are using Windows 10 dedicated keys.

 

Microsoft will NOT be assigning new keys for users upgrading for free from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, but the current keys will be accepted during the upgrade process from Windows Update.

 

Once devices are upgrade to Windows 10, they will be supported until Windows 10 reaches EOL.