Cheapest way to get Windows 10?


Recommended Posts

9 minutes ago, KevinN206 said:

Easiest way. The only downside is that most builds have a watermark on the bottom-right corner unless it's an officially released build to all Windows 10. Install the Insider and set to Slow Ring, and you're good to go. And if a new build causes problems, then you can always revert pretty quickly.

We don't care about the watermark these days. If you don't like it, then don't join the Insider program... That's simple.

 

There are watermarks on the photos, paintings, etc...   No one complains about that.

2 hours ago, TAZMINATOR said:

We don't care about the watermark these days. If you don't like it, then don't join the Insider program... That's simple.

 

There are watermarks on the photos, paintings, etc...   No one complains about that.

I'm not complaining and thought it would be good for OP to know. In fact, it's pretty awesome to have W10 on all my computers one of which is free using the Windows Insider. 

3 minutes ago, KevinN206 said:

I'm not complaining and thought it would be good for OP to know. In fact, it's pretty awesome to have W10 on all my computers one of which is free using the Windows Insider. 

That's fine but not everyone who know nothing about computers...  it's not good idea because the users will complain abut watermark, bugs, unstable, etc.

 

Including the automatic updates... which people are complaining about these days because of the driver issues.

4 hours ago, game_over said:

Does this exclude the downloadable version from the MS site? (https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows10ISO)

 

I've done the upgrade from Win 7 Home Basic but having some issues with Boot Camp so i'd like to try a clean Win 10 install, i just can't figure out which ISO I need.

That version should work fine.

I have recently given away a few keys, so I will put it out there that I only have one Windows 7 Home Basic key left if anybody wants it.

 

Although, I do have ten Windows 7 Starter keys, too, but I don't know if those will work to install Windows 10 Home or not.  If not, if you can find a Windows 7 Starter ISO you could install it and then update to 10 Home.  I could probably test this out in a VM, but then I would use up one of the keys.

 

I also have eight Windows 7 Home Premium N keys, which you could use to install Windows 10 Home N, I think.

Edited by Darrian

Piracy/illegal methods of obtaining Windows will not be tolerated. Warns will be given to those who discuss this here. Thanks for not doing it.

10 hours ago, KevinN206 said:

Easiest way. The only downside is that most builds have a watermark on the bottom-right corner unless it's an officially released build to all Windows 10. Install the Insider and set to Slow Ring, and you're good to go. And if a new build causes problems, then you can always revert pretty quickly.

Not recommended for a production machine. 

13 hours ago, KevinN206 said:

Easiest way. The only downside is that most builds have a watermark on the bottom-right corner unless it's an officially released build to all Windows 10. Install the Insider and set to Slow Ring, and you're good to go. And if a new build causes problems, then you can always revert pretty quickly.

They removed the watermark. I haven't seen it any of the recent builds.

1 hour ago, Jack W said:

They removed the watermark. I haven't seen it any of the recent builds.

I haven't installed the most recent but looking around the net, it is definitely watermarked. 10586 was not for obvious reasons. 

 

http://winsupersite.com/site-files/winsupersite.com/files/uploads/2015/12/desktopimprint.PNG

On 12/25/2015 at 6:16 AM, Salty Wagyu said:

I bought a Windows 7 key from ebay for £15, worked fine for a Windows 10 clean install, activated and digital entitlement. I don't have anything to be concerned about do I?

http://www.windowscentral.com/microsoft-offers-olive-branch-non-genuine-windows-pcs-get-full-windows-10-upgrade

Read the whole article please. The meat of your question is at the end.

Edited by xrobwx
2 hours ago, Jack W said:

They removed the watermark. I haven't seen it any of the recent builds.

 

1 hour ago, adrynalyne said:

I haven't installed the most recent but looking around the net, it is definitely watermarked. 10586 was not for obvious reasons. 

 

http://winsupersite.com/site-files/winsupersite.com/files/uploads/2015/12/desktopimprint.PNG

beta/preview builds = watermarked

 

Stable builds/public releases = watermark removed.

 

That's how it works.

You should have "digital entitlement" now.  I'm not sure if it is linked to your Microsoft Account or not, but MS now has some sort of hardware ID stored for your computer and whenever Windows 10 is installed on it in the future it will match your hardware with the info they have stored and automatically activate.

On 12/23/2015 at 5:46 PM, game_over said:

I know Microsoft was giving it away for free at some point, I'm guessing i'm too late to the party?

 

Are there any cheap ways to grab it currently, what is the cheapest method?

 

I once bought a Windows 8 licence off eBay and several months later it was marked as counterfeit :(

 

well do check deals sometimes u can buy on sale like that

Edited by zhangm
16 hours ago, Darrian said:

You should have "digital entitlement" now.  I'm not sure if it is linked to your Microsoft Account or not, but MS now has some sort of hardware ID stored for your computer and whenever Windows 10 is installed on it in the future it will match your hardware with the info they have stored and automatically activate.

Yeah it says digital entitlement.

Thats pretty cool how it recognises it.

 

Thanks again Darrian.

Just an update:

I have eight more Windows 7 Starter keys, which can be used to install Windows 10 Home.

 

I have eight more Windows 7 Home Premium N keys, which can be used to install Windows 10 Home N.

 

I also happen to have five Windows 7 Pro N keys, which can be used to install Windows 10 Pro N.

 

I also happen to have seven Windows 7 Ulitimate N keys, which can be used to install Windows 10 Pro N.

The ultimate keys give you the rights to the DVD Player app.

 

If anybody still needs a key, let me know in PM.

 

If I have already have a Home key from me and would rather have Pro N, let me know in a PM.  Installing Pro N over Home will probably require a clean install.

 

The only difference is that the N version needs the Media  Feature Pack installed to restore the components that were removed in the N edition, but installing N will put you on the N upgrade path.  Once the Windows 7 Starter keys are gone everybody else will need to install an N edition if they want a key from me.

  • 1 month later...

Another update on my key availability.

 

I now have one Windows 7 Ultimate N keys left, which can be used to install Windows 10 Pro N.

 

I now have four Windows 7 Pro N keys left, which can be used to install Windows 10 Pro N.

 

I now have eight Windows 7 Home Premium N keys left, which can be used to install Windows 10 Home N.

 

And to save myself finding the link over and over, you need the TH2 release to install directly with the key and not upgrade from a Windows 7 installation first.  You can find the TH2 ISO at https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/techbench

  • 1 month later...
  • 1 month later...
This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • HOLY THREAD REVIVAL   But yes, look for browser.nova.enabled and set it to true
    • 5-year subscription to AdGuard VPN price-dropped now 90% off by Steven Parker Today's highlighted deal comes via our Apps + Software section of the Neowin Deals store, where you can save 88% off a 5-year subscription to AdGuard VPN. In the digital age where internet privacy is paramount, AdGuard VPN emerges as an essential tool. This virtual private network (VPN) is your encrypted gateway to the internet, helping your data stay secure and your online activities remain private, regardless of your location. More than just a privacy tool, AdGuard VPN is a robust solution packed with features that cater to a variety of internet needs. Why AdGuard VPN subscription deal over other VPNs: Exhaustive List of Locations: With 60+ locations available worldwide, you have the freedom to connect from anywhere you want, effectively bypassing geographically restricted content. Check complete list of servers here. Advanced Security Protocol: AdGuard VPN uses its own security protocol, guaranteeing a faster and safer VPN connection. This means you can browse, stream, and download with peace of mind knowing your data is secure. Zero-Logging Policy: Rest assured, your personal data is not collected and your internet traffic stays private at all times, thanks to AdGuard's strict zero-logging policy. Simultaneous Connections: Connect up to 10 devices simultaneously, providing protection for all your devices under just one account. Trusted Developer: AdGuard is a renowned name in the world of computer security, bringing their expertise and commitment to privacy and security to their VPN service. What You Get: Up to 10 devices connected simultaneously All locations Light-speed servers Unlimited data No logs policy Trusted developer Available on all platforms Privacy Created by a team from Russia, AdGuard software Limited is headquartered in Limassol, Cyprus. While the country does follow European privacy laws, it's not part of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliance. Adguard may not properly work in China. Good to know Length of access: 5 years This plan is only available to new users Redemption deadline: redeem your code within 30 days of purchase Device per license: 10 Access options: desktop & mobile Updates included 5- years of AdGuard VPN normally costs $359.40 without discounts, but it can be yours just $39.97, that's a saving of $324.43 (90%) off. For full terms, specifications, and license info please click the link below. Get this 5-year AdGuard VPN deal for just $34.97 (was $359.40) Although priced in U.S. dollars, this deal is available for digital purchase worldwide. Support queries If you have queries or need support for any of the Neowin Deals, please use the contact form here. Neowin Deals are managed and sold by StackCommerce who represent Neowin on an affiliate basis. Why we post these deals We post these because we earn commission on each sale so as not to rely solely on advertising, which many of our readers block. It all helps toward paying staff reporters, servers and hosting costs. So for those that keep moaning and complaining, be thankful we're still online for you to even do that. Other ways to support Neowin Whitelist Neowin by not blocking our ads Create a free member account to see fewer ads Make a donation to support our day to day running costs Subscribe to Neowin - for $14 a year, or $28 a year for an ad-free experience Disclosure: Neowin benefits from revenue of each sale made through our branded deals site powered by StackCommerce.
    • KillerPDF 1.5.1 by Razvan Serea KillerPDF is a lightweight, portable PDF editor for Windows built for users who want full control without subscriptions, installers, or telemetry. It runs as a single executable, making it ideal for USB use and field work. You can view PDFs with smooth PDFium rendering, navigate quickly with thumbnails, zoom, and shortcuts, and reorganize pages using drag-and-drop. It supports merging multiple PDFs, splitting documents, and extracting selected pages. KillerPDF also allows inline text editing with font matching to preserve the original layout, plus annotations like text boxes, freehand drawing, highlights, and reusable signatures. You can search full text, copy content easily, and print documents with flattened annotations. Designed as a free and open alternative to bloated PDF tools, it works fully offline on Windows 10/11 x64. No runtimes install. Everything needed is inside the EXE (targets .NET Framework 4.8, which ships with every supported Windows release). KillerPDF key features: High-quality PDF rendering via PDFium Edit PDF text inline (double-click to modify text) Page thumbnails and fast navigation with zoom and shortcuts Merge multiple PDFs into one Split PDFs and extract selected pages Drag-and-drop page reordering Font matching to preserve original document appearance Text boxes for notes Freehand drawing tools Highlight overlays with adjustable color, size, opacity Undo actions and clear per-page annotations Create, draw, and save reusable signatures Click-to-place signatures anywhere Full-text search with highlighted results Drag-select or Ctrl+A to copy text Print with annotations flattened Portable single-file app (~10 MB) No installer, no admin rights required No account, no telemetry KillerPDF 1.5.1 changelog: Performance Save Flattened PDF now uses multiple CPU cores. Page rasterization is parallelized (PNG encoding runs across cores; the PDFium render step stays serialized since the library isn't thread-safe), so large documents flatten significantly faster while the UI stays responsive (#68). Fixed PDFs that failed to open with "Unexpected EOF" now open (#72). The failure was PdfSharpCore's Flate inflater (SharpZipLib) rejecting the FlateDecode cross-reference stream on multi-revision PDFs - files that open fine in browsers, Acrobat, and Foxit. KillerPDF now detects this and re-opens the file losslessly through PDFium, preserving selectable text. Thanks to @javajon for the report and a detailed reproduction. Grid view renders every page. It was capped at the first 26 pages, so longer documents stopped loading partway through. Tiles also stream in progressively now instead of blocking until the whole document is rendered. Grid Ctrl+Scroll no longer reloads every page when the zoom is already at its limit and nothing would change. Removed a stray horizontal scrollbar (a thin green line) that could appear across the bottom of grid view. Files on UNC / network shares (including the WSL \\wsl$ filesystem) are copied locally before opening, avoiding partial-read failures on network filesystems. Changed Minimum zoom lowered from 10% to 5%, so grid view can pack more columns (helpful for wide/landscape pages) and single-page view can zoom out further. Download: KillerPDF 1.5.1 | 6.3 MB (Open Source) Link: KillerPDF Home Page | Github | Screenshot Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • You can enable the Nova redesign in Firefox 152 stable, under about:config.
  • Recent Achievements

    • One Year In
      Console General earned a badge
      One Year In
    • One Year In
      Twozo Technologies earned a badge
      One Year In
    • One Month Later
      Twozo Technologies earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      Twozo Technologies earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Veteran
      branfont went up a rank
      Veteran
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      520
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      196
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      111
    4. 4
      Steven P.
      89
    5. 5
      Nick H.
      71
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!