Windows 10 still supports free In place upgrades from at least Windows 8.1

[+Warwagon MVC]

I wasn't aware that Windows 10 still supported in-place upgrades for free. I always thought you had t clean install to claim the free upgrade, but today I did an in-place upgrade on Windows 8.1 machine to Windows 10 and it activated just fine.

[xbamaris]

I think even Windows 7 keys still work. However, keep in mind I dont think this makes it a legitimate license, Not that Microsoft will care, but it doesn't really make it a legal copy according to Microsoft. Activation does not mean licensed.

[Brandon H Supervisor]

they never disabled the key acceptance when booting the install media or launching the ISO directly.

 

All they really discontinued was the task bar announcements on older OSs and the 'Free Upgrade' web-page.

 

I've been advising people of this since they 'discontinued' it. Most seem to ignore me when I bring it up though

[Brandon H Supervisor]

6 minutes ago, xbamaris said:

I think even Windows 7 keys still work. However, keep in mind I dont think this makes it a legitimate license, Not that Microsoft will care, but it doesn't really make it a legal copy according to Microsoft. Activation does not mean licensed.

nope; still legitimate as far as I can tell. If you use a 7 key to install 10 it will convert that key to the digital type and attach it to your MS account during the OOBE user setup.

That key then cannot be used to activate 7 again without deactivating 10 first.

[xbamaris]

24 minutes ago, Brandon H said:

nope; still legitimate as far as I can tell. If you use a 7 key to install 10 it will convert that key to the digital type and attach it to your MS account during the OOBE user setup.

That key then cannot be used to activate 7 again without deactivating 10 first.

I mean, sure it will activate but I'm still fairly confident that it doesn't make it properly licensed. Otherwise, what would be the point in having a deadline for the free upgrade?

 

 

[+Warwagon MVC]

1 minute ago, xbamaris said:

I mean, sure it will activate but I'm still fairly confident that it doesn't make it properly licensed. Otherwise, what would be the point in having a deadline for the free upgrade?

 

To stop annoying people by having their PC's automatically upgrade to Windows. Let's be honest, Microsoft Wants as many people on windows 10 as humanly possible.

[Brandon H Supervisor]

3 minutes ago, xbamaris said:

I mean, sure it will activate but I'm still fairly confident that it doesn't make it officially licensed. Otherwise, what would be the point in having a deadline for the free upgrade?

 

 

it was all a ploy to get people to move to 10 just like the auto-upgrades were.

 

If they didn't want people to continue using their 7 licences to upgrade then they would have removed the code from the ISOs so they don't accept the keys and the Digital Key Conversion wouldn't take place still after install completes. Even if the installer accepted the key the activation server wouldn't honor it if Microsoft truly wanted to end the Free Upgrades.

[xbamaris]

Just now, warwagon said:

To stop annoying people by having their PC's automatically upgrade to Windows. Let's be honest, Microsoft Wants as many people on windows 10 as humanly possible.

I know, Microsoft doesn't really care in the long run. I'm just saying legally it wouldn't be licensed 😛 

[Steven P. Administrators]

37 minutes ago, xbamaris said:

I think even Windows 7 keys still work. However, keep in mind I dont think this makes it a legitimate license, Not that Microsoft will care, but it doesn't really make it a legal copy according to Microsoft. Activation does not mean licensed.

Only a genuine licensed copy of Windows is activated, unlicensed is not activated and is in evaluation mode.

[Brandon H Supervisor]

Just now, xbamaris said:

I know, Microsoft doesn't really care in the long run. I'm just saying legally it wouldn't be licensed 😛 

the legality of it is in Microsoft's hands really; they haven't said no and haven't stopped the process so in my and most other's minds this has been intentionally left open by Microsoft until they say otherwise

[xbamaris]

4 minutes ago, Brandon H said:

the legality of it is in Microsoft's hands really; they haven't said no and haven't stopped the process so in my and most other's minds this has been intentionally left open by Microsoft until they say otherwise

M$ licensing is a confusing mess. Maybe it's my volume licensing mentality that has been drilled into me. And that's basically what I'm saying. M$ won't go after these end users who upgrade to Windows 10 with Windows 7 machines. But the idea that activation means legit licensed is a fallacy, It's not any different than having a Retail copy and using it on two machines (which is possible). Just because they WILL both activate on separate computers, doesn't make it rightfully licensed. Same concept as running Windows 7 as a VM with an "upgrade" key. It will activate, but that will also not legally make it licensed. Again, Microsoft won't go after you for it so I'm not saying you'll go to jail or anything over it. 

[goretsky Supervisor]

Hello,

 

The impression that I got from asking Microsoft employees about this over the years is that they are more concerned about (1) loosing Windows 10 market share if you don't upgrade; (2) that home computers running outdated Windows versions may serve as attack platforms against corporate customers running the latest licensed versions; and (3) losing potential or incremental revenue from the Windows Store, OneDrive, Office 365, etc., so that it makes more "economic sense" (for lack of a better term) for them to allow you to upgrade an older version of Windows to Windows 10.

 

Of course, that's the result of a lot of reading between the lines in conversations since they were incredibly hard to pin down when asked for a definitive statement, and de facto policies like these can change at an instant's notice.  The only real suggestion I have is that if an older version of Windows does allow you to upgrade to Windows 10 complete with a valid license, that you take advantage of it while the this "loophole" still works.

 

Regards,

 

Aryeh Goretsky

[+Warwagon MVC]

44 minutes ago, goretsky said:

Hello,

 

The impression that I got from asking Microsoft employees about this over the years is that they are more concerned about (1) loosing Windows 10 market share if you don't upgrade; (2) that home computers running outdated Windows versions may serve as attack platforms against corporate customers running the latest licensed versions; and (3) losing potential or incremental revenue from the Windows Store, OneDrive, Office 365, etc., so that it makes more "economic sense" (for lack of a better term) for them to allow you to upgrade an older version of Windows to Windows 10.

 

Of course, that's the result of a lot of reading between the lines in conversations since they were incredibly hard to pin down when asked for a definitive statement, and de facto policies like these can change at an instant's notice.  The only real suggestion I have is that if an older version of Windows does allow you to upgrade to Windows 10 complete with a valid license, that you take advantage of it while the this "loophole" still works.

 

Regards,

 

Aryeh Goretsky

Thanks, Aryeh, I have a feeling this loophole will work forever.

[Michael Scrip]

I'm glad they are still allowing the free upgrade.

 

It would be sad if an unsuspecting Windows 8.1 user somehow stumbled into the upgrade process...

 

...and then got a bill from Microsoft for $139

 

😛