I've been wondering about what will happen after July 29th. This machine was granted a Windows 10 license because I used it for the Windows Insider program before the official launch. After leaving the pre-release branches, it remained activated for Windows 10 Pro. That said, I already had a license of Windows 7 Professional, which could also be upgraded to Windows 10 Pro for free. I'm not sure how lenient Microsoft will be with re-activating a Windows 10 license, especially one gifted through Windows Insider, over the phone if my hardware changes too much.
Granted, a new license of Windows 10 Pro would… only… be a couple hundred bucks. That's an annoying burden, but not an impossible barrier, assuming I even need Windows 10 as a main or virtual OS at the time. I'm still curious whether this transferable license of Windows 7 could be a cheaper route, though.
At the moment? We don't know.
Last week, Microsoft published a blog post that… strongly implied… existing Windows 7/8.x users would need to purchase a full license of Windows 10 (or just get a new PC with Windows 10 pre-installed) after July 29th. Mary Jo Foley of ZDNet contacted Microsoft for clarification, and received a slightly less firm response. “The free upgrade promotion is currently slated to end on July 29 and we encourage all of our customers to take advantage of it while it is still active.”
In other words: We still don't know what Microsoft will plan to do. The free upgrade could be extended, or they could create an official upgrade SKU that is cheaper than an official license. There might be other options too, including sending Joe Belfiore to your house to stare at you quizzically, but we'll leave the list of possibilities at free, upgrade SKU, and no promotion for now.
Note that, if you have tried Windows 10 but later rolled back after it was successfully activated, then this doesn't really apply to you. As I understand it, unless your hardware changed in that time such that it registers as a new PC, downgrading will not revoke a Windows 10 license, even one granted through the free upgrade promotion. Once you return to Windows 10, if you do, it should activate.
Finally, WinBeta says that “Get Windows 10” will be removed after July 29th, although it probably won't be an immediate change. (“… It will take time to ramp it down.”) Given how aggressively Windows 10 has been pushed, it seems odd that Microsoft will just back down after their arbitrary date. They could have just wanted to offset the inertia caused by how daunting an OS upgrade seems to average users.
“…how lenient Microsoft
“…how lenient Microsoft will be with re-activating a Windows 10 license, especially one gifted through Windows Insider”
Microsoft was clear that allowing activation of Windows 10 does not equal giving away free licenses.
There is no free lunch… be
There is no free lunch… be prepared to buy Windows 10 soon or later.
All that damn nagging will
All that damn nagging will stop, and M$ still will not have listened to their customer base that only wants 7 with the under the hood improvements! Shove that UWP/TIFKAM stuff where the sun don’t shine M$, those Linux Based systems are looking good come 2020! With windows 7 happily locked down in a KVM/Xen Virtual machine instance! Windows 7 is the last M$ OS, smell you later lords of Redmond!
The world will not end if the
The world will not end if the people decide that they will not use Windows 10. For some people it could be the best decision.
Windows 10 causes a lots of problems on My Dell XPS 8700 computer. After removing Windows 10 from my computer, I have not experienced a single issue with this machine.
After spending lots of time with Windows 10 Pro, I came to the conclusion that it is not a good OS for me and my computer.
One must except the Microsoft EULA before installing Windows 10. That is a very hard pill to swallow.
I do not care about Windows 10 or any Microsoft product.
It doesn’t matter if you
It doesn’t matter if you don’t use Windows 10 on your desktop computer, you will mandatory pay for it on your laptop with a built-in obsolete BGA processor… (AMD or Intel)
Dumb consumers need dumb products! (iPhone?)
Microsoft could increase
Microsoft could increase their market share if they made windows10 free for it’s life span. They could recoup that $ through services and advertising. If a linux distro ever comes out that is as good for gaming then watch out Microsoft.
They attempt could pay others
They attempt could pay others to take windows 10 and still some/many will tell M$ to bugger off, GTFO, stuff it, take a long walk off of a short pier…
Not for free, not if you pay me! Never that 10, and its renamed UWP(from TIFKAM) and its crAPP store closed software/API/other nasty spyware/ad pushing/Bing search forced fed OS updates ecosystem!
Edit: attempt could
to: could
Edit: attempt could
to: could attempt to
Man that’s bad proof reading!
There is wine, dual booting
There is wine, dual booting and such, but one natively set up for gaming would be fantastic.
I’m currently using Windows 7. I’ll probably just buy Windows 10 when native support for Windows 7 stops in 4 years or so. Hopefully by then most of the bugs will be worked out and the privacy concerns addressed.
I like Windows 7 a lot. Everything just works great! Oh I am aware that MS has tried to install some of the spying stuff from Windows 10 into Windows 7. I only install updates now after I have checked them out individually, and hide the rest.
Just install windows 7 in a
Just install windows 7 in a locked down KVM/Xen Virtual machine instance! Both KVM and Xen are Linux kernel based virtual machine software facilities, that can play host to as many different OSs as you hardware will support. All of the 32/64 bit ISA(x86, ARM, other ISAs) based SOCs/CPUs can support virtual machine software facilities that allow for any OS to be hosted in its own VM instance, so more than one OS can be run at the same time.
Even After 2020 and windows 7’s EOL, you can configure a KVM or Xen virtual machine instance to host a windows 7 image, and keep that windows 7 isolated from any internet access, and still run an windows 7 legacy applications on that isolated windows 7 instance. Lots of businesses are hosting windows XP in a VM hosted instance and isolating XP from any internet access, and running any XP based legacy software on the XP OS that is hosted on a KVM, or Xen based VM.
Now Microsoft know you won’t
Now Microsoft know you won’t switch to Windows 10 before the EOL of Windows 7, Satya Nadella will tell you that Microsoft won’t support Windows 7 after the end of year or you should subscribe to a paid LTS upto 2020. :o)
Well if that should occur,
Well if that should occur, then it’s spin up that KVM, or Xen VM instance a little bit eariler! No sweat on that VM, so isolated from the internet windows 7 would be, just like some are doing with XP right now for any software that still needs XP to work! But M$ can’t re-Nadellla on any prior widows 7 support lifecycles, and stay out of the courts in many countries.
So NOW! Just look at how MUCH of a mindless GIT that your post makes you look! To me and to others!
Look at you first in the
Look at you first in the mirror! 😉
Insults are not valid arguments…
PS: What’s the goal of running an orphan OS? Running buggy obsolete softwares and old hardware that will let you down soon or later.
Read this Mindless GIT! And
Read this Mindless GIT! And other some very expensive milling equipment only works with windows XP, care to pay a few million for a new milling machine with a newer OS!
There are many businesses that have way more money invested in their mission critical software that only runs on XP, or 7, or even older OSs, than any M$ OS costs, and you want those businesses to go under, or to spend many thousands/millions on new mision critical software, just to have M$’s new and shiny TURD! The mindless GIT discription of you fits and sticks!
http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/227828-the-mclaren-f1-supercar-can-only-be-serviced-with-this-ancient-compaq-laptop
I doubt in your third world
I doubt in your third world country companies pay for any software development…
Good for them, they can all
Good for them, they can all get Linux Distros and say F-off to M$! Third world, first world, and all points inbetween, can tell the leaches in Redmond to shove windows 10 back up the dark stinky place from which it came!
Linux Kernel/BSD based Kernel, and other open source OS based OS Kernels, to build a worldwide OS/API/Open software ecsystem and the OS as vital infrastructure under the control of no one single intrest!
They couldn’t afford to get
They couldn’t afford to get electricty with a Diesel generator, they should try manual technology… it’s free and open source! :o)
Dont worry, the New World
Dont worry, the New World Order is right at your doorsteps. You’ll join the Third World soon enough. 😉
You are a mindless GIT from a
You are a mindless GIT from a post-industral country, get back to the farm!
Thanks for this info. While I
Thanks for this info. While I do a host of things with my computer, my main use is gaming, and isolating it from the internet would not work. I play games such as wow and fc4 online.
>I’ll probably just buy
>I’ll probably just buy Windows 10 when native support for Windows 7 stops in 4 years or so. Hopefully by then most of the bugs will be worked out and the privacy concerns addressed.< So, come 2020 you'll install what will likely be an outdated notorious POS on your PC? How is that different from installing XP today (XP's clean rep notwithstanding)? The only bugs that will be worked out by then is the interfering of telemetry gathering by the end user; Ms will put the brakes on it. Privacy concerns addressed? Ha ha!! The weak spineless saps in government exist to serve big business and will roll over (and bend over) yet again, further enforcing the idea that in this new age there is no such thing as privacy. End users for the most part dont have what it takes to effect such changes.
Good point!
I mainly use my
Good point!
I mainly use my computer for gaming and its frustrating because Windows 10 is not the operating system I thought or hoped it would be.
There is no clear path from here, with limited and not very good options at the moment.
>There is no clear path from
>There is no clear path from here…< Then create a path. Organize and begin writing/ bugging your game devs and publishers. Have others do the same. Harness the powers of the net and social networking. Impress upon them the importance of having options, of backwards compatibility and of open standards. Stress Vulkan, Win 7 and Linux/Steam support. Start a public interest group; evangelize at the gaming forums; reach out to those with influence (Gabe N, Tim S, Linus T... hell even that smug, green-tinted bastard Ryan S 😀 ). Send an open letter to that d!ck Nadella. Do something, dont just take it lying down. There are options, there are ways. It wont be easy, but what in this complicated 21st century living is? We have power man; we must use it.
Clean install windows 7, use
Clean install windows 7, use windows hack. Install 10 on top of that. Wait to register. Clean install 10. Free 10 to any pc
Microsoft initially said that
Microsoft initially said that participation in the Insider programme was an upgrade path from XP/Vista (or – indeed – bare metal). They quickly backtracked, and said the programme would expire on a certain date. They backtracked again, and let machines stay in the programme. I think they are genuinely unsure of what to do, and are making it up as they go along. I cross my fingers every time I boot my old Win10 Insider Programme rig. ‘Will today be the day I get to try SteamOS?’
I changed my mobo and
I changed my mobo and microsoft gave me a new windows 10 license with win 7 product key.