Windows 10: Computer upgrade after 12 months

Hi
I am currently running Win 8.1 and intend to upgrade to Win 10 later this week. I am in the habit of upgrading my hardware about every 5 years or so. What happens in say 18 months when I get a new cpu and m/b, how do I get Win 10 back again? I only have my Win 8 disk and if I install that again on my new system, the free upgrade time period would have expired by then.

Thanks for any replies.

John

:)

 

What does "Windows 10 is a free upgrade, for a limited time" mean?

I was wondering the same thing...will we have to pay after 12 months. I am almost certain that if you take advantage of the upgrade before the 12 months is up then the upgrade is free and there are no ongoing costs ie annual fee. If you wait to upgrade after
the 12 months is up then you will have pay for the upgrade.

But like you (Alesaran) I would appreciate confirmation directly from "Microsoft" themselves

 

Wha happends after the free upgrade is done? (After the year of the free upgrade is gone)

No,If you upgrade within 12 months,Windows 10 is FREE for your machine's LIFETIME,you need not pay for it.

But If you are to install/reinstall Windows 10 ,after the 12 months period,Licence must be purchased.

 

There will be ISO's of Windows 10 available by then, and anyway you can make your own from the downloaded installation files. Your hardware will probably appear changed enough to seem a different computer to the MS activating servers, so you may have to call MS and they will (most likely) give you a key or twiddle some knobs on the server or do something to make it go.

You might even want to ask this question on the Microsoft Community forums...

 

Thanks sgage, looks like there is no easy answer. I am sure there are others who will be in the same boat, in fact anyone who upgrades their computer or buys a new one, which is just about all of us.

John

 

Well, if you buy a new computer, it most likely is going to come with Windows 10 preinstalled, so no problem! *Wink

 

Not necessarily. There is an inventory out there of lots​ of 8 machines. 10 will be advertised as free upgrade, but real 10 installed boxes won't be out for a bit.

 

I thought we were talking 12 months out, when the free update deal expires. Actually, several manufacturers have indicated that they will in fact have boxes running Win10 on Day 1. But in any case, any Win8 box will be a straightforward upgrade - no messing around with changed hardware and such.

Interestingly, you can still buy Win7 boxes at places like PC Connection and Staples.

 

I didn't look for any fine print, but in their weekly flier today (26 July) Best Buy (large US retailer) lists PCs with 10 pre-installed as for sale on 29 July.

I wonder what Win10 build will be on the machines.

 

While looking in the Direct TV onscreen program guide last week I saw QVC had an electronics show featuring Dell laptops with W10 installed, this was last Thur. 7-23.

I went to the channel and watched for a few minutes. They were boasting about being the first to offer computers with Windows 10 for sale. So it has been offered for sale to the public already.

 

op states what if I buy a new cpu and motherboard ,they are not talking about buying a new computer

 

Isn't the W10 license going to be whatever the qualifying OS license was? OEM if OS came preinstalled or retail if OS was purchased separately. As long as your W8.1 is retail with an iso there shouldn't be a problem.

If you upgraded from a retail license you could install as many times as you want on as many different computers as you want as long as it's only one computer at a time. OEM only the computer it came on, new MB, CPU, or HDD/SSD might require a call to activate.

IMO once you have the W10 iso you'll be fine, you mention replacing an MB and CPU, you'll still have W10 on the HDD/SSD so you're not losing it. And you would have a backup image too so you won't lose it, if you have to reimage you might have to call to activate but you shouldn't lose W10.

 

New Mobo = new device.

If you have a Retail license, no problem

It will take a bit of planning.

After a few months or even a month before the offer expires, make a complete back up of your machine.
Updrate to Win10
Create or download the ISO media

Build the new machine and install from the ISO - a retail license can be transferred, an OEM cannot be transferred.
This might require phone activation

Now that I wrote that, I wonder how the "life of the device" plays into this.
Worst case is that you'll have to purchase a retail license at that time to remain legit. But that also means that you can keep the free upgraded version on the older machine.

 

Is it known for a fact that there will be "retail" versions of Win 10 available for purchase in retail stores, just as you could purchase retail Win 7 at one time? Or will the retail store purchased versions be OEM?

If "retail" is disappearing, this has implications for home builders, who would then have to buy a new OEM license for each subsequent new build. I suppose they could instead build a new machine, install retail Win 7, upgrade that to what would effectively be retail Win 10, and then carry that retail Win 10 on to new future machines.

Or rely on Microsoft to not enforce the "OEM license cannot be carried forward to new hardware" limitation?

 

That is how I've read the "life of the device," that if I build from the mobo up I need to purchase a new license. Maybe it will be transferable though as I did read something at the Microsoft forums site that seemed to indicate that. Suppose we'll know definitively soon enough, as well other questions such as how MS will handle ISO availability.