Windows 10: Definitive Answer: Is the free upgrade really expired?

I don't think our views are that far apart in reality:

I think this is the key for me:

... but we shouldn't blame them for what, in hindsight, now looks like a bad choice.

Agreed - it's a joint effort between hardware manufacturers and the users to upgrade within that year, and some users were left with less time in that year than others.

If you were unlucky enough to have bought, in the past, hardware from a manufacturer who didn't support Windows 10, or took a long time to release drivers, then you didn't have a year to upgrade.

I seem to remember one manufacturer (perhaps Sony) who recommended in July 2015 that their users shouldn't upgrade to Windows 10 at that point, and wait a few months while the manufacturer addressed some issues. And of course some manufacturers never issued drivers so users had to try and workaround themselves at the last minute.

I'm not saying users of such systems should try to workaround by saying they use assistive technologies (unless it's true of course) or that Microsoft should have done anything different.

But we shouldn't be adopting a "you had a year to upgrade, tough luck" attitude either because some of these users really didn't have that year. I think we should be kinder than that.

 

You guys are killing me here! Look at my post #1. Especially the last screenshot posted. Notice which build of Windows 10 I used in my test. Version 1607, build 13493.0.

 

Sorry I hadn't spotted that detail.

 

It's not Microsofts fault that some hardware manufactures can't or won't get their act together in a year.

I also know that many computer users couldn't do anything about the slow reaction of hardware manufactures.

Microsoft can't give free W-10 for ever waiting for manufactures and computers users to catch up.
Damn folks it been a year.

 

I am not trying to "kill" you. I am also not buying it at this stage that your test is a definitive answer to question has MS extended the free upgrade offer. I am only reporting from my tests.

Two times now upgrade to 1607 from the 1511 I installed and activated with Windows 8.1 key earlier today has failed to activate. Two times going back and re-installing 1511 on the same machine activation has worked.

Let me put it this way: Are you really trying to tell us that your test yesterday evening your time is definitive, conclusive and absolute proof that MS has extended the offer, although they keep repeating that the offer has been ended?

With your "you are killing me" comment you kind of make yourself an absolute authority in this matter, laughing to any contradicting test results. My tests now today implicate that the case is not simple and might just be a glitch in their activation servers.

 

The key in use when "upgrading" from an OEM-SLP install is irrelevant. As far as I know anyway. Activation status is what counts. Those OEM-SLP keys are generic keys and are blocked from manual entry when you try to clean install Windows 10. Enter one and it will be rejected. Windows 7 OEM-SLP PC's do not activate online. Those keys are blocked for activation even for Windows 7 PC's. They are black listed on the Microsoft activation servers. I will eventually do an upgrade on a Windows 7 OEM-SLP system never upgraded to Windows 10. I have a long list of scenarios to test though.

 

Well, let's put it this way. Your statement posted yesterday:

was erroneous. At least at 19:30 Pacific time on 8/1/2016. As of that time and date, Microsoft was still allowing at least one method of upgrading from Windows 7 to Windows 10 for free and the particular method tested was activating Windows 10 with a Windows 7 product key - on the build of Windows 10 that would become the Anniversary update.

 

Please stop now. Think this through.

My statement was nor is it erroneous. It is at the moment the only factual statement about this matter, based on all available official facts from Microsoft, for example this:





Screenshot directly from Microsoft's official Windows 10 Upgrade FAQ, from https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/...10-upgrade-faq.

Let's think about this: Microsoft tells something, you say that because you got it activated as late as yesterday, Microsoft is not telling the truth and the offer has been extended which your test activation conclusively, absolutely with 100% certainty proofs beyond a doubt, your single test being a "definitive answer" to this question.

I am also interested in testing everything about and around Windows. I want to have an answer for this question too but you have to excuse me, I'd rather take Microsoft's official answer as the factual one than your "definitive answer". I find it quite strange that you'd rather have us to accept your "definitive answer" as an absolute fact than see us to continue testing and trying to understand this, as if any other member testing this, any contradicting test and try would be an insult to you.

Not all of our members have spare product keys to use for testing this. I have, therefore I am willing to use them to be sure. Unlike you I would not like see us at Ten Forums starting to post about how there's no worries, Microsoft has extended the free upgrade offer because I say so. IF I ever say so, post about it, it will be based on facts, not on a simple, single test.

As I mentioned, I am quite surprised you take this matter so incredibly personally.

 

OK, tests continue. At the moment I am willing to believe my activation problems might be because general issues with MS activation servers, seems that I am not only one having to keep activation after upgrade.

Anyway, four times now upgraded an activated 1511 to 1607, every time lost digital activation. Every time restored 1511 by clean install, that will always get activated.

 

@Kari @NavyLCDR Why not just say this to people. For now you can try to upgrade but it may or may not activate. Please, don't use the assistive technologies unless you use assistive technologies. *Smile

 

Next upgrade in my test series after posting my previous post was successful, 1607 upgrade activated on machine which had 1511 clean installed and activated with Windows 8.1 PRO key only this morning, over three days after free upgrade offer ended.

Yet I am still refusing to say Microsoft has extended the free offer. I am still vouching for a server glitch, based on official information from MS and statements like this by Mary Jo Foley, from IT journalists known to very close MS (article dated July 25th):

(Quote from First look: Microsoft's Windows 10 Anniversary Update | ZDNet)

 

I think people are losing perspective here.

I said earlier, (imo) it is not credible to think it is a glitch in the activation servers all over the world, as that is a major foul up of monumental proportions for which heads would roll.

It is far more likely the reason MS said it was ending is nothing more than a PR exercise to enhance numbers upgrading.

To me it is inevitable that some people will run into activation issues, call MS, and MS just tell them to enter the old key - for the vast majority of public, they will not even really understand what that signifies.

I suspect MS have simply made a commercial decision it is better from a Company Reputation point of view to let a few stragglers quietly have a Grace Period rather than risk a backlash in the Media. The impact of negative image on share price is probably orders of magnitude higher than the lost revenue (which they would not have had anyway if those person updated).

Remember MS wanted even more people to upgrade for free than actually did i.e. their long term revenue projections were based on a larger number than actually did do so - I am sure we all would agree that ad revenue is an important part of those projections.

So I believe, this is deliberate to protect MS's commercial interests.

Once majority have upgraded, they will probably quietly drop the activation ie once they are "immune" from a public backlash.

 

and in addition, @cereberus, there was also the announcement they would continue the free upgrade for assistive technology users. Think of what they would have had to do to code the activation servers to accept only those requests for new digital licenses and reject all others. Seems like it would save them a whole lot of money to just leave the activation servers on the way they were and put up a "smokescreen" website.

 

Yup, DE is still available as free upgrade - MS has never been consistent vis-a-vis PR and implementation...I can't see a major corp. overlooking something like this without some measure of intent.


Tested with a new VM and unused Win 7 Retail key.

 

For what it's worth, add me to the list of those who can confirm. I did a clean install on a friend's laptop last night who's hard drive died. It was with a brand new blank drive, and the laptop never ran anything other then the Windows 7 Home it shipped with. After install, I typed in the OEM key on the laptop itself, and it activated. Several reboots later, it is still showing as activated.