Windows 10: Is the free upgarde transferable? I think not.

In all installs mentioned in this thread, by "automatically activated" I mean that I have entered the generic Windows 10 Pro key every time I have been asked for it, start of a clean install and first OOBE boot after generalizing, and that Windows has then been automatically activated when the setup / install has ended and Windows has booted to the desktop first time.

 

Ah but it shouldn't do that right? Think about it, that means unlimited free installs on as many PC as you want? That's not right. Like I said, with any other OS you'd have to enter a different product code for each PC to be legal. That was one of uses of sysprep. You did your install, customized it etc, syspreped it, and then deployed it on your other PC's. Then entered your product code for that PC on first boot up. If it was a VL edition they could be the same code, if Retail they would be different for each PC. I think what happened for you is not by design, and as soon as Microsoft finds out they will kill it. IMHO.

 

I need to borrow a PC that has never had Windows 10 on it to test on. May have to borrow a junker from my bother in law.

 

Interesting thread, this...

Assuming the image installs were activated via Insider, not upgrade criteria, makes sense.

Just a point that Dude touched on - The Win10 upgrade does not have tranferability rights (it obviously can't as it's device locked - that's a misnomer) - I posted on another thread the underlying licence rights are contained and not consumed - some were worried that they would lose that with the upgrade)

 

[SPECULATION]
Remember Gabe Aul's blog post of 22 June? The one that got edited twice. The original version said:

My speculation is that the original said this because the activation process that the developers had built did exactly that.

Then the lawyers saw it, threw their hands up in horror, and got the blog changed. But maybe it was too late to make a software change in the activation process without risking everything going wrong on 29 July?

Which doesn't mean they may not change it later of course...

I seem to remember that the activation rules changed around build 10166 or 10162? The thing about needing an MS Account to upgrade? So if you installed 10166, and activated it, my bet is that the software activation process will currently let you keep the activation status.

Remember Gabe Aul's later blog post around the release of build 10166, which said:

I'm wondering if this should really have said:

But I also assume that 10166 and the like won't activate any more. So unless you had an activated 10166 build, on a machine which the activation servers already know about, it's probably too late to get one. And therefore any loophole isn't exploitable by new machines.

[/SPECULATION]

 

I activated 1 OEM windows 8>8.1 Home PC and 2 windows 7 home oem PC's and got windows 10 Home on all 3 with same windows 10 Home key on all OS"s..

Just clean install windows 10 Pro on two of the PC's that had an activated Windows 10 Pro Preview.. Both are NOW activated as Pro..
So two of my PC's are activated as both windows 10 Home and Pro PC's

Home via OEM OS upgrade and Pro via preview release..

No MS account or MS login - just activated as local user

So if you had an activated 10260 preview release - your PC is already activated as a Windows 10 Pro PC

So transfer your Retail Keys and OS to a non-qualifying PC > phone activate the OS / Key transfer > then upgrade the now qualifying OS to 10

I now have 3 Retail Keys that where once used to upgrade to windows 8 that are not needed.. Or activated as windows 10 keys..
Basically IF you purchased windows 8 retail Keys - it was all for NOT..

 

Two separate licenses, on the same PC, which is allowed. The no Microsoft account is allowed, might be an issue on a clean install of 10 after the free upgrade though? So many questions not answered by Microsoft, that just leads to speculation by us here. I'm sure I'm getting on some peoples nerves with all my questions etc. Not meaning to get anybody upset. Just trying to figure some stuff out. I am now wishing I had left one or two of my machines un upgraded so I could do some testing, namely clean installs on PC's that never had Windows 10 installed on them. instead of pestering other members for answers.

 

Honestly, I think MS is doing their best to give this OS away.. Shame we purchased windows 8 to upgrade from windows 7.
only to find out the New 10 OS is Free to upgrade the same OS we just purchased 8 to upgrade from.

Kinda feel like we rented windows 8 /8.1 Now..

In a years time all those pc's will be upgrade to 10 and all the OEM will be shipping 10..

Anyone notice that there WAS a windows DVD Player App, But now it is gone??

 

You added some info after I replied. "So if you had an activated 10260 preview release - your PC is already activated as a Windows 10 Pro PC" yes but I think it had to originally be an upgrade from a qualifying OS to be fully activated?

I upgraded from windows 7 to build 10074 via the insiders page. Then upgraded to each new build via windows update to build 10240. Then I wondered what I had to do after the 29th to go to the consumer release. I stopped insider builds and opted out. nothing actually changed as far as I could tell? It already had no watermark or activation expiry etc? Then just for kicks I went to the Media Creation Tool page and did the "upgrade this PC now" option. It did the whole shooting match. If it was already the official consumer release I would have expected it to say your already upgraded or something similar. Instead it just added more confusion. was it RTM or not? The product code didn't change?

 

I have the Windows DVD player app on PC's I upgraded from that had 8.1 Pro with Media Center. On the PC that I upgraded from windows 7 its MIA.

 

Would it make you feel better if they charged for it? *Tongue Kidding aside. I think the whole free offer is to give those that purchased 8.x and didn't like it a break?