Windows 10: The Free Windows 10 Will Support Unlimited Clean Installs

Yes, there's a lack of information, but also a profusion of questions asking for information that's already there. I don't believe Microsoft is going to change a whole lot about their licensing policy.

1. Historically, upgrading an OEM license from, say, Windows Vista to Windows 7 would tie Windows 7 to that computer as an OEM product. Otherwise, Microsoft would be giving away the farm.

2. If you have an OEM license to Windows 7 or 8.1, an upgrade to Windows 10 will essentially be the same as if you upgraded an OEM license from any other product. No matter how you slice it or dice it, it's an OEM upgrade.

3. Has it been announced that "every licensed copy of Windows is tied to a specific piece of hardware"? If there are Windows 10 Retail licenses available (have we heard yet?), it could be that the license could be moved from one computer to the next for whatever the reason . . . or not . . .

The following is based on the assumption that there will be a Windows 10 Retail version, nothing more.

And this one is really a conundrum! OK, I build a new computer. I buy a retail copy of Windows 10 and install it on that computer. Three or four years down the pike, the motherboard fails. Am I allowed to then move Windows 10 Retail to another computer . . . heretofore, the answer would be yes. OK, let's take it a step further . . . the second computer crashes and burns (be it motherboard failure or whatever) and I want to install Windows 10 on a third computer.

Or, say, as technology improves, I want to upgrade my hardware; same as above, I want to use my retail copy of Windows 10 on the second computer . . . then on to a third computer . . . maybe a fourth . . .

OK, we've been able to do this with past operating systems, however, we must realize that:

a. Prior operating systems have generally had Service Pack 1 or 2; Windows 8.0 was upgraded to Windows 8.1 which was updated to Windows 8.1 Update. The most Microsoft has to lose is the loss of paid upgrades if we choose to upgrade our systems and reinstall the same Retail product over and over.

Then there're Windows XP users; I'd guess they haven't changed their hardware because for most of them, their license is OEM. If their hardware changes, they lose their XP. I'd say this is the best way to judge durability of computers today.

b. Windows 10 will be a perpetually updated and upgraded operating system. So, most systems are durable and should last way longer than we have any reason to expect. If we put Windows 10 on an old clunker, chances are that, yes, it's going to crash and burn sometime in the near future. Microsoft can't control that, nor should they. But, they shouldn't be responsible for our errors in judgment either.

Bottom line, Microsoft cannot be expected to support us into infinity because we want to save a buck or two. For me, it's perfectly within reason that since Microsoft is perpetually updating and upgrading Windows 10 (which costs a lot of money), they should have the right to limit installation of even Retail versions of Windows 10 to one computer; at the most, two if a catastrophe happens.

 

Please see https://www.tenforums.com/general-dis...een-lines.html

 

Note that there is a misunderstanding of what Gabe said there. It's not that you have to upgrade first, then you can do a clean install. What he meant was that Windows 10 automatically re-activates once installed using the previously installed key when doing an upgrade. The article is confusing two different tweets.

 

Thank you for the link, Mystere.

The closest I got to an answer was this:

This really helps clear things for me, if Microsoft gives an option to download an ISO, using your key, then probably all I needed to do was format my drive and clean install Windows 10 using that same ISO (which will probably use the key I used to download it in the first place) and it'll end up activated with said key.

If this turns out to be true, of course.

 

MS has stated a while back that Windows 10 License was not a software license like in the past but a per device license.

Jim *Cool

 

Yes, but that gives the question "what is a device?".

If I change the HDD (or swap it to a SSD), is it then the same device?
If I upgrate my mobo and CPU, keeping anything else, is it then the same device?
If onboard netcard burns, and I add a PCIe netcard, is it then the same device?

For laptops it is pretty simple, as you are limited in what you can upgrade, but for stationary PC's it still is not clear, I think.

 

A device is a Laptop, Desktop PC, Tablet, or Phone. Common sense tells me I'll likely be able to swap everything I want except the motherboard without getting any activation issues. I've been able to do it in the past, even on an OEM version. If you swap a bunch of components all at the same time it will likely fail activation. One every once in a while should be no issue though.

 

I don't recall them ever saying that. The only thing they ever said was that the Free Upgrade license you receive in the first year was good for the life of the device. That doesn't mean that it's only good on that device (if it's a retail license that was upgraded). If you are upgrading a retail license, and you remove the copy of Windows 10 from one computer, you are, in all likelihood able to install it on another by using your previous retail key.

 

Yes, Phone Man, I seem to have read that Microsoft said something like, "Windows is not licensed to an individual, but to a device." That's "paraphrased" since I don't remember where or when I saw it.

Memory is the first to go . . . now what were we talking about? *Smile

 

I have another question about the free issue as well.

On our Windows 64 bit OS systems, we have seen the WGX icon show up, however on our laptop Windows 7 32 bit systems, no icon has been displayed. So, I am curious as to whether this is a 64 bit offering only?

 

Should be 32 bit as well. Do you have any software Microsoft thinks 10 won't work with? For example, if you have avg free installed on the laptop that might need to be remove because from my own testing avg free doesn't work to well. However, there is a way to install free avg after 10 is installed but it is a little bit more of a pain to do. Avg install

 

According to MS's FAQ, they do not display the notice if the app has detected that your system is not fully compatible with Windows 10 (hardware or software). They will turn on the Notice on July 29th for everyone, so that you can run the scanners apparently.

 

I believe it was Paul Thurrott reported after talking to MS at the Build conference and they talked about "windows as a service" meant that Windows 10 License was per Device with free updates for the life of that device. From the initial post on this thread it was indicated that AFTER an upgrade to W10 then clean installs on the same device did not need a key as MS knew that device had been updated to W10. What parameters MS is using to define one device from another I don't know but the Shadow knows.

Jim *Cool

 

What if you decided to got back to windows 8.1 or windows 7?

 

I think you can, but from the consensus here, I'd say very few would make that decision.