Windows 10: upgrade to 10, revert to 7, then back to 10

I have upgraded all of my one-generation-back Win boxes, but want to ease into 10 at leisure.

As I understand it, the registry is modified at the first upgrade to 10 with the activation "approval", but I am concerned that this will be lost upon reversion to the earlier version.

So if I revert to the previous version, say 7 or 8.1, can I then "re-install" 10 after July 30 without having to buy a license?

:)

 

Windows Task Bar unresponsive

Reverting back to 7 is not possible, who would of guessed? God damn wheres the **** support for this ****!

I have also tried to use an Ethernet cable to connect to the internet and the same or similar problems arise (not being able to access the flashing or none flashing taskbar with along with the windows associated programs). I suppose the direction windows
is going, that internet is just a useless thing of the past??

Windows 11 or "9" must be the answer to the inbred thinking to windows 10. AWFUL COMPANY AND PRODUCT! thanks for the damn support i feel appreciated as a customer.

 

Windows Task Bar unresponsive

I will just disregard this message and revert back to Windows 7. This has been very disappointing. This is a Microsoft upgrade and a Microsoft issue, which there is minute support for. I use this computer for work purposes, and this experience has done nothing
but conflict the way I make my money. Therefor, I will not be wasting my money on a company that has no interest in supporting their customers or taking the time (three years obviously was not nearly enough) to make sure,
their product, is fully functional before it is pushed out.

Please ignore this entire post unless there is a known fix or an update that solves the incompetency of this upgrade. I wish to not waste anymore of my time with dead ends. Wish me good luck in reverting back to 7 as I have little faith in this faulty operating
system!

 

The activation for Windows 10 is stored on Microsoft activation servers. Upgrades to or clean installs of Windows 10 on the same computer will retrieve the saved activation over the Internet and activate, still for free, after July 29.

 

Thank you. How do the servers know that this box is the activated one? Is there a ROM or some other place on the mobo that the info is stored, or what?

 

Windows calculates a unique hardware ID for each computer, based almost exclusively on motherboard info. The activation license is paired with that unique Hardware ID combined with the Product ID which specifies which version of Windows it is good for.

 

Unless I dreamed it, I have read in one of these threads a "two-word" CLI command that you can use after reverting to a previous version that shows whether or not the computer in question has been activated to Win 10. Or I am confused about what I read (or dreamed). Have been searching this forum but cannot find.

It was something like "clmx ----"

I just want to double check all my machines to ensure that they are properly activated.

If someone recognizes what I am referring to, I will very much appreciate your advice.

Otherwise, how can one do this (if one can do this)? Thanks.

 

I have never heard of a command that will tell you if that computer has a digital entitlement/license for Windows 10 on Microsoft activation servers from inside Windows 7/8/8.1.

 

Maybe I did dream it! Is there another way from within 7 or 8.1, or any way for that matter?

 

Only from within Windows 10:





And run slmgr /xpr in an admin command prompt:

 

"slmgr /xpr" That's it! I thought it would allow one to "ex post facto" tell you that the machine is "activated" for 10 even after the reversion to an earlier version. You had mentioned above that MS or Windows calculates an "unique hardware ID for each computer" and I probably just assumed that this ID was also kept on the computer somewhere and therefore an easy way to confirm the 10 activation. From yours, I assume the ID is in Redmond or in the cloud somewhere.

Another approach? If I try to upgrade an already upgraded/then reverted computer, would I get advice that it was already activated? You did mention that one can "re-upgrade" after July 30 without buying a new license so I assume that if it starts the upgrade without any notice that either a new key is needed, or otherwise tells you that it has already been done, or ?, then one might know. I would not want to go through the entire re-upgrade and then revert to the earlier version just to find out though. (BTW, if I misunderstood about "re-upgrading" later without additional license fees, please sort me out!)

Just don't know 10 well enough to be able to form a judgement about whether I should just go ahead and run 10 on everything. I like 7 a lot, and am warming up to 8.1, plus I assume that the security in 10 is better, maybe much better, and certainly will be supported longer. What would you counsel? TIA.

 

Every time that Windows 7/8/8.1/10 starts up it calculates the Hardware ID. Then it combines the Hardware ID with the Product ID to create the Installation ID. Then it checks to see if that Installation ID is the same as was calculated the last time it started up. If it is the same, then that's the end of it, Windows just stays activated with no other action on the part of the OS. If the Hardware ID is different that means that the installation of Windows was moved to a different computer. If that happens, the Hardware ID is combined with the Product ID (which defines which version of Windows is installed) to create an Installation ID. The Installation ID sent to Microsoft activation servers to check for the ability to activate Windows automatically over the internet.

In the case of Windows 10, when you first upgrade from Windows 7/8/8.1 to Windows 10 a digital entitlement/license for Windows 10 is stored on Microsoft activation servers along with the Installation ID. If the Installation ID sent to Microsoft activation servers matches what is already stored there, then the return code causes Windows 10 to activate itself.

Until July 29th the answer would be no. You would only get notification that the Windows 10 upgrade was activated. There would be no way to tell if the activation resulted from the upgrade of the previous Windows 7/8/8.1 or was the result of retrieving a previously stored digital entitlement/license. After July 29th either the Windows 10 will activate itself from the previously stored digital entitlement/license, or it will give you a notification that you must pay for the activation.

After July 29th, I would assume (but of course cannot know the future) that the upgrade would continue just as it does now. If you upgrade Windows 7/8/8.1 to the matching version of Windows 10 it will not ask for a product key to upgrade, it will just do it. Once the upgrade is complete - then it checks for activation. If Windows 10 cannot retrieve the activation from Microsoft activation servers, and cannot use the previous Windows 7/8/8.1 license (after July 29th, that free option will be turned off), then Windows 10 will prompt you for a way to activate. You can then enter a unique Windows 10 product key, or go to the Microsoft store and purchase the upgrade.

As far as I know - that's the only way to be sure.

My advice would be to make a backup image of your current Windows 7/8/8.1 using Macrium Reflect Free, upgrade to Windows 10 and go with it until at least after the Anniversary update on August 2. If you want to go back to Windows 7/8/8.1 after seeing what the Anniversary update is like then restore your backup image. Of course you will lose any changes you made between making the backup image and restoring it.

 

Thanks very much for that.

I am interested in your take on 10 compared to 7 and 8.1. Is it your primary OS and if so, what are the top 2 or 3 reasons you prefer it over the earlier versions?

EDIT: Have d/l'd and installed Macrium which is new to me. The first option was to create a "rescue" disk (I think) which I did and the total space used on the DVD was only about 173MB. I am reluctant to boot it up for fear that it might overwrite my installation. Can anyone guide me on what this is?

The Macrium software on the desktop shows:

1-System (none) NTFS active 384 MB (I assume this is the boot partition
2-Windows (C) NTFS Primary 68.12 GB / 919 GB
3-HP Recovery (D) NTFS Primary 10.06 / 11.32 GB
4-HP Tools (E) FAT 32 (LBA ) Primary

I assume the latter two came with the computer

There are two options:

Clone this disk and Image this disk

For purposes of implementing your suggestion, which of these should I use?

 

First, Macrium Reflect. You can boot from the DVD you made to make sure it works. It will just boot directly into Macrium Reflect. Then you can just exit to reboot if you want to.

You want the disk image option. But, you will need a storage location that is big enough to handle the used space of at least the first two partitions. For most people that means a second hard drive or SSD, either external (USB or eSATA) or internally installed - or a network storage location (either NAS or second computer connected to the network with a shared location).

I have 11 computers at my house - everything from tablets, a "stick" computer, low powered and old netbooks, laptops and desktops. The oldest was running Windows XP and the newest came with Windows 10 from the factory. They have all been upgraded to Windows 10 - with both flavors - Home and Pro, 32-bit and 64-bit. For me Windows 10 has been the most solid and fastest OS of them all. I hated the Windows 8.1 interface and glad to see the desktop and taskbar back in Windows 10 as the main interface. I have found that the older and less powerful the computer is, the bigger performance increase I have seen from Windows 7 to Windows 10. I just love Windows 10 over the others and even my elderly in-laws that live with me have had no problems converting to Windows 10 (and my mother-in-law still runs her little bookkeeping business via old fashioned fax machine).

Windows 10 has one major flaw in my house (and most other reports too). That is backup and restore imaging is very unreliable. Most "old timers" here use Macrium Reflect Free for our backup images (or other third party imaging programs).

 

Many thanks. That is very helpful in getting me to a decision. I was leaning toward just going with 10 mainly for the reasons put forth earlier, but also because it is taking too much time running three different versions and I want to consolidate my learning how to do things rather than splitting three ways. Your well-informed endorsement adds weight to my decision.

There is also the possibility that MS might decide that if the upgrade isn't in place by July 30, then it will be the same as not upgrading. Most seem to feel that won't happen, but I can't find anything from MS which says it will not.

I have had two occasions so far of very specialized software that ran perfectly (under 7 for one and 8.1 for the other) don't want to load under 10. I know this is a vague question, but is it your feeling that any program that ran properly on an earlier version will work under 10, it just being a matter of working through and finding the problem?