Windows 10: Whats the Cheapest Way to Get Win 10?

Throw whatever operating system you can put on your computer. Any old one you want or Linux or whatever. Then Google Insider Program, join it. Free Windows 10!

 

@flybynite

That is not accurate anymore. They require a legit upgrade from windows 7 or 8.x or a purchase of Windows 10 before you can use insider builds. Which I think is wrong. Who want to waste a or buy a license to be a tester, that is kind of backwards.

 

I am not here to debate. I don't care for that, nor this is my mandate for participating these forums.

I am just posting what I know to the OP. If the OP has further questions, I'll try to answer them. If no more questions from the OP, then my job is done.

 

I don't think it works that way any more. I think you need a qualify key to join now.

 

Nobody gets support from Microsoft, do they? They get support from here!

There's a thread back here: Solved Cannot activate genuine copy after clean install - Windows 10 Forums

My take on this is as follows:
Microsoft sells OEM licenses to big computer manufacturers for $10-$15. Often in China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand, etc., where the hardware is assembled.
Most of these licenses and the software get put onto new machines.
A small number find their way onto the internet through some back door route. Perhaps as a gift to a friend or cousin for services etc...

The OEM keys are genuine, unused and capable of working 100% normally, and get sold for pretty low prices compared to the full retail price from a boxshifter. Nobody loses out and a few folk get a bargain.

 

I do not know where you got your information. But, I just checked the official insider program page, and no mention is made of your stated requirements.

 

But I'm not a system builder. What would be my limitation if I buy it for myself.

How would MS know that I don't got a genuine license?

 

1. You are building a system so in a sense you are a system builder.
2. MS wouldn't know if you bought a computer built by someone else or if you built it yourself.
One computer, one user I doubt that MS would care. I think what they are mainly concerned with is the fact that they won't give support for the OS and that you don't try to install it on a different computer.

 

If that is correct, gabe aul needs to update that insider page. He is the one that posted that info in one of his blogs. Someone here may have a link to that blog, showing that information.

 

Cheapest way that I know for a legit key is to buy a 32 bit Windows 7 key from Amazon and use that key to install Windows 10. The 32 bit key will work for W10 64 bit.

$42 on Amazon Amazon.com: Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 32bit (OEM) System Builder DVD 1 Pack (For Refurbished PC Installation)