Windows 10: Windows 10 free upgrade for customers who use assistive technologies

Source: Windows 10 upgrade for assistive technology users

:)

 

Windows 10 Fresh Install with Windows 7 License Key After Free Upgrade Deadline

The upgrades are over - you must install the same version as the licence, unless you or
someone else that might use the computer use assistive technologies, then W10 upgrade is still available.

Search: Windows 10 free upgrade for customers who use assistive technologies

For the general public, the free upgrade offer for Windows 10 ends on July 29. However, if you use assistive technologies, you can still get the free upgrade offer even after the general public deadline
expires as Microsoft continues our efforts to improve the Windows 10 experience for people who use these technologies.

 

Windows 10 Activation Problem

Try this since the assistive technologies still get the free update to Windows 10:

free Windows 10 update, than you need to use assistive technologies

 

Just read about it in a internet news magazine, they are promoting using that option for people not in need of it just to get around the deadline.

 

Doesn't surprise me at all. after all MS only gave them a year and a day to upgrade.

 

As someone who uses voice recognition due to arthritis I can tell you this really isn't much of a motivator. I have been trying to use Dragon NaturallySpeaking software off and on with Windows 10 since it first released. Nuance, who makes Dragon, is still far behind in regards to supporting the OS. People like me that need assisted support don't upgrade software just because it's new. We upgrade because it is necessary. I can tell you firsthand, pardon the pun, that I have spent many a day having to use my mouse and keyboard while pain was shooting through my hands because Windows 10 did not support a certain function that was found in Windows 7. This is primarily because the UI is so different. So things like the settings panel do not work, although the legacy control panel still does. Universal apps don't really work at all. And there are other things as well. Again, I don't necessarily blame Microsoft since obviously the vendor is in no hurry to reprogram to the new APIs for voice recognition. That said, in the end I have to go with what works. So a free upgrade is not going to entice me until my vendor comes out with a version that fully supports Windows 10 and it's new UI.

 

How does it know? The download seems to be a regular upgrade iso so how will it validate?

 

Very good question. I don't use any assistive technologies but if I did I would try it just to see how it works.

 

Year and two days if you count Feb 29th*chuckle.

 

True! This is a Leap Year. *Smile Sadly there are those who don't want something until it becomes something they can't have (free).

 

@MrBill


I read there is a good speaking software on Linux.

Speech recognition software for Linux - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I tried speaking software on xfce desktop but couldn't get it working. I never tried it on other Linux (Cinnamon, Mate, etc) desktops. I don't remember what disto I used.

 

There's also: Balabolka

 

Here's what I think. I think that Microsoft has made no changes to their activation servers. I'm betting their activation servers are operating exactly the same today as they were on July 28th. I think the whole "free upgrade has expired" is just a smokescreen and all they have done is remove the links between "free upgrade" and the normal methods used for upgrades. I'll let you know on Thursday or Friday, I have a new warranty replacement stick computer coming that has never had Windows Pro on it and I am going to install and activate a Windows 8 Pro on it, then try to upgrade to Windows 10 Pro through normal means (ISO file of Windows 10 Pro build 14393). Then see if I get an activation from either the Windows 8 Pro product key or genuineticket.xml file.

 

At risk of getting my wrist slapped, I can categorically state the activation servers are still activating old versions of the OS, as I have done it today. I had an 8.1 vm I was keeping for compatibility purposes, but as I have not needed it for months (since 10586 came out), I thought I would try it today, and it just worked.

I think the deadline ending was mostly a PR exercise (smokescreen as you say) to get ditherers to shift to Windows 10.

It would be incredibly dumb to think that MS have "cocked" things up technically. That would be gross incompetency of the highest order for which heads would have to roll. So the only logical conclusion is there are undisclosed commercial reasons that are dictating events.

For example:

Pure speculation here (no evidence to support this), but I could surmise that MS get paid x cents per thousand users for ads they target, and if they persuaded 35+million people to shift, they increase their ad revenue by 10%. The revenue loss of a few late upgraders is probably insignificant by comparison.

Additionally, I also think MS actually recognise that despite all best efforts, a significant number of PCs will fail to get activated after the upgrade despite having a valid digital licence, and they are just letting things be for the time being, so people will easily be able to reactivate. The negative backlash in terms of reputation (and share price impact) if they did not, would be far more damaging than the tiny loss of revenue of late upgraders.

Personally, I think once RS1 is installed, and the bulk of people have upgraded, and people can use the new activation tool thereafter. I suspect once they will quietly drop the activation from old licences.

 

Since everyone is talking theory. Here is mine. I think Microsoft will stop the upgrade for the original & November update. However, what Microsoft may announce is a new free upgrade to the anniversary edition with a lower time frame limit like 90 days & stick to it. I am not saying this will happen but it is just a theory. I really think it is strange Microsoft didn't included the anniversary update as an incentive to upgrade.