Windows 10: Windows 10: More free upgrade and activation questions answered

The first option being the immediate online upgrade is what was being pointed to there IF it works?! For the Redstone 1 update now being seen it didn't here on multiple machines when tried.

The connection for download of the iso either immediately written to a large usb flash drive or saved as the "windows.iso" to a folder locally on a drive even flash drive or flash memory card will allow you to either see the media created later with some other app or even mount the iso depending on the type of install being planned. Booting live from removable media of course allows for both upgrade to update or full clean install.

One tip for an isolated install either upgrade or clean install is when having a driver update issue in first seeing the working driver set or other update downloaded and saved proceeding the update. When seeing the install take place you install the correct updates, drivers before connecting online again sometime later where you would then check for updates. That includes the cumulative update presently waiting for the end of the active hours set to restart the main pc here. *Eek*Smile

 

I upgraded all my PCs, including my laptop to Win10 before the deadline. Unfortunately my laptop had to be rolled back due to no support for Bluetooth (Lenovo). The laptop ran Win10 fine but without Bluetooth support, that was a deal breaker for me. My question: If some 3rd party should come along and provide my laptop with a Bluetooth driver, will I be able to re-install Win10 for no fee?

 

Extract:
"Even though Microsoft is now linking digital licenses to Microsoft Accounts, this new method is not meant to allow users to transfer digital licenses to new PCs."

This is a very interesting statement. If it is true, then how is one supposed to transfer windows 10 to new PC if original 7/8 licence was Standalone (aka Retail), as clearly allowed in EULA.

Throughout first year MS made it clear a new mobo counts as a new pc. How can they say the new tool is ok for a new mobo, but not a new pc? If A=B, then B=A!

You can't help thinking MS spokepersons are making things up as they go along as they do not know themselves.

 

I read that to mean "this is not why we did this". The linking wasn't done with you using it to transfer the license from PC to PC in mind. You might be able to do it, but that's not why they added this function.
It's done so you can recover activation if it fails for what ever reason. You swapped a bunch of components all at once, etc.
It's always been my opinion, that if you accept the terms of the free upgrade, you accept the fact that it is licensed to that "device" until end of life. When the device dies, the license dies with it.
It is my personal opinion that the free upgrade is non transferable, period.
Please, please don't start another debate on this. I'm just giving my opinion, the way I read it. This has been debated in the past so no need to sidetrack this thread with another one.
Microsoft IMHO, has always been very lenient in that regard and allowed transfers that likely shouldn't have been allowed. There are always exceptions to the rule.

 

p

I agree with you - the only point then is that officially MS still have no mechanism then to comply with their own EULA.

I am inclined to think MS will conveniently do a Nelson job (turn a blind eye for non Brits) and allow the tool to be used anyway as the real impact is minimal.

We already know the new system has limits so is not a means for wholesale piracy which they are concerned with of course.

 

I agree totally. It's also been my understanding that the Technical Preview/Insider Preview is not the RTM version and carries no rights to change to the RTM version, pretty much the way all BETA tests work.

 

I can't even begin to understand all the terms and conditions listed in the EULA, so I just formed my own opinion based on all the rules originally laid out by Microsoft when the free upgrade first started. Some of it has disappeared, been taken down, rewritten etc. And it's open to interpretation. Lots of people have a very different interpretation of those rules, and I respect that. That's why I don't debate it anymore. It's a no win conversation at best, IMHO.

 

Can I assume that if I use the Anniversary Upgrade ISO on an already upgrade W10, everything is covered and I don't need to be online?

Sorry to be a pest. I just don't want to fry my wife's laptop.

 

Welcome to the Ten Forums! retreaded One immediate advice I can pass along is how I was able to get an old XP/Vista discontinued PCI type tuner card to work normally on the 64bit 10 Pro as well as still not finding any 10 support for the older model Creative X-Fi Xtreme Audio PCI Express sound card that only saw upto 8.1 support. That is what I used!

For the old tuner card being far more problematic the solution was finding out the exact chipset used on the old PCI card was then put to use on a newer PCIe version while the software changed a bit from the old Legacy/XP gui to a newer Media Center appproach. When 10 instantly found the 8.1 driver I still needed a working app and gave the new card's MC approach the test and found that went wel.

For the sound card the 8.1 driver set wasn't neglected by the 10 WU either while sound card's software portion had to be looked up for the 8.1 flavor which then sees the web updater run following the system restart required for the 10 update you still can't find at the support site anywhere. Creative is simply too busy pushing newer models out to be bothered and lets the web updater do the work.

 

Yes. Once Windows 10 has been on a machine, you have a digital license for it.

Only one gotcha: If it's an OEM that came with Home on it and you've upgraded it to Pro, you may have to jump through a few hoops to get back to Pro.

If the above applies, go to this thread and read the first post. Installation and Activation of Windows 10 Pro - Windows 10 Forums

I don't know if there's a tutorial on this issue yet.

 

What does being online or offline have to do with frying the laptop? Not trying to be a smart @ss, I just don't get that? If you do it offline, you won't get any updates until you go online. It won't activate until you go online. But yes, if you have the ISO you can do it all offline, if you so chose. I do all mine online. Upgrades and clean installs.

 

*Ditto I did the free upgrade, then latter on reinstalled the original Windows 8.1 OS I upgraded from, on my laptop as a test. It activated just fine. Then after that I did a clean install of Windows 10, skipped entering a key, and it activated with the Digital License it got originally with the free upgrade. You don't lose the Digital License by going back to the original OS.

 

Replying again because I want to add to what I already said. Worst case scenario is a corrupted install. In that case you just do a clean install of the Anniversary Edition. It will activate with the preexisting DL. Problem solved in most cases. I prefer a clean install over an upgrade in any month with a week in it.

 

Talk about jumping through hoops, Alpha! Frankly, I'm pretty sure my 8.1 Pro will no longer activate, since it's been several months since I upgraded to Pro, and MS says you only have 30 days to roll back.

However, that said, through all the testing we've all been doing, there is more than one way to skin this OS, but . . . new info says maybe not for too much longer . . .

Did I give the impression that the Digital License would be lost by going back to the original OS, or are you being sure the OP knows that it won't be lost? I truly don't want to give wrong info.

 

I was just being sure the OP knows that it won't be lost. Your post was fine. I did my reinstall of Windows 8.1 well after the 30 day rollback period ended. To prove you could go back after the 30 days. It's 30 days because a scheduled disk cleanup deletes the Windows.old. Once the Windows .old is deleted Rollback won't work, there is nothing left to roll back too. You can still clean install the original OS if you have install media.