Windows 10: Windows 10 Portability

Have a Windows 8.1 Pro product key Retail,if I Upgrade that to Windows 10 Pro on the same computer,obviously, that will probably not a problem .*Cool
Since windows 10 does NOT utilize product keys any more and using digital entitlements, what if I need to install Windows 10 in another PC in the future.?*Confused

Can I still Reinstall Windows 8.1 Pro using the same Product key, after the 1 month grace period for allowing users to Revert back?*Confused

:)

 

Hard drive not recognized Windows 10

I recently partitioned a 1 T hard drive on a new PC and now Windows 10 won't recognize a new 2 T Seagate portable hard drive that it recognized before. Is the partition the problem? Is there a way to make W 10 recognize the portable?

Windows 10 and a portable hard drive- Original Title

 

Windows 10 does not see data on my portable hard drive after unlocking it.

I have an encrypted portable hard drive that I use for backing up data. When I run the unlock program, the disk unlocks ok, but then Windows 10 does not see any back up data on the portable disk drive. The portable disk drive was readable using Windows
7 Professional before I upgraded to Windows 10 on my PC. I have an encrypted thumb drive that I used with Windows 7 Professional, and Windows 10 can read the data on the thumb drive. Very strange. Any thoughts on how to get Windows 10 to read the passport
portable hard drive?

 

You will not be able to reuse the Win 8.1 Pro on another PC because MS will know it was used for the first Windows 10 upgrade. However, if after the 1 month period you decide you do not want to continue with Windows 10 you will be able to put Win 8.1 back on that PC. Basically you have bought one license so will only be able to have one working PC with that license.

 

Did MS give a specific time or date the offer of the Upgrade will terminate or it is Open ended?

 

First, philc43's reply is completely incorrect. Nothing happens to your Windows 8.1 retail key when you use it to upgrade to Windows 10. It continues to work exactly like it did in the past.

The free upgrade to Windows 10 is for 1 year from July 28, 2015. Once a computer is upgraded, it has a Windows 10 activation stored for life on Microsoft activation servers. After July 28, 2016 if you want to upgrade any new computers, it won't be free.

 

Please enlighten me. Does that mean I can use the Win 8.1 key a second time to create another Win 10 installation? I believe that is what the OP was asking.

 

Yes you CAN , not legally, but you can do it. In order to be legal, you would need to remove the first install and then you are allowed to install on another machine. As long as you install your 8.1 on another machine before the upgrade period ends, then you can upgrade again to Win 10. Clear as mud ?

 

I know for a fact that you can reinstall Windows 8.1 with the key used to upgrade to Windows 10. I've done it on the PC it was originally used on. After the 30 day rollback ended. I have also heard that you can also reuse that 8.1 key on another PC and also upgrade that PC Windows 10 via the free upgrade. I have not confirmed it myself. If it's a Retail key it makes sense that you can do it. I don't agree with doing it, I don't think its ethical, but its not for me to say. If Microsoft lets you do it, so be it.

 

Nope. You need not install 8 and upgrade - you can activate 10 with your retail 8 key as often as you like.

It really isn't complicated. If you have one key you are allowed to use it on one PC. Not 2 or 10 or 15,000.

If you keep re-installing on different hardware (I do with VMs) then you have to phone up to activate in the end. If you try to run different instances concurrently on the same key it will get blocked but for sure you can move them as much as you like (as long as your license is transferable).

 

Yep. Just like you could physically have the Windows 8.1 installed on more than one computer - it just wouldn't be legal. Wipe the first computer, put Linux on it, install Windows 10 on a new computer, activate it with the Windows 8.1 Product Key, perfectly legal, and free until July 28, 2017. Then you'll have to pay for the upgrade to Windows 10 for the new computer.

 

This end date is a myth. The upgrade to 10 will always be free for people with a valid license. That is what my crystal ball says (and it was confirmed by a man I met on the street). Remember you heard it here first *Wink

 

Nope to what part of my post. I never said you HAD to reinstall 8.1 to upgrade, simply that yes you can. I completely agree with you that it's only one license, whether you use it as 8.1 or choose to upgrade to 10, it's still only one license.

 

Thanks for the clarification!

 

Once you upgrade, it's free for the life of the device. Your free upgrade (digital entitlement) does not expire on that date. Anybody that decides to upgrade after that date will pay though. As it stands now, that's what Microsoft is saying.