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Win 10 Pro 64-bit $40

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This deal seems to be still going. Purchased another one today. The first one I bought back when this post came out worked and has been going fine.

Pro adds native RDP and VT-x support
 
In case anyone cares, the free upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 10 still works. I upgraded a Windows 7 Pro machine yesterday and then wiped it and did a fresh Windows 10 Pro install. It automatically activated after installation was complete.
 
MisterE said:
In case anyone cares, the free upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 10 still works. I upgraded a Windows 7 Pro machine yesterday and then wiped it and did a fresh Windows 10 Pro install. It automatically activated after installation was complete.
Click to expand...

Could you be a bit more specific, when I attempt a fresh install of windows it wants a key, except for Dell systems. Did you use images from the normal MS site? Fresh install, as in clean, not an upgrade?

Thanks.
 
As a general rule, if you have a licensed copy of Windows 7 or Windows 8 installed on your PC. you can upgrade to Windows 10 without purchasing a Windows 10 license. While running your current operating system, visit the Microsoft Windows 10 download site. Select the "Download Tool Now" link and let the program run. When given the option, select "Upgrade this PC now" and let it go to work. You can either save your old settings or "save nothing". It can be a very lengthy process, but in the end it succeeds and you end up with an activated copy of Windows 10 with a Digital License Key that is probably the same generic key used on thousands of other PCs that were upgraded just like yours. Your copy will be activated and as far as I can tell it's fully functional. You can download updates and create an online account to link to for a "full experience" as opposed to an alleged "limited experience" if you only use an offline account. According to the Windows License Agreement fine print, you don't actually own a legal copy of Windows but I don't think Microsoft is complaining about it. If your copy of Windows stops working a few months from now, just remember you got what you paid for.
 
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mikeford said:
Could you be a bit more specific, when I attempt a fresh install of windows it wants a key, except for Dell systems. Did you use images from the normal MS site? Fresh install, as in clean, not an upgrade?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Stick the Win7/8 code in, off you go.
 
mikeford said:
Could you be a bit more specific, when I attempt a fresh install of windows it wants a key, except for Dell systems. Did you use images from the normal MS site? Fresh install, as in clean, not an upgrade?

Thanks.
Click to expand...
Do the upgrade as detailed by jiffer...

...or try the fresh install with key as suggested by mikeymikec. It worked before the cutoff date for free upgrades and so it probably still works. Install the same version of Windows 10 as whatever you have a valid Windows 7 or 8 license key (install 10 home if you have a 7/8 home key, install 10 pro if you have a 7/8 pro key), and input your Win 7/8 key when requested. Windows 10 should activate even though the official free upgrade period has expired.

I upgraded the Windows 7 Pro machine to Windows 10 Pro because I didn't know the license key. Once the machine was upgraded to Win 10 Pro it was activated. I then wiped the drive, did a fresh install of Win 10 Pro, chose "I don't have a key" during install, and then Windows 10 automatically activated once setup had completed.
 
MisterE said:
...or try the fresh install with key as suggested by mikeymikec. It worked before the cutoff date for free upgrades and so it probably still works... Windows 10 should activate even though the official free upgrade period has expired.

I upgraded the Windows 7 Pro machine to Windows 10 Pro because I didn't know the license key. Once the machine was upgraded to Win 10 Pro it was activated. I then wiped the drive, did a fresh install of Win 10 Pro, chose "I don't have a key" during install, and then Windows 10 automatically activated once setup had completed.
Click to expand...

Have you checked to see what you Windows 10 key looks like? Sometimes what you described works and sometimes it doesn't. If it did work, then you probably have a generic Digital License Key like thousands of other PCs that were upgraded to Windows 10 the same way. If you link your Windows 10 account to a personal Microsoft account, you might have a better chance of re-using your free key on a fresh installation as long as you use the same account. Microsoft seems to have closed a few of their loopholes in the last couple of months and they could always do it again. You don't have any rights to a copy of Windows 10 obtained this way.
 
jiffer said:
Have you checked to see what you Windows 10 key looks like? Sometimes what you described works and sometimes it doesn't. If it did work, then you probably have a generic Digital License Key like thousands of other PCs that were upgraded to Windows 10 the same way. If you link your Windows 10 account to a personal Microsoft account, you might have a better chance of re-using your free key on a fresh installation as long as you use the same account. Microsoft seems to have closed a few of their loopholes in the last couple of months and they could always do it again. You don't have any rights to a copy of Windows 10 obtained this way.
Click to expand...

None of my keys are tied to Microsoft accounts, I always do offline / local user accounts.
 
jiffer said:
Have you checked to see what you Windows 10 key looks like? Sometimes what you described works and sometimes it doesn't. If it did work, then you probably have a generic Digital License Key like thousands of other PCs that were upgraded to Windows 10 the same way. If you link your Windows 10 account to a personal Microsoft account, you might have a better chance of re-using your free key on a fresh installation as long as you use the same account. Microsoft seems to have closed a few of their loopholes in the last couple of months and they could always do it again. You don't have any rights to a copy of Windows 10 obtained this way.
Click to expand...


I've upgraded at least 25 systems in the last month alone using this method ... it works flawlessly if you do it correctly.

Pretty sure MS sees the downside of folks staying on unpatched Win7 as a greater risk then any profit they'll lose from lost sales.


EDIT: Note that while "Pro" still offers an easy link during setup, "Home" for whatever reason makes it a bit annoying. The "workaround" to create an offline account with Win10 Home is simple for now though ... just don't connect to the internet until the initial installation is complete.
 
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Captante said:
I've upgraded at least 25 systems in the last month alone using this method ... it works flawlessly if you do it correctly.

Pretty sure MS sees the downside of folks staying on unpatched Win7 as a greater risk then any profit they'll lose from lost sales.
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Not really, I doubt they care much about that. They are changing over to a subscription and ad-based/data mining model which sucks.
 
Furious_Styles said:
Not really, I doubt they care much about that. They are changing over to a subscription and ad-based/data mining model which sucks.
Click to expand...


That bad news has been coming down the 'pike for awhile now.

They def do care about it BUT more in terms of bad press and potential liability then any real concern for users privacy.

Bottom line you are correct that profit IS job #1 and M$ will take it any way they can get it.
 
Captante said:
That bad news has been coming down the 'pike for awhile now.

They def do care about it BUT more in terms of bad press and potential liability then any real concern for users privacy.

Bottom line you are correct that profit IS job #1 and M$ will take it any way they can get it.
Click to expand...

Indeed. I would have loved to see them go down a different path but what can ya do.
 
Shamrock said:
This deal is back on, they also have Win10 Home

PCWorld Software Store - Windows 10 Professional - 80% off MSRP

Discounted downloadable software from the PCWorld Software Store
software.pcworld.com software.pcworld.com
Click to expand...
I just built a gaming system and have been running inactivated the past 4-5 days. Newegg was selling OEM at a discount and I decided not to get it when I bought my major components...this worked out. Best part is they accept paypal, so I didn't have to give them a CC number. (extra buying protection)
 
Has anyone had a "real" problem with any of these sources of cheap licenses? My ultra cheap one off ebay working fine, so if MS is happy, why should I have any concern?
 
Just bought another one of these and they are now OEM digital delivery only although you can buy a CD. Price for home is up to 59.00 which is still quite a bit cheaper than NE or Direct Deals.
 
spdfreak said:
Just bought another one of these and they are now OEM digital delivery only although you can buy a CD. Price for home is up to 59.00 which is still quite a bit cheaper than NE or Direct Deals.
Click to expand...
It was on sale for $40 for Pro, and $30 for Home just a few days ago (I checked their site on Monday, and the sale ended on Tuesday).
https://forums.anandtech.com/thread...o-go-to-purchase-an-os.2587025/#post-40368420

It seems like they routinely put it on sale, and then it goes back to their normal price for a little bit. I imagine if a person wanted to buy a license, if they watched it for a week or two, they likely should be able to catch it on sale. The nice thing about Windows 10, and outside of being able to do a few personal customizations, a person could install the OS and then wait for a sale without dealing with many issues.
 
Purchased a copy of Win10 Pro from this site on 11/29, so the sale was still going on then. This was my 2nd purchase (1st was 6/17) and I've not had any issues activating, etc. with either code.
 
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