About Win10 upgrading
You can reserve a free upgrade now and then actually make the upgrade a while later. That's easy to answer: as long as you complete the upgrade before the end of July 2016, consumer versions of Win10 are free. After July, you'll have to purchase a Windows 10 license. Some Windows users wonder whether they can acquire Win10 now for free and then start using it after July 2016. Typically, these folks are waiting for third-party software vendors to add Win10 support to their business applications. To delay a formal migration to Win10, the users would back up a Win7/8 machine, download and install the free Win10 upgrade (thus acquiring a new Win10 license), and then roll back to Win7/8. They would then move up to their free Win10 when they like.
That might work; but on older systems, you'll probably need to enter a Win10 license key. You can find it on your new Win10 installation by using a key viewer such as the NirSoft Produkey (site) utility. (Oddly, a Google search of Win10 license keys will turn up lots of sites selling keys — for a currently free product.) Newer systems with Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) and support for Microsoft Data Management will store the Win10 key within the system's firmware. If you restore a Win10 image or do a clean install, the OS will find the license key itself.
In either case, your system must first have had a successful upgrade to Win10. It will then be whitelisted in Microsoft's product-key system as genuine. Currently, if you're asked for a key during a reinstall of Win10, you can use a generic key (Figure 1), as noted on a Reddit page.
Upgrading from 32-bit Windows to 64-bit
Retail editions of Win7, 8, and 8.1 included two media — one for 32-bit systems and another for 64-bit systems. The free Windows 10 will let you upgrade only to the same "bittedness" of the originally installed Windows. In other words, a Win7 x32 system can be upgraded only to Win10 x32. Assuming no one will want to upgrade a 64-bit system to 32 bits, the only way to upgrade from 32 bits to 64 bits is to do a clean install of the original Win7/8, using the media for the 64-bit version, and then upgrade to Win10.
The free Win10 upgrade also doesn't let you upgrade Windows editions. If you have Win7 Starter, Home Basic, or Home Premium installed, you'll get Win10 Home; if you have Win7/8.1 Pro, you'll get Win10 Pro. There's no Win10 Ultimate, so if you have Win7 Ultimate you'll also get Win10 Pro. Some Windows users have lamented the loss of Media Center in Win10. Microsoft's Feature deprecation page notes that some systems will receive the DVD Player app for free from the Windows Store. But you'll also be able to purchase it. There are, of course, many good third-party players available online.
The aforementioned deprecation page lists other features that didn't make the transition to the new OS.
So is the current Windows 10 really free?
Yes, but with some caveats. As has been widely reported, this free edition is available until the end of July 2016. Officially, you'll have to pay for Win10 after that.
But that could change. Apple users have come to expect free OS upgrades. For example, an iPhone can be upgraded for free until the newest OS no longer supports the older hardware. In some cases, you can still get the new OS, but the phone can't use some of the new features. At that point, you usually upgrade to a newer phone because the battery no longer holds a charge — and you're enticed by bigger screens and new capabilities.
Eventually, Microsoft might adopt a similar model; the operating system is merely a platform for revenue-generating services and software. But as a TechNet UK blog notes, the current free version of Win10 doesn't expire — you won't have to pay a fee for the OS in two or three years. However, Microsoft plans to add new features to Win10, and at some point an enhancement might not work on your PC — nor might it even receive future updates.
Many cautious Windows upgraders wish to leave Win7/8 on their PCs and install Win10 on a second drive or partition. Typically, they want to copy or create an image of a Win7 setup, upgrade to Win10, and then restore the original OS on another drive/partition. Sorry, but that's not allowed. As long as Win10 is installed, takes over the original Win7 or Win8 license. For a month after installation, Win10 lets you roll back to Win7 or Win8 — but that process removes the new OS.
As has always been the case for Windows, virtualized copies must have their own licenses, separate from the host system. As noted in that same TechNet UK blog, the Win10 license "allows you to install only one instance of the software for use on one device, whether that device is physical or virtual. If you want to use the software on more than one virtual device, you must obtain a separate license for each instance."
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You can reserve a free upgrade now and then actually make the upgrade a while later. That's easy to answer: as long as you complete the upgrade before the end of July 2016, consumer versions of Win10 are free. After July, you'll have to purchase a Windows 10 license. Some Windows users wonder whether they can acquire Win10 now for free and then start using it after July 2016. Typically, these folks are waiting for third-party software vendors to add Win10 support to their business applications. To delay a formal migration to Win10, the users would back up a Win7/8 machine, download and install the free Win10 upgrade (thus acquiring a new Win10 license), and then roll back to Win7/8. They would then move up to their free Win10 when they like.
That might work; but on older systems, you'll probably need to enter a Win10 license key. You can find it on your new Win10 installation by using a key viewer such as the NirSoft Produkey (site) utility. (Oddly, a Google search of Win10 license keys will turn up lots of sites selling keys — for a currently free product.) Newer systems with Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) and support for Microsoft Data Management will store the Win10 key within the system's firmware. If you restore a Win10 image or do a clean install, the OS will find the license key itself.
In either case, your system must first have had a successful upgrade to Win10. It will then be whitelisted in Microsoft's product-key system as genuine. Currently, if you're asked for a key during a reinstall of Win10, you can use a generic key (Figure 1), as noted on a Reddit page.
Upgrading from 32-bit Windows to 64-bit
Retail editions of Win7, 8, and 8.1 included two media — one for 32-bit systems and another for 64-bit systems. The free Windows 10 will let you upgrade only to the same "bittedness" of the originally installed Windows. In other words, a Win7 x32 system can be upgraded only to Win10 x32. Assuming no one will want to upgrade a 64-bit system to 32 bits, the only way to upgrade from 32 bits to 64 bits is to do a clean install of the original Win7/8, using the media for the 64-bit version, and then upgrade to Win10.
The free Win10 upgrade also doesn't let you upgrade Windows editions. If you have Win7 Starter, Home Basic, or Home Premium installed, you'll get Win10 Home; if you have Win7/8.1 Pro, you'll get Win10 Pro. There's no Win10 Ultimate, so if you have Win7 Ultimate you'll also get Win10 Pro. Some Windows users have lamented the loss of Media Center in Win10. Microsoft's Feature deprecation page notes that some systems will receive the DVD Player app for free from the Windows Store. But you'll also be able to purchase it. There are, of course, many good third-party players available online.
The aforementioned deprecation page lists other features that didn't make the transition to the new OS.
So is the current Windows 10 really free?
Yes, but with some caveats. As has been widely reported, this free edition is available until the end of July 2016. Officially, you'll have to pay for Win10 after that.
But that could change. Apple users have come to expect free OS upgrades. For example, an iPhone can be upgraded for free until the newest OS no longer supports the older hardware. In some cases, you can still get the new OS, but the phone can't use some of the new features. At that point, you usually upgrade to a newer phone because the battery no longer holds a charge — and you're enticed by bigger screens and new capabilities.
Eventually, Microsoft might adopt a similar model; the operating system is merely a platform for revenue-generating services and software. But as a TechNet UK blog notes, the current free version of Win10 doesn't expire — you won't have to pay a fee for the OS in two or three years. However, Microsoft plans to add new features to Win10, and at some point an enhancement might not work on your PC — nor might it even receive future updates.
Many cautious Windows upgraders wish to leave Win7/8 on their PCs and install Win10 on a second drive or partition. Typically, they want to copy or create an image of a Win7 setup, upgrade to Win10, and then restore the original OS on another drive/partition. Sorry, but that's not allowed. As long as Win10 is installed, takes over the original Win7 or Win8 license. For a month after installation, Win10 lets you roll back to Win7 or Win8 — but that process removes the new OS.
As has always been the case for Windows, virtualized copies must have their own licenses, separate from the host system. As noted in that same TechNet UK blog, the Win10 license "allows you to install only one instance of the software for use on one device, whether that device is physical or virtual. If you want to use the software on more than one virtual device, you must obtain a separate license for each instance."
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