I've not decided yet if I will upgrade or clean install Win 10 when it is released. If I do upgrade, I will be restoring an image I've made, before the restore. So either way, I see no need to start downloading any preliminary files, which I've read that the reservation will most likely do.
But is there any other reason why I might want to go ahead and reserve a copy?
Thanks
Based upon what we know, the initial install must be from an update, ie an upgrade install. You will then have the right to make a clean install if you so choose. If this is true, you should reserve or possibly have a long wait to upgrade.
OK thanks.
If I reserve a copy and then restore an image right before I do the the upgrade, will the reservation still have done me any good? Is it tied to an email address? (I don't log in with Microsoft account on any computers).
Thanks
This is explained very clearly in the Blog post. You do not have to use a Microsoft Account if you are upgrading to the final. However, if you want to be in the Windows Insiders program, after the final then you will have to use a Microsoft Account, because the MSA is how MS will differentiate Insiders from non-Insiders.
If you reserve a copy, I think that you can install it anytime you want before the years is out.
Hmmm, I wonder if you could use the ESDtoISO tool after Windows 10 RTM has been downloaded to your computer, like you can do with Win 10 IP? That would allow the first install to be clean if you wanted.
Microsoft forced to explain who really gets Windows 10 for free
- By Tom Warren
- on June 22, 2015 03:51 pm
- @tomwarren
Microsoft confused everyone about its free upgrade plans for Windows 10 last week. While it looked like everyone who tested Windows 10 will get a free copy, the reality is slightly more complex. In an attempt to address some of the confusion Microsoft has created, the software giant has updated its blog post to clarify who gets a free copy of Windows 10. Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users will obviously get a copy of Windows 10 on July 29th as a free upgrade, but Windows 10 preview users will also get a free upgrade.
The nuance here is that Microsoft will keep fresh copies of Windows 10 activated for testers only if they keep opting-in to future preview updates. So if you’ve clean installed a Windows 10 preview build and upgrade to the final then you don’t have to worry about activation as long as you keep receiving pre-release updates. "Since we’re continuing the Windows Insider Program you’ll be able to continue receiving builds and those builds will continue to be activated under the terms of the Windows Insider Program," explains Microsoft’s Gabe Aul.
You have to opt-in to future pre-release updates to get Windows 10 for free
If you install a Windows 10 preview copy right now and upgrade to the final release on July 29th and then opt-out of pre-release updates then you won’t be genuine anymore if you didn’t upgrade from a copy of Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. Microsoft says you’ll need to "roll back to your previous OS version or acquire a new Windows 10 license" if you clean installed the Windows 10 preview and opt-out of updates. "If you do not roll back or acquire a new license the build will eventually expire." Microsoft is making it clear that clean installing the Windows 10 preview and upgrading just to get the final bits and opting-out of future updates "is not a path to attain a license for Windows XP or Windows Vista systems."
Still, if you clean install the Windows 10 preview now and continue to opt-in to future updates then you’ll get your free copy of Windows 10, but you’ll have to put up with potential pre-release software bugs and continued updates in the future. Microsoft says Windows 10 is "intended to be installed on Genuine Windows devices," but the Windows Insider program is a clear, if complicated, loop hole if you don’t have a Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 license
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