Getting best of W10 and W7 ... Will saving images work?

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  1. Posts : 18,424
    Windows 11 Pro
       #11

    tns1 said:
    If this is true it should be possible to create a dual boot win7/win10 at no extra cost simply by cloning your existing win7 image to a separate drive and upgrading that.
    Anyone done that?
    Lots of people have done it, but it violates the EULA (End Users License Agreement) to do so. You have 1 license for 1 install of Windows. On an upgrade to Windows 10 from Windows 7/8/8.1 it does not matter if that Windows installation is the original Windows 7/8/8.1 or the Windows 10, but 1 license still is for 1 install of Windows only. You are free to switch between the two, but not have both installed at the same time (nor have multiple copies of the same version installed at the same time).

    Also, when you upgrade with the free upgrade - it isn't the license for Windows 7/8/8.1 that gets the entitlement for Windows 10 - it is the computer that was upgraded that gets the entitlement for Windows 10 - but as long as you have Windows 10 installed on that computer, it is using the license from the Windows 7/8/8.1 that it came from to satisfy the requirements of the EULA. The Windows 7/8/8.1 is LEGALLY bound to the Windows 10 install - but not physically bound to it (as in blocked in any way on Microsoft activation servers). Any product key for Windows will get physically blocked from automatic online activation if it is used too many times within a certain time period - then you have to call the Microsoft activation phone number and tell the computer voice that you have that copy of Windows installed on only 1 computer (and that is also true of any Microsoft software product.)
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  2. Posts : 76
    win10 or win7
       #12

    NavyLCDR said:
    Lots of people have done it, but it violates the EULA (End Users License Agreement) to do so. You have 1 license for 1 install of Windows. On an upgrade to Windows 10 from Windows 7/8/8.1 it does not matter if that Windows installation is the original Windows 7/8/8.1 or the Windows 10, but 1 license still is for 1 install of Windows only. You are free to switch between the two, but not have both installed at the same time (nor have multiple copies of the same version installed at the same time).

    Also, when you upgrade with the free upgrade - it isn't the license for Windows 7/8/8.1 that gets the entitlement for Windows 10 - it is the computer that was upgraded that gets the entitlement for Windows 10 - but as long as you have Windows 10 installed on that computer, it is using the license from the Windows 7/8/8.1 that it came from to satisfy the requirements of the EULA.
    My interest isn't to create a dual-boot machine. It is simply to reserve the free win10 for use down the road. I just thought the dual boot scenario would be the simplest proof about how the licensing works, and it sounds like it is technically allowed at this moment in time.

    Now it comes down to the definition of 'installed'. Is a drive that isn't plugged in 'installed'? Even so, it sounds like the policy allows MS to delist/invalidate one of those bootable images, and hold you to the EULA. The telemetry that is bundled in many of those updates probably allows that kind of control.
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  3. Posts : 18,424
    Windows 11 Pro
       #13

    tns1 said:
    Now it comes down to the definition of 'installed'. Is a drive that isn't plugged in 'installed'?
    If the drive is not connected to the computer, then the operating system is not installed. From the EULA:

    Device. In this agreement, “device” means a hardware system (whether physical or virtual) with an internal storage device capable of running the software. A hardware partition or blade is considered to be a device.
    Since the hard drive by itself, not connected to anything is not capable of running the software, it is not a "device". I've got a very inexpensive hard drive rack in a 5.25" bay in my desktop (cost <$20) that allows me to swap drives by just inserting them. It even takes either 3.5" desktop drives or 2.5" laptop drives.

    Many of us here have already tested the licensing and activating of Windows by going back and forth between Windows 10 and Windows 7/8/8.1 both within the 30 day period that allows you to revert from windows.old and outside the 30 day period with both clean installs and restoring images. At the most all we have had to do is call the Microsoft activation number and tell the computer voice we have that copy of Windows installed on only one computer.

    The biggest issue we have had is when we put Windows 10 directly onto a new computer and try to activate it with a Windows 7/8/8.1 retail product key that was last used on an old computer. Sometimes we get a response that the Windows 7/8/8.1 is in use on another computer. If that happens, since you can't activate Windows 10 over the phone with a Windows 7/8/8.1 product key, we have had to install a temporary copy of the Windows 7/8/8.1 on the new computer - activate that on the phone, then we could go back to the Windows 10 and activate it with the Windows 7/8/8.1 product key.
    Last edited by NavyLCDR; 27 Jun 2016 at 11:35.
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  4. Posts : 76
    win10 or win7
       #14

    NavyLCDR said:
    If the drive is not connected to the computer, then the operating system is not installed. From the EULA:



    Since the hard drive by itself, not connected to anything is not capable of running the software, it is not a "device". I've got a very inexpensive hard drive rack in a 5.25" bay in my desktop (cost <$20) that allows me to swap drives by just inserting them. It even takes either 3.5" desktop drives or 2.5" laptop drives.

    Many of us here have already tested the licensing and activating of Windows by going back and forth between Windows 10 and Windows 7/8/8.1 both within the 30 day period that allows you to revert from windows.old and outside the 30 day period with both clean installs and restoring images. At the most all we have had to do is call the Microsoft activation number and tell the computer voice we have that copy of Windows installed on only one computer.

    The biggest issue we have had is when we put Windows 10 directly onto a new computer and try to activate it with a Windows 7/8/8.1 retail product key that was last used on an old computer. Sometimes we get a response that the Windows 7/8/8.1 is in use on another computer. If that happens, since you can't activate Windows 10 over the phone with a Windows 7/8/8.1 product key, we have had to install a temporary copy of the Windows 7/8/8.1 on the new computer - activate that on the phone, then we could go back to the Windows 10 and activate it with the Windows 7/8/8.1 product key.

    Let me see if I have this right:
    Replace the existing win7 drive with a new drive,
    Clean install win10 to the new drive,
    Use the existing win7 key to activate,
    Pull the win10 drive and put it on the shelf,
    Reinstall the win7 drive.

    No cloning, no upgrade, no rollback, no EULA violations, but maybe one phone call.
    This seems to be the shortest path. Does this work with OEM keys as well?
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  5. Posts : 18,424
    Windows 11 Pro
       #15

    It works with Windows 7 OEM product keys printed on COA (Certificate of Authenticity) labels and Windows 8/8.1/10 OEM product keys stored in the computer's bios/UEFI.
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  6. Posts : 76
    win10 or win7
       #16

    NavyLCDR said:
    It works with Windows 7 OEM product keys printed on COA (Certificate of Authenticity) labels and Windows 8/8.1/10 OEM product keys stored in the computer's bios/UEFI.
    Good to know. I suppose the only sure way of knowing if the win10 install will still be good down the road is to wait 4 years, but the ~$20 cost is low.
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  7. Posts : 18,424
    Windows 11 Pro
       #17

    tns1 said:
    Good to know. I suppose the only sure way of knowing if the win10 install will still be good down the road is to wait 4 years, but the ~$20 cost is low.
    What $20 cost?
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  8. Posts : 76
    win10 or win7
       #18

    NavyLCDR said:
    What $20 cost?
    The cheapest internal drive you can buy right now for the install (if you don't have a spare one).
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  9. Posts : 18,424
    Windows 11 Pro
       #19

    tns1 said:
    The cheapest internal drive you can buy right now for the install (if you don't have a spare one).
    Ah, OK! The software is free, that's why I was wondering
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  10. Posts : 76
    win10 or win7
       #20

    Time saving for multiple PCs


    Since the activation of win10 gets saved on MS servers, is it really necessary to make an image of the win10 install and set it aside if all I want to do is lock in the free upgrade and not fully install every driver etc? Lets say I have a bunch of win7 PCs that all use SATA drives. Why couldn't I just install win10 once to a spare drive in one system and then walk that same drive thru all the PCs, activating each in turn with the appropriate win7 key? A year or four down the road, I'd need to install win10 to use it, but the activation/entitlement would already be in place.
    Tested:
    The concept seems to work with boxes that have a valid 7pro COA sticker. The intent is to install 10pro as an eval first to make sure it all works and has drivers available, activate for win10pro entitlement if possible, and end up back with the original 7pro as the beloved OS.

    1) Replace the existing 7pro sata drive with a spare sata drive. Using a 2.5" drive will let you handle laptops and desktops. All you need is 20GB.
    2) Clean install win10 to the new drive with no activation. It defaults to 10home.
    3) Activate with the generic win10pro key and let it upgrade to 10pro.
    This drive is now the 10pro 'activator' drive. It does not matter if this particular system is eligible or not.

    For every sata system you want to try and activate 10pro on:
    1) Replace the system sata drive with the activator drive,
    2) Use the COA key or other valid key to activate,
    3) Replace activator drive with original system drive,
    Repeat as needed on other systems. There may be HW that is too different to boot from the generic activator drive, but it seems to work on laptops and desktops I have tried.

    The advantage:
    Activate multiple systems in a shorter time. No cloning, no upgrade, no rollback, no EULA violations. A phone call may be needed in some cases. Your old OS is untouched.
    Last edited by tns1; 30 Jun 2016 at 19:37.
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