win 10 COAs & registration etc

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  1. Posts : 3,257
    Windows 10 Pro
       #11

    robmar0se said:
    Mystere - thank you for that - you are correct it would never dawn on me that MS would make this restriction - most people would not wish to retain the old system, unless they were fearful of another Vista/8 catastrophe!

    However you may not have read that I need to run all OS for support reasons, and I believe it is MS, my and customer interests to do so.
    Rocket Racoon: "But what if I want it more than the person who has it?"
    Rhomann Dey: "Still illegal."
    Rocket Raccoon: "That doesn't follow. No, I want it more, sir."

    Having a need does not change the legality of it. This is nothing new, and this is how upgrades to Windows have always worked.

    If you want to run two instances, for whatever reason, you will need two licenses.

    robmar0se said:
    But back to the original issue - COAs. I have reinstalled 10 over 8 and of course no COA is requested, nor does it appear that it is explicitly given. Of course Magic Jelly Bean does retrieve a COA. It occurs to me that when reinstalls are required (eg HDD fail) we do need the COA. So my question is, what is the legal way to recover the win 10 COA for upgraded PCs (I am focusing on those systems where the COA is not embedded in the BIOS, that's a different question)?
    The Product Key you recovered is not a valid key for installation. It's a generic key used for all upgraded copies of Windows 10. So even recovering this key will not allow you to re-install clean.

    You *MUST* perform an upgrade from Windows 7/8.x on new hardware at least once before it will activate.
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  2. Posts : 60
    WinXp; Win7 Pro; Win10 Pro
       #12

    I have the same issue- want to be able to dual boot until certain the Windows 10 issues can be managed with our care-about apps.

    It's unfortunate that the wording and implementation is so tight. What they want to achieve is fine with me- no one should be able to use the same key for running multiple systems at the same time (without a site license of course). However, dual booting is NOT running the same key on 2 systems at the same time. Yes, multiple instances exist, but not at the same instance.

    My only thoughts as to why it matters is to handle the case of possible stolen keys- how would they determine if you are dual booting versus someone using your key after stealing it.

    The fact that it forces customers requiring dual booting to there buy a new key problem never occurred to them.
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  3. Posts : 107
    windows xp, vista, 7, 8.1, 10 multiboot
    Thread Starter
       #13

    Dear Mystere, Thank you for labouring the point....................

    I think to reinstall Win 10 from a hdd crash that one will have to go back to Win 7/8 - that is plain stupid, and I think you maybe wrong on that point.

    I read on the MS website this afternoon that in certain circumstances MS support will "assist" where hardware has changed. Still an ill-thought out solution, but typical of MS who really don't help themselves in regard to their reputation. I suppose it just means that system images become increasingly important - but that doesn't help non-technical retail, just means that repairs become too expensive, resulting in more sales of new kit........................
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  4. Posts : 3,257
    Windows 10 Pro
       #14

    Windowz10 said:
    I have the same issue- want to be able to dual boot until certain the Windows 10 issues can be managed with our care-about apps.

    It's unfortunate that the wording and implementation is so tight. What they want to achieve is fine with me- no one should be able to use the same key for running multiple systems at the same time (without a site license of course). However, dual booting is NOT running the same key on 2 systems at the same time. Yes, multiple instances exist, but not at the same instance.
    Microsoft has *ALWAYS* considered installing the software to be an instance. Even if you are not running them at the same time, they are two installations, and that requires two licenses. This is spelled out very clearly in the EULA.

    Every time you transfer the software to a new device, you must remove the software from the prior device. You may not transfer the software to share licenses between devices.
    The key is to read what the definition of a "device" is.

    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.
    So installing the software on two partitions is considered to be two "devices"
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  5. Posts : 60
    WinXp; Win7 Pro; Win10 Pro
       #15

    Perhaps. However I wasnt really commenting on the wording.

    For the record, 2 drives with 2 instances of the same OS (different service packs) and same key works fine when dual booting an pre-Win10 OS.

    Not to mention that this is exactly what raid 1 does too. Any if one of 1 redundant drives dies you can still boot from the other without activation issues and be able to run windows update.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 107
    windows xp, vista, 7, 8.1, 10 multiboot
    Thread Starter
       #16

    Mystere said:
    You *MUST* perform an upgrade from Windows 7/8.x on new hardware at least once before it will activate.
    Mystere here is the reference from MS

    Can I go back to my previous version of Windows if I don’t like Windows 10?



    Can I reinstall Windows 10 on my computer after upgrading?



    Yes. Once you’ve upgraded to Windows 10 using the free upgrade offer, you will be able to reinstall, including a clean install, on the same device. You won’t need a product key for re-activations on the same hardware. If you make a meaningful change to your hardware, you may need to contact customer support to help with activation. You’ll also be able to create your own installation media like a USB drive or DVD, and use that to upgrade your device or reinstall after you’ve upgraded.


    I guess I have answered my own question - however Microsoft's solution is very untidy - time will tell if it will actually work. Other simpler solutions come to mind, but MS rarely uses common sense. Lets hope, MS thinks this one through.


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  7. Posts : 107
    windows xp, vista, 7, 8.1, 10 multiboot
    Thread Starter
       #17

    Mystere said:

    The Product Key you recovered is not a valid key for installation. It's a generic key used for all upgraded copies of Windows 10. So even recovering this key will not allow you to re-install clean.
    Just custom re-installed win10; it requests and accepts the "generic" key retrieved via magic jellybean - so it seems your assertion may not be correct. Installation was successful.
      My Computer


 

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