Is the free upgarde transferable? I think not.

Kari said:

This scenario worked for me:

• Retail Windows 8.1 Pro, activated and valid.
• Upgraded to Windows 10 Pro yesterday, Windows 10 was automatically activated
• Generalized the Windows 10 (sysprep /generalize /shutdown) to remove all hardware related information and make Windows hardware independent and transferable
• Booted the machine with Macrium boot disk, created a system image containing all drives
• Booted another computer with Macrium boot disk, restored the above mentioned image
• Booted the new computer, entered the generic key in OOBE phase
• Windows set it up normally, when finally on desktop it was activated

Short version: I had no issues in transferring Windows 10 to another hardware using the generic key.

I'm going to back up a minute and go back to this post. Here you state you did the free upgrade to 10 from 8.1 Pro. The free upgrade, not in the insider program right?
Then you moved it to another PC and activated it on that PC. I then asked you want happens if you reinstall 10 on the original PC. You replied.

After I had finished the transfer, I signed in to new hardware (the transferred 10) using an MS / Insider account and used the Media Creation Tool to create a USB install media for clean install. Clean installed Windows 10 using this install media on original hardware with the generic key, first wiping the hard disks.

Am using that Windows 10 now, clean installed and activated on the original hardware.

If that original PC is running the consumer 10 release and not receiving Insider builds, tell me how that is legal?

alphanumeric said:

If your still in the Insider program on these PC's then these are insider builds not the consumer release right? You only just stated this now. I was originally talking about the free upgrade being non transferable. If you had said these were insider builds I wouldn't have said anything about pirating Windows. You can install the Insider release on as many PC's as you want so why go through all of what you posted?

Are you reading my posts a bit selectively, not reading the parts not supporting your theory?

Let's recap:

Of course the free upgrade can be transferred to another hardware, another PC. It's just that normal Retail vs. OEM policies apply; if the underlying qualifying OS is an OEM version, when upgraded it cannot be transferred because an OEM installation can't be transferred. The underlying 7 or 8.1 key and version is the determining factor here. However, nothing prevents you to transfer a full retail system where the underlying, qualifying OS was Retail because if still is Retail after the upgrade. See my post here. Because we are using a generic key, an OEM 8.1 upgraded will of course show key as Retail because the generic key is a Retail key but in reality the upgrade from an OEM still is an OEM.

When you responded to that post of mine, asked if I could thereafter (after the transfer) do a clean installation on the original hardware, I answered yes, I can. Then I mentioned about two more transfer tests I made, clearly stating that these additional tests were not to test an upgrade but to test the transfer of a clean install. See the post here.

Your response to that was to call me a pirate, and for that I am expecting an apology.

A very sincere

Kari

Kari said:

Are you reading my posts a bit selectively, not reading the parts not supporting your theory?

Let's recap:

Of course the free upgrade can be transferred to another hardware, another PC. It's just that normal Retail vs. OEM policies apply; if the underlying qualifying OS is an OEM version, when upgraded it cannot be transferred because an OEM installation can't be transferred. The underlying 7 or 8.1 key and version is the determining factor here. However, nothing prevents you to transfer a full retail system where the underlying, qualifying OS was Retail because if still is Retail after the upgrade. See my post here. Because we are using a generic key, an OEM 8.1 upgraded will of course show key as Retail because the generic key is a Retail key but in reality the upgrade from an OEM still is an OEM.

When you responded to that post of mine, asked if I could thereafter (after the transfer) do a clean installation on the original hardware, I answered yes, I can. Then I mentioned about two more transfer tests I made, clearly stating that these additional tests were not to test an upgrade but to test the transfer of a clean install. See the post here.

Your response to that was to call me a pirate, and for that I am expecting an apology.

A very sincere

Kari

I edited out the pirating comment, I just wasn't fast enough to do it before you quoted me. I realized I shouldn't have said. I know all the retail versus OEM bit. When I asked you what happened when you reinstalled on the original PC you said.

" After I had finished the transfer, I signed in to new hardware (the transferred 10) using an MS / Insider account and used the Media Creation Tool to create a USB install media for clean install. Clean installed Windows 10 using this install media on original hardware with the generic key, first wiping the hard disks.

Am using that Windows 10 now, clean installed and activated on the original hardware. "

If that original PC is running the consumer 10 release and not receiving Insider builds, tell me how that is legal?

alphanumeric said:

If that original PC is running the consumer 10 release and not receiving Insider builds, tell me how that is legal?

I had never thought you stepping over to the tinfoil troops

It's absolutely totally completely profoundly irrelevant if that is the "consumer" version or not. It is a valid and permanently activated Windows 10, which as I have stated quite clearly is used with an MS / Insider account. Opting in or out is again absolutely totally completely profoundly irrelevant; in both cases it is a valid and permanently activated Windows 10, only difference being that when opted out it does not receive future build upgrades but remains activated for the "life time of the device".

Kari said:

I had never thought you stepping over to the tinfoil troops

It's absolutely totally completely profoundly irrelevant if that is the "consumer" version or not. It is a valid and permanently activated Windows 10, which as I have stated quite clearly is used with an MS / Insider account. Opting in or out is again absolutely totally completely profoundly irrelevant; in both cases it is a valid and permanently activated Windows 10, only difference being that when opted out it does not receive future build upgrades but remains activated for the "life time of the device".

How did you obtain the license to use windows 10 on each PC? Pc 1 was originally via the free upgrade correct? Totally legal as per the terms of the free upgrade offer. If you opt out of the insiders program on a PC, IE stop receiving insider builds, you are then subject to the rules of the free upgrade correct? PC no 2 has a clean install that was not done via a qualifying OS, correct? If its not still receiving insider builds its not legal. It may be activated but that was not done by normal means. You moved an already activated install over to it. The way I see it, you can run Windows 10 on one or the other of those two PC's but not on both at the same time. Not without buying a new license for the second PC.

Kyhi said:

so far for me anyway - all the edition activations keys have been the same on OEM upgrades
Not PC specific

Have not activated any Retail Keys, so not sure keys the same

And NOT using MS account or MS login

works just like last preview release - must upgrade to activate - and all the same edition key

My 4 PC's that I upgraded to 10 Pro all have the same generic key. If I use that key on a clean install on a PC that has never had an activated install of Windows 10, it should fail activation. It won't be registered on the activation server. That's what retail keys are for. I would have to use one of my MSDN keys to activate it. Non of my MSDN keys match the key in use on my PC's that I did the free upgrade on.

I give up.

Everything points to MS being quite generous with Insiders, almost every install and upgrade path seems to work and activate. For me it looks quite clear, and my own tests support this, that when you sign in to Insider page using a pre 29th of July created Insider account, and then from that page being signed in with the said Insider account launch the Media Creation tool to create valid install media, pretty much all installations done with that media using said MS / Insider account will be activated and are 100% valid and legal, regardless if clean or upgrade install.

Please do not tell me that if I use my own, registered MS / Insider account to legally obtain an official and valid Windows 10 install media from an official MS site using their official install media creation tool and that Windows 10 when installed is then automatically and permanently activated, it is not a valid and legal copy of Windows.