Frequently Asked Questions about the Windows 10 Free upgrade

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  1. Posts : 3,257
    Windows 10 Pro
    Thread Starter
       #201

    Yes and no. This upgrade isn't like other upgrades, in that you are required to perform an upgrade before you can do a clean install. After that, clean installs do not require any key to re-install on the same hardware.

    You can roll back to your previous windows, however after 30 days your Windows.old folder is deleted by a scheduled task, and the automatic rollback will no longer work after that. To go back to your earlier windows will require reinstalling it.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 5,833
    Dual boot Windows 10 FCU Pro x 64 & current Insider 10 Pro
       #202

    Krampetz said:
    Thanks! ..
    From what I've read and your reply, that the old existing code is saved - then this "Upgrade" is similar to all previous upgrades (I.E. from 8 to 8.1, & earlier ones) or the regular monthly patches. It will use the existing update facility?! That sounds like the right way to make all this work! -- But I'm sure that will leave behind unused/unneeded code that can later be deleted for space recovery.

    I assume then that the 3GB upgrade is a complete package - and by saving my existing Win 7, will allow 7 to be restored by 'backing out the 10 upgrade'. Users will need at least 6GB of free space to install (I assume the 10 upgrade/update doesn't disappear on it's own after unpacking itself). Will the 10 Upgrade be downloading more from MS?

    If my assumptions are good, then it should have been stated by MS to make it easy to understand! (sigh)

    I haven't found reports of anyone finding existing applications or utilities not working with Win 10. One of my favorite apps has already replied to me [paraphrased] "..the 10 internals are the same as 7 and will work without updates.." Have you (or anyone) seen any 'gotchas'? Office? Photoshop? etc

    Thanks again,
    Bob K.
    You're quite welcome. :) Sorry for the delay. I'm older and napped.

    So far as "Will the 10 Upgrade be downloading more from MS?" is concerned, any new updates will be installed, so therefore figure just a tad more. With your 326GBs you'll have plenty of room and then some. You could probably triple boot with it.

    As Mystere explained above, the 7 data is stored in the Windows.old folder in case you want to roll back and is eventually deleted. The only other thing to add to his post is that for whatever reason you want to fresh install after the upgrade I do believe the Windows.old folder will no longer contain the 7 data and will lose the option of roll back sooner than the 30 days.

    The only other option I can think of is to join the Insiders program to try on 10 for size. You may want to do so dual booting with 7 on your main disk, another disk, in a VM, or another machine. 10 is very similar to 7 in that it boots to the desktop, but after that it is quite different. It does have a new Start menu that looks similar to 7, but is quite different. There are other options to personalize it with 3rd party, but to what extent with an Insider edition I wouldn't know.

    Every app I run on 10 runs great. No problem so far as I'm concerned.

    I hope we answered all your questions so far.

    Good luck to you and, again, welcome.
      My Computers


  3. Posts : 3,502
    Win_8.1-Pro, Win_10.1607-Pro, Mint_17.3
       #203

    Mystere said:
    You can roll back to your previous windows, however after 30 days your Windows.old folder is deleted by a scheduled task, and the automatic rollback will no longer work after that. To go back to your earlier windows will require reinstalling it.
    Can you identify the task that deletes Windows.old so members could disable it or change the trigger date?

    I'd have to re-install Win7, do the upgrade to find that task since I did a clean install after upgrading.

    The clean install asks you to enter a key twice - it is NOT necessary to enter a key and that might cause activation problems later.
    The 1st time it asks for a key, press Skip this
    The 2nd time it asks for a key press Do this later
    Both action 'links' are in the lower left area of the dialog box

    Win10 will automatically activate using the encrypted key that it stored in firmware during the upgrade. Showkey+ reported that the Win7 OEM key was used as the seed during the upgrade. Winver shows Retail, but I'll assume that the OEM license still applies as far as transfer is concerned (I cannot transfer the OS per the OEM agreement and that is fine).

    I'm not certain, but I don't think there are keys any more, not even for Retail. The way I understand this new method is similar to an OEM key in that one edition (Home, Pro, Enterprise, Education) key is used to initiate authentication on all machines:
    A generic key for the edition is hashed with information that identifies the hardware it is installed on and a new authentication value is encrypted and stored in firmware. The value is also known to the MS authentication servers for subsequent authentication tests during updates - you can install Win10 without being connected to the Internet.

    I could be wrong though
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  4. Posts : 6
    Windows 7 home
       #204

    Slartybart said:
    ..... Showkey+ reported that the Win7 OEM key was used .......
    Is that "Showkey" a utility that finds your windows key? Where can it be obtained? Google hasn't found anything but a package from SourceForge with Showkey.exe in it - but it's description doesn't match that.
    ------- ooops ... Nevermind,, Found it right hiere onhttps://www.tenforums.com/software-apps/2577-showkey.html
    Bob
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 5,833
    Dual boot Windows 10 FCU Pro x 64 & current Insider 10 Pro
       #205

    Krampetz said:
    Is that "Showkey" a utility that finds your windows key? Where can it be obtained? Google hasn't found anything but a package from SourceForge with Showkey.exe in it - but it's description doesn't match that.
    ------- ooops ... Nevermind,, Found it right hiere onhttps://www.tenforums.com/software-apps/2577-showkey.html
    Bob
    Ok, good. Moving along I see. :)
      My Computers


  6. Posts : 29,078
    Windows 10 21H1 Build 19043.1023
       #206

    Belarc Advisor reports that I still have Windows 8.1 installed.
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 4,511
    several
       #207

    Probabaly best to get free imaging program, Aomei backupper, or macrium, or paragon free.

    Make an image of your existing installation before attempting an upgrade install of 10.

    That way you can restore the image at any time in the future, if needed. It is quite easy and quick to do.

    Best Free Backup Software for Windows 10, Windows 8.1/8, Windows 7, Vista, XP

    Macrium Reflect Free


    https://www.paragon-software.com/home/br-free/
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 3,257
    Windows 10 Pro
    Thread Starter
       #208

    Slartybart said:
    Can you identify the task that deletes Windows.old so members could disable it or change the trigger date?
    I belive it's SetupCleanupTask. If you open Scheduled Tasks, click into Microsoft->Windows->Setup, you see the task listed.
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 3,502
    Win_8.1-Pro, Win_10.1607-Pro, Mint_17.3
       #209

    Mystere said:
    I belive it's SetupCleanupTask. If you open Scheduled Tasks, click into Microsoft->Windows->Setup, you see the task listed.
    Thank you Mr E - I looked on my system, but as I suspected the task does not exist after a clean install.

    A follow up question: are you able to modify the trigger or is it locked down?
    I really appreciate you taking the time to look at this - it would take me hours of reinstall and upgrade, just to find the answer.
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 3,257
    Windows 10 Pro
    Thread Starter
       #210

    Slartybart said:
    Thank you Mr E - I looked on my system, but as I suspected the task does not exist after a clean install.

    A follow up question: are you able to modify the trigger or is it locked down?
    I really appreciate you taking the time to look at this - it would take me hours of reinstall and upgrade, just to find the answer.
    I did a clean install, and it exists for me....
      My Computer


 

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