Activating two copies of windows 10 on the same puter

badrobot said:

I am not sure, maybe someone can also enlighten me about this, if Windows 10 licensing is also now tied up to a hard drive because it's not the case with Windows 7

That works, yes, you can swap disks as much as you want.

The only time (that I've found) that you need a Retail Windows 10 license key is when you are running the same system and swapping between native boot and a VM when the underlying OS is not an activated version of Windows (OSX for example).

For example if you are running Windows 10 host you'll need a separate license to run a VM but you can native boot a VHDX and it will pick up and use the license of your host computer. An upgrade license with the generic key is fine.

If you are dual booting Windows and Linux or OSX and you sometimes want to run Windows as a VM using raw disk access to the Windows partition then you'll need a retail 10 license. In this case upgrading both separately (VM and native) doesn't work. In theory it should register both the real and virtual hardware with MS but it doesn't let you switch between the two if you have upgrade key - it just gives the "0xC004C003 key blocked" for the generic key. If you swap it for a 10 retail key then it works fine.

The only thing you can't do is run more than one instance at a time. If you only dual boot you aren't - as far as licensing is concerned it is the same as if you had restored a different backup as the hardware is the same.

NavyLCDR said:

All Microsoft offered to do was upgrade computers already running Windows 7/8/8.1 for free to Windows 10 for the life of that computer. Then when someone digs into the EULA of the free upgrade they see the language that would come with a normal purchased upgrade - retail license upgrades to retail license. Which is a legal technicality - not intention.

It is not just "legal technicality" (whatever that should mean) - it is a binding contract.

A customer does not know what Microsoft "intended". I mean: How should he? Nor does he have to know. The customer also has no duty to start thinkng about if what Microsoft does is clever, stupid or whatever. That is just not his cup of tea. The license is very clear: If it says retail upgrades to retail, then this is what the contract is about.

Not what we are speaking about, but what Microsoft might try to do from a legal point of view might be this: At the point where the user decides to upgrade to a newer version, maybe called Windows 10.1 or whatever, there he maybe has to accept a new EULA. And in this EULA, Microsoft could maybe try to change the user's rights. I think this will work as long, as someone from the media notices that and then it's in the news like "Microsoft taking customers their granted rights away". Although I think this might be legally possible, Microsoft should better think about whether the negative press is worth it - before they use a license text. Breaking binding contracts is never a good idea.

My advice ,
Keep10 on the oem.
Buy a cheap computer, install your FULLY TRANSFERABLE retail w7 and upgrade if you want to.
Note the free upgrade is only valid till Aug 2016

Remember that retail licence disk can be moved between any number of comps
Its like having gold.

Roy

Thanks for all the replies folks

I will do what a few have advised and keep my retail windows 7 off any machine for now.

zoo

What Microsoft telephone number should I call to get a valid key for a second installation? Thank you.

Nisko said:

What Microsoft telephone number should I call to get a valid key for a second installation? Thank you.

In the US it would be 1-877-696-7786

Thank you!