new install with Win7 key

Hi
I know that you can still do a clean 10 install with a Win7 key & activate

There is some question as to if that gives you a valid licence. Activation is not proof of a valid lic.

Reason I ask , is MS stated the the 'free upgrade' from 7 was for a specific peroid of time.
I cant find anywhere with a definite statement from MS that upgrades (with 7 key) after that time will be classed as a vaild install & lic , or vice versa
Does anyone have definite info , not just assumptions ? I assumed it would be a valid licence , others have claimed it isnt .

I know it works & you can do it regardless, but thats not the question
With 7 being end of life next year, using the 7 key to upgrade to 10 would be a cheap option for small companies , if still ~legal~ to do so.

PCD said:

Reason I ask , is MS stated the the 'free upgrade' from 7 was for a specific period of time.
I cant find anywhere with a definite statement from MS that upgrades (with 7 key) after that time will be classed as a vaild install & lic , or vice versa...

No, I cannot find a definitive statement either. What I can find is the definitive statement regarding the end of the free upgrade. It was carefully worded to limit its applicability to the GWX app only. Read into that what you will...

Microsoft said:

Is the Windows 10 free upgrade offer still available?
The Windows 10 free upgrade through the Get Windows 10 (GWX) app ended on July 29, 2016.

https://support.microsoft.com/help/1...10-upgrade-faq

If Microsoft says my activation is good with a digital license, I'm not going to argue with therm.

AddRAM said:

Well I`d think that if it says "Windows is Activated with a Digital License" then that`s all you should be concerned with.
I would not call that an assumption, I would think that it`s proof positive.

Activation is not in any way related to having a valid lic.
I can install Office or Win on multiple PC's with the same install key & activate them all, the other PC's will not have a vaild lic (basically Piracy)


For home users , no one will really care if you use 7 key to install 10.
For small buseness's, it is a definite concern.
MS have been quiet on this , you would think they would want to get this well known one way or they other. I wonder if they are just looking they other way, they will know this is still happening.

There are companies that provide support/security updates still for XP. They likely do so for 7 as well.

My thoughts are that if a machine had a legal copy of Windows(for life but only on one device) you have the right to any upgrades as they end support for your legal OS.

Unless MS closed the loophole one can upgrade to Win 10 thru the MS assistive technology portal and be legal.

Because MS has left this option available they indirectly are likely saying they have no issues with virtually anyone upgrading to Win 10(they want you to)! The caveat however is that you must be running 8.1 to upgrade to 10 in this manner.

There are plenty of options to legally get 8.1 and then do the assistive route to Win 10.

When we were offered the free upgrade to Win 10 with the deadline to do so WU downloaded Win 10 to my computer without my permission but it was not installed and was in the $BT(?) folder.

I like many was skeptical of the new OS and waited for the deadline, reading Ten Forums daily to get a feel for any issues with it.

I decided to go ahead and install on the final day but fell asleep in the recliner after dinner. Tried to install hours after the deadline and the download had vanished from the folder.

I called MS and the person I spoke to told me to use the assistive technology method to upgrade to 10.

After having dealt with an OEM Win 8 all the way thru to 10 I cannot say that 10 has been much better due to the forced CU's and removal of choice for which updates to download and install.

I keep one old PC with my favorite XP Pro 64bit for a third backup in my network.

gcwizard said:

Unless MS closed the loophole one can upgrade to Win 10 thru the MS assistive technology portal....

That upgrade route, like the original 'Get Windows 10' app, has now ended. In fact, even the web page about it has been removed. But it can still be read in the Internet Archive Wayback Machine.

Microsoft said:

Thank you for your interest in Windows 10. The free upgrade offer extension for Windows 7 and Windows 8 customers who use assistive technologies expired Dec. 31, 2017.

Internet Archive (Sept 2018) | Windows 10 upgrade for assistive technology users

The upgrade using the install media made by the MCT continues to get activated to this day, as does a clean install on a machine with an embedded Win8/8.1 key in its bios.

Upon further review it appears that the assistive portal upgrade is finally gone. Since there are companies that are providing support after MS support ends I would keep Win 7 until Win 12 arrives and hope that it is better than 10.

Well now here is something interesting I stumbled on yesterday....

I removed an SSD drive my desktop system (AMD 8 core CPU gigabyte motherboard). I have an old Dell Latitude XT3 with an i5 CPU I wanted to speed up a little. It also was activated Windows 10. When I installed the SSD into the XT3 and fired it up I had intended to boot off a USB installation media. I failed to make it to the XT3 in time to press the F12 key for the boot menu and it booted off the SSD! It shows as digitally activated. It's working fine too. I removed all the old drivers I could find from the AMD system. I'm going to leave it as is as it seems to be just fine. I have tried this before, on purpose, and it wouldn't work. If I recall correctly I got BSOD on boot when I tried before.

Really strange....