Keeping W 8 through PC warrantee and beyond.

Ok, I've tried to search but there is sooo much to read and I just get confused or sidetracked.

I bought an ASUS Zenbook in April with W 8 preinstalled.
This PC will be under warrantee until April 2016 so I am not going to mess with 10 until at least that date.
I am happy with 8.1 and it will be supported until 2023.
W 10 will only be supported for 2 years beyond that.
Is there any logical reason I should even bother with 10?

MS kept wanting me to install W 10 via Update so I hid it.
If I fail to install 10 before the 1 year offer is up in July 2016, then what?
Can I somehow make a copy of 10 on a USB for installation in a couple of years if I decide I want it?

If so how can I do that without it removing W 8?

Simple answers work best for me :)

Thanks.

You don't get a new license key with the free Win 10 upgrade. To take advantage of the offer, you have to install 10 as an upgrade over a qualifying OS. You can re-install it (including a clean install) after that on the same hardware. (Activation info is retained on the MS servers.)

You could image 8 (Macrium Reflect free), do the 10 upgrade and activate, and then restore 8. You could then re-install 10 at your leisure.

I prefer the Win 10 interface to 8. The integration of the desktop and (the interface formerly known as) Metro is beter. The Win 10 interface isn't fully polished yet, though. Whether "Threshold 2" (November?) will improve things, I don't know.

Thank you bobkn.

bobkn said:

You could image 8 (Macrium Reflect free), do the 10 upgrade and activate, and then restore 8. You could then re-install 10 at your leisure.

I made an 8 Recovery on USB via the installed 8 OS. Is that the same as "Image?"

If I do as you say...install 10 over 8 and activate then reinstall 8 where will I find 10 at my leisure?

I prefer the Win 10 interface to 8. The integration of the desktop and (the interface formerly known as) Metro is beter. The Win 10 interface isn't fully polished yet, though. Whether "Threshold 2" (November?) will improve things, I don't know.

I have installed 10 on another older 7 laptop and it is growing on me, slowly.
I'm only thinking the Zenbook may be retired before 8 expires and at this stage, I'm happy with 8, which surprises me.

Thanks again, you did keep it simple.

Hawgwash said:

Thank you bobkn.

I made an 8 Recovery on USB via the installed 8 OS. Is that the same as "Image?"

The recovery USB you created contains only the factory software. An image contains exactly what you have installed at the time it is done, including all of your documents, music, videos and data.

Hawgwash said:

If I do as you say...install 10 over 8 and activate then reinstall 8 where will I find 10 at my leisure?

Windows 10 Media Creation Tool, second option "make for installation on another PC":
Windows 10

If you don't do an upgrade within the first year, then you will have to pay for Windows 10. If you do the upgrade and even if you go back to Windows 8.1, your Windows 10 activation entitlement is saved on MS activation servers and you can upgrade or clean install Windows 10 for free after that on that same computer, even after the first year.

Thank you NavyLCDR.
A couple points of clarification, please.

NavyLCDR said:

The recovery USB you created contains only the factory software. An image contains exactly what you have installed at the time it is done, including all of your documents, music, videos and data.

Does "factory software" include the factory installed 10?
What is the difference between documents and data?

If you do the upgrade and even if you go back to Windows 8.1, your Windows 10 activation entitlement is saved on MS activation servers and you can upgrade or clean install Windows 10 for free after that on that same computer, even after the first year.

Is that "upgrade" then done on 8 via some windows update?
And "clean install" via the image or recovery?

Hawgwash said:

Thank you NavyLCDR.
A couple points of clarification, please.

Does "factory software" include the factory installed 10?

Do you mean Windows 10? What did the computer come installed with from the factory? Windows 8 or Windows 10? The program from the factory used to create the restore USB will create it for whatever OS was installed from the factory which you originally posted was Windows 8.

Hawgwash said:

What is the difference between documents and data?

Well, actually, your data includes your documents. So I should have stated other data - like program settings, saved games, etc.

Hawgwash said:

Is that "upgrade" then done on 8 via some windows update?
And "clean install" via the image or recovery?

You can use a downloaded ISO file to do the upgrade to Windows 10, you can use the "Upgrade this PC now" option of the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool, or you can wait and hope for Windows Update.

Pure "clean install" means using the installation USB or DVD created usually by Media Creation Tool and installs only the Windows operating system. Using a recovery disc/USB or image will take the computer back to the state it was in when the disc was created - except a recovery USB made from the software provided by the manufacturer will always be the factory fresh software just like the computer came off the shelf at the store. Usually that software will only allow you to create 1 USB or set of recovery DVDs.

As described in this tutorial, you can run a utility included in Windows 10 setup to qualify your computer without actually installing Windows 10. This will create a file GenuineTicket.xml which you can save and use it whenever you like. Any time you decide to upgrade to Windows 10, there is no need to use the update utility, just download the ISO from here. Run the setup within Windows and proceed with the upgrade. Then copy the saved file at the appropriate folder as described on the tutorial and restart your computer to activate. It's a good idea to download the ISO as soon as possible because experience says good links don't last forever. In 2016 Microsoft may have removed the link, so download now to be safe. All ISO can install both Windows 10 Home and Pro depending on your previous Windows version and can be used either for upgrade or clean installation. To see if you have 32-bit or 64-bit Windows right-click on This Computer and select Properties.

NavyLCDR said:

Do you mean Windows 10? What did the computer come installed with from the factory? Windows 8 or Windows 10? The program from the factory used to create the restore USB will create it for whatever OS was installed from the factory which you originally posted was Windows 8.

Sorry. My mistake. The factory install is 8.
I think you and others have given me enough to read up on and work with.

spapakons said:

As described in this tutorial, you can run a utility included in Windows 10 setup to qualify your computer without actually installing Windows 10. This will create a file GenuineTicket.xml which you can save and use it whenever you like.

Until July 28, 2016. After that Windows 10 will have to be purchased anyway if the upgrade was never done prior to that.

NavyLCDR said:

Until July 28, 2016. After that Windows 10 will have to be purchased anyway if the upgrade was never done prior to that.

Thanks everyone.
NavyLCDR, are you saying that anything I do, including the routine described by spapakons, I will still need to move fro 8 to 10 before July 2016 to get 10 free? In other words, no way to save free 10 for future install?