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Why were you looking for a machine that did not have a W10 digital license? What’s the difference?
Why were you looking for a machine that did not have a W10 digital license? What’s the difference?
Thanks for the offer, but for a test that's as close as possible to potential upgrade problems a user may report (here on TF or over on 7F) I want an activated OEM install of W7 that has not yet been upgraded (so its machine has no DL yet). I'd prefer a physical machine, a VM may not be sufficient to be sure. I now have two such machines to hand.
Ah I see. So the only way to get a W10 key is to do the upgrade from within W7 on the target machine or is there an easier way to ‘convert’ the key?
There are a number of ways to use a W7 key to get a W10 digital licence, a clean install for example. That too may (potentially) be withdrawn by MS some time down the line (when the paid-for extended security updates for W7 ends in 2023, perhaps?).
Clean Install Windows 10 Directly without having to Upgrade First
But the scenario I specifically want to be able to test is the in-place upgrade of a physical W7 machine.
Since version 1511 in a clean install of W10 Setup should accept a valid W7, 8 or 8.1 key and use it to select the edition to install and to get it a digital licence, assuming of course that the key has not previously been used on another machine.
You Can Still Get Windows 10 for Free With a Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 KeyAs part of Windows 10’s first November update in 2015, Microsoft changed the Windows 10 installer disc to also accept Windows 7 or 8.1 keys. This allowed users to perform a clean install Windows 10 and enter a valid Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 key during installation. Windows 10 would then report that key to Microsoft’s servers, and Windows 10’s activation servers would give your PC a “digital entitlement” (now a “digital license”) to continue using Windows 10 for free, just as if you had upgraded.
I have upgraded several computers from Windows 7 to Windows 10 for free over the last couple years. The last being only a couple months ago.
The only paid for Windows 10 I have are:
1. Windows 10 Professional for new desktop I built in 2017
2. Windows 10 Home that was installed on laptop I bought in 2018
Back in 2011 I bought Windows 7 Family Pack - Home Premium Upgrade for $130. It was a good deal because:
* I could upgrade up to three computers with it
* I included both 32-bit and 64-bit disks
I upgrade three computers with it from Windows XP Home 32-bit to Windows 7 Home 32-bit.
One of these computers I later upgraded from Windows 7 Home 32-bit to Windows 7 Home 64-bit using the included disc. A couple months ago I upgraded this same computer from Windows 7 Home 64-bit to Windows 10 Home 64-bit.
What I don't know is whether I can upgrade the other two computers from Windows 7 to Windows 10 for free. All three computers have the same license key. Will Microsoft still recognize this a special key that came with three activations?
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If you want to use the computer for Email or Facebook 4GB RAM is sufficient. If you want to have more than one program open at one time or several tabs open on your browser then I still recommend 8GB RAM. For playing games or doing video editing I recommend 16GB. I have heard of some people that do heavy video editing have 32GB or more RAM.
Note I have found that at idle my laptop is using 2.8 GB and my desktop 3-4 GB RAM. Under load my laptop uses up to 6 GB and my desktop 7-12 GB RAM.
If you are buying or building a new computer you have to consider what you may need 3-5 years in the future. More and more programs and games are being developed for multi-core CPUs. "Right now" the sweet spot is a CPU with 4 cores. That may because for years that is what Intel was pushing. With AMD Ryzen CPUs now with 8, 16, or more cores that pushed Intel to follow suit. In next few years you may see more and more developers take advantage of that. Some of the new games that have come out are already doing that.
BTW, I use Acronis True Image for backups. During backup it uses up to 8 cores at one time on my Ryzen 1700X.
Last edited by MisterEd; 07 Apr 2020 at 17:00.