What happens to those free Windows 10 upgrades after July 29, 2016?

alphanumeric · 04 Apr 2016

NavyLCDR said:

That just doesn't seem all that hard to understand... to me anyway.

Me too. But there are still people that think they will have to pay a fee to keep using the free upgrade after the 29th. Or it will stop working etc, etc.

Computer Chicken · 04 Apr 2016

So here's my question... Redstone will be a free update, if I'm correct? :) I hope so.

BunnyJ · 04 Apr 2016

win10pro4life said:

So here's my question... Redstone will be a free update, if I'm correct? :) I hope so.

All updates/upgrades to 10 will be free.

Computer Chicken · 04 Apr 2016

BunnyJ said:

All updates/upgrades to 10 will be free.

That's what I thought, thanks! :)

alphanumeric · 04 Apr 2016

win10pro4life said:

So here's my question... Redstone will be a free update, if I'm correct? :) I hope so.

Yes, if your already running Windows 10. If your not, but do the free upgrade before time runs out, yes again.

Cbarnhorst · 04 Apr 2016

I don't know if the drop dead date will be advanced come July but if it is Microsoft has to re-explain to the OEMs why. As it stands consumers can refresh an older computer with the new OS for free rather than purchase a new system. That slows purchases of new systems. Not good for OEMs. Personally I think Microsoft should stick to the July deadline for the free upgrades and let the marketplace begin to sort out the impact the GWX program has had on sales after July. There are issues with enterprise customers as well.

I advise caution to consumers not to assume that the decision (if there even is one) about the drop dead date will be driven by consumer concerns. I doubt it.

My view is that everyone has the same one year to upgrade and anyone left in the dust has only him/herself to blame. I only held back one computer from the upgrade and that was for specialized applications that will never run under Windows 10. Besides, you don't have to abandon the old OS after you upgrade to 10 if you just think it through.

alphanumeric · 05 Apr 2016

I'm really hoping the GWX App ect goes away "for good"after the 29th. I'd like to see the ISO go back to just accepting Windows 10 keys on a clean install too. If you already did the free upgrade you have a digital entitlement and don't need the key anymore. Windows 7 keys a MIA on a clean install anyway, they aren't stored in the BIOS. Reading my 8 Core BIOS key just screws things up for me, and makes it harder to install 10 Pro. My guess is there will reduced cost upgrade versions of 10 after that date, just like there has been for previous versions of Windows.

orlbuckeye · 05 Apr 2016

alphanumeric said:

I'm really hoping the GWX App ect goes away "for good"after the 29th. I'd like to see the ISO go back to just accepting Windows 10 keys on a clean install too. If you already did the free upgrade you have a digital entitlement and don't need the key anymore. Windows 7 keys a MIA on a clean install anyway, they aren't stored in the BIOS. Reading my 8 Core BIOS key just screws things up for me, and makes it harder to install 10 Pro. My guess is there will reduced cost upgrade versions of 10 after that date, just like there has been for previous versions of Windows.

Keys are only issued for Windows 10 on the full versions and the upgrade use Digital Entitlement. I don't see that changing even if they start cherging for the upgrade to Windows 1o. Which I don't see them doing and the public Windows OS is becoming less and less of the revenue stream of MS.

alphanumeric · 05 Apr 2016

orlbuckeye said:

Keys are only issued for Windows 10 on the full versions and the upgrade use Digital Entitlement. I don't see that changing even if they start cherging for the upgrade to Windows 1o. Which I don't see them doing and the public Windows OS is becoming less and less of the revenue stream of MS.

The current Windows 10 install media reads and uses Windows 8/8.1 and 10 OEM embedded keys, regardless of whether you have done the free upgrade or not. If I do a clean install on my laptop, that has a Windows 8.0 Core OEM Embedded key, I get 10 Home with no option to select Pro during the install. I got 10 Pro via the free upgrade from 8.1 Pro and have a Digital Entitlement for 10 Pro. I then have to go through extra steps to get Pro back. It's not obvious how to do it either. That's not the way to do things, IMHO. What's the point of reading Windows 8/8.1 OEM keys after that date? There is no advantage, you won't be able to activate with them if Windows 10 has never been installed on that device?

orlbuckeye · 05 Apr 2016

alphanumeric said:

The current Windows 10 install media reads and uses Windows 8/8.1 and 10 OEM embedded keys, regardless of whether you have done the free upgrade or not. If I do a clean install on my laptop, that has a Windows 8.0 Core key, I get 10 Home with no option to select Pro during the install. I got 10 Pro via the free upgrade from 8.1 Pro and have a Digital Entitlement for 10 Pro. I then have to go through extra steps to get Pro back. It's not obvious how to do it either. That's not the way to do things, IMHO. What's the point of reading Windows 8/8.1 OEM keys after that date? There is no advantage, you won't be able to activate with them if Windows 10 has never been installed on that device?

Digital entitlment is what Windows 10 uses if you've done an upgrade. It doesn't create a key but does a snapshot of your hardware and created a Hash number that gets stored on MS servers. When you do a clean install the install verifies that hardware is the same as the upgraded one checking the hash number on MS servers. If you have Vista and XP and purchased Windows 10 from say Newegg a key comes with the media just like it did with XP, Vista, Windows 7 and 8/8.1 . If you purchase Windows 10 from the Windows store digital entitlement is also used. If you buy Windows 10 from authorized retailer then you use a Windows 10 product key to activate.