Upcoming changes to Windows 10 Insider Preview builds Insider

BunnyJ said:

I see.. My plan is to go from Win8.1 to Win10 so I suspect they will use my existing Win8.1 key. But time will tell on what really occurs.

I did an upgrade from 8.1 to Windows 10 and my key changed there too. I'm just passing on info I've actually seen with my own eyes is all. Time will tell as they say.

DooGie said:

So what will happen if I have a retail Win 7 dvd not an OEM one. I've changed most every bit of hardware in my PC since I built it and never had to reactivate it over the phone.
Guess it will be interesting to see what happens with Windows 10.

Not my area of no-how, but if your's is a roll-your-own, no key was ever flashed into the bios. So, it's in the system files hiding somewhere and activates automatically.

f14tomcat said:

Not my area of no-how, but if your's is a roll-your-own, no key was ever flashed into the bios. So, it's in the system files hiding somewhere and activates automatically.

The key used to activate Windows is stored in the registry. It's not in plain text but its there. My laptop came with Windows 8.0, that key is in the BIOS and stored in the Windows registry. If I run showkey the two keys match. If I upgrade via add features to Pro. The key stored in the registry becomes the Pro key. showkey shows two different keys. Upgrade to Media Center and the key in the registry becomes the MC key. For Windows 10 to get the true key in use it will have to pull it from the Windows registry.

Windows 7 keys, even OEM keys, are not stored in the registry BIOS. There may be OEM activation info on an OEM PC but no product code is stored there. Windows 7 uses OA 2.1 and Windows 8 uses OA 3.0. OA stands for OEM Activation. If Windows 10 pulls a key for Windows 7 its going to get it from the Windows Registry, not the BIOS. Whether its OEM or Retail doesn't really matter as far as retrieving the key goes for Windows 7.

alphanumeric said:

The key used to activate Windows is stored in the registry. It's not in plain text but its there. My laptop came with Windows 8.0, that key is in the BIOS and stored in the Windows registry. If I run showkey the two keys match. If I upgrade via add features to Pro. The key stored in the registry becomes the Pro key. showkey shows two different keys. Upgrade to Media Center and the key in the registry becomes the MC key. For Windows 10 to get the true key in use it will have to pull it from the Windows registry.

Windows 7 keys, even OEM keys, are not stored in the BIOS. There may be OEM activation info on an OEM PC but no product code is stored there. Windows 7 uses OA 2.1 and Windows 8 uses OA 3.0. OA stands for OEM Activation. If Windows 10 pulls a key for Windows 7 its going to get it from the Windows Registry, not the BIOS. Whether its OEM or Retail doesn't really matter as far as retrieving the key goes for Windows 7.

This is right off the Newegg site. What does it mean? Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro - 64-bit - OEM

http://www.neweggbusiness.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9B-32-416-778&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleBiz-PC&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleBiz-PC-_-pla-_-Operating+Systems-_-9B-32-416-778&gclid=CjwKEAjwh6SsBRCYrKHF7J3NjicSJACUxAh7B8ETGNm87J-637rLoTBZ1jAr07YnbGsuKihGS2u8uBoC75fw_wcB

f14tomcat said:

This is right off the Newegg site. What does it mean? Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro - 64-bit - OEM

http://www.neweggbusiness.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9B-32-416-778&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleBiz-PC&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleBiz-PC-_-pla-_-Operating+Systems-_-9B-32-416-778&gclid=CjwKEAjwh6SsBRCYrKHF7J3NjicSJACUxAh7B8ETGNm87J-637rLoTBZ1jAr07YnbGsuKihGS2u8uBoC75fw_wcB

You can buy OEM system builder editions. I've done it for Windows 7. If your a small mom and pop computer store building custom systems the OEM version is a lot cheaper than the full Retail version. The factory OEM versions from say Dell or HP are a step above that and coded to work with a custom matching BIOS. The Newegg version you posted comes with its own COA sticker with the product code on it. You use that code when you install and activate it on the PC.

alphanumeric said:

You can buy OEM system builder editions. I've done it for Windows 7. If your a small mom and pop computer store building custom systems the OEM version is a lot cheaper than the full Retail version. The factory OEM versions from say Dell or HP are a step above that and coded to work with a custom matching BIOS. The Newegg version you posted comes with its own COA sticker with the product code on it. You use that code when you install and activate it on the PC.

So, for my purposes, simple home office setup, it would be ok to consider a 10 oem from Newegg if I wanted to and no problems.

f14tomcat said:

So, for my purposes, simple home office setup, it would be ok to consider a 10 oem from Newegg if I wanted to and no problems.

Yes, just be aware of the restrictions of the OEM version over a full Retail version. You can't call Microsoft for phone support, for Windows issues. They'll just tell you to contact the OEM. In this case that's you. You also can't transfer an OEM version from one PC to another like you can with a Retail version. It's tied to the motherboard its first activated on. It's cheaper for a reason.