I don't get it, how difficult it is to understand the simply facts, told quite clearly by the Microsoft?
1. Activation status after July 29th
("Windows 10 remains activated" in below list means it remains activated on the device in question.)
- A clean installed Windows 10 Insider Preview
- User remains as an Insider opting in for the upgrades, Windows 10 will remain activated until the user opts out
- User opts out from the upgrade builds, Windows 10 will no longer be activated. User needs to install a qualifying valid OS and in-place upgrade or get a Windows 10 license for a clean install
- An in-place upgraded Windows 10 Insider Preview, upgraded from a qualifying valid 7 or 8.1
- User remains as an Insider opting in for the upgrades, Windows 10 will remain activated
- User opts out from the upgrade builds, Windows 10 will remain activated because the qualifying OS was valid
- An in-place upgraded Windows 10 Insider Preview, upgraded from a non-valid 7 or 8.1
- User remains as an Insider opting in for the upgrades, Windows 10 will remain activated until the user opts out, being in the sense of activation and license the same as a clean installed Windows 10 Insider Preview
- User opts out from the upgrade builds, Windows 10 will no longer be activated. User needs to install a qualifying valid OS and in-place upgrade or get a Windows 10 license for a clean install
(Red font: only option for those upgraded from a non-valid 7 or 8.1 to keep the free Windows 10.)
2. MS / Insider Accounts & upgrade rings:
(Based on how it now works, my own experience & logics.)
- User can use the same MS / Insider account on any number of machines, regardless if clean install or an in-place upgrade
- All machines using this same account can separately opt in or out, the Insider & ring settings are not synced
- All machines using this same account and which have opted in can have the ring separately set to fast or slow ring
- For each machine and its activation status after the 29th of July, see the list 1. above
Kari