Anniversary Upgrade W10 dual-boot license change

NavyLCDR said:

Well, here is the current situation, @cereberus. If the user has an installation of Windows 10 that is activated with a digital entitlement or a digital license and their installed product key on that activated Windows 10 ends in -3V66T for Pro or ends in -8HVX7 for Home then they have a permanent digital entitlement/license for Windows 10. I don't believe that there is an insider build of Windows 10 that was activated with the unique insider product keys that isn't expired by now.

This contradicts MS statements that clearly stated if you did not start from a qualifying licence, it would become unactivated if you leave.

I have seen many reports on other forums of people who left Insider Programme who started from a TP key, and installed release version and it did not activate.

Of course, it is possible MS policy has quietly changed as this would apply to so few persons now.


Upcoming changes to Windows 10 Insider Preview builds [UPDATED 6/22] | Windows Experience Blog

“I want to opt out of the Windows Insider Program on 7/29.” If you decide to opt-out of the program and upgrade to the 7/29 build you will be subject to exactly the same terms and conditions that govern the offer* that was extended to all Genuine Windows 7 and 8.1 customers. This is not a path to attain a license for Windows XP or Windows Vista systems. If your system upgraded from a Genuine Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 license it will remain activated, but if not, you will be required to roll back to your previous OS version or acquire a new Windows 10 license. If you do not roll back or acquire a new license the build will eventually expire.
Read more at Upcoming changes to Windows 10 Insider Preview builds [UPDATED 6/22] | Windows Experience Blog

DavidE said:

When did all insider OS's change to expired ?

What happens if a person installed Win 10 TP as an insider before the official free upgrade offer ?
The TP/Insider OS was never a "free upgrade or any purchased W10", it has always been a BETA Insider OS, with an expiration date, and not with a permanent digital entitlement/license.
If anyone has a TP/Insider OS only, did the Anniversary Update change the expiration date, and now shows digital entitlement or a digital license ?

For me, the TP Insider OS has always had an expiration date until i installed the Anniversary Update.
It did not have digital entitlement or a digital license.
I just had to keep it "updated" so the insider license did not expire.

Until a few days ago, before installing the Anniversary Update, I had an expiration date 0f 2016-10-01 for my Insider OS.

From posts i've read it seems MS has changed the license/activation rules so the HD is not used, and a MS account is used.
I think these changes are what caused the license change i see.

As I said earlier it is only when the release and Insider versions are the same that you do not get an expiry date so you may leave Programme. The licence has nothing to do with expiry.

Digital licences have not changed - still bound to mobo id and based on servers. The MSA link does not bind licence to MSA, just simply registers on MSA that you have a licence and enables pc to find it on activation servers in event a hardware change causes failure to activate.

The way I read it when the rules changed was, activation for the Insider Preview from that point forward had the same requirements as the Consumer Release. If you start now, on a PC that never had Windows 10 activated on it, you have to install with valid windows 10 product code to activate. The fuzzy part is if you were an insider but didn't do the free upgrade. You did a clean install from day one. If you got a Digital Entitlement along the way, I'd say a reinstall will activate with it. If you didn't ever get a DL and it just showed activated with a product key, its not going to activate with a skip key. Digital License's are good for the CR an IP so I have no way of testing, knowing that to be true.
I am pretty sure I've seen posts where somebody had to start over with a clean install and then had trouble activating. And that, that was their only Windows 10 install on that PC. I always just assumed, if you left, it would stay activated but you'd get the time clock/expirers thing.

alphanumeric said:

The way I read it when the rules changed was, activation for the Insider Preview from that point forward had the same requirements as the Consumer Release. If you start now, on a PC that never had Windows 10 activated on it, you have to install with valid windows 10 product code to activate. The fuzzy part is if you were an insider but didn't do the free upgrade. You did a clean install from day one. If you got a Digital Entitlement along the way, I'd say a reinstall will activate with it. If you didn't ever get a DL and it just showed activated with a product key, its not going to activate with a skip key. Digital License's are good for the CR an IP so I have no way of testing, knowing that to be true.
I am pretty sure I've seen posts where somebody had to start over with a clean install and then had trouble activating. And that, that was their only Windows 10 install on that PC. I always just assumed, if you left, it would stay activated but you'd get the time clock/expirers thing.

That is pretty much my understanding re. fuzzy part .

Was about to say how "fuzzy" digital licences are... and if I'm the "supposed" activation expert, God help us all... LOL

But as I said in another post, MS PR and Deployment most likely operate from opposite wings at Redmond... so we can only speculate what the real deal is - the thing is it won't help MS much to deactivate digital licences as that would proliferate piracy and slow down adoption. They have never really enforced the EULA much less likely now.

Superfly said:

Was about to say how "fuzzy" digital licences are... and if I'm the "supposed" activation expert, God help us all... LOL

But as I said in another post, MS PR and Deployment most likely operate from opposite wings at Redmond... so we can only speculate what the real deal is - the thing is it won't help MS much to deactivate digital licences as that would proliferate piracy and slow down adoption. They have never really enforced the EULA much less likely now.

Yeah - I think the 1 billion target is their sole focus.

For unspecified deities sake, they have not even stopped free upgrades yet. You almost can't help thinking somebody in the Management has simply forgotten to instruct the Deployment team to stop free upgrades - LOL.

IMHO, letting a few more get free a upgrade isn't going to impact the bottom line much. Most people (in my crowd) buy a new PC because they need a new PC, not because they want the latest and greatest from Redmond. Those that just have to have it, already have it. Like a year ago, lol.

cereberus said:

Yeah - I think the 1 billion target is their sole focus.

For unspecified deities sake, they have not even stopped free upgrades yet. You almost can't help thinking somebody in the Management has simply forgotten to instruct the Deployment team to stop free upgrades - LOL.

alphanumeric said:

IMHO, letting a few more get free a upgrade isn't going to impact the bottom line much. Most people (in my crowd) buy a new PC because they need a new PC, not because they want the latest and greatest from Redmond. Those that just have to have it, already have it. Like a year ago, lol.

Yup, it's a strange situation...it's the migration of Win 7 users that is their bottom-line (... arguably their best OS ever) will be a coup with the lucrative cloud-first philosophy.