Read update FAQ, but... Bought 4 Win8 licenses when Win8 was released. Tried 1 (as Win8.1) but keep getting BSOD when my hdd would "sleep", so bailed (without activation?) and bought Win7. I also bought an additional Win7 license then, "just in case". What should be the update status for these unused Win8 (x4) and Win4 (x1) licenses? I plan a couple of new boxes, but they will not be built until Sep-Nov.
You have a whole year after the July 29th release date to claim your free upgrade.
Thanks. I'm seeing on other sites stuff about o/s having to be installed ON 7/29 to qualify, so attempting to check "fact/fiction/myth".
It's clear that you could install Win 7 or 8 and upgrade to 10 for free anytime in the one year period beginning 7/29/2015.Read update FAQ, but... Bought 4 Win8 licenses when Win8 was released. Tried 1 (as Win8.1) but keep getting BSOD when my hdd would "sleep", so bailed (without activation?) and bought Win7. I also bought an additional Win7 license then, "just in case". What should be the update status for these unused Win8 (x4) and Win4 (x1) licenses? I plan a couple of new boxes, but they will not be built until Sep-Nov.
This may offer a clue as to how it'll work: the most recent Insider Win 10 builds would install over an activated qualifying OS (8.1 in my case) without the need for a key. The resulting Win 10 installation was activated. I believe that the license key that could be extracted from Windows (as by Magical Jellybean Finder) was different from the 8.1 key. The extracted key could not be used to do a clean installation of 10.
It's not clear at all whether you could somehow go directly to Win 10 using a Win 7 or 8 license.
Microsoft has also promised that upgraders would be able to do a clean installation of Win 10 in the future. It's unclear as to how that might work. If MS intends to provide a new Win 10 product key, that has not been explicitly stated anywhere I've seen.
You can install after that date and still do the free upgrade. As long as its before the one year time frame runs out.
Thanks, alphanumeric. I installed build 10162 as a clean install and it hasn't activated. Not concerned since I'm just doing a quick walk through and see if my BSOD probs still exist. Trying to decide if I have to choose Win8 or Win10 for this box now. So I can procrastinate without harm...
Windows 10 is miles ahead of Windows 8 in my opinion.
OT: Maybe, but this box is just a movie server without web access. So far, there's things I like about 10, but there's some headaches.
-The text on stuff like File Explorer is not as clear as W7's and harder to read. Same monitor, same video processor but W7's is "blacker".
-The active window is hard to find without the colored Title - a common complaint so maybe MS will fix or there'll be a 3rd party.
-7+ Taskbar thingy isn't ready yet so I can freely move taskbar icons from ungrouped programs like File Explorer.
-Control Panel/Settings schizophrenia.
Hoping for W10 at this point, but just loaded it yesterday for test.
Regarding font, search "Cleartype", and configure it. Windows 10 gives options to how you want your text.OT: Maybe, but this box is just a movie server without web access. So far, there's things I like about 10, but there's some headaches.
-The text on stuff like File Explorer is not as clear as W7's and harder to read. Same monitor, same video processor but W7's is "blacker".
-The active window is hard to find without the colored Title - a common complaint so maybe MS will fix or there'll be a 3rd party.
-7+ Taskbar thingy isn't ready yet so I can freely move taskbar icons from ungrouped programs like File Explorer.
-Control Panel/Settings schizophrenia.
Hoping for W10 at this point, but just loaded it yesterday for test.
I did a clean install of 10162 and it activated without any problem. Did not have to use any keys from Win 7 or 8, just the insider preview key that was needed to start the installation.Thanks, alphanumeric. I installed build 10162 as a clean install and it hasn't activated. Not concerned since I'm just doing a quick walk through and see if my BSOD probs still exist. Trying to decide if I have to choose Win8 or Win10 for this box now. So I can procrastinate without harm...
