|
So I read the OP but want to clarify something: I had a Windows 7 OEM license installed that I "upgraded" to Win10. Can I change my mind and still use that key to do a clean Win7 install? What if I do that, then want to go back to 10 again - can I do another clean 10 install using said key? Basically can I use the key to install either 7 or 10 willy-nilly on the same hardware? Will this change after the free upgrade is no longer available?
|
#
?
Jun 12, 2016 18:38
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 28, 2024 12:10 |
|
|
Your Win10 license is a "digital entitlement" tied to your hardware ID, that entitlement should be valid to the end of time, for any number of reinstalls, as long as the hardware doesn't change too much. Your Win7 OEM license also should still be valid to reinstall with, but to comply properly you have to wipe the Win10 install. If Win7 won't activate, call the activation phone and explain that you had to downgrade manually from 10 for whatever reason. That should be a valid reason.
|
|
#
?
Jun 12, 2016 19:13
|
|
|
nielsm posted:Your Win10 license is a "digital entitlement" tied to your hardware ID, that entitlement should be valid to the end of time, for any number of reinstalls, as long as the hardware doesn't change too much. How much is "too much"? I mean, if your motherboard were to die...
|
|
#
?
Jun 12, 2016 20:17
|
|
|
PerrineClostermann posted:How much is "too much"? I mean, if your motherboard were to die... Yeah that's the downside of custom built PCs with Microsoft OEM licenses. In that case you're supposed to replace the motherboard with one as similar as reasonably possible, I think. If you can keep all other components the same you can't really say it's a (significant) upgrade or system replacement, and they will probably grant you a new activation on the phone... OTOH if it's a major brand machine, the OEM is supposed to replace the part with another one that will still grant the OEM auto-activation, at least on the original OS. On a Win10 upgraded machine, you would still have to do the phone call.
|
|
#
?
Jun 12, 2016 20:28
|
|
|
Well, that doesn't help much if it's an old machine where the motherboard isn't really produced anymore...
|
|
#
?
Jun 12, 2016 20:31
|
|
|
PerrineClostermann posted:Well, that doesn't help much if it's an old machine where the motherboard isn't really produced anymore... If you want to have a Windows 10 license that's good forever, you need to buy it just as you would have bought any other Windows.
|
|
#
?
Jun 12, 2016 20:37
|
|
|
fishmech posted:If you want to have a Windows 10 license that's good forever, you need to buy it just as you would have bought any other Windows. Traditionally, even with a personal OEM license, Microsoft hasn't cared about reactivating - even if you did have to call in to the automated line, depending on the circumstances - as long as the license wasn't being used multiple times. Several times through XP, Vista, and 7 I did significant hardware updates and it reactivated automagically, no phone call needed. While I readily admit that this is the first time they've issued digital entitlements, I doubt that it'll change much from how OEM licenses operated in the past. The only people that should watch themselves are perhaps those that switch back to 7 or 8 after registering for the digital entitlement.
|
|
#
?
Jun 12, 2016 21:17
|
|
|
Arsten posted:Traditionally, even with a personal OEM license, Microsoft hasn't cared about reactivating - even if you did have to call in to the automated line, depending on the circumstances - as long as the license wasn't being used multiple times. Several times through XP, Vista, and 7 I did significant hardware updates and it reactivated automagically, no phone call needed. While I readily admit that this is the first time they've issued digital entitlements, I doubt that it'll change much from how OEM licenses operated in the past. No, it's completely unlike regular OEM licenses. People who have done major upgrades to their hardware since 2015 have already lost digital entitlement. A big reason you could move OEM licenses whenever is that you had an actual key you could tell to the phone line/support/etc. But if you were to buy any normal Windows 10 license, you don't have to worry about it.
|
|
#
?
Jun 12, 2016 21:33
|
|
|
fishmech posted:No, it's completely unlike regular OEM licenses. People who have done major upgrades to their hardware since 2015 have already lost digital entitlement. A big reason you could move OEM licenses whenever is that you had an actual key you could tell to the phone line/support/etc. Please point me to these users that have had issues as I am very interested in how they are going to handle this.
|
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2016 04:28
|
|
PerrineClostermann posted:Well, that doesn't help much if it's an old machine where the motherboard isn't really produced anymore... Microsoft tends to be pretty good about phone activations in situations like these from what I've heard.
|
|
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2016 04:55
|
|
|
Arsten posted:Please point me to these users that have had issues as I am very interested in how they are going to handle this. I'm one of them, it didn't like changing the Wifi card in my laptop from the stock card it had in 2007 or so when it was made to one made last year (I needed 802.11ac and 5 ghz support).
|
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2016 05:05
|
|
|
fishmech posted:I'm one of them, it didn't like changing the Wifi card in my laptop from the stock card it had in 2007 or so when it was made to one made last year (I needed 802.11ac and 5 ghz support). How was it connected to the mainboard? Was it connected to a custom PCIe interface or through a custom USB interface?
|
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2016 05:40
|
|
|
Im_Special posted:there is a registry tweak one can do to fix this bringing back the old Vista/7/8.1 scaling, but Windows 10 resets this change ever two reboots, 
|
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2016 08:14
|
|
|
You can access the old scaling without resorting to registry tweaks. http://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/5990-dpi-scaling-level-displays-change-windows-10-a.html
|
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2016 11:18
|
|
|
My Windows 10 originally had a faulty key and I had to get a new one over the phone but I don't think I have it saved anywhere. Can I get it from my own PC?
|
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2016 12:27
|
|
|
Arsten posted:How was it connected to the mainboard? Was it connected to a custom PCIe interface or through a custom USB interface? It was connected to a standard Mini PCI-Express card slot, because otherwise there wouldn't be a modern card to put in.
|
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2016 13:11
|
|
|
EmmyOk posted:My Windows 10 originally had a faulty key and I had to get a new one over the phone but I don't think I have it saved anywhere. Can I get it from my own PC? Belarc Advisor can probably pull it out
|
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2016 13:27
|
|
|
fishmech posted:It was connected to a standard Mini PCI-Express card slot, because otherwise there wouldn't be a modern card to put in. That's not true. If you bought an updated card from a laptop vendor, you could plug the new one in!  But it's very odd that changing a wifi card in a modular slot would cause an activation change. I'll have to grab a Dell I have and play with that scenario. If it's true, the free upgrades were too limited.
|
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2016 15:43
|
|
|
To add an anecdote, I bought a refurb Latitude off Newegg and replaced the mini-PCIe card twice (Dell 2.4GHz N -> Intel 3160 -> Intel 7260) after upgrading from the included Windows 7 Home Premium for Refurbished PCs key to Windows 10 Home. I haven't had any issues with the activation from this. I thought it only triggered on motherboard or maybe CPU upgrades.
|
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2016 16:11
|
|
|
https://twitter.com/JmeBBK/status/742402316838522880
|
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2016 18:20
|
|
|
Arsten posted:That's not true. If you bought an updated card from a laptop vendor, you could plug the new one in! It's not too odd really - network adapter hardware MAC addresses have often been used as part of identifying a particular set of hardware. Presumably other people have to change more before it complains, and some people might change less important things and have it complain. But it really was a major change - the card in it was from about 2006 and only did 2.4 ghz band and B/G/N, the new one is dual band and does A/B/G/N/AC and seems to have been made in 2015 - plus had a Bluetooth 4.0 controller onboard as well (the original had no Bluetooth module, the laptop shipped with a seperate bluetooth thing on a different component).
|
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2016 18:52
|
|
|
fishmech posted:It's not too odd really - network adapter hardware MAC addresses have often been used as part of identifying a particular set of hardware. Presumably other people have to change more before it complains, and some people might change less important things and have it complain. In terms of Windows activations, the motherboard is a major hardware change. Other alterations may prompt a reactivation, but an OEM license is tied to the mobo. Specifically, from Microsoft (https://www.microsoft.com/OEM/en/licensing/sblicensing/pages/licensing_faq.aspx#faq5): microsoft posted:Generally, an end user can upgrade or replace all of the hardware components on a computer—except the motherboard—and still retain the license for the original Microsoft OEM operating system software. If the motherboard is upgraded or replaced for reasons other than a defect, then a new computer has been created. Microsoft OEM operating system software cannot be transferred to the new computer, and the license of new operating system software is required.
|
|
#
?
Jun 14, 2016 02:16
|
|
|
Atomizer posted:In terms of Windows activations, the motherboard is a major hardware change. Other alterations may prompt a reactivation, but an OEM license is tied to the mobo. Specifically, from Microsoft (https://www.microsoft.com/OEM/en/licensing/sblicensing/pages/licensing_faq.aspx#faq5): OEM licenses are a completely different thing from the Windows 10 digital entitlement. You people really need to stop thinking they have the same rules.
|
|
#
?
Jun 14, 2016 02:24
|
|
|
Rusty! posted:Belarc Advisor can probably pull it out This worked perfectly, thanks a lot!
|
|
#
?
Jun 14, 2016 02:30
|
|
|
fishmech posted:OEM licenses are a completely different thing from the Windows 10 digital entitlement. You people really need to stop thinking they have the same rules. Oh what do you mean, "you people?" Just 'cause I'm black? Racist. And of course licences are "different from" digital entitlement, but what's your point? Nobody was saying they're the same thing. The discussion has been about hardware changes and reactivation, and the relevant point that I mentioned is that, according to Microsoft itself as I cited, an OEM license is explicitly tied to the motherboard. This defines your flexibility in hardware upgrades with that type of license, and has nothing to do with digital entitlement.
|
|
#
?
Jun 14, 2016 02:37
|
|
|
Atomizer posted:Oh what do you mean, "you people?" Just 'cause I'm black? Racist. No, the discussion is on the topic of the Windows 10 digital entitlement, because this is the Windows 10 thread and we're talking about what things will cause it to be invalidated.
|
|
#
?
Jun 14, 2016 02:54
|
|
|
fishmech posted:No, the discussion is on the topic of the Windows 10 digital entitlement, because this is the Windows 10 thread and we're talking about what things will cause it to be invalidated. No, the recent discussion has been about hardware upgrades and activation status. You yourself ran into an issue upgrading a wireless card, and I'm not going to bother quoting you to remind you. "Digital entitlement" is the method by which you activate certain Win10 licenses. You can activate Win10 via a product key (e.g. if you buy a physical copy that comes with a key) or via digital entitlement (e.g. if you activate with a Win7 key, as I did with my Skull Canyon NUC and a copy of Win7 Ultimate that I had lying around) as per http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/activation-in-windows-10. However, your rights regarding hardware upgrades are determined by the type of license, not the activation method. A retail copy of Win10 or any Win7/8 license freely upgraded to Win10 can be transferred to another PC or mobo, the mobo being the definitive component as far as MS is concerned. See: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us...92-0792181a8a44 Strictly speaking an original Win10 OEM license is linked to the mobo, whereas in the past Windows licensing was more permissive. If you swapped your mobo from a system with, say, a Win7 OEM license you could persuade MS to allow you to reactivate, but from what they've been saying now, a Win10 OEM license will not be transferrable.
|
|
#
?
Jun 14, 2016 03:16
|
|
|
You seem to be grossly confusing the Windows 10 free upgrade with a "Windows 10 OEM license". I brought up my issue with the wireless card specifically because someone else asked if any one had lost the digital entitlement for changing hardware. You are the only one who's brought up Windows 10 OEM licenses being potentially invalidated as an issue within this whole month, if searching a thread is anything to go by, so I don't know why you think the conversation was about OEM until you came in?
|
|
#
?
Jun 14, 2016 03:30
|
|
|
fishmech posted:You seem to be grossly confusing the Windows 10 free upgrade with a "Windows 10 OEM license". So here's most of the relevant discussion: nielsm posted:Your Win10 license is a "digital entitlement" tied to your hardware ID, that entitlement should be valid to the end of time, for any number of reinstalls, as long as the hardware doesn't change too much. nielsm posted:Yeah that's the downside of custom built PCs with Microsoft OEM licenses. In that case you're supposed to replace the motherboard with one as similar as reasonably possible, I think. If you can keep all other components the same you can't really say it's a (significant) upgrade or system replacement, and they will probably grant you a new activation on the phone... Arsten posted:Traditionally, even with a personal OEM license, Microsoft hasn't cared about reactivating - even if you did have to call in to the automated line, depending on the circumstances - as long as the license wasn't being used multiple times. Several times through XP, Vista, and 7 I did significant hardware updates and it reactivated automagically, no phone call needed. While I readily admit that this is the first time they've issued digital entitlements, I doubt that it'll change much from how OEM licenses operated in the past. fishmech posted:No, it's completely unlike regular OEM licenses. People who have done major upgrades to their hardware since 2015 have already lost digital entitlement. A big reason you could move OEM licenses whenever is that you had an actual key you could tell to the phone line/support/etc. Arsten posted:That's not true. If you bought an updated card from a laptop vendor, you could plug the new one in! Eletriarnation posted:To add an anecdote, I bought a refurb Latitude off Newegg and replaced the mini-PCIe card twice (Dell 2.4GHz N -> Intel 3160 -> Intel 7260) after upgrading from the included Windows 7 Home Premium for Refurbished PCs key to Windows 10 Home. I haven't had any issues with the activation from this. I thought it only triggered on motherboard or maybe CPU upgrades. So there you go, a whole discussion about hardware upgrades, Windows [re-]activation, and will ya look at that: OEM licenses! It's clear you don't know what you're talking about and haven't been reading the other posts. There's nothing I can do to help you here, man, I've cited MS sources and nothing's getting through to you.
|
|
#
?
Jun 14, 2016 03:50
|
|
|
Atomizer posted:
Yes, I brought up OEM licenses because, since there is no hard documentation about digital entitlements, it's the closest thing we have documentation upon which to rely. He brought up anecdotal evidence about entitlement revocations on his hardware, and I've been discussing those, as in digital entitlements and not OEM license terms, with him. I'm also preparing to embark on testing the digital entitlement "How much change is a revocation testing" specifically for the undocumented features of the DE license. So, yes, it has been a discussion about hardware upgrades and Windows 10 reactivations in relation to digital entitlements. I don't know how you can quote all of those posts and get the content so utterly mistaken. quote:Traditionally, even with a personal OEM license, quote:If it's true, the free upgrades were too limited.
|
|
#
?
Jun 14, 2016 04:47
|
|
|
Weird, my Vista computer had an OEM install and my Gigabyte board died, was replaced with an ASUS P5Q Premium and I didn't need to reactivate.
|
|
#
?
Jun 14, 2016 04:50
|
|
|
PerrineClostermann posted:Weird, my Vista computer had an OEM install and my Gigabyte board died, was replaced with an ASUS P5Q Premium and I didn't need to reactivate. Yeah. I thought that the digital entitlements were similar to OEMs, but some here have said they are far more restrictive, which is sad.
|
|
#
?
Jun 14, 2016 04:57
|
|
|
There does seem to be quite a bit of confusion about the terminology involved. I quoted those posts to remind fishmech what we had been discussing in the first place, but between this and an obnoxious discussion we were both involved in in another thread it's painfully clear that he's insane. Anyways, to simplify the issue, an OEM edition of Windows 10 is linked to the motherboard. This is regardless of if you buy a new PC with the OS installed or if you build your own and buy an OEM copy. This is a new restriction to Win10 (the OEM edition only, not full retail,) and is why you could transfer your OEM Vista or other license to systems with different mobos. All of this is distinct from other criteria, namely activation (product key vs. digital entitlement,) product edition (Home, Pro, 64b) and so on. If you upgrade to Win10 from an older OS your Win10 installation carries the rights of that other OS, and you can downgrade if desired, so you could port your Win10 installation to another system if desired. Sorry for the confusion earlier.
|
|
#
?
Jun 14, 2016 06:34
|
|
|
And if all else fails just call the activation line and MS will go ahead and do it because they (rightly) don't give a gently caress about individual computers.
|
|
#
?
Jun 14, 2016 06:54
|
|
|
ilkhan posted:And if all else fails just call the activation line and MS will go ahead and do it because they (rightly) don't give a gently caress about individual computers. Apparent problem: You have no key to give them on the MS Phone Call.
|
|
#
?
Jun 14, 2016 14:24
|
|
|
Atomizer posted:So here's most of the relevant discussion: PerrineClostermann posted:Weird, my Vista computer had an OEM install and my Gigabyte board died, was replaced with an ASUS P5Q Premium and I didn't need to reactivate. The strictness of past OEM licenses was highly variable. The Dell laptop I bought in 2006 came with an OEM XP DVD that installed without asking for a key, and would install and activate on anything with a DVD drive to read it. Not just other Dells, but every other manufacturer I tried it on and inside VMs. ilkhan posted:And if all else fails just call the activation line and MS will go ahead and do it because they (rightly) don't give a gently caress about individual computers. You can't do that with the Windows 10 free upgrade- you have nothing to tell them besides that you have a key for a different OS. Which is the entire reason Atomizer's inability to understand that no one was talking about Windows 10 OEM licenses is a problem.
|
|
#
?
Jun 14, 2016 15:49
|
|
|
Soooo...since we're talking about activation and licenses  I have 3 PCs running Win10 and Office 2016 ProPlus I have 3 sets of licenses - one for each PC All 3 licenses are linked to my Microsoft Account Once every couple of days, on each PC I get a notification in action center that I need to re-enter my Microsoft Account password and/or a notification from One Drive requesting the same. I've validated I have 1 unique set of keys (one for Win10, one for Office) on each PC What gives? It's making me nuts. I've tried DaGoogles and not come up with a solution or explanation that fits.
|
|
#
?
Jun 14, 2016 18:39
|
|
|
Goober Peas posted:Soooo...since we're talking about activation and licenses Local accounts = Bad mojo with the Office sign ins, for reasons that make me annoyed. Log into the computers with your Microsoft account on each computer and it should clear up the issue. If that's not tenable (  because you, say, let your goddamn 9 year old daughter have an old computer, [i]Microsoft[/i, and giving her the password that lets her spend whatever she wants on the bleeping store as well as directly access emails that the system will force onto you through Mail and Contacts and poo poo ] then you should be able to log in once, start Office and such, and then log back out and use the local user account.
|
|
#
?
Jun 14, 2016 19:05
|
|
|
I really detest how Microsoft is tying their OS to the motherboard and screwing you entirely if you upgrade your hardware. It really pisses me off to the point I want to pat anyone who does the  route on the back. loving Microsoft, punishing people for using their computer.That said, I'm attempting to get a legit copy of Windows 10 on my home system and to set it up for my parents, and of course am trying to go about this the cheapest possible way; the home version is rear end for me, and I think $200 a pop for an ungimped OS is insane. So my questions (I've read a good chunk of the thread but there's been some back & forth): A) Is buying a Windows 7 Pro key and upgrading it wise/viable as a route to get this? B) Does anyone know of any good REPUTABLE sites that sell legit keys? I'm willing to pay more for a legit key, no question! Preferably with digital distribution. C) Do I understand clearly that if I upgrade my badly aging CPU (or change my hardware config a few times) Win 10 will lock up and I either have to pay $200 or downgrade back to Win 7 right down the line anyway? Not even a limited install limit? I've been super apprehensive about the upgrade and have repeatedly heard to avoid the Home version like the plague, and am finally needing to crawl out of my very, very stubborn Windows Vista hole given half the games I want to play and even Chrome have cut support for it. i figure they'll axe Win7 in a year or two so I might as well dip into the Win 10 pool. Sorry again if this stuff has been covered, it's a large thread. I know the OP mentioned a few things, but without much detail (like finding reputable key dealers; definitely not looking for shady ones). Any help is super appreciated. ED: Microsoft's DRM nightmare still seems shockingly terrible to me.
|
|
#
?
Jun 15, 2016 08:11
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 28, 2024 12:10 |
|
|
Or you can buy Windows 10 retail and get a real product key and ability to activate it on new hardware without trouble.
|
|
#
?
Jun 15, 2016 10:16
|
|