Windows 10 Free Update Offer

[fotofreek]

@Smudger - excellent post on the newest (and therefore must be better) MS operating system. Thanks!

 

[The Hat]

@Smudger you missed my point completely on the loss of the key, what I said was !

If you upgrade to Win 10 and later then want to reinstall Win7/Win 8 again fresh, you can’t because your key will be useless, it can’t be reused.

This was the same comment that @PeterBJ made.

"I wonder if doing the upgrade turns the key for your previous OS into a Win 10 key, so it can not be used for a reinstall of your previous OS if you don't like Win 10?"

There's going to be lots of tears on this new Windows offer, because we love our beautiful old printers..

 

[Smudger]

The Hat said:

if you upgrade to Win 10 and later then want to reinstall Win7/Win 8 again fresh, you can’t because your key will be useless, it can’t be reused.

Would you be kind enough to post evidence for this?

@Smudger you missed my point completely on the loss of the key,


I leave you to your own views on the matter.

 

[3dogs]

So!
Now I have the app. appearing in my system tray too!!!

What do I do?
a) download it requires 3GB and hope for the best.
b) download assuming that everything thats running on Win 7-64 will be good
Or
c) go into panic mode and dig a bunker in my front garden, stock up with canned food and go into lockdown?
Advice from the knowledgeables please!!!

 

[The Hat]

@3dogs, I am not the one to ask, but your 3880 should be ok I can’t say the same for your 9000 unless your using one of the good 64 bit drivers, as to whether your Applications will still work is anybody’s guess. ?

@Smudger bailed out of this thread big time for whatever reason, but you could try @Stratman’s approach in post #5

 

[turbguy]

BE AWARE that it is Microsoft's intention that Windows 10 will be the FINAL operating system ever to be released by Microsoft!

They intend to upgrade it with time as required. I expect it will eventually turn into a subscription-based operating system...

 

[CakeHole]

What I reckon @PeterBJ was trying to say was, if you upgrade to Win 10 and later then want to reinstall Win7/Win 8 again fresh, you can’t because your key will be useless, it can’t be reused..

@Smudger any news /update on your Pro 1..

Just to correct this a little that will vary depending on version of Windows 8/8.1 you have.....

1) If you have any version of win 8/8.1 with Media Centre on it that will be lost entirely and the key will also be useless (to get WMC to install on win 8 you have to be running your OS with a plain win 8 key before upgrading to WMC. Ripping you system/backing up/noting the key you currently have will not allow you to reinstall win 8)

2) If you have win 8/8.1 or the basic home or an OEM version (IE it came preloaded on a PC) then again NOPE you will not be able to do a reinstall with that key UNLESS it is a key tied to the bios, to check that you have to look at the PID in you system properties (the bit where it says if windows is activated or not) If the PID has OEM in it then nope you wont be able to reuse that key. If it does not have OEM in it then its a bios attached serial UNLESS it was a RETAIL copy you installed yourself (which will not have OEM in the PID) and you can reinstall win8/win 8.1 with no issues, it should not even prompt for a serial when installing if it is tied to the bios. The only provision here is again if you have installed WMC that key wont work you will need the original win 8 key the WMC key will not allow win 8 to reinstall.

3) If you have win 8/8.1 Professional or professional with a VLK (volume license key) that can be reinstalled as it uses off site authentication (KMS) to check and validate the key rather than whats in your system. Again if you have installed WMC that key wont work you will need the original win 8 PRO key the WMC key will not allow win 8 to reinstall. You would need to activate PRO edition with your pro key then re-upgraded it with the WMC key as you did originally.

4) If you have a windows 8/8.1 Enterprise edition then that can be reinstalled on your system even with major system changes like shoving it on an entire new HDD, there is no WMC available in the enterprise edition so that will not play a role.

HTH


EDIT: Oh and yes before someone says it that is typical Microsoft confusing the issue and doing things ham fisted like they normally do

 

[CakeHole]

BE AWARE that it is Microsoft's intention that Windows 10 will be the FINAL operating system ever to be released by Microsoft!

They intend to upgrade it with time as required. I expect it will eventually turn into a subscription-based operating system...

They said the same thing for windows ME and look at the shower of brown stuff that turned out to be LOL

 

[The Hat]

@CakeHole, I reckon you should hold onto all your Windows brown stuff because @turbguy is pretty accurate with his prediction..

 

[CakeHole]

@CakeHole, I reckon you should hold onto all your Windows brown stuff because @turbguy is pretty accurate with his prediction..

OH im not questioning that Microsoft has stated it will be the last version or what Turbo Guy has stated about it eventually turning into a subscription model of some description, that may all be true. However in terms of WIndows 10 (with upgrades or not) being the last version there is no chance of that.

The core code for it will not even likely be compatible (no matter how many bolt ons you add) with 128bit CPUs (much in the same way you cant run a 64bit version of windows on a 32bit CPU) which will happen sooner or later. ARM and similar CPUs which are the future in low power devices the code of windows 10 is not fully optimised for. The same goes for hardware, when desktop DDR5 gets here i highly doubt the coding of windows 10 at its very core will optimized to take full advantage. What about new PCI slot designs when those 128bit CPUs arrive and hardware support in Windows 10 for them where the bus speed of such devices are likely to be so high windows 10 just will not even comprehend what it is. Whats even going to happen with future developments like 8K video and whatever codec that ends up using and its hardware requirements is anyones guess.

NO ill tell you whats going on here shall i....... It was a nightmare trying to get people to move from Windows XP to Windows 7, so much so MS actually had to extend support and upgrades to XP several times before they wanted to kill it off, the same story has repeated itself with windows 7 and convincing people to move to windows 8 only a tiny percent use windows 8, MS are obviosuly sick of spending money telling and trying to get people to upgrade so what easier than say you new product is "FREE" and the "LAST VERSION". A mixture of glee and fear always does the trick just ask any government or media outlet.

Sorry ive seen it all before with Windows 2000 and the we are killing it off, only not to kill it off but extend support, then the same for XP....... They are trying the same BS game with Windows 7 telling us multiple times already support will end... I cite... https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/lifecycle/search/default.aspx?alpha=windows 7 as just one oh that turned out to be a bunch of lies example. OH look Windows 8 arrived and support for 7 was due to end the beginning of this year yet miraculously they then extend it for another 5 years LOL because once again nobody upgraded to your paint by numbers windows 8 interface LOL

Ill bet you anything you want by 2020 (2025 at the very latest) they will need a to do a new OS. Software design needs to be changed at its core with hardware development, if it did not we would all still be able to use DOS or Windows 3.1. Neither of those will even install on modern hardware. Its going to be the same for Windows 10 sooner or later. Right now the only version of windows that fully supports a motherboards UEFI bios is windows 8, and obviously likewise windows 10 do you really think hardware vendors are going to be happy leaving bios development at that stage though for the next 10-20 years just because MS "claim" they will not make a new OS?

Hard drives likewise are getting bigger, On XP and earlier you can not use a HDD larger than 2TB as it did not support 4k sector formats. The same issue is there in Windows 7 and 8 (and id bet windows 10) with the rumoured max to be 12TB for a drive. That may sound outrageous and something nobody will ever need or reach but when you consider now you can already get 8TB drives the release of 12TB and beyond is not far off. They never gave earlier versions support for larger HDDs so i have no doubt Windows 8 and Windows 10 will not see support either (especially as those 2 combined still only reach a similar level to user-ship as Windows XP which is still being used by so many organisations).

There will be a new version of windows, you can not just instantly halt progress, whether MS actually call any OS after windows 10 err "windows" is another matter, perhaps the next version will get a new name like "panels" "portals" "GridOS" or similar to reflect the fisherprice design they now what to cram down our throats.

That would be my guess another version when its actually needed and another rebrand just like there is no more Internet Explorer in windows 10 (well there is but they have renamed it because most when they hear "Internet Explorer" from the years gone by automatically equate that to being another lump of smelly brown stuff ).

Last version my fear and scare mongering, lets hope those people now upgrade, proverbial bottom LOL