Windows 10 Free Update - Maybe important

[PeterSt]

Hi all,

Time flies, but people should be aware that the expiration date for a free Windows 10 upgrade (from Windows 7, 8 or 8.1) will soon be there now - July 29 (2016).

Just a reminder because I forgot about it myself.

The importance can be this :
You could be using Windows 10 and never are notified of not being activated in the first place. Especially with 10586(.0) you won't notice a thing of anything (it does not expire either). Point now is, that you WERE entitled to think all is right because upgrading to Windows 10 (from 7, 8, 8.1) is free - so even if you did not (yet), all would be fine when you did not upgrade but just installed (from an ISO etc.). Same will count from having the RAM OS Disk, where you did not install the OS but someone else did for you. Now :

If you did not apply for the free update before due July 29, well, you just didn't and it is not free anymore when you'd apply from of July 29. Maybe you don't care much, but from this follows that when you never obtained the free upgrade and also never obtained a formal license (paid for it) then after July 29 you will be illegal.

Don't ask me what to do in order to upgrade while by now you don't *have* anything to upgrade (wiped the W7 disk etc.) but whatever it is, it is required in the same PC where you are currently using Windows 10.

Example of a procedure to follow, but do NOT hold me responsible for it (I just make this up and it should logically be OK) :

1. Get your Windows 7, 8 or 8.1 out of the closet - but it has to have an official  licence Key;
2. Get an empty disk from somewhere and put it in the audio PC instead of the disk holding W10;
3. Install the W7, 8 or 8.1 on it.
(instead of 2 and 3 you could just have laying around an existing W7, 8 or 8.1 including license, and stuff that in)
4. Hook up to the Internet.
5. Somehow apply for the upgrade to Windows 10 (of course nobody knows how to do this when you finally WANT it - I failed myself the other day !);
6. When succeeded, put back your original W10 OS Disk (Could be RAM OS Disk) in the PC. Ditch the to W10 upgraded disk to your liking (read : you won't need that, as you just continue the old (disk) situation.

Ad 5.
Chances are 95% that you can't activate it with the Key for W7, 8 or 8.1 you have, and now you can decide to call out the "f*ck you" and let it be (you did your best).
Chances are maybe 90% that you can't start the upgrade procedure. Now I don't know, as calling MS to help out usually doesn't help (out) much. But you need to try something of course.
Depending on the outcome, try to register as exact as possible (including names you spoke to) what all has been said or omitted or wasn't helpful etc. etc. I would be so that when there's no way out I'd feel happy with the current situation and I'd have that conversation in my pocket as proof for when it would be needed (which IMO is never anyway).

At some stage it can be so that you will be stuck at upgrades or new versions which can't be installed because you don't have a Key whatsoever. At that time you'll need to decide to obtain a version you need to pay for, as at that moment (a year+ later) you can't fall back on your failed conversation etc. with MS (they will say that you should have had hold on back then).

Regards,
Peter

[christoffe]

Hi,

W7 is activated on this PC with a separate HDD

got the following problem with the XEON E5-2620v2.

W10 upgrade says:

- Windows 10 will not function on this PC.

 - W10 does not support this CPU (NX)

The point is:
this PC has been accepted by MS but the upgrade failed.

Acc. to item 5) this status (upgrade accepted by MS) should be ok

or

install W10 with the 10586 CD copied from MS a couple of month ago.

OK, first I will shut down the W7 HDD and exchange to the RAM OS and see what W10 says. At present RAM OS W10 urges for an activation.

Joachim

[christoffe]

Deleted

[PeterSt]

Joachim,

I hope I sufficiently warned (throughout the past year) what a mess W10 is. And that I kind of predicted that such a thing (upgrading etc.) just will fail. In the end it is only about having some kind of formal standpoint that you tried but could not do it. For me that would be good enough. But that is me - this may not count for everybody. Anyway ... please forget me helping with such a thing because you (seriously !) are 100 times more experienced with it than I am. My audio PC never saw an internet cable - you know it.

Peter

[christoffe]

Joachim,

I hope I sufficiently warned (throughout the past year) what a mess W10 is. And that I kind of predicted that such a thing (upgrading etc.) just will fail. In the end it is only about having some kind of formal standpoint that you tried but could not do it. For me that would be good enough. But that is me - this may not count for everybody. Anyway ... please forget me helping with such a thing because you (seriously !) are 100 times more experienced with it than I am. My audio PC never saw an internet cable - you know it.

Peter

Hi Peter,

ok, made some screen shots if MS is knocking on my door. But will try another route.

An open answer is for me, what will happen with RAM OS W10-10586 without activation after a certain time. Shuting down services? Reading your comments, nothing will happen. If so, nice.

Joachim

P.S. I can't delete a "reply xx"  in the forum. The "delete" button is gone.

[PeterSt]

Hi Joachim,

without activation after a certain time

Nothing.

P.S. I can't delete a "reply xx"  in the forum. The "delete" button is gone.

That is correct; I changed this at a higher level for other (corporate) reasons. Modify the post with "deleted" is fine.

Peter

[boleary]

Hi Joachim,

without activation after a certain time

Nothing.

Peter

Well this is very good news!

Brian