Windows 10

If I were an enthusiast (I am, just a very skint one), then it seems clear to me the best option is to get a build of the preview on. The whole idea that it's linked to the motherboard sounds plausible, but if they do that, it will be cracked within days anyway. You'll be able to get around it no problem I think, and that's even IF it's a problem!

As for things that may or may not be fixed for its release, it seems as though the new way is for a policy of continuous updates, so if something isn't working I suspect it'll be fixed pretty quick.

I am looking forward to trying this for real (I've tried on a VM but its not the same with the emulation, reduced RAM and being ran on a mechanical drive). I need to upgrade the capacity of my SSD though, something that I can see being a fairly commonplace event, what with a lot of people like me running with relatively small SSDs that were bought a while back... and so watch the price go up!
 
Arent OEM licenses purchased independently of a device (I.e. not pre-installed) transferable anyway now?

Edit: jeese I wish I hadn't Googled that! It's a complete mess out there. But this is what I think the previous situations were:

Windows 7 Retail can be transferred.
Windows 7 OEM cannot be transferred, and cannot be purchased by end users.
Windows 8 Retail can be transferred.
Windows 8 OEM can be transferred, and can be purchased by end users.
Windows 8.1 Retail can be transferred.
Windows 8.1 OEM cannot be transferred, and also cannot be purchased by end users.

So good only knows what the terms of Windows 10 will be!

(Note, the 'cannot be purchased by end users' bit is more of a technicality than an actual blocker. The terms of 7/8.1 OEM System Builder licenses mean they should only be purchased by people who build and then sell the PCs to end users with the OS pre-installed. Nobody building their own PC should be buying OEM licenses, but I don't see any way they can actually check that?)

Edit 2: OK I did more digging. As a base line, there are 2 types of licenses, Retail (also known as Fully Package Product, or FPP), and OEM (also known as System Builder). Usually this means this: Retail is your off the shelf product. Fully transferable, purchasable by end users. OEM is for System Builders, people who make and then sell machines with Windows pre-installed. OEM cannot be purchased by an end user as the terms are that it's only to be bought by manufacturers.

But, Microsoft broke this in the terms for Windows 8 OEM (note, 8 only, not 8.1). For 8 they added the Personal Use Licence to the terms of the OEM/System Builder agreement. This allows end users to buy OEM and install on machines they have built themselves. It's also transferable.

http://www.microsoft.com/oem/en/licensing/sblicensing/Pages/windows-licensing-for-personal-use.aspx#fbid=mfHEmav5xQp

This was only for Windows 8 however. In 8.1 they have removed the Personal Use Licence. It's now back to Retail for end users and OEM for System Builders, with OEM back to being non transferable.

What I've not found yet is what happens when you upgrade. I.e. if you bought 8 OEM and upgraded to 8.1, do you still have a Personal Use Licence?

I suspect this is why there was all those issues with clean installing 8.1 using 8 keys, and why 8 isnt supported as an upgrade path to 10. It suggests that 10 licencing will follow the structure of 7/8.1, and not have a Personal Use Licence like 8.

Edit 3: Actually, if 10 does follow the license structure of 7/8.1, would they even be able to turn Retail into OEM as people fear? The terms of OEM 7/8.1 do not permit users to buy the OS and install it on a machine for themselves, which is almost certainly what every single Retail 7/8.1 install has been used as. So turning all Retail 7/8.1 licenses into OEM System Builder 10 licenses under these terms would then immediately make them all non-genuine according to Microsofts own licensing agreements!

So in summary, if they turn 7/8.1 Retail licenses into OEM 10 licenses that follow the 8 terms, they will be transferable, and if they turn them into OEM 10 licenses that follow the 7/8.1 terms, they will be illegal! So the options are Retail to Retail, Retail to transferable OEM, or Retail to something entirely new and unique to 10. Place your bets now!
 
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Arent OEM licenses purchased independently of a device (I.e. not pre-installed) transferable anyway now?

Edit: jeese I wish I hadn't Googled that! It's a complete mess out there. But this is what I think the previous situations were:

Windows 7 Retail can be transferred.
Windows 7 OEM cannot be transferred, and cannot be purchased by end users.
Windows 8 Retail can be transferred.
Windows 8 OEM can be transferred, and can be purchased by end users.
Windows 8.1 Retail can be transferred.
Windows 8.1 OEM cannot be transferred, and also cannot be purchased by end users.

So good only knows what the terms of Windows 10 will be!

true. but why is ocuk selling win8.1 oem? they've never sold win8.1 retail which is weird.. surely they shouldn't be selling win8.1 oem?
 
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They can sell it to whoever they want. Its how the person who buys it uses the license that is covered by the license agreement.

And like I said, its more of a technicality anyway, as there isn't any way to tell.

But Microsoft aren't going to provide half the planet free upgrades to a license they would technically consider invalid :p.
 
Since when was there a 8/8.1 Retail? They all came in the square cardboard box with varied graphics from box to box.

I couldn't find OEM. Yet Microsoft classed the Windows 8 release as OEM.
 
If I accept the free upgrade option now(currently have win 7 home) then reinstall win 7 before they release of win 10 will I have to re accept the upgrade/loose the upgrade option all together? My current install is a little under 2 years old and I think in need of a reinstall as I've been noticing some 'funny' behaviour(not virus/malware as far as I can see, just certain error messages popping up), it's a 250gb samsung 840 so could be in need of a fw upgrade.
 
I hope people know that you won't be able to go back to your old os.
Mind you it's very clever way to bring the windows 7 numbers down

I see another flop for MS.
 
Windows-10-TP-Rollback.png


windows-10-rollback.png


:rolleyes:
 
If I accept the free upgrade option now(currently have win 7 home) then reinstall win 7 before they release of win 10 will I have to re accept the upgrade/loose the upgrade option all together? My current install is a little under 2 years old and I think in need of a reinstall as I've been noticing some 'funny' behaviour(not virus/malware as far as I can see, just certain error messages popping up), it's a 250gb samsung 840 so could be in need of a fw upgrade.

You'll be fine. The current Reserve process is just about allowing Microsoft to effectively preload the update to people, rather than have half the world hammering their servers in the 29th July.

You have a year to take the upgrade for £0 so doing a clean format before hand isnt a problem.
 
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so you'd have keep as a Windows 10 Insider Preview builds tester. if you went to leave the Windows 10 Insider Previews you'll have to have a win7/8.1 license to continue using the public version..

Cool. That's sort of what I suggested might be the case. You can keep running the Preview after release, but it won't be a proper license, its covered as a Preview licence.

Makes sense given the iterative approach to updates they are now taking, and gives them a massive user base to teat things on.

The inability to turn off updates on the Home version of the stable build now makes a lot more sense too, as all updates will have already been extensively tested by Insiders.

The only possible problem with this is if an Insider build expires before a new ones is out, and you fall into a black hole.

Looks like I'm reinstalling the TP again tonight then! Lol.
 
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That sounds fair enough, are there any possible downsides to just staying as an "insider" seems to me that being an "insider" till you can get a really good offer on a Retail Windows 10 is the best thing to do.
 
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