Hi there, We have resisted anything newer than Windows 7 as long as possible due to the big brother aspects of Windows, but now my wife is in need of a new system (hers is wearing out) and it will need to be Win10 for software and games compatibility. (heck for that matter I may end up having to use Win10 for some reasons as well, hopefully not) We're also aware of Win10's end of "support" looming in 2025 but we DEFINITELY will not be going to Windows 11 anytime soon. I've been reading about the Win10 LTSC Enterprise spins including IoT, and Slimdown and other tools/methods to strip the junk and mothership phone-home out, thinking this may give us a way to stay on 10 until I am comfortable with newer (and ability to control and/or strip crap out). Have a couple licensing questions that would probably be easy ones for folks familiar with Windows 10 licensing methods etc. Basically 2 questions: 1. Can we activate one of the Enterprise LTSC flavors legitimately with a consumer Windows 10 Pro Online Activation key purchased from somewhere like Kinguin? If I used Slimdown10 and/or other tools to build a stripped-down x64 ISO from one of the current official Enterprise source ISO's (like 22H* or 21H*), so it has latest patches etc but telemetry and auto updates etc. under control - but allows us to pull in truly critical updates and install by hand or with W10UI etc. -- would we be able to activate with a 10 Pro digital online activation key purchased from Kinguin, etc.? ie with slmgr or other tool/method, or would that type of key fail because of the install being wrong type? (an Enterprise flavor) We aren't trying to avoid buying a license but are opposed to being forced to upgrade again next year. 2. If it IS possible to run one of the Enterprise LTSC flavors on her new machine and be able to get and apply updates without activating with one of the other licensing methods like MAS, .ini generic volume key, etc. -- ie, if we can install an Enterprise LTSC flavor but activate with a consumer 10 Pro key and be fully legit -- will we lose somehow the ability to apply updates to this machine after Oct 25 because we activated or used slmgr to run with a consumer 10 Pro key? Regardless of how we end up activating (MAS, volume license, consumer Pro key, whatever) our intention is to install with all current patches and fixes, but any auto updates from there disabled, along with as much telemetry and nanny-ware as we can strip out or disable as possible. ie if this machine never had to talk to M$ or other central scrutinizer motherships again it would be fine with me. We want to be legit as far as license/activation if possible, but have this system be solid/stable for as long as Win 10 is viable for software my wife needs to run. If that means we have to use a different type of license tool/key/method because there is no other way, I can live with that but need to be able to tell my wife honestly it is the only way we can put a Pro/Enterprise type of Windows 10 on your system that we will be able to get updates past Oct 2025. Does that make sense? Thanks for any and all advice. I am still digging through all the topics here to try to answer my own questions, but am WAAAAY behind with the state of Windows, other than knowing the dark side is getting stronger with each release. Thanks, 24junkie
1) No, you cannot activate "Enterprise LTSC flavors" with a "consumer Windows 10 Pro Online Activation key". That will not work, period, end of story. 2) not applicable, see answer to question 1. Disabling security updates for any version of Windows is not a good idea. A very bad idea, IMHO. The whole point of running LTSC is that you pretty much only get security updates, no new features, at all, period. You, as an individual, cannot buy a legitimate key for Windows Enterprise, normal or LTSC / IOT. That limits your choices. The following EOL (end of support dates) might help: Win 10 pro patching / sec-updates end OCT 2025 (EOL) LTSB2015 (10240) will be supported until Oct 14, 2025 LTSb2016 (14393) will be supported until Jan 12, 2027 LTSC2019 (17763) will be supported until Jan 9, 2029 LTSC2021 (1904x) will be supported until Jan 12, 2027 IoT 2021 (1904x) will be supported until Jan 13, 2032 The upcoming LTSC "2024" (win 11 based) possibly will be supported until 2029 (or beginning 2030) The upcoming IoT "2024" (win 11 based) possibly will be supported until 2034 (or beginning 2035)
OK, thank you. I figured that would be the case but just wanted to confirm. As far as the rest, WE will decide for ourselves what is an acceptable update policy for the systems I have to maintain, and which we spend our hard-earned money to pay for, TYVM. I am not trying to a have a system that never gets updates. I am pretty sure I said disables AUTO updates above, but if I did not, I apologize for not making that crystal clear. If I didn't ever want to apply any updates, umm, I wouldn't have been looking for longest possible date forward to end of updates. What I AM trying to achieve is CONTROL of what and when updates get applied, and what crap is allowed to run on the systems I (again) have to maintain. For the same reasons almost everybody else here already knows and understands. I'm gonna be the one that has to unf**k the system if an update blows it up. Thanks. I've already seen the EOL schedule.
Was that hard to link my message instead of shamelessly copying it, w/o any credits? I hate parasites.
If Chrome/Blink will end its support for Win10, let's say in 2026, you wil be in the same situation like with today's Win7. Microsoft could support their LTSC even up to 2999. But it doesn't matter, when software vendors end their support for it way earlier. Software availability is way more important than all these Microsoft's updates. Just my 3 cents. I experienced this in the past with WinXP and later with Win7, so I know what I am saying.
Indeed -- Thanks wkeller. I have been thinking about that too. With nlite and a good bit of testing we got a really good build of 64-bit XP trimmed down like we wanted, and and were quite happy with for a long time but alas, the time came that we had to move forward. And as you say, with such large swaths of developers pulling up the Windows 7 tent stakes, even if it is possible to keep running Windows 7 it does no good if none of the good browsers are updating for Windows 7 anymore, Steam, games, etc. etc. are all moving from Windows 7 then you have no choice. And I wouldn't be surprised if things start going that way for Windows 10 well before 2032 or even 2027 due to the Oct 2025 "no more updates" date for consumer releases. It's a shame. But anyway we do need a little more time at least and have to do something for my wife, there are things she needs to be able to do with her compy that she just about can't now, due to needing to move forward. Thanks!
KMS solutions handle LTSC editions, correct? IMO if you have a valid Win7/8/10/11 key and you choose to run LTSC with KMS, you're morally in the clear. While in 2023 it is becoming obvious that staying on Win7 is starting to become less viable for this sort of reason, in the case of Chrome itself the only real problem is with websites that refuse access to older browsers, and even a custom referrer string will fix that issue. The thing that bothers me the most is Steam, don't know if the kill switch is in current builds and will just activate when the time comes, or if they will push an update that artificially breaks everything, or if they'll refuse access server side.
Yes they do! I use this even in my legit paid for versions just because, F'em. Don't want to "phone home" or literally call India tech support and beg for activation (always had to with Windows 7). When dealing with a company as morally bankrupt as M$, who outright stole and "lawfared" most of the technology they sell, and tries to force and trick it's customers into data harvesting for profit...I could not give less of a $#!7 about the "morality" of which version of the $#!7 I paid for 5 times over gets used.
There is a reason if LTS* versions have a cost while the others are virtually free. Exactly the same reason some websites can be accessed with ads OR with a (paid) subscription. So if you use the AD version, and you block the ads with a adblocker, you aren't morally in the clear. The same is applicable with LTS* versions. Then we can bring the discussion to another level, about capitalism, about big corporations and so on. But assuming you accept the rules, if you use LTSC you are not in the right side of the fence, no matter how many legit Pro/Home license you own.
No I don't want links. Given clearly I found them before you. I want that if you use, a job I did you link that job or you mention who did that job. Simple as that. Is matter of good manners and is how open source works.
I assume then that you also think the same of people who use WINE or whatever else runs Windows apps on Linux. Or indeed, emulation? Needless to say, I disagree. If MS offered an honest OS upgrade from Win7, I would prefer to pay for that. Unfortunately, honest OS releases from MS now fall under the category of abandonware.
Pleeeease... WINE is free and open source SW, has nothing to do with commercial one like Windows no matter if 7/8/10 LTSB or not. Emulation... it depends. The emulators are often free, and often also open source. The games are not. If you want to be legit with emulation you must own the original game on the original device, and that's is often not enough. See Macos, for example. Its EULA specifically forbids to use it on anything different from Apple HW. So assuming you own a MAC, and you have a legit license for MACOS, you aren't legit using MACOS under VMware or on a Hackintosh machine Disagreement is about opinions. I didn't share my personal opinion, I shared a FACT about how commercial SW works. That said most people (at least indivduals) use Windows w/o paying anything since the dawn of time, you can call it fair, acceptable, whatever, but you can't call it legit. Legit is about LAWs, not opinions. No matter if such laws are questionable or not. Dura lex sed lex
Ah, the hypocrisy is real. Running Windows programs on Linux is cheating MS out of your license fee to run the said program. At least my moral standards ensure MS gets a cut, even if it isn't the full amount they think they are owed. Then we will have to agree to disagree. And morality has nothing to do with laws. So this whole tangent was off-topic.
You asked. I replied how the thing works.. I understand that nowadays reading skill is not at is best, but again this is not my personal opinion, this is how the thing works, not the world I like. Well, no. Windows world is plenty of free SW, if you use WINE because you don't like the commercial programs, you're surely using free SW on WINE. So there is no such "cheating". Otherwise if you use a cracked copy of say MS Office, you're cheating but then YOU are the hypocrite. For now the only thing I agree is that you are putting in my mouth something I didn't say. The day we want to talk about capitalism, bad practice of corporations, and whatever, just open a thread in the chit-chat room and then I will talk about my personal opinion. Here I just replied to a technical question about the LTS licensing. And there is nothing to agree or disagree. There is understand or not.
I must concur... Irrelevant. You need to own a legitimate copy of Windows to run Windows software. You seem to be talking about the software running within Windows, I'm talking about the OS. No, you didn't. You replied to a statement of fact about my moral beliefs. Your input on a non-existent question directed at my views was unnecessary at best and as we can see above, seemingly completely misconstruing what I had said in the first place. In fact, I can see that you never addressed any question the OP asked in this thread at all.
What are you smoking? So according to your hallucinate vision, I would need a windows license to run a free SW on Wine (or ReactOS) just because such SW is able to run on Windows.? What about paying a royalty to Ford each time you use your bicicle on a road that can be used by a Ford Fiesta as well?