Microsoft is saying that the Windows 10 upgrade retains the licensing properties of the version it upgraded from. The problem is that when they continue to describe OEM, they are talking about system builder OEM (linked to specific hardware) and not manufacturer OEM (linked to the BIOS). Let us say I have three identical model Dell computers with Windows 7 Professional OEM. I can install Windows 7 on one and clone it to the rest, because the OS is based on the SLP 2.1 in the BIOS. But if I upgrade on of these Dell's to Windows 10, could I not clone that to the other two (and not break the license)? Or would that one Dell upgraded to Windows 10 be linked to the individual hardware of that single computer rather than the actual BIOS? It sounds to me like any Windows 10 upgrade of an Dell OEM Windows 7 installation would actually be treated like a system builder's license and would only be good for that specific computer and could not be cloned to other Dell's of the same model. This would mean that in the case of manufacturer OEMs, Windows 10 DOES NOT retain the license properties of that type of OEM, but instead uses the license properties of a system builder OEM. I'm not sure? Does anyone have any clear answers on this? Windows 10 just takes a long time to install. I'd rather clone it to several machines.
Well if it shipped with Win7 then yes, the dell boxes would have been OEM Activated by Slic. The do still come with a COA. You can just dump the same image on all machines & use the COA key to activate each machine without mucking around with HWID's...
I have a Dell OEM too and believe that your HWID could not be cloned for use on another computer, there's just too many hardware ID numbers to make that work. You say you have 3 Dell computers, do you also have 3 OEM pro licences. If you have 3 OEM licences you should be able to install Windows 10 on them, when it asks for licence numbers on Win 10 install, click on skip it (2) times, you will find Win 10 ISO's in MDL Quick Links in my Sig
They are Dell Studio 540 D computers that came with Windows 7 OEM, purchased sometime after 2010 (except for the one fished out of a dumpster). They have legitimate SLP 2.1 in the BIOS--not modded. The license is based on the BIOS, not on an OEM builder license for the individual hardware. However, most of them do not have the original Dell ATX cases as those were in extremely poor condition (one came out of a dumpster). So, I don't have the OEM stickers that came on the cases. It looks like I'll just have to clone Windows 7 and upgrade each machine individually. I'll then save an image for each individual machine and mark each board so I'll know which image goes with which machine. I saw some other solutions in the threads, but the suggestions were all so advanced that they would have required even more time than simply upgrading three computers. Thank you all for your responses. I appreciate it.
Already tried that. Doesn't work. Doesn't accept Dell Windows 7 OEM key code as the product key for Windows 10. As you know the Windows 7 product key code for each computer is exactly the same, due to the fact that it is linked to the BIOS. It is a manufacturer OEM, not a home builder OEM (which is different). This will allow you to upgrade Windows 7 OEM on each computer to Windows 10, but you cannot simply upgrade one computer to Windows 10 and then clone that drive to the other two computers. The problem I'm having is NOT that I cannot install Windows 10 on each computer, it is that I cannot simply clone a Windows 10 installation to each machine as I would for Windows 7 Dell OEM. At this point I have already installed Windows 10 to each computer individually. The problem was not that I couldn't upgrade each computer individually.
You can clone but you have to create a genuineticket.xml first on each seperate machine on 7, after that you can use the cloned win 10 drives and apply the ticket you've created on it.