I've searched to the hill on this one but, don't know for sure... Example: I want to get Windows 10 for my 7 machine, JUST in case. So I have 7 installed. I back up my system, Upgrade to 10, and restore my system back to 7. A year down the line, I decide that I want to go to 10, will this license still be valid for Windows 10 as I did the upgrade on it before ? Or will 7 stop working because I did the upgrade ? I have about 8-10 licenses between Windows 7 and 8/8.1, I am wondering if I should install them on VM's do the 10 upgrade and roll back, so if I dedcide to do a 10 upgrade they would be able to do it at no cost later. Does anyone know this one for sure or was it said anywhere that this WILL work ? Thanks !
Take a spare hdd, put it in the pc and install a dazzed 7 and upgrade to 10, HWID established. Take the drive out and enjoy 7 for a few years. The gotten HWID should be usable after june 29th 2016, but no-one knows for sure-sure Why you would waste legit keys for VM's i don't understand?
They are retail licenses, about 95% of them, so moving them to machine to machine is legal as long as they don't live in 2 places at one time. I have VM workstation on my gaming PC, with plenty of resources, so I was thinking about putting them all in VMs, upgrade them to 10, then restore back the OS. I keep the VM's around for a while. Boot up with them when I am ready to do the upgrade on another machine. A VM will give a HWID as well, it would be just like installing on drive at this point. If I have an activation problem, a 30 second call (actually they send you a text now and you do it on your smart phone, very easy now), to get the activation issue resolved when I move it. A little hassle in the end but, it gives me the option of 7 or 10...with out a upgrade cost later...
A HWID you got in vmware isn's apllicable to the real system(s). Your genuine 7 keys should always be usable to activate their corresponding win 10 versions, also after the 29th of june.
I don't know how MS compute the HWID. but is possible to have different HWIDs for VM and real computer my advice , test on only computer make a VM , install legit 7/8.1 upgrade to 10 get the digital entitlement licence disable some how the real hdd/ssd in real computer put in the same computer a spare hdd/ssd install on them same kind of 10 licence be sure you skip when asking for product id verify the licence status and tell us if working edit/ I am sure hdd/ssd do not count in HWID [for 10] [my primary test computer is digital entitled and I installed 10 on at least different 4 hdd/ssd] and more then once on each of them and in random order, even more than twice installs on a day , like my test needed] c
That was my big question. I was only doing this to be prepped for it. Is it officially written down any where by Microsoft saying that Windows 7 will ALWAYS be usable for Windows 10 upgrade with out an extra cost ? I've looked up on Microsoft's site, I didn't see it there any place, that is why I was doing this "upgrade" to be sure. Thanks again for your thoughts here.
Afaik the upgrade to get a HWID offer ends cumming june/july but the "intake" of old genuine suitable 7 or 8.x keys to activate 10 should be going on after that date, you've paid for them
I wish that there was an official clarification on that point. I'm leaning toward the belief that it all ends on the 29th of June, but MS is keeping silent about their intentions. And are Digital Entitlements even assigned to VMs? How is a HWID generated when hardware is virtual?
Using a legit key after installing and to activate 10 is not really upgrading as it's defined in the free upgrade offer (that's by really going thru the upgrade process,).. but as i said before, no-one is really sure-sure about it all. As of 10586 it was build in windows to activate using an old genuine/suitable key, i don't expect it being cut out in later branches. I don't know if HWID can be gotten from vm's on virtual drives, what i do know is that if i install a vm using a dedicated ssd/hdd it has one
1. the was changed starting with 10586 by them ( MS ) and when you install 10 with a 7/8.1 legit serial and you will have 10 , no 7/8.1 no matter the way you are doing this is software upgrade , is not downgrade , is not update. this is my opinion about any software not only about windows 2. nobody knows if later branches will cut this flavour (acceptance of 7/8.1 legit keys) anyway ours 10586.1511.0 will don't do that , it cant, because we already have it (the iso) and with internet off it must accept the product key (legit 7/8.1) so , you will can pass with 7/8.1 serial the product key question BUT you will get with this kind of installation the digital entitlement licence after 28 july ? I have doubts , probably you will get 30 days trial OR they can change again their politics for having more and bigger share market for 10 c