I think that depends on where (which country) you order from. I ordered $14.99 upgrade without giving them COA key. Once you have the key, you could in fact use it to do a completely fresh install, using a Windows 8 rtm disc.
Not true, you can just use fake info except email and it still gives you the promo code. I did this twice and installed on 2 PCs with no issues.
Small loss, if any, since COA keys appearing on the outside of a case often require phone activation anyhow.
What country was this tried from ? I tried Uk, Usa and Eu and all three asked for the Windows 7 serial number, unless a certain country does not ask for it ???
Maybe they've changed it, or it may actually be checking your serial number on the PC you're using at the time. In both cases I used a PC with modified BIOS using OEM activation and a real OEM key. It may be that if a valid key is found then you don't need to enter one.
I've tried multiple times in multiple browsers from multiple machines with multiple sets of details, never had it once not ask for a win7 serial (Annoying as I have 3 valid ones, just all > 6 months old and none of them were accepted when tried). If anyone happens to have 2 spare discount codes floating around they fancy PM'ing I would be very grateful! M.
I got the $14.99 upgrade less than 48 hours ago, no need to enter any Win 7 keys. Needed just make, model, date of purchase of Win 7 computer. Most of the info I put in was faked, except for a valid e-mail address. They may determine you location/country from your ip address, not what country & language you select on the offer page.
It is funny, I tried for this upgrade offer a month ago on my Windows 8 box and got it no problem. I tried a few more times with the same machine and was rejected each time. I just tried it on the same machine but with Zorin OS 6 in virtual box and received my promo code right away. Just tried again in Zorin, this time with Firefox and got it again, strange.
Well I have just tried again and each time it is asking for a key. If anyone does have a spare one or two codes they can get without being asked then I will gratefully accept !! I have just tried to see if the original code would work on the laptop but when the Upgrade Assistant finishes it informs me that the offer is not available in my location. Even tried running the assistant in Win7 compatibility mode.
I'm running Windows 7 in "initial grace period" mode with IR5. I won't be able to do an upgrade install of Windows 8 with this, will I? I do have a promo code already and understand that I could do a clean install, but probably won't bother to buy if I can't upgrade.
If anyone got an extra promo key to give out, please pm me. It's still seems to work for some but not for me.
I've tried everything. I tried different countries and different browsers. I even tried using different proxies. I always either get denied outright or I get asked for a Windows 7 Key. I even tried using my unactivated Windows 7 key and it gets rejected. I just needed 3 promo codes - one for each member of my family. Is there any way to make this happen? Any help would be appreciated!