SOLVED back to 7 and to 10

[klacek]

Hi,I installed W10 and then i reinstalled w7. Can I upgrade it for free after the free upgrade ends? I mean my code will be OK?
sorry for bad english

 

[Roddie]

After free upgrade is over it is over. I ran into this with Windows 8 which was a free upgrade from 7. I bought the PC with intent to upgrade to 8 and Dell and Microsoft stated promotion was over so I had to pay.

 

[Defender01]

I guess those that have taken the free W 10 and get problems later will be going back to previous o s.
Which would / could drastically reduce the numbers on W 10
i for one wouldn't rush out to buy W 10 when i can load W 7.

 

[Trouble]

I installed W10 and then i reinstalled w7

The way I understand it....
IS, that once a machine has Windows 10 installed and properly activated then, that machine is good to have Windows 10 re-installed, for the life of the machine, no product key required (Microsoft maintains that information with respect to that physical machine and Windows 10).

AS to whether or not you, after going back from Windows 10 (upgrade) to Windows 7, can.... at a date, after July 28th "upgrade" that same machine "again" to Windows 10, for "free" I do not know.

Logic might suggest that, you should be able to since the machine already has had Windows 10 on it and the installation has been recorded in the annals of time, but....
There may be a caveat that defies logic, regarding the cutoff date for the "free" upgrade.
I think a better question would be.....
Why, with more than a week left to still take advantage of the free upgrade would you even want to cross that threshold?

My guess would be that you'd be OK, but boy do I often guess wrong.

There are just to many factors that could come into play and since no one knows with any certainty what metrics Microsoft uses to grant your computer its' "Digital Entitlement" and what would make it distinct from the thousands of other computers sold by the same manufacturer that are "exactly" the "same", one might assume that the process is very sophisticated involving unique hardware IDs, but.....
Might it also include the presence of third party software? Would you then be upgrading the "exact" same machine that you had previously "upgraded"?

AND... on or before August 2nd, I suspect that there won't be any handy access to installation media for 10240 or 10586 since Threshold will be upgrading to Redstone 14xxx

Why poke the bear.

 

[Defender01]

Why poke the bear.

Not heard that one for some time.

 

[Jake B]

Hi,I installed W10 and then i reinstalled w7. Can I upgrade it for free after the free upgrade ends? I mean my code will be OK?
sorry for bad english

Whenever you do an upgrade from either a valid Win 7 or 8.1 Windows 10 gets activated. Once Windows 10 is activated there is a process called Digital Entitlement which will allow you to do clean installs on the PC for the life of the PC. The digital entitlement stores your hardware information on the Microsoft Server. When you do a clean install this information is checked and if it is an activated Windows 10 the clean install will proceed. Now new with the Anniversary Update the Digital Entitlement info will be linked to your MS account (if you are using a MS Account). This will make it easier to activate Windows if you have a hardware change and want to do a clean install of Windows 10.

 

[Jake B]

The way I understand it....
IS, that once a machine has Windows 10 installed and properly activated then, that machine is good to have Windows 10 re-installed, for the life of the machine, no product key required (Microsoft maintains that information with respect to that physical machine and Windows 10).

AS to whether or not you, after going back from Windows 10 (upgrade) to Windows 7, can.... at a date, after July 28th "upgrade" that same machine "again" to Windows 10, for "free" I do not know.

Logic might suggest that, you should be able to since the machine already has had Windows 10 on it and the installation has been recorded in the annals of time, but....
There may be a caveat that defies logic, regarding the cutoff date for the "free" upgrade.
I think a better question would be.....
Why, with more than a week left to still take advantage of the free upgrade would you even want to cross that threshold?

My guess would be that you'd be OK, but boy do I often guess wrong.

There are just to many factors that could come into play and since no one knows with any certainty what metrics Microsoft uses to grant your computer its' "Digital Entitlement" and what would make it distinct from the thousands of other computers sold by the same manufacturer that are "exactly" the "same", one might assume that the process is very sophisticated involving unique hardware IDs, but.....
Might it also include the presence of third party software? Would you then be upgrading the "exact" same machine that you had previously "upgraded"?

AND... on or before August 2nd, I suspect that there won't be any handy access to installation media for 10240 or 10586 since Threshold will be upgrading to Redstone 14xxx

Why poke the bear.

The only thing that changes after July 29th it that if you want to upgrade you have to purchase the Windows 10 to complete the activated Windows 10. Once activated you can do a clean install anytime for the life of the computer. The digital Entitlement is unique plus after July 29th the Anniversary Update will link your MS account to the hardware information stored on MS servers.

 

[klacek]

thank you so much guys, you really helped me! I mark that as solved

 

[yodap]

Here's
a good explanation and a couple of methods to ponder.