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Microsoft's messaging as far as free copies of Windows 10 goes has been confusing at times. While we have known for some time that those who own a genuine copy of Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 will be getting the upgrade, Microsoft has also alluded to pirate copies getting the upgrade in the past and later backtracked.
Now, Microsoft is backtracking again, as a recent Windows blog post said that those who have been helping test Windows 10 up until now as part of the preview program would have access to the final build and their licenses would remain active. After the news broke, the company updated the blog to remove that references to preview licenses remaining active after the release of Windows 10.
Now the blog post clearly states that while preview users will receive the final build of Windows 10 on the 29th of July “It’s important to note that only people running Genuine Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 can upgrade to Windows 10 as part of the free upgrade offer.”
So unfortunately, if you have been helping test Windows 10 leading up to the operating system's launch, you will still need to buy the OS or own a copy of Windows 7 or 8.1 to receive a genuine Windows 10 license, which is a bit of a shame, after all these people did help shape the operating system for months.
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KitGuru Says: Microsoft has not commented on exactly why preview build testers won't be allowed access to a fully licensed copy of Windows 10 but it seems like the company was at least thinking about it.
“while preview users will receive the final build of Windows 10 on the 29th of July “It’s important to note that only people running Genuine Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 can upgrade to Windows 10 as part of the free upgrade offer.”
It still sounds to me that if you have the preview you will still get it though
so maybe the testers will get a Full Install version.. but will unable to upgrade their current Win7/8 OS ?
FFS Microsoft please can you not ruin this for yourselves. People are skittish already and so far its just been confusion after confusion.
That said I think this article is fueling the confusion fire. I don’t know what the editorial process behind the scenes is with this site, maybe this was written before everyone else got their articles out and has been stuck waiting for approval but there are already many other sites covering this news article today and other sites have covered it better. For example Ed Bott’s article here:
http://www.zdnet.com/article/with-a-nod-and-a-wink-microsoft-gives-away-windows-10-to-anyone-who-asks/
Which says the following:
– Windows Preview Testers *DO* get the free full version of Windows 10
– If you want to *upgrade* from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 to Windows 10 you need to have a genuine license
The backtrack that the KitGuru article claims was just some lawyer addendum which includes extra wording to attempt to clarify that its not a free for all upgrade its just for the testers and the genuine users.
So to get windows 10 legit I’m going to have to downgrade from preview, back to 7, used to update straight away
Well I guess before this gets out of hand I probably should note that I’m finding as many saying no free version as I am saying yes free version but Ed Bott is big in his game + he has tweets from Microsoft which back it up so until explicitly clarified the other way I’m assuming that it is free as described.
Does someone knows the condition required to make the Win10 upgrade icon appear in the task bar ?
I had it for a few days before I had to reinstall my legit version on my new computer, but despite being up to date (at least that’s what Windows update is saying), I still haven’t got back that icon after a few days.
Make sure your Windows is activated.
And upgraded far enough. You can find additional info here: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-10-upgrade
I believe you can also reserve your copy there. Although i’m not sure about it.
From what’s been said by MS so far, my understanding would be that normal users with a Windows 7/8 license will obviously be able to upgrade their license to Windows 10 for free as previously advertised.
From MS’s details so far, they have said that Windows Insiders (Windows 10 is activated at the moment for these users) will get the final version, I’m guessing this final version will also still be activated but won’t have a unique license, meaning if you needed to install from scratch again you’d need an actual license meaning you would need to buy a copy (or buy a license for Windows 7/8 and upgrade this).
I’d love Microsoft to actually get their act together and make this crystal clear so all these confused people who have been basically doing a free software testing job for the last few months can decide whether they’ve just received a slap in the face from Microsoft, if this is the case I doubt they can expect anyone to stay as an Insider after launch as they’ve said that they will be keeping the program open after launch for “Insiders” to try new builds before they’re released to end users.
I can understand them to be fair, they are still a company and they cant just give up their product to anyone who can fill in a form (as I, along with thousands of others have done, without contributing).
Win 10 is getting into a big complicated mess, exactly what they were trying to avoid.
Maybe they could discount win10 for genuine contributors?
WTF Microsoft? Sort your selves the feck out and reward those who have done the hard hours for you!
Not to sound like a dick here, but you’re not exactly aiding ease the confusion with that last post.
[…] “I probably should note that I’m finding as many saying no free version as I am saying yes free version but” […]
It is already activated (and recognized as a genuine), SP1 installed and everything up to date for days as far as Windows Update can tell (and I’ve rebooted my system several times now).
My new rig is better than the previous one, and obviously fits the requirements.
Very strange.
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I have the same problem as you,reinstalled my rig,updated everything including optional,tried the already know win10fix batch etcetera,i mean wtf is this bs now :/ i hope on that date every 7/8/8.1 users get the update even if you reserved it..
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Yeah fair enough I just thought people would assume I hadn’t done my research if I didnt show I’d read plenty of both sides of view.
Microsoft have clarified it today anyway the actual deal is if you keep running Windows 10 as a member of the Windows Insider team then they will upgrade you to the full RTM version of Windows 10 when it comes out.
Plus side, free Windows for as long as they continue the Windows Insider program.
Downside #1, reduced privacy as they have extensive telemetry installed to monitor for issues.
Downside #2, you have to keep running the beta updates as they come out so your Windows may be unstable while they iron out the new patches and use you as a test bunny.
I was excited about it initially because I have genuine Windows but need to dig it out and sort it out so thought this was an easy alternative. However after trying Win 10 betas out and seeing the mess of the PC I could never use this as my primary operating system so I will just sort out my own Genuine issues and get the proper upgrade to Windows 10.