N00b questions about Windows 10 upgrade

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SpeedyVV

Supreme [H]ardness
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Sep 14, 2007
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Sorry, but I am getting a bit confused about the Windows 10 upgrade thing.

1. I have a windows 8.1 system. If I upgrade to 10, will I loose my 8.1 License?

2. If I don't loose my 8.1 license, does that mean I can just do a backup restore and everything is fine?

3. If I want to upgrade, can I do a fresh install from iso? how can I get an iso?

4. Is windows 10 a subscription, or a perpetual license like previous windows?

5. What happens if I click "Get Windows 10" or "Reserve your free upgrade" on the tray icon?

thanks
 
1 Yes it's converted into a win 10 license.

2 If you decide windows 10 is not for you yes you can downgrade back to 8.1

3 Upgrade what your computer or the OS? If computer it depends if your windows 8.1 is a retail disc or OEM. An ISO is going to be available for clean installs.

4 This is cloudy right now. Somewhere they have mentioned for the life of the computer as to when the license expires.

5 If you click on the link you will be notified when it's ready. I hope they don't do something stupid like install without prior notification.
 
another noob question
how much space will I need to upgrade
,on my SSD
25 gigs enough
 
W10 64-bit has been taking something like 15 GB to install on my machines. That doesn't leave much room for anything else. Also, with the ongoing updates, it will create the Window.old folder which is basically the previous version along side the new version so you have to have at least enough room for two OS at the same time for the upgrade to install. Then you can delete the Window.old folder and regain the space but the space has to be available for the upgrade to work. Wish there was a way to tell W10 not to save the previous OS before installing the upgrade.

I got by with about 40-50 GB when I partitioned off my SSD to run a dual boot. Just made sure to delete and regain as much space as possible after everything installed to get ready for the next upgrade.
 
SpeedyVV said:
Sorry, but I am getting a bit confused about the Windows 10 upgrade thing.

1. I have a windows 8.1 system. If I upgrade to 10, will I loose my 8.1 License?
Click to expand...
Yes. All Microsoft "upgrade" licenses require the upgraded license to remain unused as you are not replacing it, just upgrading it. There's nothing technically stopping you from reusing it, but doing so is against the EULA.
2. If I don't loose my 8.1 license, does that mean I can just do a backup restore and everything is fine?
Click to expand...
N/a
3. If I ant to upgrade, can I do a fresh install from iso? how can I get an iso?
Click to expand...
Yes you can get an ISO to clean install. Microsoft will make the ISO available to download. A product key will not be required, you just install the OS and it will check against the cloud on the activation status.
4. Is windows 10 a subscription, or a perpetual license like previous windows?
Click to expand...
The current model is a perpetual license that you own but Microsoft is moving towards a service model. That means there will no longer be major version releases like 7 to 8 etc. Upgrades will be free during the lifetime of the device for upgrades that are released, ie. 8 to 8.1. We expect Microsoft will eventually move to a subscription model like Office 365 where you have up to 5 devices that can run the most recent version of Windows at all times.
5. What happens if I click "Get Windows 10" or "Reserve your free upgrade" on the tray icon?
Click to expand...
Click it and find out. ;)
 
bigdogchris said:
Yes. All Microsoft "upgrade" licenses require the upgraded license to remain unused as you are not replacing it, just upgrading it. There's nothing technically stopping you from reusing it, but doing so is against the EULA.N/a
Yes you can get an ISO to clean install. Microsoft will make the ISO available to download. A product key will not be required, you just install the OS and it will check against the cloud on the activation status.
The current model is a perpetual license that you own but Microsoft is moving towards a service model. That means there will no longer be major version releases like 7 to 8 etc. Upgrades will be free during the lifetime of the device for upgrades that are released, ie. 8 to 8.1. We expect Microsoft will eventually move to a subscription model like Office 365 where you have up to 5 devices that can run the most recent version of Windows at all times.
Click it and find out. ;)
Click to expand...

Thanks a bunch for that.

The reason I asked about the license upon upgrade, is not to keep 2 licenses, but in case done software or hardware not working on my main rig, then I would want revert to my old windows.
 
rezerekted said:
When that happens is the day I permanently move to Linux and only use an old copy of Windows for gaming and nothing else.
Click to expand...
To be fair, Microsoft still offers a perpetual Office license as well. But I wouldn't use the service either.
 
bigdogchris said:
To be fair, Microsoft still offers a perpetual Office license as well. But I wouldn't use the service either.
Click to expand...

SpeedyVW, do not worry, Microsoft has made it clear that Windows will not be subscription based as all. Also, most folks do not consider it a possibility, only those who post about it incessantly.

What I would suggest is putting another drive in your computer and installing the Windows 10 Insider Preview on it. You will need to use a Microsoft Account if you want to upgrade to the next preview builds but otherwise, you do not need to use the a Microsoft Account, just a local one.

That said, I have been using Windows 10 exclusively as an upgrade over my Windows 8.1 Pro install and it works great. :D The only program I could not use is Virtualbox but that is because they have not bothered releasing a Windows 10 compatible version. However, I switched to the VMWare Player and it works well in Windows 10. Either way, the best way to know if you will want to keep it is to try it yourself, it is worth doing. :)
 
ManofGod said:
SpeedyVW, do not worry, Microsoft has made it clear that Windows will not be subscription based as all. Also, most folks do not consider it a possibility, only those who post about it incessantly.

What I would suggest is putting another drive in your computer and installing the Windows 10 Insider Preview on it. You will need to use a Microsoft Account if you want to upgrade to the next preview builds but otherwise, you do not need to use the a Microsoft Account, just a local one.

That said, I have been using Windows 10 exclusively as an upgrade over my Windows 8.1 Pro install and it works great. :D The only program I could not use is Virtualbox but that is because they have not bothered releasing a Windows 10 compatible version. However, I switched to the VMWare Player and it works well in Windows 10. Either way, the best way to know if you will want to keep it is to try it yourself, it is worth doing. :)
Click to expand...

Thanks for that info.

I am actually on the insider program, which makes me think about it a new question.

I run Windows 10 preview on a VM, so later if I get to use Windows 10 for free as an insider, will I only be allowed to install Windows 10 on that VM? Can I move that to a real machine?
 
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