Windows 10 upgrade warning/concern

[leeshor]

The reason I'm posting this is because of some statements I have seen in various threads.

If you did a clean install of Windows 10 using one of the serial numbers available on the Internet. You will NOT be able to use that forever. It will not upgrade to a/the final version of Windows 10 that you can keep using.

If you did an in-place upgrade using the Insider Program it will get the final upgrade and you can continue to use it.

Again, if some people didn't quite understand. To continue using Windows 10 going forward you must have upgraded from, (in the case of the Surface) Windows 8.1.

A clean install will stop working after the last preview version expires unless you purchase a copy of Windows 10.

 

[hughlle]

They better release a new official build pronto then

 

[GreyFox7]

 

[Russ]

If you did a clean install of Windows 10 using one of the serial numbers available on the Internet. You will NOT be able to use that forever.

Leeshor --

Good info; thanks. I have done four upgrades so far -- all desktops -- but all have been from 8.1. The one where I was considering a clean install was my office computer. It is the only one I have still running 32-bit 8.1, and I want to move to 64-bit. With all the software to re-install, I've been waiting for another long rainy day.

Guess I will upgrade it to 32-bit Win10, then figure out how to get to 64-bit without buying anything new. I've been supporting Microsoft for a long, long time, so don't feel the need to make any charitable contributions.

Take care,
Russ

 

[Spider]

Guess I will upgrade it to 32-bit Win10, then figure out how to get to 64-bit without buying anything new.

Russ,

AFAIK the only way to get from x32 to x64 is to do a clean install. The longer you wait, the more "stuff" you'll have to re-install/copy.

 

[leeshor]

@ATF_Spider is correct. There is no way to do an upgrade from 32-bit to 64-bit unless you purchase a retail copy after 7/29 and do a bare-metal install.

 

[Russ]

a. There is no way to do an upgrade from 32-bit to 64-bit
b. unless you purchase a retail copy after 7/29 and do a bare-metal install.

Leeshor --
a. Yeah, I knew that. Been through it many times in previous OS versions. I changed most of them when I moved to Win7. Don't remember why I missed the one in my office. Probably I had something that didn't play well with 64-bit, but those days are pretty well gone now.

b. Nah; Bill can stay richer then Carlos Slim without my help. I have at least a couple of unloved 64-bit 8.1 drives sitting around in my shop. I'll upgrade one of them and install my "office specific" software on it. That will be a lot easier, anyway. Depending on what I find, it's likely to already have my favorite utilities, etc., on it.

Another rainy day project.

Take care,

Russ

 

[leeshor]

A little more clarification based on a question someone asked me. If you have upgraded your system to Windows 10, Microsoft registers the components in that system, (something they have been doing since Windows 7), to validate/activate the installation. Once Microsoft has the information you can then wipe the system and install Windows 10 as a bare metal install without needing a serial number or having to reinstall 8.1 first. Microsoft has your system "hardware" registered as being authorized to use Windows 10.

A possibility of this failing to work is if you made substantial changes to the system hardware between doing the wipe and the install.

For those who don't know what Microsoft is looking at, they track the processor, video system, motherboard, network interface and a few other things and create a checksum of sorts based on that information. This will not affect any Surface tablets, only desktop systems.

 

[Kris]

I saw a screenshot somewhere, wish I would have saved it, where you could upgrade from home to pro. Do you know anything about that? I expected that I would have to reinstall Windows 8.1 or 7 on my desktop and laptop before the 29th, so I will have no issues with that.

 

[Russ]

Microsoft registers the components in that system, (something they have been doing since Windows 7), to validate/activate the installation.

Leeshor --

Good to have that confirmed. I had sorta suspected it for a while, as I tend to move stuff around among my collection of computers a lot. Being a creature of habit, I will often have two systems that are substantially identical. I figured out that I could move stuff back and forth between such systems, and nobody cared.

My current problem is that, as an avenue toward "upgrading" the 32-bit system in my office, I cloned a drive from a 64-bit system, figuring I would gradually add the "office specific" software. After device recognition, it all worked well -- with one exception: My intent was to replace the product code on the new drive with the one on the 32-bit system. I figured that would be a basis for continued operation. Problem is, it won't let me replace it -- at least so far. Dunno why; I'm still working on it.

I now have four systems running Build 10162, and am about to add #5. "Rainy day projects" are fun when we have as many rainy days as we have enjoyed around here lately.

Take care,
Russ

 

[leeshor]

You can change/replace the product key but not the product code. It always and will continue to be the case that you can't upgrade from 32-bit to 64-bit Windows.

 

[Russ]

You can change/replace the product key but not the product code. It always and will continue to be the case that you can't upgrade from 32-bit to 64-bit Windows.

Leeshor --

Sorry, wrong term. I meant "product key," not "code." The product key is not linked to either 32- or 64-bit. A software pack from MS contains discs for both 32 & 64, but only one key. The key doesn't care; it cares only about its host system.

re: "you can't upgrade from 32-bit to 64-bit Windows" -- Yeah, I knew that, which is why I am taking a circuitous path to get there from here.

Take care,
Russ