128
votes
Buy old Windows version now and still get the upgrade for free?
Mary Mary quite contrary
You state "we have to save money where we can"...
...and "We have a little office for our local sportsclub"...
... well remain with Linux! :-)
This is probably an answer ...
- 19.1k
80
votes
Accepted
Buy old Windows version now and still get the upgrade for free?
The free upgrade for Windows 10 is only available for Windows 7, 8 or 8.1. But if you act quick, you can buy a license for Windows 7, 8 or 8.1 and use it for the free upgrade, before July 29th.
The ...
- 2,673
42
votes
Accepted
Is Synergy free to use if you compile it yourself?
Is Synergy free if you compile it yourself?
Yes, it is free as it is under the GNU General Public License.
Released under the terms of the GNU General Public License, Synergy is free software.
...
- 159k
35
votes
Accepted
Extracting Windows 10 license keys from machines
You can use NirSoft's 'ProduKey'. You can download it on nirsoft.net. This is a freeware utility which allows you not only to see Windows keys, but also various other Microsoft product keys.
This ...
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24
votes
Creating a Master Image to roll out to 30 new Machines Licensing Issues
DON'T use CloneZilla or any other type of 3rd party tool, as they're not needed, will only result in lost time and inefficiency, coupled with likely causing licensing issues.
Deploying Windows is ...
- 8,255
18
votes
Accepted
Any way to retrieve Visual Studio production key?
You should be able to find the activation key under the registry path HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Licenses\4D8CFBCB-2F6A-4AD2-BABF-10E28F6F2C8F\07062 . The value is encrypted though, so you need to decrypt it ...
- 296
15
votes
How can I add my product key permanently to a Windows 10 install USB drive?
Use notepad to make a file called PID.txt and put the following in the
file:
[PID]
Value=XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX
Place your Windows 10 product key in where the X's are and save the
...
- 10.7k
15
votes
Extracting Windows 10 license keys from machines
Enter:
wmic path softwareLicensingService get OA3xOriginalProductKey
into Command Prompt (Admin), then hit enter.
This will show the original Windows 10 product key for each machine.
NOTE: This only ...
- 1,311
13
votes
Buy old Windows version now and still get the upgrade for free?
You can't upgrade Windows XP (or Vista) to Windows 10 for free. You'd need to buy Windows 7, install all of the service packs then upgrade to Windows 10. The difference in price between Windows 7 and ...
- 231
11
votes
Accepted
Windows 10 host and Linux guest, can I swap the two license wise?
Its a bit tricky.
As per the EULA (Part 4b for those playing at home)
b. Stand-alone software. If you acquired the software as stand-alone software (and also if you upgraded from software you ...
- 130k
9
votes
Can I run virtual windows with my OEM license?
Like other answers have mentioned, it is allowed by the license as long as you only use one instance.
As to how to do it in practice, you need to copy the ACPI tables to the virtual machine. The ...
- 978
9
votes
Accepted
Is Windows 10 OEM Home upgrade to Pro possible?
Is Windows 10 OEM Home upgrade to Pro possible?
Yes, absolutely! The fact that it is Windows 10 Home from an OEM source is inconsequential when you want to upgrade to Windows 10 Pro.
...if ...
- 16.1k
7
votes
I want to sell my laptop but retain my Windows 10 license
My laptop has Windows 10 Pro retail license. I wish to retain this license for myself and not give it away with the device.
Windows 10 Professional licenses can be transferred to another machine.
...
- 43.1k
7
votes
How do I purchase a license for Gentoo?
You are mistaken. Most Linux distros are totally free and are the assembly of software published under the GPL or other very permissive licenses.
So in the general case you don't need any kind of ...
- 10.2k
6
votes
Accepted
Windows 10 Education after finishing school
The EULA of DreamSpark says the following when ordering your free products.
TERMS FOR DREAMSPARK DIRECT SUBSCRIPTION.
a. DreamSpark Direct Subscription. Subject to the terms of this ...
- 201
6
votes
Buy old Windows version now and still get the upgrade for free?
Can I get three cheap Windows XP copies and just upgrade them for free?
As already noted elsewhere: no. Windows XP doesn't qualify for the upgrade.
Or is the upgrade restricted for copies that ...
- 16k
6
votes
Accepted
VirtualBox on Linux: What Windows image to use and where to get it?
I had to just do this recently, there are many option here:
https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/tools/vms/
Microsoft Provides them for free to Web Developers but it is a fully ...
6
votes
Extracting Windows 10 license keys from machines
If you are running windows on a genuine windows copy that is connected to the motherboard (an OEM key), you can use this command i windows administrator command prompt:
wmic path ...
- 310
5
votes
Windows License stored in UEFI/BIOS
I have an oem license from Microsoft. Not the oem end-user but an OEM hardware manufacturers license. This is what I did.
Right click the desktop and go through your settings and set your computer ...
- 61
5
votes
Can I transfer Windows 10 Pro license to another computer?
If the license is retail, then yes you can transfer it.
If the license is OEM, then no, you cannot.
If the license came with your laptop (or you upgraded from the license that came with your laptop), ...
- 426
5
votes
Accepted
Can I bundle Microsoft Support Diagnostic Tool (.diagcab) files with my software?
I contacted Microsoft support and apparently there is no license, and I am allowed to redistribute it without modifications.
- 227
4
votes
How do I manage the link between a Windows 10 license and a Microsoft account?
This is an answer to your first question: See which Microsoft account the license is linked to.
There is no direct way to show to which account a digital license is bound to. The account device list ...
4
votes
Is Windows 10 license perpetual or will it become outdated in 2025?
Those dates refer to the LTSB version of Windows 10. LTSB stands for Long-Term Servicing Branch and here the same 10 years apply like in older Windows versions.
So the LTSB version of Build 10240 (...
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4
votes
What happens to my Windows 10 license when I install fresh on a new SSD?
Having done exactly this myself I found the eaiest way to migrate the licence safely, was to first assoicate your account with a microsoft account (i.e. hotmail, outlook.com, xbox, etc).
How to do ...
- 6,793
4
votes
How do I see all Windows licenses linked to my Microsoft account?
There is a link somewhere on Microsoft's site where you can see all the computers and licenses linked to your account. For instance, if you have a computer in the office and the kid's play room, you ...
- 41
4
votes
Accepted
Upgrading motherboard & CPU - Windows 10 questions
It depends on what type of licence you've bought
If you bought it directly from MS or another legal source, you can easily reactivate it after hardware change : https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/...
- 21.6k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible