The end of Windows

[sanderz]

ORIGINAL: rhondabrwn

The thought has occurred to me that if I take the "free" Windows 10 upgrade... and then a couple of years down the road I have to scrap my PC (new mobo, CPU, graphics card, and hard drives etc) will I be able to reinstall that "free" upgrade onto my rebuilt PC?

If MS provides a disk image during the initial upgrade, I assume I could (1) install Win 7 on the new system and then (2) run the Win 10 upgrade... BUT would it fail a Microsoft registration test and not activate? Would I then have to buy a copy of Win 10 at that point.

I remember Microsoft has (or did have) some kind of point system to distinguish between a legitimate hardware upgrade and an attempt to install a copy of Windows onto a 2nd machine. I haven't really been following tech journals or websites in a few years and my last new "build" was about six years ago.

So what do you guys think will happen in this "new PC" scenario. Does MS intend to make us all pay for Win 10 down the road once we're "hooked" on the O/S with the free upgrade?

pretty sure you won't get it for free as its only for "the lifetime of the device" (which has not yet been defined)

the good news - you won't have to buy it
the bad news - you'll have to rent it i.e. windows as a "service"

[AbwehrX]

So what do you guys think will happen in this "new PC" scenario. Does MS intend to make us all pay for Win 10 down the road once we're "hooked" on the O/S with the free upgrade?

Dont get hooked on it. Use Linux for the net & vmware to host Win7 or WinXP. Win8, 10 and Vista are a trap.

[zakblood]

http://blogs.windows.com/bloggingwindow ... -editions/

more info for the version of windows rolling out soon[;)]

As was announced earlier this year, for the first time ever, we are offering the full versions of Windows 10 Home, Windows 10 Mobile and Windows 10 Pro as a free and easy upgrade for qualifying Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1 devices that upgrade in the first year after launch.** Once you upgrade, you have Windows 10 for free on that device.

^^ so good news then for free[X(]

[zakblood]

Microsoft has been heavily promoting the fact that Windows 10 will be a free upgrade for consumers running Windows 7, 8 or Phone 8.1 when the OS is released later this year. While the company is clearly pushing this 'free upgrade' announcement to make sure they can hit their 1 billion users benchmark, in a post on the company's Australian Partner Network, they explicitly state that the free upgrade offer will expire after one year.
Microsoft will offer a free upgrade to Windows 10 for qualified Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8.1 devices in the first year. After the first year, upgrades will be paid via boxed product and VL Upgrades.
This is nothing new, and there is no reason to panic. All Microsoft is saying is that if you want the free upgrade you need to do it in the first year. After that time you will need to buy the upgrade just like you had to do with every other version of windows. Previous upgrades were around $99 to $129 (depending on version) and I imagine this will continue to be the case.

so free isn't so free then if you have to pay later it seems[:D][;)]

[Delaware]

So will all these games still be compatible with Windows 10? That's the burning question

[zakblood]

yes

[shunwick]

Bah, humbug!

No new-fangled, wishy-washy, hoity-toity, Windows version for me. Staying with my trusty CP/M.

Best wishes,
Steve

[rhondabrwn]

Today I booted up my PC and found a white "Windows" icon on my system tray. Hovering over it with my mouse revealed "Get Windows 10"

Clicking on it gave me a chance to "reserve" my copy for automatic download on July 29th. It promised that it was my decision when and if to install the download. That sounds like I'll be getting a disk image or an installation file that can be copied to a DVD so it won't be an "online" installation. Realizing that there could be future "activation" issues if I applied my upgrade to a new device when my current PC bites the dust (assuming installation of Win 7 before applying the Win 10 upgrade on the new box).

Comments?

I'm satisfied that my games will probably run OK, but wondering about utility software like "Acronis True Image" and IOLO's System Mechanic Pro (which I just renewed for another year). IOLO's website has nothing on Win 10 compatibility and just ran some pretty spectacular sales which might be a ploy to get cash before admitting compatibility problems. I'm fairly comfortable with the Acronis upgrade (though at 80% off!) as backup software shouldn't be that much of a problem with a new O/S. System Mechanic though since it has so many tools might have serious issues and, if so, I won't be upgrading until they solve those issues (or I find a Win 10 toolkit to replace it).

What do you all think?

[AbwehrX]

What do you all think?

Hmmmm (another poor sod infected by Consumerismus Erraticus). WinXP runs almost all of my games easily (with some using Dosbox). Vista, 8, 10 or whatever needless Microscam modification they come out with are counterproductive wastes of time & space. (Win8 is grotesquely horrid adware/kidware sewage IMHO). For surfing, Linux works beautifully. No threat of viruses & smooth operation from site to site. For accounting Office still runs just fine on XP. Oneday soon I will also be running WinME on VMware in Linux for zhiitz & giggles as well so changing the Opsys would be a titanic waste of time. I recommend sticking with what works. (In other words dont wast time changing a system that already works).

[Kuokkanen]

ORIGINAL: AbwehrX

What do you all think?

My newest desktop PC came with Windows 7 and I don't have any complaints about it. Even SPWAW works just fine on it (heck, even Crysis runs smoothly in full HD). I think I'll get replacement machine sometime later (rather than sooner) with newest Windows at that time.

[rhondabrwn]

I respect the advantages of unifying the Windows user base on Win 10.

It was amusing to watch them stumble and fail on Vista and then on Win 8, but I think they've learned their lesson and stubbornly clinging to XP as a form of defiance begins to look rather petty to be honest. I think we're all going to be better served if everyone jumps to Win 10 so there is a solid base for further advancement. If there is a subscription fee that materializes down the road, I'll consider then whether to support it or stay with WIN 10 base.

And I still have three XP and two Win 7 installation disks for future resurrection if necessary.

[Shark7]

I still have an older PC set up with XP simply because some of my games can't be installed to a windows 7 machine. Its not that the games themselves wouldn't run, if I went to a lot of trouble I could get them running. It's the fact that Win 7 can't run the 16 bit installers. And since those older games don't need the high end computer, nor an internet connection it is simply easier to keep an older machine up and running for the times I want to play those games.

I can't stress how much I loathe Win 8 either. Get the clutter off the screen and let me just have a simple start menu like XP and 7 had. And I can already tell I don't like 10 for the same reason, those stupid tiles are there when you pull up the start menu...get rid of the smart phone stuff, I don't need it on a desktop. [:@]

[Chijohnaok2]

ORIGINAL: H Gilmer

I think they have said they would change the name and their OS will start being named differently than Windows.

Hopefully, it will be better than "New Coke" was. [;)]

[AbwehrX]

Rhonda-Rousey,

and stubbornly clinging to XP as a form of defiance begins to look rather petty to be honest.

Balderdash!! Too much gaming time is wasted by changing everything, "updating" everything & modifying everything! I refuse to jump through every hoop that some Ivory Tower clowns who dont game throw out at me. Linux is vastly superior to the entire lot and World in Flames runs perfectly on WinXP and that settles it!
[:'(]