windows 10 moveable?

[alexbakke72]

so im building a new pc and im wondering if I can move windows 10 from one computer that has 8.1 to the computer i've built without an os

 

[utgotye]

As long as you don't use you upgrade on the existing computer, it shouldn't be a problem. That said, we still don't know how W10 upgrades will handle the keys they are upgrading.

 

[USAFRet]

First, this is still up in the air.

But if you use the free upgrade from 8.1 to 10, it is probably only for that PC.
Wait until after all the details are published.

 

[vagrantsoul]

First, this is still up in the air.

But if you use the free upgrade from 8.1 to 10, it is probably only for that PC.
Wait until after all the details are published.

sorry to hijack this, but have you heard anything about them supporting a clean install on the upgraded pc? Wondering if i should just do a fresh install of win7 prior to converting over, or if msft will allow us to do it from the start (even tho the files are coming via win update).

 

[utgotye]

Considering it's an upgrade, if you want to clean install 7 or 8/8.1 on the weekend prior to release and then upgrade to 10 on the 29th or 30th, I doubt Microsoft cares either way. The only thing they care about is the key.

 

[gangrel]

It's an upgrade. That means it is replacing the OS on the existing machine...the 8.1 box.

Also, the automatic upgrade is running through Windows Update; in order to get the upgrade, you have to have 8.1 up and running, with a legit copy of Windows, AND with a particular update: KB3035583. So if you get Win 10 via the auto-upgrade path starting 29 July...it almost certainly won't be mobile.

NOW, that said...if you installed Windows from a full license (NOT an OEM license) then you can move that copy to the new machine...but I'm fairly sure you have to de-register the copy on your current box. If you bought your current box, rather than building it yourself, then it almost certainly has an OEM license. You might want to check Newegg; I saw Windows 7 Home (OEM) licenses on sale for $70, and the upgrade to Win 10 will be valid for that.

But if you plan to keep both computers up and running, you will need 2 legit copies of Windows.

 

[USAFRet]

First, this is still up in the air.

But if you use the free upgrade from 8.1 to 10, it is probably only for that PC.
Wait until after all the details are published.

sorry to hijack this, but have you heard anything about them supporting a clean install on the upgraded pc? Wondering if i should just do a fresh install of win7 prior to converting over, or if msft will allow us to do it from the start (even tho the files are coming via win update).

Supposedly, you will be able to do this in two steps:
Upgrade the current Win 7 or 8.1
Obtain the ISO file, and then do a full clean install.

Unknown if you can do a full clean install first. That has not been addressed.

 

[USAFRet]

But if you plan to keep both computers up and running, you will need 2 legit copies of Windows.

Exactly.

 

[vagrantsoul]

First, this is still up in the air.

But if you use the free upgrade from 8.1 to 10, it is probably only for that PC.
Wait until after all the details are published.

sorry to hijack this, but have you heard anything about them supporting a clean install on the upgraded pc? Wondering if i should just do a fresh install of win7 prior to converting over, or if msft will allow us to do it from the start (even tho the files are coming via win update).

Supposedly, you will be able to do this in two steps:
Upgrade the current Win 7 or 8.1
Obtain the ISO file, and then do a full clean install.

Unknown if you can do a full clean install first. That has not been addressed.

that's good enough for me honestly, thank you very much!

 

[gangrel]

To vagrant: I'm pretty sure the path they're supporting is to NOT be a clean install, because a clean install forces re-installing all apps and special drivers (like the USB driver I have for a blood glucose meter).

utgotye's notion would work, but has a HUGE caveat...Win 7 SP1 and Win 8.1 require MASSIVE updating. The Win10 upgrade requires an update (look up KB3035583)...and getting to that point means you're talking getting a ton of updates before then. The process of doing this takes 6 HOURS...plus download time. (It was like 1.8 Gb.)

Finally: the Win10 upgrade is going to *start* on 29 July, but I strongly suspect it will actually take several weeks to propagate to all requestors...and IIRC, they said it was more or less first come, first served. The line ahead of you is already rather long. Remember, we're talking 3 Gb downloads to each box, and there are hundreds of millions of potential upgrades. There are similar situations...Ubuntu version upgrades in April and October, Mac OS X upgrades, Android upgrades...but this will dwarf ALL of them. I am actually concerned that this might be like the situation in London, during the Olympics, when the city's wireless infrastructure was *swamped* due to the massive use.

 

[utgotye]

You are right...sort of. Not everyone will have get it through Windows Update. It will also be available via an ISO download from Microsoft. I fully expect Windows Update and Microsoft's site to be slow for a minimum of a week if not longer, but that's why patience is a virtue. I may put W10 right away on my laptop to play with it but it's not going anywhere near my desktop until September at least, maybe longer.

 

[gangrel]

I had forgotten the ISO, but I don't believe that's going to be available until October...but I can't find confirmation on that now. If it's still running through an upgrade process, tho, it might still require all the updates to be installed in Win 7 or 8...I'd bet that would be the case, as they appear to be making more compatibility checks in advance. It would almost certainly be easier and more reliable to do it that way. But you could be right, to be sure.

 

[USAFRet]

Finally: the Win10 upgrade is going to *start* on 29 July, but I strongly suspect it will actually take several weeks to propagate to all requestors...and IIRC, they said it was more or less first come, first served. The line ahead of you is already rather long. Remember, we're talking 3 Gb downloads to each box, and there are hundreds of millions of potential upgrades. There are similar situations...Ubuntu version upgrades in April and October, Mac OS X upgrades, Android upgrades...but this will dwarf ALL of them. I am actually concerned that this might be like the situation in London, during the Olympics, when the city's wireless infrastructure was *swamped* due to the massive use.

I expect to see a whole lot of sad faces when their PC does not automagically update at 12:02 AM on July 29.
Microsoft themselves even say "weeks or months"

"Once Windows 10 is available, we’ll begin notifying devices that their free upgrade is available. Just open the Get Windows 10 app to schedule your upgrade. Note: Some notifications will go out as soon as Windows 10 is available; others may go out in the weeks or months following."
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-10-faq

 

[gangrel]

I have a 2012 Nexus 7. It was in the first wave of devices to get Lollipop OTA...I hesitate to say 'upgrade to' as Lollipop had significant issues for quite a while. IIRC, I finally side-loaded it in January....2 months. And this is so, so, SO much bigger, in terms of download size and the number of devices to be upgraded (Google only upgraded Google devices...not, say, Samsung Galaxy 5s). So yes, I expect the wait...but one imagines that the typical gamer-type, used to "I WANT IT NOW!!!" updates, is going to be going...whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Pictures! We want pictures!

 

[SpamProtect]

I guess it depends on the license that you buy or upgrade from. If it's an upgrade from a OEM license, then my guess would be no, you can't move it. If it's update from a retail license, then my guess would be yes.