Question Windows 10 to Windows 11 new build licence question

[GadgetPC]

Just checking I have this right…

I am looking to do a completely new Windows 11 PC build, leaving my current Windows 10 PC as a useable backup or spare.

My question relates to the Windows licence.

I have a Retail Path Windows 10 licence on my current machine (which doesn’t have the spec to update to Windows 11). However, I have downloaded the Media Creation Tool and put a Windows 11 installer on a USB stick.

Once I have built the new PC, I will install Windows 11 from the USB stick, which when I have an internet connection and sign-in should pick up my Microsoft account / licence.

The question is, will I still actually be able to use the old Windows 10 PC as a backup / spare as intended afterwards, or will it be disabled in any way by my moving to Windows 11 on the new machine?

 

[USAFRet]

1 license, 1 PC.
You can't upgrade the Win 10 and use it on a new PC, AND have it still be viable on the old system.

 

[Lafong]

You could probably reinstall Windows 10 on the old PC and leave it in an unactivated state. Never used unactivated, but I hear it's generally functional, has a watermark and a few limitations that might be tolerable on a backup PC.

Don't know if you can "de-activate" an existing install to revert to unactivated state, rather than take the time do a new install on the old PC.

 

[punkncat]

Honestly, if you are looking to keep the old machine fully functional and with the least amount of hoops that could either mess up the configuration of the old machine, cause the new machine to try and emulate the old machine settings, and/or simply lose that activation it may be worth ponying up for the new key.

Another issue we have seen creeping up with more and more frequency comes later when the "free upgrade" from W10 to W11 magically goes deactivated on the next clean install. It has happened to more than a few long-time users here.

 

[GadgetPC]

Thanks all for your advice.

Is there a cheaper legal place to buy Windows 11 from if I go that route, rather than the ~£110-£150 I see at retailers?

 

[USAFRet]

Thanks all for your advice.

Is there a cheaper legal place to buy Windows 11 from if I go that route, rather than the ~£110-£150 I see at retailers?

Not a valid license, no.
(some people may disagree)

But....given a new $1000 PC, and $50 games....is a $100 OS license really that much of a burden?

 

[punkncat]

Also, keep in mind that if you need to you can run W11 unregistered.

 

[Misgar]

I have a Retail Path Windows 10 licence on my current machine

If you have a Retail license which you bought separately and installed on a home-built PC, you can transfer the license to a new Windows 11 PC. You need to de-activate the license on the Windows 10 machine first, before typing your Activation key into Windows 11.

https://www.zdnet.com/home-and-offi...-upgrade-license-from-an-old-pc-to-a-new-one/

If you bought your Windows 10 PC from the likes of Dell, HP, Lenovo, etc., you do not have a Retail license, but instead an OEM license, which is not transferrable.

Legitimate Retail licenses are expensive (circa $100 for Home, circa $200 for Pro on Amazon). OEM licenses are much cheaper. Dell probably pays Microsoft less than $50 to put Home on one of their PCs.

From time to time, various companies offer discounts on the standard price. I can buy an upgrade from Windows 11 Home to Windows 11 Pro for the equivalent of US $62 from a magazine I subscribe to (PC Pro).

A so-called "genuine" copy of Windows Home costing $11 is most likely an Activation key, split from a Volume License or Educational license.

You can use the $11 Activation key to install Windows, but you'll probably join hundreds of other people using the same key from a mis-sold or re-sold license that flagrantly breaches Microsoft's Terms and Conditions.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/is-your-windows-license-legal-should-you-even-care/