Solved Upgrade to Windows 10

[witten1972]

Hi, I still have a Vista Home Premium 64 bit machine & I'm contemplating upgrading to Windows 10.

I'm wondering if I should buy Windows 7 or 8 & then upgrade to 10 (for free), or buy a Windows 10 license...

The cheaper alternative is buying a 7 or 8 & then update to a 10 version. Thing is tho if I buy a 7 or 8, update to 10, and then after a while my computer stops working, I then have to buy a new machine, obviously, but will it be possible to use Windows 10 on that new machine?

If I'm not mistaken Microsoft allows Windows 7 & 8 users to update freely to Windows 10 until the end of July, or thereabouts, right?! But what if my machine crashes after that date & I'm obliged to buy a new computer, can I still install the Windows 7 or 8 I intend to buy now, and then upgrade it to Windows 10 on my new computer?

I assume if I buy a 7 or 8, install it, that this license will work on my current computer.
But what happens when I buy a new computer, can I transport that 7 or 8 license to my new machine?

I'm afraid that this license only works for one PC & when I buy a new PC that it will be useless, especially when Microsoft stops the free upgrade period this summer...

Please advice me, thanks!

 

[z3r010]

I'd just go straight to 10, if may cost a little more but there is no messing with upgrading etc.

 

[Brink]

Hello Witten,

You will be able to install (transfer) Windows 10 to the new computer, but you will most likely need to activate by phone using the 7/8 key since it's a different motherboard. If you bought an "OEM" 7/8 instead of "retail" copy, then you wouldn't be able to transfer though.

That's correct. You will be able to claim your free upgrade to Windows 10 until the end of July 2016. After that, I don't know if Microsoft will require you to purchase Windows 10, extend the free offer, or have a new offer (ex: reduced price).

It may be cheaper to go with the free upgrade route, but purchasing a full retail Windows 10 would make it easier to clean install Windows 10 on any one PC at the same time in the future. What's best for you depends on your needs, and how many times you plan on transferring Windows 10.

 

[witten1972]

Hi Brink, thanks for your reply, very useful intel!

At this point I'm still debating which option to choose.
My current PC (HP Pavilion Elite) still works fine, after 7 years, and I hate to throw it away, just because of a new operating system I'm forced into. I still have some time to ponder what to do, and maybe by then it crashes on me, making my decision easier LOL

I do like to play games and with my ol' HP its increasingly difficult to play them (hardware related), and as time passes by that will only worsen, so maybe I have to open my wallet, let the bats fly out LOL and buy an OEM with the latest specs, suitable for gaming.

I have my eye on one, from Lenovo (for +- $900) with a good graphics card & a CPU with more than 3 GHz, ideal to play the games I want to. This one has Windows 8.1 installed, tho I wonder if a brand new OEM with Windows 10 will have so much better/faster hardware than the 8.1 I'm eyeing up?

As a side note, I never had a Lenovo computer... would you, or anyone else recommend it?

 

[Brink]

Since you're getting a new computer, you might opt for one that comes with Windows 10 preinstalled to save some trouble and tome from upgrading to Windows 10.

I've never used Lenovo before, but hear they're ok. It just depends on the model and specs. They are a Chinese company.

 

[Lottiemansion]

Hi

I went from Windows Vista Home premium to Vista pro & then Seven pro & finally to windows 10, all for a £30 activation code.

It was easily achieved, just took time to get all the updates before moving on to the next step.

So it can be done!

 

[witten1972]

Yes Lenovo is Chinese and therefore I'm a bit apprehensive to buy one.
I asked some people around me and they said basically the same thing; Lenovo heard no bad things/never used it though...

PS thanks lottiemansion for chiming in.
Yeah i found some cheap Windows 7 version as well, so now I have to deliberate what I'm going to do... dilemma dilemma

 

[Ztruker]

I have a Lenovo K450, quad core i7 4770 3.4Ghz, 16GB Ram, 250GB SSD plus two HDDs, both 2TB each.
I've had it for over two years now and absolutely love it. Rock solid for me. Christmas before last I upgraded the PSU and installed a new video card.

It's fast and so far has not had a single hardware problem. My Grandson uses it for WOW, Runescape and Battlefield Earth. I'm not a gamer but I love speed. I also have a 50MB internet connection which helps too.

I'm a firm believer is always buying more than you need because as soon as you buy what you need, your needs will change and you'll wish you had spent the extra money originally.

Lenovo support has been so-so, no better or worse than any of the others like Dell, HP, Toshiba, etc.

 

[witten1972]

That's a powerful machine you got there Ztruker!

The Lenovo I had in mind doesn't come close to that.
However I have to say that I didn't spent so much time finding the best PC, according my budget.
I would love to have a fast PC = + 3 GHz clock speed CPU & at least 6 GB RAM & 2 GB Graphic Card Memory.

The brand isn't that important, as long as its reliable and affordable...
Do you guys know a site where one can fill in the hardware specs to filter between specific ranges?

 

[townsbg]

I think I read that the free 10 upgrade is tied to the machine it is installed on. However if you purchase a retail copy of 7 you can install it on the new computer if needed in order to upgrade to 10.

 

[witten1972]

I think I read that the free 10 upgrade is tied to the machine it is installed on.

Yes townsbg, this following Wiki page has a table of which Windows versions upgrade to the new one.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_10_editions

Found some other interesting links as well...
Should I upgrade to Windows 10? Is Win 10 better than Windows 7, 8.1? - Feature - PC Advisor

How to Upgrade from Windows 7 or 8 to Windows 10 (Right Now)

 

[Brink]

In addition:

How to Upgrade to Windows 10

 

[townsbg]

Yes townsbg, this following Wiki page has a table of which Windows versions upgrade to the new one.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_10_editions

I don't know what you are trying to say. My point wasn't that you can't get a free upgrade with 7 but that it can only be used on one machine unlike a retail copy which can be transferred to other systems. I'll look to see if I can find something from Microsoft stating that but this is what I found.

During upgrades, Windows 10 licenses are not tied directly to a product key. Instead, the license status of the system's current installation of Windows is migrated, and a "Digital entitlement" is generated during the activation process, which is bound to the hardware information collected during the process.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_10#Free_upgrade_offer

 

[witten1972]

I don't know what you are trying to say

Me neither
Just kidding, I offered the Wiki page (see halfway that link) where one can see which Windows versions upgrade to Windows 10. Like 7 Home Basic, Premium and 8 + 8.1 etc upgrade to the Windows 10 Home version, and the Pro versions to 10 Pro.

Anyway, I'm still thinking what to do; buy a Windows 7 license, update to 10 & check it out.. or buy a brand new PC.

I did spent most of my day researching what kind of PC would fit my budget, what's the best offer price/performance wise and what the newest trends were. I actually found several candidates fitting my desires (+ 3 GHz CPU, graphic card etc), yet at the same time I found out that despite most pf the PC's I checked out that these will soon be outdated.

Like, I read many reviews on CPU's (Intel i5 vs i7) & graphic cards, memory etc and it might be better to wait a bit to buy a new PC, because I could buy a PC with a nVidia GeForce 745, which is good enough for most games. Of course the 960 was better... the 970 supports 4K... yet a PC with such graphic cards were a bit too expensive...

Things evolve fast... DDR3 will become DDR4, PCI-express 2.0 to PCI-express 3.0 etc...
No wonder I could buy pretty darn fast PC's for - $1000... The next generation PC's are coming & they're throwing the "old" ones out for peanuts... Well, they were fast a couple of years ago, and the new ones even faster! So if I wait a while I might be able to buy a new PC, with all the improvements I'll list below for a grand or so... if i wait a year or so...

To make a long message short
These are the specs I found today that I want for my new PC (might be helpful to other users):

Motherboard Chipset: Intel Z170
Processor family: Intel® Core™ i7 processor
Processor: Intel® Core™ i7-6700K with Intel® HD Graphics 530 (4 GHz - 4,2 GHz, 8 MB cache, 4 cores)
Memory: 8 to 16 GB DDR4
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 or 980, or TITAN (4 GB GDDR5)
PCI-express 3.0

 

[townsbg]

I did spent most of my day researching what kind of PC would fit my budget, what's the best offer price/performance wise and what the newest trends were. I actually found several candidates fitting my desires (+ 3 GHz CPU, graphic card etc), yet at the same time I found out that despite most pf the PC's I checked out that these will soon be outdated.

Things evolve fast... DDR3 will become DDR4, PCI-express 2.0 to PCI-express 3.0 etc...
No wonder I could buy pretty darn fast PC's for - $1000... The next generation PC's are coming & they're throwing the "old" ones out for peanuts... Well, they were fast a couple of years ago, and the new ones even faster! So if I wait a while I might be able to buy a new PC, with all the improvements I'll list below for a grand or so... if i wait a year or so...

You just made my point. What you buy will become outdated be it something that you buy now or wait for a year. That isn't a reason not to buy it if you need it. I have what I consider to be a powerful computer. It may be from 2010 but it is very sufficient for my needs so I don't need to replace it. You need to decide if what you have now is sufficient for your needs or if you need an upgrade and not think about how things can change. I know how far technology has come since then but what I have is enough for me.

 

[witten1972]

Yes townsbg it's inevitable, no matter when I buy, whatever I buy will become outdated... someday.

Evolution never stops, and in case of technology the generations follow each other up at a rapid rate!
Today we all use an electronic chipset, based on Silicon and within a couple of years GaAs/GaIn, or another compound with opto-electronics & later photonics will dominate this landscape. So my quest to be on top for a fast PC, with the latest new developments is a futile one, as from the moment I take my new PC out of the box it is already outdated

My current HP Pavilion still works fine, so I think I'll just buy Windows 7 & upgrade to 10 for free...
And if it fails on me I'll buy a new PC with Windows 10 on it. Thought a new OS would be expensive. Apparently it's not!

I just have to find a cheap license somewhere, and I'm good to go...

See you guys at the Windows 10 forum

 

[witten1972]

Just a quick question guys, I was able to find Windows 7 Professional 32/64 bit for like $30... Fishy, or not?

And, can I upgrade my Windows Vista Home Premium 64 bit to Windows 7 Professional 64 bit?

 

[Lottiemansion]

Hi,

Here are your paths to Windows seven.

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd772579(v=ws.10).aspx

 

[witten1972]

Thanks Lottiemansion...

Got a bit ahead of myself thinking I could upgrade to a Windows 7 Pro version.
I guess I can upgrade from Vista Home Premium to Windows 7 Home Premium... & then to 10, which is fine for me.

A warm thank you to all the people that participated in this thread...

Good night to you all!

 

[townsbg]

Just a quick question guys, I was able to find Windows 7 Professional 32/64 bit for like $30... Fishy, or not?

I would be suspicious that the license has been used too many times and therefore won't activate. Look for an unopened copy.