New Win10 distro

[xjim1]

My trusty/crusty 'ol file server, circa 2006, has been hinting lately it's not long for this world. Being an XP machine, I finally find myself having to buy MS software for the first time. But I'm suffering from sticker shock at paying 200 bucks for Win 10.

I see sites selling it at a discount, including resellers on Amazn, and wonder if these deals are too good to be true. Looking for any advice/experiences as to whether I can save a few bucks w/out getting ripped off.

I'm looking at Win10 Pro Retail version.
Thanks for any help.
Jim

[KeithAbbott]

PC World, $40. From what I have read, it's legit.

https://software.pcworld.com/p36877-...0_professional

[UgaData]

Newegg typically has Win10 Pro for ~$149, ~$129 on sale. This is a system builders version.

[NetworkGuy]

See if you can find a copy of Windows 7. At least you will not have to worry about forced updates from MS.

[JustFred]

Win10 is still available as a free "upgrade" if Win7 (or Vista) is already installed on the box.

[xjim1]

NetworkGuy;
I do have a Win7 distro, but I'm a little skittish about running an unpatched version on my network. But a good idea just to get things running again.

UgaData;
I checked out Newegg and discovered the difference between oem(Builder's version) and retail versions. Evidently the oem version ties you to that motherboard once you install it. SOL if I need/want to replace the system. Their retail version is list price, but they do have some cheap refurb pc's that come with a Win10 Pro license, so that may be an option.


KeithAbbott;
Have you ever bought from PCworld? That's one of those that sounds too good to be true. I sent them a message to them asking for some clarification.

JustFred;
I was wondering about that, but couldn't find any current info on it. It was all like 3 or 4 years ago. Let me know if you've seen something current about it.

Anybody running Linux serving up ntfs mounted drives? File server's dead in the water right now- found the nVidia chipset heatsink plastic screws sheared off, so I'm guessing it's game over for that MoBo.
Thanks everybody for the help so far.

[NetworkGuy]

Originally Posted by xjim1

NetworkGuy;
I do have a Win7 distro, but I'm a little skittish about running an unpatched version on my network. But a good idea just to get things running again

I am still getting Win7 automatic updates. I got notified of one this week.

[JustFred]

Download the official Win10 from here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/soft...load/windows10

Ignore the bit about "To get started, you will first need to have a license to install Windows 10." A Win10 license isn't needed to download nor install. Download on any machine. If installing on an activated version of Win7 or Vista, Win10 will be automatically activated.

More info here: https://www.zdnet.com/article/heres-...ws-10-upgrade/

[graywolf]

Originally Posted by JustFred

Download the official Win10 from here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/soft...load/windows10

Ignore the bit about "To get started, you will first need to have a license to install Windows 10." A Win10 license isn't needed to download nor install. Download on any machine. If installing on an activated version of Win7 or Vista, Win10 will be automatically activated.

More info here: https://www.zdnet.com/article/heres-...ws-10-upgrade/

Would this also be true for Win8.1?

[UgaData]

I can understand the desire to move the OS to another MoBo. But I got the impression you don't do that very often (2006, Win XP ???)

The cheap PCs will also have OEM/System Builder licensing. In most cases, if you buy a PC with Windows already installed, you are not legally allowed to transfer the OS-License to another machine.

There are several other ways to load Windows 10 but they may legally be in a "grey area". The OEM/System Builder would not be in a "grey area" until it was moved (and activated) to a new MoBo. Unless you're re-installing it several times in a short period of time, you can re-install it and activate it without issue.

F.W.I.W. - You can download the latest Windows 10 installation, install it, choosing the "I Don't Have A License" option during install, and be done with it.
Windows will eventually have a NAG in the lower right corner about not being an activated copy and personalize options won't work (the ability to change background or themes) but every thing else will work just fine including updates.
And I think you can fix the NAG issues by doing an in-place upgrade right after the bare metaL install (yeah, upgrading from Win10 to Win10). Not recommending it but it does work.

Other options have also been offered up that work. But you will need to feel comfortable with being in a possible "grey area". Not something I recommend for a business but for home users not un-thinkable.

[xjim1]

Originally Posted by NetworkGuy

I am still getting Win7 automatic updates. I got notified of one this week.

That's very interesting to know. I've got a boneyard full of old hardware, but if MS is still updating, that could be a cheap option.

Originally Posted by JustFred

Download the official Win10 from here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/soft...load/windows10

Ignore the bit about "To get started, you will first need to have a license to install Windows 10." A Win10 license isn't needed to download nor install. Download on any machine. If installing on an activated version of Win7 or Vista, Win10 will be automatically activated.

More info here: https://www.zdnet.com/article/heres-...ws-10-upgrade/

That's also very interesting.

Originally Posted by UgaData

...got the impression you don't do that very often (2006, Win XP ???)

LOL. I guess I'm a little proud of that. But a quick look at my aforementioned boneyard reminds me that Miss Fortune casts an ever-present eye on my luck.

I got a response from PCWorld on the $40 Win10 pkg. "Windows 10 Professional is full retail and you can either upgrade OR use it as a clean full new install." Sounds like the real deal.

As I was thinking of licenses, I remembered that the refurb laptop I bought last winter never prompted me to enter my key when I started it. Just figured seller entered it while they were testing it. Comparing the key in Windows to the COA sticker on the back of the laptop though, didn't match. Plus, it's a virgin label; meaning the 'secret' covered part was never scratched off. Sooo, I may have a free copy of Winders to use!

Thanks for everybody's help.

[Malfunction]

Little known Windows fact: If you have a PC you aren't using any more, you might be able to use that registration key.

[NetworkGuy]

Originally Posted by Malfunction

Little known Windows fact: If you have a PC you aren't using any more, you might be able to use that registration key.

As long as you own the Windows License, you can move it to a new PC.

And if you do not remember the License Key, you can use this program to find it.

[Zogg]

Spaceinvader One, the guy who makes all the UnRaid videos on Youtube, has a link in the comments to a site where you can buy extremely cheap Win10 license keys.

GO HERE and look in his comments right under the video for the link.

Retail license is showing $12, OEM is showing $5 for me.

But as others have said, you might be able to download and install it for free and/or use an old key to get it going.

[pjpjpjpj]

Really glad to have found this thread! Just this past weekend I got out a long-dormant Win7 laptop for my kids to use. Before I shelved it I cleaned a lot off of it, but it still runs very slow. First thing that popped up after I opened Chrome was an alert that a Chrome extension it had is now deactivated because it had known malware in it (I think it was a pop-up blocker) so now I'm wondering whether that put malware onto the machine and maybe that is part of the slowness. Regardless, I was thinking I should just get a copy of Win10 and install it and effectively wipe it clean. That got me wondering whether the old "Win7 to Win10 free upgrade" was still around.

Question though: if I am running Win7 and install Win 10 over it, does that still "wipe clean and start over" or would it keep software (and therefore possible malware) intact?

[Zogg]

Originally Posted by pjpjpjpj

Really glad to have found this thread! Just this past weekend I got out a long-dormant Win7 laptop for my kids to use. Before I shelved it I cleaned a lot off of it, but it still runs very slow. First thing that popped up after I opened Chrome was an alert that a Chrome extension it had is now deactivated because it had known malware in it (I think it was a pop-up blocker) so now I'm wondering whether that put malware onto the machine and maybe that is part of the slowness. Regardless, I was thinking I should just get a copy of Win10 and install it and effectively wipe it clean. That got me wondering whether the old "Win7 to Win10 free upgrade" was still around.

Question though: if I am running Win7 and install Win 10 over it, does that still "wipe clean and start over" or would it keep software (and therefore possible malware) intact?

I think you have to do an upgrade rather than a clean install, but to be honest I don't remember.

To be safe, take a look at THIS INFO on Reddit for Malware removal. Since you aren't sure if you have any, run Malwarebytes and let it check for anything nefarious. If the system is clean then you can safely install either way.

It's usually better to do a clean install if you can so there aren't any garbage settings or apps that get carried over, but I upgraded my long time Win 7 desktop early this year and it worked great.

[KeithAbbott]

Originally Posted by pjpjpjpj

Really glad to have found this thread! Just this past weekend I got out a long-dormant Win7 laptop for my kids to use. Before I shelved it I cleaned a lot off of it, but it still runs very slow. First thing that popped up after I opened Chrome was an alert that a Chrome extension it had is now deactivated because it had known malware in it (I think it was a pop-up blocker) so now I'm wondering whether that put malware onto the machine and maybe that is part of the slowness.

My wife had a Dell laptop, which became excruciatingly slow. I ran hardware diagnostic checks on both the cpu and SSD, nothing was identified as problematic. Ultimately, a bad battery in the laptop turned out to be the culprit. Apparently the laptop was detecting what it thought was a low power situation, and was slowing the cpu down to a crawl in an attempt to save power. Your laptop might not be in the same situation, but if the malware isn't the problem, it could be the battery.

[xjim1]

Originally Posted by NetworkGuy

As long as you own the Windows License, you can move it to a new PC.

And if you do not remember the License Key, you can use this program to find it.

I used this command. I'm assuming it's the same info.

wmic path softwarelicensingservice get OA3xOriginalProductKey

[NetworkGuy]

Originally Posted by xjim1

I used this command. I'm assuming it's the same info.

wmic path softwarelicensingservice get OA3xOriginalProductKey

Interesting, I tried the command and got:

ERROR:
Description = Invalid query

[pjpjpjpj]

Originally Posted by KeithAbbott

My wife had a Dell laptop, which became excruciatingly slow. I ran hardware diagnostic checks on both the cpu and SSD, nothing was identified as problematic. Ultimately, a bad battery in the laptop turned out to be the culprit. Apparently the laptop was detecting what it thought was a low power situation, and was slowing the cpu down to a crawl in an attempt to save power. Your laptop might not be in the same situation, but if the malware isn't the problem, it could be the battery.

Keith - thanks! It does have an old battery and has even popped a message saying it needs to be replaced. I didn't know it automatically slowed itself down due to this.