Win8 $14.99 Upgrade Offer Question

In mid-June 2012, I bought a (Dell Inspiron) Win7 laptop for my in-laws
from BestBuy. I registered it on the Dell website, under their name,
with the proper serial number. It came with the $14.99 Win8 upgrade
offer from BestBuy.

My in-laws have no intention of using the upgrade offer because they
don't want to learn a new interface. I'm wondering if I can use the
offer without having bought a Win7 machine.

I browsed the Win8 upgrade offer website, and couldn't answer this
question. I did see that the site explained:

"Note: For program participation validation purposes, this program
collects some information about a user’s machine at browser-level,
without identifying a user as an individual."

I didn't go any farther into the site, and stopped there. I assume it
will ask for my in-laws laptop serial number, though. I could be wrong.

Do you know if I can use this upgrade offer for one of my own machines?
If so, do you know if the Win8 upgrade software allows a new install, on
a clean hard drive, like the Win7 upgrade did?

I do not intend to violate any upgrade restrictions, as Win8 is pretty
cheap to buy right now.

TIA

On 11/11/2012 12:55 AM, Boris wrote:
In mid-June 2012, I bought a (Dell Inspiron) Win7 laptop for my in-laws
from BestBuy. I registered it on the Dell website, under their name,
with the proper serial number. It came with the $14.99 Win8 upgrade
offer from BestBuy.

My in-laws have no intention of using the upgrade offer because they
don't want to learn a new interface. I'm wondering if I can use the
offer without having bought a Win7 machine.

I browsed the Win8 upgrade offer website, and couldn't answer this
question. I did see that the site explained:

"Note: For program participation validation purposes, this program
collects some information about a user’s machine at browser-level,
without identifying a user as an individual."

I didn't go any farther into the site, and stopped there. I assume it
will ask for my in-laws laptop serial number, though. I could be wrong.

Do you know if I can use this upgrade offer for one of my own machines?
If so, do you know if the Win8 upgrade software allows a new install, on
a clean hard drive, like the Win7 upgrade did?

I do not intend to violate any upgrade restrictions, as Win8 is pretty
cheap to buy right now.

TIA


In theory, the new laptop would be using win 7 in violation of the
upgrade license. You would also be in violation, using the upgrade for
other than what it was intended.

As to what might or might not be detected I have no current knowledge.
Microsoft has continued to build in more and more reporting capability
into windows. I believe, although I don't really know, that Microsoft
has made provision in windows for annual license renewal schemes.
This can be used for all sorts of purposes.

The registered owner of the Dell machine purchased during the promotion period (June 1, '12 - Jan 31, '13) is entitled to upgrade
the Dell OEM pre-installed version of Win7 o/s to Win8 Pro for $14.99...***however**** it is not necessary to use that qualifying
upgrade on the pc purchased from Dell.
Reference:
https://www.windowsupgradeoffer.com/en-US/Registration
- load the above link, scroll down and click "Program Information' then see the section titled 'Upgrade Software'
" While the offer will be limited to eligible customers who purchase a qualified PC, the upgrade may be installed on any compatible
Windows-based PC with a qualifying operating system."
Note: To take advantage of the offer, it would be prudent to use the qualifying pc to access the upgrade offer site (above link),
correctly fill in all the required information and when prompted provide the necessary details (product key of the qualifying pc
etc.)

Optionally (in your case):
The $40 Windows Pro upgrade offer is for current licensed operating systems using XPSp3, Vista, and Windows 7 during the promotion
period (Oct 26, 2012 - Jan 31, 2013).
- The upgrade will perform a clean install for XP and Vista. The upgrade license is intended for upgrading Win7 from within Win7 to
Win8 on the same machine and if desired provide the ability to clean install Win 8 on the same machine replacing Win7. It would be
prudent when upgrading or clean installing Win8 from a prior o/s(XP, Vista, Win7) to image/backup the entire previous o/s prior to
proceeding with the upgrade. If a clean install is necessary on Win7, ensure you use (boot from) the media created with the iso
file.


--
....winston
msft mvp consumer apps


"Boris" wrote in message 4.100...

In mid-June 2012, I bought a (Dell Inspiron) Win7 laptop for my in-laws
from BestBuy. I registered it on the Dell website, under their name,
with the proper serial number. It came with the $14.99 Win8 upgrade
offer from BestBuy.

My in-laws have no intention of using the upgrade offer because they
don't want to learn a new interface. I'm wondering if I can use the
offer without having bought a Win7 machine.

I browsed the Win8 upgrade offer website, and couldn't answer this
question. I did see that the site explained:

"Note: For program participation validation purposes, this program
collects some information about a user’s machine at browser-level,
without identifying a user as an individual."

I didn't go any farther into the site, and stopped there. I assume it
will ask for my in-laws laptop serial number, though. I could be wrong.

Do you know if I can use this upgrade offer for one of my own machines?
If so, do you know if the Win8 upgrade software allows a new install, on
a clean hard drive, like the Win7 upgrade did?

I do not intend to violate any upgrade restrictions, as Win8 is pretty
cheap to buy right now.

TIA

In ,
...winston typed on Sun, 11 Nov 2012 02:03:46 -0500:
Optionally (in your case):
The $40 Windows Pro upgrade offer is for current licensed operating
systems using XPSp3, Vista, and Windows 7 during the promotion period
(Oct 26, 2012 - Jan 31, 2013).

I seem to recall either on Microsoft's website or Newegg's, that Windows
8 CP and RP also qualifies for the upgrade. And I found this is be odd,
since Windows 8 CP/RP were free.

--
Bill
Gateway M465e ('06 era) - OE-QuoteFix v1.19.2
Centrino Core2 Duo T5600 1.83GHz - 4GB - Windows XP SP2

On 11/11/2012 11:07 AM, BillW50 wrote:
In ,
..winston typed on Sun, 11 Nov 2012 02:03:46 -0500:
Optionally (in your case):
The $40 Windows Pro upgrade offer is for current licensed operating
systems using XPSp3, Vista, and Windows 7 during the promotion period
(Oct 26, 2012 - Jan 31, 2013).

I seem to recall either on Microsoft's website or Newegg's, that Windows
8 CP and RP also qualifies for the upgrade. And I found this is be odd,
since Windows 8 CP/RP were free.

All the different options just show that there is little consistency.
Thus, you'd have to refer to the exact terms of the different upgrade
offers.
I previously cited the worst case so called "standard conditions".

Afaik...Preview versions do not.

In fact MSFT recently clamped down on the sometime ability (loop-hole) to use an older OEM purchased unit's Product Key as the
qualifying machine for the $15 upgrade offer.


--
....winston
msft mvp


"BillW50" wrote in message ...

In ,
...winston typed on Sun, 11 Nov 2012 02:03:46 -0500:
Optionally (in your case):
The $40 Windows Pro upgrade offer is for current licensed operating
systems using XPSp3, Vista, and Windows 7 during the promotion period (Oct 26, 2012 - Jan 31, 2013).

I seem to recall either on Microsoft's website or Newegg's, that Windows
8 CP and RP also qualifies for the upgrade. And I found this is be odd,
since Windows 8 CP/RP were free.

--
Bill
Gateway M465e ('06 era) - OE-QuoteFix v1.19.2
Centrino Core2 Duo T5600 1.83GHz - 4GB - Windows XP SP2

On 11/11/2012 11:35 AM, charlie wrote:
On 11/11/2012 11:07 AM, BillW50 wrote:
In ,
..winston typed on Sun, 11 Nov 2012 02:03:46 -0500:
Optionally (in your case):
The $40 Windows Pro upgrade offer is for current licensed operating
systems using XPSp3, Vista, and Windows 7 during the promotion period
(Oct 26, 2012 - Jan 31, 2013).

I seem to recall either on Microsoft's website or Newegg's, that Windows
8 CP and RP also qualifies for the upgrade. And I found this is be odd,
since Windows 8 CP/RP were free.

All the different options just show that there is little consistency.
Thus, you'd have to refer to the exact terms of the different upgrade
offers.
I previously cited the worst case so called "standard conditions".

Well my understanding this was for all Windows 8 Upgrades (meaning the
digital download or the boxed set upgrades). I'll find out in a couple
of days when I upgrade this CP to 8 Upgrade (from the boxed set).

--
Bill
Gateway M465e ('06 era) - Thunderbird v12
Centrino Core Duo T2300 1.66 GHz - 2GB - Windows 8 CP

"BillW50" wrote in message ...

Well my understanding this was for all Windows 8 Upgrades (meaning the
digital download or the boxed set upgrades). I'll find out in a couple
of days when I upgrade this CP to 8 Upgrade (from the boxed set).


cf.
http://www.zdnet.com/how-the-new-win...ou-7000003028/

qp
Note that upgrade eligibility has nothing to do with the operating system currently installed on the system when you go to perform
an upgrade. If you have a previous Windows 8 preview version installed, that doesn’t confer any upgrade rights. That sticker on the
side of the PC (or the CoA, if you installed a retail version) is the most important factor in defining the underlying license.
/qp



--
....winston
msft mvp

On 11/11/2012 11:21 PM, ..winston wrote:

"BillW50" wrote in message ...

Well my understanding this was for all Windows 8 Upgrades (meaning the
digital download or the boxed set upgrades). I'll find out in a couple
of days when I upgrade this CP to 8 Upgrade (from the boxed set).


cf.
http://www.zdnet.com/how-the-new-win...ou-7000003028/


qp
Note that upgrade eligibility has nothing to do with the operating
system currently installed on the system when you go to perform an
upgrade. If you have a previous Windows 8 preview version installed,
that doesn’t confer any upgrade rights. That sticker on the side of the
PC (or the CoA, if you installed a retail version) is the most important
factor in defining the underlying license.
/qp

Well it all seems confusing. The sticker on this laptop is for Windows
XP Pro. But it only has Windows 8 CP installed on it. I read that
Windows 8 will be perfectly happy accepting Windows 8 CP as a qualifying
OS. And I just did the Windows 8 Upgrade install today. It didn't ask
anything about the COA sticker, Windows XP, or anything.

I also read that Windows 8 Upgrade will be perfectly happy to use
Windows 8 CP settings and installed applications. So you don't have to
reinstall all of your applications once again. Although this didn't
happen. It didn't use a single thing from Windows 8 CP. It just dumped
Windows 8 CP stuff in the Windows.old folder and that is it. It didn't
use anything from 8 CP. I am assuming that I can reverse this process
and dump Windows 8 and go back to Windows 8 CP.

If Windows 8 should be able to use everything from Windows 8 CP, then
maybe it needs a lot of disk space. If that is the case, I could clone
the drive to a larger HD and do it that way. Assuming of course, that
Windows 8 Upgrade can be uninstalled.

--
Bill
Gateway M465e ('06 era) - Thunderbird v12
Centrino Core Duo T2300 1.66 GHz - 2GB - Windows 8

And the license for that sticker is the o/s you gave up for Windows 8 (not CP - no license was conferred to users who installed W8
as a replacement for CP).
- even though CP was present Win8 determined that XP (or remnants of the XP - files and registry - product key and product ID) were
sufficient to qualify and upgrade. Win8 ***will never ever*** ask for entry of prior o/s product key

Correct, it does not use a single thing from CP. It provided an upgrade based on what it found (XP) - clean, nothing carried
forward.

To remove Win8, wipe the drive and reinstall CP the same way it was installed in the past. If you upgraded to CP from XP, you
might find that the Windows.old folder which at one time contained XP's old files now contains CP's old files...or you may find
that the current Windows.old is still XP's old files.

.....w



--
....winston
msft mvp


"BillW50" wrote in message ...

On 11/11/2012 11:21 PM, ..winston wrote:

"BillW50" wrote in message ...

Well my understanding this was for all Windows 8 Upgrades (meaning the
digital download or the boxed set upgrades). I'll find out in a couple
of days when I upgrade this CP to 8 Upgrade (from the boxed set).


cf.
http://www.zdnet.com/how-the-new-win...ou-7000003028/


qp
Note that upgrade eligibility has nothing to do with the operating
system currently installed on the system when you go to perform an
upgrade. If you have a previous Windows 8 preview version installed,
that doesn’t confer any upgrade rights. That sticker on the side of the
PC (or the CoA, if you installed a retail version) is the most important
factor in defining the underlying license.
/qp

Well it all seems confusing. The sticker on this laptop is for Windows
XP Pro. But it only has Windows 8 CP installed on it. I read that
Windows 8 will be perfectly happy accepting Windows 8 CP as a qualifying
OS. And I just did the Windows 8 Upgrade install today. It didn't ask
anything about the COA sticker, Windows XP, or anything.

I also read that Windows 8 Upgrade will be perfectly happy to use
Windows 8 CP settings and installed applications. So you don't have to
reinstall all of your applications once again. Although this didn't
happen. It didn't use a single thing from Windows 8 CP. It just dumped
Windows 8 CP stuff in the Windows.old folder and that is it. It didn't
use anything from 8 CP. I am assuming that I can reverse this process
and dump Windows 8 and go back to Windows 8 CP.

If Windows 8 should be able to use everything from Windows 8 CP, then
maybe it needs a lot of disk space. If that is the case, I could clone
the drive to a larger HD and do it that way. Assuming of course, that
Windows 8 Upgrade can be uninstalled.

--
Bill
Gateway M465e ('06 era) - Thunderbird v12
Centrino Core Duo T2300 1.66 GHz - 2GB - Windows 8

On 11/14/2012 11:56 PM, ..winston wrote:
And the license for that sticker is the o/s you gave up for Windows 8
(not CP - no license was conferred to users who installed W8 as a
replacement for CP).
- even though CP was present Win8 determined that XP (or remnants of the
XP - files and registry - product key and product ID) were sufficient to
qualify and upgrade. Win8 ***will never ever*** ask for entry of prior
o/s product key

Correct, it does not use a single thing from CP. It provided an upgrade
based on what it found (XP) - clean, nothing carried forward.

To remove Win8, wipe the drive and reinstall CP the same way it was
installed in the past. If you upgraded to CP from XP, you might find
that the Windows.old folder which at one time contained XP's old files
now contains CP's old files...or you may find that the current
Windows.old is still XP's old files.

....w

Well lots of things here. First, I installed Windows 8 here 3 or more
times now. This is just to get things working correctly.

First of, my Windows 8 Pro (boxed version) never asks for proof of a
qualified previous Windows version. I even installed Windows 8 on a
totally clean hard drive. It didn't ask and just installed.

Second of all, telling me that Windows 8 CP can't be upgraded to Windows
8 was incorrect. It indeed can, which I found out after it was too late.
I tried to take everything from Windows.old folder and put them back to
the original locations. And everything from Windows 8 I threw into a new
folder I called Windows.new. Windows.old folder still existed, but
everything was moved out.

Well I booted it up and Windows 8 CP appears to be loading just fine
until a new screen appeared and said that Windows 8 install failed and
it will now reverse the Windows 8 install. Oops! I already did that
manually. When it was done trying to undo the recent Windows 8 Upgrade
install, my Windows 8 CP was barely function-able. It wasn't functioning
well enough to be very useable.

So there must be something one can do to trick Windows into thinking
that the upgrade failed. And then let Windows to reverse the process.

Now about upgrading from Windows 8 CP. Yes, it is doable. All one has to
do is to change the build numbers in the cversion.ini file. And that is
it, now Windows 8 CP is upgradable. And I am not sure, but this might be
one way to get Windows 8 gadgets back.

Now your solution about installing Windows from scratch, costs many of
us lots of time and money. The time is obvious. The money is that many
pay software uses a one time activation over the Internet. Once used,
that same key won't work anymore. So you have to purchase another key
just for the same thing.

--
Bill
Gateway M465e ('06 era) - Thunderbird v12
Centrino Core2 Duo T7400 2.16 GHz - 4GB - Windows 8

Windows 8 doesn't ask about a prior o/s
- if it finds one it proceeds with the install

Windows 8 doesn't look for Win8 CP, it needs to find a qualifying o/s somewhere (XP, Vista, 7, 8)

One license, one install. An upgrade nullifies the legality of the qualifying operating system license
- seems simple to me

If you have issue with time or money, send feedback to MSFT.


--
....winston
msft mvp


"BillW50" wrote in message ...

On 11/14/2012 11:56 PM, ..winston wrote:
And the license for that sticker is the o/s you gave up for Windows 8
(not CP - no license was conferred to users who installed W8 as a
replacement for CP).
- even though CP was present Win8 determined that XP (or remnants of the
XP - files and registry - product key and product ID) were sufficient to
qualify and upgrade. Win8 ***will never ever*** ask for entry of prior
o/s product key

Correct, it does not use a single thing from CP. It provided an upgrade
based on what it found (XP) - clean, nothing carried forward.

To remove Win8, wipe the drive and reinstall CP the same way it was
installed in the past. If you upgraded to CP from XP, you might find
that the Windows.old folder which at one time contained XP's old files
now contains CP's old files...or you may find that the current
Windows.old is still XP's old files.

....w

Well lots of things here. First, I installed Windows 8 here 3 or more
times now. This is just to get things working correctly.

First of, my Windows 8 Pro (boxed version) never asks for proof of a
qualified previous Windows version. I even installed Windows 8 on a
totally clean hard drive. It didn't ask and just installed.

Second of all, telling me that Windows 8 CP can't be upgraded to Windows
8 was incorrect. It indeed can, which I found out after it was too late.
I tried to take everything from Windows.old folder and put them back to
the original locations. And everything from Windows 8 I threw into a new
folder I called Windows.new. Windows.old folder still existed, but
everything was moved out.

Well I booted it up and Windows 8 CP appears to be loading just fine
until a new screen appeared and said that Windows 8 install failed and
it will now reverse the Windows 8 install. Oops! I already did that
manually. When it was done trying to undo the recent Windows 8 Upgrade
install, my Windows 8 CP was barely function-able. It wasn't functioning
well enough to be very useable.

So there must be something one can do to trick Windows into thinking
that the upgrade failed. And then let Windows to reverse the process.

Now about upgrading from Windows 8 CP. Yes, it is doable. All one has to
do is to change the build numbers in the cversion.ini file. And that is
it, now Windows 8 CP is upgradable. And I am not sure, but this might be
one way to get Windows 8 gadgets back.

Now your solution about installing Windows from scratch, costs many of
us lots of time and money. The time is obvious. The money is that many
pay software uses a one time activation over the Internet. Once used,
that same key won't work anymore. So you have to purchase another key
just for the same thing.

--
Bill
Gateway M465e ('06 era) - Thunderbird v12
Centrino Core2 Duo T7400 2.16 GHz - 4GB - Windows 8

On 11/18/2012 9:27 PM, ..winston wrote:
Windows 8 doesn't ask about a prior o/s
- if it finds one it proceeds with the install

Windows 8 doesn't look for Win8 CP, it needs to find a qualifying o/s
somewhere (XP, Vista, 7, 8)

One license, one install. An upgrade nullifies the legality of the
qualifying operating system license
- seems simple to me

I don't know what to tell ya, my Windows 8 Pro never asked. And I
installed it on a fresh hard drive. Even the System Requirements doesn't
mention the need of a previous Windows version. It does mention if you
are upgrading from Windows 7, it will transfer your settings and
applications. But if you are upgrading from XP or Vista, it won't.

If you have issue with time or money, send feedback to MSFT.

Why? They will only lie to you and tell you that Windows 8 won't upgrade
Windows 8 CP. That is why you don't bother talking to people who will
only lie to you anyway. And it is far better to talk to people who
actually know what they are talking about.

--
Bill
Gateway M465e ('06 era) - Thunderbird v12
Centrino Core2 Duo T7400 2.16 GHz - 4GB - Windows 8

In ,
...winston typed on Sun, 18 Nov 2012 22:27:21 -0500:
Windows 8 doesn't ask about a prior o/s
- if it finds one it proceeds with the install

Windows 8 doesn't look for Win8 CP, it needs to find a qualifying o/s
somewhere (XP, Vista, 7, 8)

That isn't what Microsoft says:

Make sure want to upgrade. This must be a PC that is currently
running Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP with Service Pack
3 (SP3), Windows 8 Release Preview, Windows 8 Consumer Preview,
or Windows Developer Preview. (Windows 8 Setup checks that your
PC meets all system requirements before it installs Windows 8.)

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/w...oduct-key-only

--
Bill
Gateway M465e ('06 era) - OE-QuoteFix v1.19.2
Centrino Core2 Duo T5600 1.83GHz - 4GB - Windows XP SP2

In ,
BillW50 typed on Mon, 26 Nov 2012 03:39:12 -0600:
In ,
..winston typed on Sun, 18 Nov 2012 22:27:21 -0500:
Windows 8 doesn't ask about a prior o/s
- if it finds one it proceeds with the install

Windows 8 doesn't look for Win8 CP, it needs to find a qualifying o/s
somewhere (XP, Vista, 7, 8)

That isn't what Microsoft says:

Make sure want to upgrade. This must be a PC that is currently
running Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP with Service Pack
3 (SP3), Windows 8 Release Preview, Windows 8 Consumer Preview,
or Windows Developer Preview. (Windows 8 Setup checks that your
PC meets all system requirements before it installs Windows 8.)

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/w...oduct-key-only

Sorry, WordStar for DOS doesn't like pasting in characters that are not
within the 7-bit ASCII character set. And apparently it deleted some
words above. Here is how it should read:

Make sure you're on the PC you want to upgrade. This must be a
PC that is currently running Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows
XP with Service Pack 3 (SP3), Windows 8 Release Preview,
Windows 8 Consumer Preview, or Windows Developer Preview.
(Windows 8 Setup checks that your PC meets all system
requirements before it installs Windows 8.)

--
Bill
Gateway M465e ('06 era) - OE-QuoteFix v1.19.2
Centrino Core2 Duo T5600 1.83GHz - 4GB - Windows XP SP2