Regarding Free Windows 10 for 12 Months

The Windows 10 icon on my task bar has gone through "Reserve" to, just now
"Get W10" and I get a report saying, basically,my laptop is "Good to go"
and there is no Guest account in W10 (I don't use it so it's irrelevant.
But, another nugget appeared:

"Why did I see a notification that I won't be able to restore factory settings?

You'll see this message if the manufacturer set up your PC to run from a
compressed Windows image file and included an option to restore factory settings.
After the upgrade, you won’t be able to restore factory settings, but other
recovery options will be available."

I'm running on a small Sony Vaio, no DVD and I expect that (I've had to use
it once) "restore factory settings" runs from a compressed image file.
Are the "other recovery options will be available." available?

I do use Macrium Reflect (free) to write image files to my NAS - will they
be usable after 'upgrading' to W10?

Keith wrote:
The Windows 10 icon on my task bar has gone through "Reserve" to, just
now "Get W10" and I get a report saying, basically,my laptop is "Good to
go" and there is no Guest account in W10 (I don't use it so it's
irrelevant. But, another nugget appeared:

"Why did I see a notification that I won't be able to restore factory
settings?

You'll see this message if the manufacturer set up your PC to run from a
compressed Windows image file and included an option to restore factory
settings. After the upgrade, you won’t be able to restore factory
settings, but other recovery options will be available."

I'm running on a small Sony Vaio, no DVD and I expect that (I've had to
use it once) "restore factory settings" runs from a compressed image file.
Are the "other recovery options will be available." available?

I do use Macrium Reflect (free) to write image files to my NAS - will
they be usable after 'upgrading' to W10?



I had the same when I put Win10 on my tablet. The thing that you'll
appreciate is that it offers me a return to Win8.1.
The removal of "factory settings" is occasioned by space limitations on
the HD. It's rather like on Android phones where "factory settings"
doesn't mean what it says on the can (space limitations prevents them
including an image of the original set-up).

After installing Win10 you have a month to restore.
And the Macrium Reflect images will be utilisable. Make sure you have a
Macrium restore disc.

Ed

On 8/8/2015 1:28 PM, Keith wrote:
The Windows 10 icon on my task bar has gone through "Reserve" to, just
now "Get W10" and I get a report saying, basically,my laptop is "Good to
go" and there is no Guest account in W10 (I don't use it so it's
irrelevant. But, another nugget appeared:

"Why did I see a notification that I won't be able to restore factory
settings?

You'll see this message if the manufacturer set up your PC to run from a
compressed Windows image file and included an option to restore factory
settings. After the upgrade, you won’t be able to restore factory
settings, but other recovery options will be available."

I'm running on a small Sony Vaio, no DVD and I expect that (I've had to
use it once) "restore factory settings" runs from a compressed image file.
Are the "other recovery options will be available." available?

I do use Macrium Reflect (free) to write image files to my NAS - will
they be usable after 'upgrading' to W10?


All I can recommend is that before anyone go forward with an upgrade
to windows 10 is to clone the original drive. It's much easier and
straightforward than trying an image that may or may not restore. I just
removed my SSD upgraded to W10 and placed it with the original W7 SSD
and everything is as it was before I started. It couldn't be simpler.

Al Drake wrote:
On 8/8/2015 1:28 PM, Keith wrote:
The Windows 10 icon on my task bar has gone through "Reserve" to, just
now "Get W10" and I get a report saying, basically,my laptop is "Good to
go" and there is no Guest account in W10 (I don't use it so it's
irrelevant. But, another nugget appeared:

"Why did I see a notification that I won't be able to restore factory
settings?

You'll see this message if the manufacturer set up your PC to run from a
compressed Windows image file and included an option to restore factory
settings. After the upgrade, you won’t be able to restore factory
settings, but other recovery options will be available."

I'm running on a small Sony Vaio, no DVD and I expect that (I've had to
use it once) "restore factory settings" runs from a compressed image
file.
Are the "other recovery options will be available." available?

I do use Macrium Reflect (free) to write image files to my NAS - will
they be usable after 'upgrading' to W10?


All I can recommend is that before anyone go forward with an upgrade to
windows 10 is to clone the original drive. It's much easier and
straightforward than trying an image that may or may not restore. I just
removed my SSD upgraded to W10 and placed it with the original W7 SSD
and everything is as it was before I started. It couldn't be simpler.

An image will restore, if you do it the right way.

With Macrium Reflect Free, you would

1) Install it on Windows.
2) Run it. Make a rescue CD, the WinPE flavored one.
Macrium 6 even shows a dialog listing the hardware
drivers included for the *custom* machine-specific CD.
3) Shut down Windows.
4) Boot the rescue CD you just made. Macrium still
has clone and image as options in the rescue CD
version. Everything useful you could do in Windows,
can be done from the CD.
5) Make an image of the internal hard drive, to the
external storage device. (So at this time, Windows
is not running, and the Rescue CD is your "OS".)
Doing so, proves you have the drivers necessary
at a future date, to connect the external drive
and do a restore operation.
6) If the rescue CD did not work for any reason,
now is the time to fix it. Before any damage is
done.
7) For bonus points, you can practice restoring to
one of your spare disks. As if your internal drive
had failed, and you were installing a new blank drive.

HTH,
Paul

Ed Cryer wrote on 08/08/2015 1:45 PM:
Keith wrote:
The Windows 10 icon on my task bar has gone through "Reserve" to, just
now "Get W10" and I get a report saying, basically,my laptop is "Good to
go" and there is no Guest account in W10 (I don't use it so it's
irrelevant. But, another nugget appeared:

"Why did I see a notification that I won't be able to restore factory
settings?

You'll see this message if the manufacturer set up your PC to run from a
compressed Windows image file and included an option to restore factory
settings. After the upgrade, you won’t be able to restore factory
settings, but other recovery options will be available."

I'm running on a small Sony Vaio, no DVD and I expect that (I've had to
use it once) "restore factory settings" runs from a compressed image
file.
Are the "other recovery options will be available." available?

I do use Macrium Reflect (free) to write image files to my NAS - will
they be usable after 'upgrading' to W10?



I had the same when I put Win10 on my tablet. The thing that you'll
appreciate is that it offers me a return to Win8.1.
The removal of "factory settings" is occasioned by space limitations on
the HD. It's rather like on Android phones where "factory settings"
doesn't mean what it says on the can (space limitations prevents them
including an image of the original set-up).

After installing Win10 you have a month to restore.
And the Macrium Reflect images will be utilisable. Make sure you have a
Macrium restore disc.

Ed

After installing Win10 you have a month to restore **using the 'Go Back'
Win10 included feature. After a month the 'Go Back' option will not be
available since Win10 will automatically purge the files it retained for
performing the 'Go Back'

The inability to use the 'Go Back' feature does not preempt the ability
to use other restore type methods (Recovery disks provided by the OEM or
created by the user to return the device to factory condition, 3rd party
imaging tool that created a backup image to external media or different
drive prior to the upgrade, Windows 8.1 included Backup/Restore System
Image created on external media/different drive prior to the upgrade, etc.)



--
...winston
msft mvp windows experience

On 8/8/2015 3:01 PM, Paul wrote:
Al Drake wrote:
On 8/8/2015 1:28 PM, Keith wrote:
The Windows 10 icon on my task bar has gone through "Reserve" to, just
now "Get W10" and I get a report saying, basically,my laptop is "Good to
go" and there is no Guest account in W10 (I don't use it so it's
irrelevant. But, another nugget appeared:

"Why did I see a notification that I won't be able to restore factory
settings?

You'll see this message if the manufacturer set up your PC to run from a
compressed Windows image file and included an option to restore factory
settings. After the upgrade, you won’t be able to restore factory
settings, but other recovery options will be available."

I'm running on a small Sony Vaio, no DVD and I expect that (I've had to
use it once) "restore factory settings" runs from a compressed image
file.
Are the "other recovery options will be available." available?

I do use Macrium Reflect (free) to write image files to my NAS - will
they be usable after 'upgrading' to W10?


All I can recommend is that before anyone go forward with an upgrade
to windows 10 is to clone the original drive. It's much easier and
straightforward than trying an image that may or may not restore. I
just removed my SSD upgraded to W10 and placed it with the original W7
SSD and everything is as it was before I started. It couldn't be simpler.

An image will restore, if you do it the right way.

With Macrium Reflect Free, you would

1) Install it on Windows.
2) Run it. Make a rescue CD, the WinPE flavored one.
Macrium 6 even shows a dialog listing the hardware
drivers included for the *custom* machine-specific CD.
3) Shut down Windows.
4) Boot the rescue CD you just made. Macrium still
has clone and image as options in the rescue CD
version. Everything useful you could do in Windows,
can be done from the CD.
5) Make an image of the internal hard drive, to the
external storage device. (So at this time, Windows
is not running, and the Rescue CD is your "OS".)
Doing so, proves you have the drivers necessary
at a future date, to connect the external drive
and do a restore operation.
6) If the rescue CD did not work for any reason,
now is the time to fix it. Before any damage is
done.
7) For bonus points, you can practice restoring to
one of your spare disks. As if your internal drive
had failed, and you were installing a new blank drive.

HTH,
Paul

Thanks Paul. I have successfully gone the image route but my favorite
is still the clone. On all my builds I always make sure it's very easy
to swap drives from one bay to another. The system I use the most is in
an InWin case that has a drive door on the side:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811108395

I can put any drive I want in the number one bay and boot from it.

All the other cases are almost as easy to swap drives. The down side
is you spend more on spare SSDs but I've been getting larger ones
regularly so I have plenty to spare. It doesn't take long to replace a
backup drive.

On one system that isn't as easy to swap I keep the backup mounted so
all I need do is swap cables leaving the backup unplugged.(Windows
Unplugged)

I was considering mounting a switch somewhere but that would be just
to easy.

". . .winston" wrote in message
...
Ed Cryer wrote on 08/08/2015 1:45 PM:
Keith wrote:
The Windows 10 icon on my task bar has gone through "Reserve" to, just
now "Get W10" and I get a report saying, basically,my laptop is "Good to
go" and there is no Guest account in W10 (I don't use it so it's
irrelevant. But, another nugget appeared:

"Why did I see a notification that I won't be able to restore factory
settings?

You'll see this message if the manufacturer set up your PC to run from a
compressed Windows image file and included an option to restore factory
settings. After the upgrade, you won’t be able to restore factory
settings, but other recovery options will be available."

I'm running on a small Sony Vaio, no DVD and I expect that (I've had to
use it once) "restore factory settings" runs from a compressed image
file.
Are the "other recovery options will be available." available?

I do use Macrium Reflect (free) to write image files to my NAS - will
they be usable after 'upgrading' to W10?



I had the same when I put Win10 on my tablet. The thing that you'll
appreciate is that it offers me a return to Win8.1.
The removal of "factory settings" is occasioned by space limitations on
the HD. It's rather like on Android phones where "factory settings"
doesn't mean what it says on the can (space limitations prevents them
including an image of the original set-up).

After installing Win10 you have a month to restore.
And the Macrium Reflect images will be utilisable. Make sure you have a
Macrium restore disc.

Ed

After installing Win10 you have a month to restore **using the 'Go Back'
Win10 included feature. After a month the 'Go Back' option will not be
available since Win10 will automatically purge the files it retained for
performing the 'Go Back'

The inability to use the 'Go Back' feature does not preempt the ability to
use other restore type methods (Recovery disks provided by the OEM or
created by the user to return the device to factory condition, 3rd party
imaging tool that created a backup image to external media or different
drive prior to the upgrade, Windows 8.1 included Backup/Restore System
Image created on external media/different drive prior to the upgrade,
etc.)

I think the question on that would be, if you restore from image after 30
days, will your newly restored old OS be able to be activated now that
Microsoft already has that system as being upgraded to Win10? Since it
hasn't been 30 days since it was released, the jury seems to still be out on
that verdict :-)
--
SC Tom

SC Tom wrote on 08/08/2015 6:36 PM:


". . .winston" wrote in message
...
Ed Cryer wrote on 08/08/2015 1:45 PM:
Keith wrote:
The Windows 10 icon on my task bar has gone through "Reserve" to, just
now "Get W10" and I get a report saying, basically,my laptop is
"Good to
go" and there is no Guest account in W10 (I don't use it so it's
irrelevant. But, another nugget appeared:

"Why did I see a notification that I won't be able to restore factory
settings?

You'll see this message if the manufacturer set up your PC to run
from a
compressed Windows image file and included an option to restore factory
settings. After the upgrade, you won’t be able to restore factory
settings, but other recovery options will be available."

I'm running on a small Sony Vaio, no DVD and I expect that (I've had to
use it once) "restore factory settings" runs from a compressed image
file.
Are the "other recovery options will be available." available?

I do use Macrium Reflect (free) to write image files to my NAS - will
they be usable after 'upgrading' to W10?



I had the same when I put Win10 on my tablet. The thing that you'll
appreciate is that it offers me a return to Win8.1.
The removal of "factory settings" is occasioned by space limitations on
the HD. It's rather like on Android phones where "factory settings"
doesn't mean what it says on the can (space limitations prevents them
including an image of the original set-up).

After installing Win10 you have a month to restore.
And the Macrium Reflect images will be utilisable. Make sure you have a
Macrium restore disc.

Ed

After installing Win10 you have a month to restore **using the 'Go
Back' Win10 included feature. After a month the 'Go Back' option will
not be available since Win10 will automatically purge the files it
retained for performing the 'Go Back'

The inability to use the 'Go Back' feature does not preempt the
ability to use other restore type methods (Recovery disks provided by
the OEM or created by the user to return the device to factory
condition, 3rd party imaging tool that created a backup image to
external media or different drive prior to the upgrade, Windows 8.1
included Backup/Restore System Image created on external
media/different drive prior to the upgrade, etc.)

I think the question on that would be, if you restore from image after
30 days, will your newly restored old OS be able to be activated now
that Microsoft already has that system as being upgraded to Win10? Since
it hasn't been 30 days since it was released, the jury seems to still be
out on that verdict :-)

The sheer presence of the GoBack feature and the ability to return to
the prior and activated o/s used to upgrade to 10 is the reassurance
that the reverting to the prior o/s will yield an activated prior
o/s....i.e. if it didn't then GoBack would not be included
(Think about it g) - it's really easy to deduce.

The 30 day limit and purging the files is central to a system status
changing over time..thus as time moves forward, the benefit to 'Go Back'
to o/s condition at the time of upgrade becomes less meaningful.

The ability to revert to a prior o/s with an activated license is
statistically independent of the Win10 upgrade and the license and
device footprint retained in the MSFT Store.

The jury won't even be seated...




--
...winston
msft mvp windows experience

Hello Ed,

Keith wrote:

The Windows 10 icon on my task bar has gone through "Reserve" to,
just now "Get W10" and I get a report saying, basically,my laptop is
"Good to go" and there is no Guest account in W10 (I don't use it so
it's irrelevant. But, another nugget appeared:

"Why did I see a notification that I won't be able to restore factory
settings?

You'll see this message if the manufacturer set up your PC to run
from a compressed Windows image file and included an option to
restore factory settings. After the upgrade, you won’t be able to
restore factory settings, but other recovery options will be
available."

I'm running on a small Sony Vaio, no DVD and I expect that (I've had
to use it once) "restore factory settings" runs from a compressed
image file. Are the "other recovery options will be available."
available?

I do use Macrium Reflect (free) to write image files to my NAS - will
they be usable after 'upgrading' to W10?

I had the same when I put Win10 on my tablet. The thing that you'll
appreciate is that it offers me a return to Win8.1.
The removal of "factory settings" is occasioned by space limitations
on
the HD. It's rather like on Android phones where "factory settings"
doesn't mean what it says on the can (space limitations prevents them
including an image of the original set-up).
After installing Win10 you have a month to restore.
And the Macrium Reflect images will be utilisable. Make sure you have
a
Macrium restore disc.
Ed


I have the "Restore" on a memory stck: no integral/external DVD and the (home)
network/Windows Explorer link I had to the desktop PC's DVD went belly-up
long ago - SWMBO did something to the desktop and there seems to be confusion
between Homegroup/Workgroup and memory stick became a short term(!) solution.

Hello Paul,
Snip

All I can recommend is that before anyone go forward with an upgrade
to windows 10 is to clone the original drive. It's much easier and
straightforward than trying an image that may or may not restore. I
just removed my SSD upgraded to W10 and placed it with the original
W7 SSD and everything is as it was before I started. It couldn't be
simpler.

An image will restore, if you do it the right way.

With Macrium Reflect Free, you would

1) Install it on Windows.
2) Run it. Make a rescue CD, the WinPE flavored one.
Macrium 6 even shows a dialog listing the hardware
drivers included for the *custom* machine-specific CD.
3) Shut down Windows.
4) Boot the rescue CD you just made. Macrium still
has clone and image as options in the rescue CD
version. Everything useful you could do in Windows,
can be done from the CD.
5) Make an image of the internal hard drive, to the
external storage device. (So at this time, Windows
is not running, and the Rescue CD is your "OS".)
Doing so, proves you have the drivers necessary
at a future date, to connect the external drive
and do a restore operation.
6) If the rescue CD did not work for any reason,
now is the time to fix it. Before any damage is
done.
7) For bonus points, you can practice restoring to
one of your spare disks. As if your internal drive
had failed, and you were installing a new blank drive.
HTH,
Paul

So would replacing CD" with "memory stick" work?

On Sat, 8 Aug 2015 18:36:00 -0400, "SC Tom" wrote:

The inability to use the 'Go Back' feature does not preempt the ability to
use other restore type methods (Recovery disks provided by the OEM or
created by the user to return the device to factory condition, 3rd party
imaging tool that created a backup image to external media or different
drive prior to the upgrade, Windows 8.1 included Backup/Restore System
Image created on external media/different drive prior to the upgrade,
etc.)

I think the question on that would be, if you restore from image after 30
days, will your newly restored old OS be able to be activated now that
Microsoft already has that system as being upgraded to Win10? Since it
hasn't been 30 days since it was released, the jury seems to still be out on
that verdict :-)

My understanding is that the upgrade gets a new activation key.
As long as you re-activate the original operating system with its
original key, I don't see why it shouldn't work as before.

I would advise anyone considering upgrading to Windows 10 to make a
note of their existing activation key before they start. (Use
keyfinder. The product ID on the system screen is not the key).

This reasoning depends on logic of course. As we've seen, Microsoft
moves in mysterious ways, so time will tell. Hopefully somebody will
try it and report here, and then we'll know.

Rod.

". . .winston" wrote in message
...
SC Tom wrote on 08/08/2015 6:36 PM:


". . .winston" wrote in message
...
Ed Cryer wrote on 08/08/2015 1:45 PM:
Keith wrote:
The Windows 10 icon on my task bar has gone through "Reserve" to, just
now "Get W10" and I get a report saying, basically,my laptop is
"Good to
go" and there is no Guest account in W10 (I don't use it so it's
irrelevant. But, another nugget appeared:

"Why did I see a notification that I won't be able to restore factory
settings?

You'll see this message if the manufacturer set up your PC to run
from a
compressed Windows image file and included an option to restore
factory
settings. After the upgrade, you won’t be able to restore factory
settings, but other recovery options will be available."

I'm running on a small Sony Vaio, no DVD and I expect that (I've had
to
use it once) "restore factory settings" runs from a compressed image
file.
Are the "other recovery options will be available." available?

I do use Macrium Reflect (free) to write image files to my NAS - will
they be usable after 'upgrading' to W10?



I had the same when I put Win10 on my tablet. The thing that you'll
appreciate is that it offers me a return to Win8.1.
The removal of "factory settings" is occasioned by space limitations on
the HD. It's rather like on Android phones where "factory settings"
doesn't mean what it says on the can (space limitations prevents them
including an image of the original set-up).

After installing Win10 you have a month to restore.
And the Macrium Reflect images will be utilisable. Make sure you have a
Macrium restore disc.

Ed

After installing Win10 you have a month to restore **using the 'Go
Back' Win10 included feature. After a month the 'Go Back' option will
not be available since Win10 will automatically purge the files it
retained for performing the 'Go Back'

The inability to use the 'Go Back' feature does not preempt the
ability to use other restore type methods (Recovery disks provided by
the OEM or created by the user to return the device to factory
condition, 3rd party imaging tool that created a backup image to
external media or different drive prior to the upgrade, Windows 8.1
included Backup/Restore System Image created on external
media/different drive prior to the upgrade, etc.)

I think the question on that would be, if you restore from image after
30 days, will your newly restored old OS be able to be activated now
that Microsoft already has that system as being upgraded to Win10? Since
it hasn't been 30 days since it was released, the jury seems to still be
out on that verdict :-)

The sheer presence of the GoBack feature and the ability to return to the
prior and activated o/s used to upgrade to 10 is the reassurance that the
reverting to the prior o/s will yield an activated prior o/s....i.e. if it
didn't then GoBack would not be included
(Think about it g) - it's really easy to deduce.

But you're still talking about being within the 30-day limit.


The 30 day limit and purging the files is central to a system status
changing over time..thus as time moves forward, the benefit to 'Go Back'
to o/s condition at the time of upgrade becomes less meaningful.

OK, now you're at day35 (hypothetically), and the GoBack feature is
disabled, and the old OS files have been purged, so now there is no going
back using the Win10 feature. What happens if NOW you decide you don't like
Win10, and wipe the HDD with an image you made of your drive with the old
OS? Are you going to have an activated version of Win8.1 (assuming that's
where I started), or am I going to have to pay for it again? Since I
couldn't go back using the Win10 feature, AFA Microsoft knows, the Win10
upgrade is still active from the upgrade from Win8.1, and now they're both
supposedly installed/active. Will Microsoft's license servers be able to
eventually tell that, or am I going to be stuck with an "illegal" copy of
Win8.1? Since I upgraded from Win8.1 to Win10, wouldn't that
invalidate/de-activate my Win8.1 license?


The ability to revert to a prior o/s with an activated license is
statistically independent of the Win10 upgrade and the license and device
footprint retained in the MSFT Store.

The jury won't even be seated...


--
SC Tom

On 8/9/2015 7:00 AM, Keith wrote:
Hello Paul,
Snip

All I can recommend is that before anyone go forward with an upgrade
to windows 10 is to clone the original drive. It's much easier and
straightforward than trying an image that may or may not restore. I
just removed my SSD upgraded to W10 and placed it with the original
W7 SSD and everything is as it was before I started. It couldn't be
simpler.

An image will restore, if you do it the right way.

With Macrium Reflect Free, you would

1) Install it on Windows.
2) Run it. Make a rescue CD, the WinPE flavored one.
Macrium 6 even shows a dialog listing the hardware
drivers included for the *custom* machine-specific CD.
3) Shut down Windows.
4) Boot the rescue CD you just made. Macrium still
has clone and image as options in the rescue CD
version. Everything useful you could do in Windows,
can be done from the CD.
5) Make an image of the internal hard drive, to the
external storage device. (So at this time, Windows
is not running, and the Rescue CD is your "OS".)
Doing so, proves you have the drivers necessary
at a future date, to connect the external drive
and do a restore operation.
6) If the rescue CD did not work for any reason,
now is the time to fix it. Before any damage is
done.
7) For bonus points, you can practice restoring to
one of your spare disks. As if your internal drive
had failed, and you were installing a new blank drive.
HTH,
Paul

So would replacing CD" with "memory stick" work?


If you run Macrium Reflect you will have the option to create image on
USB stick so I would say the answer would be yes.

To be sure I would take a test ride and see what happens. This is yet,
another reason I use clone. Much simpler, quicker and easy to test.

Roderick Stewart wrote:
On Sat, 8 Aug 2015 18:36:00 -0400, "SC Tom" wrote:

The inability to use the 'Go Back' feature does not preempt the ability to
use other restore type methods (Recovery disks provided by the OEM or
created by the user to return the device to factory condition, 3rd party
imaging tool that created a backup image to external media or different
drive prior to the upgrade, Windows 8.1 included Backup/Restore System
Image created on external media/different drive prior to the upgrade,
etc.)

I think the question on that would be, if you restore from image after 30
days, will your newly restored old OS be able to be activated now that
Microsoft already has that system as being upgraded to Win10? Since it
hasn't been 30 days since it was released, the jury seems to still be out on
that verdict :-)

My understanding is that the upgrade gets a new activation key.
As long as you re-activate the original operating system with its
original key, I don't see why it shouldn't work as before.

I would advise anyone considering upgrading to Windows 10 to make a
note of their existing activation key before they start. (Use
keyfinder. The product ID on the system screen is not the key).

This reasoning depends on logic of course. As we've seen, Microsoft
moves in mysterious ways, so time will tell. Hopefully somebody will
try it and report here, and then we'll know.

Rod.

Here's how it works.

1) Pay $149 or $249 at Newegg, you get the usual
software, a COA sticker, a *unique* key. This is why
there is still a key input box, with no "Skip" below
the box, for the Newegg full-price buyers.

2) Win7SP1 or Win8.1 "free upgrade" users, when they
do their upgrade install by executing setup.exe or
equivalent, they get a "generic OEM key". Every person
who has done the free upgrade, reports the same
25 character key value.

If you take your MagicalJellYBean software, extract that
key, walk over to another computer and attempt to clean
install a copy of Win10 using that key, the key doesn't work.

How is activation managed ? Your Win7SP1 qualifying key, plus a
hardware hash (effectively your NIC MAC address) are uploaded
to Microsoft. In return, Microsoft sends an activation record
of some sort, back to the PC doing the upgrade. Now, it's activated.

That entry on the Microsoft server, is your "key". Any time
a machine with your exact hardware hash calls on the Microsoft
server, that activation record will be consulted.

This effectively *locks* the upgrade OS to that specific machine.
Even if your original OS was "retail" and can be legally moved
from one PC to another, the Win10 activation record in particular,
only applies to that one PC. If you move Win7 retail to a
second PC, install the Win10 upgrade, my guess is it would
invalidate the original activation record (against that
Win7 key).

For simplicity, I recommend viewing it as an "OEM" kind of
OS installation. As it will give you some idea what you can
expect to work, or not work.

You can clean reinstall Win10 after Aug2016, on that same PC,
because the activation record is still present. And still good
for that PC full of hardware. After Aug2016, if you manage to
invalidate that activation record (somehow), there would be
no way to get another installation of "free" Win10. So you
would "Go To (1)" above. So if you want to keep your "free"
Win10 after Aug2016, consider how fragile the setup is.
Maybe you shove a new video card in the machine and something
nasty happens. We won't know the "bomb wiring" on that one,
until Aug2016 rolls around.

The guy in (1) has nothing to worry about. Except for
being $XXX poorer.

Nobody in this story, should be *emailing* keys around.
That's how these phishing scams get started, by spreading
rumors that Strooge McDuck is giving away Free Money.

HTH,
Paul

On Sun, 09 Aug 2015 04:14:19 -0400, ". . .winston"
wrote:

SC Tom wrote on 08/08/2015 6:36 PM:


". . .winston" wrote in message
...
Ed Cryer wrote on 08/08/2015 1:45 PM:
Keith wrote:
The Windows 10 icon on my task bar has gone through "Reserve" to, just
now "Get W10" and I get a report saying, basically,my laptop is
"Good to
go" and there is no Guest account in W10 (I don't use it so it's
irrelevant. But, another nugget appeared:

"Why did I see a notification that I won't be able to restore factory
settings?

You'll see this message if the manufacturer set up your PC to run
from a
compressed Windows image file and included an option to restore factory
settings. After the upgrade, you won’t be able to restore factory
settings, but other recovery options will be available."

I'm running on a small Sony Vaio, no DVD and I expect that (I've had to
use it once) "restore factory settings" runs from a compressed image
file.
Are the "other recovery options will be available." available?

I do use Macrium Reflect (free) to write image files to my NAS - will
they be usable after 'upgrading' to W10?



I had the same when I put Win10 on my tablet. The thing that you'll
appreciate is that it offers me a return to Win8.1.
The removal of "factory settings" is occasioned by space limitations on
the HD. It's rather like on Android phones where "factory settings"
doesn't mean what it says on the can (space limitations prevents them
including an image of the original set-up).

After installing Win10 you have a month to restore.
And the Macrium Reflect images will be utilisable. Make sure you have a
Macrium restore disc.

Ed

After installing Win10 you have a month to restore **using the 'Go
Back' Win10 included feature. After a month the 'Go Back' option will
not be available since Win10 will automatically purge the files it
retained for performing the 'Go Back'

The inability to use the 'Go Back' feature does not preempt the
ability to use other restore type methods (Recovery disks provided by
the OEM or created by the user to return the device to factory
condition, 3rd party imaging tool that created a backup image to
external media or different drive prior to the upgrade, Windows 8.1
included Backup/Restore System Image created on external
media/different drive prior to the upgrade, etc.)

I think the question on that would be, if you restore from image after
30 days, will your newly restored old OS be able to be activated now
that Microsoft already has that system as being upgraded to Win10? Since
it hasn't been 30 days since it was released, the jury seems to still be
out on that verdict :-)

The sheer presence of the GoBack feature and the ability to return to
the prior and activated o/s used to upgrade to 10 is the reassurance
that the reverting to the prior o/s will yield an activated prior
o/s....i.e. if it didn't then GoBack would not be included
(Think about it g) - it's really easy to deduce.

*During the 30 day period*, yes, it's really easy to deduce. ;-)

But the question was, what happens after that? What happens to the
qualifying license after windows.old is gone, using windows.old as the
marker for the end of the 30 day period. The answer to that question isn't
as easy to deduce, which is why the jury is out. We need to see the 30 day
period elapse to see what happens, since Microsoft hasn't said anything
meaningful on the topic.

The ability to revert to a prior o/s with an activated license is
statistically independent of the Win10 upgrade and the license and
device footprint retained in the MSFT Store.

Exactly, and since MS hasn't provided concrete guidance, we're in a wait and
see mode.