Even more confused RE retail license transfer

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OK More FUD for the fire, but I am not confident that WX retail license transfer is a given. A MS Support Engineer
doesn’t think so on July 29th!!:mad:

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-windows_install/how-do-i-transfer-windows-retail-license-after/6ee1dfe0-8adc-4cce-a46a-748963cf56d1?rtAction=1438237655029

Answer
Vardhaman S
Vardhaman S replied on

Microsoft
Support Engineer
Hi Peter,

Thank you for posting in Microsoft Community.
You can’t transfer Windows 10 to new computer. However you can create recovery disk and install Windows 10 on the same computer multiple times.
Hope this information helps.
Thank you.

And this

That’s not entirely true, I was told by MS a couple of days ago via their chat that if upgrading from a prior operating system that is allegeable for the free upgrade that is also a Retail Stand alone copy that it would be able to be transferred to a new system as long as you remove the old one first.

Their exact words was “once you upgrade as a retail copy then it’s good as a retail copy of windows 10” and that it was transferable as long as its removed from the previous device first.

I asked them twice to confirm this and they said yes.

That is why on the store page on your profile section you will see your devices where you can remove your existing PC from the list allowing you to install the retail copy onto the new system resulting in a new device being added to the list.

And I am assuming this is their new way to transfer the retail licence from one device to another.

They way I think it works is that when you do the first upgrade from either windows 7/8.1 to 10 it links to your MS account that you have a legit previous qualifying OS that you upgraded to 10 with and also stores the hardware ID that it created for that device.

Now that info is used when you do a clean install and when it goes to validate it sees the same device id matches what they have in their database, now if you now install windows 10 on a new device consisting a new mother board, the new generated hardware id would mismatch like you said, however MS have added a way to remove the previous device that you last installed windows 10 on and when you remove your last windows 10 device you can/should be able to activate on the new device.

:cheers:

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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I believe the latter is true, except that it’s not tied to your Microsoft Account (which would be tricky if you sold your Windows 10 upgraded computer).

But we can’t be certain until someone tries to move a Windows 10 upgraded from retail 7/8 to a new computer.

Until then, we can only believe the Windows 10 EULA which clearly says it’s allowed.

Microsoft are obviously as confused as anyone else; one MVP/moderator in that thread changed his mind twice.

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I believe the latter is true, except that it’s not tied to your Microsoft Account (which would be tricky if you sold your Windows 10 upgraded computer).

.

I am hoping that is the way it plays out, But I have my doubts.

But we can’t be certain until someone tries to move a Windows 10 upgraded from retail 7/8 to a new computer.

Well Bruce even then I would not be a believer until August 1 2016 w/o MS saying so in a straight forward statement, not some SW engineer or mvp on a blog.

Until then, we can only believe the Windows 10 EULA which clearly says it’s allowed.

That EULA never seem transparent to me.

Oh well as they say ‘Time will tell’ :cheers:

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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In all these discussions, I’ve never been able to see what difference the first year makes. Nothing changes at that point (except that upgrades may then cost money).

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I guess my question has been answered. :o:

From the Bradley column :

Long-term, portability is not part of the free version of Windows 10. When you install Win10, Microsoft’s activation servers create and store a unique ID based on the old key plus the hardware in your machine. The Win10 upgrade will stay tied to that upgraded system and your original Win7/8 key will no longer be valid. (You can roll back to Win7, but you’re not allowed to run both your original OS and Win10, say, in a virtual or dual-boot setup.)

In all these discussions, I’ve never been able to see what difference the first year makes. Nothing changes at that point (except that upgrades may then cost money).

From the Bradley column :

A Microsoft spokesperson stated: “After the first year, you would not be able to move the installation to a different device, as the upgrade is specific to your device, not your license or Windows account. After that first year, for devices not upgraded, you would have to purchase a copy of Windows 10 through the Microsoft Store or Microsoft retail partners.”

:cheers:

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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I guess my question has been answered. :o:

From the Bradley column :

From the Bradley column :

That was published days before your question and you’d commented on it.

The Microsoft spokesperson hadn’t read the License Terms. Have you?

The EULA doesn’t change after one year, nor does transferability.

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That was published days before your question and you’d commented on it.

The Microsoft spokesperson hadn’t read the License Terms. Have you?

The EULA doesn’t change after one year, nor does transferability.

I commented on it, my memory must be .. ah what was I saying..

Why does MS have a spokes person that does not know what he is talking about and why does it stand uncorrected AFAIK in Windows Secrets Newsletter?

I am reverting to my confused state

:cheers:

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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[bbearren]

I may be able to shed a little light on some of this confusion fairly soon. I’ve got parts ordered that should arrive this week, with the intentions of completely upgrading my Dell Inspiron 580 box (except for the PSU) with a new Intel DH87RL motherboard, Intel Core i5 4670 CPU, a Crucial MX200 250GB mSATA SSD, and a pair of Seagate NAS 3TB HDD’s for a RAID array. I’m aiming for a file server/NAS configuration when the dust settles (my Seagate GoFlex Home 3TB NAS is getting long in the tooth).

I’ll also be going from BIOS/MBR to UEFI/GPT, so the only things left over from the previous build will be the case, the PSU, the RAM and Windows 10 Pro. It will take me a few days after everything gets here before I can get it all together, due to all the usual household/family obligations. I’ll do my best to keep a detailed (with screen clips if possible) account of my progress and bring it all back here. I plan to migrate Windows 10 using Image For Windows, as I have always migrated an OS to a new build.

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

Computer Specs

• This reply was modified 4 years, 11 months ago by bbearren.

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[bbearren]

I may be able to shed a little light on some of this confusion fairly soon. I’ve got parts ordered that should arrive this week, with the intentions of completely upgrading my Dell Inspiron 580 box (except for the PSU) with a new Intel DH87RL motherboard, Intel Core i5 4670 CPU, a Crucial MX200 250GB mSATA SSD, and a pair of Seagate NAS 3TB HDD’s for a RAID array. I’m aiming for a file server/NAS configuration when the dust settles (my Seagate GoFlex Home 3TB NAS is getting long in the tooth).

I’ll also be going from BIOS/MBR to UEFI/GPT, so the only things left over from the previous build will be the case, the PSU, the RAM and Windows 10 Pro. It will take me a few days after everything gets here before I can get it all together, due to all the usual household/family obligations. I’ll do my best to keep a detailed (with screen clips if possible) account of my progress and bring it all back here. I plan to migrate Windows 10 using Image For Windows, as I have always migrated an OS to a new build.

Good luck with this venture Bruce! Looking forward to your findings.

Jerry

• This reply was modified 4 years, 11 months ago by bbearren.

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[bbearren]

Good luck with this venture Bruce! Looking forward to your findings.

Jerry

All the parts have arrived, and now I’m rethinking my configurations. My Thermaltake Urban S31 case has more drive bays and a larger PSU, which makes it a more logical choice for a NAS/file server. That rig also houses my 8.1/10 dual boot. I’m now considering migrating the dual boot to the Dell Inspiron 580 case, and migrating the 10 Pro installation in that case to the Thermaltake Urban S31 case. Either way, the 580 is getting a significant motherboard/CPU upgrade (two generations).

It’s a bit more involved, but a better starting point for the longer term future. Plus it will more fully test the portability of Retail Windows 10 with a two-way move. Gotta get all my ducks in a row, get this planned out as fully as I can, and hopefully get started on it this weekend. I’ll try to remember pictures and screen shots to document it all; the swapping around as well as setting up the RAID file server. It’s gonna be fun…

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

Computer Specs

• This reply was modified 4 years, 11 months ago by bbearren.

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(except that upgrades may then cost money).

Makes a dif to me!!

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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Lets see what Bruce (bbearren) finds.

Jerry

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[bbearren]

Lets see what Bruce (bbearren) finds.

Jerry

The first step was to create a full drive image of my SSD in the Dell Inspiron 580. This image is what I will migrate to the new mSATA SSD in my main desktop. Then I shut down the 580 and gutted it except for the PSU. I installed the Intel DH87RL motherboard, Core i5 4670 CPU and re-installed the 16GB RAM, took the dual boot SSHD drives from my main desktop and transplanted them into the 580. The EFI and MSR partitions for UEFI are already inplace on one of the SSHD’s.

I powered up and booted into Windows 8.1 Pro, and it was fine, and remained activated. I rebooted into Windows 10 Pro, and everything worked but it was no longer activated. Both sides could still receive and install Windows Updates. I gave it about 24 hours, but couldn’t get it to activate. Each new try got me “Error: 0xC004C003 The activation server determined the specified product key is blocked”. The blocked key it listed was the generic 10240 Product Key. Obviously it was the non-matching hardware hash that was blocking activation.

So today I used the Contact Support app > Services & apps > Windows > Setting up (Installation, settings, and activation), and started a chat with a support tech. I told him Windows 10 Pro had been activated and now it wasn’t activated, answered all his questions, including that I had upgraded from Windows 7 Ultimate SP1. He asked if I had that Product Key, and I said that I did not (I truly couldn’t find it—that was over 5 years and a house fire ago). He asked if he could take control of my PC and search the OS for the key and I agreed. He used some Microsoft diagnostic tools but the key was “Not available”. As an aside, my Office Product Key was also “Not available”. I could see what he was doing on my monitor, and man, he was quick!

He asked if he could call me, and I gave him my cell number, but for some reason (?) it kept going to voicemail. It didn’t ring on my end, but he was getting a voicemail prompt. He then said that he could provide me with a Windows 10 Pro Product Key, which would deactivate my Windows 7 Ultimate key, and I agreed (same as the license agreement). He went back through Settings > Activation > Change key, put in the new key, and Windows activated. Next he created a new text document on my desktop with notepad to give me a copy of the new Windows 10 Pro Product Key.

Finally, he sent me an email with a reference number, and told me that if at any time in the future I had further difficulties, just reply to his email, leave a callback number and a convenient time to call. I rated the experience satisfied, with 5 stars for the support and 5 stars for the tech.

The Product ID in System Properties does not show OEM, same as before; all groups are digits. So yes, I did migrate Retail Windows 10 Pro from one machine to another machine, and all in all, it was rather painless.

I’ve hit a snag with the other part of my project; the new mSATA SSD is bad out of the box, so I’ll have to get an RMA and a replacement. I’ll set up my file server with the original SSD from the 580, then migrate to the mSATA whenever the replacement arrives. The 2.5″ SSD will eventually wind up in my Latitude D800 to give it a bit of a boost. That’s the laptop I use to dual boot XP/7.

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

Computer Specs

• This reply was modified 4 years, 11 months ago by bbearren.

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@ bbearren – Nice to know this. I upgraded W7 Home Retail to win 10 and will probably upgrade MB, Processor etc. soon.

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[bbearren]

I know this is an old thread, but I have some more evidence that Retail Windows 10 is portable, even though the licensing is tied to the machine, and not the Product Key as in days of old.

The fore-mentioned issues I had in setting up my NAS eventually led to the realization that I had a bad motherboard (which was also out of warranty). I replaced the Intel DH87MC with a DH87RL, and got a 120GB Intel mSATA SSD for my OS drive. I got my drive image from my SATA SSD restored to the mSATA SSD, and Windows 10 build 10532 de-activated itself, not totally unexpected.

This gets long-winded, and I apologize, but there’s a moral(?) to my story. In each of the chat sessions I’ll describe, I explained that in this particular instance I had upgraded to Windows 10 over Windows 7 Professional SP1 that had been upgraded through Windows Anytime Upgrade to Ultimate, and was able to give each of the Answer Techs the WAU Upgrade Key (I still have the email receipt from Microsoft).

I got into an online chat with a Support Answer Tech, who told me that they couldn’t activate Insider Preview builds, and that I would have to revert to my previous Windows installation. I had already tried that before I decided to make the changes and it had failed for unspecified reasons, and Windows had backed out. It is a beta build, after all. I told the Answer Tech this, and his response was that I would need to do a clean install of the release build, 10240. I said that I had doubts that a clean install would activate under the circumstances, but that was his only answer.

I ran the clean install, and of course, it wouldn’t activate. I got into another chat with another Answer Tech and brought him up to speed (I thought) on where I stood, and he said to do a clean install. I explained again that I had just done that, and it would not activate. He abruptly ended the chat session. I opened another chat session with another Answer Tech, and we ambled around the problem with more of me repeating myself, and she finally said that they were no longer able to activate Windows 10, and apologized. So that chat ended.

I initiated yet another chat session with yet another Answer Tech, and explained my predicament. She asked if she could take over my computer. I agreed, and she elevated the Remote Assistance to System level, then began to poke around in all the right places. The first thing she did was open an elevated Command Prompt and run slmgr -dlv, which showed that the OS was Retail channel. She poked around in several other places, and finally asked me for my Upgrade Product key, which I gave her. She poked around some more, then asked if she could please have my full name.

I typed in my full name, and she was gone for a good couple of minutes, chat session still open and Remote Assistance still open. When she came back, she opened System Properties, clicked Change Product Key, pasted in a Product Key, clicked on Activate Windows, and it activated. She then got back on the chat session and told me that she had generated a new Product Key for me. I thanked her very much and told her how much I appreciated all that she had done for me.

So my NAS is now running Windows 10 build 10240, licensed and activated in another different hardware configuration. And I guess the moral of this story is that just because an Answer Tech gives you an answer doesn’t mean that it’s the right answer, so don’t give up. Some of them actually know what they’re doing. I’ve come across two recently who did, and a couple who didn’t seem to have a clue.

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

Computer Specs

• This reply was modified 4 years, 11 months ago by bbearren.

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Too bad there is not a telephone tree w/ the option to get a tech that actually knows what the heck they are doing. I am thinking about moving my TP W10 (not upgraded from a previous OS) to my old PC. I will update as appropriate.

:cheers:

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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Well after having read this thread
http://windowssecrets.com/forums/showthread//172067-Upgrade-to-10-Retail-vs-OEM-licences

I still have no confidence as to what is what.

Or why it is marked as closed….
:cheers:

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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Well after having read this thread
http://windowssecrets.com/forums/showthread//172067-Upgrade-to-10-Retail-vs-OEM-licences

I still have no confidence as to what is what.

Or why it is marked as closed….

OP marked it SOLVED after reading EULA.

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Still missing from this new Activation in Windows 10 site are any details about the ability to transfer licenses from one device to another.

http://winsupersite.com/windows-10/microsoft-finally-publishes-windows-10-activation-information

Looks like I am not the only one. Planning on using my old box for exploring W10 with TP SSD from new box I will post my results.

:cheers:

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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My results after a hours (ok it just seemed like that, maybe 1/2) w/ MS knucklehead support and a few on the web I have come to conclusion that W10 TP is not transferable to another computer. I was hoping now that I have my new box going strong (yup I started last year :p) I could just reactivate on another computer so I could get down and dirty w/W10 on my secondary box. No Joy and I do not think I can activate another TP fresh install on the old secondary box. I must upgrade the TP on the new box before it blacks out(no boot).

And I REALLY hate Edge. What a poc.

:cheers:

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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Ok update on update! I did get 10565, but still no luck activating my moved clean TP install.

:cheers:

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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Moved the SSD back to the original box and after a few hours it was activated again.
I am thinking that a TP version can mot be activated if I install on the box I want to use it on, any info to the contrary? Same question for a VM on the original box?:confused:

:cheers:

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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