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People Are Obtaining Windows 7 Licenses For the Free Windows 10 Upgrade
jones_supa writes: Windows 7 has quickly started increasing its market share of desktop operating systems, nearing 61%. If you're wondering why this is happening when Windows 10 is almost here, the reason is this: Windows 10 will be available as a free upgrade for those running Windows 7 and 8, and the new OS will have the exact same hardware requirements as its predecessor, so the majority of PCs should be able to run it just as well. Because Windows 7 was launched in 2009, a license is more affordable than for Windows 8, so many users are switching to this version to take advantage of the Windows 10 free upgrade offer.
Used to be 7th post.
Nice theory, but it's not 'the reason' unless it is proven to be. What about the people replacing XP or Vista? And the disappointed 8.x users switching to 7?
Part of this approach is simply that the offer allows people that are considering new hardware to go ahead and do it, and not wait for W10. In the past, many would hold off as a new OS was on the horizon. So its not necessarily all about saving $$.
I am sick of seeing these 'one simple|weird trick' spams everywhere
This posting is provided 'AS IS' without warranty of any kind, implied or otherwise.
Alternatively, people have seen that Windows 10 is just as bad as Windows 8 and are hurrying to buy Windows 7 licenses as the only decent version of Windows with a reasonably long remaining support window...
----------------------------------- My Other Sig Is Hilarious -----------------------------------
Wow, this article really pulls a conclusion out of its butt. They look at some vague web statistics, notice that Windows 7 has gone up a tad - likely due to seasonal usage differences or many other things - and then draw a wild conclusion that people are using it to get Windows 10?!
I can only speak for myself, but I bought a Windows 7 license at least partly because I would be able to upgrade it to a Windows 10 license... and partly because I feared that Microsoft would raise the prices or make them unavailable when Windows 10 came out. So a little from column A, a little from column B. Why are you surprised?
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Let's apply Occam's Razor:
People are buying Windows 7 instead of Windows 8 because the former is cheaper and most people seem to prefer it.
Sure, they get Windows 10 as well. Woohoo. If it's unusable for the first year, their fallback OS isn't Windows 8.
Many Linux distributions are totally fine booting on a computer with activated secure boot, using a boot loader that was signed by Microsoft.
Do you have any source for your claim that that will not work anymore? Otherwise I call FUD.
They were spreading the same crap about Windows 8 machines. I haven't found a machine yet that I can't install Linux onto.
And there is always Macs - although running a Unix-like OS on a machine that is also Unix-like might be something for the department of redundancy department.
The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
People could just as easily be wanting anything "not windows 8" but can't wait to buy a computer until windows 10 is released. That would mean Windows 7 or some other OS. Inertia means Windows 7.
then draw a wild conclusion that people are using it to get Windows 10?!
I recently helped a local nonprofit upgrade to Win7 for exactly that reason.
Yes, I can think of plenty of other reasons for people to pick up a Win7 license (as the most obvious, "I just got a new laptop with Win8, help!"), but the average retail customer will realistically just use whatever the computer comes with, and keep it for the life of the machine.
If, therefore, we see an uptick in sales of an OS you can't even easily get on a new machine anymore (yes, we geeks can still get it, but Granny, not so much) - That means something.
Because Windows 7 was launched in 2009, a license is more affordable than for Windows 8
Where can I find it cheaper? Just checked on Newegg for Win7 pricing and it is the SAME as Win 8.1. 6 year old OS .... smh..
You're messin' with my Zen Thing, man.....
Indeed -- if I had to buy some version of Windows today, I'd buy Windows 7. It works, and the UI is pretty reasonable. XP is old and no longer supported. 8 is ugly and I don't want to learn a new UI. I would make the same decision regardless of whether I was planning to upgrade at some future date.
No. I think they are doing what I'm doing and buying Win7 for people's PCs because they want people to have Win7 to give them a desktop instead of a block puzzle with hidden offscreen controls.
I haven't yet found one that I can. I've asked several people who claim that there is no problem, how do I get into UEFI setup, to turn it off (or add my own keys)? The thing is, while Microsoft turned around and added a requirement to be able to turn UEFI off (originally, they weren't going to), they also made a requirement that to boot faster, it was not allowed to let people press a key to enter setup.
Hold the key down before powering on (and keep it held for a second or two after). On a Toshiba the key is F2, and it will definitely get you into the setup. On other brands you could try ESC, Del, F1, F2, F4, F10 or F12. Microsoft seems to think that you can access your BIOS settings with a keystroke. Have a look at their instructions on how to Disable Secure Boot:
Also, if Windows fails to boot 3 times in a row it will enter the boot menu, from which you can access the BIOS. Try booting, then turning it off three times. I had to do that once when I had a hardware fault once.
And no, the signed Microsoft Linux that some distros use for setup is not a valid option either.
Or you could use a distro with a Microsoft signature. Good suggestion. Oh, except for some reason you don't want to run Linux.
What you heard is wrong, Microsoft has said time and again that the 7/8 to 10 upgrade is NOT a subscription. After upgrading you will be able to do a full clean install directly to Windows 10 if you want to.
You are also able to preorder full OEM versions of Windows 10 right now on Newegg.
If you join the Windows Insider program (insider.windows.com) and install the Windows 10 Preview, your preview copy will be updated to the full thing when the GM is released. http://www.redmondpie.com/get-...
Perl - $Just @when->$you ${thought} s/yn/tax/ &couldn\'t %get $worse;
I have been reading all the signals from Microsoft (free upgrade, last version, free for life) as them moving to: a subscription model, a hardware tie in model, or both. While I recognize I could be wrong, this has lead me to telling people to cling to their Windows 7 licenses. Get them before they are gone. Just in case!
I will not mourn that which I never had to lose. - Unknown
They were spreading the same crap about Windows 8 machines. I haven't found a machine yet that I can't install Linux onto.
Surface 2 requires a signed bootloader so that limits your abilities quite a bit, but as for spreading crap there's a bit more info that needs to be considered:
Microsoft's certification for OEMs have the following requirements:
Windows RT: Secure Boot enabled.
Windows 8: Secure Boot optional. If Secure Boot is shipped it MUST be user selectable in the BIOS. If Secure Boot is shipped it must be enabled by default.
Windows 10: Secure Boot required and must be enabled by default. Wording about Secure Boot being user selectable has been removed!
That last part is the key. Only a few idiots were spreading FUD about Windows 8 and secure boot. But with Windows 10 the FUD now suddenly leaves you at the mercy of any OEM.