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PSA: Windows 10 Is Still Free For Those Who Use Assistive Technologies (theregister.co.uk)
BarbaraHudson writes: When is a deadline not a deadline? The Register is reporting that the Windows 10 upgrade is still free for 7/8.1 users. [Microsoft] had previously said that those who use assistive technologies would continue to be eligible after the July 29th deadline had passed, and I pointed out in a story last month that Microsoft hadn't figured out yet how they would be able to tell who would be eligible. Looks like they never did figure that one out. [The Register reports:] "Microsoft's year-long Windows 10 free upgrade offer ended over the weekend, but it's still possible to secure Redmond's finest -- even the new Anniversary Update -- for the low low price of 0.00 in whatever currency you prefer. The free upgrade is reserved for those who use assistive technologies, the many features that magnify text, offer text-to-speech or otherwise assist those who don't see or hear with the perfect acuity. But The Register browsed the site and found no checks before downloading. It looks like it's open to anyone."
Ever think about keeping your mouth shut?
Now they're going to close the tap for sure...
“He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
For those who can't find the link, it's beside the title.
Also, I still haven't "upgraded" ...
"Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
If you didn't accept Microsoft's many attempts to install Windows 10 and didn't fall for the tricks, why would you willingly install it now? Why would you open yourself up to the advertising and spying? That's like building a wall around your country's border and then willingly allowing Muslims to enter. It just doesn't make any sense.
They're not trying very hard to make people pay for windows 10. From the free versions for OEMs making tablets to the insider program open to the public to the arrrrr me matey win 7 keys flipping into valid installs to this. When you think about it windows is still the only mainstream OS that costs money. OSX, *nix, Android, IOS are all free to the owners of the hardware. It's almost like microsoft wants to make windows free but the shareholders or someone higher up (bill gates maybe?) is against it happening across the board.
This. Between tablets, laptops, and my desktop, not a single one of my Windows machines was allowed to upgrade. I think Microsoft is embarrassed by 10 which is why they're only allowing a tiny portion of systems to upgrade.
On the fence about what? I just cloned my HDD, did the downgrade to Windows 10, did the rollback, wiped the drive, then put the original back in.
If Windows 10 ever becomes critical to run a game I care about or it becomes less of a train wreck, then I can still reinstall for free at that time.
You are comparing a software company with hardware companies and asking why there are differences.
I tried twice to upgrade. Once when it first came out and again last month. Both times the upgrade failed after about an hour of waiting and put me back in Windows 8.1
It's called the RedHat model. You give away Fedora and let the world beta test. Then you take the most stable bits and sell it at high price as the Enterprise version.
Note how they (Microsoft) are taking out some Pro features and making them available only in Enterprise?
going to test the older installer with a 7 key clean install.
Yeah, my "assistive technology" consists of a 32 inch, 1080 TV and a cell phone running VNC viewer, both not commonly considered assistive technology.
it's still possible to secure Redmond's finest for the low low price of 0.00 in whatever currency you prefer
Nice! So, free Xenix then? I didn't even know they were still supporting that any more.
OSX & IOS are not free to owners of just any hardware, they're used to sell the underlying hardware.
Android is the closest comparison to the new direction Microsoft appear to be taking, using market dominance to profit off user data.
Their motivation has changed. They still want Enterprise to pay for it, but they want consumers to use it, thereby subjecting themselves to telemetry, data mining, and OS-level advertising. MS has decided that consumer data is worth more than consumer money. They're obsessed with users as a commodity now; that's why they bought Skype and LinkedIn. They don't care about those services, they want the users.
The Win10 deadline came and went as almost everyone suspected, and with this change in consumer strategy they have zero incentive to raise the "price". I expect them to start moving up the non-enterprise end of life dates on previous versions instead. Win7 support ends in 2020? Not so fast, it's 2018. If you miss that deadline, pay $119 for the "safety and security" of Win10.
Of those the only hardware company there is apple and I doubt IOS and OSX are paid off by the hardware. It would be the app stores that come with the OS that generate them more money. microsoft is the odd one out here where they should be pushing the app store out to as many windows users as possible but they still put up that barrier with a OS that officially still costs money.
That makes sense by upselling but the 'crap' versions of windows still cost money.
Installers with clean 7 keys never worked. You need to install 7, then perform an upgrade to migrate the key.
And I care why? Why is everything Microsoft does covered on Slashdot lately?
They are an EVIL company. The Windows 10 "upgrade" is a nightmare.
After all they benefit from private users doing the update, more uptake of windows 10. Businesses will not legally be able to do this. If they want 10 they will have t, either, fork the update price or buy new equipment.
not the 1st installer but the 2th one does.
Then wipe and install 10 again with no key, then activate. The PC's reservation will stick and the online activation will work. (And yes, this officially sanctioned if that matters to you.)
Just don't change any hardware between the wipe and reinstall of 10.
Lol. You again.
Attention. Attention. It has been reported that Microsoft is still at large and has been spotted as recently as today, in your home town. If you encounter this dangerous company, do not attempt to install their software. Repeat: Do NOT attempt to install their software! Victims have reportedly found their computers crammed full of spyware, and their dogs pregnant.
This has been a public service announcement.
Pretty much essential for one-handed typing, IYKWIM.
(Just hypothetically, obviously. The day Win 10 worms its way onto a machine of mine is the day that that machine gets a brand new, permanent Mint installation. Already happened once.)
Are you fucking serious? Them telling me I need to upgrade has been a bane. (Luckily I've avoided any sort of forced upgrade)
Why was this voted down when it is true? Microsoft does not allow most versions of Windows to upgrade, and they also do not allow the Enterprise edition to upgrade.
Users are finding assistive technologies are being turned on automatically in older versions of Windows.
> They're not trying very hard to make people pay for windows 10.
They are considering most versions of Windows are excluded from the upgrade. Even if you're running 7 or 8, which are the only versions they allow to upgrade, you have to be running a specific edition to be allowed to upgrade. They're so embarrassed by Windows 10, that they're preventing the vast majority of us from upgrading. They don't want us to upgrade.
they want people to use the appstore. they want that %%%% cash.
what most people miss is that trying to figure out how to make people use the store and monitoring how much people user the store and what mouse click the interaction flow with the store stops is the reason for 98% of the tracking in win10. they think that tracking will provide them with some secret super insight into why people aren't using the windows appstore.
enterprise they want to shell up a monthly cost. and to still use the store and store apps. you cannot disable the store appx applications entirely without breaking some core windows functionality. functionality like uh, the start bar, wifi selector, settings.
I feel bad for the sysadmins trying to configure win10 to be secure only to have everything washed out by every goddamn windows install and by how broken the group policy stuff in windows 10 actually is. it doesn't really matter that they're disabling some of it for widows 10 pro because it is so much broken you might just as well not bother with it. sure, disable one driver from the group policy. it's still going to be on the quick access links anyways. uninstall it. it's still going to get installed next time you update. and if it can't install onedrive again then the update will fail.
they changed that after xmas or about so.
just install 10 from any medium and use pretty much any win 7 key. they changed needing to do the upgrade digital entitlement hoop jumping.
just take a fresh install, take a fresh 7/8/8.1 from your msdn. install 10, put in the key.
They're not trying very hard to make people pay for windows 10.
Yes they are considering most versions of Windows and some editions of any version of Windows are not allowed the free upgrade. They're excluding their oldest customers and their best (well, the ones that spend the most) from upgrading. Apparently Windows 10 is so bad that they're embarrassed by it so they don't want us to see just how bad it is. I have six computers running Windows between work and home, and not a one of them is eligible for the free upgrade to 10.
This. They are deliberately excluding their oldest and best customers from upgrading. I run Vista 64-bit at home with 32 GB of RAM, and they have excluded me from the upgrade.
At my company we had to run older versions of MSIE until recently so we had to run Vista. They do not allow us to upgrade to 10.
Considering all the trouble I went to in order to ENSURE that W10 didn't infect my 'doze box, this news is .... unhelpful.
Now, if I can get WoT working under Linux and a video editor that doesn't make me want to scream and can afford, I'd be done with Microsoft.
(Yes, I know about OpenShot. No, I don't want to change to it. Remember I said I didn't want to scream?)
Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves.
In many parks, one can find evidence that dogs have been at large. Even though their leavings are available free of charge, I have no desire to take any home and put it on my computer.
I've calculated my velocity with such exquisite precision that I have no idea where I am.
I have six computers running Windows between work and home, and not a one of them is eligible for the free upgrade to 10.
I've got five home computers, and not a one qualifies for the Windows 10 upgrade. Microsoft must be very ashamed of 10 in order to prevent so many people from upgrading.
The Win10 deadline came and went as almost everyone suspected, and with this change in consumer strategy they have zero incentive to raise the "price". I expect them to start moving up the non-enterprise end of life dates on previous versions instead. Win7 support ends in 2020? Not so fast, it's 2018. If you miss that deadline, pay $119 for the "safety and security" of Win10.
I'm sure we could get more unwanted nagware or telemetry "features" on Win7, but they've never messed with already promised support deadlines. That would make all their corporate/enterprise customers question the validity of their support guarantees, it'd be shooting themselves in the foot in a major way. And I really doubt Microsoft will try to collect money on upgrades, sure they had to put a deadline and try to scare people into upgrading now rather than later but I'm sure there will be loopholes and new rounds to "encourage" people to upgrade. Feels good to get a $119 upgrade for free if you're smart, right? Setting a ridiculously high sticker price and slashing it is the oldest salesman trick in the book.
Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
Its because you have a weak ass cpu. Dual cores wont be any good with win10...
They're not trying very hard to make people pay for windows 10.
Bullshit. The vast majority of Windows versions and several editions of even the newest versions of Windows are not allowed to upgrade to 10. At the computer store where I work, probably 70% of our customers are not allowed to upgrade to Windows 10. The two models of Dell laptops that are our best sellers aren't allowed to upgrade because even though there's a display driver for Windows 10, the upgrade process for it fails so you can't upgrade. Microsoft has shown that they don't want their customers to run 10.
>> Windows 10 Is Still Free For Those Who Use Assistive Technologies
Windows is an assistive Technology
aaaaaaa
This. There's a reason Microsoft is blocking their oldest and best customers from upgrading. They're embarrassed by 10.
It's called the RedHat model. You give away Fedora and let the world beta test. Then you take the most stable bits and sell it at high price as the Enterprise version. Note how they (Microsoft) are taking out some Pro features and making them available only in Enterprise?
You obviously have no idea how Redhat works.
I suggest you go to Rehat's site and find out. At least they are quite open about their products and there are no hidden costs.
Hooray I called it!
https://news.slashdot.org/comm...
Ok, it wasn't particularly difficult to call, being that Microsoft told us pretty much every single thing ahead of time, per my link in that thread.
I wonder what mandatory updates will have in store for the Windows boxes? One thing we know for sure is, someone will post a massive shell script that invokes binaries, diddlefucks services, and uses some third party tool to mitigate the impact to all the xbox OS PCs, and somehow that will be ok, because Windows users will put up with anything :/
I dunno man, at least the dog poo doesn't autoinstall yet more dog poop.
They are slowly breaking Windows 7 to "encourage" people to upgrade. New security patches seem to get barely an testing and often cripple performance of the thing they are fixing. Network performance in particular has taken a massive hit over the last year or two. 30 second delays opening network drives, incredibly slow VPNs. A fresh install of SP1 is fine, but after you install the hundreds of megs of updates...
I'm worried 8.1 will go the same way. With a bit of luck the EU will force them to produce a good version of 10 without the spyware and some control over updates.
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
it probably succeeded installing the spyware anyway
The real question: Will the lock screen for the visually impaired end up containing text to speech ads?
Even if you pay for a Win10 license, you still get the Start menu ads, forced telemetry etc. I could kinda understand why when Win10 was for free, but how do they justify showing ads and not being able to disable Windows Store etc. when the user is on a payed for licenses?
OK, I understand that you dislike metric, but using Imperial (7/8) together with metric (8.1) is just plain silly.
Use either one or the other!
Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
Ha ha ha cripples ha ha ha spazzes ha ha ha mongs ha ha ha
Both a clean install and an update still work and give you a good key!
Yeah, my "assistive technology" consists of a 32 inch, 1080 TV and a cell phone running VNC viewer, both not commonly considered assistive technology.
Lucky you. I can't even follow a hockey puck when standing a couple of feet from my 50" tv. Good thing I'm not a hockey fan.
"Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
I just love my copy of Windows NT service pack 23. It's the ginchiest! ... better? This isn't better. This is slightly different looking.
Seriously, just stop with the upgrade crap. MS is just patching holes, replacing standard packages, and rearranging the UI. Nothing more. An upgrade would be, I don't know, something
I have it running on a new laptop and an old(er) gaming PC as well as an older (Win 8.1) laptop. The new laptop with 3.2 Ghz quad core and the six core gaming PC run like champs, but the older 2.6 Ghz dual core Win 8.1 laptop is garbage. Multiple wipes and reinstalls don't change anything. WIn 10 is just too damned bloated.
Windows 10 is *NOT* free. You have to give up your privacy and control of your personal computer to Microsoft.
Just because something doesn't cost money does not make it free !
They can't shorten thise dates without incurring a lawsuit. For Windows 7 and Windows 8 they were established when the product was sold. If they tried to cut support off early they'd be in breach of contract.
That is a lot of RAM for a Vista install. I had 4 Gigs which was far more than enough back then. I was thinking you meant 32 Megabytes, but that is very small for the time as most work stations of that period had 1 or 2 gigs of RAM.
Back then with that type of setup, why didn't you use Windows Server 2003 or 2008?
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
I have a service dog and he does his job well, Trained him leash-less at a local park we went to daily.
Three leash laws here, he falls into the 3rd, no leash if he comes to you on demand, there is no concern there.
Been a service to me from the from the start (not having to bury him). I saw no way preventing him having to sit in a hot car (90-105 F) for sometimes the entire day. Not abusing the system as he shows how useful one can be (Have the papers saying yep it's true), and I don't have to bump into walls or sing silly songs.
Bit of his age hidden http://i64.tinypic.com/24uzqqb.jpg and just before I started hearing "he's the prettiest dog I've ever seen" more than a few times, I tell all he's a Healer (right ear,) (the tail) claims Akita, he's a mutt.
Keep your Win10, no, no I insist!
-trax3001bbs
This gives Microsoft a PR boost for sacrificing profits for the sake of users in need while taking steam out of piracy by giving a free upgrade to users who are realistically not going to pay. Someone in MS business department more than earned their salary.
REDMOND -- In what is sure to be judged by future historians to be a 'dick move' by Microsoft Corporation, the mega-corps' plans to fool, trick, and otherwise swindle the disabled into 'upgrading' to Windows 10 was revealed. "They don't know any better and generally don't have the mental awareness to realize the consequences of their actions.", says Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, speaking from his command and control lair located under Mt. St. Helens, "They're prime candidates to become part of the ever-growing Microsoft bot-net and data collection platform program, so we here at Microsoft are more than happy to give them a 'free' upgrade, muah ha ha ha!".
Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
I worked on a project that required running three different versions of VisualStudio in order to build, so we needed lots of RAM. I ran 2003 until we had a few problems related to the installer with customers on Vista, so we upgraded a few of the dev machines to catch problems earlier. Vista has worked pretty well for us, and still does. Your "1 or 2 gigs of RAM" is exactly why most people had problems with it. That just isn't enough.
Every front page has some shit about their fucking garbage. Can you actually discuss tech beyond the fucking spyware that comes on new computers? It is only there because of backroom monopolistic deals. The spyware is there because of the antitrust lawsuit that was settled and then everybody got quiet. The US government threatened to split Microsoft into two companies, instead of doing that, Microsoft agreed to include any and every spyware the US government demanded. Once the US's foot was in the door, it is kind of hard to just say no.
For Slashdot to pitch their piece of shit 1993 NTFS filesystem SPYWARE every fucking day on here is a huge fuck you.
You're delusional. Vista wasn't even available for the $14.99 upgrade to Windows 8. Your complaint is a full generation late.
How you think an old Vista user is a "best" customer is beyond me.
Bullshit.
Near everything can be upgraded. From cheap 2006 net books to Windows bing made cheap chinese computers and tablets.
You're incompetent.
So why did it fail?
The only time i've encountered a rollback was when my cpu didn't fully support 64 bit. Installed 32 bit and worked.
Seriously, if it rolled back, there's a problem with your shit and you should Google the error codes or else you have no business supporting PC'S.