Windows 10 Announced - Released 29-Jul-2015

Discussion in 'other software & services' started by ronjor, Sep 30, 2014.

  1. itman

    itman Registered Member

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    If you read through this Dell posting: https://www.dell.com/community/XPS/Windows-10-Upgrade-from-W7/td-p/6228376 , it is a "mixed bag" as to whether Win 10 will activate. A common theme in these postings is as long as one activated Win 10 prior to the one year expiration period, one should not have an issue doing so now. I would say more so if its a Win 10 Home version. Since you upgraded to a Win 10 Pro version, that might be a factor. I would contact Microsoft on the activation issue or try reactivating again. There were recent issues with Win Updating that appear to be resolved. This also could have affected the activation servers.
     
  2. Chuck57

    Chuck57 Registered Member

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    I didn't upgrade to Win 10 Pro. I had 8.1 Pro on the machine. I downloaded the upgrade media software from MS and it downloaded the Pro version.

    I'm starting to think, after doing a lot of reading, that I should have waited a bit longer and just kept trying to activate. Hate the thought of going through another hour of download and install, then another couple or three hours of downloading and installing software, but it might be the only solution. I can still go back to 8.1 Pro for a couple of more days, or just Macrium myself back.
     
  3. EASTER

    EASTER Registered Member

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    I keep Windows 10 on (2) laptops that are never updated or for that matter will never be connected live to the internet and are used only for Video- and other Film editing with it tied in via HDMI to a large flat screen.

    Windows 8.1 is just proven too well such a secure, stable, and much more reliable source production O/S for live internet use in comparison and no headaches and lost time tinkering with Windows 10 issues or spending countless other hours examining the thing just to find all the hidden feelers they stuffed in it.

    Happy 8.1 camper here :)
     
  4. ronjor

    ronjor Global Moderator

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  5. Chuck57

    Chuck57 Registered Member

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    Easter, this is my 3rd shot at Win 10, and I do like it now. In the week I've had it on board, it's been fast and stable. Everything is faster. I think upgrading and keeping my files and removing everything else helped a lot. I've got most of my needed software back and 10 Pro is still running fast.

    But, being Microsoft and it being Windows, there had to be a screw-up somewhere and refusing to activate is the problem this time. I've got 3 days left to decide what to do. Actually, I've got a long time if I choose to Macrium myself back to 8.1. I've got 2 good images. And maybe try again.
     
  6. EASTER

    EASTER Registered Member

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    I do wish you @Chuck57 and everyone else who has determined themselves to this O/S as much success as can come of it.

    This camp simply had enough of the new Microsoft (take-it-or-leave-it) policy and/or serving as beta testers to a product they had plenty of time enough in which to roll out a useful completed (not depleted) product.

    Contrary to the accepted norms, and current resignation to it mentioned as fact (Win 10), of this series being the last, we all know how matters can change on a dime. I suspect a Windows 11 will eventually surface in an announcement at some point and perhaps by then some real confidence can go into turning serious attention to a true upgrade in this product series.
     
  7. roger_m

    roger_m Registered Member

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    Is there a product key under the battery? Any computer shipped with Windows 7 should include the COA sticker. It wasn't until Windows 8 that computer started being shipped with no product keys. There will be information in the BIOS which indicates that your computer has a Windows 7 license. This allwos you do to OEM activation of Windows 7, and doing so does not require a product key. Despite this, HP should have included a Windows 7 COA sticker, and if it is missing, you should contact them, as it's not a geniune Windows 7 license without it.
     
  8. Chuck57

    Chuck57 Registered Member

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    Nope, the key is embedded in the UEFI. None on the machine. Hewlett Packard has been doing this for years. This laptop was purchased from HP around early 2015 or late 2014. It came with Win 7 Pro and a DVD upgrade to Win 8.1 Pro.

    I contacted them online and that's the info I got, after opening up the couple of places I could and checking. There's no way to access the key in BIOS, but I was told Win 10 ought to read the key UNLESS Win 10 has stopped activating Win 10 installs now that the freebie time has passed.
     
  9. roger_m

    roger_m Registered Member

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    With Windows 7 there is no key in the UEFI (but there can be on Windows 8 systems). It uses SLIC 2.1. Computers with SLIC 2.1 in the BIOS can be activated using OEM activation, where no product key is required. This provided an easy way for manufacuters to activate Windows, without the hassle of having to enter a product key on every machine.

    OEM activation can be used to activate Windows 7 on any computer with SLIC 2.1. But, it is only legal to do so if the computer has a COA sticker. As an example, some computers were originally shipped with Vista, but after the release of Windows 7, they shipped with it instead. In some cases, BIOS updates released after they started shipping Windows 7, include SLIC 2.1 instead of SLIC 2.0 which is only used for Vista. Now if you were to update the BIOS to the newer version, since it now includes SLIC 2.1, you could use OEM activation to activate it. However, without a COA, that is not legal, as the computer does not have an actual license for Windows 7.

    Since your computer did not come with a Windows 7 product key, when it was meant to, you should ask HP to provide one. The fact that it has a license for Windows 8 in the BIOS is completely unrelated to Windows 7.
     
  10. Chuck57

    Chuck57 Registered Member

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    Found the product key using a program called RWeverything. It's free and looks like it can find just about everything related to most computers.
    http://rweverything.com

    I don't know if my Win 7 Pro license will work plugging it in to the change product key. I tried and still get the same problem I get with troubleshooting to activate. Something prevented us from connecting with our activation servers thing that I've been getting for the past many days. Inability to connect to the activation servers seems to be an ongoing problem for the past few weeks, from what I'm finding.

    So, I'll just keep trying to activate. Strange that it says I'm not activated but the desktop warning in the right corner telling me to activate isn't there today.

    No idea about SLIC 2.0 or 2.1. All I know is this laptop came from HP with Win 7 Pro and no sticker. It upgraded to and activated 8.1 Pro, and it activated Win 10 Pro twice previously, and it won't this time. I'm starting to think the culprit is MS activation servers.
     
    Last edited: Feb 13, 2019
  11. roger_m

    roger_m Registered Member

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    You can find the Windows 8 product key with that, but not Windows 7 as there is no product key stored in the BIOS.
    While it doesn't matter if you're not using Windows 7, as windows 10 can be activated with your Windows 8 key, it should have come with a product key.

    Perhaps you should try talking to Microsoft. This is a link to chat to them, which I saw posted in a thread at Microsoft about someone having similar issues to you.
    https://partner.support.services.microsoft.com/en-us/contactus/
     
  12. Chuck57

    Chuck57 Registered Member

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    I followed someone's comment and repeatedly tried to activate Win 10. Thirty-eight tries later, it activated - legally. Now, I have to convince myself to stay with 10 pro and stop the insane going back and forth whenever something offends me about the OS I'm using.
     
  13. roger_m

    roger_m Registered Member

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    @Chuck57 It's good to see that eventually you were able to activate Windows.
     
  14. ronjor

    ronjor Global Moderator

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  15. Minimalist

    Minimalist Registered Member

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  16. JRViejo

    JRViejo Super Moderator

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  17. Mrkvonic

    Mrkvonic Linux Systems Expert

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    Why not simply abandon this whole move-fast nonsense and just provide updates, simple.
    Mrk
     
  18. ronjor

    ronjor Global Moderator

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    How to Install Windows Subsystem for Linux

     
  19. dogbite

    dogbite Registered Member

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    The German Federal Cyberintellingence Dept has published a detailed paper on Win10 Telemetry.

    PDF at the link.

    https://files.catbox.moe/ugqngv.pdf
     
  20. Floyd 57

    Floyd 57 Registered Member

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    Doesn't open, just a gray box in the middle (more like an ellipse)
     
  21. Krusty

    Krusty Registered Member

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    the .pdf opened here but I can't read German.
     
  22. Floyd 57

    Floyd 57 Registered Member

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    After you confirmed it's on my side, I opened it with tor browser and it appeared, weird why it doesn't work with chromium, anyway, the majority of the pdf is actually in english, taking a quick look it's only the first part where it's german. This might be nice to read, going right in my to-do list...
     
  23. Azure Phoenix

    Azure Phoenix Registered Member

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    From page 10 the report is written in English.
     
  24. dogbite

    dogbite Registered Member

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    yeah only the first few pages are in German (basically just an introduction).
     
  25. focus

    focus Registered Member

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    Nice. Thanks!
     
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