My windows run on the eighth point one version of windows (the post gets automatically removed if I type the number).
I missed the free update period before october 2023 because my current windows is not activated, and we don't have the product key, so I was afraid to get locked out. We legitimately purchased the laptop, around 10 years ago, with the windows but I have no idea where is the product key and thus didn't activate it.
Is there any way for me to upgrade to win 10 but officially and for free? As I understand I can buy the windows 11 license and download windows 10 but it is VERY expensive for me (I can't afford it at all right now).
Edit: 5 fresh re-installs later and I've finally downloaded windows, almsot had a heart attack when I had to go through the "no operation system found" right after the "restart now" following the install procedures. Thank god it worked, had to go through repair my pc though!
And many many many thanks to everyone, specifically the kind redditors who gave lengthy explanations! Edit2: GOTTA emphasize how much I wanna convey my thanks for helping! May you all have wonderful days!
Hey everyone,just a question... Since you can get a free copy of windows 10/11 on their website,why do some people pay for it ? I just dont understand ?
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Yes, technically speaking you can install Windows and use for free. But legally when you install Windows you agree to Microsoft's terms and conditions and they state you must activate your copy of Windows, and that requires a license which must be purchased. So legally there is no free copy of Windows.
I hope this helps, and if you need any further assistance, please, post and we will be glad to assist you.
"When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe." John Muir
So being precise
Although there are many os that you try but since you have asked in here so let me tell you that installing windows and using it is free you just need key to get more advanced features
You can reinstall windows from a bootable flash drive from windows official website and create a bootable windows os and fresh install from it
Windows is always supposed to be paid; it's just not always visible to the user. If you buy a new PC from Dell in 2018, it includes Windows and the cost is included in the price. For several years starting in 2015, if you had an old PC with purchased Windows 7 or 8, then the upgrade to Windows 10 was free.
However, the official "free upgrade" time period has ended. For a time, you could still use the Disability Free Upgrade tool. You may be able to use this tool in 2018 : https://www.zdnet.com/article/heres-how-you-can-still-get-a-free-windows-10-upgrade/ .
It is easy to download the modern Windows 10 ISO and create an installer USB stick or DVD. It's also easy to install it. You can choose "Skip" when prompted for your activation key. However, after a few days, Windows will phone home to Microsoft to see if it's been paid for. If not, it will post a little nagging text in the lower right hand corner, by the default clock position.
Microsoft keeps a large database of all of the different PCs that have had Windows 10 installed, using unique IDs from motherboard, CPU, and some other characteristics. If it recognizes your PC as a paid one, it doesn't bother you. If it does not recognize you, then you get the nagging text. (this can be removed)
Is there any difference between Paid Windows and Windows we download from internet or install from a DVD.
The image distributed on the media, when you purchase Windows from an authorized reseller, is identical to that of the ISO that can be downloaded from Microsoft. However, the image that is installed on OEM devices, is based on that default image but often is customized by the OEM.
Why the price of Windows is so high if, we can download it from the internet? Is there any difference between working and quality in both?
When you purchase Windows, you actually only pay for the license itself, not the media to install it. This has always been the case, but only recently, has Microsoft made it extremely easy to download Windows. In the past, it was possible to download a Windows ISO directly, if you knew about where to find it.
Is there any difference between working and quality in both?
The installation images are identical.
I am currently using Windows 8 and my other laptop have a free window installed. And i found no difference between them?
Windows is not free. OEM devices might come with Windows already installed but the cost of that license is built into the cost of the device. While you could upgrade to Windows 10 for free, between July 2015 and July 2016, the cost of that license was simply integrated into the cost of your existing license. The cost for a license is literally whatever Microsoft wants to charge for it. Even during the free upgrade period, if you did not already have an eligible Windows license, a Windows 10 license was not actually free.