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Microsoft allows anyone to download Windows 10 for free and install it without a product key. It’ll keep working for the foreseeable future, with only a few small cosmetic restrictions. And you can even pay to upgrade to a licensed copy of Windows 10 after you install it.Whether you want to install Windows 10 in Boot Camp, put it on an old computer that isn’t eligible for a free upgrade, or create one or more virtual machines, you don’t actually need to pay a cent.
Microsoft sheds light on Windows 10 update policy
Microsoft has confirmed that Windows 10’s free upgrade offer will expire on July 29, 2016. After that, you’ll have to pay $119 to upgrade on any computer that hasn’t already made the leap. But with a few simple steps, you can “reserve” that free copy now, so you can upgrade after July 29 without paying.We know not everyone wants to upgrade to Windows 10 right now, and that’s fine. But one day, you’ll probably have to. And you don’t want to have to pay $119 for it. By upgrading a computer now and then rolling back to Windows 7 or 8, you’ll get to keep your original version of Windows, but “reserve” that free Windows 10 license for all your PCs.How This WorksWhen you upgrade to Windows 10 from a PC running a genuine and activated Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 operating system, your PC receives a “digital entitlement.” Basically, Microsoft notes on its servers that your particular PC’s hardware is eligible for Windows 10 going forward.Once your PC is eligible, it’s always eligible–you can reinstall Windows 10 from scratch and it’ll automatically activate, without you even entering a product key. You can even install a different operating system–like Windows 7 or Linux–and reinstall Windows 10 later, fully activated and genuine.Note that this is tied to your computer’s specific hardware, not your Microsoft account. The free Windows 10 license you receive will only work on that PC–if you upgrade the motherboard or try to install Windows 10 on another PC that doesn’t have the digital entitlement, it won’t work.So, in order to “reserve” Windows 10, we’re going to walk you through the steps of upgrading to Windows 10 on your machine, then reverting to Windows 7 or 8. You get to keep the version of Windows you love, but your PC will be entitled to Windows 10 at any point in the future, without having to pay $119.We’ll walk you through two methods: A simple method that involves upgrading and rolling back, and a slightly more complex method that involves cloning your current disk, so everything is exactly how you left it.
Microsoft has got itself in a spot of bother.The company has been accused of playing a ‘nasty trick’ on those people who haven’t yet upgraded their PCs to Windows 10.Anyone who hasn’t upgraded yet has been receiving fairly regular hints and popups suggesting that they do so.Well now Microsoft has gone a step further: When a user tries to close the popup box by clicking on the ‘X’ in the top right-hand corner the computer registers that as a consent to upgrade.This is unfortunate. The ‘X’ button on Windows has always traditionally been associated with performing one action: to close that window.This has unsurprisingly gone down about as well as a USB drive full of ransomware and experts are already taking to Twitter to express their anger.
Can anyone recommend a decent email client, not from MS ?!
Quote from: TonyKath on Sunday, 05 June, 2016 @ 19:28:38Can anyone recommend a decent email client, not from MS ?!Hm, Marks & Sparks seem to have avoided the browser battle. There's quite a few to chose from, some free, some not. I tried Pegasus Mail some years back, it was OK but I preferred Mozilla Thunderbird. Or you might like Opera Mail. PS: Can't honestly say I'm missing Windows much.
A few days after Microsoft released Windows 10 to the public last year, Teri Goldstein’s computer started trying to download and install the new operating system. The update, which she says she didn’t authorize, failed. Instead, the computer she uses to run her Sausalito, Calif., travel-agency business slowed to a crawl. It would crash, she says, and be unusable for days at a time. “I had never heard of Windows 10,” Goldstein said. “Nobody ever asked me if I wanted to update.” When outreach to Microsoft’s customer support didn’t fix the issue, Goldstein took the software giant to court, seeking compensation for lost wages and the cost of a new computer. She won. Last month, Microsoft dropped an appeal and Goldstein collected a $10,000 judgment from the company.
Microsoft is to offer "clearer options" for users upgrading - or not - to Windows 10.The move comes following months of criticism that Windows 10 was being forced upon users using what has been described as a "nasty trick".This week, a Seattle woman successfully sued the company for $10,000 over disruption caused by the software installing without, she said, permission.In recent months, in an apparent bid to accelerate adoption of Windows 10, Microsoft altered the way it asked users if they wanted to upgrade. It gave the Windows 10 update "recommended" status, normally reserved for critical security updates.If when prompted to update to Windows 10 users clicked the red "X", the upgrade would not immediately start. However, the update process would automatically be scheduled for a later time.From this week, Microsoft said it would change that process, admitting that it was confusing."The new experience has clearer options to upgrade now, choose a time, or decline the free offer," said Terry Myerson, executive vice president, Windows and Devices Group, in an emailed statement."If the red-x is selected on this new dialog, it will dismiss the dialog box and we will notify the device again in a few days."We continue to recommend all of our customers upgrade to Windows 10 before the free upgrade offer expires on July 29."Microsoft is resolute in promoting Windows 10 as a better computing experience with added security features over previous versions of the operating system.Some users, however, are reluctant to upgrade citing worries about the strain the software may put on hardware, and suggestions that Windows 10 tracks its users too closely.To date, around 300 million devices worldwide have upgraded to, or are using, Windows 10.
Windows 10 Anniversary Update available August 2Some have said that the Anniversary Update turns Windows 10 into the operating system that it should have been from the start.
Windows 10 free upgrade offer expires 29 July. If you're still using Windows 7 or 8.1 then decision time is approaching.
Quote from: Maik on Thursday, 30 June, 2016 @ 14:42:43Windows 10 free upgrade offer expires 29 July. If you're still using Windows 7 or 8.1 then decision time is approaching.A tipIf you upgrade(?) before the expiry date, and then use the 30 day Roll Back to immediately return to Win 7 or 8, you'll still be able to move to Windows 10 after 29th July - at your own convenience.Upgrading before 29th July registers your (and your PCs) details on the MS system permitting download after the Free period expires.
I posted something similar to this back on May 25th.
Note that this is tied to your computer’s specific hardware, not your Microsoft account. The free Windows 10 license you receive will only work on that PC–if you upgrade the motherboard or try to install Windows 10 on another PC that doesn’t have the digital entitlement, it won’t work.