Does Win10 need to be physically INSTALLED before July 29? Or just ISO downloaded?

[WAZ]

I am a happy Windows 7 user and reluctant Windows 10 upgrader. I'm not opposed to eventually upgrading to 10, but right now I have no reason to. In fact I have some software I'm not sure will play nice with 10 (i.e. "Windows 7 Audio Switcher" and some hacked Realtek Dolby 5.1 optical drivers on my home PC; some older specialty software on my work PC), so I'm pretty afraid an upgrade will mess several things up for me.

At the same time, the deadline is here and I don't want to pay $100 for it down the line, so I downloaded the ISO/USB version of Windows 10. It's on a thumb drive and all ready to run my upgrade. Do I NEED to actually INSTALL it right now in order to avoid the $100 upgrade charge? Or am I in the clear now that I at least have it downloaded? I'm not using Windows Update for it anyway.

Basically I wasn't sure if post-7/29 cost of Windows 10 (and where/when I'd have to actually PAY to upgrade) would be required to download the ISO/upgrade file, in which case I'm in the clear and can wait to install it... or if the payment would be required to INSTALL the upgrade if I wait a little longer to install the file I downloaded today...

 

[Eug]

Of course it has to be installed and activated by that date to get it for free.

 

[vailr]

If you have spare hard drive/SSD, you can unplug the existing Win7 drive and do a fresh install of Win 10, using the 25 character Win7 activation code (registered and activated with that specific machine). You would need to ensure that Win10 has been installed completely and activated.
Then unplug and set aside the Win10 drive, and return to Win7.
At any future point in time, either upgrade install Win10 on top of Win7, or completely re-format and install Win10. The fact that Win10 was once activated on each specific machine will have been "noticed" by Microsoft's activation server (via internet connection), allowing for ownership rights of Win10.
Another option would be: clone the existing Win7 boot drive to another physical hard drive/SSD. Do the Win10 upgrade on that cloned drive and activate before Aug.1. I've used Aomei Partition Assistant (free software) and a USB 3.0->SATA adpter cable + SSD drive for cloning purposes.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HJZJI84

That method would allow for compatibility testing without touching your working Win7 installation.
Note: the Win10 .iso file is scheduled to be replaced with an updated version after Aug. 2.

 

[nerp]

Install and activate. Better get going!

 

[WAZ]

Of course it has to be installed and activated by that date to get it for free.

Yeah I just didn't know if the paywall would go up in front of the ISO download link, or at the point of installation/activation.

If you have spare hard drive/SSD, you can unplug the existing Win7 drive and do a fresh install of Win 10, using the 25 character Win7 activation code. You would need to ensure that Win10 has been installed completely and activated.
Then unplug and set aside the Win10 drive, and return to Win7. At any future point in time, either upgrade install Win10 on top of Win7, or completely re-format and install Win10. The fact that Win10 was once activated on each specific machine will have been "noticed" by Microsoft's activation server (via internet connection), allowing for ownership rights of Win10.
Another option would be: clone the existing Win7 boot drive to another physical hard drive/SSD. Do the Win10 upgrade on that cloned drive and activate before Aug.1. I've used Aomei Partition Assistant (free software) and a USB 3.0->SATA adpter cable + SSD drive for cloning purposes.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HJZJI84

Ah, excellent idea... thanks! I'll probably try that at both home and work, just to be safe. Then I can do an official upgrade sometime down the line (or not) when/if I feel like it rather than when MS says I have to. Thanks!

 

[bruceb]

That is too bad that you can't just download if you qualify for it and save it for later activation. I have an old XP box which I could update to Win 7 but since it is a P4 it will not work for Win 10 .. But I have a legitimate license for Windows 7 (never installed or activated as yet)

 

[Eug]

Yeah I just didn't know if the paywall would go up in front of the ISO download link, or at the point of installation/activation.

The ISO is freely downloadable, and you can even install without the key. You can just skip the prompts that ask for the key.

And if you install without the key, it will even work without activation, albeit with some small limitations and nag messages.

However, if you don't activate it by July 29, you won't get to activate it for free.

 

[JackMDS]

It must be running and activated on a computer

Then if you do not want to use it now you can use a backup program (like Acronis TI) and keep the back up file.

In the future when you want it use you can load the backup onto an HD/SSD and use it with the same computer that it was initially Activated on.

 

[nerp]

That is too bad that you can't just download if you qualify for it and save it for later activation. I have an old XP box which I could update to Win 7 but since it is a P4 it will not work for Win 10 .. But I have a legitimate license for Windows 7 (never installed or activated as yet)

Hey, I have 4 unused Windows 7 pro licenses and the only way for me to grab W10 entitlements would be to build new systems I don't really need. Trust me, I tried to justify building one. Oh well.

 

[bruceb]

I wonder if you install later and use the legal Win 7 key what it would do. Self Activate or call up MS and say the mobo changed and see if they would activate it. After all the Win 7 key is legit ... More likely than not, I will end up buying a new computer and it would have either Win 7 Pro or Win 10 already installed. All I would need to do is properly activate MS Office (if it is a trial) or install my copy on the unit.

 

[Eug]

I wonder if you install later and use the legal Win 7 key what it would do.

Nope. If you want to use that Win 7 key, install Win 10 now.

 

[JackMDS]

It seems to me that many people do not get it.

The program until this Friday is Free Upgrade for computers that have a Legit Win 7 installation.

Once it is over it does not matter how many Win 7 keys you still have the Free Upgrade is over.

 

[chin311]

I don't plan on using Win 10 on my main desktop (have win 10 on my laptop, 8.1 on my HTPC)... but as we speak i'm making an image of my win 7 current setup with Acronis then gonna let it upgrade to 10 and activate...then put back my image

 

[Craig234]

I'm wondering the same sort of thing.

I've long since misplaced my Windows 7 disc if that'd be needed for anything.

I don't even have my system backed up, much less able to back it up in order to install Windows 10 and then re-install Windows 7.

So, that leaves me with the idea of taking a spare hard drive and installing Windows 10 on that. But I'm not at all sure how that would work.

Doesn't upgrading the OS mean upgrading the OS and not installing it on a spare drive?

Is it possible to put on a spare drive, and is there anything more needed to than plug the spare drive in and format it and do some install command?

 

[JackMDS]

If you have a valid Win 7 key it can be used in the next two days to acivaye fresh install of Win 10 on a clean HD/SSD

Jf the key belongs to a specific computer the fresh install must be done on the key's computer. If it is a retail key any computer will do.

Once Activated it will stay so for the Future, Activated for the computer that the Activation was done on.

 

[vailr]

@ Craig: the Win7 key should be revealed and printed out on paper using BelarcAdvisor or ProduKey (both are free). Use a 8 Gb or larger USB thumb drive + Rufus (free software) + the Windows 10 .iso file to create a bootable Windows installation media. Install Win10 on a spare SATA hard drive or SSD, using the printed out 25 character product code, and confirm that Win 10 has been activated.

 

[tidy]

.

 

[vailr]

You don't need rufus to make a Windows 10 USB drive, the Microsoft ISO downloader already has that functionality built in.

Your results may vary.
According to Paul Thurott (thurott.com), Rufus can more often actually accomplish the end purpose of installing Windows, where the MS software tries but fails to do so.
I've also experienced similar results.
Rufus gets updated every month or two, not sure if the MS software ever gets updated.

 

[tidy]

.

 

[Craig234]

Ugh. Not at all sure about this, but I hear a 4GB flash drive should do it without affecting my current Windows 7 installation. I have a 4GB flash drive (probably a decade old).

Details, details, details are helpful. I saw the info about getting the key.

First step: my flash drive won't fit in the USB slot. Oh boy.

 

[Eug]

Remember people, you just have one more day!

Ugh. Not at all sure about this, but I hear a 4GB flash drive should do it without affecting my current Windows 7 installation. I have a 4GB flash drive (probably a decade old).

Details, details, details are helpful. I saw the info about getting the key.

First step: my flash drive won't fit in the USB slot. Oh boy.

4 GB is not enough. And a decade old one will likely be painfully slow too.

 

[nerp]

You need an 8GB flash drive.

 

[Ketchup]

If you want to reserve 10 but keep your current OS, all you need to do is run the upgrade, then tell Windows you want to roll back. You will have your reservation, and won't be wasting time swapping out drives.

I have undone a couple upgrades for folks, and Windows will indeed go back to the same state it was in before the upgrade.

 

[Muse]

I imaged both of my Win7 machines a week ago and fresh installed Win10 using the Win7 keys. Made sure I was activated in Win10. I am so far quite happy with Win10 and see no reason at all to restore either of my Win7 images. In fact, my machine that was running Win7 32bit with an SSD used to get on average at least one daily 2-5 minute iastor() timeout when it became 100% unresponsive. Those have disappeared with the Win10 install. I doubt that I'll want to return to Win7 on either machine. Can't think of a reason I'd want to. My apps seem to work as before, the OS is not befuddling me.

You need an 8GB flash drive.

I used 8GB flash memory cards in a USB card reader for both my installations, 32bit and 64bit.

 

[Puffnstuff]

Man these threads kill me. People have had an entire year to do this and still don't seem to understand what a deadline means.