10 votes
Accepted

Windows 10 Professional OEM vs Retail

A few key things that the Terms and Conditions for an OEM key states that: OEM versions do not offer any free Microsoft direct support from Microsoft support personnel OEM licenses are tied to the ...
DrZoo's user avatar
  • 10.7k
7 votes

How do I purchase a license for Gentoo?

You are mistaken. Most Linux distros are totally free and are the assembly of software published under the GPL or other very permissive licenses. So in the general case you don't need any kind of ...
xenoid's user avatar
  • 10k
6 votes
Accepted

Buy a Windows OEM license to gain access to Windows ARM builds in order to play Elite Dangerous

It isn’t clear what MS licensing intentions for ARM are but to answer your question, you don’t need any Windows license to join the insider program - you just need to register a free MS account. You ...
lx07's user avatar
  • 2,918
5 votes
Accepted

Can Windows 7 run indefinately without being on a network?

What are the problems we should anticipate? You will have to activate the installation by phone. I have heard that we may run into Microsoft licensing issues You heard incorrectly. An internet ...
Ramhound's user avatar
  • 42.9k
4 votes

2 Windows licenses on 2 SSDs and switching them

The laptop was most likely bought from OEM with Windows already installed. That means that the Windows serial is found inside the BIOS/UEFI, and it will be picked-up automatically and used for ...
harrymc's user avatar
  • 478k
3 votes

How OEI licence differ from OEM licence

In essence, they are the same thing, but basically OEM is a license supplied by Microsoft to a big computer manufacturing company that gets better quantity discount, whereas OEI (aka DSP OEI or ...
harrymc's user avatar
  • 478k
3 votes

If a system restore restores the registry to how it was before, then how come a trial version of a program does not reset?

There are a variety of ways a trial application could do this, the registry being only one. Let us assume it does use the registry. System Restore does not restore the entire registry but only ...
LMiller7's user avatar
  • 2,556
2 votes

How do trial versions of programs keep track of time?

It varies with different software but generally it's always data stored in the registry. The most common I've seen is an expiration date stored in the registry so regardless if you uninstall it, the ...
Cole's user avatar
  • 356
2 votes

How to clean install Windows 10 onto a working system?

After Windows 7 that is Windows 8 or later version preinstalled on a laptop, we never need to enter the product key manually. If we reinstall the proper version of Windows (Home, Professional, etc). ...
BDRSuite's user avatar
  • 6,244
2 votes
Accepted

Using pre-owned laptops with OEM windows

This is perfectly OK. OEM licenses are always linked to the hardware and only valid on that hardware. The license sticker (which is clearly marked as OEM) should be somewhere on the device. And it ...
Tonny's user avatar
  • 31.3k
2 votes

Does CPU info change on fresh Windows install?

None of the items you have listed are actually unique data. So whether or not they change after a fresh Windows install is, more or less, meaningless to your actual needs. The one most likely to be ...
music2myear's user avatar
  • 41.6k
2 votes

Buy a Windows OEM license to gain access to Windows ARM builds in order to play Elite Dangerous

Microsoft only licenses Windows 10 on ARM to PC makers to preinstall on new hardware, and the company hasn’t made copies of the operating system available for anyone to license or freely install. “...
Michael Harvey's user avatar
2 votes

Is there any way to do a clean upgrade of Windows 10 and keep Windows 7 installed apps

A "clean" install means the disk is formatted as part of the installation, deleting all previous data and applications. So, by definition, you cannot do both a "clean" install AND keep previous ...
music2myear's user avatar
  • 41.6k
2 votes

How can I know what versions of Windows I can legally use?

Bought an older laptop on the cheap for some light work. Originally it came with Windows XP, the refurbisher put Windows 10 on it. Downgrade rights are only granted by the original manufacturer. If ...
Ramhound's user avatar
  • 42.9k
2 votes

Buy a Windows OEM license to gain access to Windows ARM builds in order to play Elite Dangerous

I have just successfully activated a Windows 11 ARM VM in Parallels 17 on an M1 Mac using a Windows 10 key that I bought a few months ago. It should work now and apparently no special keys are needed ...
user 99572 is fine's user avatar
2 votes
Accepted

How to confirm that the licensing for a fresh install of Windows 10 is active and valid?

From the seller, on Amazon, they said that the Motherboard is registered and that all that's required is to install Windows. That's fairly common – Windows 10 activation causes a "digital ...
u1686_grawity's user avatar
1 vote

How to confirm that the licensing for a fresh install of Windows 10 is active and valid?

Running slmgr.vbs /dlv brings a Windows Script Host popup saying, amongst other things: License Status: Licensed Remaining SKU rearm limit: 1001 So I much appreciate that suggestion, Grawity. ...
Nicholas Saunders's user avatar
1 vote

How can most apps play AAC for free?

Playback, encoding, streaming and distribution of AAC encoded audio is free. It has to do with licensing and patent use. Compiled code that uses AAC must be licensed; but compiling from source code is ...
Giacomo1968's user avatar
  • 54.7k
1 vote
Accepted

windows server (standard) licence more than 16 cores. How it works?

First is correct, you have to purchase, in this case, two 16-pack core licenses. Quick reference here. Also, check whether the services you are going to provide with your Windows servers do require ...
Gaussianiks's user avatar
1 vote
Accepted

Is there any way to do a clean upgrade of Windows 10 and keep Windows 7 installed apps

You can upgrade Windows 7 to Windows 10 without losing any data or installed software (assuming all software is compatible, if it's not Windows installer will warn you which incompatible programs ...
gronostaj's user avatar
  • 56.9k
1 vote
Accepted

Multiple clones of Windows 10 VM with same license

First Question: With VMware Workstation, you can make a Windows 10 virtual machine with a Retail Windows 10 license and you can make a copy (or copies) and so long as you only run one virtual machine ...
John's user avatar
  • 49.6k
1 vote
Accepted

How can I unbind Windows 10 license from my computer?

The Digital License never really goes away on that PC for the rest of its life. The new owner will be able to install the same version of Windows 10 on it, and it will activate with the digital ...
harrymc's user avatar
  • 478k
1 vote
Accepted

Transfer Windows 10 Pro volume upgrade license

Is it possible to...upgrade...the other one with the same license? No. Volume upgrade licenses for the Windows OS merge the original license with the upgrade license, creating a single licence. It's ...
I say Reinstate Monica's user avatar
1 vote
Accepted

Moving installed instance of windows to another computer?

I am not sure if I understand your question. If it is about moving the Windows OEM license, then yes, you can move it to a new machine - you would have to call a Microsoft automated number and dial ...
fragamemnon's user avatar
1 vote

Server CAL Licensing

If I understand right, you need Windows Server Licenses for whatever number of Windows servers you are planning to provision. In addition to the windows servers, you need RDS CAL's to RDP (full ...
Venkat Mandava's user avatar
1 vote

Is it possible to transfer a Windows "Home to Pro" licence key to another computer?

Microsoft will tell you that your Windows 10 Pro upgrade is a digital license. As a result, if you ever need to Reset or Refresh your PC after the upgrade, it will install Windows 10 Pro: But your ...
Run5k's user avatar
  • 16k
1 vote

How to clean install Windows 10 onto a working system?

Microsoft has several methods of distributing licenses and entitlements to Windows 10. Depending on the method you obtained your copy of Windows, you may either have a product key, or a digital ...
AtomicFireball's user avatar
1 vote
Accepted

Can I virtualize a retail copy of Windows 7 on a different machine than I originally installed it on now that it's Win 10?

The Windows 10 upgrade is presently free, or when the promotion is over, heavily discounted for users of a previous version of the operating system. For this reason, qualification for an upgrade is ...
Dawn Benton's user avatar
  • 1,037
1 vote

New motherboard - activating Windows 10 free upgrade

Either way round will require you to ring Microsoft, as the new mobo will be considered a 'new computer' Re-using your Windows 8 key is only possible if the key was previously registered to that ...
Tetsujin's user avatar
  • 49.5k

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