For companies upgrading on a Win7/8.x to 10 is a high business and legal risk, staying on 7/8.1 is aswell.Īs I’ve said and anonymous in post forums/topic/cheap-windows-10- product-keys-are-they-legit/# post-2265518Īctivation is not licensing. I still do it aswell, and stick with what Richard says, if the time comes, then for home use we might think over. So far, I really hate that Microsoft 365 (Apps) for Home / Family does not include a Windows 10 Pro license for the same conditions as it does for W10 Enterprise, all would be fine, no questions about whether we are eligble or not to upgrade, while we technically can. And it is one of the reasons why sometimes “subscription” licenses are the easiest way to go, not the cheapest at all, but relicensing is expensive and can put a company and CEO at risk. Then there are different rights for Home / Pro another different for VLSC open, again different ones for EDU, Enterprise Agreements and so on. This makes it extremely difficult to track as portals like VLSC only link to a generic document per version, not at time of purchase, expecting they have not changed. The thing is that only the EULA / PUR apply that do apply at the time of purchasing the product license and they CAN change without notice. The initiate reason was pity controversy about Windows 10 upgrades – mostly seen from a business perspective. In my role as senior specialist I try hard to understand the licensing of Microsoft during the past months and it is a book with 7 seals (proverb in Germany). They cannot be held liable, also not much the resellers, as licensing is the matter of the customer. Even more since Server 2019 Microsoft in the PUR (Product Use rights) and EULA even specificially names that some contries are allowed to transfer OEM licenses to other machines given the previous is taken out or getting a different license and key assignedįirst off I am not a licensing expert, there are people / whole companies that do nothing else but giving, most reliably, advice on licensing. This paragraph does not apply to any EU customer. (Retail versions of Win10 may be transferable.) You can’t transfer it to a replacement system. But a Win10 OEM key is tied to the original PC - and only that machine*. These resellers, even I use one of them regularly offers only keys but many of them do not send you a COA.Īnother speculated “source” is abandoned Win10 systems. COA is a license -it has a key printed on it. I hoped Microsoft would be more clear about this. They need Pro as a base license.Ī key, unfortunately, is no license. No even more: I meant this more general so especially for Home and ProĮnt / Edu cannot even be upgraded without a license.

Karl notes that this does not include Enterprise versions, and goes on to say

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