Windows 10 Pro license $5.99

[Starship Krupa]

https://www.electronicfirst.com/gift-cards/windows-10-professional-oem

Not a scam, it worked a treat to upgrade my old Optiplex.

In regard to the obvious questions: IMO, as a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer from way back, if your home or studio has more than one Windowbox on the network, Pro is a very good idea. It makes it easier to share resources. It's or course possible with Home, but it takes a bit of fiddling to make it work smoothly, and I've never sound a way to get Home machines to publish their names to Network.

Pro also comes with Remote Desktop, which comes in even handier than I thought it would. Ob deals forum content: when I download an installer, all I have to do to roll it out to my other two DAW systems is Remote Desktop in and run the installer there. No running around and logging in to each system (I have 2 desktops and a laptop). So whatever computer I happen to sit down with, I don't have to start by running a bunch of installers.

For those like me of a "my computer, my rules" mindset, it also makes it easier to control Windows Defender, which can cause performance issues with DAW and NLE work. By default, with realtime scanning on, Defender scans every read and write, so while you're streaming audio from your drive, it's reading it, checking it for viruses....that is some overhead. You can exclude folders in Home, but you can't permanently turn off realtime scanning. The way I have always rolled with anti-malware is either ad hoc or downtime-scheduled scans. I don't like anti-virus programs running in the background all the time. Especially when I'm pushing my hardware to the edges of the envelope.

If you think PACE licensing service or Waves Local Server are a burden, they got nothing on Defender's realtime scanning as far as chewing up resources. Defender loves to slam your hard drive.

[TheSteven]

I've been waiting for something like this.

Been using my old MSDN account licenses not knowing when they'll finally die.
Nice to have one or two licenses in my pocket just in case.

[Zo]

I always heard pro was a pain in win 8 and 10 ...some goodies on side and issues on the other ....

so no way to control defender in home ?

Edited January 15, 2023 by Zo

[jngnz]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure that technically, installing an OEM licence on a device that didn't came with said licence is just as illegal as using a cracked copy. Only less trackable, I guess...

[TheSteven]

3 hours ago, Jan Schmitz said:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure that technically, installing an OEM licence on a device that didn't came with said licence is just as illegal as using a cracked copy. Only less trackable, I guess...

You may be right but even Microsoft doesn't stand firm on this...

Per Answers.Microsoft

Quote

There is nothing illegal on buying a OEM key as long as it is official. There are a lot of legitimate sites over the web or online like Amazon or EBay.

or 

Are OEM Windows legal? - Microsoft Community

Quote

Hi,
I am Sumit, an Independent Advisor and a 2-Year Windows Insider MVP here to help.

Yes, OEMs are legal licenses. The only difference is they cannot be transferred to another computer.

 

There appears to be 2 types of OEM licenses - OEM, & OEM Retail?
Not sure about this but there is confusing info put out by Microsoft MVPs about it.

I suspect the key issue really boils down to usage - if you're a system builder or a company looking to upgrade multiple computers probably best get official licensing. 
If I'm installing an OS for a client I don't buy OEM,  I'll go to EBay or Amazon and buy full retail and pass the cost on. I don't need business hassles.
If I'm building a machine for me or my kids I'll go OEM** if I don't have a Regular retail available.
**MS will not provide Windows support with an OEM version but when your kids have 'DAD' level support that doesn't matter.

Edited January 15, 2023 by TheSteven

[TheSteven]

7 hours ago, Zo said:

I always heard pro was a pain in win 8 and 10 ...some goodies on side and issues on the other ....

so no way to control defender in home ?

Frankly Zo I've never installed anything but Pro on my computers going back to XP.  The expanded RAM capacity support, support for Remote Desktop and better control of updates & security features alone make it a necessity to me.
The value of Pro really boils down to your system & your planned usage. 

Edited January 15, 2023 by TheSteven

[antler]

8 hours ago, Jan Schmitz said:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure that technically, installing an OEM licence on a device that didn't came with said licence is just as illegal as using a cracked copy. Only less trackable, I guess...

The main differences are that you're not allowed to transfer to another machine, and you're typically not allowed to upgrade it (though IIRC W8 OEM users were allowed to upgrade to W10). I don't think buying one and using it is illegal: it'd be very easy for MS to block activation on their end for certain keys anyway.

[antler]

12 hours ago, Starship Krupa said:

If you think PACE licensing service or Waves Local Server are a burden, they got nothing on Defender's realtime scanning as far as chewing up resources. Defender loves to slam your hard drive.

To be fair, I wouldn't expect the licensing services to use the same resources as Defender. The latter is scanning files for malware and it would make sense for it to slam the hard drives. My guess (I don't use iLok or Waves plugins) would be that the licensing services add CPU (to check dongle IDs, etc.) and network usage (if cloud enabled).

I don't doubt that a malware scanner would be more resource intensive though.

[abacab]

Windows 10 Pro is a must for me. I like the extra control that you get with group policy editor, even as a home user and DIY system builder.

Plus it was a free upgrade from Windows 7 Pro here for me. I would have bought Win 10 Pro if necessary, but fortunately for me it wasn't.

Regarding the cheap Win 10 Pro OEM licenses available, from what I have read Microsoft appears to be looking the other way. They could block the keys if they wanted to, but they haven't so far. But no guarantee that MS won't change their mind down the road...YMMV!

[Zo]

My computer is under 8.1 , i tried installing windows 10 , used my windows 8.1 key and it worked ..... if i enter a windows 8.1 key does this unlok widnows 10 pro ?

Am i entitiled to be oem ?.

[abacab]

38 minutes ago, Zo said:

My computer is under 8.1 , i tried installing windows 10 , used my windows 8.1 key and it worked ..... if i enter a windows 8.1 key does this unlok widnows 10 pro ?

Am i entitiled to be oem ?.

I once had to re-activate my Windows 10 after a motherboard upgrade when Windows detected major new hardware. I called in to MS and the tech told me to enter my old Windows 7 code to activate it (it had been a Win 7 Pro to Win 10 Pro upgrade). That worked and all is good ever since!

[Starship Krupa]

During my recent "the sword reforged" build, I used a case someone had given me that happened to have a Windows Vista Pro sticker with license key on it.

When I installed Windows 10, I entered the Vista Pro key and it accepted it and installed Windows 10 Pro.

The takeaway from that is that I can use keys from any version of Windows going back to at least 7 and get an activated installation.

As has been pointed out, if Microsoft wanted to put a stop to it, they could easily do so.

As far as legal issues and whatnot, if you are running a professional studio, use your judgement. Maybe you want to color inside the lines a bit more, and write off the full license cost as a business expense. Chances are, though, a pro studio won't be using homemade system builds.

Microsoft audit large businesses to make sure that they are all licensed up, because large businesses are where they make their money on Windows licensing. To pursue any kind of legal action because one home computer user found a way around paying $100 for their Windows 10 license makes no business sense whatsoever. For someone in their legal department to spend even 15 minutes on it would more than nullify any financial benefit.

Microsoft want people on Windows 10/11. For a variety of reasons. It has the Microsoft Store, which they are trying to promote, it has Windows Defender, which prevents Windows systems from becoming zombie bots and ransomware mechanisms. It actually runs better than any previous version of Windows on compliant hardware. Remember, Windows 10 was the first version of Windows that didn't require a paid upgrade license.

Bottom line: I paid my 6 bucks and the license works. Microsoft seem happy with it and so am I.

[Starship Krupa]

1 hour ago, Zo said:

My computer is under 8.1 , i tried installing windows 10 , used my windows 8.1 key and it worked ..... if i enter a windows 8.1 key does this unlok widnows 10 pro ?

Am i entitiled to be oem ?.

If your 8.1 key is for Pro, then yes.

As for "entitled," I have no idea. All I know is that you are allowed.

From what I know of contract and copyright law, if the owner of the intellectual property is aware of how you're using it (which Microsoft are due to the fact that Windows 10/11 has so much "phone home" built into it) and they allow you to keep using it, that is a tacit agreement.

Of course, all software licensing includes the notice that the license may be revoked at any time at the discretion of the licensor, but Microsoft haven't been doing that. I researched this extensively before pulling the trigger. As far as the possibility of being out 6 bucks, I paid with PayPal and was prepared to revoke the payment if it didn't work as advertised.

Also, my rep around here of being someone who brings the cheap/free legit hookups is important to me. I check my deals out as thoroughly as I can before posting them, usually after trying them myself.

[abacab]

As I understand it, the Windows upgrades replace the edition that you have a key for.

Like for like, as in Win7/Win8.1 Home to Win 10 Home, Win7/Win8.1 Pro to Win10 Pro, etc. A Home key will not unlock Pro.

[abacab]

1 hour ago, Zo said:

Am i entitiled to be oem ?

OEM is the default license and is what comes with a pre-built PC, or in many cases supplied to a home builder. Retail is better as it's legally portable, but costs more.

An OEM license is supposed to only be for the life of the original PC it's installed on, while Retail licenses can legally can be moved to another PC. Although I believe MS may allow OEM keys to be activated on a different machine, as in when you change motherboards (they wouldn't really know if you had actually built an entirely new PC).

Edited January 15, 2023 by abacab

[Starship Krupa]

I think that maybe not all "OEM" licenses are created equal.

Dell, Lenovo, HP, the biggies ship with OEM licenses that are tightly tied to the motherboard. I'm a Dell man when it comes to pre-built. You can entirely wipe a Dell laptop and reinstall Windows 10  (and it's usually Pro, due to Dell's business PC orientation) and it won't even ask you for a key.

With my recent build, the donor case was from a Micro Center PC. Was it a completely new build? I replaced everything but the optical drive and the case and fans. I'm sure the license is an OEM, but it behaved just as a retail one would have.

It's like the "Grandpa's Hammer" thought puzzle: grandpa bought a hammer in 1947, broke the handle in 1977 and replaced it, then broke one of the claws in 1997 and replaced the head. You inherited his beloved hammer when he passed in 2017. Question: is that hammer one that was purchased by your grandpa in 1947? He owned it for 70 years. Or did he? At what point did it become not the same hammer? Were there actually 3 different hammers?

For the first 16 years of my using PC clones, I had the grandpa's hammer computer. I frankensteined an XT clone in 1989. Then I upgraded it a few parts at a time, always transferring at least 2 or 3 things to the upgraded build. So effectively, until about 2005 when I got my first used Dell, I had the "same" computer. Starting with MS-DOS all the way up through Windows XP. Even though every single component wound up being replaced at some point or other, there was always a legacy from the previous build.

Microsoft seem to lean toward the motherboard as being the "computer," but they will allow you to put in a new one and keep the license. So who can say when it becomes an entirely new system?

[treesha]

I have win 10 home and read the instructions for this purchase and it says at the end  all my data will be deleted, is this how it will work? I read the deals forum far too often for that! ? Thanks for any advice. 
 

Run the media creation tool

Create installation media for another PC

Select preferred language

Select Edition: Windows 10 (it includes both, Pro and Home)

Select architecture (64-bit or 32-bit)

Select the media you want to create (USB flash drive or ISO file to create a DVD)

Perform a clean installation

Boot from the USB flash drive or the DVD

Select your language, time, and keyboard preferences

Enter product key

Installation type: Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)

Remove all partitions (this deletes all your data!) and create a new one to install Windows

[Zo]

2 hours ago, treesha said:

I have win 10 home and read the instructions for this purchase and it says at the end  all my data will be deleted, is this how it will work? I read the deals forum far too often for that! ? Thanks for any advice. 
 

Run the media creation tool

Create installation media for another PC

Select preferred language

Select Edition: Windows 10 (it includes both, Pro and Home)

Select architecture (64-bit or 32-bit)

Select the media you want to create (USB flash drive or ISO file to create a DVD)

Perform a clean installation

Boot from the USB flash drive or the DVD

Select your language, time, and keyboard preferences

Enter product key

Installation type: Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)

Remove all partitions (this deletes all your data!) and create a new one to install Windows

I don t think it removes all partition , if i recall well you can choose the one you want it on ....

also if ya run this on the os , it will ask if ya wanna keep data or data and software sometime ....

this last one i did. , it fuked up my graphical drivers since and it impact my ability to record heavy videos fir my channel !!

[swijaya]

4 hours ago, treesha said:

I have win 10 home and read the instructions for this purchase and it says at the end  all my data will be deleted, is this how it will work? I read the deals forum far too often for that! ? Thanks for any advice. 
 

You just need to change your product key with a pro key. Everything else will stay there.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/upgrade-windows-home-to-windows-pro-ef34d520-e73f-3198-c525-d1a218cc2818#WindowsVersion=Windows_10

[Starship Krupa]

6 hours ago, treesha said:

I have win 10 home and read the instructions for this purchase and it says at the end  all my data will be deleted, is this how it will work?

Nah. Those are instructions for doing a new installation. With an existing installation of Windows Home, you can do an in-place upgrade. All it does is download and enable the Pro features. No business with partitions or any of that.

The way it went for me was that once I had the key I went to Settings/Update & Security/Activation and clicked on "Change Product Key." Windows accepted the key and then told me to stand by while it added the new features. That's all it is, just adding features, it's about as disruptive as upgrading any other piece of software.

Of course, as with any other change you make to the OS, you would do well to create a System Restore Point before proceeding, and since you're already backing up your projects and data files anyway, no special action is suggested there. ?

I did neither of these things since the system is no longer mission-critical. It did the downloads, the upgrade, and rebooted. Now it's running Windows 10 Pro.

Since I already had a full license on it, and this is a full (not upgrade) license, I wrote down the old key before I did the Pro upgrade. We'll see if it can be reused elsewhere. It's a Dell system so it might be Dell-only.

Edited January 16, 2023 by Starship Krupa