SOLVED Reserving and Updating after 29th July

[CharlesR]

Hello,

I'm not sure if this has been posted before so please forgive me if it has and if you wouldn't mind direct to the correct thread.

We are currently rolling out windows 10 to our computers at my place of work but, the deadline for the upgrade is fast approaching and the likelihood of us upgrading each machine while win10 is free seems less and less possible.

My question is; if i reserved a copy of win10 on each machine would i still be able to upgrade to windows 10 after the 29/07/16 deadline?

Thanks in advance and I anticipate your reply greatly!

Thanks again,

CharlesR

 

[Tim Locke]

You are rolling out W10 Pro I guess. Not a big enough concern to have an enterprise agreement.

 

[CharlesR]

Hi Tim, thanks for the reply.

Correct, the majority will be win10 pro.

My manager wants costs to be as low as possible. Would we be lucky enough to reserve a copy on each machine and still get it for free as the hardware is eligible for a free copy of win10?

 

[CharlesR]

You are rolling out W10 Pro I guess. Not a big enough concern to have an enterprise agreement.

Hi Tim, thanks for the reply.

Correct, the majority will be win10 pro.

My manager wants costs to be as low as possible. Would we be lucky enough to reserve a copy on each machine and still get it for free as the hardware is eligible for a free copy of win10?

 

[davehc]

IMO only. As I see it, the upgrade expires, without preamble, on July 29th.

You don't indicate how many machines are involved, or how fast or reliable is your internet connection. However, I would suggest that one way to circumvent this is to make an image of each of your machines (Use a third party imaging program, do not rely on the MS rollback or recovery) Activate the upgrade on each machine, as fast as is conceivable and, when complete, you can choose to recover the image, or, if no serious problems, continue on any particular machine, with Windows 10.

 

[CharlesR]

IMO only. As I see it, the upgrade expires, without preamble, on July 29th.

You don't indicate how many machines are involved, or how fast or reliable is your internet connection. However, I would suggest that one way to circumvent this is to make an image of each of your machines (Use a third party imaging program, do not rely on the MS rollback or recovery) Activate the upgrade on each machine, as fast as is conceivable and, when complete, you can choose to recover the image, or, if no serious problems, continue on any particular machine, with Windows 10.

Thanks for the quick reply. We have roughly 200 machines over several sites under different contracts, with various internet speeds.

If I reserve a copy of win10 on each machine will it still be genuine after 29th july?

Also, on 29th July will the update happen automatically, or will the user have to OK it? If so, all our computers have restricted admin rights.

Thanks again

 

[davehc]

I say again, this is my own interpretation:

Perhaps it would be best to drop the use of "reserve". That implies that you have ordered it for later use.

You accept the upgrade, from the notice on your machines. From that point it is downloaded. You then choose a convenient time to actually complete the install. It seems, from posts, that in a few cases, it installs without your intervention. I have not experienced this myself, but don't doubt it with the current idiosyncrasies in MS/Windows 10.

After installation, the OS has automatically been registered with the motherboard of that particular machine, with the Microsoft servers.
From that point on, the activation is also automatic, and no longer required, unless the motherboard is changed. You can then, as said, replace the image you have made and, at any time, reinstall Windows 10 from an officially downloaded (available to all) Windows 10 ISO.

 

[Trouble]

Purely speculation on my part, but I'm left to wonder....
On July 29th the "free" upgrade offer to Windows 10 will end.
A few days later, on or about August 2nd, the "Anniversary Edition" (Redstone.... no longer Threshold 10586) is rumored to likely be made available.
My concern, is that......

at any time, reinstall Windows 10 from an officially downloaded (available to all) Windows 10 ISO.

Whether or not we might see, the sources we typically use now to obtain Windows 10 might dry up and disappear, and instead become resources only to obtain the latest build, which at that point will of course be "Redstone".
Which of course will not likely be "free" as the offer will be expired.

I've been wondering how Microsoft is gonna flip that switch from "free" to not free and that would seem to be a pretty good method of switch flipping.

 

[davehc]

Wouldn't at all surprise me, Trouble. MS have been inconsistent, unpredictable and clumsy from the first hint of Windows 10. Ms I am unhappy with, Windows 10 I am very satisfied with. (Maybe they got hold of some Linux guys to write the program. )

 

[Trouble]

MS have been inconsistent, unpredictable and clumsy from the first hint of Windows 10

Some might even say.... a bit ruthless as well.

Another potential can of worms might be......
Let's say that the 29th has come and gone, August 2nd (or whenever Redstone hits the bricks) has come and gone.
You're running Windows 10 (threshold), you haven't installed / applied the Redstone update / upgrade to your install.
Something catastrophic happens (say your hard disk goes toes up).
You have no installation media on hand (as I suspect is likely the case for many upgraders) so you're directed to download the ISO but your only resource(s) have Redstone.
How will that go? Will it install without a product key.
I would assume, that if your previous installation of 10 was in place and properly activated (linked to your computer / MS account) that it would, but .....
I can see some potential for a bunch of forum posts and calls to Microsoft, maybe for those who perhaps waited until the last possible minute to perform the free upgrade.
I hope we don't see, issues with the Activation Server Service, that some of us experienced early on with some of the previews.
Hopefully, they'll extend a bit of a grace period. Unless the 4 days between July 29th and August 2nd is going to be that grace period.

 

[davehc]

There are probably a bunch of MS techs sitting around a table, pondering the same questions. They will possibly come up with answers sometime around Xmas