After reinstalling my Windows 10 Pro last night the product key for the free upgrade no longer works. After speaking to Microsoft Activation support they state that I must purchase a new licence (£170) or reinstall as an upgrade from Windows 7 Pro which I'm reluctant to do. A quick search on Google comes up with Software Geeks selling licences cheap 

https://softwaregeeks.co.uk/product/windows-10-pro/

Anyone used these before? Reviews seem genuine as does the company although only trading for year but worried with the too cheap to be true. 

If you've had Win10 on that machine before the license for it should still be valid. The product key is almost irrelevant, all the free upgrade device have the same key. the validation is done against a fingerprint of your machine's hardware mainly the serial numbers of the processor and the motherboard.

 

IF you've not changed anything significant and you have had W10 on that machine before might be worth trying MS again. You might not get anywhere but you never know.

 

I don't know about software geeks. HDUK has had someone listing a shop selling license for a similar price - http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/windows-10-pro-oem-global-key-13-96-scdkey-2537512

It was installed on a Mac running Parallels. Windows wouldn't boot up and after much faffing about it was easier (cough) to remove the Windows and reinstall. As you've said it supposed to be linked to the hardware which I can't change even if I wanted to but product key you use when installing the software now gets blocked by Microsoft as the free upgrade stopped in July 2016. I had this argument last night an annoying Indian Microsoft Activation support guy.

The link you provided has a post regarding linking Windows 10 licence to your Microsoft account which mine never was. When reinstalling you log into Windows using your Microsoft account instead of a local one and it activates your Windows install. Just checking on my account I have an old Sony laptop registered for Windows 10 Home but no others which I have three other devices which run Windows 10 using the free upgrade.

If think I will give the Software Geeks a try as you can pay for it using Paypal so if anything goes wrong I can refund through them and don't have to provide any credit card details.

Bought the licence and was emailed an invoice with the product key and download links. Applied the product key and now activated. 

So, extra profit for M$, and they have made you pay for a "free" product.

Basically, yes.

 

There seems to be a part of the licencing that you register your Windows 10 with your Microsoft account. Logging into Windows 10 with your Microsoft account then activates it but like most people I don't use the Microsoft account as I don't use the features of the Microsoft shared access as it doesn't work as well as the Apple account on their devices.  Like most people I just use a local account so the Windows 10 was never registered with my Microsoft account. I am now having to change my local accounts on the various Windows 10 installations I have to Microsoft accounts so that they are registered. Once registered you can then re-activate a re-installation by simply logging into Windows 10 using your Microsoft account. If you hadn't registered it previously then it's tough and you need to purchase a new licence.

When installing Windows 10 I've never seen any reference to this aspect even though it's quite important. 

Basically, yes.

 

There seems to be a part of the licencing that you register your Windows 10 with your Microsoft account. Logging into Windows 10 with your Microsoft account then activates it but like most people I don't use the Microsoft account as I don't use the features of the Microsoft shared access as it doesn't work as well as the Apple account on their devices.  Like most people I just use a local account so the Windows 10 was never registered with my Microsoft account. I am now having to change my local accounts on the various Windows 10 installations I have to Microsoft accounts so that they are registered. Once registered you can then re-activate a re-installation by simply logging into Windows 10 using your Microsoft account. If you hadn't registered it previously then it's tough and you need to purchase a new licence.

When installing Windows 10 I've never seen any reference to this aspect even though it's quite important. 

 

I think I menetioned this in the win10 thread a little while ago - it does allow you to move licences to new PCs.  If you upgraded to win10 using an OEM licence and link it to your account you should be able to move as well as it now the same a retail licence.

I was totally unaware of this and unfortunately if not already registered with on your Microsoft account you have no way of retrieving/transferring the licence and end up the same position as me. Wish I'd seen your post before I went to re-install as it would have saved me a bit of money, a lot of time and even more frustration of talking to Microsoft support.

 

Hopefully anyone else reading this thread who hasn't registered their Windows 10 free upgrade on their Microsoft account will do so now before it's too late.

I was totally unaware of this and unfortunately if not already registered with on your Microsoft account you have no way of retrieving/transferring the licence and end up the same position as me. Wish I'd seen your post before I went to re-install as it would have saved me a bit of money, a lot of time and even more frustration of talking to Microsoft support.

 

Hopefully anyone else reading this thread who hasn't registered their Windows 10 free upgrade on their Microsoft account will do so now before it's too late.

 

 

Its OK, I think both of you have it now.

 

I nearly bought a new Tablet for the daughter today, but I walked away once I realised it ran Win10.

I like Windows 10 much more than OSX but I do love the way Apple products just integrate with each other. Using Parallels in coherence mode allows me the best of both platforms, almost seamlessly. Almost. 

I like Windows 10 much more than OSX but I do love the way Apple products just integrate with each other. Using Parallels in coherence mode allows me the best of both platforms, almost seamlessly. Almost. 

 

There, fixed that for you.

 

Edited 11 November, 20169 yr by GentleGiant

Its OK, I think both of you have it now.

 

I nearly bought a new Tablet for the daughter today, but I walked away once I realised it ran Win10.

Just WALKED- I'd have ran at max HOBLE.

Its OK, I think both of you have it now.

I nearly bought a new Tablet for the daughter today, but I walked away once I realised it ran Win10.

There's pretty much nothing around to buy new still running anything other than Windows 10.

So it's hardly a surprise

There's pretty much nothing around to buy new still running anything other than Windows 10.

So it's hardly a surprise

 

WIn on a tablet is still rare, most run Android, and many of the few with Win10, dual boot Android as well - the one I walked away from did, hence not the running away.

Sometimes I wish we could extract anything Microsoft from an otherwise useful piece of consumer electronics into physical form.

 

a) to take piccies to show the nay-sayers - that it really is that bad.

to finally, be able to beat the damn thing into the ground with the stick/fire-iron, baseball bat of choice.

I have several devices still running Win 7 and I'm more than happy with it, mind you I still insist on running Office 2003 I upgraded one of my Win 7 lappys to Win 10 just to see what the fuss was about and to be honest I didn't like it much and have put the Lappy into desktop mode and tried to replicate the Win 7 look as a result (Oh how I miss a proper 'Start' button). Anyhoo, I recently started to look at 2 in 1s to possibly replace me taking an Android tablet and a Windows Lappy with me on the road. Win 10 is on nearly all of them, but from my brief play with these devices, Win 10 suddenly makes sense. it works fine in tablet mode and is still reasonably usable in PC mode. It seems to be much more natural to use a keyboard and yet also touch the screen whist working on a project, something I didn't expect. 

Edited 17 November, 20169 yr by Lady Elanore

I have several devices still running Win 7 and I'm more than happy with it, mind you I still insist on running Office 2003 I upgraded one of my Win 7 lappys to Win 10 just to see what the fuss was about and to be honest I didn't like it much and have put the Lappy into desktop mode and tried to replicate the Win 7 look as a result (Oh how I miss a proper 'Start' button). Anyhoo, I recently started to look at 2 in 1s to possibly replace me taking an Android tablet and a Windows Lappy with me on the road. Win 10 is on nearly all of them, but from my brief play with these devices, Win 10 suddenly makes sense. it works fine in tablet mode and is still reasonably usable in PC mode. It seems to be much more natural to use a keyboard and yet also touch the screen whist working on a project, something I didn't expect. 

 

My mother is still clinging to her copy of Office 97........