How do you get windows 10 for free or dirt cheap?

[FritosRawesome]

I have an extra computer and i was wondering if i could get windows on it for free. Im not rich and I'm cheap AF. Thanks for any response.

[sazrocks]

Install windows 10 and don't activate it.

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

7 minutes ago, FritosRawesome said:

I have an extra computer and i was wondering if i could get windows on it for free. Im not rich and I'm cheap AF. Thanks for any response.

This seems to be a popular choice amongst forum users. 

https://www.reddit.com/r/microsoftsoftwareswap/

 

[ProjectBox153]

You could just not activate it. 

[Damascus]

paid $11 for my Windows 10 Pro on eBay just search it up

[Guest]

Look on ebay/Kinguin.net/reddit and other trade sites, windows 10 product keys generally go very cheap on these particular sites. If you want windows 10 for free, dont activate it during the setup process (otherwise, during the setup process, press "I dont have a product key"), you can later activate windows with the unactivated version with a product key. Things to be aware of, there will be a water mark on the bottom right hand corner and you are limited to some functionalities such as personalization features. Download the windows 10 media creation tool directly from microsofts website onto a USB with 4GB/8GB of capacity to create a bootable flash drive, then plug it into your computer, then boot from the USB and begin the setup/installation process of windows.

[unknownmiscreant]

Try activate it on 2 machines at once. Thats worked for me in the past.

[demonix00]

Just install it and don't enter a product key when prompted as it'll be 98% functional and not be locked out after a set amount of time.

[unknownmiscreant]

If you have a win7/8/8.1 license, install 10 without a product key and then enter it within windows. I have done that numerous times.

[JakeNTech]

Either don't activate it at all, or do what I did and find an installer and key on eBay for £17 and use that...I had no issues when I was on windows 10. 

[SaladFingers]

Are free upgrades from Win 7/8 still possible? If so, grab a dirt cheap Win 7 license and go the upgrade route.

[unknownmiscreant]

14 hours ago, SaladFingers said:

Are free upgrades from Win 7/8 still possible? If so, grab a dirt cheap Win 7 license and go the upgrade route.

I'm fairly sure you can pretend to be disabled and upgrade 7/8/8.1. Or clean install win10 and activate it with a 7/8/8.1 license (tell the installer you don't have a license key). Buts its been a while since I have tried this, as I currently have an unlimited activation win 10 retail license from uni.

[SaladFingers]

7 hours ago, unknownmiscreant said:

I'm fairly sure you can pretend to be disabled and upgrade 7/8/8.1. Or clean install win10 and activate it with a 7/8/8.1 license (tell the installer you don't have a license key). Buts its been a while since I have tried this, as I currently have an unlimited activation win 10 retail license from uni.

Ah, I didn't realize you could use a win 7/8 license directly in win 10.

[unknownmiscreant]

1 hour ago, SaladFingers said:

Ah, I didn't realize you could use a win 7/8 license directly in win 10.

I have done it quite a few times, but its been with unlimited activation retail keys I got from uni. Not sure if it works if with OEM keys or even at all any more.

[SaladFingers]

52 minutes ago, unknownmiscreant said:

I have done it quite a few times, but its been with unlimited activation retail keys I got from uni. Not sure if it works if with OEM keys or even at all any more.

Well, it would make sense to do that since they still let people upgrade for free and giving them new licenses. What's the point of going through 2 OS installations if it's only for license activation? I upgraded directly from Windows 7 early on so I don't know what they changed afterwards.

[unknownmiscreant]

45 minutes ago, SaladFingers said:

Well, it would make sense to do that since they still let people upgrade for free and giving them new licenses. What's the point of going through 2 OS installations if it's only for license activation? I upgraded directly from Windows 7 early on so I don't know what they changed afterwards.

I personally never upgrade windows installations or change hardware anymore. I have had machines die on me at the worst times always with a fault traceable back to something to do with an upgrade/hardware change. It never happens on a Friday night when you have a slack weekend. Always sunday night when you need the machine on Monday......

 

I think it might be to deter non-techies. I once discovered you could get round the activation lockout on windows vista (uurgh) as it allowed you to use IE to purchase a license and you could use it to run explorer.exe from the file system which launched the desktop and allowed you to use the machine as before. I'm not sure whether the win 10 installer only accepts win 10 keys, but I never enter keys then as I have them all on our NAS so doing it within windows allows copy-paste. But having said that, noone non-techie rebuilds their machine anyway.

[SaladFingers]

2 hours ago, unknownmiscreant said:

I personally never upgrade windows installations or change hardware anymore. I have had machines die on me at the worst times always with a fault traceable back to something to do with an upgrade/hardware change. It never happens on a Friday night when you have a slack weekend. Always sunday night when you need the machine on Monday......

 

I think it might be to deter non-techies. I once discovered you could get round the activation lockout on windows vista (uurgh) as it allowed you to use IE to purchase a license and you could use it to run explorer.exe from the file system which launched the desktop and allowed you to use the machine as before. I'm not sure whether the win 10 installer only accepts win 10 keys, but I never enter keys then as I have them all on our NAS so doing it within windows allows copy-paste. But having said that, noone non-techie rebuilds their machine anyway.

Haha, that's why I take nightly backups religiously and whenever something breaks I can revert to a working configuration.

[demonix00]

On 27/10/2017 at 12:55 AM, unknownmiscreant said:

I'm fairly sure you can pretend to be disabled and upgrade 7/8/8.1. Or clean install win10 and activate it with a 7/8/8.1 license (tell the installer you don't have a license key). Buts its been a while since I have tried this, as I currently have an unlimited activation win 10 retail license from uni.

Which is unnecessary (the first part at least) since windows 7/8/8.1 license keys will still activate windows 10 installs (tried with both an actual license key and a BIOS embedded key)

[unknownmiscreant]

1 hour ago, demonix00 said:

Which is unnecessary (the first part at least) since windows 7/8/8.1 license keys will still activate windows 10 installs (tried with both an actual license key and a BIOS embedded key)

Yeah I know installing 7/8/8.1 then upgrading to 10 is utterly stupid. I was putting that there as extra info and for the benefit of those who currently run 7/8, not as a viable way of installing 10 on a machine.

 

Good to know 10 still accepts 7/8 license keys.