PSA: Free Windows 10 upgrade for customers using assistive technologies ends

[Guest]

Well it seems that this path to a free upgrade is closing up soon, but for how long that windows 10 has been out, will anyone still running an older version care?

Quote

Microsoft ended its free upgrade to Windows 10 offer for Windows 7 and 8 users in Summer 2016, but customers using assistive technologies are still able to install the new OS for free for now. Microsoft had yet to indicate if or when this offer would end at some point, but French website Ginjfo recently noticed that Microsoft updated the dedicated FAQ with new details.

According to the update, this free accessibility upgrade will expire on December 31, 2017, as you can see below:

 

 

Source (OnMSFT)

[mynameisjuan]

Been using that way of upgrading for a while for my grandparent who missed the update. I didnt think it was going to last long especially being a trust-based system. 

 

Which according to Goodbytes is illegal without any background of if the PCs used accessibility tools on the PCs I upgraded, in which changing text and icon size alone (an official accessibility option)covered this highly illegal activity that is officially supported by Mircosoft. 

[GoodBytes]

@mynameisjuan, Saying your illegal activities on a public forum that fully cooperate with police is not the smartest thing ever.

[shermantanker]

why have i never heard of this lol

[handymanshandle]

1 minute ago, GoodBytes said:

@mynameisjuan, Saying your illegal activities on a public forum that fully complies to police/warrants is not the smartest thing ever.

Why so serious

Well yeah, self incrimination is never the best idea.

 

But considering Microsoft allowed it, knowing what could and does/did happen I hardly think they're really going to care all that much if their motive is for getting as many devices on Windows 10 as possible reigns over them being more concerned about getting that extra dough.

[GoodBytes]

6 minutes ago, shermantanker said:

why have i never heard of this lol

'cause you don't have assistive technology, maybe?

Many are thousand of dollar solutions, some custom made, or hundred of dollar software. You need one to comply to the free upgrade. This was done to allow time for Microsoft to ensure maximum capability and allow people to upgrade their software so that it runs with Windows 10

[dfsdfgfkjsefoiqzemnd]

21 minutes ago, tjcater said:

will anyone still running an older version care?

I highly doubt it.  The market share has barely risen since the official free upgrade ended.  Those on Win7 and Win8.1 will probably stay on their current OS until it goes EoL, or longer.

People only move to Win10 when they buy new hardware that comes with it (and even then I get plenty of requests to "downgrade" brand new machines to Windows 7).  Perhaps in 2020 a lot of people will switch to Win10 because they're worried about the lack of security patches, but I suspect that Linux and MacOS will also see an increase by then.

[Ekst4zy]

I have no idea what you are talking about @GoodBytes I'm using magnifying glass on my tv + pc setup! Some things are just to damn small!

[shermantanker]

1 minute ago, GoodBytes said:

'cause you don't have assistive technology, maybe?

Many are thousand of dollar solutions, some custom made, or hundred of dollar software. You need one to comply to the free upgrade. This was done to allow time for Microsoft to ensure maximum capability and allow people to upgrade their software so that it runs with Windows 10

At first glance I thought it was just something about enabling accessibility features in windows lol.

[mynameisjuan]

9 minutes ago, GoodBytes said:

@mynameisjuan, Saying your illegal activities on a public forum that fully cooperate with police is not the smartest thing ever.

Not sure how its illegal. Its a tool provided by Microsoft https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/accessibility/windows10upgrade as long as you say, Yes I use assistive technologies. 

 

To be honest the tool should check for assistive programs upon install. But it a legit legal way to upgrade if you, or like EVERY PC I did this on were grandparents, to get the update if missed. It not like I am pirating windows. 

 

[captain_to_fire]

Just now, Captain Chaos said:

highly doubt it.  The market share has barely risen since the official free upgrade ended.  Those on Win7 and Win8.1 will probably stay on their current OS until it goes EoL, or longer

Windows 7 is the new Windows XP. Banks and big corporations are notorious for keeping old operating systems even after end of life cycle. 

[Centurius]

13 minutes ago, GoodBytes said:

@mynameisjuan, Saying your illegal activities on a public forum that fully cooperate with police is not the smartest thing ever.

At worst it's violating a contract, not even close to a criminal offence or anything the police cares about. 

[iamdarkyoshi]

31 minutes ago, tjcater said:

Microsoft ended its free upgrade to Windows 10 offer for Windows 7 and 8 users in Summer 2016

Honestly I'm confused by what they mean. Because I still regularly use the windows 7 key on the side of the machine to activate windows 10 and it works just fine.

[Dylanc1500]

2 minutes ago, hey_yo_ said:

Windows 7 is the new Windows XP. Banks and big corporations are notorious for keeping old operating systems even after end of life cycle. 

So what does that make XP?

 

You are correct though. Most business and institutions that have systems that are on isolated networks, they don't bother updating software as long as it continues to work as intended.

[Centurius]

1 minute ago, iamdarkyoshi said:

Honestly I'm confused by what they mean. Because I still regularly use the windows 7 key on the side of the machine to activate windows 10 and it works just fine.

I believe they made it so that if you upgraded your Windows 7 license before the free update expired your old key is considered a Windows 10 key. Plus your hardware is already recognized as valid Windows 10 so you likely don't even need a key at all.

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, iamdarkyoshi said:

Honestly I'm confused by what they mean. Because I still regularly use the windows 7 key on the side of the machine to activate windows 10 and it works just fine.

Just bad wording of the original article. It just means that the upgrade path using this site which was introduced in 2016 will be coming to an end, this should be independent of the key activation.

[mynameisjuan]

1 minute ago, Centurius said:

At worst it's violating a contract, not even close to a criminal offence or anything the police cares about. 

Exactly. Its an upgrade tool provided directly by Microsoft. The only contract is "Yes, I use assistive technologies". Have you used magnify glass before? Then sweet you comply. 

[captain_to_fire]

5 minutes ago, iamdarkyoshi said:

Honestly I'm confused by what they mean. Because I still regularly use the windows 7 key on the side of the machine to activate windows 10 and it works just fine.

I extracted the Windows 8.1 product key from my mom's laptop and upgraded it to Windows 10 for free.

6 minutes ago, Dylanc1500 said:

So what does that make XP?

 

You are correct though. Most business and institutions that have systems that are on isolated networks, they don't bother updating software as long as it continues to work as intended.

No wonder why big corporations are targets for data breaches. 

[NTDaws]

12 minutes ago, hey_yo_ said:

Windows 7 is the new Windows XP. Banks and big corporations are notorious for keeping old operating systems even after end of life cycle. 

surprisingly my school didn't, happily they didnt ever upgrade to vista doe

[GoodBytes]

12 minutes ago, mynameisjuan said:

Not sure how its illegal. Its a tool provided by Microsoft https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/accessibility/windows10upgrade as long as you say, Yes I use assistive technologies. 

 

To be honest the tool should check for assistive programs upon install. But it a legit legal way to upgrade if you, or like EVERY PC I did this on were grandparents, to get the update if missed. It not like I am pirating windows. 

 

I guess you go with the logic of: When I go shopping I steal anything... if it was illegal, I would have a cop at the door doing a full pat down with every customer leaving.

In Canada, and in most countries, lying in an agreement legal form is considered illegal activity.

[dfsdfgfkjsefoiqzemnd]

18 minutes ago, hey_yo_ said:

Windows 7 is the new Windows XP. Banks and big corporations are notorious for keeping old operating systems even after end of life cycle.

It's worse in fact.  I looked up the following numbers on netmarketshare.com :

 

We're 2 years and 2 months away from Win7's EoL date.  Win7 has a 47.21% market share, Win10 has 29.9%

Last year Win7 had a 48.27% market share, so it lost 1%.  Win10 had 22.53%, so it grew 7.5%, 6.5 of it at the expense of XP, Vista and Win8.1

 

Back when XP was 2 years and 2 months away from EoL (February 2012), XP had a 45.39% marketshare and Win7 was already at 38.12%.  That's almost 10% more than Win10 has now.  Also, that's without tricking millions of people into the free upgrade.  

A year earlier, XP was at 57.51% and Win7 was at 24.09%.  So Win7 gained 13% marketshare in 1 year, almost completely at the expense of XP. 

 

At this rate, Win7 will still be the most widely used OS in the world when it hits EoL in January 2020.  The idea that Microsoft will pull the plug on that is just crazy. 

[GoodBytes]

9 minutes ago, iamdarkyoshi said:

Honestly I'm confused by what they mean. Because I still regularly use the windows 7 key on the side of the machine to activate windows 10 and it works just fine.

Once you upgrade or have the key reserved (which it did automatically soon after if you had the Get the Windows 10 tool), you can upgrade to Windows 10 at any time, and how many times you want. (If you have a MS linked account, you don't even need to enter the key when you do a clean install)

[Dylanc1500]

2 minutes ago, GoodBytes said:

I guess you go with the logic of: When I go shopping I steal anything... if it was illegal, I would have a cop at the door doing a full pat down with every customer leaving.

In Canada, and in most countries, lying in an agreement legal form is considered illegal activity.

You are correct, when you agree to terms of service you are entering a legally binding contract. (In the u.s.)

[iamdarkyoshi]

Just now, GoodBytes said:

Once you upgrade or have the key reserved (which it did automatically soon after if you had the Get the Windows 10 tool), you can upgrade to Windows 10 at any time, and how many times you want. (If you have a MS linked account, you don't even need to enter the key when you do a clean install)

These were machines that were offline since the day of manufacture. They've never seen the internet until I got my hands on them recently, installed windows 10, and typed in the win7 key

[GoodBytes]

2 minutes ago, iamdarkyoshi said:

These were machines that were offline since the day of manufacture. They've never seen the internet until I got my hands on them recently, installed windows 10, and typed in the win7 key

Maybe MS did it to all Volume licensing deal automatically on their sides....?!