Windows 10 Free Upgrades Still Working For Those With Valid Windows 7/8 Licenses
We already know that users who currently take advantage of Assistive Technologies can still upgrade to Windows 10 for free (and even those who don’t can simply go to this page and download a free copy). But according to ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley, Microsoft has left open yet another “window” to allow stragglers to enter the Windows 10 house of worship.
Apparently, users that have retained valid Windows 7 or Windows 8.x product keys can still upgrade to Windows 10 for free. According to Foley, this is the case even for keys that were previously activated with Windows 7 or Windows 8.x, and for keys that haven’t been activated at all.
So taken at face value, as long as you have a valid Windows 7 or Windows 8.x product key at your disposal, Windows 10 can still be obtained for free — at least until Microsoft decides to disable this functionality altogether. In our minds, however, we have the feeling that Microsoft might just leave this loophole open indefinitely.
After all, Microsoft announced over a year ago that July 29th, 2016 would be the last day that free upgrades could be redeemed. With that date out in the open, the wheels had already been set in motion. However, given that Microsoft is having trouble meeting its “1 billion installs by the end of 2018” deadline — primarily due to lackluster sales of Lumia devices — the company probably wants to leave every avenue open to help it reach that goal as quickly as possible.
So, for now, the Windows 10 free upgrade train is still moving along at full speed. And if you are a late arrival to the Windows 10 party, be sure to check out our privacy and cleanup guides once you get the operating system installed.
