Windows 10 upgrades from Win7/Win8

[Dieselboy]

I have a bunch of upgrades to Windows 10 to do here... Scenario is it's preferred to have a fresh install of Windows 10, and also that it's a lot quicker to make a build image of Windows 10 and image that to laptops rather than Microsofts recommendation: Microsoft's only recommendation for machine re-builds is to first install and activate the OS the laptop is licensed for ie Windows 7 or Windows 8, and then do the upgrade process. This way adds an hour or two on top of the build process.

So, I did some investigations since I got nowhere with Microsoft (Are they real people at Microsoft? I couldn't seem to break their programming and get them to explain anything in detail or to give any other info other than their canned responses). I upgraded an OS to Windows 10 and I used Magic Jelly Bean to find the new product key on the upgraded machine. I noted the key, then flashed the build image of Win10 and activated the system with the Windows 10 product key I discovered with Jelly Bean. All is good, system is activated and no issues.
I did read online that Windows 10 is supposed to allow you to activate the system (after initially going through the upgrade process) with the Win7 or Win8 product key you originally purchased -> this doesn't work and Microsoft could not give a single comment on it.

So, my plan was to upgrade all of our systems and note the new product key in our database alongside the original key. But, when I actually looked at the keys being discovered, every one of the upgraded systems is reporting the exact same product key. 

Problem?

[deanwebb]

It's all nuts... how many workstations involved?

[Dieselboy]

24 machines. Only 2 of those are desktops, as we have some developers making some V.R. stuff on Oculus Rift.

So I have some thoughts:
- Is this a real key that M$ is using as the key for all the win7 and win8 upgraded machines? If not then all my builds will fail to be activated in a few months or what?
- If this is a real key, what is stopping people distributing the key to friends / family / the internet?
- What is M$ getting in return for all this "free" stuff?
- Why do I lie awake at night thinking about installing Windows 10 via an image?
- Why are we bombing Syria?

That sort of thing.

[deanwebb]

It helps to track people that did a free upgrade, so it's a real key, I'm guessing. And it will likely be tied to a CPU signature, so one key per install ought to work to activate your "Genuine Microsoft" software. It's not like back in the days of Win95 when all 1s was a valid product key.

You think about using an image because you know that's what all the big boys are doing. At Multinational Big Business, where I work, we're not upgrading anything in place, not even from one Win10 build to the next.

To your last question, to the best of my knowledge, no one on this board is directly involved in the armed conflict within Syria. Therefore a "we" applied to members of this board will result in none of us "bombing Syria." As for our representative governments, I can't speak as to their motives.

"And another thing I won't discuss is reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeligion, it always causes fights." - Ian Gillan, from Deep Purple's "Ted the Mechanic"

[Dieselboy]

I'm hoping that when I upgrade a valid windows 7/8 machine to windows 10, that Microsoft are tracking this in their database. So when I do a fresh install either from a DVD / USB or from an image, and then activate it with the generic key I am discovering; that it's still a valid install. There's nothing to state otherwise meaning that all win10 systems are activated.

PS. I'm loving how Windows 10 does windows updates.. Not that I like windows updates at all since they usually break the machine. BUT I spent a week trying to set up a Windows Update Server WSUS and couldn't get it to work properly. So I gave up. However, Windows 10 will share updates between devices on the same network. So the result is that downloading GB's of updates takes just a few minutes, since it's getting them from local machines. This has negated my need for a WSUS system, since doing builds and getting updates was taking forever before.

Regarding dropping bombs the WE was a reference to people on the planet rather than networkers .
In any case, here's a photographic collection of bombs that I enjoy:

[Dieselboy]

Just one more thing, without trying to start a discussion:

"And another thing I won't discuss is reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeligion, it always causes fights." - Ian Gillan, from Deep Purple's "Ted the Mechanic"

I honestly don't see what the big deal is. At the end of the day, everyone knows right from wrong. Sometimes it can get a bit fuzzy for some people. My Aunt is against gay marriage. My response is why does it bother her, why not just let other people live their life how they want to? It's not causing her harm.
If I want to believe that unicorns made the earth and everyone on it that's up to me. People shouldn't think negatively or otherwise of me because of that.

Actually, there was a link to an article going around on Facebook last week. Basically it said that lost gospels of the Bible have been uncovered. It had been found by some kind of pirates basically (sounds like a good movie if I'm honest). The lost parts of the Bible state that Jesus was not crucified at all. And that he ascended directly to heaven. I've seen Stargate SG1 so I know that this is entirely true

http://www.cnnlife.info/2015/12/1500-year-old-bible-confirms-that-jesus.html

[deanwebb]

Just one more thing, without trying to start a discussion:

"And another thing I won't discuss is reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeligion, it always causes fights." - Ian Gillan, from Deep Purple's "Ted the Mechanic"

I honestly don't see what the big deal is. At the end of the day, everyone knows right from wrong. Sometimes it can get a bit fuzzy for some people. My Aunt is against gay marriage. My response is why does it bother her, why not just let other people live their life how they want to? It's not causing her harm.
If I want to believe that unicorns made the earth and everyone on it that's up to me. People shouldn't think negatively or otherwise of me because of that.

Actually, there was a link to an article going around on Facebook last week. Basically it said that lost gospels of the Bible have been uncovered. It had been found by some kind of pirates basically (sounds like a good movie if I'm honest). The lost parts of the Bible state that Jesus was not crucified at all. And that he ascended directly to heaven. I've seen Stargate SG1 so I know that this is entirely true

http://www.cnnlife.info/2015/12/1500-year-old-bible-confirms-that-jesus.html

I think the rule of decorum here is that if we keep things about networks, weekends, and how cursed developers, vendor sales and marketing, and end-users are, we won't run the risk of having the community split down the middle because of a disagreement over whether or not people getting gay married in an abortion clinic have a right to shoot each other if they find out that one of them uses VI and the other uses EMACS. I've seen other communities develop rifts like that, and I'd hate to see this one bust up over something like that.

If the most heated debates we have are whether or not to deploy ACI or how to run VTP or whether or not no default route to the Internet is a worthwhile security measure, then we're doing just fine.

[Reggle]

... one of them uses VI and the other uses EMACS...

Everyone. Calm. Right. Now.

This has to be settled, forum split or not. VI obviously is The Only Way. If you don't agree with me all right now, I'll guess I'll have to register networking-forums-vi-rules.com

[deanwebb]

Hey, I *know* what constitutes a divisive issue. Forget macs vs. pcs or Androids vs. iPhones... VI vs. EMACS is the granddaddy of them all!

In fact, I'm pretty sure that the Hundred Years' War started over a VI/EMACS dispute...

[Dieselboy]

It's too early on a Monday morning to be going this deep. I'll come back another time.