Member Avatar for rproffitt

A relative had a pretty beat up qualifying Windows laptop so I took a chance that this deal was still working.

Read https://www.cnet.com/how-to/microsoft-windows-10-free-upgrade-offer-assistive-features/ but the new expiry date is now Jan 16, 2018.

Direct Link at www.microsoft.com/en-us/accessibility/windows10upgrade

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A few clarifying points and practical steps to complement ’s and ’s posts.

Microsoft’s assistive‑technology upgrade window was extended briefly and closed on January 16, 2018 — that’s the cutoff for taking advantage of the accessibility page upgrade. (windowscentral.com)

If a machine was upgraded before that deadline it should have received a Windows 10 “digital license” (formerly called a digital entitlement). Before you restore any backup you should confirm the upgrade actually recorded a license: open Settings > Update & Security > Activation and look for “Windows is activated with a digital license.” For an advanced view use the elevated command slmgr /dlv. Also associate the device with a Microsoft account (Activation page → Add an account) so you can use the Activation troubleshooter later if needed. (support.microsoft.com)

If you want the safety of ’s imaging trick but fewer surprises, a safe workflow is:

  • Make a full system image (external drive or image file).
  • Run the upgrade while connected to the Internet.
  • Confirm Windows shows an activated digital license and link your Microsoft account.
  • Restore your original image if you need to keep the prior OS; the license remains on Microsoft’s servers and will allow a later clean install of the same Windows 10 edition (skip the product key during install). (health-improve.org)

Notes and cautions: the digital license is tied to the device and the Windows edition (Home vs Pro) — switching editions will not carry the license, but switching architecture (32→64 bit) for the same edition generally won’t block activation. If you replace major hardware or have activation issues, use the Activation troubleshooter after linking your Microsoft account. Also remember Windows 10 reached end‑of‑support on October 14, 2025; plan for migration or ESU if you’ll keep a device on Windows 10 long‑term. (support.microsoft.com)

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Member Avatar for Reverend Jim

Officially, Microsoft was still offering the free upgrade only to users of "accessibility" features but they weren't asking for any verification so it's basically just an extension. I have two laptops that I don't want to upgrade just yet so in order to allow me to do the upgrade later I:

  1. took an image of my C partition
  2. applied the Windows 10 upgrade
  3. restored the image from step 1

The laptops are the same as I started with but the computers are now registered as official so when I do decide to go W10 I can wipe and install a fresh W10 from the iso at no charge.

Member Avatar for rproffitt

There's one trick I used on W10 machines that is little known. I had a relative that insisted their PC could only use the 32 bit Windows versions. So fine, did that. Sure enough they were back saying they need the 64 bit version. The Digital Entitlement (horrid name) allowed the same version but in other bits to install and activate. So there is something nice about the new license system.

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