I'm in the market for an OS for a PC I was just given.
So I was just given a gaming PC, built a few years ago I believe. I need an OS for it, but I'd like it to be retail so I can transfer it if this PC ends up being messed up. I mean it boots up, but for all I know it won't make it past downloading the OS. And I don't want to throw away $100+. I'm sure I'll use the OS somewhere. I just want to make sure that's the best price. I thought you could get Windows 8(and upgrade to Windows 10) for like $90 retail but I don't know anymore.
Thanks for any help!
Specs;
Intel core Q6600
EVGA 780i SLI
EVGA 650 Ti Boost
Antec TruePower Trio 650W(I was told this could be dying, he wasn't sure)
6GB DDR2 RAM
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world."
You're much better buying a retail copy of Windows 7/8 and upgrading it to 10. Much cheaper, or you could buy from somewhere like G2A, I think there was a place on Reddit you could get software for really cheap. All legit as they're sold by the mods of the subreddit. Pretty sure it was $35 for a retail copy of W10. I'll see if I can find it.
Chuck a Windows ISO on a USB drive, install it, don't activate. You have 30 days to figure out whether it's worth paying for and whether the PC will work reliably.
It isn't illegal to download a Windows ISO through the proper channels, though not sure if they're still available through DigitalRiver.
You're much better buying a retail copy of Windows 7/8 and upgrading it to 10. Much cheaper, or you could buy from somewhere like G2A, I think there was a place on Reddit you could get software for really cheap. All legit as they're sold by the mods of the subreddit. Pretty sure it was $35 for a retail copy of W10. I'll see if I can find it.
Chuck a Windows ISO on a USB drive, install it, don't activate. You have 30 days to figure out whether it's worth paying for and whether the PC will work reliably.
It isn't illegal to download a Windows ISO through the proper channels, though not sure if they're still available through DigitalRiver.
Never heard of this, will look into it. Thanks! Is there a tutorial anywhere?
Pretty sure the OEM locked to motherboard limitation doesn't apply in any way anymore, at least not after upgrading a Windows 7 or 8 OEM key. I don't know the specifics, but I had an OEM Windows 7 key that I got a Windows 10 key from, and that Windows 10 key has so far worked on 3 simultaneous installations of Windows on 3 different machines. (The fourth gave me a registration error). Not sure if that's how it's supposed to be, but it's how I have it.
Huh. That's different. I'll have to look into this too!
How are they able to sell it so cheap though? Something doesn't seem 100% right.
Never heard of this, will look into it. Thanks!
Huh. That's different. I'll have to look into this too!
Thanks!
They're cheap because they're usually keys that people can get for free from their university, workplace, etc. Technically speaking, they're against the Microsoft ToS iirc, and I've heard of situations where Microsoft deactivates the key eventually.
They're cheap because they're usually keys that people can get for free from their university, workplace, etc. Technically speaking, they're against the Microsoft ToS iirc, and I've heard of situations where Microsoft deactivates the key eventually.
I don't think these ones are as the keys supplied by Microsoft are branded as different keys.
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Can you match my resolve? If so then you will succeed. - Monty Oum
Pretty sure the OEM locked to motherboard limitation doesn't apply in any way anymore, at least not after upgrading a Windows 7 or 8 OEM key. I don't know the specifics, but I had an OEM Windows 7 key that I got a Windows 10 key from, and that Windows 10 key has so far worked on 3 simultaneous installations of Windows on 3 different machines. (The fourth gave me a registration error). Not sure if that's how it's supposed to be, but it's how I have it.
The OEM/Retail thing is a massive mess to sort out, particularly since it seems to vary with every single version of the OS.
The first point of confusion is that sometimes OEM is confused with things like Recovery media from the manufacturer. Not an unreasonable misunderstanding. But OEM is really the "System Builder" disc- think of it as the Install Media intended to be used before the actual consumer gets the system.
Anecdotally, I have a Windows XP OEM SP2 CD. Fancy shiny MS Hologram and all that. It cost me over $200 dollars ages ago, but it hasn't got a lot of use. Main problem is that it doesn't seem to accept any of the keys I put in anymore. I don't know what the deal is there, though.
Now one thing interesting about Windows XP OEM, is that it states in the license agreement that it is permissable for the "System Builder" who is installing the OS, and the person using the Machine (the customer) to be the same person. So you can install an OEM/System Builder version of Windows XP and it's above board. This remained effectively the same with Vista. This is NOT the case for Windows 7 and beyond, which explicitly states that the person building the system and the end-user cannot be the same person, which is an often overlooked aspect of the license.
The primary difference between System Builder and Retail is that the System Builder License ties the OS to that machine. It is in violation of the EULA to move the OS to another system. Once installed, that OEM license is now tied to that system forever. With a retail version of Windows, the license is not tied down to the hardware- It is permissible to uninstall retail Windows on one system, then install the same license on another system. Realistically, mind you- these differences are surprisingly inconsequential. OEM licenses will refuse to install in most cases if already tied to another piece of hardware (I think Win10 gives you three such licenses after the upgrade, but EULA-wise I think they are still tied to the hardware in the same manner as the original license that was upgraded). In reality, If it fails to activate you can always call Mr.Dave American in Michigan, who is probably staring across the Ganges, who will just issue you another key half the time.
I've heard of situations where Microsoft deactivates the key eventually.
I can 100% confirm that this is absolutely true. A lot of Microsoft software sold on those subreddits for "too good to be true" prices are, in fact, too good to be true. As you mention, nowadays, they are typically keys coming from MSDN, from users with various subscriptions- either through Work, through their university, or, in some cases (though hopefully more rare) complimentary subscriptions offered to certain individuals like Microsoft MVP Awardees. Technet was actually stopped because it was a massive source of key-sharing and Microsoft could hardly keep up- as soon as they terminated an account for key sharing, the person would open up another, since while it was hardly cheap, key-sharers could grab hundreds of keys and sell them over the course of a single evening or a few days, and it could be a month before the account was found and suspended, but by that time they had sold all the keys and made a tidy profit off the original subscription. MSDN is still active- it has a massive disincentive that makes it impossible to abuse in that way, since the subscriptions run up around tends of thousands of dollars per-year.
Either way, I can pretty much 100% guarantee that those keys are completely valueless, because the sharing of the keys by the subscription holder is a blatant violation of the MSDN ToS (and it was similarly a violation of the TechNet ToS). If Microsoft sees obvious key sharing, the associated MSDN account is terminated without prejudice, and *every single key* associated with that subscription becomes completely, 100% invalid.
I've made it a point, myself, to be incredibly by-the-book in using my MSDN keys, to avoid just that scenario. Not that I'd sell them, but I have to stop myself when helping resolve/reinstall/etc issues on other systems.
So in the end, I should just spend the money and get retail? I like to be on the safe side.
I got OEM on my desktop as I don't plan on moving the OS anytime soon, or at all depending. I do want to figure out this ISO thing though. If I was sure the computer was running good, I'd spend the $50 less and get OEM.
Oh and just out of curiosity, how will the Q6600 perform? It's before what I work with. Will it bottleneck the 650 Ti Boost?
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world."
If you don't necessarily know whether you will actually need the OS or not, I still think this is the best route as you can always activate the installation if you need to with a product key. Just click the "Skip" button when it asks for a product key when installing.
If you wanted a "Microsoft Approved" way of installing a W7/8.1 ISO to a USB drive, there's the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool, too. Else, there's Rufus or Unetbootin which will work for pretty much any bootable ISO.
If you don't necessarily know whether you will actually need the OS or not, I still think this is the best route as you can always activate the installation if you need to with a product key. Just click the "Skip" button when it asks for a product key when installing.
If you wanted a "Microsoft Approved" way of installing a W7/8.1 ISO to a USB drive, there's the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool, too. Else, there's Rufus or Unetbootin which will work for pretty much any bootable ISO.
I'm not sure I understand completely. It says you can get a Windows 10 ISO directly from Microsoft for free, but it just goes to "How to install". I know it probably sounds stupid and obvious but I don't know anything when it comes to software..
If you could get the ISO file from windows directly then I'd be happy as a clam. Use the windows download tool and be all legit.
EDIT: Or not use the download tool because it's for Win7. But still a legit ISO.
EDIT: I'm stupid. The tool is how you get the ISO file. I'll get it in the morning and see how it goes and report back. Thanks guys!
EDIT 2: Actually, it could be awhile unless I have a spare HDD floating around. I have yet to order one. If I have a spare one I'll use it to get the temp windows tomorrow, and then if it works I'll buy windows and put it on a new WD Blue. But chances are I don't have an old one..
EDIT 3: Would it work if I was putting it on an HDD that already has XP on it, or does it have to be empty?
For W10 you can D/L the media creation tool from here and it gives you the option to save directly to ISO file when you run it. Why they don't directly let you download the ISO via HTTP I have no idea but I have done the D/L via tool way in the past without a key, so I know it works. *shrugs*
I did find this, but I have no idea if those particular ISOs are upgrade only, full retail ISOs, or whether they're even usable for your purposes. Should be, but take that with a grain of salt.
For W10 you can D/L the media creation tool from here and it gives you the option to save directly to ISO file when you run it. Why they don't directly let you download the ISO via HTTP I have no idea but I have done the D/L via tool way in the past without a key, so I know it works. *shrugs*
I did find this, but I have no idea if those particular ISOs are upgrade only, full retail ISOs, or whether they're even usable for your purposes. Should be, but take that with a grain of salt.
So, technically, I should be able to get the Windows 10 tool, create an ISO like the instructions say, throw it on a USB, plug it into the computer in question, restart and viola? Or close to that anyway?
I guess all I need is an HDD!
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world."
So, technically, I should be able to get the Windows 10 tool, create an ISO like the instructions say, throw it on a USB, plug it into the computer in question, restart and viola? Or close to that anyway?
I guess all I need is an HDD!
Yep. Spot on. If you decide that it's worth paying the $whatever for a license, buy either a retail or OEM copy of W10, plug the key from it into the existing installation and you should be good to go.
That said, i'm pretty sure you're going to decide that it isn't worth it. I had a Q6600, it was well outdated in 2012 and showing it's age (had to OC it to at least 3GHz over the stock 2.4GHz to get it to stop bottlenecking a HD 7870 to the extreme), let alone in 2016.
I'm in the market for an OS for a PC I was just given.
So I was just given a gaming PC, built a few years ago I believe. I need an OS for it, but I'd like it to be retail so I can transfer it if this PC ends up being messed up. I mean it boots up, but for all I know it won't make it past downloading the OS. And I don't want to throw away $100+. I'm sure I'll use the OS somewhere. I just want to make sure that's the best price. I thought you could get Windows 8(and upgrade to Windows 10) for like $90 retail but I don't know anymore.
Thanks for any help!
Specs;
Intel core Q6600
EVGA 780i SLI
EVGA 650 Ti Boost
Antec TruePower Trio 650W(I was told this could be dying, he wasn't sure)
6GB DDR2 RAM
"Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world."
-Albert Einstein
Current setup: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/PJzPD3
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/microsoft-os-kw900140
Gaming PC Specs - Intel i5-2500K ~ ASUS P8P67M-Pro ~ Hyper 212+ ~ MSI GTX 970 OC ~ 8GB DDR3 Ram ~ 250GB Samsung EVO 850 ~ 500GB HardDrive ~ XFX 550w PSU ~ Fractal Core 1000 ~ Windows 8.1 ~ Samsung P2350 1080p Soon upgrading to GTX 1080/R9 490X + 1440p 144Hz
Macbook Pro 15" Retina - Intel i7 ~ 8GB Ram ~ Nvidia GT 650M ~ 256GB SSD ~ 2880 by 1800 Screen <3
But they're all OEM
"Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world."
-Albert Einstein
Current setup: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/PJzPD3
You're much better buying a retail copy of Windows 7/8 and upgrading it to 10. Much cheaper, or you could buy from somewhere like G2A, I think there was a place on Reddit you could get software for really cheap. All legit as they're sold by the mods of the subreddit. Pretty sure it was $35 for a retail copy of W10. I'll see if I can find it.
Found it : https://www.reddit.com/r/microsoftsoftwareswap/comments/42jqe3/h_windows_10_7_8_81_servers_office_visio_project/
Chuck a Windows ISO on a USB drive, install it, don't activate. You have 30 days to figure out whether it's worth paying for and whether the PC will work reliably.
It isn't illegal to download a Windows ISO through the proper channels, though not sure if they're still available through DigitalRiver.
K95 RGB / Logitech G502 PS / Alienware AW3418DW / ViewSonic XG2703-GS / Sennheiser HD 598
How are they able to sell it so cheap though? Something doesn't seem 100% right.
Never heard of this, will look into it. Thanks! Is there a tutorial anywhere?
Huh. That's different. I'll have to look into this too!
Thanks!
"Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world."
-Albert Einstein
Current setup: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/PJzPD3
They're cheap because they're usually keys that people can get for free from their university, workplace, etc. Technically speaking, they're against the Microsoft ToS iirc, and I've heard of situations where Microsoft deactivates the key eventually.
Gaming PC Specs - Intel i5-2500K ~ ASUS P8P67M-Pro ~ Hyper 212+ ~ MSI GTX 970 OC ~ 8GB DDR3 Ram ~ 250GB Samsung EVO 850 ~ 500GB HardDrive ~ XFX 550w PSU ~ Fractal Core 1000 ~ Windows 8.1 ~ Samsung P2350 1080p Soon upgrading to GTX 1080/R9 490X + 1440p 144Hz
Macbook Pro 15" Retina - Intel i7 ~ 8GB Ram ~ Nvidia GT 650M ~ 256GB SSD ~ 2880 by 1800 Screen <3
I don't think these ones are as the keys supplied by Microsoft are branded as different keys.
The OEM/Retail thing is a massive mess to sort out, particularly since it seems to vary with every single version of the OS.
The first point of confusion is that sometimes OEM is confused with things like Recovery media from the manufacturer. Not an unreasonable misunderstanding. But OEM is really the "System Builder" disc- think of it as the Install Media intended to be used before the actual consumer gets the system.
Anecdotally, I have a Windows XP OEM SP2 CD. Fancy shiny MS Hologram and all that. It cost me over $200 dollars ages ago, but it hasn't got a lot of use. Main problem is that it doesn't seem to accept any of the keys I put in anymore. I don't know what the deal is there, though.
Now one thing interesting about Windows XP OEM, is that it states in the license agreement that it is permissable for the "System Builder" who is installing the OS, and the person using the Machine (the customer) to be the same person. So you can install an OEM/System Builder version of Windows XP and it's above board. This remained effectively the same with Vista. This is NOT the case for Windows 7 and beyond, which explicitly states that the person building the system and the end-user cannot be the same person, which is an often overlooked aspect of the license.
The primary difference between System Builder and Retail is that the System Builder License ties the OS to that machine. It is in violation of the EULA to move the OS to another system. Once installed, that OEM license is now tied to that system forever. With a retail version of Windows, the license is not tied down to the hardware- It is permissible to uninstall retail Windows on one system, then install the same license on another system. Realistically, mind you- these differences are surprisingly inconsequential. OEM licenses will refuse to install in most cases if already tied to another piece of hardware (I think Win10 gives you three such licenses after the upgrade, but EULA-wise I think they are still tied to the hardware in the same manner as the original license that was upgraded). In reality, If it fails to activate you can always call Mr.Dave American in Michigan, who is probably staring across the Ganges, who will just issue you another key half the time.
I can 100% confirm that this is absolutely true. A lot of Microsoft software sold on those subreddits for "too good to be true" prices are, in fact, too good to be true. As you mention, nowadays, they are typically keys coming from MSDN, from users with various subscriptions- either through Work, through their university, or, in some cases (though hopefully more rare) complimentary subscriptions offered to certain individuals like Microsoft MVP Awardees. Technet was actually stopped because it was a massive source of key-sharing and Microsoft could hardly keep up- as soon as they terminated an account for key sharing, the person would open up another, since while it was hardly cheap, key-sharers could grab hundreds of keys and sell them over the course of a single evening or a few days, and it could be a month before the account was found and suspended, but by that time they had sold all the keys and made a tidy profit off the original subscription. MSDN is still active- it has a massive disincentive that makes it impossible to abuse in that way, since the subscriptions run up around tends of thousands of dollars per-year.
Either way, I can pretty much 100% guarantee that those keys are completely valueless, because the sharing of the keys by the subscription holder is a blatant violation of the MSDN ToS (and it was similarly a violation of the TechNet ToS). If Microsoft sees obvious key sharing, the associated MSDN account is terminated without prejudice, and *every single key* associated with that subscription becomes completely, 100% invalid.
I've made it a point, myself, to be incredibly by-the-book in using my MSDN keys, to avoid just that scenario. Not that I'd sell them, but I have to stop myself when helping resolve/reinstall/etc issues on other systems.
So in the end, I should just spend the money and get retail? I like to be on the safe side.
I got OEM on my desktop as I don't plan on moving the OS anytime soon, or at all depending. I do want to figure out this ISO thing though. If I was sure the computer was running good, I'd spend the $50 less and get OEM.
Oh and just out of curiosity, how will the Q6600 perform? It's before what I work with. Will it bottleneck the 650 Ti Boost?
"Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world."
-Albert Einstein
Current setup: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/PJzPD3
not a lot of people buy their operating systems these days anyway.
True, but I do.
"Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world."
-Albert Einstein
Current setup: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/PJzPD3
Argggh
Gaming PC Specs - Intel i5-2500K ~ ASUS P8P67M-Pro ~ Hyper 212+ ~ MSI GTX 970 OC ~ 8GB DDR3 Ram ~ 250GB Samsung EVO 850 ~ 500GB HardDrive ~ XFX 550w PSU ~ Fractal Core 1000 ~ Windows 8.1 ~ Samsung P2350 1080p Soon upgrading to GTX 1080/R9 490X + 1440p 144Hz
Macbook Pro 15" Retina - Intel i7 ~ 8GB Ram ~ Nvidia GT 650M ~ 256GB SSD ~ 2880 by 1800 Screen <3
Downloading Windows Install Media
If you don't necessarily know whether you will actually need the OS or not, I still think this is the best route as you can always activate the installation if you need to with a product key. Just click the "Skip" button when it asks for a product key when installing.
If you wanted a "Microsoft Approved" way of installing a W7/8.1 ISO to a USB drive, there's the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool, too. Else, there's Rufus or Unetbootin which will work for pretty much any bootable ISO.
K95 RGB / Logitech G502 PS / Alienware AW3418DW / ViewSonic XG2703-GS / Sennheiser HD 598
I'm not sure I understand completely. It says you can get a Windows 10 ISO directly from Microsoft for free, but it just goes to "How to install". I know it probably sounds stupid and obvious but I don't know anything when it comes to software..
If you could get the ISO file from windows directly then I'd be happy as a clam. Use the windows download tool and be all legit.
EDIT: Or not use the download tool because it's for Win7. But still a legit ISO.
"Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world."
-Albert Einstein
Current setup: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/PJzPD3
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10ISO
is this what you're looking for?
Gaming PC Specs - Intel i5-2500K ~ ASUS P8P67M-Pro ~ Hyper 212+ ~ MSI GTX 970 OC ~ 8GB DDR3 Ram ~ 250GB Samsung EVO 850 ~ 500GB HardDrive ~ XFX 550w PSU ~ Fractal Core 1000 ~ Windows 8.1 ~ Samsung P2350 1080p Soon upgrading to GTX 1080/R9 490X + 1440p 144Hz
Macbook Pro 15" Retina - Intel i7 ~ 8GB Ram ~ Nvidia GT 650M ~ 256GB SSD ~ 2880 by 1800 Screen <3
EDIT: I'm stupid. The tool is how you get the ISO file. I'll get it in the morning and see how it goes and report back. Thanks guys!
EDIT 2: Actually, it could be awhile unless I have a spare HDD floating around. I have yet to order one. If I have a spare one I'll use it to get the temp windows tomorrow, and then if it works I'll buy windows and put it on a new WD Blue. But chances are I don't have an old one..
EDIT 3: Would it work if I was putting it on an HDD that already has XP on it, or does it have to be empty?
"Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world."
-Albert Einstein
Current setup: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/PJzPD3
For W10 you can D/L the media creation tool from here and it gives you the option to save directly to ISO file when you run it. Why they don't directly let you download the ISO via HTTP I have no idea but I have done the D/L via tool way in the past without a key, so I know it works. *shrugs*
I did find this, but I have no idea if those particular ISOs are upgrade only, full retail ISOs, or whether they're even usable for your purposes. Should be, but take that with a grain of salt.
K95 RGB / Logitech G502 PS / Alienware AW3418DW / ViewSonic XG2703-GS / Sennheiser HD 598
So, technically, I should be able to get the Windows 10 tool, create an ISO like the instructions say, throw it on a USB, plug it into the computer in question, restart and viola? Or close to that anyway?
I guess all I need is an HDD!
"Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world."
-Albert Einstein
Current setup: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/PJzPD3
Yep. Spot on. If you decide that it's worth paying the $whatever for a license, buy either a retail or OEM copy of W10, plug the key from it into the existing installation and you should be good to go.
That said, i'm pretty sure you're going to decide that it isn't worth it. I had a Q6600, it was well outdated in 2012 and showing it's age (had to OC it to at least 3GHz over the stock 2.4GHz to get it to stop bottlenecking a HD 7870 to the extreme), let alone in 2016.
Arrrrgh Me Hearties..!
K95 RGB / Logitech G502 PS / Alienware AW3418DW / ViewSonic XG2703-GS / Sennheiser HD 598