Microsoft's free Windows 10 upgrade offer for "assistive technology" users will end this...

midian182

midian182

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While Microsoft officially ended its aggressive Windows 10 upgrade program on July 29 this year, there is still a 'loophole' open for Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 users to move to the latest OS. But on December 31, that’s also being shut down.

As we explain in this article, the company extended its free upgrade offer beyond the July deadline for those who use Windows' assistive features.

All you need to do is visit the assistive support page and verify that “Yes, I use assistive technologies” to move to Windows 10 without having to pay anything. Microsoft’s definition of its assistive technologies is pretty broad; it includes everyday functions like keyboard shortcuts, the screen Narrator, the magnifier tool, and even Cortana.

"We are not restricting the upgrade offer to specific assistive technologies," the company writes. "If you use assistive technology on Windows, you are eligible for the upgrade offer."

The statement appears to contrast what Microsoft posted on Reddit one year ago:

Please do not use the "Assistive Technologies" webpage tool to late upgrade to Windows 10 if you have missed the free upgrade offer. It is only for those with disabilities, and is being changed soon to prevent abuse of the system.

In reality, Microsoft will likely not have a problem with those who “abuse” this system. The company has long said it wants to get Windows 10 on one billion devices, but the latest version still has just a 30 percent share of the OS market, second to Windows 7’s 46.6 percent. But whatever the company’s feelings, this particular upgrade path will close on December 31.

Make sure to check out our feature for other ways you can still upgrade to Windows 10 for free.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/71679-microsoft-free-windows-10-upgrade-offer-assistive-technologies.html

 
I changed motherboards and cpu's and while it booted without a problem and was activated it was acting a bit odd as shutdown just went to the lock screen. I then did a clean install where it didn't activate even though I used my Microsoft account login. Using a windows 7 pro key though activated no problem so you don't need to use assistive support to get activated even now windows 7 COA's work.
 
Still dealing with the same old problem. I was part of their contributor program since Win 10's first release. I upgraded my computer to an SSD, copied the entire operating system from the old disk and ever since then it continues to prompt me to Activate Windows. I have done this many times with the same results and Microsoft has NEVER, NEVER, NEVER bothered to answer my questions or attempt to help me resolve the problem. I enjoy Windows 10 a lot but I certainly understand all the negative comments; Microsoft has taken on a "take it leave it" attitude for far too long. Like a lot of people, I long for the day something better will come along. Tried Unix and some of the other "flavors" but I'm not a programmer so they simply don't work for me. Long sigggghhhhhhhh ......
 
Ive used Windows 10 Pro for almost 3 yrs, no issues for me. While the OS isn't for everyone and maybe doesn't work in every situation, for everyday use, productivity and gaming, it works fine. In most cases it's better than 7.

If ppl have issues, I tend to believe it's the user not the OS in most cases.
 
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I have used various Windows 7 Ultimate keys on 12 or so Windows 10 home to pro and clean pro installs on every PC in the house now, plus a few virtuals. It runs VB and HyperV hosts, a media server and all workstations. Every physical computer in the house running on an Intel or AMD cpu boots to Windows 10 Pro, except a NAS running Ubuntu 16.04. Windows 7 U was nice, but 10 Pro is better.
 
I still use my 8.1 key for 10 installs regularly (in my test vm lab). When the key does fail, the phone activation method still works, and they've even made that easier using a website to punch in numbers instead! I guess the proof will be in the pudding when I attempt to build a windows 10 vm after 1-1-18 and see if it activates........
 
Oh Noes! Microsoft doesnt want to hand out free 10 anymore! Guess I'll have to stick to the literally thousands of keys floating around the internet that activate windows 10 perfectly fine, and have been doing so since the days of windows XP.

Seriously, does anyone pay for windows anymore? It is so trivial to activate it without paying....
 
As a tech, I can say Windows 10 is not that bad. It has its quarks like every new version of Windows does but if you know what you are doing, it can be tamed. Hop over to my Facebook group "PCcloud 9" and/or contact me if you need help. I do recommend everybody upgrade, even if you downgrade again since you will unlock your lifetime Win10 license in case you want to upgrade later. Once you are activated on Windows 10 once, you can always reinstall it without a key on that computer. @Uncle Al, if you change enough hardware, you will lose your activation. I'm guessing you did more upgrades than just the SSD. I've cloned many HDDs to SSDs and have never had activation issues.
 
Hi. Here's what I did. I created a back up image of W10 with a 3rd party image program. Got my digital key activated, and then restored back to W7 with the image I created before installing the free W10 upgrade. I then later used the W10 image to restore my PC back to W10. I'm now very happy with W10 and I create a back up image regularly. I can switch back and forth when ever I want.
What's wrong with the way I solved this upgrade issue?:p
PS You can still get W10 free, but you might want to do this soon because MS is going to cut it off soon.
 
Uncle Al said:
Still dealing with the same old problem. I was part of their contributor program since Win 10's first release. I upgraded my computer to an SSD, copied the entire operating system from the old disk and ever since then it continues to prompt me to Activate Windows. I have done this many times with the same results and Microsoft has NEVER, NEVER, NEVER bothered to answer my questions or attempt to help me resolve the problem. I enjoy Windows 10 a lot but I certainly understand all the negative comments; Microsoft has taken on a "take it leave it" attitude for far too long. Like a lot of people, I long for the day something better will come along. Tried Unix and some of the other "flavors" but I'm not a programmer so they simply don't work for me. Long sigggghhhhhhhh ......
Click to expand...

Just last week I replaced a failed HDD with an SSD in my GF's HP laptop --- Windows 10 never questioned my license or prompted me to activate. This was a clean install...but it just worked.

Side note, I've always read that it's not a good idea copy a HDD install to an SSD.
 
texasrattler said:
Ive used Windows 10 Pro for almost 3 yrs, no issues for me. While the OS isn't for everyone and maybe doesn't work in every situation, for everyday use, productivity and gaming, it works fine. In most cases it's better than 7.

If ppl have issues, I tend to believe it's the user not the OS in most cases.
Click to expand...
Most definitely agree, as you can tell by reading some of these comments!
 
Please start charging through the nose for this operating system. That'll slow the roll out of this abomination.
 
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