Cheap Windows

[Breelander]

....which is probably low on the priorities for the Brexit negotiations

[BobbyD]

I've got an increasingly ancient XP Pro desktop that I want to replace with a suitable Windows 10 Pro PC. Outfits like http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk charge around £120 for putting W10Pro on a box (£89 for Home -- and £0 for no OS ).

On digging around I found https://softwaregeeks.co.uk/product/windows-10-pro/ offering W10Pro for £29.99, and on looking further found quite a few for less than a tenner! E.g. £3.99, £6.99 , £7.25, and many more.

I frequently use £5 licenses from ebay for both Windows and Office. They are supposed to be reclaimed from Office machines, and sold with a part of the machine to comply with the transferable licence. I've never bothered collecting the motherboard in person, but the codes work fine. If they don't you've lost £5...

Assuming of course that MS aren't collating databases of the 'naughty people' using 'grey' licensing routes. A major advantage (to them) of doing their validations online...

If the goods have been mis-described, then MS, and I, have a case against the seller.

I'm using what I fully believe to be a valid license,and one which was described as such, in good faith. If it isn't a valid and transferable license then I have not been supplied with the goods as described and the seller should supply a valid license forthwith,

[GeoffF100]

It is possible that they sold the goods in good faith too. You might be able to get your money back if the goods are not as described. However, the description is usually "OEM licence", which is accurate. It is up to you to decide whether an OEM licence is appropriate to your circumstances.

[Itsallaguess]

I've got an increasingly ancient XP Pro desktop that I want to replace with a suitable Windows 10 Pro PC.

Outfits like http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk charge around £120 for putting W10Pro on a box (£89 for Home -- and £0 for no OS ).

On digging around I found https://softwaregeeks.co.uk/product/windows-10-pro/ offering W10Pro for £29.99

Just wanted to say that I installed Windows 7 Pro at the weekend, using a £14 key from SoftwareGeeks (https://tinyurl.com/yb87ekkf)

Everything went very smoothly - the key was emailed within seconds, and the 64-bit Windows 7 Pro install and telephone activation went ahead without any issues whatsoever.

I had to nobble a kosher Windows 7 Home install DVD that I've got, so that it allowed me to install Windows 7 Pro 64-bit from it (https://tinyurl.com/75uz2jy), and I installed from a USB drive rather than burning a new DVD, but other than that it was plain sailing.

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

[mearnsfool]

Well done the keys are cheaper on ebay.

Now Microsoft have stopped allowing you to reinstall office 11 as they no longer allow telephone authentication that you need if your hard drive fails as the online system says it is already authenticated.

Office 16 again available for about a fiver on ebay.

[Itsallaguess]

Just wanted to say that I installed Windows 7 Pro at the weekend, using a £14 key from SoftwareGeeks (https://tinyurl.com/yb87ekkf)

Everything went very smoothly - the key was emailed within seconds, and the 64-bit Windows 7 Pro install and telephone activation went ahead without any issues whatsoever.

As a further follow-up to the above, and after reading that it was still possible to upgrade for free from Windows 7 to Windows 10, take an image of the install following activation, and then with a plan to revert back to Windows 7 (with the option then of always being able to upgrade to a working install of Windows 10 at any time in the future...), I've done that today by using the following link to download the still-available Windows 10 media-creation tool -

https://tinyurl.com/q8oqvug

Activation of the Windows 10 install was automatic, and I've now got a digital licence for Windows 10 that will enable me to use it at any point in the future, should I feel the need.

So I've manged to go from a bare-bones PC to Windows 10 for £14, via a Windows 7 Pro install key, which I'm obviously really pleased with, as it gives me the best of both Windows 7 and Windows 10 worlds to use as an option as I go, with Macrium Reflect images of both working installs to utilise as I wish.

Cheers,

Itsallaguess