Is it possible to buy windows and install it on my two computers?

danezeq · Jan 2, 2023

Or, is it possible to buy a lisence from 2 or 3 or 4 pcs?
Or the only option is but 4 different copies?
thank you!

Ghot · Jan 2, 2023

danezeq said:
Or, is it possible to buy a lisence from 2 or 3 or 4 pcs?
Or the only option is but 4 different copies?
thank you!

Before you rush out and buy things... you can use any Win 7, 8, 8.1 and 10 licenses you might already have.

SIW2 · Jan 2, 2023

what is the 4 copy option?

bobkn · Jan 2, 2023

As far as I know, there are no official multi-PC licenses for Windows.

Also, there are no retail versions of Windows 11. You can use a Windows 10 license to activate 11.

There are sites (example) that don't support piracy that list Windows license keys for sale (by third parties) at a fraction of the official price. What the origin of these keys is, I have no idea. Whether such keys will be backlisted by Microsoft in future, I can't guess. But I'm pretty sure that the keys work at this moment.

danezeq · Jan 2, 2023

Ghot said:
Before you rush out and buy things... you can use any Win 7, 8, 8.1 and 10 licenses you might already have.

i'm opening a new business so need to install a new copy on a new copmuter. but i wonder if should buy another copy for the laptop, and for another desktop i'll gonna have.

Sir_George · Jan 2, 2023

danezeq said:
i'm opening a new business so need to install a new copy on a new copmuter. but i wonder if should buy another copy for the laptop, and for another desktop i'll gonna have.

Check the information in the article at the website below for a good explanation regarding Windows 11 licensing.

Windows 11 Price | 3 Ways to Get Windows 11 License Key

Check the Windows 11 price and how to get Windows 11 license/product key in 3 ways. Easily activate your Windows 11 PC or laptop.

www.minitool.com

TechnoMage2021 · Jan 2, 2023

Buy? License? What's this world coming to?

bobkn · Jan 2, 2023

danezeq said:
i'm opening a new business so need to install a new copy on a new copmuter. but i wonder if should buy another copy for the laptop, and for another desktop i'll gonna have.

Don't those new computers come with an OS?

Windows 10 qualifies a free upgrade to 11, although you won't get it through Windows Update anymore.

NavyLCDR · Jan 2, 2023

bobkn said:
Whether such keys will be backlisted by Microsoft in future, I can't guess. But I'm pretty sure that the keys work at this moment.

It only needs to work once to get a digital license.

NavyLCDR · Jan 2, 2023

bobkn said:
Windows 10 qualifies a free upgrade to 11, although you won't get it through Windows Update anymore.

When did MS stop offering the upgrade through Windows Update?

bobkn · Jan 2, 2023

NavyLCDR said:
When did MS stop offering the upgrade through Windows Update?

Sorry, I'm mistaken about that. I must have been thinking about the free Win 7 to 10 upgrade.

(Am I correct about that? I believe that free upgrade is still possible, but not offered through Windows Update.)

bobkn · Jan 2, 2023

NavyLCDR said:
It only needs to work once to get a digital license.

As far as I know, "blacklisting" only ever meant that the key couldn't be used again for a new activation. I believe that MS never killed an existing activation, regardless of whether MS continued to recognize the key or not.

The digital license means that a key is not needed to re-activate on existing hardware, as you say. Is my memory correct that such began with Win 10?

I didn't mean to imply otherwise.

bobkn · Jan 2, 2023

I haven't seen the common response yet: you can install Win 11 on as many PCs as you like. You don't need a license to do that.

However, you are only supposed to use one license to activate one installation.

Supposedly, a Windows 11 install that isn't activated can be run indefinitely, and that it will have substantial functionality. Never tried it, myself.

danezeq · Jan 2, 2023

bobkn said:
I haven't seen the common response yet: you can install Win 11 on as many PCs as you like. You don't need a license to do that.

However, you are only supposed to use one license to activate one installation.

Supposedly, a Windows 11 install that isn't activated can be run indefinitely, and that it will have substantial functionality. Never tried it, myself.

honestly i dont get your exaplaination.
i can install win 11 on as many pcs as i want but i SUPPOSE to use only one license? what?

NavyLCDR · Jan 2, 2023

danezeq said:
honestly i dont get your exaplaination.
i can install win 11 on as many pcs as i want but i SUPPOSE to use only one license? what?

One license per PC. If you have 10 computers you need to have 10 licenses.

bobkn · Jan 2, 2023

danezeq said:
honestly i dont get your exaplaination.
i can install win 11 on as many pcs as i want but i SUPPOSE to use only one license? what?

You can physically install 11 on as many PCs as you like. One means of doing so is a free download from Microsoft.

However, you can only use one license key to activate one of those installations. If you use the license key once, Microsoft's activation servers are supposed to disallow using the key again on a different PC.

It can get complicated. For example: it is may be possible to transfer a digital license to a new PC. (There is no explicit means of deactivating Windows on the old PC.) That used to require that the Windows license be a retail sort, but I have read that a digital license may transfer even if it began as OEM. A lot of it seems to be at Microsoft's discretion. The only problem I ever had with Windows 10 was when I changed systems twice in a short time interval (less than a month). I did the first license transfer online. The servers didn't allow the second. I had to contact MS support, and jump through a number of hoops.

NavyLCDR · Jan 2, 2023

bobkn said:
As far as I know, "blacklisting" only ever meant that the key couldn't be used again for a new activation. I believe that MS never killed an existing activation, regardless of whether MS continued to recognize the key or not.

The digital license means that a key is not needed to re-activate on existing hardware, as you say. Is my memory correct that such began with Win 10?

I didn't mean to imply otherwise.

I have never seen or heard of MS revoking a digital license. In fact, after activating with a unique product key, be it OEM or retail, if the user changes the product key to the generic retail product key the digital license becomes a retail license independent of any unique product key. Yes, digital licensing started with Windows 10 and carries on to Windows 11.

bobkn said:
As far as I know, there are no official multi-PC licenses for Windows.

Also, there are no retail versions of Windows 11. You can use a Windows 10 license to activate 11.

There are sites (example) that don't support piracy that list Windows license keys for sale (by third parties) at a fraction of the official price. What the origin of these keys is, I have no idea. Whether such keys will be backlisted by Microsoft in future, I can't guess. But I'm pretty sure that the keys work at this moment.

There most certainly are retail versions of Windows 11. Best Buy sells full-boxed retail versions of Windows 11 Home with USB flash drives for $139.99 and Windows 11 Pro full-boxed retail with USB flash drive for $199.99.

bobkn said:
Sorry, I'm mistaken about that. I must have been thinking about the free Win 7 to 10 upgrade.

(Am I correct about that? I believe that free upgrade is still possible, but not offered through Windows Update.)

The free upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 10 is no longer available via Windows Update. The upgrade from 10 to 11 is still happening via Windows Update. You can manually upgrade Windows 7 to 10 for free still. You cannot upgrade to 11 directly from 7 without upgrading to 10 first, however. For activation only, a Windows 7, 8, 8.1 or 10 product key will activate the matching edition of Windows 11.

bobkn · Jan 2, 2023

NavyLCDR said:
(snip)

There most certainly are retail versions of Windows 11. Best Buy sells full-boxed retail versions of Windows 11 Home with USB flash drives for $139.99 and Windows 11 Pro full-boxed retail with USB flash drive for $199.99.

(snip)

Right you are.

I checked NewEgg instead. I must have missed something. On looking again, they have retail packages too.

Am I thinking of an old circumstance? It seems to me that at one time. retail packages were not available. Maybe it's a false memory.

Winuser · Jan 2, 2023

bobkn said:
As far as I know, there are no official multi-PC licenses for Windows.

Also, there are no retail versions of Windows 11. You can use a Windows 10 license to activate 11.

There are sites (example) that don't support piracy that list Windows license keys for sale (by third parties) at a fraction of the official price. What the origin of these keys is, I have no idea. Whether such keys will be backlisted by Microsoft in future, I can't guess. But I'm pretty sure that the keys work at this moment.

My guess is that they use MAK keys.

TechnoMage2021 · Jan 2, 2023

Yous guys are too much! You'd drive 500 miles and spend $1000, just going to the grocery store.

I read some of y'alls posts and I just sit here, shake my head, and cry "why Lord? Why?"

But, God still loves you.

Y'all have a great 2023 now, Y'hear?

TM