According to Cnet , Microsoft officially ended the free upgrade offer in 2016, but since then the company hasn't bothered to reset the activation servers. Therefore, if users are still using computers running Windows 7/8/8.1, they can upgrade to Windows 10 for free.
This vulnerability is even bigger because the 25-character product key for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 is still being used to activate Windows 10 or upgrade to the Pro version from Windows 10 Home. A Cnet editor said he still received a thank-you email on September 18th for sharing this information.
Microsoft patches a 7-year-old vulnerability, allowing a free upgrade to Windows 10.
However, on September 20th, the Microsoft Device Partner Center officially announced the end of free upgrades for Windows 7 and 8. The post also reiterated that upgrading to Windows 11 from Windows 10 remains free.
This announcement appeared on the website for Microsoft's OEM partners, who bring in the majority of Windows' market share by purchasing OEM licenses for new computers. The Redmond-based company had remained silent about the free upgrade vulnerability for seven years, while encouraging customers to buy new computers instead of upgrading old ones.
With Windows 10 having only two years left of end-of-support, and PC sales having slowed significantly after the pandemic, Microsoft's attention is now focused on Windows 11 and its successors, running on newer computers that meet minimum system requirements. Upgrades from Windows 10 to Windows 11 remain free, and license keys for both versions are still interchangeable.
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