Cheapest way to get windows 7 home

And, as with anything else, if you haven't heard of a seller, check their ratings or go elsewhere. No matter where you get your product key, you shouldn't download Windows 10 from anyone besides Microsoft. At the moment there are a limited number of sites where you can legally purchase digital downloads of Microsoft software. These non-Microsoft websites have varying return policies for software key purchases.

While Kinguin seems to have an open return policy, we've seen reports of the service being too slow or the company insisting on replacing the key instead of refunding it or vice versa. Amazon and Newegg both have no-refund policies for software keys. Amazon claims all keys sold on its site are genuine, and any gripes you have with your key must be handled by the individual vendors.

This final downside is only applicable if you want to equip your PC with Windows 10 Pro for Workstations. Want a version of Windows 10 where you can enjoy dynamic slideshows on your home screen and vibrant red, green, pink, or purple taskbars? Do you enjoy the thrills of a watermark-free screen and the comfort of knowing you can call Microsoft support if you have any problems?

Then you need a key, which, as discussed, you can get from various retailers. In addition to selling keys for Windows 10 Home and Pro, Microsoft is the only place you can get a key for Windows 10 Pro for Workstations. This plan is valid for a year after activating Windows Microsoft charges the most for Windows 10 keys. If you have an old Windows key you can get Windows 10 free by carrying that key over from a previous build -- that's your best option.

If you don't have a key on hand, you need to decide whether you're comfortable using an unactivated version of Windows 10, which limits your customization options, has an ugly watermark and leaves you ineligible for Microsoft support. Many would argue that downloading Windows without paying for or already owning a product key is ethically wrong. That said, Microsoft has made this process easier over various Windows iterations and lessened the limitations and nagging that happens when you don't activate.

I've even seen well-known vendors and Microsoft partners do press presentations with watermarks on their desktop. If you must buy a Windows 10 key, you can save a lot with a low-cost seller such as Kinguin , although customer service will likely be lacking and isn't the best option if you only want a very specific type of Windows Still, Microsoft's price is astronomically high.

Scharon Harding has a special affinity for gaming peripherals especially monitors , laptops and virtual reality. Previously, she covered business technology, including hardware, software, cyber security, cloud and other IT happenings, at Channelnomics, with bylines at CRN UK.

Scharon Harding. Topics Software. See all comments I bought a key on ebay and it turned out to be a VL key volume. Which works but shouldn't be sold. I contacted the seller and he refunded me.

Very good breakdown of the ways to activate Windows Most people don't even realize you can still use a windows 7 key to activate, only after you get into windows, and not during the setup process. I believe this will probably stop working Jan 1, , when Microsoft stops support for windows 7. One thing that I was hoping for some explanation on key activations, I have seen how some Youtuber's have tied their windows 10 keys to their Microsoft account. Then they only need a handfull of keys, like one for each motherboard vendor, and during setup, then sign into their Microsoft account, and select the key that corresponds to the motherboard their are reviewing.

You have four choices available. If you purchase a new PC with a business version of Windows 8, Windows 8. Note that downgrade rights are not included on systems that ship with the core version of Windows 8, 8. To exercise downgrade rights, you can use media for Windows 7 Professional that you acquire from any source. During installation, don't enter a product key. After completing installation, you'll need to activate your newly installed copy of Windows 7 by using the telephone activation option and explaining that you are using downgrade rights.

Did you purchase a retail copy of Windows 7 any time in the past six years? Any full or upgrade license purchased through the retail channel or directly from Microsoft can legally be transferred to another PC. That includes any of the deeply discounted upgrade offers that Microsoft made available when Windows 7 was new, including the three-license Family Packs of Windows 7 Home Premium. If you have the original Windows 7 installation media and product key and have removed the operating system from the PC on which it was originally installed, you can reuse that key on any PC.

You might be required to activate over the phone; when asked, be sure to specify truthfully that your copy of Windows 7 is installed on only one PC. Note that OEM copies of Windows 7 that were installed on PCs by the manufacturer are locked to that device and cannot be transferred.

If the PC on which you want to install Windows 7 originally included a license for any version of Windows, you can buy a Windows 7 upgrade license from any vendor that has the software in stock and install that upgrade on your PC. You don't need to reinstall the old operating system; if you want to perform a clean install using upgrade media, you can use the workaround I describe in this post : Boot from the upgrade media and do an installation without entering a product key.

Then use the same media to "upgrade" your brand-new installation. Follow the instructions in this post. The most expensive option is to purchase a full retail license for Windows 7. It's guaranteed to work with any PC, with no installation or licensing complications. The problem is finding this software, which Microsoft stopped selling years ago. Most online merchants today offer only OEM copies of Windows 7. All the options I described earlier apply to PCs you plan to use in the home or office.

But if you're a developer, an IT pro, or a student, you might have a completely different set of needs, including a desire to have one or more PCs running Windows 7 for testing purposes. Sadly, Microsoft ended the TechNet subscription service in But there are still useful options available to anyone who needs Windows 7 in a lab or virtual machine.

Windows 7 evaluation versions are also no longer available. MSDN subscription s are specifically intended for professional software developers. An annual subscription gives you access to a wide range of professional developer tools and pre-release products.

How long should you wait before deploying Windows 10? You can choose from different levels of MSDN subscriptions. It offers full access to every client and server version of Windows going as far back as Windows 3. For a full list of available packages, see this chart. The MSDN license agreement is detailed and worth reading in full. There's an excellent summary of your rights as a subscriber here. This paragraph is especially noteworthy:.

Many MSDN subscribers use a computer for mixed use--both design, development, testing, and demonstration of your programs the use allowed under the MSDN Subscription license and some other use. Using the software in any other way, such as for doing email, playing games, or editing a document is another use and is not covered by the MSDN Subscription license. When this happens, the underlying operating system must also be licensed normally by purchasing a regular copy of Windows such as the one that came with a new OEM PC.

If you're a professional developer or designer who uses Microsoft products, MSDN subscriptions can be a bargain. If you just want cheap access to Windows 7, you have better options. If you are enrolled in a science, technology, engineering, or math department at an educational institution that subscribes to Microsoft DreamSpark Premium , you can get free software for use in your studies. Unless you are using a genuine antivirus software , which is regularly updated for emerging threats, your computer and data are at a huge risk.

And if you happen to use a weakly protected desktop, running windows xp, for surfing the internet or for your shopping and banking activities, then you are in real danger of loosing something big.

The other good reason is the incompatibility of more and more apps, as we move into the future. The developer community is focusing on making apps that work on windows 7, and it makes sense for them. As time passes by, the newer versions of many apps may not work on windows xp. Apart from the negatives of continuing with windows xp, windows 7 has great positives in the form of some cool capabilities.

A few are explained in these tutorials. You may now appreciate the importance of using Windows 7 in your computer. But are they ways to get windows 7 for free or cheap? We had earlier told you about the free windows 7 upgrade for buyers of windows Vista. Since the Microsoft offer has now expired, you will not be able to get a free windows 7 upgrade, by buying Vista.

But, if you by a laptop or PC from any popular manufacturer, then you may get a copy of windows 7 pre-installed on it. In addition, the price of windows 7 will be much lower, than if you buy it as a standalone copy. Rush to get your free copy of windows 7, if you are an eligible student.