How many licenses come with windows 7

Read more: The best antivirus protection of for Windows Some people have been hesitant to make the switch due to reports of several bugs in earlier versions of Windows But Microsoft has made several changes to its update approach starting with the May release, including slower rollouts with additional testing, more options for pausing updates and more disclosure of known issues, so your experience should be smoother.

Many of the issues were due to the fact that updates are happening more frequently, said Gartner Research analyst Steve Kleynhans. Read more: 6 simple security changes all Windows 10 users need to make. Besides a suite of security tools, Windows 10 also offers more features.

One is the Your Phone app , which allows you to access texts, notifications and apps from your phone using your PC -- similar to Apple's Continuity features. A dictation feature lets you easily record ideas. Microsoft's digital assistant Cortana is also available on Windows 10 PCs. Read more: 11 easy Windows 10 tricks you didn't know about. The most recent Windows 10 October update includes new features including a new Start menu, Microsoft Edge updates and revamped notifications.

Microsoft also recently announced the upcoming Windows 10 spring update as well, which will include more new features and set the stage for a bigger change to the OS down the line. Unlike previous versions of the OS, Windows 10 offers automatic updates by default, to keep systems more secure. Read more: 5 Windows 10 features that beat what you had on Windows 7.

While Microsoft technically ended its free Windows 10 upgrade program in July , as of December , CNET has confirmed the free update is still available for Windows 7, 8, and 8. PC manufacturers will no longer be able to sell new PCs with Windows 7 Pro as of October 31, , For details, see "What the Windows 7 Pro sales lifecycle changes mean to consumers and business buyers. The trick in shopping for these machines is to skip the front door and go straight for the business section.

Among online merchants, for example, Dell offers filters to show all available desktops and all-in-ones and laptops running Windows 7. HP has separate pages for business desktops and laptops , but you have to look at each model to find the models with Windows 7 available. Big online retailers that serve business markets should have similar selections covering a wide range of brands and the full spectrum of prices.

There are plenty of sites where you can find "factory reconditioned" PCs for sale at legitimately low prices.

Amazon-owned Woot, for example, always has lots of choices in its Computers section , although you'll have to dig into the specs to confirm that the operating system you're looking for is included. I don't recommend taking a chance with random sellers on eBay or Craigslist--not when there are so many well-established merchants that offer proper warranties and return policies, as well as an assurance that the underlying Windows license is legitimate.

Under Microsoft's arcane licensing rules, you can legitimately purchase OEM copies of Windows 7 any edition. However, the license agreement with those copies explicitly prohibits you from using that software on a PC you build or refurbish for your own personal use.

Crazy, huh? ZDNet takes a look back at very best tech stories and features of From the year's tech turkeys to products and services that get business done, we round up top gadgets, cloud highs, security lows -- and much more. Read More. There are no technical limitations to prevent you from using OEM software on your own PC, although this software will work only for a clean installation and not for an upgrade.

In the past, Microsoft has been remarkably inconsistent in its advice to customers about whether this practice is allowed. Don't ask Microsoft. To make the subject even more confusing, Microsoft briefly changed its licensing rules with Windows 8, adding a Personal Use Rights clause that allowed individuals to buy OEM Windows and install it on personal PCs.

That change lasted exactly one year: with the launch of Windows 8. The bottom line? Yes, you can install an OEM copy of Windows 7 on a PC for your own personal use; I recommend that you avoid doing so for your business, however, especially if you have a licensing agreement with Microsoft. Most of the readily available options for new PCs include the latest version of Windows--that's Windows 10 today with many Windows 8.

If you love a particular piece of hardware and your preferred version of Windows 7 isn't available on the build-to-order options list, don't despair. 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. For Windows 7. You can either have a pre-installed copy that came with your computer OEM , a retail version bought from a store, or a Family Pack bought from Microsoft. The number of computers you can install Windows 7 on is the same regardless of the edition of Windows you have: Ultimate, Home Premium, Starter, Professional, etc.

So that pretty much states how many computers you can install Windows 7 on! Now if you have the Family Pack, you can clean install or upgrade up to 3 PCs. Note that for Windows 7 retail versions, you can also uninstall Windows 7 from one PC and install it on another, though you may have to give Microsoft a call when activating it. The one caveat that is pretty welcome is the fact that you can install one more copy of Windows 7 on the same licensed machine in a virtual machine.

However, it has to be on the same computer. Here is the official text:. This is the only part of the license agreement that is different than previous versions of Windows. For Windows 8. If you have an OEM version of Windows 8. If you have a retail version of 8. The product key can only be used to activate one PC at a time.

For virtualization, Windows 8.