Windows 10 Pro 64-bit OEM key

[spikey_richie]

Building a new PC for my nephew, with a fairly small budget. I already have a few bits so don't need to buy everything new. Looking at a Windows 10 OEM license, but I'm not sure what sites are legit. Does anyone have any recommendations? 

[techbeck]

If you go to activate windows, should be an option to do so by phone and will provide a number to call.  Or just go here.....

 

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/b/windows?invsrc=search&cl_vend=google&cl_ch=sem&cl_camp=907489844&cl_adg=44995622813&cl_crtv=214422953269&cl_kw=buy+windows+10&cl_pub=google.com&cl_place=&cl_dvt=c&cl_pos=1t1&cl_mt=e&cl_gtid=kwd-295186231856&cl_pltr=&cl_dim0=WobmhQAAA56MJmpc%3a20180530142418%3as&OCID=AID695938_SEM_WobmhQAAA56MJmpc%3a20180530142418%3as&s_kwcid=AL!4249!3!214422953269!e!!g!!buy+windows+10&ef_id=WobmhQAAA56MJmpc%3a20180530142418%3as&activetab=tab%3ashopwindows10

[Brandon H Supervisor]

there really isn't a consumer OEM licences per say anymore. the standard retail licence is all you need now.

 

search ebay for deals, there's always something. I bought my Windows 10 key for $10 on ebay when i built my last PC

 

edit: you're in the UK so here's a couple ebay sales to look at
https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1311.R5.TR11.TRC1.A0.H0.Xwindows+10+.TRS0&_nkw=windows+10+key&_sacat=0

Standard: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Genuine-Windows-10-Home-Edition-Product-Retail-License-Key-32bit-64Bit-pc/173301305099?epid=9019357859&hash=item2859900f0b:g:E8EAAOSwUDla7DQw
Pro: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Microsoft-Windows-10-Pro-Professional-32-64bit-Genuine-License-Key-Product-Co/113018899203?epid=1588840431&hash=item1a50738b03:g:plQAAOSwV0NbCsk5

[Jason S. Global Moderator]

i would just go on Newegg or the like and purchase a copy. that, or go straight to microsoft.

[Brandon H Supervisor]

5 minutes ago, Jason S. said:

i would just go on Newegg or the like and purchase a copy. that, or go straight to microsoft.

Microsoft still asks $100+ for their licences (per techbeck's link); I'm all for supporting directly but when you can get perfectly legit licences for $10 on ebay it's hard to justify the direct prices. Especially when on a budget.

[shockz]

14 minutes ago, Brandon H said:

Microsoft still asks $100+ for their licences (per techbeck's link); I'm all for supporting directly but when you can get perfectly legit licences for $10 on ebay it's hard to justify the direct prices. Especially when on a budget.

Legit and 10 bucks really don't apply for MS Windows licensing.

 

You're probably using a dreamspark/imagine or MSDN key. Same reason MS axed the TechNet subscription, people flooded ebay with these keys. While the key you're buying on ebay comes from MS, I seriously doubt the EULA it's associated with is being followed. Reminds me of a family member who did this and had to call MS for activation the first time they used it, let alone attempting to transfer it. Hint: He couldn't.

Edited May 30, 2018 by shockz

[techbeck]

2 minutes ago, Brandon H said:

Microsoft still asks $100+ for their licences (per techbeck's link); I'm all for supporting directly but when you can get perfectly legit licences for $10 on ebay it's hard to justify the direct prices. Especially when on a budget.

meh, I would question why those licenses are $10 on ebay.  Personally, I steer clear of buying certain things from ebay.  And technically, it is not legal per MS to use an OEM license on PCs other than what it came with.  Not sure if that is a concern or not.

[Brandon H Supervisor]

1 minute ago, shockz said:

Legit and 10 bucks really don't apply for MS Windows licensing.

 

You're probably using a dreamspark or MSDN key. Same reason MS axed the TechNet, people flooded ebay with these keys. While the key you're buying on ebay comes from MS, I seriously doubt the EULA it's associated with is being followed. Reminds me of a family member who did this and had to call MS for activation the first time they used it. 

no there's a good number of legit redistributors on ebay; ebay cracked down on that at the same time as microsoft

[Brandon H Supervisor]

Just now, techbeck said:

meh, I would question why those licenses are $10 on ebay.  Personally, I steer clear of buying certain things from ebay.  And technically, it is not legal per MS to use an OEM license on PCs other than what it came with.  Not sure if that is a concern or not.

from my understanding there is not real 'OEM' key anymore outside of the actual OEM groups; everything else has been merged into the retail keys.

[shockz]

13 minutes ago, Brandon H said:

no there's a good number of legit redistributors on ebay; ebay cracked down on that at the same time as microsoft

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Microsoft-Windows-10-Pro-Professional-Genuine-License-Key-Product-32-64bit/282981417041?epid=2127780082&hash=item41e301c051:g:egUAAOSwNNVbBU48

 

Only 64 reviews for seller? Not a powerseller? Seems legit. lol

 

I bet if you buy two of those keys from different accounts in a short time span, you'll end up with the same key.

Edited May 30, 2018 by shockz

[techbeck]

5 minutes ago, Brandon H said:

no there's a good number of legit redistributors on ebay; ebay cracked down on that at the same time as microsoft

I would still question the legality of this.  $10 for a license....$90 cheaper than MS....does not sound right.

2 minutes ago, Brandon H said:

from my understanding there is not real 'OEM' key anymore outside of the actual OEM groups; everything else has been merged into the retail keys.

Just no certificate of authenticity anymore with they key listed on new PCs.  Want to find out what your OEM key is, you need to run a key finder.

 

EVen when OEM Win7 copies were available on NewEgg years ago, the price was $30 or more.

[spikey_richie]

I guess this is why I created this thread.

 

I've seen a few on Amazon that claim to be legit, and have 85% 5* review (200+ reviews), but I don't want to get something then not be able to activate it.

[techbeck]

1 minute ago, spikey_richie said:

I guess this is why I created this thread.

 

I've seen a few on Amazon that claim to be legit, and have 85% 5* review (200+ reviews), but I don't want to get something then not be able to activate it.

I would trust Amazon before Ebay.  What is the link of what you are looking at on Amazon?

[Brandon H Supervisor]

1 minute ago, spikey_richie said:

I guess this is why I created this thread.

 

I've seen a few on Amazon that claim to be legit, and have 85% 5* review (200+ reviews), but I don't want to get something then not be able to activate it.

ebay has great policies for this kind of thing now which is why i'm not afraid to recommend getting a key there.

if the key ends up not being legit ebay is almost guaranteed to refund you and go after the seller

 

ebay cracked down on bad key sales almost as much as Microsoft did a few years back

1 minute ago, techbeck said:

I would trust Amazon before Ebay.  What is the link of what you are looking at on Amazon?

i'd say amazon resellers have had a worse reputation than ebay personally ......

[spikey_richie]

4 minutes ago, techbeck said:

I would trust Amazon before Ebay.  What is the link of what you are looking at on Amazon?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Windows-Professional-Bits-Product-Mail/dp/B01759H62S/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1527692409&sr=8-3&keywords=windows+10+oem

[techbeck]

1 minute ago, Brandon H said:

ebay has great policies for this kind of thing now which is why i'm not afraid to recommend getting a key there.

if the key ends up not being legit ebay is almost guaranteed to refund you and go after the seller

 

ebay cracked down on bad key sales almost as much as Microsoft did a few years back

i'd say amazon resellers have had a worse reputation than ebay personally ......

The $10/low price tag on Ebay is suspect to me.  Ebay may have cracked down on things, but there still a lot of crap out there.  And I never had an issue with Amazon honoring/refunding my money.  As long as Amazon backs the consumer, I am not concerned much about the seller.  And regardless of what you order from, read reviews on every seller.

[techbeck]

2 minutes ago, spikey_richie said:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Windows-Professional-Bits-Product-Mail/dp/B01759H62S/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1527692409&sr=8-3&keywords=windows+10+oem

I would question anything that offers 90% off.  And OEM keys are for PC manufacturers. 

 

Also, doing a quick search, people have issues using OEM keys that are sold at a cheap price like that.  So buy at your own risk.  Also, if you are worried about violating any MS TOS, then I would not buy any of these either.

[Ready2018]

Just to add a little caution to this subject: The items on ebay and Amazon are from recycled/thrown away PC's. Windows 10 still accepts keys from both Windows 7 and Windows 8 and this is how they are able to sell keys cheaper than Microsoft.

 

I'm sure at some point Microsoft will stop this practice and not allow older keys to be used (and may un-activate older keys).

 

In fact Windows 10 is the first version not to require a key at all, as previous versions would only allow 3 days use.

[Brandon H Supervisor]

15 minutes ago, Ready2018 said:

Just to add a little caution to this subject: The items on ebay and Amazon are from recycled/thrown away PC's. Windows 10 still accepts keys from both Windows 7 and Windows 8 and this is how they are able to sell keys cheaper than Microsoft.

 

I'm sure at some point Microsoft will stop this practice and not allow older keys to be used (and may un-activate older keys).

 

In fact Windows 10 is the first version not to require a key at all, as previous versions would only allow 3 days use.

a good number of the keys are from bulk buys and the extras are being sold off as well. so yeah it's a 'use at your own discretion' type thing.

 

my thought is hey if it doesn't work i only spent $10 and am even getting that back. All I lost was a little time and not much since most send the key digitally now.

but hey, that's not the mindset for everyone so go with what you're comfortable acquiring

 

Quote

I'm sure at some point Microsoft will stop this practice and not allow older keys to be used (and may un-activate older keys).

personally I'd like to see Microsoft have a buy back program for Keys

 

your old computer die but you still have the sticker on the side? sell the key back to microsoft and get a little back.

Microsoft then puts a hard freeze on the key while it's put back into redistribution in their official store.

 

Would make more sense in my mind than just blacklisting everything old.

[shockz]

1 hour ago, Ready2018 said:

Just to add a little caution to this subject: The items on ebay and Amazon are from recycled/thrown away PC's. Windows 10 still accepts keys from both Windows 7 and Windows 8 and this is how they are able to sell keys cheaper than Microsoft.

 

I'm sure at some point Microsoft will stop this practice and not allow older keys to be used (and may un-activate older keys).

 

In fact Windows 10 is the first version not to require a key at all, as previous versions would only allow 3 days use.

You can no longer use a 7 or 8.1 key for the free upgrade.

[Ready2018]

29 minutes ago, shockz said:

You can no longer use a 7 or 8.1 key for the free upgrade.

Even though the free upgrade has finished, Windows 10 still allows you to enter a Win 7 or 8 key and activates.

[shockz]

1 minute ago, Ready2018 said:

Even though the free upgrade has finished, Windows 10 still allows you to enter a Win 7 or 8 key and activates.

AFAIK it has to have already been upgraded during the free period to work. I don't think you can pick a never upgraded 7 or 8.1 key and suddenly expect a free version of Windows 10.

 

Will it take the key to proceed with install? Yes? But I don't think it'll activate unless it's already been activated for a Windows 10 upgrade install previously.

[Circaflex]

38 minutes ago, shockz said:

You can no longer use a 7 or 8.1 key for the free upgrade.

Incorrect. You can still use the 7 or 8.1 key and it will activate. I've done both a clean install(with a key that has never been used) and upgrade (on a machine not connected to the internet so it never "reserved" a copy either) just this week and it still takes and activates. I bet it will continue for the rest of the year, Microsoft might not be promoting it but it does work.

[shockz]

4 minutes ago, Circaflex said:

Incorrect. You can still use the 7 or 8.1 key and it will activate. I've done both a clean install(with a key that has never been used) and upgrade (on a machine not connected to the internet so it never "reserved" a copy either) just this week and it still takes and activates. I bet it will continue for the rest of the year, Microsoft might not be promoting it but it does work.

Interesting, and somewhat annoying, considering I can pull multiple articles stating that the last freebie ended when MS stopped the accessibility upgrades. I just shelled out $199 for a pro key a few weeks ago.

 

Well there you go OP, looks like you found an easy (although questionable way) to use an old key off another system and upgrade to 10... and better than the sketchy sellers on ebay route.

[Brandon H Supervisor]

3 minutes ago, Circaflex said:

Incorrect. You can still use the 7 or 8.1 key and it will activate. I've done both a clean install(with a key that has never been used) and upgrade (on a machine not connected to the internet so it never "reserved" a copy either) just this week and it still takes and activates. I bet it will continue for the rest of the year, Microsoft might not be promoting it but it does work.

I can verify this is true.

 

they only stopped the free upgrade process through the website and through windows update but going directly through install media still allows free upgrade with an older key and activates after first boot still.