And if you have a wallpaper tied to your Microsoft account, it will appear if you sign into Windows with that account. However, we checked, and you can still change your wallpaper if you right-click an image from the web or a personal photo and set it as your wallpaper. The lack of custom aesthetics can be a downer, especially if you like to liven things up by changing colors and images. That means you can't choose personal desktop wallpapers, slideshow backgrounds, Start, taskbar, Action Center or title bar colors, light or dark color schemes, font choices or lock screen options. However, if you downloaded your ISO directly from Microsoft, there's no way your copy can be a fake. A Microsoft spokesperson told me that activating Windows 10 ensures you have a legitimate copy of Windows 10, and the watermark is an attempt to alert consumers that their version could be false. Microsoft brands PCs running an unactivated version of Windows 10 with a watermark in the bottom-right corner of the screen. I have colleagues who have used non-activated versions of Windows for years without Microsoft ever shutting it down. However, that seems to be happening less in recent months and years. When using an older Windows key to activate Windows 10, you may run into complications if Microsoft isn't sure whether you're eligible to update or not.

Here are Microsoft's instructions for reactivating Windows 10 after changing PC hardware. That means you'll have to reactive the OS. Note that if you've recently changed your PC's hardware, such as the motherboard, Windows may not find the license for you device. To do this with a Windows compatible PC after backing up your important data, of course download Windows When asked, select ' Upgrade this PC now. But note that you can only use a key on a single PC at a time, so if you use that key for a new PC build, any other PC running that key is out of luck. You activate it by using the key from one of those older OSes. Yes, this still works, as a Microsoft rep has confirmed. Of course, you can buy a key from Microsoft online, but there are other websites selling Windows 10 keys for less.Īnd does your carefully crafted PC build face any risks? Below we outline the top ways you can get Windows 10 - from free, to cheap, to most expensive - and the downsides of each option. You can skip it, but eventually, Windows will start alerting you that your install isn't activated. Once that's done, you can boot from your installation media and load Windows 10 onto your PC.ĭuring installation, Microsoft asks for an activation key.

Getting hold of the Windows installer is as easy as visiting support. Windows 11 isn't here yet, but fortunately, you can get Windows 10 for free or cheap - if you know where to look. Linux is a viable option, but most prefer Windows because it runs all their favorite software, including the latest games.

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