14 DAY TRIAL // This weekend, Microsoft rolled out a blog post that fueled the Windows 10 frenzy even more, revealing that Windows Insiders running the latest preview build on their computers might be allowed to install the RTM version of the operating system and get it activated free of charge.
This pretty much extended Redmond's initial free Windows 10 upgrade offer from users running genuine Windows 7 and 8.1 on their computers to basically everyone else out there, as installing a preview build and registering for the Windows Insider program doesn't take more than one hour and doesn't require super geek computer skills.
And here comes the confusing part
But in an updated statement that was posted today in the original blog post, Microsoft says that the RTM version is only available for preview users with a genuine Windows 7 or 8.1 license.
Here's the modified paragraph (emphasis is ours):
“As long as you are running an Insider Preview build and connected with the MSA you used to register, you will receive the Windows 10 final release build. Once you have successfully installed this build, you will also be able to clean install on that PC from final media if you want to start over fresh. It’s important to note that only people running Genuine Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 can upgrade to Windows 10 as part of the free upgrade offer.”
Obviously, this update creates even more confusion and makes people wondering if anyone else besides Windows 7 and 8.1 users can actually receive Windows 10 free of charge.
Truth is, it's really hard to decipher Microsoft's message, and if we were to guess, we'd say that what the company is trying to say is that Windows Insiders running Windows 10 preview builds upgraded from a genuine copy of Windows 7 and 8.1 (this means that those who installed it clean are not included) can get the RTM bits at no cost. Because they already qualify for the free upgrade, so this really makes sense.
But once again, this is clearly very confusing, so we're still waiting for a word from Microsoft to set things straight. In the meantime, the safest way to get Windows 10 free of charge is to have a genuine copy of Windows 7 or 8.1 running on your system.
Thanks everyone for sending this in!