Windows 10 after 1st Year?

[Jumiclads]

My Hp computer came with Windows 8.1 installed and a bunch of cool software that the Grand Kids love playing :smile:. I upgraded to Windows 10 with a few small problems that were soon sorted with the few updates that came in soon after. My question is after the first year is up and something goes wrong and you need to refresh or restore the Windows 10 system you will lose the preinstalled software ( which I have already tried and had to restore from original 8.1 backup media to get it back) Therefore I will have to restore to my HP original 8.1 system and then upgrade again to 10 to get it back. But after the first year it will no longer be free so how will this work for people in my position. Will we have to pay to upgrade or stay with 8.1 again?

 

[Pete]

You have your license for Windows 10, you won't need to pay for it again.

 

[Jumiclads]

Thanks for the quick reply. Where would I find the licence?

 

[Pete]

It's linked to the Microsoft Account that you used to upgrade with. It's cloud-based. If you use the same Microsoft Account again, Microsoft knows that you have a valid license for the machine you're installing on.

 

[_Emi_]

Actually the key is linked to your hardware, mostly to your motherboard, not really to the Microsoft account, because if you upgraded and used a local account, it will be activated. I always clean install and use the local account to create "Emi" user folder, because using the Microsoft account email makes my username look bad.
And I always get activated on my local account before making it a Microsoft account.

You are "permanently activated" that means you are activated until your hardware gets replaced, some people have changed the processor and keep the activation, so it's mostly the motherboard. I have seen.
So as long as you don't replace your motherboard you can clean install your computer all you want, reset, refresh or clean installing with a dvd/usb.
Because your hardware is already on the Microsoft database activation, that means once it recognizes it, it will say "activated" again, even after the year has passed, because you already took advantage of the dree upgrade offer