10,000 Windows 10 Installs at a Time: University Decides to Upgrade All Windows 7 PCs

[Batu69]

University of Newcastle goes all in on Windows 10

Microsoft is trying to bring Windows 10 on 1 billion devices by 2017, and the company is rapidly advancing towards this milestone with help from organizations across the world that agree to install the new operating system.

Living proof is the University of Newcastle in Australia, which announced in mid-November that it would install Windows 10 on 10,000 PCs across the campus by the end of 2016.

This is an important win for Microsoft, not necessarily because it's Windows 10 that's getting installed, but thanks to the fact that this is the first university globally to install the new OS across its campuses, which is often seen as an example and adopted by other organizations too.

“At UON we have the opportunity to make great strides over the next five years, and we’re looking forward to leveraging Windows 10 to provide the best possible learning environment for our students,” Ann Walters, the University’s Associate Director, IT Client Services, said in a press release (which you can also find after the jump).

Windows 10 will be installed in stages

The migration to Windows 10 will take place in stages, and at first, 3,000 devices will be switched to the new operating system by the start of the next university year. The other 7,000 devices are supposed to install Windows 10 by the end of 2016, with most of them to be used by staff, including PCs, tablets, and laptops.

In addition to Windows 10, the university has also purchased Office 365 licenses, so Microsoft hasn't missed the occasion to praise this migration and explain the advantages that the OS and the productivity suite bring to students and teachers.

“The University of Newcastle is set to achieve great things through its digital strategy. By optimising 21st century skills with Windows 10 and cloud solutions, UON is in a great place to lead a highly competitive industry,” Evan Williams, Windows Business Group Lead at Microsoft Australia, concluded.

News source

[Holmes]

This is good.  There are eventually going to give in and stop collecting so much data and if they dont stop give us better control of what they collect if they mmust continue collecting the data.

[steven36]

19 minutes ago, Holmes said:

This is good.  There are eventually going to give in and stop collecting so much data and if they dont stop give us better control of what they collect if they mmust continue collecting the data.

I don’t have this problem because i have windows 8.1  and don’t do spy updates or update to windows 10 ones. Like CCR sung  someday  never  comes  I would not hold my breath waiting on Microsoft to stop collecting data . After all  it's Proprietary software from Microsoft that they usually made everyone pay over a $100 for.  So there going to squeeze every bit of data they can  out of you  and you’re going to  pay them back..  one way or the other .  

[Holmes]

Not if they get the right amount of complaints they cant ignore complaints they got the right amount of users to complain about no info for updates and they changed there mmind you never know anything is impossible.

[steven36]

26 minutes ago, Holmes said:

Not if they get the right amount of complaints they cant ignore complaints they got the right amount of users to complain about no info for updates and they changed there mmind you never know anything is impossible.

They been getting complaints since it was just a preview release  there excuse was they needed the data for  testing, then July came along  and  now they  are  collecting data in the stable builds and complaints picked up even more . Here it is  Dec 2015  and nothing has changed . They are using Home users as lab rats  for business .  If they ever stop collecting data you will have to  pay for or pirate  that version . You’re talking about a company with billions of dollars . They could pay people to beta test like Google  does for there free software . But just because they give it away free for a year there making everyone beta test it that’s not business . The fun part will be when July 2016 comes and they  start charging for spyware .  If people will buy windows 10 they will buy anything  .

[straycat19]

You can't sue them over the data collection.  You agreed to it when you installed Windows 10 and when you install the updates for Windows 7 and 8.1.  Anyone who doesn't read the fine print anymore is in for a shock when they realize that basically they have no rights except to use the software as the developer says they can.  People can complain all they want but they are getting what they asked for and agreed to, so get over it.

 

[steven36]

24 minutes ago, straycat19 said:

You can't sue them over the data collection.  You agreed to it when you installed Windows 10 and when you install the updates for Windows 7 and 8.1.  Anyone who doesn't read the fine print anymore is in for a shock when they realize that basically they have no rights except to use the software as the developer says they can.  People can complain all they want but they are getting what they asked for and agreed to, so get over it.

 

You don’t need to sue Microsoft to hurt them  . They would just get rich lawyers and win ..The only way  for people to hurt them is start rolling back to windows to windows 7 and windows 8.1 witch the marketshare  is showing signs of already after a decline  since July Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 marketshare is starting to grow again.

 

People who uses windows 7 have tell 2020 and people who use windows 8.1 have even longer .Updating is not really something we must do  yet to use windows .

[straycat19]

Quote

The only way  for people to hurt them is start rolling back to windows to windows 7 and windows 8.1 witch the marketshare  is showing signs of already after a decline  since July Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 marketshare is starting to grow again.

 

After 31 days you can't rollback your system and your old license is no longer good for the old OS.  So legally you are stuck.

 

[steven36]

14 minutes ago, straycat19 said:

 

After 31 days you can't rollback your system and your old license is no longer good for the old OS.  So legally you are stuck.

 

Do you have a proof source of this? that they kill you’re  key after 31 days and you cant just reinstall it.

 

Quote

 

How to downgrade Windows 10 after 30 days: ways to return to Windows 7 or 8 after Microsoft's rollback time limit

When you upgrade to Windows 10, Microsoft lets you change your mind for 30 days. If you've changed your mind after this time limit, here are some ways to get back Windows 7 or 8.

n some ways, it was generous of Microsoft to offer the option in the first place. We've already explained step-by-step how to use the Windows 10 rollback feature.

But after a month, the option will disappear along with your old version of Windows, and you're then stuck with Windows 10. It's not such a hardship - see our Windows 10 review for why - but if you're only just discovering incompatibilities, what can you do about going back to Windows 7 or 8?

 

Here are some options open to you.

How to downgrade Windows 10 after 30 days: a clean install

Once 30 days have elapsed since you upgraded to Windows 10, it will automatically delete your old Windows files (kept in a folder called Windows.old) along with the files in two other important hidden folders:  $Windows.~BT and $Windows.~WS.

You can check for these folders by enabling 'Hidden items' in the View tab in File Explorer. But even if those folders are present after 30 days, it's likely the files within them have been removed to prevent them using up a lot of unnecessary disk space. This means you can't roll back.

 

 

 

One obvious way to get around this is to use your Windows 7 (or 8) disc and activation key. It's not exactly a simple process since you'll need to back up everything and then wipe your hard disk and start from scratch. After installing Windows, you'd need to install drivers for your hardware, then all your software, and finally your documents and all the other files and settings you backed up. And, of course, hundreds of Windows updates.

If you have a disc but lost your activation key, you can extract it from Windows 10 by pressing the Windows key and R to bring up the Run box. Then type cmd and press enter. Then copy and paste this code at the command prompt which will have popped up:

wmic path softwarelicensingservice get OA3xOriginalProductKey

Hit Enter and your original product key for the previous version of Windows will be displayed.

How to downgrade Windows 10 after 30 days: Factory restore

Many laptops and PCs have a hidden partition on the hard drive which contains a copy of the original Windows, programs, drivers and settings which were on your PC when it arrived. Upgrading to Windows 10 shouldn't have affected this, so it should still be intact.

Whether or not you can access it is another matter. Typically you can look out for a message while your computer is starting up, such as "Press F11 for recovery options". When you press the appropriate key, you should be presented with a menu that will include the option to restore factory settings. For more details, including which keys to press on different laptops, see How to reset a laptop to factory settings (this applies to some PCs as well).

On some computers, you'll still have a Windows application which allows you to perform a restore by using the manufacturer's own method. On an Acer Aspire laptop, for example, we found the Acer Recovery Management app which made it simple to go back to the original version of Windows which came in the box.

Performing a restore will wipe the C: drive, so you will lose all your personal files and settings. So you'll still have to back these up, and you'll still have plenty of Windows updates and programs to install after the restore is complete. You shouldn't have to worry about anything not working, since the drivers will be reinstalled. But any hardware you've added will have to have the software or drivers reinstalled, such as a printer.

How to downgrade Windows 10 after 30 days: Third-party backup software

If you're thinking of upgrading to Windows 10 (or have just done so) and don't want the 30-day limit, there are two different options.

Before upgrading:

Hard drive imaging software is nothing new: Acronis, Norton Ghost and similar programs have allowed you to make a complete copy of your hard disk so you can quickly go back in the event of a hard drive failure, or some other disaster. You can use these, or something specific such as EaseUs System GoBack which is designed to let you roll back to a previous version of Windows.

Naturally, you need to install and use this type of software BEFORE you upgrade.

After upgrading:

If you have already upgraded but are within the 30-day rollback window, you can enable hidden items (as described above) and rename the three folders which Windows will try to delete. If it can't find the folders - because you've changed their names - it can't delete them. We can't verify this works, but some users have reported that renaming the folders back to their original names after 30 days brings back the rollback option, which you'll find in Start > Settings > Update and Security > Recovery.

 

http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/how-to/windows/how-downgrade-windows-10-after-month-3631059/

 

I have a source says you can article  form DEC 3

 

---

[CODYQX4]

There's going to be a lot of blood sweat and tears, but at least they aren't moving from XP.

[steven36]

11 minutes ago, CODYQX4 said:

There's going to be a lot of blood sweat and tears, but at least they aren't moving from XP.

Moving from XP to windows 7  was really easy for me to do and never looked back  at XP since other than in a contained VM.  I was on XP 10 years it was time for me to move on.  I cant say this about Windows 10  and Microsoft trying ram it down peoples throats years before other windows expire . So far I rolled back one Windows 10 install  back to windows 7 . I turned one that had Windows 10 on into a Linux box only . And on my new PC  its only had Windows 8.1 on it.  I will move to purely Linux  if they don’t change it by the time Windows 8.1 updates run out.

[straycat19]

Quote

http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/how-to/windows/how-downgrade-windows-10-after-month-3631059/
 
I have a source says you can article  form DEC 3
 

 

Yeah and after reading that I can bet my 89 year old mother can't do it or even knows about it. Not to mention the fact that PCAdvicor is a publication in the UK.  Technical competent people will always find a way to do what they want but the common people are the ones who are being forced to upgrade and don't know any better.  So even if a friend tells them they can rollback it will be too late in most cases.  Quit thinking like a geek and put yourself in the position of the average joe or mary who has a computer.  These are the people we need to worry about because they are the ones that Microsoft is boasting about, number wise, in all their Windows 10 indoctrination and brainwashing.

[steven36]

11 minutes ago, straycat19 said:

 

Yeah and after reading that I can bet my 89 year old mother can't do it or even knows about it. Not to mention the fact that PCAdvicor is a publication in the UK.  Technical competent people will always find a way to do what they want but the common people are the ones who are being forced to upgrade and don't know any better.  So even if a friend tells them they can rollback it will be too late in most cases.  Quit thinking like a geek and put yourself in the position of the average joe or mary who has a computer.  These are the people we need to worry about because they are the ones that Microsoft is boasting about, number wise, in all their Windows 10 indoctrination and brainwashing.

If people didn’t want windows 10 to began with most would roil back within 31 days unless windows 10 blowed up there pc after  31 days then they  will have to get someone fix it . I will fix  any of my close friends pcs   if they ask  me too . Most people knows  someone that can do it for them . by the way most 89 year olds are still on XP using the only pc they ever got . LOL

[stylemessiah]

The helpdesk up there in Newcastle Uni is going to be very busy....

 

Installing that bugridden spying POS is a huge mistake

 

Personally if i were a student id refuse to login in any Windows 10 PC they had until they garaunteed me none of my personal data would be transmitted off campus while using it, in writing.

 

[Holmes]

They could change there minds in two thousand sixteen unless you work for microsoft you dont know what there going to do.  There not going to make you pay for a version that they stop collecting data on free doesnt mean data collection its just what ended up happening.  Like I said if they dont stop they are going to end up giving us better control over the data they do collect.  After the thirty days you can try to use the methods shown to revert back you dont think microsoft has thought of that.  There servers can detect if your machine has used windows ten past thirty days and the update in november deletes the backup partition you can back that up it wont help I dont think.

[steven36]

I guess somewere like a Collage  it would not matter  because they will  have more pcs donated  to them ..Most schools  don’t have to buy windows no way.

 

But Microsoft's plain is pretty  simple they get you to install Windows 10 for free  on a old pc not made for windows  10 . Once you’re motherboard and or processor goes there’s no way to reactivate it without buying it or pirating it .   They still never made it were you can use windows 7 or 8.1 keys on a clean install . You have  to start all-over if you change hardware . Once July 2016 comes if you didn’t buy windows 10 already  if you change hardware  you will have too buy or pirate it. I'm not up to date with cracking methods  used  for windows now days . i never had  to pirate  windows  for my personnel use in my life and now I try to avoid windows  as much as possible since windows 10  .  I  will never be up to date on this lol .

[Holmes]

They dont have to buy a license to use windows you dont buy windows you buy a license to use it and taxx payers money is what the government use tax payers money to give to school to fund what ever they need to use I know this because I got my first windows seven license from my friend zach before he passed away and thats the operating system Im using right now to type this with they didnt get that for free those ten thousand commputers are getting windows ten for free because there upgrading there windows seven systems.  Im using windows seven academic version which Im going to upgrade Im using windows seven professional Im going to upgrade to ultimate.  My friends teacher is using licenses which the school paid for.  Schools dont always get windows from donated computers sometimes not all the time.  Im talking about high school computers not college computers they buy license in bulk to save money.  They are lucky this year not to have to buy windows ten lucky to not have to buy a license going through all the bumps windows ten is making users have to deal with is a different story.