Another quick "heads up".

As per Companies House, Opium Pulses Limited has not been trading for very long at all. The most recent filed accounts (to 28th February 2015) show it as a dormant company (i.e. non trading). As accounts are filed in arrears, it is conceivable they could have started trading relatively recently.

Link: https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/08900156/filing-history

The company has also changed its registered office THREE times in 6 months, which is another red flag.

If this was an eBay seller with (say) a hundred or two transactions, the deal wouldn't be allowed on HUKD. This is an unknown company which provides none of the statutory ownership information on it's website, so tread with caution.

HTH :smiley:

Sell the computer to your Mum for (I dunno, say) 50p? Buy it back off her for 10p. Winner, winner. Fully working Windows OS, the ability to sleep easily and you're up 40p.

OMG ! Some of you goody 2 shoes really need to get a life .
Theres NOTHING wrong with buying this key and using it on your pc . Microsoft did indeed change the rules . You bought the pc therefore you OWN the key and can do what you want with it . YOU OWN IT ! ! Just like this website have bought a load of keys . THEY OWN THEM . You now buy it and YOU own it and can do what you want with it .

Just upgraded one of my Laptops to W10 as deal ending soon and thought have a look now it has had some service packs. !! BEWARE !! the whole exercise including numerous failed downloads took 40 hours! Was stuck on the 99% install progress point for 20 hours alone before it finally progressed and then another 2 hours widdling about as is Windows install practice.

End result - everything works but dear God is an ugly ugly interface... My Atari ST looks cooler!

Can't believe I missed this!

Hi, Has anyone on here been able to successfully register their Win-7 bought from Opium Pulses with Microsoft please? Also where exactly can an OEM version (again that successfully registers with Microsoft) be downloaded from please as Opium Pulses aren't being very helpful. Far from helpful tbh. As for PayPal they did not want to know when the transaction was disputed further to being told the product offering was far from 'legit' as Microsoft refuses to allow for successful product registration. Credit card charge-back needed from what's been gathered. Avoid - Avoid - Avoid.

Forget that, just reading through the comments now!...

Why is this expired?

​ Got a refund, minimal hassle. Even got a nice points bonus for the inconvenience

Windows 10 pro key wont activate as its being used on another computer. WOnder how many other people they sold my key to...!
Support is limited to just an online form so far.

Omg why is it expired

Ive installed windows 7 probably about 300 to 400 times, a good few dozen involved changing entirely from one dead machine with none of the original components. They'll often fail online activation (ive found that if you avoid putting in product key during installation, and only do it once windows is installed, the failure rate for online activation drops to a few percent), but over the telephone, ive never had an oem product key fail. Assuming of course, that you are not using it on another computer simultaneously.

Is this safe to buy to install at a later date, maybe in a couple of weeks.
Would the key still work?

Yes morrig,But it says my graphics media accelerator 3600 series is not compatible with windows 10 so i guess thats it.I have a MSIU180. Thanks anyway.

You must have tried the walk through on the M/S site?... https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/windows-10-upgrade#

IN case its of any use to anyone......at the bottom of the page....

NOTE: THIS KEY WILL NOT WORK ON THE MICROSOFT "DOWNLOAD WINDOWS 7 DISC IMAGES (ISO FILES)" PAGE. IT MUST BE USED DURING INSTALLATION OF WINDOWS 7 OPERATING SYSTEM ONLY AND WILL NOT ACTIVATE AN ALREADY INSTALLED OPERATING SYSTEM.

​Sorry I misunderstood something, it's the Windows 7 Enterprise VM that's free for 540 days.

https://sites.google.com/site/easylinuxtipsproject/oldgrub

What are you saying? HUKDs is in trouble?

Tip of the iceberg mate

Another nail in the coffin for HUKD?

Hmm. I thought it was all versions but perhaps I am wrong. Try X17 59186 - google is your friend. e.g. reddit.
(digitalriver got zapped ages ago - now leading to a link requiring money to be paid - yeuch)

Hi anyone help i have a windows 7 netbook that wont upgrade to 10 ,I have a tablet thats android any way i can get windows on the tablet easy? Im rubbish at this !

Hi.
thanks for replying. I can only find win7pro iso as THIS6

it says the ISO for the number you gave as an iso for home edition- is it the correct one? sorry not good with this tech stuff

Spanner, I've only just noticed this reply. If you click on the link you will notice that the browser will ping up something like http://hotukdeals.co.uk/visit43567 then it will change to whichever site it is linked to. This is an affiliate link which registers that you have gone through HUKD to get the deal.
Something else that makes this even more fishy is that it got posted over the weekend, goes expired on Sunday when they have taken maximum profit from this scam.

Knowing fully that this was illegal and morally wrong the mods and it's puppets manipulate a deal, get their cut and expire it before anyone any wiser. They've made a quick buck and so has the joker who runs Opium Pulses which is probably someone they know.

Smoke and mirrors

Or you could just download Windows Server 2008 (and convert it to Windows 7) or Windows Server 2012 (and convert it to Windows 8.x) for free from Dreamspark using your NUS card (also available illegitimately via HUKDs).

Ah. DreamSPARK. These are educational free licences given to certain orgs for free student use. Ie will work, aren't legal...

Like I've said in previous posts Hukd will have some affiliation with Opium Pulses they are definitely getting a cut or the mods have done a deal as the deal poster on this thread definitely gets paid for posting deals. The editor of Hukd is bigging this scam up too and all of the the other clowns that post substantial threads are trying to praise this as technically legal.

Opium Pulses has just made them £20,000 this weekend selling all its members dodgy windows 10 keys that they have sold from a random key generator that has cost them nothing.

Its only if the licence is a OEM and b if there are enough changes from the originally registered system, ie it has to look something like the original system and not like your trying to move an OEM licence to another machine

Bought the w10 pro key and it worked perfectly, upgrade from w7 was a breeze, no broken drivers so far, all working as normal, key has been verified and product activated.

Where? Can't find it anywhere?

HOTTT FROM MEEEEE

I have never ever had a legitimate windows 7 coa fail to activate, and then fail telephone activation, whatever parts replaced.

so do you recommend buy windows 7 key? also where do you download windows 7 dvd from? thanks

I don't know for sure if this 'deal' is dodgy, but having read your numerous posts I feel fairly happy putting my faith in your opinion as you clearly know what you're talking about. So cheers - I'm going to skip this as it seems too much hassle and would likely lead to headaches down the line.

I'm not sure if this is legit or not, but it does seem a little, shall we say, "unethical".

I note your comments about whether it should be on here or not, I don't know but considering the trouble I had last October trying to get a deal posted for stick on poppies (the sort the Premier League footballers, and others like the National rugby players wear on their shirts) where all of the proceeds went to the 'Poppy Appeal' (the company selling them were affiliated with the official 'Poppy Appeal' so not dodgy at all), I am somewhat surprised this 'deal' is on here.

I would add that my 'poppy' deal was blocked and despite messages asking why, it was never approved and thus the 'deal' never appeared on HUKD. It was never explained to me why it was blocked and it doesn't make sense to me. I was far from impressed.

So with is being at best dodgy licensing, and at worst an illegal scam, and the mods not taking it down, what would it suggest. That they either endorse licences that are classed as illegal as per Microsoft licensing terms, or that they have a staked interest in the post, or they think this type of post is perfectly acceptable.

Regards
Flea

Completely agree, this is dodgy as. Can't see how HUKD allow this, if it was an eBay seller it would be shutdown in an instance.

hmmm chance it, not chance it. Nope gona give this company a miss.

I have a paid copy of Winzip - and also WinRAR.

Only motherboard necessary :smirk:

Yeah I'd only do it once, I paid £25 for an OEM last year, with the certificate which seemed a fair price to me.
This is a bit dodgy.

They're genuine, they just have clear guidelines.

If the W10 keys are system builder ones, they're only going to work during installation. Trying to add one after install will fail. Trying to phone up should also fail, because their system should know.

Clean install, no issues (well, it's not technically compliant but M$ won't care about that).

I bought a desktop about 4 years ago, from a local company that was upgrading. The PC has Windows Enterprise installed. I know next to nothing about upgrading to Windows 10, I wondered if I bought one of these keys if I could then get 10? Would I have to do a complete reinstall and lose all my software? Grateful for any advice.

Correct, I haven't. So?

Whilst I have no idea if these licences are genuine or not the company does have a reasonably established footprint which would suggest that they have spent a lot of time and effort creating this scam if that is what it is.

https://www.youtube.com/user/OpiumPulses

https://www.linkedin.com/company/opium-pulses-ltd.

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/opium-pulses-podcast/id732283622?mt=2

https://steamcommunity.com/groups/OpiumPulsesNews#

https://www.facebook.com/OpiumPulses/

£9.04 GBP = $12.60 USD

cant edit on the phone About 2 hours later

That is true but they do track the hardware, too many changes and they wont allow it :smile:

About 2pm i registered too buy this and about i tried again using my other email and im still waiting for actviation email

Good idea. "My motherboard, hard disk, memory, GPU have just failed - can I be re-activated please?"

If you're motherboard 'breaks' you can ring the number and they will activate for you though.

OEM keys can only be used with the hardware assigned to it legally.If they don't send the motherboard that the OEM key is assigned to, it's not legal. I've learnt from this in the past.

I'm hanging on for Win 11

thanks OP :smiley: installed and working.....and just upgrading to windows 10 :smiley:

This will be a genuine key sold in breach of the OEM agreement. Microsoft can and have before revoked keys sold this way. Now for £10 you might not mind but just don't go thinking this is 100% legal

This is what you get:
This is what you get
I have not tested jet.

Info about seller website:
Your text here

No point paying even £8.40 for Windows 7, you can legally download Windows 7 Enterprise for free and use it for 540 days without activation.

OMG ! Some of you goody 2 shoes really need to get a life .
Theres NOTHING wrong with buying this key and using it on your pc . Microsoft did indeed change the rules . You bought the pc therefore you OWN the key and can do what you want with it . YOU OWN IT ! ! Just like this website have bought a load of keys . THEY OWN THEM . You now buy it and YOU own it and can do what you want with it .

Lol

Dreamscape = the feds.

I just spoke to someone from Microsoft who told me the key is valid and can be activated tomorrow when they can contact some company called dreamscape or some name similar to that who can complete the activation for me, dreamscape are not open today as it's Sunday.

As long as the keys activates and is not blocked by MS most will happily buy these keys and don't care what MS terms and conditions are for using them.

MS aren't going to do anything if you're using these. They'd rather you use cheap keys for Windows than use pirate copies, and they'd rather you use pirate copies than use Linux or Mac.

I might try and find out exactly what these are at work tomorrow. I seem to recall an MS internal tool that told you from first x characters exactly which SKU a key was....

Your logic is rather flawed because how can you know that these keys have been taken from old PC's?

You cannot know and therefore defeated your own argument with consummate ease.

Okay, will try that now, i will let you know if this works, thanks

AFAIK OEMs and Integrators still have to buy a subscription if they want to be able to actually USE the software in a production environment. Being an OEM or System Integrator doesn't automatically give you the right to use the software. Even if you're a Silver or Gold partner you have to pay for the software.

The Windows 7 Key is NOT an MSDN key. It is an OEM key (I have tested the key on the Microsoft website). The only thing that is not clear is if the key is for multiple PCs or not. It worked without problem wityh Windows 7 Professional that I downloaded from Digital River ( you cannot download from Microsoft with an OEM key).

I created a partition on my macbook and installed windows 10 inserting the key in the process but when i check the activation status it says this key is being used on another computer, i used boot camp to install it, will this make any difference? I've asked opium to help and they are contacting their supplier.

Okay, i appreciate the help, thanks.

No. Windows will not go for an activation check unless it has been installed correctly.

If you are getting an "invalid license" message, you've installed it correctly but the license key isn't being accepted by the Microsoft licensing server (which is why you need a different key which works from the guys at Opium)

HTH :smiley:

Okay, thanks, so it's got nothing to do with it being installed that way?

If you are genuinely an IT developer and hold certain Microsoft qualifications, you can get a complimentary subscription. I believe they also give them out to businesses who build new PCs / advise clients on their IT spends.

Incidentally, if you are a student, you can get a lot of legitimate Microsoft software licenses & training for free as part of the MS Dreamspark program. More info here: https://www.dreamspark.com/default.aspx

HTH :smiley:

PS I believe you can also get GENUINE Windows 10 licenses via Dreamspark for free if you are a student.

Maybe, just maybe, some of us here are developers and know a little more about how things work than you do?

ALL OEM Windows versions MUST be supplied with a certification sticker to be valid. End of story.

And before you pretend you know what you are talking about, Microsoft states this very clearly on their anti-piracy website: https://www.microsoft.com/oem/en/licensing/sblicensing/Pages/index.aspx

If you "recycle" a license from an old PC, you MUST pass the sticker over to the new buyer. Just having a serial key is NOT proof of legitimate ownership.

Everyone in the dev community knows about MSDN keys - in fact, some of us may even get a subscription to run all the MS products on various machines we have (perks of the trade) :wink:

But the difference here is no genuine developer would take the proverbial and use one key to install (say) Windows on a huge amount of machines - doing so would almost certainly result in your MSDN account getting immediately suspended for good (which kinda stuffs up your time in IT)

At least you now know how the MSDN key game works now :wink:

"Free" msdn last time I checked cost many hundred of dollars.

This is exactly why you were warned about this. Your only option is to hope Opimium will give you another key which works, and then be sure to install it immediately - as that key will probably be toast by tomorrow too.

How is it an MSDN key ??? Have you tested it ??? If not then keep quiet as you obviously don't have a clue . Really cant see these being MSDN . They will be keys taken from old pcs .

This is OEM, it means you get this:

- OEM versions do not offer any free Microsoft direct support from Microsoft support personnel

- OEM licenses are tied to the very first computer you install and activate it on

- OEM versions allow all hardware upgrades except for an upgrade to a different model motherboard

- OEM versions cannot be used to directly upgrade from an older Windows operating system

can i use this key to upgrade my PC from vista to window 10? thank you for answering in advanse

I also have windows vista and looking to upgrade to windows 10 but unsure if my PC would be up to the software changes.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows10

download media tool and create usb stick.

How the flook has this gained so much heat. A dubious software sale from an even more dubious company.

No registered address, contact details, phone number, etc etc etc on the website and people are actually willing to part with their CC or Paypal details? Are you the same people who every year wonder why your tickets didn't arrive for whatever festival?

I mean, this is 2016, have some Internet sense people.

Just to let you know they buy these licenses for under a dollar , I do know where you can buy them without buying in bulk for $2-$3 , and yes they are legit for OEM uses ,but only for that really! Chance is that the guy who posted this deal is just promoting his website and making a killing now, but in reality if you just buy these licenses yourself and install on your PC you could just as well download Daz activator and activate it for free because they are not legally valid for what 99% of people ordering here think they are...

Yes. But you don't have to get an ISO from microsoft's site :-)

arent these OEM keys excluded when it comes to downloading windows.iso image from microsofts site for reinstalling etc?
and updates, can you use these keys for all kinds of manual and automatic update downloads for windows?

Dam. Bought a windows 7 pro key for a 7 home edition. Now it wont work! Help!!

anyway just bought windows 10 and working fine thanks op

Could I use the Window 7 Pro key to allow a current installation of that OS to pass verification? Many thanks in advance :smiley:

I installed Windows 7 only a couple days ago. Daz helped me activate it and from there I was able to install Windows 10 and keep the key and activation.

It's my opinion that installing Windows 7 first is the best way to do it because you can partition your drive the way you want it without any interference from the installation process. You just have to do it using Diskpart from the Windows disc before starting installation. Now I have 1 partition for my whole drive even under Windows 10 and no lost space to recovery partitions etc.

And thanks to suckers like you every CEO of every company you buy goods from is rich....you should leave your cave a bit more.

OEM software by it's very nature is cheaper as it's bundled with hardware, in most cases this hardware is a PC. If you want to buy Windows for a PC later, you would normally purchase a retails product, which by it's very nature is more expensive. This may well work, but it is not being sold in the way it's supposed to be, and the retailer is not selling it in an authorised way, so Microsoft would be within their rights to refuse to allow activation of it if they so chose. They have form on this too, if for instance you bought imported Windows say from the far east, they will not activate in Western Europe, and Microsoft is not obliged to activate it as it being used in a market for which it is not intended, and may well differ in some ways.

$, not £

I know nothing about building computers but would like to know if I can use this in a dell laptop presently running Windows xp

THEY WANT £12.51 FIR WINDOWS7 PRO & NOT £8.50 another scam where people buy without checking on the cost as you click BUY IT NOW so beware !

​And thanks to suckers like you bill gates is the 2/3 richest man in the world :confused:

​You robbing sod, and your own mother!

Here's the main reason why this is not legal (as many have already pointed out):

It does not come with a Certificate of Authenticity (COA), so even if they were 'genuine' keys, it is illegal to sell & buy these:

From Microsoft COA, recovery media, and security features:

"A certificate of authenticity (COA) is a label to help you and your customers identify genuine Microsoft Windows software. Without it, your customers will not have a legal license to run their Windows software.

- You will find the COA included in the System Builder Pack that you acquired from your distributor. If it is not included, contact your distributor.
- You must affix the COA to the case of the computer on which you are preinstalling Windows as described in the system builder license.
- You may not distribute the computer without performing this step..."

Also, under...

"Distribution
Individual OEM system builder Windows software licenses must be distributed with the following:
- Certificate of authenticity (COA) label
- Authorized recovery media
- Documentation
- Software License Terms"

Don't shoot the messenger!

Amazing deal thanks OP

Hi donslibi I am new to computers could you please tell me what this means please?
would be most grateful Thanks.
PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS AN OEM SYSTEM BUILDER LICENSE KEY"

Hi all, I have two laptops and one desktop, would one copy of Windows 10 do all three computers or will I have to buy three? Cheers, Dave.

I've just bought it, worked fine for me.

I have a bunch of Windows 7 and 8 keys from my university days but a couple of spare Windows 10 keys might come in handy.

If i buy this today will they send the Windows 10 key straight away
Also can you pay with paypal

About £9 - you incapable of this calculation?

Sigh, these deals really need to be banned from HUKD as they are not legally licenced but will 9 times out of 10 work.

I have a mate who ran Linux on his desktop PC, and recently, his dog died. Now, I'm not saying that Linux killed his dog, necessarily, but it does seem like a bit of a coincidence.

tl;dr: Linux will kill your dog.

Free elsewhere

im just stuck in an internal verify email loop when i have tried to register

Oddly, I just tried this & it produced a different product key to the actual key I have on my Product key card.

As far as I'm concerned, this is STEALING. I have reported both the thread-starter and Opium Pulses to the police, and will be CCing Bill Gates into all comms.

Voted hot.

No, why pay more money for nothing? Just call Microsoft and tell them, pretty sure they will give you a new key without hassle.

Oh yeah :laughing: You're back in the room :wink:

Sorry, but every company I worked for had all their file and compute servers running Linux or Solaris. Windows server were only used for Outlook and running VMs (to run Outlook for the Linux desktop users).

And yes, there are companies that actually run plenty of Linux desktops. Particularly devs and infra engineers tend to do that.

Linux and Windows have both their strengths and weaknesses. Anybody claiming otherwise is an idiot.

I didn't say MY Mum, Deeky :smile:

:smirk:

You'd rip your own Mum off like that? :confused: You've just gone down in my estimation Buzz :disappointed:

OPIUM PULSES

​did you do a clean install after installing the SSD. I take it the SSD is your main drive?. I did the same and had no problem. I heard there was issue's with cloning to an SSD but clean installs should just automatically activate 10 as long as it was successfully activated after original upgrade.

I still have do on my desktop that I rarely use. Will getting this work

"Opium Pulses"- such a trustworthy sounding name. Is their sister company called "Heroin Peas"?

So I bought one and tried to enter it, says it's being used on another PC. Anybody else having this problem?

Follow this. Same happened to me and the steps in here worked for me:

http://www.howtogeek.com/206329/how-to-find-your-lost-windows-or-office-product-keys/

Take it you and Turkey are mates?

I was being serious, I wasn't just trying to troll you. You would be better off just getting rid of it.

Real helpful bro thanks.

Anyone tried installing Windows 10 on a 2011 MacBook Pro? How did you get on? From what I can see it isn't officially supported but wondering if there is a workaround ?

OK great so just tell me how I can run the latest DX11 and DX12 games on it or Windows server services and we're laughing.

Is this the latest ISO? Doing some reading would suggest this could only be a November update. Did you download Feb update from here?

There's a bloke down at the pub says he can get me an iPhone 6 for fifty quid, he's got a business card, headed notepaper and everything - got to be legitimate innit!

The main point is how many keys have they got and how many times can they sell these keys. Only Opium and Microsoft know that.
Opium (of course) are not going to say.
Microsoft will know but if there are only a few keys which they have been selling multiple times, then they may tolerate it for a while: having users of one of their older operating systems is preferable to them switching to linux or changing to a macbook or simply using ipads or tablets and phones. But eventually, they will probably deactivate them. Same as they tolerate the Daz Windows

I got the full paid for Winzip once but it came free with some other Corel software, even then I didn't use it as 7zip is easier I think.

Good one, wasn't it?

Let's embrace with a high five...



No?

Get it from the official source which of course is Microsoft >

https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows10ISO

no, not even in IT services companies I used to work in, better still, 7-zip :smiley:

32/64 shouldn't matter, 8 home will only activate 10, you would need a pro/enterprise key to activate windows 10 pro

windows 10 has to be online for it to be able to take a prior version of windows key, at least in my experience (don't take it as gospel!), and as long as its not blacklisted or used to many times it should activate no problem.

I have had trouble activating using windows 7 keys, some work some don't, but generally for me 8 has worked everytime

I bought Windows a while ago then upgraded pretty much my entire PC. So as soon as you change the motherboard, Windows becomes invalid since you registered it to different hardware.
I asked MS about it and they want me to phone them up to re-register the key. I can't even be arsed with it. I know that if I do call them, they'll hit me with 'your key isn't a real MS key' or some ****.

That's fine for you, but it's a bit silly to make sweeping statements for the rest of the population. Just because your system has not crashed recently doesn't mean it's the same for others.
I work on Linux, LibreOffice & GIMP is more than competent for what I need.
We've always had issues with windows, BSOD's in previous iterations and random freezes with win10.
It also doesn't play too well with older hardware.
I've even switched my mother onto LinuxMint and she loves it, unlike windows which was constantly problematic for her.
There are options for everyone.

ok, when I click it seems to go directly to the webpage with no in between affiliate links as you often see with deals. Anyway I guess HUKD can dictate what they do and don't allow as it's their site.

Personally I wouldn't download from some random ISO website - here is the link to the official Microsoft download website:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows10ISO

Judging by the amount of deals you have posted, can I ask what affiliation do you have with this site?

excellent much obliged:)

WIN10 latest

Site seems very slooooooooow for download tho!

where do i find this version please?

Not done that yet. Running a rather old system with some new bits (DFI P965 motherboard). A lot of faffing around tho' ( if it don't work I'll have to re-install Win 8.1). Time is running out tho' for the free upgrade.

I'm afraid you are wrong there. It certainly does go through an affiliate link and that is why deals like this get pushed.

Yes, those who don't work on play on their PCs. About 1.4% for the last 15 years, despite every Linux advocate claiming that end of Windows is near and Linux will become major player during this period.

Stability? Windows has crashed exactly 0 times on my home pc in the last 4 or 5 years.

Lucky for those whom have managed to upgrade to Win10. I'm stuck with 8.1. Tried multiple times to upgrade from an ISO & the MS site & crashes on install every time. I suspect it's some driver issue it can't install.

Remember once upgraded to Win10 you don't need to re-enter the key again if you format as it will be tied to the hardware in the pc. Just re-install Windows and it will auto activate :smiley:

That's not where Linux belongs at all. It's one use for it.
Plenty of us use Linux as a daily driver and find it easier and more stable to use.

So how do I go about activating it?

i have a dell 6320 laptop i bought s/h with windows 7 on it and the key is on the bottom.....i tried installing windows 10 with the key and it didnt work,................

for this price i might give it a go or is there anyway to reinstall windows 7 activate the key supplied on the bottom of the laptop and then upgrade to windows 10?

Typical MSDN key, they have a certain number of uses, Microsoft always find out and block every single key.

Sometimes the same key is used and sold to customers over 100 times.

Enjoy wasting your money. :laughing:

I've bought one of these in the past.

Being an OEM key, after a fresh install of windows said the system needs to be activated, and the key had already been used. I called Microsoft who would not activate the OS with the key. The MS assistant said I should not have been sold an OEM key for a home system and would have to take the issue up with the vendor to get a valid key. She was pretty unhelpful but it's a bit pot luck, most don't care.

I called the MS automated activation system straight after and it activated straight away.

You can although many Windows 8.x machines have the key stored in the MSDM table in the BIOS on the motherboard, since build 10586 the Windows setup has been able to read this key from the MSDM table and automatically activate Windows. So as long as you use the Microsoft media creation tool to get you the latest version of Windows 10 it should read the key from the MSDM table, if the setup asks for you for a key then you don't have one stored on the motherboard.

Just sorted via MS chat. Turns out I'd transposed the last two digits of the Win8 license key. However, even when swapped round, I'd loaded Win 10 Home but had had Win8 Pro. So the helpful chap upgraded to Win 10 pro for me and all is now well :smiley:

Well done M$!

This won't be an OEM license, this will be a MSDN key.

I'm buying it so that fewer walls stand between me and my success

Yeah, sure, I've got nothing better to do than dealing with Betty from accounts who struggles when Word icon is moved on the desktop.

I'm sure she will enjoy working on Linux with some free office suite fully compatible with MS Office, unless you work on documents more complex than 1 page of clear text.

Not to mention printing, scanning and lack of 90% of the software (bespoke or not) used by businesses.

What a brilliant idea.

I've got half dozen Linux servers at work, from web proxy to computational beasts with 1TB RAM and that's exactly where Linux belongs.

Why install the hopeless Windows 10?

You can use a Windows 8.1 key with a 10 installation though.

Time to put a window on my mac :smiley:

Since windows 98 every copy of windows has had a back door to be able to read all your data without you giving permission . The difference with windows 7 , 8 and 10 is their terms and conditions you have to tick to be able to use the OS; you give them permission to mine and store and sell all your data.
If anything MS should be paying you to use their operating systems, they are no different to Trojan or a virus .
Try a flavour of Linux , they are free and more stable.

I have purchased 3 x windows 10 licences from here (email delivery) and used the MS ISO version. More expensive than this deal but non OEM and called MS to verify licence as i'd never heard of Software Geeks before and all was good. Code sent within minutes. Peace of mind.

https://softwaregeeks.co.uk/product/windows-10-pro/?gclid=CjwKEAjw3fG4BRDsn9GAv7T2zEkSJACNJdjgpnW5YsA-H35lGCGwprM5o_2lbU6-cr-wkluBzyMroBoCqh_w_wcB

You can just enter your legitimate windows 8 key and it should accept it :smiley: They changed this some time ago so machines could be fresh built with 10 instead of having to upgrade first.

Actually the 1511 windows 10 autumn build now accepts windows 7 and 8 key entries at the installation stage.

Windows 10 is a failure, here's the reasons why:

1. Almost no one uses the Windows Store and Windows apps. How do I know this because I sell refurbished IT equipment.
2. Windows 10 on initial release build 10240 was a hopeless mess.
3. In November 2015 Windows 10 build 10586 was released and the version number increments every month after the windows updates, we're now on build 10586.218 as current 'stable' release. Windows 10 continues to have very serious bugs even with the latest build.
4. Some recent bugs, NAS devices not displayed at all in Network in File Explorer, has been rectified now with recent updates it appears.
5. Even the latest build on some machines will give the age old Windows 10 problem of the start menu and taskbar not functioning properly. On the latest build 10586.218 on some machines you can't right click the start menu or taskbar, so if you use jumplists it becomes really irritating.

To fix this I've found using this powershell command still works:

Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}

NAS (Network Attached Storage) issues >

https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/e43bdd35-6dc6-4182-b7a4-1b77cb7fc16a/following-upgrade-to-windows-10-nas-unit-does-not-show-under-network?forum=win10itpronetworking

Windows 10 for the general user offers very little over Windows 7. Windows 7 has its own bugs which will never be fixed but at least it's pretty stable. The only reason I'd ever use Windows 10 now is because I have to at work and because of Direct X12 gaming. You'd be mental to use Windows 10 in a business environment, you'd stick with Windows 7.

To stop Windows 7 and 8.x nagging you about updating to Windows 10 or even just deciding it'll be a good idea to just upgrade without asking you (it's happened!) then use GWX Control Panel to disable the Windows 10 update icon etc >

http://ultimateoutsider.com/downloads/

You may think I really hate Windows 10, I don't but it's quite obviously an apology for Windows 8. Windows 8.1 Update 1 was pretty ok in the end, anyway I may start to like it a bit more when the Redstone updates kick in this year. I still won't use the Windows Store or those apps though! and that's what Microsoft is banking on.

Best Windows laptop:

Microsoft Surface Pro 4

Linux next to useless? I setup Linux mint xfce on 1 of the computers at work. It does everything the windows computers do and everybody agrees that it is the fastest computer we have even though hardware wise its the slowest.

My guess is you probably used Linux for 3 minutes sometime over 10 years ago.

You need to change your name Spark because you are NOT bright.

How exactly are HUKD making money out of this deal? the link doesn't seem to go via any affiliate links that I can see.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think buying this item is good and am amazed the deal hasn't been pulled due to the questionable ethics of the seller and the relatively unknown status of the seller but am curious as to why you think sales benefit HUKD.

If the key is valid it will work. Do you not have the option to phone Microsoft to re-activate your existing key? All you do is answer #1 to every question and type in the code and you're done.

​While I agree with you at the moment, BYOD policies are slowly killing off offices full of Windows machines. When people can easily dock their Android phone or iPad/phone and connect to their corporate network Windows PCs and Laptops will be rarely used, apart from when Windows is required to run a particular app. RDS and VDI will largely deal with that though via your own device.

There will be exceptions though, where security is vital, such as PCI environments or highly-secure government and defence networks, for example.

Not now but I have done previously. Certain services like Bing and Cortana do datamine in Windows 10 but the extent of that goes no further than using a Google account in Chrome or a non-malware based desktop or browser toolbar and those services can be easily disabled.

I take no big objection to Linux but people need to understand that for many people it is next to useless and is also extremely user unfriendly if you're the sort of person who only uses a computer once in a while.

Windows is the international standard and that probably isn't going to change throughout many of our lifetimes. People just need to deal with it.

​Thanks.

Don't be so stupid. You don't have to register a company to sell

You'd very surprised as to software companies 'leave in there'. Do you work in the software industry?

"Try a flavour of Linux" - nothing about OSX

A bit off topic but if I do a clean install of Windows 7 and then immediately upgrade to Windows 10, is that just as/almost as good as doing a clean install of Windows 10?

I bought a Windows 8 Pro OEM key a few years ago, never had any problems with it. Upgraded to Windows 10 just fine and it is still fine. I got mine for £12 from G2A.

No he doesn't and the windows licence has already come under very close scrutiny, particularly in the EU and Japan and localisation changes have been forced down by law. I very much doubt that they would leave something like that in there.

And incidentally, iOS and OSX datamine more than any other OS out there, barring possibly some dodgy Chinese mafia build of Android. It's just that most Apple users lack any kind of technical ability so the majority of it goes unnoticed.

Good price for Opium, hopefully there are no customs or sniffer dog checks.

It's legit, but they sell the same keys to everybody, it's fine when you activate it for the first time but if you're a person who likes to format every few months to keep things fresh, don't expect this to activate a second time, this is what happened to me.

Activated first time when I purchased the key, changed my hardware and my Windows required me to re-activate, didn't work. Microsoft informed me that the key had been blacklisted because it was now a blacklisted piracy key as multiple different people were activating on it.

Luckily for me, I bumped into a nice Microsoft supervisor who generated me a free retail Windows 10 key, which obviously, only I have access too, I don't think they do this usually though, he seemed to make out it was a big deal and luckily it was his birthday and in a great mood.

You may as well just use a Windows crack to fake activate the system every 30 days, it'll do the same thing for £10 less.

​Yes I did, for my windows 98 computer.

Stick to OSX
Less hassle

Proveright actually has a point as far-fetched as it might sound. All these issues with data and privacy and only just starting to surface. It'll all get quite bad in a few more years.

I'm interested in the need for a COA sticker. I bought Win7 pro from software4students a few years ago and it was simply a download and code no sticker and pretty sure they were a microsoft partner at the time.

Because they wouldn't be selling keys in that case, they'd be selling an activation crack. Pirates haven't used keys for windows since the days of XP.

These will be grey market imported keys, most likely from China. Nothing illegal about them as long as the seller is paying local taxes on their income, assuming they're based in a country where tax applies.

Doesn't accept mine (definitely legit, purchased from microsoft under Home User scheme) but maybe cos it's a 32-bit key, or maybe a different edition (HOme/Pro etc)? Dunno :disappointed:

so has anyone actually bought a key from these and has any tried it to see it works ??

No, I upgraded first from 8.1, then installed the SSD as boot drive :disappointed:

How do you know this? I see this deal as pirates selling to pirates!

1. These keys aren't pirated.
2. Pirating windows is usually a quick route to a virus and is generally not a good idea.

No. lt's not right, coa labels aren't supplied with win 8 and up! Have a look @ your laptop/pc, you will not find one. I bought win 8 & win 10 directly from MS and they only provided license key in email.

Any business using it will. Free licence is probably for non-business use.

Spelling Microsoft using the $ character automatically means that your comments have zero credibility.

Corporate T&C's do not constitute law. As long as you have not pirated or stole your copy of Windows, you have done nothing illegal.

Exactly, Hukd will be getting a healthy profit from this deal. A deal which leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. How the hell are they allowing this on here?? I've filled a form in on the Microsoft website to point them to this company. They will make the decision on whether these jokers are selling legitimate keys.

This looks dodgy to me. I've been using cheap copies of Windows for many years, but I have never seen a genuine copy this cheap. I am currently running a copy of Windows 7 Pro that cost me about £25, and it only just barely qualifies as a legit copy. There are ways to buy genuine copies of Windows on the cheap, such as buying an old machine installed with a full transferable copy of Windows and swapping it to your own machine (people really do sometimes throw away old computers with retail Windows OS's on them) but this deal sounds dubious, and I suspect that the key will stop working after a couple of months.

It's annoying sometimes. I had a deal getting great heat, from an established ltd company, with history at CH and reviews on independent sites and it was deleted as 'it's a sole trader, we don't know about and no info on the web' . And this sort just sails through, along with the dubious legality/morality of the actual product.

Excuse my ignorance but does this include a Windows Disc?

These are no different from buying a key from Reddit, which is usually cheaper.

Windows 10 accepts keys from windows 7 and 8 . I used a windows 8 key from a smashed tablet and it worked.

You have your facts wrong about Microsoft. If you were to notice that nearly every business computer in the world uses Windows then it's hardly dying off is it? As for having issues I'm afraid you sir, are the one with them. Please get your facts right before shouting off with your bigoted views.

Thanks a lot worked on my Windows 10 home edition which was unlicensed until now :smiley:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows-10/upgrade-windows-10-pro

​I joined the National Trust via the Bermuda website HUKD so I'm already going to burn!!

Are you employed by Micro$oft or do you just have a few issues?

Forget about Windows, it's dying off now, they're getting desperate. Use Linux and you won't have to face aggressive corporate behaviour and threats like the above (and worse) just because you're using your computer, you won't have to worry about Micro$oft and their elite (lol) teams of lawyers coming knocking on your door or having your data stolen and shared by other desperate corporate types who will do anything to try and sell you something.

​ I vote your response as...

Cold, not a COA. :smile:

Yes, people who buy software that is genuine, you are effectively thieving this software off Microsoft and the £10ish that this company are selling it for is nothing more than a scam to make a quick buck. HUKD should not be promoting dodgy software licence keys.

Yes, but you will always be looking over your shoulder and you won't go to Heaven!

The bottom line is that we all know that these keys violate Microsoft's terms but they work and as far as I know, not illegal.

You will use or not install based upon your own moral code and even perhaps even your view of Microsoft, who seemingly do not put enough things into place to prevent the sale of such keys.

Just bought the Windows7 pro for £8.76 paypal. Have a boxed PC from years back thats still Vista! Dont say that V word 3 times horrible things may happen.

​OHMYGOD!!!!, people like this still exist.

The COA sticker posted earlier is a bad example as you can't see the bit you peel off which is a COA and doesn't say this is not a COA on it.. It's the left bottom bit. It separates from the rest of the sticker.

If you are a top tier OEM and get BIOS activation you don't need to have one.. You just have to include the blue w10 sticker on either the PC, inside the battery cover or on the psu.

If you are not.. Then you get the COA stickers. They aren't as common.. But are definitely still around.

Funny haha you got 17 likes off your moderator friends and manipulate the selling of dodgy windows 10 licence keys for a cut!

The point is these clearly aren't OEM keys.. It's impossible to deliver an OEM key via email as there is a physical component to it.

The delivery of these by email guarantee they are not fully legitimate.

Will they work.. Probably.

Will you get caught.. No.

Is it fully legitimate.. No.

Its about time windows was free anyway HOT

all these people talking about OEM keys being illegitimate.

Don't get why you just don't ride the high seas and get an OS. best way for me. ha. pay $0

Save it for the judge boy!!!

I had the same issue, I did a Web chat with Microsoft tech support and they activated it for me (I had changed my motherboard) they did it so that my windows 7 key worked for Windows 10 for any future reinstall. Didn't cost me a penny

Linux mint.

Couple of questions;

If I got the Windows7 version would I then get the free offer to upgrade to win10 from Microsoft? Can I use this on more than one PC? thanks

While I would agree with you on this not being very likely to be legit keys, Windows doesn't cost hundreds of pounds, Microsoft themselves sell W10 home at £99.99 (less than £100) and pro at £189.99 (£10.01 cheaper than the minimum requirement to classify as hundreds) and that is the non OEM price.

I mention this not to be picky for the sake of it but to ensure people aren't put off buying legit copies due to thinking they have to pay a small fortune for a full licence.

Don't forget to register a company and invoice her.

Gavin, you should have just posted the link to the MICROSOFT OEM license page which clearly states:


and


So, that's about as crystal clear as it gets. If you buy a serial number WITHOUT the Certificate of authenticity (COA) label, you will NOT have a legal license to run their software.

Check the FACTS for yourself here: https://www.microsoft.com/OEM/en/licensing/antipiracy/Pages/COA_hologram.aspx

If you bothered to read my post I clearly put its the bit on the left. The bit on the right is to be kept by the OEM as proof of installation. If you look the key only appears on the left part but the ID code appears on both.

They could well be legit. Then again, I know countless other sites which sell MSDN serials as "OEM licenses" at cheaper rates, and this is probably what these guys are doing.

The going rate for legitimate OEM Windows 7 licenses is still around £25 - £30 plus even today (just check Amazon) and this article puts it at around the £30 mark: http://www.zdnet.com/article/seven-perfectly-legal-ways-to-get-windows-7-cheap-or-even-free/

So, as previous posters have said, if you are in fact being sold an MSDN serial you may as well just google around for a dodgy copy and keep the £8 in your own pocket.

Is that the image you posted that clearly states this is not a Coa?

You posted that W10 doesn't have a COA and I posted you proof it does!
You can't sell a key without a COA. Even Microsoft won't sell you a key. An MSDN licence only entitles you to install it for evaluation and testing purposes.

Stopped taking advice from you mate after you posted that image :wink:

No offence.

OK that's fine they have good customer service. This doesn't take away from the fact they are selling keys that they should not be selling!

Or just actually use them and see that they are fine. I have had no problems with them and the same goes for others if you look at previous threads. People who have had problems have had them rectified very quickly and still been happy. There is no point been a nerd with conspiracies.

Not buying, but I've voted hot.

Looks like people in the thread are pulling different opinions (possibly off the internet) based on EU and US law...since I live in the EU (AT LEAST FOR NOW!!!), then I assume Microsoft would be told where to go if they tried to claim these were pirated to any official body that mattered.

Another quick "heads up".

As per Companies House, Opium Pulses Limited has not been trading for very long at all. The most recent filed accounts (to 28th February 2015) show it as a dormant company (i.e. non trading). As accounts are filed in arrears, it is conceivable they could have started trading relatively recently.

Link: https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/08900156/filing-history

The company has also changed its registered office THREE times in 6 months, which is another red flag.

If this was an eBay seller with (say) a hundred or two transactions, the deal wouldn't be allowed on HUKD. This is an unknown company which provides none of the statutory ownership information on it's website, so tread with caution.

HTH :smiley:

I got a laptop with win7 premium, I stupidly 'upgraded' to 10 and missed the deadline to go back.

Will this do the job?

​contact Microsoft, they'll remotely find key within your system and activate it. That's what they did for me.

Direct cut from Microsoft page :-

This company is not an authorised distributor of OEM licences, you can check for yourselves on Microsoft's Partner Center if you care too.

There are two types of OEM distribution channels, and Opium Pulses is not a top tier distribution partner. They well maybe a OEM channel distributor, but that means they are not allowed to sell Microsoft OEM software licenses.

And as such it means these licence keys they send to you MAY work, but they are illegal and classed as pirated by Microsoft. Caveat emptor.

Regards
Flea

So Let me try to explain it to the non believers.

An OEM licence (original electronics manufacturer licence) is the way Microsoft sells windows to companies who build pcs such as Dell, Lenovo, etc...

The main difference between OEM and standard licence is that it is not transferable (except in certain specific cases I will get to). So the idea is Dell pays per pc they sell as they have no use for the transferability, while you as a user might want to move your licence to a new pc (and in theory remove it from the original).
Another difference is that you are not entitled to any sort of support from MS

Now in reality Dell and others pay more than this for their OEM licenceses so this still doesn't explain it fully so there are several options which might explain it:
First and more likely, the codes are pirated in one of many w. Still you are buying as OEM so you are not doing anything wrong, but are taking a (very small) risk MS blacklists your key.
Second is that OEM keys can be recycled, for example if a pc breaks and it's motherboard is decommissioned (read ends up in the trash) you can reuse that key on another machine. Technically MS requires the seller to ship you the aforementioned motherboard with your key, but there is no way to police that.

I am sure there are other options and that possibly I forgot something above but in general there is nothing wrong you are doing by buying and using this key. Even if the police comes at your doors and asks for you to prove you are not using pirated windows (which they have no right to do as they are the ones who need to prove it is pirated rather than you that it isn't) you show them the receipt of this and they can take it up with the seller.

Is there an expiry on these? I don't need it, but there's been a lot of times in the past when I have.

winzip is NOT the same as winrar....

anyways 7zip is free and works better

I know it was rhetorical, but these days there's no need to anyway if you're using 7.

Winzip by ek, that brings back memories ( that and winamp) use winrar now and never looked back.

As far as I recall, a ruling came down (EU?) not long ago that OEM Windows keys are transferrable by the end user/machine owner because you've bought that software, albeit at a reduced price.

Also, the COA isn't your key as someone else here mentioned. Nor do you need it to be allowed to use a key. Though technically if asked to prove ownership, you could be asked for that certificate.

Tbh I'd purchase it for a fiver to get rid of that annoying notification every time I open a zip file but I'm too lazy to go through the payment process.

Obviously not!!
It even said so right there lol

It has embedded in the BIOS for a long time now. The COA for windows 10 looks like this below (left hand side multi coloured bit)

Rocky Balboa.. says it's hot

can you pay them with paypal?

I've built two machines at work and used two of these 8.1 keys and I got Coa to stick on case with the key on. They were from ebuyer and a lot more than this!

https://www.reddit.com/r/paidforwinrar

does this count?

Isnt that true only if your Motherboard BIOS has SLIC 1.0 or SLIC 2.0? which pretty much all of them do now though..

Windows 8 & 10 doesn't come with a COA. It embeds into bios.

$13.78

Go for 7zip. It is FREE and much better.

Has anyone bought one and tried it yet?

I've edited my comment. None of the links open in safari but works in chrome.

Yes, provided the key is legit.

One hardware change shouldn't affect windows 10 activation.

I've activated windows directly using windows 8 keys, another way is to install windows 8.1 without a key as for some reason 8 keys won't activate 8.1 during install but after it's installed 8.1 will accept the 8 key. I've done it this way several times to get yo windows 10, out of interest did you clone the old drive onto the ssd? A clean windows 10 install without a key should self activate once you go online if you've only changed the hard drive and nothing else

thanks

All three links working as intended here. (Get Deal and two comment links).

I see winzip is available for a fiver. Has anyone ever purchased it????

Can't get any of the links to open.
Or when I go direct. Site down maybe?

Site appears to not work in safari, works in chrome.

It's a genuine oem license. No different than if you purchased oem software from Ebuyer for example. Nobody will knock on his door and ask if he built his own computer in order to use an oem license so as far as violating a law it's hardly a criminal offence lol

Thanks. Got win10 pro.

If not fussed about the true legitimacy of using this key for personal use, then might as well get a random one for free from online. No point pretending to do the right thing. The proper license costs hundreds of pounds, this is not much better than using a pirated one.

Install 10, do not enter a key when prompted. If it doesnt activate itself after a couple days then contact MS and they'll activate it for you and make sure it auto activates in future.

I'm building a basic system for my in laws for which they will be charged the cost.?

Could I use this.......
Would it work (& if not why not)

Thanks for any advice.

Sell the computer to your Mum for (I dunno, say) 50p? Buy it back off her for 10p. Winner, winner. Fully working Windows OS, the ability to sleep easily and you're up 40p.

It's not even that. To sell it you must supply a COA which you don't get.
In reality it is worthless.

What if they sold it to their mate/partner/person in same household!?

The only legal use of this key is if you are building a PC to sell on to someone else. So in your case, no. And even if it works, you would be violating Microsoft's terms.

Hot from me - following the trend on this one :smile:

Looks legit :wink:

"PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS AN OEM SYSTEM BUILDER LICENSE KEY"

Key only. No licence.

Windows 10: http://opiumpulses.com/store/1259/windows-10-professional

Windows 8.1: http://opiumpulses.com/store/1258/windows-8-1-professional