This was posted 3 years 10 months 14 days ago, and might be an out-dated deal.

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Microsoft Windows 10 Pro License $79.00 @ PCWorld

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Through the end of June, you can snag Windows 10 Professional for US$39.99, an exclusive offer to PCWorld readers.
However when you goto the buy site it's quoted as AU$79.00
Google tells me today that US$39.99 converts to AU$58.56
That seems a solid mark up for converting to AU$ but still way cheaper than buying from MS in OZ.
More about it here
https://www.pcworld.com/article/3562330/exclusive-deal-get-w…

Get it here
https://software.pcworld.com/p36877-windows_10_professional

edit:
I didn't notice this before but you seem to be able to switch currencies back to US$ which may save you money depending on how much you pay for conversion.

I haven't tried the deal as I already use Win 10 Pro. I paid AU retail for it some time back. If you do go for it then please post back how it went.

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closed Comments

  • +8

    In for comments on how to get this for free.

    • +7

      You can buy them off ebay - Just search "Windows 10 Key" and then set item location to "Worldwide". I've never paid more than $5 and you get instant electronic delivery.

      • +4

        eBay is not a bad source, but dealers can be iffy. See my post below on how to buy from established online retailers. Windows 10 costs almost nothing these days.

        Also, if you really really need it for free, you can just not activate it: Win 10 does not require it, but you will have a watermark asking you to activate.

        • I've always used eBay for Windows 10 keys (I have a little side gig building and selling PCs) and never really had a problem, however my main gripe is that usually the key will be emailed within a minute, but occasionally I have to wait a few hours.

          I'll check out allkeyshop - Do you know how quick they send you the keys? Prices seem on par with eBay, but if there's consistent delivery I'll probably make the switch.

          • @Radical Larry: Allkeyshop is just a comparison site, like staticice or shopbot - just pick a retailer that has a good rating, they all deliver rather instantly.

            When I say eBay can be "iffy", I mean that many of the resellers just completely disappear within days/weeks of the purchase, sometimes suggesting that if you had any problems with the keys you would be out of luck.

            However, if you have an eBay reseller who's been around for a while, stick with them: a couple of dollars difference for the peace of mind worth it.

            Having said all of that, I always check allkeyshop before buying any licenses: while Win 10 is dirt cheap now, it's a good idea to look around for a good deal for Office 2019, the prices vary a lot.

            Are you selling gaming or office PCs? I thought the whole "PC building" thing is kind of dead now, but I'm glad to hear there are still buyers (and sellers :)

            • +8

              @ocoolio: Oh right, I only took a cursory glance at the site initially, but I see now :) Thanks!

              I mainly sell gaming PCs. It's actually taken off quite a lot due to the emergence of streamers and fortnite in mainstream culture. All the 8 - 14 year olds want RGB gaming PCs that run fortnite well, but they (or rather, their parents) want them cheap. My profit margin is easily ~50%, as I scour gumtree and FB marketplace for cheap used parts which I then refurbish (thorough cleaning, re-apply thermal paste, replace any damaged capacitors etc.) and stick inside a brand new $49 RGB case from MSY.

              As it's just a hobby and not my main source of income, I can take a lot more time with the PCs and actually enjoy the builds, and I also provide honest advice for non-tech savvy parents who have no idea what they are shopping for, which means I largely don't even have to list my computers on gumtree or FB marketplace because usually I've got previous customers' friends and family getting in touch asking for PCs.

              TL;DR - The "PC building" thing is bigger than ever!

          • @Radical Larry: What's a reliable seller?

            • @cnut: What are you looking to buy?

              • @Radical Larry: Windows 10 home or pro.

                • +1

                  @cnut: I just sort by what's cheapest and go for the lowest price. It's eBay so you get automatic buyer protection, doubly so if you pay via paypal. Also keep in mind it's like $4 - $5 AUD, so not a huge risk.

                  I've bought at least 50+ this way and never once had anything go awry.

                  • @Radical Larry: note that ebay does not cover digital goods under it's money back guarantee but you would be covered if using PayPal.

                    eBay:
                    "Some types of items are excluded: vehicles, real estate, websites and businesses for sale, services, tickets, digital goods and intangibles. Classified Ad listings aren’t covered. You can find all the details on the eBay Money Back Guarantee policy page."

                    PayPal:
                    "Buyer Protection takes care of your…
                    Intangibles
                    In case an event is cancelled, your hotel’s double-booked, or your download doesn’t download."

      • Thanks, just bought a Pro key (to upgrade my new Lenovo Flex 5 tablet from Win10 Home) from eBay for $1.65

        Got the key within a few mins. Appears to have activated fine (had to enter a different key first, to convert to Pro, then activate with first key). Im sure its legit… :o

  • +6

    PSA - You can check your school/uni/tafe to see if you can get Windows 10 education for free

    https://onthehub.com/windows-10-education/#Students

  • +1

    This is the worst price I've ever seen for Windows 10. All other shops are a fraction of this cost

    • Those are usually MSDN keys, theoretically Microsoft could revoke it if they felt like it.

      Edit:or maybe not, looks like a lot of OEM keys that would have shipped with hardware but was never activated. I'm surprised they can get such volumes, I guess MS just doesn't care, sign up everyone to Win 10 before they role it into Microsoft 365 licensing.

  • -5

    Don't waste your money.
    You can buy the bootable USBs on ebay for $20 and single use keys for $7.5
    https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Microsoft-Windows-10-Pro-Profess…

    • +6

      Seller you've linked has one feedback and only sells the Windows 10 Key and an account sharing version of Cyberpunk 2077? Seems legit.

      • -1

        OMG you serious bro? That just one example I pulled out of the hat. Ebay is full of these resellers:
        Here is one with 850 copies sold and based in the UK (if that sort of thing matters to you) and 99.6% positive feedback.
        https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/WINDOWS-10-PRO-GENUINE-KEY/13339…
        Member since 26 Sep 2014. You mean to tell me he's been selling illegal keys for that long and no one bothered to take down his account?
        Do you want me to keep listing them?

        • +2

          Dead serious bro. Should've posted a better link to start with. Especially since you created your account so you could post that exact link.

          I'm not mad about it man, could've just taken a second to pull a quality link out of your magical hat.

    • why buy the bootable USB when you can actually make your own.

  • +4

    Yeah but is PCworld legit? Sounds like it is tied to the magazine (I haven't been into a newsagent and seen it in a decade so no idea if they are the same pcworld). Cheap alternatives are not legit to anybody who wishes to respond - cheaper ones are not legit regardless of if they have worked for you

    This is either a great deal, or garbage.

    • +1

      So you're saying Ebay is facilitating the sales of pirated Microsoft products or illegal CD keys that magically work?

      • +9

        Yes. MSDN subscription keys etc.

        • -1

          Do you have something to back up that claim? I've bought from the same reseller on Ebay for years and you mean to tell me neither Microsoft nor Ebay have shut him/her down this whole time?

          • +11

            @icarus255: Mate, google it. I'm not going to waste my time showing you something that is general knowledge and prolific.

            • -5

              @justtoreply: Ah just as I thought, nothing to back up your claim except wild and baseless accusations. Thank God we live in a country where that alone is never enough to prove anything. You just keep buying your keys for $80 and I will keep buying them for $10 from reputable traders on ebay that have been around for years and that I have never had problems with…

        • I think a lot of the keys on eBay are now recycled Under the ruling in the EU that you couldn’t tie the licence to a particular piece of hardware.

          • @mskeggs: Interesting. How you would find one when people can generate them free via msdn though.. Needle in a haystack

    • How do you know they're not legit?

    • I had look at the article in the OP. PCworld.com is legit, but they are selling keys from mediamart… which seems to be based in vietnam. I hope pcworld know what they are doing, I really think they've sided with someone who is not legit.

    • It's not being sold by PCWorld. The seller is cleverbridge. PCWorld is receiving a sales commission to slap their name on the store site.

      Also, despite claims by PCWorld, it's not exclusive to them. Other cleverbridge affiliates have the same "exclusive" bargain, such as https://store.pcpro.co.uk/index.php.

  • +5

    You can still put your old legit Windows 7 keys of appropriate editions and it will work still.

  • Don't think I've ever paid for Windows or MS Office

  • +1

    Protip: Look at the sticker on your work computer. If your company is large enough, they'll be using a corporate licence and not the OEM copy.

    Spare copy, non?

    • It's not exactly a deal to make your work pay for your key instead of yourself.

      • I'd call it a grey area.

        Those keys will never be used otherwise.

        • Corporate licenses are a per license billing though, I thought, thus why those corporate licenses exist, to save having to figure out how many licenses you need and getting a new one each time. These days it ties to whatever Microsoft account you're using on your computer, so if you've set one up under [email protected], it'll show up in the corporate management thing that one of the licenses is being used under that account.

          Unless you never connect to the internet, I wouldn't be game on it, pick up one of those OEM licenses online for $10 instead (or sign up to a free uni course that gives you an email to get a free student license)

    • No, Windows volume licenses are sold as upgrades to the copy that Windows comes with (except for Education users).

      In any case, a printed key hasn't been on the COA for the large manufacturers most businesses will be using since the days of Windows 7 anyway, from Windows 8 onwards the keys were baked into the BIOS.

    • Do you mean the manufacturer (Lenovo, Dell, HP etc) OEM stickers attached to the box from the factory ?
      That was fine for Windows 7 and some Windows 8 - but now all the keys are electronically in the BIOS :(

      But yeah if your company uses volume license keys, those OEM keys (that cost money as part of the build) do seem to go to waste..

  • -2

    Thanks, purchased and received a key instantly. Good deal if you want to avoid re-sold keys on eBay and other more dubious sites.

    $57.33 AUD authorisation on my card.

    • -1

      lmao nice job :D

    • Have you tried it out yet? If so, can you please post the output of the command "slgmr /dlv"? That should display the licence type.

      Asking for a friend… Thanks.

      • "This deal has been a huge hit with our readers, and due to such intense interest we’ve been able to extend the deal through July"

        Painless Windows 10 Pro retail "upgrade" for my Surface Go (Windows 10 Home).

        "Windows is activated with a digital license linked to your Microsoft account"

        After Settings > Activation > Change product key, this output from slmgr /dlv


        Windows Script Host

        Software licensing service version: 10.0.18362.900
        Name: Windows(R), Professional edition
        Description: Windows(R) Operating System, RETAIL channel
        Activation ID: 4de7cb65-cdf1-4de9-8ae8-e3cce27b9f2c
        Application ID: 55c92734-d682-4d71-983e-d6ec3f16059f
        Extended PID: 03612-03308-###-######-##-####-#####.####-#######
        Product Key Channel: Retail
        Installation ID: ###############################################################
        Use License URL: https://activation-v2.sls.microsoft.com/SLActivateProduct/SL…
        Validation URL: https://validation-v2.sls.microsoft.com/SLWGA/slwga.asmx
        Partial Product Key: #####
        License Status: Licensed
        Remaining Windows rearm count: 1001
        Remaining SKU rearm count: 1001
        Trusted time: 2020-07-09 ##:##:##

  • I've launched an email to PCworld to make sure they've done their homework on mediamart. I'd recommend nobody purchase until I get a response.

  • Yeah nah probably the same oem keys you can get for $5 on eBay.

  • On the topic does anyone know where I could get a Server 2019 key for cheap? I'm an IT technician at a Victorian government school and wanted a copy to play with at home for more than 180 day trial. I don't want to use their KMS.

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