Anyone try using Vista Pro or higher Retail to Install 10 Enterprise?

[Spork Schivago]

I got a retail Vista Ultimate x64. Microsoft don't list it as a qualifying OS to upgrade to 10 Enterprise, but has anyone tried it? The Microsoft Employee who sold me these licenses said Vista would work, but said I didn't even need to install, because 10 Enterprise E3 doesn't use product keys. That was a big fat lie!

You need a Pro version or higher of Windows installed, and activated, before you can upgrade to 10 Enterprise....

[alindumitru46]

Re: Anyone try using Vista Pro or higher Retail to Install 10 Enterprise?

Look here:
https://community.spiceworks.com/topic/post/7400141

From a friend: If you convert Vista Ultimate x64 to Enterprise you can upgrade direct to Windows 10 Enterprise

[Spork Schivago]

Re: Anyone try using Vista Pro or higher Retail to Install 10 Enterprise?

Look here:
https://community.spiceworks.com/topic/post/7400141

From a friend: If you convert Vista Ultimate x64 to Enterprise you can upgrade direct to Windows 10 Enterprise

I've stumbled across that article last night, plus many others, saying the same.

How does your friend says how to go from Vista Ultimate x64 to Vista Enterprise x64?

I'm thinking of trying Vista Ultimate x64 Ultimate and going directly to 10 Pro -> CSP E3 bullshit, just to see what happens.

They say VL pretty much allow any Pro version, and by Pro, they mean Pro or higher I do believe.

[alindumitru46]

Re: Anyone try using Vista Pro or higher Retail to Install 10 Enterprise?

After a longer discussion, we've determined that you should try updating to Win 7 and then Win 10.
Without clean install, just upgrade. And no one guarantees success.
Tell me about ....
Good luck.

[Spork Schivago]

Re: Anyone try using Vista Pro or higher Retail to Install 10 Enterprise?

Still need the Win 7 Pro keys though. Upgrading from 7 Pro or 8 / 8.1 Pro to 10 Pro is still free, believe it or not. Not sure about home, but Pro is.

I am not really pissed.

This is what Chris, a Microsoft Employee, who knows a LOT about licenses with Microsoft said:

Hi Ken, 
No you would NOT buy licenses for the server - just the accessing devices/users need licenses. That is what trips people up all the time. You don't license the server or the VM instances, rather the accessing devices or users.

One thing that I just thought of regarding your purchase via CSP and not VL... Windows VDA/Windows 10 Enterprise E3 via the Cloud Agreement (CSP) does NOT include rights to host the VMs on your own server hardware. You can have a 3rd party host the VM, or host them on Azure, but this doesn't sound like what you wanted. This is specifically called out in step 6 via my how-to https://community.spiceworks.com/how_to/146354-license-windows-10-for-use-in-virtualization-environment-including-multitenant-and-cloud-hosting-use-rights.

Summarizing... I think you actually purchased incorrect based on the fact that that Windows 10 Enterprise E3 & Windows VDA E3 via CSP do NOT permit on-prem hosting use rights and your scenario called for hosting them on-prem (correct?).

-Chris

So, a bit of the background story. We have a server, we're going to run multiple copies of 10 Enterprise on the server in VMs (Virtual Machines). The server itself runs a flavour of Linux.

I originally reached out to SpiceWorks to see what licenses I needed. Everyone said Chris was the Microsoft expert (and he really is). He works for Microsoft, we got to talking, he cannot sell licenses, and recommended some VARs. One was Insight, one of my main VARs that I love! I didn't realize they sold software as well as hardware and had no idea how large the company actually was!

I called my Insight guy, and he got a hold of his Microsoft Department. Insight is so big, they have different workers from different companies working there. For example, he called Nick, who works at Insight but is actually paid by Microsoft and is an Microsoft employee.

Well, he told us what we needed, and we asked all the right questions. Told him our entire setup, etc.

He said we needed 2 E3 user-based licenses, one for Jess, one for me. Then we could install Enterprise E3 on the workstation and the her laptop. But her laptop needed to be upgraded to 10 Pro first, which was only 100$. We did that.

For the workstation, he said Vista Retail was a qualifying OS, because we had Ultimate. That was a lie.

And now, the real kicker. Just got this from Chris:

Hi Ken, 
No you would NOT buy licenses for the server - just the accessing devices/users need licenses. That is what trips people up all the time. You don't license the server or the VM instances, rather the accessing devices or users.

One thing that I just thought of regarding your purchase via CSP and not VL... Windows VDA/Windows 10 Enterprise E3 via the Cloud Agreement (CSP) does NOT include rights to host the VMs on your own server hardware. You can have a 3rd party host the VM, or host them on Azure, but this doesn't sound like what you wanted. This is specifically called out in step 6 via my how-to https://community.spiceworks.com/how_to/146354-license-windows-10-for-use-in-virtualization-environment-including-multitenant-and-cloud-hosting-use-rights.

Summarizing... I think you actually purchased incorrect based on the fact that that Windows 10 Enterprise E3 & Windows VDA E3 via CSP do NOT permit on-prem hosting use rights and your scenario called for hosting them on-prem (correct?).

-Chris

SO!!!! Nick sold us the wrong fucking licenses it seems, and on top of that, Chris cannot find Nick in the Microsoft database, where all Microsoft workers are listed. And yesterday, when Insight opened back up (my guy has the weekends off), I contacted him about the Vista issue, before I knew about the VM issue.

He sent my message along to Nick, and we were going to do a 4-way conference call, with Chris, from Microsoft, Nick, Randy, and me. But guess what? Randy can't find Nick!

He thinks he might be out sick, because it's now day two and he still can't get a response from any of the emails.

I think Nick might not actually be a Microsoft employee at all, and lied to get a job at Insight, but what would he gain? If Microsoft isn't paying him, if Insight isn't paying him, what's he getting out of it?

So far, when Nick and Chris disagreed on something, Nick would say Chris was wrong, Chris would say Nick was wrong, and every time, it turned out Chris was right, Nick was wrong. Now, we got a real problem, with the VMs and everything and if we have to purchase volume license editions, that's gonna cost us a fortune!

[RJARRRPCGP]

Re: Anyone try using Vista Pro or higher Retail to Install 10 Enterprise?

Windows for server is: dead dead dead!

Linux or BSD Linux or BSD Linux or BSD! (Maybe OpenIndiana)

[diif]

Re: Anyone try using Vista Pro or higher Retail to Install 10 Enterprise?

Why the need for multiple VMs of the same OS on one server ?

[Spork Schivago]

Re: Anyone try using Vista Pro or higher Retail to Install 10 Enterprise?

Windows for server is: dead dead dead!

Linux or BSD Linux or BSD Linux or BSD! (Maybe OpenIndiana)

Yes, that's why we run Linux on the server. I ain't paying no per-core charge to run Windows Server on a freaking server! Specially with a 22-core CPU.