Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Microsoft Software Assurance (SA) is a Microsoft maintenance program aimed at business users who use Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office, and other server and desktop applications. The core premise behind SA is to give users the ability to spread payments over several years, while offering "free" upgrades to newer versions during that time period.
The Windows 10 November 2021 Update [1] (codenamed "21H2" [2]) is the twelfth major update to Windows 10 as the cumulative update to the May 2021 Update. It carries the build number 10.0.19044. It carries the build number 10.0.19044.
On Windows 10 and Windows 11, the activation process can also generate a "digital entitlement", which allows the operating system's hardware and license status to be saved to the activation servers, so that the operating system's license can automatically be restored after a clean installation without the need to enter a product key.
At the time of launch, Microsoft deemed Windows 7 (with Service Pack 1) and Windows 8.1 users eligible to upgrade to Windows 10 free of charge, so long as the upgrade took place within one year of Windows 10's initial release date. Windows RT and the respective Enterprise editions of Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 were excluded from this offer.
Windows 10, version 22H2 is the only Windows 10 update to be eligible for the paid Extended Security Updates (ESU) program, which offers continued security updates until October 13, 2026 for consumers, or at most October 10, 2028 for businesses and schools.
Windows 10 was made available for download via MSDN and TechNet, as a free upgrade for retail copies of Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 users via the Microsoft Store, and to Windows 7 users via Windows Update.
Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0 were retroactively given the ability to access the Windows Update website and download updates designed for those operating systems, starting with the release of Internet Explorer 4. The initial focus of Windows Update was free add-ons and new technologies for Windows.
For Windows 8, the name was changed to Windows Hardware Certification Kit (Windows HCK), as announced at the //Build/ conference. Subsequently, its name was once again changed into Windows Hardware Lab Kit (Windows HLK) for Windows 10 release, intended for testing of hardware and drivers on Windows 10 platform.