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Versions and licensing

Which version of Windows to run is a support-lifecycle question before it is a preference question. A version past its end-of-support date stops receiving security patches, and no amount of familiarity compensates for that on a machine that touches the internet.

These guides give the actual dates and the actual hardware requirements, including the TPM 2.0 and CPU-generation rules that decide whether a working machine is eligible for Windows 11 at all. Home versus Pro is covered on the basis of the features that genuinely differ, which is a shorter list than most comparisons suggest.

Licensing is covered factually: how digital entitlement works, why a key-finder tool often returns a generic string, and what that means when you reinstall. Circumventing activation is out of scope.

What you'll learn

  • End-of-support dates for Windows 7, 8.1, 10 and 11, and what losing support actually changes
  • The Windows 11 hardware requirements, including TPM 2.0 and the supported-CPU list
  • The features that genuinely differ between Home and Pro, and which ones matter in practice
  • How to find your product key, and why the result is sometimes a generic OEM string
  • How digital licences bind to hardware, and what happens to yours when you change a motherboard

2 guides in versions and licensing

  • Which Windows Version Is Best? 7 vs 10 vs 11

    Choosing between Windows 7, 10 and 11 on support dates and hardware requirements rather than preference, plus what actually differs between Home and Pro.

    Versions and licensingUpdated

  • How to Find Your Windows Product Key

    Read your Windows product key with PowerShell or wmic, and understand why most modern PCs return a generic OEM string instead of a unique key.

    Versions and licensingUpdated

Questions about versions and licensing

Is Windows 10 still safe to use?

Mainstream support for Windows 10 ended on 14 October 2025. Consumer machines can enrol in Extended Security Updates for a limited period, which supplies security fixes only. Outside that programme, a Windows 10 machine stops receiving patches and gets less safe with every month online.

Can I install Windows 11 without TPM 2.0?

There are documented registry workarounds, and Microsoft has published a supported bypass for some upgrade paths, but such installs are explicitly unsupported and may not receive updates. Treat it as a stopgap on a secondary machine rather than a plan for a primary one.

Why does my product key look the same as everyone else's?

Because on a machine with a digital licence the key returned by most tools is a generic OEM placeholder, not your unique key. The real entitlement is a hardware hash held by Microsoft's activation servers and linked to your Microsoft account, so there is no per-machine key to find.

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