Software testing and Windows licensing

[ykgoh]

For software testing on multiple Windows versions, I am thinking of creating VM images for Windows 7/8/8.1/10 which are powered up to test and then immediately destroyed. This cycle is repeated everyday during development over 1 or 2 years.

My questions are:

1. Do I need to purchase a license for each version of Windows? This adds up pretty quickly since I have to buy 4 licenses, one for each version.
2. For software developers, what is the proper way to approach this issue legally and does Microsoft offer access to all Windows version for short term testing for a reasonable subscription fee? Like MSDN or TechNet?
3. Do I even need a license at all since I won't be using them long enough to require activation? So just use the trial version for testing?

Anyway MSDN looks like quite an expensive subscription. Iirc, it is about US$2,000+ per year. But it gives developer access to everything, from Visual Studio IDE, to SQL Server and Windows. How are most independent freelancing developer doing small projects able to afford this?

Edit: MSDN subscription (with Visual Studio) is about US$1,199 or US$539/yr (cloud). Source

 

[86technie]

1) Yes, even if you wish to rebuild them you still need CD key.
However each key can only be activated a number of times only.

2) Through MDSN account and download the relevant developer SDK
for each MS version

3) Yes, you still need license

If you are independent freelance, there's no way you can qualify
or get MDSN as it requires a company or organization in order to qualify.
The cheapest way is have the various VM image for different OS.

Than just use SDK to do your testing and etc. but do not destroy the image as OEM key will get lock after a number of reactivation.

MSDN keys on the other hand is bounded with the Windows installation so the key stays there regardless of the number of installation and that is why it is used for mass deployment.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-sg/download/details.aspx?id=3138

https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/downloads/windows-8-1-sdk

https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/downloads/windows-10-sdk

 

[Rock-kun]

For software testing on multiple Windows versions, I am thinking of creating VM images for Windows 7/8/8.1/10 which are powered up to test and then immediately destroyed. This cycle is repeated everyday during development over 1 or 2 years.

My questions are:

1. Do I need to purchase a license for each version of Windows? This adds up pretty quickly since I have to buy 4 licenses, one for each version.
2. For software developers, what is the proper way to approach this issue legally and does Microsoft offer access to all Windows version for short term testing for a reasonable subscription fee? Like MSDN or TechNet?
3. Do I even need a license at all since I won't be using them long enough to require activation? So just use the trial version for testing?

Anyway MSDN looks like quite an expensive subscription. Iirc, it is about US$2,000+ per year. But it gives developer access to everything, from Visual Studio IDE, to SQL Server and Windows. How are most independent freelancing developer doing small projects able to afford this?

Don't need. For Windows 8 / 8.1, just grab a generic key from Microsoft's knowledge base portal to pass the product key check. This key will not allow an activation to take place but a copy of Windows 8 / 8.1 installed with the generic key will run unmolested without triggering WGA warnings for at least a month. And you're destroying the VMs daily.

Windows 10 even easier. Just select the option of not having a product key during the installation prompt, select the version of Windows 10 to install and go crazy.

Seriously, I don't believe Microsoft even bothers with trying to enforce WGA on users who install and destroy Windows VMs for 1-day-only use.

And by destroy, I don't mean the "save-a-snapshot-of-the-clean-install-state-and-then-rollback-to-it-when-i'm-done-for-the-day" or "save-an-OVF/OVA-template-of-the-clean-install-and-redeploy-it-when-i'm-done" BS. That is definitely not allowed. Destroy in this context refers to "delete-the-whole-vm-and-recreate-a-new-one-by-reinstalling-from-the-Windows-ISO".