Windows OS - Get Genuine

The Microsoft Get Genuine Windows Agreement for Small and Medium Organisations offers full Windows operating systems, not upgrades, to nonprofits and public libraries who find themselves out of compliance with software licensing because of software piracy or other licensing issues.

This donation provides a full Windows Pro operating system licence through the Get Genuine program to organisations that meet the eligibility criteria below. You should request one licence for each computer on which you will install it.

Which versions of this software are available?

You can choose to download the current version or the previous version of this software. You can find out which version is the current one on the Current Versions of Microsoft Products page. In addition, you can download the software in any language that’s available.

Eligibility

This donation is available only to correct scenarios in which an organisation has an existing PC with one of the following operating systems installed on it.

• Counterfeit, pirated, or otherwise illegal, unlicensed, or improperly licensed Windows operating system.
• The Home edition of Windows 10
• The Standard edition of Windows 8 or 8.1
• Home Premium, Home Basic, or Starter editions of Windows 7 or Windows Vista
• Home or Starter editions of Windows XP
• Linux, FreeDOS, or other operating system

Benefits for organisations

You should consider requesting this product if you need to install the latest Windows operating system on a PC that falls under one of the licensing scenarios described above.

You can use Windows Pro to:

• Protect computers from viruses and other malware with Windows Defender
• Support a touch-screen interface when working with individuals who cannot use a traditional mouse and keyboard
• Restore malfunctioning computers to the base installation with Reset and Refresh functions
• More easily switch between and access additional display languages in a multilingual environment

Special rules for Get Genuine product requests

• Eligible organisations may place only one request ever for Get Genuine products.
• Requests for Get Genuine products may not contain any other products.
• During check-out, the Get Genuine Windows Agreement for Small and Medium Organisations must be accepted on behalf of the organisation.

Note: Since Get Genuine products are part of the Windows Desktop Operating Systems title group, an organisation’s request for them will reduce the number of operating system upgrade products it may request in its current two-year donation cycle.

Software Assurance not included

Get Genuine products do not include the Software Assurance benefits that come with most other Microsoft software donations. If an organisation installs a Get Genuine product, that product will not have the benefit of receiving a free upgrade to a newer version of Windows when it is released in the future. However, the Get Genuine product will provide a computer with a legal base operating system upon which Windows upgrade products that include Software Assurance benefits offered through Charity Digital Exchange can be installed. Additionally, organisations that request Get Genuine products will be able to downgrade their donation to earlier Windows OS versions at no cost through the Microsoft Volume Licensing Service Centre (VLSC).

Important Volume Licensing information

With Windows, your organisation can choose between two types of volume licence keys for product activation: a Key Management Service (KMS) licence key or a Multiple Activation Key (MAK). A Key Management Service (KMS) key for Windows is available to your organisation by default on the Microsoft Volume Licensing website; that is, this is the only type of key you will see unless you request a MAK.

A KMS key requires at least 25 computers on a network for activation. If your organisation has fewer than 25 computers, you should request a MAK from the Volume Licensing website after receiving this product.

Choose carefully

The administrative fee for this product is not refundable, and the product cannot be exchanged.

Obtaining this product

Installing this product requires you to download the software from the Microsoft Volume Licensing Service Centre (VLSC) and enter a licence key. You can download any available version or language for your product.

The licence key allows you to install the product on as many computers as you have received licences for. This quantity is specified in the email you receive from Charity Digital Exchange after you request this product.

Expect two emails:

• When your donation request has been approved, Charity Digital Exchange will send a message to your organisation email address. This email will confirm the number of licences you have requested and provide information about how to use the VLSC once Microsoft accepts your licence agreement. Make sure the organisation email that is registered with Charity Digital Exchange is up-to-date. Visit My Account and verify the address in your active organisation profile.
• Microsoft will send an email welcoming your organisation to the VLSC. This email will indicate that Microsoft has accepted your licence agreement. After you receive this email, you’ll be able to follow the steps in the first email you received from Charity Digital Exchange to obtain your donation through the VLSC.