In for 2, waiting for ready for store pickup message.

@marcopolomle said in Windows 10 - free?:

Doesn’t Windows 10 store the key in ROM?

ROM stands for read-only memory. It’s used to store the start-up instructions for a computer, also known as the firmware. Most modern computers use flash-based ROM. It is part of the BIOS chip, which is located on the motherboard.

New computers use UEFI firmware instead of the traditional BIOS. Both are low-level software that starts when you boot your PC before booting your operating system, but UEFI is a more modern solution, supporting larger hard drives, faster boot times, more security features, and—conveniently—graphics and mouse cursors.

Newer PCs that ship with UEFI still refer to it as the “BIOS” to avoid confusing people who are used to a traditional PC BIOS. Even if your PC uses the term “BIOS”, modern PCs you buy today almost certainly ship with UEFI firmware instead of a BIOS.

The BIOS (or UEFI) firmware looks for valid boot information from the OS, so that malicious software that doesn’t meet the handshake requirements doesn’t boot (protection from viruses and other malware). This check does not store your windows key, just checks that the OS being loaded passes all of the checks (handshakes) to verify it is safe to load and not altered.