Windows 10 Arrives: How to Upgrade

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On July 29, Microsoft (MSFT) will release its Windows 10 operating system for free.

Windows 10, how to iget the WIndows 10 upgrade
Source: Microsoft

In case you’ve been living under a rock for the past year or so, you know that Windows 10 is a big deal for Microsoft.

Microsoft has shot itself in the foot plenty of times before, as with the now-infamous Windows 8 Start Menu fiasco, but the Redmond firm wants users to know its since remedied these issues with Windows 10.

For starters, the Start Menu has been fixed; Cortana — MSFT’s version of Apple’s (AAPL) Siri — makes it to the desktop; Internet Explorer is ditched in favor of MSFT’s new Microsoft Edge browser; and Windows 10 apps promise to work seamlessly across your PC and mobile devices thanks to Continuum.

Over 1.5 million Windows 10 Insiders have been hammering away at the software for the past nine months, uncovering 1,300 bugs or defects that have been addressed by Microsoft prior to release.

In other words, Microsoft is taking no chances with Windows 10. Here’s what you need to know about the Windows 10 upgrade.

What Devices Will Be Eligible to Run Windows 10?

Microsoft has worked hard to make Windows 10 a universal OS, working on all of Microsoft’s main devices. That means Windows 10 will be available for PCs, tablets and smartphones. If your device currently runs Windows (and meets minimum system requirements), you’ll be able to install the Windows 10 upgrade.

The big exception is Windows RT devices. If you bought one of those early Surface tablets, you’re apparently out of luck.

Minimum PC System Requirements

If you have a PC and want to upgrade to Windows 10, the minimum requirements are quite modest. According to Microsoft, here’s what you’ll need:

  • 1 GHz or faster CPU
  • 1 GB RAM (for 32-bit), or 2 GB RAM (for 64-bit)
  • 16 GB free storage space (for 32-bit), or 20 GB free storage space (for 64-bit)
  • Direct X9 or later graphics card with WDDM 1.0 driver
  • Minimum 800 x 600 pixel display
  • Windows 7 SP1 or Windows 8.1 Update

That means pretty much any PC or laptop sold in recent memory is eligible for the Windows 10 upgrade, although the computers that just scrape by with the minimum specs are not going to be offering blazing fast performance. They may also be unable to use some of the more advanced features like Cortana.

Is Windows 10 Really Free?

Yes, but with a big disclaimer.

You have to own a Windows 7, Windows 8.1 or Windows Phone 8.1 device (PC, tablet or smartphone) to get your free copy. If you have multiple eligible devices, each can upgrade to Windows 10 for free. Otherwise, Windows 10 will set you back $119.99 (for the Home Edition) or $199.99 (for the Windows 10 Pro Edition).

How Do You Get Your Windows 10 Upgrade?

Starting July 29, Microsoft is making Windows 10 available as a download. You can’t just hit up the website and click a link, though. Instead, you download the Windows 10 app.

Once you have the app, you click “Reserve your free upgrade.” The app will confirm your device will actually run Windows 10. Then you wait. Microsoft is sending the upgrade to those Windows 10 Insiders first –after all, they’ve put a lot of personal time and effort into ensuring there isn’t a Windows 8 repeat. After that, Microsoft will push the upgrade out to other users and you’ll receive a notification once your copy of Windows 10 is ready to install.

You then have until July 29, 2016 to actually install your free upgrade.

If you aren’t able to download Windows 10 for some reason, you can still buy a physical copy on a USB flash drive or a DVD, but it’s not free — you’ll have to pay full retail price.

What Should I Do Before Upgrading?

That Windows 10 app doesn’t just confirm your PC or mobile device is physically capable of running Windows 10, it scans your system and spits out a list of software and hardware that is not fully compatible with Windows 10.

If there’s something on that list that you’re fond of, you may want to hold off on pushing the Install button until the software developer or hardware vendor releases a patch.

Besides checking for compatibility issues with your installed software and favorite devices, back up your data. Microsoft has gone to great lengths to ensure Windows 10 upgrades go smoothly, but sometimes stuff happens (like you lose power in the middle of an install) and if that happens, all bets are off — you want a pristine copy of your data saved on an external hard drive or in the cloud.

If you want to really make sure of things, reserve and download your free Windows 10 upgrade, then go outside and enjoy the summer weather. Wait a few weeks until the early adopters have discovered any bugs the Windows Insiders missed, then install Windows 10. Or, you could just buy a new PC with Windows 10 pre-installed — there are a bunch of manufacturers who would love consumers and businesses to go this route and turn the ongoing PC sales slide into a Windows 10 sales bump.

As of this writing, Brad Moon did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.

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Brad Moon has been writing for InvestorPlace.com since 2012. He also writes about stocks for Kiplinger and has been a senior contributor focusing on consumer technology for Forbes since 2015.


Article printed from InvestorPlace Media, https://investorplace.com/2015/07/windows-10-upgrade-msft/.

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