Are you running Windows 7 or Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 now? If you are, then get ready to upgrade it to Windows 10 – FREE. The Windows 10 will be launched by July 29th 2015. That’s roughly about 8-weeks away. Microsoft (NYSE: Stock, MSFT) has confirmed that its latest operating system will be released in 190 countries next month.

 

But the free upgrade will not drop from the sky, if you don’t do anything to reserve it. Once you reserve it, you can upgrade to the new operating system for free as long as you do so within one year of Windows 10’s launch. What this means is once you ‘ve claimed the upgrade – by reserving it – you’ve between July 29th 2015 to July 29th 2016 for the upgrade.

And how do you go about “reserve” a copy of Windows 10 today? Take a peek at your present Windows system tray in the lower right corner. You should see a new icon displaying the Windows logo. Try hover over it, and the popup messages says: “Get Windows 10.” We just got it today, after the announcement by Microsoft was made on Monday, 4-days ago.

 

But if you haven’t got that magical Windows logo yet, you can either continue to wait, or check the following pre-requisites. Yes, we know, Bill Gates sucks for not being able to tell you why your machine still hasn’t got that Windows logo yet. Still, here’re some of the possible reasons:

• Your machine must be currently running Windows 7 with SP1 (Service Pack 1) or Windows 8.1.
• Your machine must have installed the “Windows Update KB3035583“. However, if you’ve enabled “Automated Updates”, chances are it’s already there. Ours was there since May 21st, last month.
• Without KB3035583, which is responsible for the actual Windows 10 upgrade process, you’ll not get the Windows logo icon in your system tray, even though your Windows 7 or Windows 8 has the necessary service packs or patches.

When you finally see the Windows logo in your system tray, click on it and the above first screenshot appears. If you click on the right-arrow to the next screens, the subsequent four screenshots tell you about some features of Windows 10, more like marketing stuffs.

Eventually, the last screenshot asks you to reserve your copy, so go ahead and click the button that says “Reserve your free upgrade”. Once you’ve done that, a screenshot confirming your upgrade is reserved appears. Optionally, you can enter your email to get a confirmation.

Of course, your Windows 10 hasn’t been upgraded yet. As the message shows, it’s waiting time and there’s nothing else you can do now. Microsoft is hoping to have 1 billion devices running on Windows ultimately. That shows how eager (or rather desperate) Microsoft is in getting users onto its latest Windows 10 OS.

Alternatively, you can play a trick or two in forcing the update icon to appear in task bar (still, you need the KB3035583 and legitimate copy of Windows 7 SP1 or Windows 8.1). Not sure if this will create havocs on “pirated” Windows though. So, here’re the steps:

• Open the Control Panel; select Administrative Tools; and then double-click the Task Scheduler.
• Expand Task Scheduler Library; explode Microsoft, explode Windows; and finally scroll down to expand Setup.
• Click the folder GWXTriggers and on the far right column double-click Run.

 

We strongly suggest you reserve your copy of Windows 10. You can always “cancel” your reservation at any time without costing a penny. Just click the “Get Windows 10” icon again, click the three horizontal lines in the upper left corner, click “View Confirmation”, then click “Cancel Reservation”.

The Windows 10 comes packed with new features, such as a redesigned Start menu, the Cortana voice assistant and a new browser called Edge. Most importantly, this free upgrade is a full version of Windows 10, not a trial or limited version. And if you refuse to reserve this copy or didn’t upgrade within the 1-year period, you’ll have to purchase it.

 

And what will Windows 10 cost you if you miss the free upgrade window? Windows Home will retail for US$119 (£77; RM440). Windows 10 Pro will sell for price of US$199 (£129; RM736). And the Windows 10 Pro Pack, which lets you upgrade from Windows 10 Home to Windows 10 Pro, will cost you US$99 (£64; RM366).

While we can safely predict Windows 8.1 users would reserve and upgrade in droves, the moment Windows 10 is available on July 29th, the same cannot be said about Windows 7 users. Reason being Windows 8.1 sucks big time, while Windows 7 works like a charm in comparison. Hence, Windows 7 users have little incentives to upgrade.

 

Nevertheless, there’s no harm for Windows 7 users to reserve a copy of the new Windows OS. We can also foresee majority of Windows 7 users would adopt a wait-and-see approach initially. They will wait for any problems associated with such upgrade to be fixed, before taking the leap of faith.

On a serious note, can a free Windows 10 upgrade be reinstalled for free? This is important simply because the hard drive on which the OS is installed may fail, not to mention an upgraded OS has a greater risk of problems. If the so-called free upgrade is merely a “one time” thing, then it’s a “trap” by Microsoft to charge users, whenever their OS hard drive fails.

 

Fortunately, Gabriel Aul, the Engineering General Manager for Microsoft’s Operating Systems Group, confirmed (via twitter) you will be able to perform a clean reinstall of Windows 10 at any time after upgrading with the free offer. That’s comforting indeed. Next question – are Windows 10 upgrades standalone copies, or do users need a previous version of Windows (such as Windows 7 or 8.1) to be pre-installed?

 

@dinchy87 @PiotrGoreckiJr Once you upgrade W10 w/ the free upgrade offer you will able to clean reinstall Windows 10 on same device any time

— Gabriel Aul (@GabeAul) June 3, 2015

 

Another good news – Gabriel Aul answered that the free Windows 10 upgrade is a full version and can upgrade from an older version of Windows or perform a standalone install. What this means is Microsoft will also make the software downloadable as an ISO disc image, for those who want to keep it on DVD or a USB memory key.    

@insanelyapple Either way will work. Once you’ve upgraded to 10 on the machine the license will allow you to reinstall at no cost. — Gabriel Aul (@GabeAul) June 3, 2015

 

Having said that, there’re some “feature depreciation” on Windows 10. For example, Windows Media Center, native driver support for USB floppy drives and Windows 7 desktop gadgets will be removed on the new OS. Watching DVDs requires separate playback software. Therefore, the tradeoff depends on individual user.

 

Other Articles That May Interest You …

• KaBoom!! – How To Crash Your Friend’s iPhone, With This Special Text
• Beware!! Facebook Can Tell If You’re A “Narcissist” Or “Insecure”
• Office 2016 For Mac Is Here, Finally … And It’s Free, For Now
• Bring Back DOS-Games Childhood Memory – Here’s How To Play For Free
• Here’s How Malaysian ATMs Were Hacked Of RM3 Million By Latin Americans
• Flashback To 1994 – 15 Unforgettable Memories About Past Technology
• Here’re 10 Fabulous & Cool Google Capabilities That You May Not Know

Tweet

June 4th, 2015 by financetwitter

If you enjoyed this post, what shall you do next? Consider: