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#Free software for windows 10 how to
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Finally, disconnect any unnecessary external devices, especially USB flash drives and external hard drives.

#Free software for windows 10 upgrade

You can reinstall those programs after the upgrade is complete.

Temporarily uninstall third-party security software and low-level system utilities that can interfere with the upgrade.

Just run the command Sdclt.exe, and then choose the Create A System Image option.

#Free software for windows 10 full

Consider doing a full system backup to an external hard drive using the Windows 7 backup program, which is also available in Windows 8.x and Windows 10.

Back up your data files to an external hard drive or cloud storage (or both).

#Free software for windows 10 install

Download and install any available BIOS updates for your hardware this step is especially important for systems that were originally sold in 2017 or earlier, when hardware makers were still shaking out issues with Windows 10.

#Free software for windows 10 driver

Check for any recent driver updates, especially for network and storage hardware.

This is especially important if you recently reinstalled Windows.

Confirm that your copy of Windows is properly activated.

If you have a PC running a "genuine" copy of Windows 7/8/8.1 (Windows 7 Home, Pro, or Ultimate edition, or Windows 8.x Home or Business, properly licensed and activated), you can follow the same steps I did to install Windows 10 as an upgrade.īefore getting started, I recommend a few preliminary tasks that can head off potential problems: Whether you're looking for a tablet to stream videos or to replace your laptop, here are some compelling options. Want your own digital license to the latest Windows 10 version? Follow these instructions.

#Free software for windows 10 how to

Here's why - and how to get it." For help decoding setup errors, see "Windows 10: Use setup log files to troubleshoot installation problems." For details on how to troubleshoot these errors, see "This free Windows 10 upgrade offer still works. I continue to receive email messages regularly from readers offering firsthand reports that their free upgrades were successful, with no purchase or product key required.Ī small number of readers have reported that the upgrade fails because of a Setup error or a compatibility block. Over the next four-plus years, I repeated those steps on test PCs at regular intervals and confirmed that the free upgrade tool still works. One digital license, no product key required. Imagine my surprise when, instead, I was greeted with this screen. The free upgrade offer had just ended, and when I downloaded the Windows 10 upgrade tool and ran it on an old Windows 7 PC, I fully expected that the upgrade would fail activation and I'd be asked for a product key. I wrote and published the first version of this post in early 2017, several months after Microsoft's initial free upgrade offer ended. I'll also talk about the licensing issues involved, which are (as always) confusing. In this post, I'll cover the basics of how to install Windows 10 as an upgrade on older hardware.

For those PCs, Windows 10 remains a viable option until at least October 2025. (For details, see "How to upgrade from Windows 10 Home to Pro without hassles.")Įvery technique I describe in this article works the same for Windows 11 as well, although most older PCs will be blocked from upgrading to Microsoft's newest operating system by the stringent Windows 11 hardware compatibility requirements. That can save you as much as $100 in OEM upgrade charges if you buy a new PC with Windows 10 Home preinstalled. You can also still upgrade Windows 10 Home to Windows 10 Pro by using a product key from a previous business edition of Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 (Pro/Ultimate). In the past two years, millions of people have taken old PCs out of storage and gotten up to speed quickly, thanks to these free upgrades.Īlso: Windows 11 FAQ: Here's everything you need to know And it turned out to be a great relief to household budgets when the pandemic made working from home (or going to school via remote sessions) suddenly popular. That upgrade became more important than ever when support for Windows 7 officially ended in January 2020. Here are ZDNet's top picks for a variety of use cases. Google Drive alternative: Decentralized and encrypted