Frequently Asked Questions about the Windows 10 Free upgrade

Whaw Mystere, good and clear info, i printed this.

Bt where will we go to onec Windows 10 is installed and free for most of us.

M.S. cannot continue to give everything away for free. Or do we have to pay a yearly contribution like happens already or many programs one buys?

Jeffrys

jeffrys said:

M.S. cannot continue to give everything away for free. Or do we have to pay a yearly contribution like happens already or many programs one buys?

I covered this in my post, which you printed. I suggest you read the whole thing.

hi guys,

well i will wait and see. What is today is maybe not there tomorrow.

What i mean, it can change later on, let's say jan 1 2016.

Jeff

DavidY said:

Can I suggest a question without fully knowing the answer, but which maybe helpful to people who are new to Windows 10?

It is this:

What do I have to do on 29th July? Do I have to do anything beforehand to prepare?
Roughly my answer would be this - I'm sure others can improve it.

• Use the Get Windows 10 app to reserve a copy of Windows 10 if you want to be first in the queue, but be aware that you have a whole year to do this, and if you want to be cautious, there's no harm in waiting a while to let others try out the process and iron out any remaining bugs, although (and this is speculation) if you reserve just after 29 July it may not be an immediate process as the servers will be busy .
• Take a full backup image beforehand - it shouldn't strictly be necessary, and the process will work without one but having a backup is always good and it might rescue you from some unforeseen situation which the automatic upgrade might not deal with
• Consider not reserving straight away if you have metered or limited data connection, as the download is large and will otherwise take place in the background, possibly at a time when your data is expensive or restricted. I am speculating there may be an ISO download available which gives more control over when the upgrade is downloaded.
• If you chose to reserve, then sometime before 29 July, the system should download automatically to your computer in the background. Be aware this is around 3GB of data to be downloaded.
• When 29 July comes around, you should receive a notification asking if you want to upgrade now or later. {I'm not clear yet how the installation process will work or how long it will take - hopefully there will be more information nearer the time?}

DavidY;
I really don't care where this was posted or whether it was tangerine to this thread. Your post is EXACTLY what I have been looking for.

I am not very quick or savvy on this stuff.
I have 7 on two machines and a couple months ago bought a new laptop with 8.1. I was not looking forward to the learning curve and was just getting to know my way around it when the "Get 10" appeared. I went all over the place looking for a simple straight forward answer to my "huh, now what do I do?"

You answered. Thank you.

BTW mods, I quit reading this thread after page 6 because I found nothing that stuck to the original topic; no more vidoes or other great tips, so I find your criticism of DavidY was just a little odd.
What's that old sentiment? If it helps just one person...

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I interpret the article shown to mean:

1. Windows 10 upgrade software can only be downloaded onto a particular PC with an appropriate OS running on that PC.

2. If needed, the software can be burned onto a disk as an ISO, and the hard drive on that computer can be formatted and W10 reinstalled as a stand alone installation without installing the previous original OS.

3. The upgrade will be considered as an OEM linked to that particular PC.

The only other questions are:

1. Can the OS on that PC be rolled back to the earlier version of Windows that was on there at the time of upgrade.

2. Can both W10 and the original OS be run simultaneously on the same PC while deciding if you want to keep it.

Mustang said:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I interpret the article shown to mean:

1. Windows 10 upgrade software can only be downloaded onto a particular PC with an appropriate OS running on that PC.

2. If needed, the software can be burned onto a disk as an ISO, and the hard drive on that computer can be formatted and W10 reinstalled as a stand alone installation without installing the previous original OS.

3. The upgrade will be considered as an OEM linked to that particular PC.

The only other questions are:

1. Can the OS on that PC be rolled back to the earlier version of Windows that was on there at the time of upgrade.

2. Can both W10 and the original OS be run simultaneously on the same PC while deciding if you want to keep it.

All of these issues are discussed in the first post of this thread. Did you read it?

Is it possible to add something specific to members of the Windows Insider Program concerning the July 29th rollout? I am trying to track down information on A) do I need to have the TP installed over my valid 8.1 or B) have my upgrade reserved to my current 8.1 tied to my Windows Insider Program ID. I would like to figure this out rather soon so I know if I have more work on my plate to get it soonish.

BlauUmlaut said:

Is it possible to add something specific to members of the Windows Insider Program concerning the July 29th rollout? I am trying to track down information on A) do I need to have the TP installed over my valid 8.1 or B) have my upgrade reserved to my current 8.1 tied to my Windows Insider Program ID. I would like to figure this out rather soon so I know if I have more work on my plate to get it soonish.

Most of this is discussed in the first post. However, to be more specific... To stay in the insider program, you don't need to ever have had a copy of Windows installed previously. Windows Insiders use a common key. It only matters if you have upgraded your previous windows if you plan on leaving the program.

Mystere said:

Most of this is discussed in the first post. However, to be more specific... To stay in the insider program, you don't need to ever have had a copy of Windows installed previously. Windows Insiders use a common key. It only matters if you have upgraded your previous windows if you plan on leaving the program.

My apologies. I know what I was trying to ask was confusing. I need a clear, concise answer on if my 10 reservation currently on my 8.1 device will be considered 'first in line' for the rollouts starting July 29th for Windows Insiders OR if that will only apply to currently installed 10 TP that had been upgraded over the top of a valid 7 or 8.1. My justification for this resides in the fact that my 10 TP was not installed over the top of my OEM 8.1 license. It is operating as the device that has 'checked in' for the 10 upgrade whereas my 10 TP is on a new drive specifically for testing. I hope that made it clearer as to my intent of this question. This will tell me if I need to begin my backups and drive swaps now.