Is it possible to still upgrade to W10 for free?

If you have 7 on and upgrade its still working judging by the people on post that have done it recantly

This link from zdnet was dated October, 2018.
Here's how you can still get a free Windows 10 upgrade | ZDNet


One of the links that you posted was dated October, 2018 and had an update from Jan, 5. 2018:
https://www.howtogeek.com/266072/you...-8-or-8.1-key/

Code:

Update: We tested this upgrade method once again on January 5, 2018. It still works!

Did it last weekend. Follow these steps:
1. Backup any data that is important to you on your Windows 7/8 PC
2. Have a valid Windows 7 or Windows 8 product key
3. Run the Media Creation Tool from Microsoft and install Windows 10 installation files on a flash drive
4. Boot to the flash drive (you did read step 1, right?) and install Windows 10
5. Use the product key from step 2 when prompted
6. Once Window 10 has been installed, install your programs and data

Compumind said:

The author of this article - https://www.howtogeek.com/225048/how-to-upgrade-from-windows-7-or-8-to-windows-10-right-now
Mentioned to me (via email) that the MCT would not work now, so that's why I questioned the upgrade.

Well, it is plausible that the ability to clean install using a W7 or W8 key may have been removed from the 1809 install media. After all, prior to build 10565 you could not use a W7/W8 key in a clean install. Microsoft added this ability due to feedback.

Microsoft said:

Device activation improvements: We have received a lot of feedback from Insiders on making it easier to activate Windows 10 on devices that take advantage of the free upgrade offer to genuine Windows by using existing Windows 7, Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 product keys. If you install this build of the Windows 10 Insider Preview on a PC and it doesn’t automatically activate, you can enter the product key from Windows 7, Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 used to activate the prior Windows version on the same device to activate Windows 10 by going to Settings > Update & security > Activation and selecting Change Product Key. If you do a clean install of Windows 10 by booting off the media, you can also enter the product key from prior Windows versions on qualifying devices during setup.

Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 10565 Insider - Windows 10 Forums

If it turns out that 1809's Setup no longer accepts W7/8 keys, that does not necessarily mean the activation servers have stopped allowing upgrades. It may just mean you now have to install and activate W7/W8 first then upgrade it, ie. revert to the old ways, a two step install: W7/8 first, then upgrade it.

In all builds, right back to the original 1507 (10240) you could get activated with a digital licence by an in-place upgrade of an installed and validly licenced W7/W8. Once you had a digital licence you could clean install and skip entering a key. The digital licence would activate it.

I will give it a go, just don't want any surprises.

In any case, I have a W7 full image backup just waiting to be restored.

I look forward to seeing the results of your test. If it does indeed turn out that you can't use a W7 key it would be interesting to see if an in-place upgrade from W7 to W10 version 1809 still activates.

Clean installed Windows 10 and successfully activated it with a Windows 7 COA key last week.

Created Window 10 Home (1809) flash drive with Media Creation tool
and used Windows 7 Home product key to activated - no issues.

Side note: doing a clean install with Windows 10 on old hardware
was nearly painless.