I'm running 8 pc's: how to install W10 and keep my programs???

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  1. Posts : 221
    Win10
       #1

    I'm running 8 pc's: how to install W10 and keep my programs???


    Folks,

    As my title indicates, I've got a few machines. They're all running nicely. (Well, except for the Surface, but that's just the way the surface is...).

    I'm VERY interested in upgrading to Windows 10 when it is released, especially since MS states it'll be free. (I understand the benefit of a uniform user base, so MS wins if we all upgrade.) From what I hear, W10 should be an improvement over W7.

    My question: with all my machines, the idea of clean installs and having to relicense and reinstall the huge number of 3rd party programs I have is daunting. In fact, I probably will not upgrade just to avoid that hassle.

    Is there ANY way to perform an in-place OS upgrade? Meaning, all the installed programs stay installed?

    Thanks.

    Ken
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 16,623
    Windows 11 Pro X64
       #2
      My Computers


  3. Posts : 221
    Win10
    Thread Starter
       #3

    LOL! How did I miss that?

    Excellent news. By "most apps", I hope it means "all MY apps".
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 16,623
    Windows 11 Pro X64
       #4

    Good luck. It seems to work good so far. I have tried it and lost nothing.
      My Computers


  5. Posts : 1,249
    Windows 8.1, Win10Pro
       #5

    Is there ANY way to perform an in-place OS upgrade? Meaning, all the installed programs stay installed?
    Yes -- but personally, I would recommend AGAINST doing that at this time. Main reason is that the "upgrade" is not reversible; that is, once you do the upgrade, you are stuck with it. To go back to your previous OS, you would then have to do a complete reinstall from scratch. That's not something I would want to tackle with 8 pcs.

    Second reason is that Win10 is still very much work in progress, with changes (some of them not positive) coming with each new build. And, in some cases, new build introduce new problems which may then take some time to get fixed.

    It's a "preview" for a reason -- we're all "beta testing" MS's new OS.

    As to carrying everything over from an upgrade, no one can guarantee that. I did an in-place upgrade from Win8.1 to Win10TP and DID lose some apps in the process. The only way to know for sure is to do the upgrade -- and as I said, that's a one-way process.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 428
    Windows 10
       #6

    I did it straight through Windows Update. I had registered for the preview beforehand though.
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 11,247
    Windows / Linux : Arch Linux
       #7

    Mark Phelps said:
    Is there ANY way to perform an in-place OS upgrade? Meaning, all the installed programs stay installed?
    Yes -- but personally, I would recommend AGAINST doing that at this time. Main reason is that the "upgrade" is not reversible; that is, once you do the upgrade, you are stuck with it. To go back to your previous OS, you would then have to do a complete reinstall from scratch. That's not something I would want to tackle with 8 pcs.

    Second reason is that Win10 is still very much work in progress, with changes (some of them not positive) coming with each new build. And, in some cases, new build introduce new problems which may then take some time to get fixed.

    It's a "preview" for a reason -- we're all "beta testing" MS's new OS.

    As to carrying everything over from an upgrade, no one can guarantee that. I did an in-place upgrade from Win8.1 to Win10TP and DID lose some apps in the process. The only way to know for sure is to do the upgrade -- and as I said, that's a one-way process.
    Hi there

    CAPS AND BOLD DELIBERATE HERE.

    YOU CAN ALWAYS REVERT BACK TO AN EARLIER OS -- TAKE A BACKUP BEFORE STARTING -- AGAIN TAKE A BACKUP BEFORE STARTING.

    I'm not having a go at you -- just want to underline the importance OF ALWAYS TAKING A BACKUP before doing anything serious with a computer. Then if stuff doesn't work or you want to go back for any reason simply RESTORE your OS from the backup.

    Cheers
    jimbo
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 428
    Windows 10
       #8

    jimbo45 said:
    Mark Phelps said:
    Is there ANY way to perform an in-place OS upgrade? Meaning, all the installed programs stay installed?
    Yes -- but personally, I would recommend AGAINST doing that at this time. Main reason is that the "upgrade" is not reversible; that is, once you do the upgrade, you are stuck with it. To go back to your previous OS, you would then have to do a complete reinstall from scratch. That's not something I would want to tackle with 8 pcs.

    Second reason is that Win10 is still very much work in progress, with changes (some of them not positive) coming with each new build. And, in some cases, new build introduce new problems which may then take some time to get fixed.

    It's a "preview" for a reason -- we're all "beta testing" MS's new OS.

    As to carrying everything over from an upgrade, no one can guarantee that. I did an in-place upgrade from Win8.1 to Win10TP and DID lose some apps in the process. The only way to know for sure is to do the upgrade -- and as I said, that's a one-way process.
    Hi there

    CAPS AND BOLD DELIBERATE HERE.

    YOU CAN ALWAYS REVERT BACK TO AN EARLIER OS -- TAKE A BACKUP BEFORE STARTING -- AGAIN TAKE A BACKUP BEFORE STARTING.

    I'm not having a go at you -- just want to underline the importance OF ALWAYS TAKING A BACKUP before doing anything serious with a computer. Then if stuff doesn't work or you want to go back for any reason simply RESTORE your OS from the backup.

    Cheers
    jimbo
    ...but if you forget, the Windows 10 TP makes a backup of your old OS anyways and you can revert back through recovery settings easily. Heck, on my PC system restore showed up as a boot option everytime I started my computer. Works pretty flawless, but you will problably need to reinstall Microsoft's first-party Modern apps.
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 111
    Win 10 Pro 64bit (1909)
       #9

    I think the original poster wanted to know about installing the final release of Windows 10, not the technical preview.As the date for the Windows 10 launch gets closer, I'm sure we will all get this question more and more frequently. I walys advise a full backup prior to beginning the "in place upgrade" in case something goes wrong. I prefer a clean install, so I'll be sure I have all of my licenses, info, etc... to re-install all of my applications after the clean install of Windows 10.
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 428
    Windows 10
       #10

    azasadny said:
    I think the original poster wanted to know about installing the final release of Windows 10, not the technical preview.As the date for the Windows 10 launch gets closer, I'm sure we will all get this question more and more frequently. I walys advise a full backup prior to beginning the "in place upgrade" in case something goes wrong. I prefer a clean install, so I'll be sure I have all of my licenses, info, etc... to re-install all of my applications after the clean install of Windows 10.
    Oh. In that case, In-place upgrading is easy as pie, especially if Microsoft offers it directly through Windows Update like they do for the Preview.
      My Computer


 

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