On July 29, Microsoft's goal of having Windows 10 running on a billion devices in the next three years begins.
It's been a long ride, but at the end of July, millions of users around the world will finally get their hands on
Windows 10.
In this new release, Microsoft is going back to the drawing board to
make Windows better. The company is doing this by bringing back many of
the familiarities of Windows 7 with a mix of Windows 8.1 functionality,
brand new features, such as
Cortana,
Settings, and universal Windows apps, and changing the way people
upgrade to the next operating system. So far things are looking very
good.
Below you will find everything you need to know to prepare your
computer to upgrade to Windows 10. From making sure all your system's
components are compatible with the new operating system, to preparing a
recovery plan, to making the necessary changes to prevent possible
hiccups during the process.
Making sure Windows 10 is compatible with your PC
One of the efforts to put Windows 10 on a billion devices is by
making the operating system free for the first year after the release,
for everyone running a genuine version of
Windows 7 Service Pack 1 and
Windows 8.1 Update. Recently an important update
(KB3035583) has rolled out adding the "Get Windows 10" app on qualifying PCs to allow users to reserve their free copy of Windows 10.
However, the app offers more than just a way to reserve a copy of the
operating system; it also includes a tool to check your PC to see if
it's compatible with Windows 10. While almost every computer running
Windows 7 or Windows 8 will be compatible, the app is very handy to
detect if certain applications or hardware currently installed on your
computer will work after the upgrade.
If you already see the Start button icon in the notification area (bottom-right corner), click it to launch the
"Get Windows 10" app. From the top-left, click the hamburger button, and then from the menu, click
Check your PC.
If everything is good, you'll see a green message saying "This PC meets
the system requirements", and you can now safely click the
Reserve button to complete the reservation.
If there is an issue, you will see it listed under
Devices and
Apps. For more information about the what the report covers,
check this support page from Microsoft.
While most hardware and software should work without a problem,
typical compatibility issues could include wireless and Bluetooth
adapters, outdated drivers, and very old applications.
If you find something that isn't compatible, it doesn't necessarily
mean that you cannot install Windows 10. But, you should halt the
reservation, go to your PC manufacturer's support website and see if
there are any updates or drivers available for that particular product.
Even though Windows can detect and install most device drivers, it's a
good idea to always update to the latest and just to have them handy in
case you need to reinstall any of them after the upgrade. (Trust me,
you don't want a network adapter problem after the upgrade and without a
network connection to find a solution.)
Here is a list of the most common PC manufacturer websites support to download drivers and software:
In the case you're dealing with an old application, see if there
is an update available or decide if it's time to upgrade. If the app
ends up being not compatible, but you want to use Windows 10, you can
also opt to create a virtual machine running Windows 7 (keep in mind
that a license may be required) to run the app. To do this, you can use
free tools such as
VirtualBox or Microsoft's Hyper-V (available on Windows 10 Pro).
You can always find more detailed information about Windows 10 compatibility for a particular application or hardware at the
Windows Compatibility Center, but remember that the database is currently small, so results are limited.
There could be the case where you'll see the notification that you
won't be able to restore factory settings. If you get this message, it
means that the manufacturer has set up your PC to run from a compressed
Windows image and included an option to restore factory settings. After
the upgrade, you will not be able to restore to the original factory
settings, but there will be other recovery options.
If you don't see the "Get Windows 10" app, chances are that one of following cases is true:
- Your PC doesn't have installed update KB3035583
- Your PC is having an issue with update KB3035583. Try uninstalling and reinstalling the update again.
- Your PC is not running Windows 7 Service Pack 1 or Windows 8.1 Update
- Your PC is not compatible with Windows 10
- Your PC is not running a genuine version of Windows
Note: Microsoft will offer Windows 10 as a free
upgrade, which means that you'll have to install the new version on top
of Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 in order to have a fully activated
installation, but the company will also allow users to upgrade doing a
clean install of the operating system. However, users will be forced to
do the upgrade via Windows Update first, then being allowed to perform a
clean install of Windows 10.
Now that you know your PC is ready, it's time to make sure you don't
lose any settings, files, and you have a bulletproof recovery option.
The next step is to make a full backup of your system
I cannot stress this enough, but before even considering pressing the
upgrade button, you have to understand that software could always fail
and if something bad happens, you could lose many important files. To
prevent such a nightmare, you need a recovery plan, but luckily, both
Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 come with a
System image backup tool.
The System image backup can be found in the Control Panel and it's a
tool that will help you to create a bit-by-bit copy of your entire
system's hard drive, including operating system, settings, programs, and
files.
You can check out our previous guide on
how to create a full backup. The instructions applies for Windows 7, Windows 8.x, and Windows 10.
Once you have the backup created, you can move to the next step.
Knowing your Windows product key
Another step I personally like to do before modifying an installation
of Windows is to make sure I have the product key of my current
install. The product key could come in handy if for some reason the
installation gets corrupted and I have to start from scratch by
installing the previous version of Windows again. Or sometimes it could
even happen that the setup process could ask you for the product key
during the upgrade, even though it shouldn't. Also, you'll need the
product key if you are planning to perform a clean installation of
Windows 10.
Now, chances are that you probably have the product key on the
original box that came with a copy of the operating system, or it's
printed out on a label attached to your computer, or you have this
information sent to you via email after you purchased Windows. However,
if you don't have this information, you'll have to resort to specific
tools that can allow you to pull the product key from the current
installation.
One of the tools that can help you with this task is
Enchanted Keyfinder tool.
This is a free tool (use it at your own risk) that is easy to download
and use. There is not installation required, just extract the files and
run.
Once you open the app, you can easily save all the information on a
text file for later use. If you're using OneDrive, you can save it there
and this file will then be accessible from your phone or a secondary
computer.
Keep in mind the minimum requirements to install Windows 10
While most machines running Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 are likely to
run Windows 10 flawlessly, Microsoft has a minimum spec requirement to
install the new operating system:
- Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster processor or SoC
- RAM: 1 gigabyte (GB) for 32-bit or 2 GB for 64-bit
- Hard disk space: 16 GB for 32-bit OS 20 GB for 64-bit OS
- Graphics Card: DirectX 9 or later with WDDM 1.0 driver
- Display: 1024x600
Disabling unnecessary security software during the upgrade
While your computer should never be without security protection,
sometimes antivirus, spyware, and other security software may be the
common causes for an unsuccessful installation of an operating system.
During the installation process try to disable any antivirus, firewall,
and other security software you may have installed in your computer.
Even better, many times it is recommended to uninstall this type of
software and then reinstall again after the upgrade.
For example, to disable Microsoft's free antivirus, open Control Panel, click
Windows Defender, then navigate to the
Settings tab, uncheck the
Turn on real-time protection (recommended), and click
Save changes.
And to disable Windows Firewall, open Control Panel, click
Windows Firewall, from the left pane click
Turn Windows Firewall on or off, and turn off the firewall on "Private network settings" and "Public network settings".
In other cases, some programs that start in the background also be
the cause of an unsuccessful installation. To prevent this, disable
and/or uninstall any application that starts at boot during the upgrade
process. In addition, before beginning with the installation process,
close all running applications as this could also issues during the
installation.
Making space for the upgrade
Although your computer is likely to have enough space to perform the
upgrade, you're required to have at least 5GB free. If you don't have
enough disk space available, you can make more space by moving files,
such as Documents, Videos, Pictures, and Music, to an alternate
location.
You can also uninstall programs that you don't need or rarely use. In
addition, you can run the Windows Disk Cleanup tool to delete
unnecessary files like Temporary Internet Files, Debug Dump Files,
Recycle Bin, Temporary Files, System error memory dump files, old
updates, and pretty much any else in the list.
The cleanup task is straightforward:
1- Open File Explorer and navigate to
This PC
2- Right-click the Windows drive (typically the C:/ drive), and click on
Properties
3- Then click the
Disk Cleanup button and after you're shown the results, click the
Clean up system files button
4- From the list check all files you want to delete, click
OK, and
Delete Files
If that isn't enough to free up disk space, the Windows 10
installation process allows you to connect an external drive that the
setup can use for temporary storage, but again it has to have at least
5GB of free space. Then, after the upgrade process completes, you can
disconnect the drive.
Disconnect unnecessary peripherals
Another factor that can prevent a successful installation are
peripherals connected to the computer. These devices could interrupt the
installation because Windows 10 is trying to install them, but they are
either not compatible or the latest drivers are not available at the
time of installation.
Before beginning with the upgrade process, disconnect all the
peripherals that are not necessary, you'll probably be OK by having
connected only a mouse, keyboard, and monitor.
Windows 10, Windows Insiders, and Windows 10 Preview
There has been some miscommunication between Microsoft and Windows
Insiders, but now the information is clear how the upgrade process will
work with insiders, so you can be prepare.
If you installed any of the Windows 10 Previews on a computer running
Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 as an upgrade, you'll be able to upgrade to
the final release of Windows 10 and the operating system will stay fully
activated.
If you've performed a clean installation of Windows 10 Preview,
you'll have to roll back to your previous version, before upgrading to
the final version of Windows 10 and have the operating system fully
activated.
If you have performed a clean installation using Windows 10 Preview
and you don't have an eligible version of Windows to upgrade for free,
you can upgrade to Windows 10 RTM, but it will be just another
pre-release build. It will be activated with a pre-release product key
and it will expire after a certain amount of time, so as long you signed
in with your Microsoft Account, you can continue to get new builds.
Basically, while you can use Windows 10 for free, the Windows Insider
program is not a path to obtain a product key of the operating system.
For those still wondering, you can find out which version of Windows 10 you will get when you upgrade for free
here.
Wrapping things up
While the upgrade process should be as easy as pressing a single
upgrade button, you can see that there are a number of steps you have to
make sure you follow to prepare your PC for a new operating system and
minimize any issues.
Windows 10 is set to launch on July 29, 2015,
and those who reserve a free copy will begin receiving the bits via
Windows Update, so make sure to also check that Windows Update is
enabled in Control Panel.
Finally, remember that you'll also need a Microsoft Account if you
want to take full advantage of the new operating system and be able to
install apps from the Windows Store.
How are you preparing for Windows 10? If you have extra tips, let us know in the comments below.
Happy Windows 10 upgrade!
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