Microsoft offered its newest operating system to Windows 7/8.1 users at no cost for an entire year. If you’re still running windows 7/8.1, your time is just about up to get the free upgrade to Windows 10. Once the free upgrade expires on July 29, 2016, Windows users will have to pay to get Windows 10.
How to Upgrade to Windows 10 for Free
Click the button below to get started with your upgrade:
Click the button below for how-to information on scheduling and notifications, and other upgrade information:
4 Benefits of Upgrading to Windows 10 for Free
1. New Features
Brand new for Windows 10 comes virtual assistant Cortana, the new web browser Microsoft Edge (the long overdue replacement for Internet Explorer), better security, significantly increases boot up times (especially from Windows 7) and more. Although Microsoft Edge gets excellent speed ratings on reviews, I find it can freeze up a little bit upon loadingbusy/heavy webpage. However, with a few tweaks down the road, this web browser should be on top of the competition and the browser itself offers new features currently not available on the top two web browsers, Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox.
2. Longevity
You might get a couple of chuckles seeing the title longevity when talking about technology. It sure feels like you’re totally cool, hip, and rad the day you buy a new piece of technology . . . until you wake up the next morning feeling like it’s out of date already! That feeling is mutual and the technology industry is to blame because they come out with new hardware or software every year. However, there is some longevity support for Windows, and Windows 10 will guarantee you the longest amount of support to date.
Microsoft has offered mainstream support for 5 years after an operating system is released and then an extended support for an addition 5 years. Mainstream support provides substantial updates, new features and of course security patches. The extended support provides security patches for the operating system.
The mainstream and extended service support is expected to expire in the following years for Windows operating systems:
- Windows 10: Mainstream – 2020?/ Extended – October 2025
- Windows 8: Mainstream – January 2018 / Extended – January 2023
- Windows 7: Mainstream – Expired / Extended – January 2020
There has been no official word on Windows 10 mainstream support end date but the operating system was released in 2015. Windows 8/8.1 users only have another year and a half of mainstream support remaining.
3. The Start Menu Returns!
For Windows 8/8.1 users this was a warm welcome. Working with the Windows 8 start tile screen was a mess. Users found it difficult to navigate and the power button was hidden from the screen. Windows 8.1 updated this screen a little bit to make it a bit more manageable but, users still had some trouble using it. With Windows 10, users of Windows 8/8.1 can say watch out for the door on the way out! The new start menu does incorporate Windows 8 tiles. Live tiles were fairly popular by displaying current news for a given topic. Windows 7 users can experience this for the first time on Windows 10 however, if you don’t like it, don’t worry. All tiles can be removed from the start menu to appear as a menu you’re used to seeing in Windows 7 and previous versions.
4. It’s Free But, Not for Long
Windows 10 is free but, the offer ends on July 29, 2016.
After July 29, users upgrading to Windows 10 will have to pay $119 for the home edition and $199 for the pro edition. Of course, Microsoft could offer some sort of discount as well but, free sounds better to me.