Windows 7 is dead! How to upgrade to Windows 10 for free

how to upgrade to windows 10
R.I.P Windows 7
As of today, Microsoft pulled the string on Windows 7 which is now dead for all intents and purposes.

If you are still on that platform, you will no longer continue to receive updates and support from Microsoft, so it's high time you Upgrade!

In this article, you will find some simple steps to follow by which you can upgrade your Windows 7 machine to Windows 10 for free.

How to get the free Windows 10 upgrade

As long as your computer is running on a genuine (licensed) copy of Windows 7, the upgrade should be a breeze.

You will get the fully-featured windows 10 up and running at no extra charge for the software itself.

Note that if your machine is from around the same time when Windows 7 first came out, then you may want to consider investing in a hardware upgrade for a better experience with the new operating system.

If you're doing a fresh install of Windows 10 OS image on another system, just make sure you provide a valid Windows 7 activation key toon that system.

Microsoft is continuing its free OS upgrade program for the time being, but there's really no telling when they might decide to stop playing nice and start charging for new Windows 10 copies. 





So, it is recommended that you get on board fast and spread the news to your Windows 7 peers.

Caution: Backup your data just to be safe

If you're upgrading an existing Windows 7 system to Windows 10, it is highly recommended that you make a copy of all your important files present on the same drive.

It is better to take a cop of your existing product key should you be required to enter it manually later. You can use any of the free key finder software available such as WinKeyFinder for the same. 

Here is the WinKeyFinder Download Link.

Steps to Upgrade to Windows 10 for Free

Step 1: Head over to Microsoft's Windows 10 download page from here.

how to upgrade to windows 10
Step 2: Click on the downloaded file and Allow it to Run as Administrator.

Step 3: When you get to the Licensing and Agreements page, just do what every other sensible human being on Planet Earth does, and click Accept.
how to upgrade to windows 10
Step 4: If you're upgrading this current machine to Windows 10, select the Upgrade this PC option and click Next.
how to upgrade to windows 10
Step 5: Now the tool will download Windows 10 through the internet and will guide you through the installation with on-screen instructions.


Steps to Install Windows 10 on a New Computer for Free

To do this, you will need a storage media to install Windows onto and create a Bootable drive out of it.

You can choose either:
  • A Blank USB Drive, 8 GB capacity or more (Recommended).
  • A DVD or a CD Drive, 8 GB capacity or more.
Note that any data present on the selected drive will be erased. So, it's better if your drive is already empty and the data on it is safely backed up elsewhere.

Before you proceed with the installation, check a few things about the target machine:
  1. Does it use a 32-bit CPU or a 64-bit CPU? This can easily be determined by going into that computer's System Info.
  2.  Does the target system meet the Hardware Requirements? You can refer this page for the bare minimum hardware needed to run Windows 10 smoothly, and compare it with the system you plan on installing Windows 10 onto.

Step 1: Using the same tool as above, Agree to the License agreement and get to the page where it asks What do you want to do?
You now select Create installation media for another PC.
how to upgrade to windows 10
Step 2: Select the Language and the Edition based on what you want and what you've found out about your target Computer.
how to upgrade to windows 10
If you're unsure which Windows 10 Edition to choose, this table might help you out.

how to upgrade to windows 10
Step 3: If you have a USB Flash Drive ready to be used, select the USB flash drive option and continue.
how to upgrade to windows 10
If you'd like to save the Windows 10 Operating System as an ISO file on your computer so you can burn it to a CD or a USB Drive later, select the ISO File option.
how to upgrade to windows 10
Step 4: Now that you've created the Bootable Media, it's time t go ahead and install it on the machine.

To begin, insert the drive into the USB Slot of the Computer on which you want to install Windows 10. 

Step 5: Save any and all data on the target computer and restart it. It should now detect the bootable media inserted and boot straight into it automatically. 

If it doesn't boot into the media inserted on its own, you may have to go into the System's BIOS and change the Boot order yourself. 

Here's a great article from LifeWire on how to do that, because I'm frankly just too lazy right now to tell you how to do that myself.

Step 6: Once you boot into the Bootable media, you will see a blue Windows installation screen with the option to Install Windows. Simply click on it and proceed as per the on-screen instructions.

how to upgrade to windows 10

And there you have it. That was a simple step-by-step guide on how to rejuvenate your old machines running on Windows 7 by installing Windows 10 on them.

If you found this somewhat useful, there is more headed your way, so maybe you should subscribe to the newsletter by clicking on the button up there.

You can catch this same channel on YouTube for more video-based content. Until next time, take it easy and I'll see you soon.

Cheers!




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