Windows 10 Free for Windows 8 Users

Jesse Williams

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I was reading an article, and it said that Windows 10 would be free for 8 users. Do all versions of 8 get it, or just 8?

I refuse to go to the Windows 10 forum to find out, because they were really ugly about things.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 64-bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire X (AXC-603-UW12)
    CPU
    Intel Celeron J1850 @ 1.99GHz
    Motherboard
    Acer Aspire XC-603G (SOCKET 0)
    Memory
    4.00GB DDR3 @ 551MHz (9-7-7-14)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics (Acer Incorporated [ALI])
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer S200HQL
    Screen Resolution
    (1600x900@60Hz)
    Keyboard
    Acer Wired Keyboard
    Mouse
    Acer USB Optical Mouse
    Internet Speed
    High Speed Internet
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
Microsoft has so far said nothing on the subject. So anything anyone else says at this point is just speculation.

Based on past events with earlier versions of Windows, they will at least probably offer a substantial discount to those that upgrade to Windows 10. Beyond that, who knows?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 64-bit OEM
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 17R - 5737
    CPU
    Intel i5-4200U Processor (3M Cache, up to 2.6 GHz, UMA)
    Memory
    8 GB Dual Channel DDR3L 1600MHz (4GBx2) Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3 inch LED Backlit Display with Truelife and HD+
    Screen Resolution
    1600 x 900
    Hard Drives
    Western Digital, 1-TB WD Blue SATA III, 5400 RPM, 8 MB Cache
    Mouse
    Microsoft Comfort Mouse 4500
    Internet Speed
    20 mb up / 17 mb down
    Browser
    Google Chrome 64-bit
    Antivirus
    MS Defender / Malwarebytes PRO
Exactly, MS has said nothing.

MS wants people to be on Windows 8.1 rather than Windows 8 that is clear. I guess the equivalent of what used to be a SP.

I would hope (& pray) it would be cheaper for Windows 8.1 users as there is very little new in the Windows 10 preview.

Who knows, mere mortals just wait and see.
 

My Computer

I don't think MS dare. It would be a low blow for the more speculative buyers using Windows 7, who waited, saw the complaints, and decided to wait for the next OS.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Other Info
    Use several different computers during a day, so specs are irrelevant.
The only reason I can think that it might be free/cheaper for 8 users is because of the windows store

Free to upgrade via the store for a short while

Not fair on 7 users, but its just guessing at the moment
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 3521
    CPU
    i5
    Memory
    4 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon
    Browser
    IE
I highly doubt it. When has MS ever released a new OS for free? All they have ever given away for free are the service packages.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Update 1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    self built
    CPU
    AMD FX-8350
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD7 Rev. 3
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Zotac GTX 770 Amp 2 GB
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    GDATA Internet Security
Still too soon to worry about it. Even if free/low cost upgrade from W8, I haven't seen anything in W10 that would make me jump to upgrade.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W10 Pro (desktop), W10 (laptop), W10 Pro (tablet)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built i7-8700K, Hp Envy x360 EVO Laptop, MS Surface Pro 7
    CPU
    3.7Ghz Core i7-8700K, 11th Gen Core i7-1165G7 4.7Ghz, 10th Gen Core™ i5-1035G4 1.1Ghz
    Motherboard
    ASUS TUF Z370-Pro Gaming, HP, MS
    Memory
    16G, 8G, 8G
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon RX580, Intel Iris X Graphics, Intel Iris Plus Graphics G4
    Sound Card
    ATI High Definition Audio (Built-in to mobo)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dual Samsung U32J59 32 inch monitors, 13.3" display, 12.3" display
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160 (Desktop), 1920x1080 (laptop), 2736x1824 Pro 7
    Hard Drives
    500GB ssd boot drive with 2 & 10TB Data (Desktop), 512GB ssd (laptop), 128GB SSD (tablet)
    PSU
    Corsair CX 750M
    Case
    Antec 100
    Cooling
    Coolermaster CM 212+
    Keyboard
    IBM Model M - used continuously since 1986
    Mouse
    Microsoft IntelliMouse
    Internet Speed
    665Mbps/15Mbps down/up
    Browser
    FireFox, MS Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender on all
    Other Info
    Retired in 2015 after working in the tech industry for 41 years. First 10 years as a Technician, the rest as a programmer/software engineer. After 1 year of retirement, I was bored so went back to work as a Robotic Process Automation Consultant. Retired for 3rd (and final) time in 2019.
That is true for Windows 7 users. The 2 laptops (mine and my sisters') runs Windows 7. But, Windows 7 is a good OS. 8 is, but in some ways its not. At least, its better than Windows Vista. Vista was terrible.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 64-bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire X (AXC-603-UW12)
    CPU
    Intel Celeron J1850 @ 1.99GHz
    Motherboard
    Acer Aspire XC-603G (SOCKET 0)
    Memory
    4.00GB DDR3 @ 551MHz (9-7-7-14)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics (Acer Incorporated [ALI])
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer S200HQL
    Screen Resolution
    (1600x900@60Hz)
    Keyboard
    Acer Wired Keyboard
    Mouse
    Acer USB Optical Mouse
    Internet Speed
    High Speed Internet
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
Beg your pardon but I have to contradict. Windows Vista wasn't as bad as the media made (wrote) it. I had been using it for years until Windows 8 came out (skipped Windows 7 altogether) and I was always satisfied with it. Actually I never saw a reason to upgrade to Windows 7. And with Windows 8 or 8.1 it's more or less the same for me. From day one on I have totally been satisfied by Windows 8. It's fast, it's stable, it's reliable and everything that is actually missing (like the start menu) can easily be added by installing some sort of free or paid software. That's also the reason why I'm not sure if I will upgrade to Windows 10. The TP is great but I am not sure if the new features and improvements are actually worth upgrading.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Update 1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    self built
    CPU
    AMD FX-8350
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD7 Rev. 3
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Zotac GTX 770 Amp 2 GB
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    GDATA Internet Security
Whatever happens to Windows 10 I hope that MS will see fit to include Bitlocker in the consumer version of the OS. Everyone should have disk encryption available these days; it is no longer an option only for business.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 consumer 64 bit
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire M5 481PT-6644
    CPU
    Intel Core I5
    Memory
    6 GB
    Hard Drives
    Spinning/SSD hybrid 500GB/20GB
    Mouse
    ELAN Trackpad
    Internet Speed
    18mbs/5mbs
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
Well it's already there if you got the pro version. That's a consumer version and it's not expensive, at least not if you compare the prices for a full Windows 8.1 pro license to the prices you had to pay for Windows 7 or Vista Ultimate. The business version of Windows 8.1 is called Enterprise.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Update 1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    self built
    CPU
    AMD FX-8350
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD7 Rev. 3
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Zotac GTX 770 Amp 2 GB
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    GDATA Internet Security
My mom's desktop computer came with Windows 8.1 x64 preinstalled when I bought it for her this past May. She is not tech savvy at all, and I think she was confused at first because of the lack of a start menu. Her old Windows Vista desktop had Vista. The reason I am so against Vista, is because it had many issues. It was Dell also. Also, at that time I wasn't interested in technology. That may be why we had so much problems out of it. Now, I am on top of making sure all of our computers get no viruses, and I make sure they are up to date at all times with latest updates from Microsoft. My laptop runs Windows 7 Home Premium x64. Basically, what people have said, is that 7 is basically Vista, but much improved with some differences.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 64-bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire X (AXC-603-UW12)
    CPU
    Intel Celeron J1850 @ 1.99GHz
    Motherboard
    Acer Aspire XC-603G (SOCKET 0)
    Memory
    4.00GB DDR3 @ 551MHz (9-7-7-14)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics (Acer Incorporated [ALI])
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer S200HQL
    Screen Resolution
    (1600x900@60Hz)
    Keyboard
    Acer Wired Keyboard
    Mouse
    Acer USB Optical Mouse
    Internet Speed
    High Speed Internet
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
Well it's already there if you got the pro version. That's a consumer version and it's not expensive, at least not if you compare the prices for a full Windows 8.1 pro license to the prices for Windows Seven or Vista Ultimate. The business version of Windows 8.1 is called Enterprise.

The "pro" version is $100 more, that's expensive to get a feature that should be a basic part of the OS. How much extra does Apple charge for this?

OK, here's a compromise. MS can take away the whole "phone interface" side of the OS, I think it is called "metro"; and make that $100 extra. In its place include bitlocker. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 consumer 64 bit
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire M5 481PT-6644
    CPU
    Intel Core I5
    Memory
    6 GB
    Hard Drives
    Spinning/SSD hybrid 500GB/20GB
    Mouse
    ELAN Trackpad
    Internet Speed
    18mbs/5mbs
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
Maybe MS could let us choose what features we want - "Pick any 3 for $100". I use Metro on my tablet but have zero use for Bitlocker.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W10 Pro (desktop), W10 (laptop), W10 Pro (tablet)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built i7-8700K, Hp Envy x360 EVO Laptop, MS Surface Pro 7
    CPU
    3.7Ghz Core i7-8700K, 11th Gen Core i7-1165G7 4.7Ghz, 10th Gen Core™ i5-1035G4 1.1Ghz
    Motherboard
    ASUS TUF Z370-Pro Gaming, HP, MS
    Memory
    16G, 8G, 8G
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon RX580, Intel Iris X Graphics, Intel Iris Plus Graphics G4
    Sound Card
    ATI High Definition Audio (Built-in to mobo)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dual Samsung U32J59 32 inch monitors, 13.3" display, 12.3" display
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160 (Desktop), 1920x1080 (laptop), 2736x1824 Pro 7
    Hard Drives
    500GB ssd boot drive with 2 & 10TB Data (Desktop), 512GB ssd (laptop), 128GB SSD (tablet)
    PSU
    Corsair CX 750M
    Case
    Antec 100
    Cooling
    Coolermaster CM 212+
    Keyboard
    IBM Model M - used continuously since 1986
    Mouse
    Microsoft IntelliMouse
    Internet Speed
    665Mbps/15Mbps down/up
    Browser
    FireFox, MS Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender on all
    Other Info
    Retired in 2015 after working in the tech industry for 41 years. First 10 years as a Technician, the rest as a programmer/software engineer. After 1 year of retirement, I was bored so went back to work as a Robotic Process Automation Consultant. Retired for 3rd (and final) time in 2019.
Well it's already there if you got the pro version. That's a consumer version and it's not expensive, at least not if you compare the prices for a full Windows 8.1 pro license to the prices for Windows Seven or Vista Ultimate. The business version of Windows 8.1 is called Enterprise.

The "pro" version is $100 more, that's expensive to get a feature that should be a basic part of the OS. How much extra does Apple charge for this?

OK, here's a compromise. MS can take away the whole "phone interface" side of the OS, I think it is called "metro"; and make that $100 extra. In its place include bitlocker. :)

I don't know where you are shopping but here in Switzerland I can get a full Windows 8.1 pro license (OEM) for 144 Swiss Francs whereas the basic version is about 100 Swiss Francs. Thats a difference of 44 Swiss Francs or approximately 50 $. I really don't consider that too expensive.

Oh and by the way, if you think that 50 bucks more is too expensive you can always use one of the many open source and thus free programs to encrypt your hdd's. Since MS is actively co-operating with US secret services I would never trust them and encrypt sensitive and or valuable date using their encryption solution.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Update 1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    self built
    CPU
    AMD FX-8350
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD7 Rev. 3
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Zotac GTX 770 Amp 2 GB
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    GDATA Internet Security
My mom's desktop computer came with Windows 8.1 x64 preinstalled when I bought it for her this past May. She is not tech savvy at all, and I think she was confused at first because of the lack of a start menu. Her old Windows Vista desktop had Vista. The reason I am so against Vista, is because it had many issues. It was Dell also. Also, at that time I wasn't interested in technology. That may be why we had so much problems out of it. Now, I am on top of making sure all of our computers get no viruses, and I make sure they are up to date at all times with latest updates from Microsoft. My laptop runs Windows 7 Home Premium x64. Basically, what people have said, is that 7 is basically Vista, but much improved with some differences.

Windows 7 was barely even a warmed over Vista. The problems with Vista were 90% in large part down to the fact that XP was a complete mess. Most people tend to put on the rose colored glasses and forget what a god-awful mess XP was until about the time SP2 came along. For about the first three years of XP's life -- and this is not an exaggeration, if anything it's an downplaying of how bad things were -- literally every week (give or take) there was at least one new remote exploit found in either Windows or IE6. Most weeks were what you might call bumper crops and we saw the birth of the so-called drive-by exploit where all a person had to do was simply load a web page and they could be infected by malware. People forget about how some joker figured out they could send spam using the Windows Messenger service or using that same service, remotely reboot hundreds of computers at a time over the Internet. I don't know what the final tally was on the number of security issues MS squashed during those years, but it had to be well into the triple digits. Wouldn't surprise me if it crossed the half-way mark onto the quadruple digits. Then there was all the software written for Win9x, where you could directly access the hardware, which was now expressly forbidden, which had to be reworked. Software suddenly had to contend with a multi-user platform, which caused a lot of problems. In the early days integrated graphics wasn't up to the task of rendering XP's skinning system adequately and computers only came with 64-128MB of RAM typically. Anyone here ever try using XP on only 128MB of RAM? I have, and trust me, you don't want to. At 256MB it's tolerable, 512MB is where it starts getting to be usable. But back in late 2002, early 2003, that meant a high end computer. XP's rollout was an unmitigated disaster on several fronts.

XP was a mess and long story short, Vista represented a total rewrite of big chunks of XP. One of the things that Vista took the rap for, even though it wasn't Vista's fault, was the poor quality drivers that device makers put out for the first year or two. Vista had a new driver model, which greatly enhanced the security, but also broke compatibility with XP, which was just a warmed over Windows 2000, at least had that much going for it. By the time Vista SP1 came around, most developers had gotten the hang of the new driver model, computer hardware had largely caught up with the elevated bar MS set and the number of complaints from users dropped off significantly.

Like 8, Vista brought with it a number of very nice technical improvements. Aero, the DirectX based, GPU rendered GUI, replaced the CPU rendered GDI+ from before. XP treated dual core CPUs as dual CPUs because dual core CPUs didn't exist when XP was developed. There's a number of subtle differences between the two which leads to XP creating a lot of unnecessary overhead. Vista's security was significantly improved over XP and it made more efficient use of resources. Of course most of these are under the hood type improvements, not the sexy in-your-face improvements, with the exception of Aero. Windows 7 basically just rode a wave of anti-Vista sentiment to popularity, even though there was really very little changed about it. If Vista had come out around the same time as XP SP2, my guess is it would have been welcomed with open arms as an escape from the hell that was XP in those dark first years.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1
I was reading an article, and it said that Windows 10 would be free for 8 users. Do all versions of 8 get it, or just 8?

I refuse to go to the Windows 10 forum to find out, because they were really ugly about things.

Would you happen to have the link where you read this?
I had heard this about Windows 9 but have yet to hear it about 10, although giving away the OS t0 certain people with certain OS's for free would put a dent their pockets but after the Windows 8 debacle it WOULD be the right thing to do.

Don't worry about those in the Windows 10 forum, fan boys tend to get that way when you question or put down something they cream their jeans over.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7 Home Premium x64 / Windows 8.1 Pro x64 Dual Boot
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP
    Memory
    8 gigs
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GE Force 5200
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP 2009M x's 2
    Screen Resolution
    1600 x 900 x's 2
    Hard Drives
    One internal Western Digital HD 650 GB
    Three external Western Digital HD's - 1 TB each
I was reading an article, and it said that Windows 10 would be free for 8 users. Do all versions of 8 get it, or just 8?

I refuse to go to the Windows 10 forum to find out, because they were really ugly about things.

Would you happen to have the link where you read this?
I had heard this about Windows 9 but have yet to hear it about 10, although giving away the OS t0 certain people with certain OS's for free would put a dent their pockets but after the Windows 8 debacle it WOULD be the right thing to do.

Don't worry about those in the Windows 10 forum, fan boys tend to get that way when you question or put down something they cream their jeans over.

All articles you may read or hear about are just pure speculation that's all and just opinions. We will have to wait for an official announcement from Microsoft.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8.1 Update 1 Pro 64bit
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Pavillion H8-1202
    CPU
    I7-2600 @ 3.4 GHz
    Motherboard
    PEGATRON
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NIVDIA GeForce GT 520
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC656GR CODEC
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung SyncMaster S22B350
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1080 32 bit color
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 850 EVO SSD 500GB
    Keyboard
    Razer Blackwidow Ultimate 2013
    Mouse
    Logitech M510
Okay...Well, I still think it should be a free upgrade for all Windows 8 users, and maybe 7 users. But, 7 had the start menu, I don't see why it's needed. They at least need to lengthen the span of updates for 7. But, I think it should go to all 8 users and that does count 8.1, to give people back the start menu. I think there should be a way to have the start menu and start screen bundled together. That way, people can use both.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 64-bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire X (AXC-603-UW12)
    CPU
    Intel Celeron J1850 @ 1.99GHz
    Motherboard
    Acer Aspire XC-603G (SOCKET 0)
    Memory
    4.00GB DDR3 @ 551MHz (9-7-7-14)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics (Acer Incorporated [ALI])
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer S200HQL
    Screen Resolution
    (1600x900@60Hz)
    Keyboard
    Acer Wired Keyboard
    Mouse
    Acer USB Optical Mouse
    Internet Speed
    High Speed Internet
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
Okay...Well, I still think it should be a free upgrade for all Windows 8 users, and maybe 7 users. But, 7 had the start menu, I don't see why it's needed. They at least need to lengthen the span of updates for 7. But, I think it should go to all 8 users and that does count 8.1, to give people back the start menu. I think there should be a way to have the start menu and start screen bundled together. That way, people can use both.

Lengthen it to what? Windows 7 will be getting updates until like 2020. That's like a full 10 years from the release date. No other vendor supports their products for so long, especially at the price point of Windows. You could probably pay HP/Oracle/SAP to support some 10+ year old stuff, but you'd be paying in first born children and sacrificial virgins.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1
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