Windows 10 Available on July 29

On July 29, you can get Windows 10 for PCs and tablets by taking advantage of the free upgrade offer, or on a new Windows 10 PC from your favorite retailer. If you purchase a new Windows 8.1 device between now and then, the Windows 10 upgrade will be available to you and many retail stores will upgrade your new device for you.

The Windows 10 upgrade is designed to be compatible with your current Windows device and applications. We are hard at work to make this upgrade process a great experience. You can reserve your free Windows 10 upgrade now through a simple reservation process. Look for this icon in your system tray at the bottom of your screen, simply click on the icon, and then complete the reservation process. You can find more details on how this works at Windows.com.

Read more - Hello World: Windows 10 Available on July 29

Specifications and Requirements: Windows 10 Specifications - Microsoft

FAQ - Windows 10 FAQ & Tips - Microsoft

 

[Mark Phelps]

... also wonder if this is leading up to our free version for being an insider...

You don't get a "free version" for being an Insider.

Everyone with a licensed version of Win7/8/8.1 gets a free "upgrade" to Win10. That has nothing whatsoever to do with being an Insider.

If you stay with the Insider program after the 29th, you will continue to be able to use the "free version" of Win10 -- it will just continue to be updated periodically with new builds. But, it will eventually expire -- when the Insider program shuts down.

 

[alphanumeric]

... also wonder if this is leading up to our free version for being an insider...

You don't get a "free version" for being an Insider.

Everyone with a licensed version of Win7/8/8.1 gets a free "upgrade" to Win10. That has nothing whatsoever to do with being an Insider.

If you stay with the Insider program after the 29th, you will continue to be able to use the "free version" of Win10 -- it will just continue to be updated periodically with new builds. But, it will eventually expire -- when the Insider program shuts down.

If you leave the insider program, you are subject to the same conditions of the free upgrade as everybody else. You need a qualifying OS for the free upgrade. Windows 7 with sp1 or Windows 8.1. If you stay, you need to upgrade to each new build or activation will time out for the build your on.

 

[hdmi]

Guys, I just received an email about what's going to happen on july the 29th when Windows 10 gets released.

I've got one question and I'm sorry if this has been asked countless of times:

Since I like reformatting my PC when a new Windows version is out, I was wondering if I'd be able to burn Windows 10 ISO on an USB disk, reformat my PC and then clean install Windows 10 from that USB disk WITHOUT installing Windows 8.1 first.

Will this be possible? If so, will my Windows 8.1 key work on the Windows 10 key prompt?

Gabe tweeted that clean installs will be allowed after you upgrade to Windows 10. What key you enter I don't know. My guess is you'll get a windows 10 key as part of the free upgrade.

Ah, now that's relieving. So I'd have to upgrade first from Windows 8.1 to be able to do a clean reinstall of Windows 10 afterwards?

How to turn your Windows 10 upgrade files into an ISO disk image | ZDNet

P.S. -

For clean install create the install media (DVD or Flash drive) and boot with it.

(See ESD to ISO - Create Bootable ISO from Windows 10 ESD File - Page 32 - Windows 10 Forums ).

 

[pewe]

Forgive my lack of expertise but I have a question about upgrading which 'Insiders' may or may not have experience of.

As part of the 'inplace' upgrade apparently there is/will be a 'rollback' option to get back to Win 8.1 during the first 30 days after upgrade.

- Was this in the pre-release versions
- Did anyone have access to use it (ie if you did an upgrade)
- did it work well (for anyone who was able to try it).

 

[JohnnyGui]

Gabe tweeted that clean installs will be allowed after you upgrade to Windows 10. What key you enter I don't know. My guess is you'll get a windows 10 key as part of the free upgrade.

Ah, now that's relieving. So I'd have to upgrade first from Windows 8.1 to be able to do a clean reinstall of Windows 10 afterwards?

How to turn your Windows 10 upgrade files into an ISO disk image | ZDNet

P.S. -

For clean install create the install media (DVD or Flash drive) and boot with it.

(See ESD to ISO - Create Bootable ISO from Windows 10 ESD File - Page 32 - Windows 10 Forums ).

Thanks for the answer but what I understood from alphanumeric now is that Microsoft will officially release an ISO of Windows 10 so it won't be necessary I think to do all those steps in your given link.

As long as it's possible to create a bootable USB disk with Windows 10 to reformat my PC and do a clean install with it, I'm happy.

 

[sandman]

My insider version is activated and has a key in the system with no expiration date so what does that mean it is my free copy of Windows 10 ready for thew updated officially release on July 29.

 

[Cliff S]

My insider version is activated and has a key in the system with no expiration date so what does that mean it is my free copy of Windows 10 ready for thew updated officially release on July 29.

See this at Ten Forums: Frequently Asked Questions about the WIndows 10 Free upgrade - Windows 10 Forums

 

[David Bailey]

Try---





Check Windows Update too--

 

[sandman]

Mine under activations says Windows 10 Pro and under that windows is activated or change key

 

[JohnTravolski]

Okay, let's say that I have the Windows 8.1 installation disk. Let's say that, on this hardware, I updated my Windows 8.1 to Windows 10 for free with the upgrade. Now, let's say more than one year has passed and I uninstall Windows 10 and put Windows 8.1 back onto the computer. Would I ever be able to get Windows 10 back for free?

 

[JohnnyGui]

One other question; I've read on this link Cortana for Windows 10 to expand to more markets and languages later in 2015 | Windows Central that Cortana will be out for several other countries later this year but not for the Netherlands.

Does this mean that Cortana will never be released for a Dutch language version of Windows 10? Won't there even be an English Cortana for the Dutch version of Windows 10?

 

[alphanumeric]

Okay, let's say that I have the Windows 8.1 installation disk. Let's say that, on this hardware, I updated my Windows 8.1 to Windows 10 for free with the upgrade. Now, let's say more than one year has passed and I uninstall Windows 10 and put Windows 8.1 back onto the computer. Would I ever be able to get Windows 10 back for free?

Yes, you can reinstall Windows 10 on the device it was upgraded on, after the one year period expires. Clean installs will be doable on that hardware after you do the free upgrade.

 

[JohnTravolski]

Thanks, that's wonderful to hear. However, I'm assuming that, if I were to say, change the boot drive, the free upgrade wouldn't be possible anymore, would it? Here's the thing:
I don't have money for a whole new laptop. But my current one has one of those cheap 1TB slow HDDs in it and I'm thinking about replacing its boot drive with an SSD. But the problem is that I have no idea if I'll be able to legally get Windows 8.1 back onto this laptop because it came with with Windows 8 (not 8.1) pre-installed on it and the Windows 8.1 pro disc that I have is one that I've used on my Desktop instead. So the real question is:

Can I take my laptop's old HDD boot drive out, replace it with an SSD, then reinstall Windows 8 on it, do all of the Windows 8 updates and whatnot, and THEN install Windows 10 onto the laptop for free? I won't be able to use my desktop in college and I need my laptop to be as reliable as possible since I create videos and do heavy editing, but it's about 3 years old and the HDD's performance is deteriorating making it nearly unusable for video editing. The other components still work very well.

 

[Clintlgm]

Thanks, that's wonderful to hear. However, I'm assuming that, if I were to say, change the boot drive, the free upgrade wouldn't be possible anymore, would it? Here's the thing:
I don't have money for a whole new laptop. But my current one has one of those cheap 1TB slow HDDs in it and I'm thinking about replacing its boot drive with an SSD. But the problem is that I have no idea if I'll be able to legally get Windows 8.1 back onto this laptop because it came with with Windows 8 (not 8.1) pre-installed on it and the Windows 8.1 pro disc that I have is one that I've used on my Desktop instead. So the real question is:

Can I take my laptop's old HDD boot drive out, replace it with an SSD, then reinstall Windows 8 on it, do all of the Windows 8 updates and whatnot, and THEN install Windows 10 onto the laptop for free? I won't be able to use my desktop in college and I need my laptop to be as reliable as possible since I create videos and do heavy editing, but it's about 3 years old and the HDD's performance is deteriorating making it nearly unusable for video editing. The other components still work very well.

http://www.eightforums.com/gtsearch...j2&cof=FORID:9&ie=UTF-8&q=USE+OEM+product+key

 

[alphanumeric]

Thanks, that's wonderful to hear. However, I'm assuming that, if I were to say, change the boot drive, the free upgrade wouldn't be possible anymore, would it? Here's the thing:
I don't have money for a whole new laptop. But my current one has one of those cheap 1TB slow HDDs in it and I'm thinking about replacing its boot drive with an SSD. But the problem is that I have no idea if I'll be able to legally get Windows 8.1 back onto this laptop because it came with with Windows 8 (not 8.1) pre-installed on it and the Windows 8.1 pro disc that I have is one that I've used on my Desktop instead. So the real question is:

Can I take my laptop's old HDD boot drive out, replace it with an SSD, then reinstall Windows 8 on it, do all of the Windows 8 updates and whatnot, and THEN install Windows 10 onto the laptop for free? I won't be able to use my desktop in college and I need my laptop to be as reliable as possible since I create videos and do heavy editing, but it's about 3 years old and the HDD's performance is deteriorating making it nearly unusable for video editing. The other components still work very well.

If you go here, Create installation media for Windows 8.1 - Windows Help, you can download Windows 8.1 install media that will read and use Windows 8.0 and 8.1 keys, even OEM embedded keys. I've tested it myself on my laptop that now has an SSD in it. You just have to download and install the version matching what was installed at the factory. My laptop came with Windows 8.0 (Core) so I downloaded Windows 8.1 and used that. It read an used my 8.0 OEM key, installed without asking for a key and activated online without issue. No having to install 8.0 and upgrade to 8.1. You'll be using your OEM key and be genuine so you can then get the free upgrade to Windows 10.

 

[L V Gandhi]

Thanks, that's wonderful to hear. However, I'm assuming that, if I were to say, change the boot drive, the free upgrade wouldn't be possible anymore, would it? Here's the thing:
I don't have money for a whole new laptop. But my current one has one of those cheap 1TB slow HDDs in it and I'm thinking about replacing its boot drive with an SSD. But the problem is that I have no idea if I'll be able to legally get Windows 8.1 back onto this laptop because it came with with Windows 8 (not 8.1) pre-installed on it and the Windows 8.1 pro disc that I have is one that I've used on my Desktop instead. So the real question is:

Can I take my laptop's old HDD boot drive out, replace it with an SSD, then reinstall Windows 8 on it, do all of the Windows 8 updates and whatnot, and THEN install Windows 10 onto the laptop for free? I won't be able to use my desktop in college and I need my laptop to be as reliable as possible since I create videos and do heavy editing, but it's about 3 years old and the HDD's performance is deteriorating making it nearly unusable for video editing. The other components still work very well.

What you wanted to do, I did it a week back. pl see my post
http://www.eightforums.com/installation-setup/68859-change-hdd-ssd-asus-s400ca-laptop.html

 

[GD4E1]

About time windows 10 came out. Good riddance windows 8(.1)! I don't forsee even Microsoft repeating it's mistakes that it made with windows 8(.1) and I have to admit the brief look I had with build 10240 looks quite good, although only time will tell

 

[Superfly]

Reports are coming in of the roll-out having begun - please check updates.

 

[pewe]

In my Windows update it shows an update to Windows 10 is available to install (at 2.7GB) and as I have updates set to download but not install it is downloading as I write - slow connection (1Mb) so will take some time.

Does anyone know where the download is stored whilst waiting for me to install it?

[I have some questions about installing this, but I will start a separate thread rather than clog this one ]

EDIT:
Strange.
I have the install.esd file which is 2.63GB.
I have decrypted it and created an ISO which is now 3.73GB.
BUT there is still a large file downloading in the background and I don't know what that is - Anyone any idea if the sizes above are correct for the fully completed download???

 

[robinb9]

On my asus tablet i never got the popup to reserve windows 10 nor the icon in the bottom of the taskbar. It is running 8.1 home. Al security and updates are up to date And i do not have the folders you are all talking about, so why can't this tablet get windows 10.?