Windows 10 Upgrading Free Even for Latecomers
Even while Microsoft's period of free upgrading to Windows 10 has officially ended, I have seen several households here at OTOW recently download and upgrade to Windows 10 at no cost. Listed cost I've seen is about $140 for Win 10 license, but you may still be able to run through the upgrade at no charge based on your Win 7 or 8.1 license.
There are more steps involved than can be outlined or explained by email message, but the most critical part of upgrading successfully involves running a Microsoft-hosted computer check to make sure your machine has adequate resources to run 10. Particularly, a machine needs enough processing power and random access memory.
If your computer has 3 GHz processing speed and 6 GB RAM or more, it's probably worth checking to see if the Microsoft resource evaluation rates it capable of handling 10. Count on the whole upgrade process taking 2-3 hours or more. If you haven't done a user files backup, it's a good idea to do that beforehand, either using an external USB storage device or using the cloud.
Upgrading from the Microsoft site download will not guarantee that all your apps still work. Some may need to be reinstalled. However, I've seen several Windows machines upgrade with key software programs still working fine, and with most user files intact. Some user files - especially documents - may require replacement with new compatible software, but not at great cost.
If you're still weighing your choices - whether to go with a new machine or to try upgrading a machine at some reduction in speed - check out the Microsoft website or contact me for assistance if needed.
(If you're considering switching from Windows altogether and purchase a Mac (Apple) or Android type computer or tablet, you'll find that process has gotten much easier. Doing a backup in that may be best handled by backing up and retrieving via the cloud - e.g. via OneDrive, GDrive or iCloud space.)
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