Microsoft announced the Windows 10 release date is set for July 29th of this year. For those that qualify, this upgrade will be free.
This past week Windows pushed out a notification to qualifying computers, prompting users to reserve their free upgrade. However you do not need to reserve an upgrade in order to get Windows 10. By reserving your upgrade, you will be notified exactly when you can upgrade. To turn off the upgrade notification, “click ‘Customize’ in the System Tray and turn off the Get Windows 10 app notifications in the menu that comes up.”
You have one year from the Windows 10 release date to take advantage of the free Windows 10 upgrade. Once you upgrade you will always have a free, full version of Windows 10 on the device. This means if you have hardware fail or need to reinstall your operating system you will be able to reinstall the free upgrade of Windows 10 at any time on the same device. Windows 10 was built to be compatible with most Windows 7 and 8.1 devices. To verify that your device will be compatible with Windows 10, you can use the “Get Windows 10 app.” You can install this app via Windows update. In Windows 8.1 it is under Recommended updates and under Optional updates for Windows 7. You can find full instructions on how to check your device here. If you do not qualify for a free upgrade, Windows 10 Home will be priced at $119 and the Pro version will be priced at $199. Below shows which versions of Windows can be upgraded for free and which version of Windows 10 you will be upgraded to.
With the Windows 10 release a more familiar desktop similar to the Windows 7 desktop will be brought back. Some new features will be debuting such as Cortona,Windows’ new personal assistant, and Continuum which will make moving from your phone to your desktop seamless. The Home version of Windows 10 will force users to update automatically while Pro users will still be able to defer updates. Internet Explorer will be no more as it is being replaced by the new Edge browser. To learn more about the new Windows 10 click here.