Things you need before upgrading to Windows 10

Microsoft’s latest operating system, the Windows 10, is finally here and it has brought a handful of new changes including Microsoft’s voice assistant Cortana, the new Edge browser and the old desktop setup. Windows 10 is available as a free upgrade for anyone who has a Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 installed on their systems.

There is something event better. The new operating system is available as an update starting from July 29 and users can easily upgrade their system. However, there are few steps that you need to follow in order to get your hands on the free Windows 10 upgrade.

Things you need before upgrading to Windows 10

1. A legit copy of Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 running on your laptop, desktop PC or tablet.
2. Working internet connection.
3. Latest updates installed on your system. Windows 7 users should have Windows 7 SP1 installed and Windows 8 users should upgrade to Windows 8.1
4. Sufficient hard disk space to download and install Windows 10.
5. Backup your important data before starting the upgrade process.

Now there are two ways to get the Windows 10 upgrade for free. We will explain both of these procedures down below.
Upgrade to Windows 10 for free via Windows 10 app

1. For users who have already installed the required and recommended updates for their Windows operating system should see the Windows 10 app icon in their taskbar. But if you don’t see the Windows 10 icon, follow the steps below.
• For Windows 7 users
1. Go to Start Menu.
2. Open Control Panel
3. Locate the option System and Security. Click on it.
4. From the next screen, select Windows Update.
• For Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 users
1. Go to Start Menu.
2. Click on PC Settings.
3. From this screen, click on Update and Recovery.
4. Select Windows Update from the next screen.

2. Once the Windows 10 app icon appears on your taskbar, click on it and it will open a new window.
3. From this window click on Reserve your free upgrade.
4. Enter your email address to receive confirmation of the reservation.
5. The app will start downloading Windows 10 in the background.
6. Once the download is ready, you will get a notification that your system is ready to upgrade to Windows 10.

Note: – Once you reserve your free copy of Windows 10 upgrade, there is no specific timeframe as to when you will get the notification that your system is ready to install. According to Microsoft, they are periodically selecting people who will receive the Windows 10 upgrade. So, once you reserve your free upgrade, you are in queue.
Upgrade to Windows 10 directly from Microsoft website
If you don’t want to wait to receive your free Windows 10 upgrade via the Windows 10 app, you can get the new operating system from Microsoft website. Follow the steps below

1. Open Windows 10 download page.
2. Select the correct version of Windows 10 (32-bit or 64-bit) depending on your system configuration and requirement.
3. It will start downloading the Windows 10 setup in an ISO file format.
4. Once it is downloaded, you can either burn the extracted files to a DVD or you can make a bootable USB to install the Windows 10. For this, you can use the Microsoft media creation tool.