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General discussion

Windows 10 free upgrade: Should I go for it or not?

Jun 5, 2015 4:55PM PDT
Windows 10 free upgrade: Should I go for it or not?

Since Windows 10 is coming out soon and I believe it is a free upgrade for people using Windows 7 and 8, I think, please correct me if I'm wrong. I'm currently on Windows 7 and happy with it. But since it's a free upgrade, should I get it? How would I know if all my programs will be compatible with Windows 10 and if my hardware is compatible? I'm kind of on the fence about it. My classmate tells me never to upgrade operating systems until it is released for a while since there will be bugs and to let the company work out most of the bugs before buying. However, since this time it is a free upgrade, I'm tempted to upgrade when it is available at no cost. Am I crazy for doing this or should I hold off and pay for it later? What would you do in my situation? Are you doing the free upgrade? Looking forward to reading your advice and suggestions! Thank you.

--Submitted by: Marlon C.

Discussion is locked

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Boot Up
Jun 14, 2015 6:44PM PDT

No idea. I don't know how I did it.
At first when I power on my computer, it boot up to Ubuntu unless I scroll down to Window 7 and press enter. It will go to Windows.
My Ubuntu is Grub version 14.04 LTS

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It Depends on How You Like to Do Things
Jun 5, 2015 11:06PM PDT

Right now, you seem to be happy running Windows 7 on your current PC. Also out there, are Windows 8 and Windows 8.1. This new OS, Win 10, is ONLY a Preview Version. It is what you need to look at to see what Win 10 will be like. It can't be used to get an exact view of the new features as those have not been completely set in stone yet. I suppose that sometime soon there will be a BETA test version of Windows 10. Finally, there will the the official release scheduled for the end of July.

If you are on a version of Windows 7, you will be eligible for a free upgrade to Win 10 within the limits. By making this a "free" upgrade, Microsoft is really pressuring people to move up. But, as with any brand new release, there will be issues.

1) Drivers - Unless a device uses a Microsoft driver, chances are that you MAY need to upgrade the drivers for your OEM hardware in order to be compatible with Win 10. That is, you may need to go to the support website for things such as printers, video cards, USB devices, network cards, etc. You will need to download and install the new drivers/software relating to your devices. Firmware may need to be updated as well. Fortunately, if your computer is fairly recent and you have not added much in the way of hardware, you may only need to go to the website of the manufacturer of your PC and they may have the drivers there, complete with instructions.

2) Applications and Software - Especially if you don't have a fairly current release of some other application that runs on your PC, you may need to upgrade those items as well and it may cost you some money. Will your particular version of Microsoft Office run on the new OS? I doubt my Office XP will, for example. I heard that someone had an issue running Norton 360 on the preview. It was probably with their NIC drivers for their firewall.

3) Base Hardware - Once again, unless your hardware is fairly new (they still sell some systems with Win 7 out there), there could be an issue. You will need to look up the system requirements for Windows 10 and see if your hardware is up to speed.

Also, with all of the above issues, there is a new system checker that just came out. I don't have the link to the documentation handy, but I was reading an artice and you will need to install a KB (knowledge base item) that will give you the links to Get Windows 10 and, I believe, there is a checker that you can run. I've seen some reports about it finding that old Bluetooth adapters may not work. You should run this checker on your system. Also, paying attention to blogs and comments (like these) may help as some readers find more things that are not yet working (or some that may never work). We had an issue when we went from Windows XP to Win 7 at work last year in that applications to emulate mainframe terminals stopped working ("Show-Stopper") and new software had to be purchased (not to mention they messed up the sound card drivers and printer drivers).

Other viewers will chime in here with things that they found, so far. There were other blog articles covering the same general topic. But here is a suggestion: create a virtual desktop! There are all sorts of virtual desktop/machine software out there you can obtain that will run under your Windows 7 OS that will let you create another virtual PC and you can load your Windows 7 system there. Make sure you install all of your key applications and settings to keep the conditions the same as what you have now. Then perform the upgrade on the virtual desktop. Anything wrong? Just delete and start over. To be more precise, you can run the checker on your real machine since it is non-destructive (supposedly) and see what it says.

What am I doing? my current computer has an old Pentium processor and 2 GB of RAM and it was designed for XP (but has sticker indicating it should be compatible with Vista). So, I don't need a "checker" to tell me if it is compatible. I'm just going to wait for Win 10 to come out on PCs (OEM) and then I'm due for a new one. (Lee Koo - if you are reading this, my birthday is in September). It saves a lot of grief, testing, fixing, searching around, etc. I did look into my current Dell machine but did not see any drivers on their site for this model for anything like Win 7+. Same with my old netbook. No Win 7+ there either.

Post was last edited on June 12, 2015 3:35 PM PDT

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Norton
Jun 10, 2015 4:06AM PDT

sent out an email that Norton 360 is now compatible with Windows 10. Also the Intel bluetooth is no longer saying it won't work in Windows 10. The biggest driver work for the 3rd party vendors is when the product is in RTM. Basically all the features in the release are implemented in the RTM and the updates are bug fixes up to release date.

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My Email
Jun 12, 2015 6:35PM PDT

The email I received said that it would be a few weeks before the Windows 10 version of Norton would be out. Maybe it is a difference between Norton 360 and Norton Internet Security?

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Windows 10 compatibility with Norton products
Jun 12, 2015 8:57PM PDT

If your Norton couldn't catch up with the requirements of Win 10 then I suggest that you drop that crappy Norton and switch to a better one that can.

Norton isn't going to just sit on their butts before they can come up with a compatible version, by the way. They are a big company. So meanwhile, why not switch to a free alternative for the meantime and then continue with your active subscription when Norton has come up with a working version for Win 10?

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Please, this is not a bitching blog.
Jun 13, 2015 6:58AM PDT

It is not helpful to learn your biased opinions about other products.

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Norton
Jun 13, 2015 1:16PM PDT

We already are being told by Symantec that Norton will be compatible with Win 10 in a couple of weeks. Windows 10 is not officially out yet. so it is not a big deal. I'd be more concerned with knowing when (or if) all of the hardware drivers will be ready then worrying about Norton running on a Windows 10 test box. Or are you using it in production?

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Happy Early Birthday wish to you!
Jun 12, 2015 2:14PM PDT

That's in case I forget in September Happy

Cheers!,
-Lee

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t Depends on How You Like to Do Things
Jun 12, 2015 8:27PM PDT

Hi, before I wrote this reply, I double-checked to see that your post was made only recently because you have been talking about the beta or test version of Win 10. I think you are confused. That stage was months ago! The compatibility test and the actual Win 10 that MS was talking about here is already the real deal. It's for the official release of the OS on July 29.

I'm sure that major bugs that turned out during the beta stage have been addressed already. Otherwise, MS will not announce the official release in July and will probably delay it further. Of course there will still be very minor issues, but hey does a perfect OS exist?

Once your hardware passes the compatibility test then I would say that there's already a 99% probability that your current hardware and software will run.

You also mentioned that you are still using an MS Office XP version. Gosh, that really antique and there are a lot of vulnerabilities that exist right now that weren't there before. You should be worried about that. Besides, there are a lot of free alternatives out there such as Kingsoft WPS, LibreOffice and OpenOffice that you can try on your machine(s) if buying a new MS Office is not an option due to financial reasons.

Having all that said, I still suggest that you run the compatibility test. Who knows, maybe your old MS Office XP might still be okay to run on Win 10! I would be amazed if it is.

Oh by the way, I also have 2010 Asus netbook lying around. It originally had 1GB RAM and XP as OS, but I upgraded to 2GB and installed Win 7 on it and later installed Win 8.1 which turned out to boot and shutdown faster than Win 7. It passed the Win 10 compatibility in case you are wondering. I supposed you know that netbooks that old only only had single core CPUs.

So what can I advise you? Run the compatibility check if your machine is currently running at least Win 7 SP1 and get a reservation if you can. Prior to the actual migration to Win 10, do a complete system back up to an external device so that if things go wrong, you can go back to the old OS and what have you as if nothing was ever changed. That's what I have been telling those skeptics in our office. I told them that it only takes an hour or hour and a half go to back to the previous state by restoring from a backup so what's the fuss? It's not going to be like the whole world is going to end and there's no way of turning back.

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MS Office XP and Win 10
Jun 13, 2015 1:17PM PDT

Just a quick note regarding MS Office XP....I've been running it on Win 8.1 without any noticeable problems, so my hopes are that Win 10 will follow suit.

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Old Office XP
Jun 13, 2015 1:35PM PDT

Yes, I'm still using a lot of old software. By the way, I am still receiving updates from Microsoft for my "old" Office XP via Windows Update, so it is still VERY secure.
As for the netbook, it does what I need it to do. Yes, it was 1 GB RAM. Glad to hear that you tested one with Win 10.. Great. The single processor works fine for what I need it for.
My main PC needs replacement as it is very old so there is not much point testing it with comparability tests. I've already heard that there will be an issue with Bluetooth, but that is OK.
The last I read (and, to be honest, I don't know when it was written) the beta tests were still going on. From previous releases, sometimes third-party drivers can come very close to the release date for the OS. One of the posts here mentioned that their printer drivers are not working but I don't know how old that person's drivers actually are. We had printer drivers and sound card issues when we converted from XP to Win 7 back in 2014 at work but I think that was "human error" on the part of the group doing the upgrade and switching to 64-bit at the same time.
So, thank you for your suggestions (very much appreciated), but I'm going to be replacing a lot of hardware probably in the September time-frame so I've got no immediate need for the Windows 10 new OS, at this point. My OS is still XP but it is very well protected.

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Office 2013 update
Jun 13, 2015 4:24AM PDT

Will your particular version of Microsoft Office run on the new OS? I doubt my Office XP will, for example. I heard that someone had an issue running Norton 360 on the preview. It was probably with their NIC drivers for their firewall
^^
To me this is important. I teach at a CC and we occasionally follow the trend, so I expect between Fall 2015 and Fall 2016 we will update to Office 2016 and/or Win10. Right now, there are no plans to do that. But it really rankled me when I had to download Office 2013 and couldn't get a hard disk like in the past. Because I know MS always upgrades to a newer version and I like the hard disk so that I can easily install it. (or if the system crashes, I need it) Now I have to deal with going back to the software sales company (Or MS) and pleading with them to let me copy the software to the new Win10 machine, Need the codes to this copy of 2013.
And do we know if Office 2013 will be compatible with Win10?

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Upgrade with no disk.
Jun 13, 2015 7:04AM PDT

This is a problem I have run into in the past. I wonder if there is a way around this during a reinstall or repair?

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I Personally Don't Know
Jun 15, 2015 10:35AM PDT

I'm still on Office XP (2002, I believe). Someone else said they tested that version on Win 10 and it works. In my case, I will probably be upgrading hardware and all my software in the fall when I have more money. I've used this version because of some licensing deal I had. I don't need ALL the bells and whistles, so my next version will be the home or home office version of office. It is not anything nearly expensive as the pro version.
Maybe someone else has tried your version or you can test with the Win 10 preview?

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windows 10 ???
Jun 6, 2015 4:04AM PDT

Hi everyone,you cant turn off windows update in windows 10,this means if you are doing something when it wants to update you will loose all your work when it restarts,because of this i am staying with windows 8.1 until this is changed,also you will loose features of windows 7 and 8,not sure exactly what yet,something to think about.

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MS restarts can be
Jun 10, 2015 4:10AM PDT

set on a scheduler unlike previous OS's. It won't restart unless you tell it to. Restarts are necessary if a system file is updated that stays open when Windows is up. The only way to complete the update is to update it before or after the OS in not running.

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An unequivocal "YES!"
Jun 6, 2015 6:28AM PDT

Yes, yes, a thousand times yes.

You absolutely should update to Windows 10 as soon as you find it practical to do so. There are several reasons for this.

1. Its various versions are more closely tailored to the specific type of equipment on which they are intended to run. This will result in efficiencies that contribute to higher performance and reliability, and a smaller footprint on your machine.

2. Despite this specific targeting, each version will be compatible with the others, so the ways your various devices work together will be simplified and enhanced.

3. Microsoft has stated that this will be the last overall release of Windows, and that subsequent releases will be incremental without the kind of major changes that threw people into such dithers when Vista and 8 were released. It is modular in concept and will only be updated in parts when conditions (like hardware advances) dictate. So, the sooner you start using Windows 10, the sooner you will become fully acclimated to it, and you will never go through any of those annoying little "learning curves" with a new MS O/S again.

4. In short order, developers will be developing and device drivers will be available for Windows 10 exclusively and manufacturers and developers will begin to ignore earlier versions. Some may work on older versions, but some may not. You might as well be among those for whom they WILL work.

5. It is only free for a limited period, and "free" is, after all, my very favorite price.

I see in some comments below that some people are warning that first releases tend to be flaky. I doubt that this will be the case with Windows 10 (it wasn't with 8 or Vista, either, despite all the grousing from people who resented having to learn something new). But in the case of Windows 10, this is a truly major release on which Microsoft's reputation (and future profits) largely relies. Their "Insider Technical Preview" program has been truly massive, far beyond anything the industry has seen before, and it hasn't even entered the "beta testing" phase yet. They are striving with all their might (and their might is truly considerable) to get this right straight out of the box, and the early glitches promise to be minor, rare, and rapidly corrected. They are even moving away from their "Update Tuesday" habit and will be releasing fixes as needed.

Upgrading at your earliest opportunity is the only course of action that makes sense.

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You might to rethink this
Jun 9, 2015 6:13PM PDT

I guarantee that the first releases will be flaky or worse. For anyone who has only one computer and relies on it to perform in a stable, predictable manner I say this: Think twice before you jump into Windows 10. I am not sure there is enough water in this particular pool to cushion your fall.

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Technical Preview
Jun 10, 2015 4:13AM PDT

Well many PC configurations have been tested with the technical preview as many as ever. I've Beta tested every MS OS since Win95 and I've always upgraded the first day and I will do it this with confidence.

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I would reconsider this idea and stay with Win7 now
Jun 6, 2015 7:56AM PDT

Especially as you like Win7, I would stay with that at least until Win10 has been released and out long enough for all bugs to be fixed. As a happy Win7 user, I think you'd find yourself swimming in a very unknown sea. Win8 is such a completely different creature than the OS you are using, there's a high level of probability of much frustration in making this leap into something so very different and still only in beta form. Give it time before you move into your next OS adventureHappy

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Well it's about in RTM form.
Jun 10, 2015 4:15AM PDT

They have been working on the bugs since the preview was released.

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Well Then We ALL Must Be Crazy
Jun 6, 2015 8:42AM PDT

Do it. You'll get a little white "Window" alert in your taskbar and you'll also be able to tell what is or isn't compatible with Windows 10. My concern is whether everything has to be backed-up first. I just got through re-installing Windows 7. Though I'd hate to re-install everything twice, I think Microsoft finally made something that works.

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Back-ups
Jun 10, 2015 4:16AM PDT

The answer is technically you should be doing backups anyways but only the OS is being upgraded and no applications will be touched unless they are part of the OS.

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Reformat and Clean Install of 7 Before Download of Win10?
Jun 12, 2015 7:41PM PDT

I routinely do backups but need advice when loading Win 10. Should I do a clean install of Win 7 before downloading 8. It has been mentioned that 10 has a smaller "footprint' and did not know if I am wasting my time with a new clean install of 7 or after I get 8. It has been about three years since the initial partition and load on this hard drive.
Primary use is pleasure, EBay seller, use Office 2007 Home and Students regularly and banking.

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What does smaller "footprint" mean?
Jun 14, 2015 6:33AM PDT

What does smaller "footprint" mean? My Windows 7 OS is installed on a fairly small hard drive. I believe that all new MS versions took up considerably more hard drive space than the previous ones. This would be a problem for me, requiring me to uninstall a lot of the programs sharing the OS hard drive.

Is it possible that Windows 10 will take up significantly less space? Or is there some other meaning for footprint?

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Some Windows 10 links on these subjects.
Jun 14, 2015 8:34AM PDT

Here's a link to an article about the Windows 10 footprint
http://blogs.windows.com/bloggingwindows/2015/03/16/how-windows-10-achieves-its-compact-footprint/ .
I've been running the Windows 10 Technical Preview since Oct. 2014, and can tell you that the latest download (64 bit build 10130) is approx. 2.7 GB in ISO form. I wouldn't try to install it in a partition with less than 50 GB of free space though.
You may also find a lot of answers about Windows 10 in this FAQ
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/insider/wiki/insider_wintp-insider_install/frequently-asked-questions-windows-10/5c0b9368-a9e8-4238-b1e4-45f4b7ed2fb9?tm=1433690544611

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maybe - what does Free mean?
Jun 6, 2015 9:04AM PDT

I might upgrade, but it depends on what free means. Is it free forever, like we are used to, or free for the first year and then $100 each year after that? If they are only offering the first year free, when it's time to upgrade, I'd be less eager to upgrade to Windows 10 and more inclined to look at really free systems like linux. I need a good reason to upgrade, worth the annual expense.

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I Usually Don't Like "Free"
Jun 6, 2015 11:36AM PDT

Good point. A lot of things are subscription based these days. Even my anti-malware program is only good for a year. Contrary to other posters, I usually don't like "free" because there usually is a catch somewhere. Like a lot of web services are "free of charge" but, you pay a lot for them in terms of your privacy and having to put up with annoying advertising. On one of my sites, I could use it for free but I paid for a lifetime subscription just to get rid of the ads. It depends on the individual.
In terms of Windows, I'm running on hardware that was made ages ago and I'll just wait until the OS comes out on new OEM systems and buy one of those. Yes, it is not free there either; it just comes included in the price.

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MS is changing their model
Jun 10, 2015 4:24AM PDT

They are only making it free for the consumer. They are adding the store on the back end where they will get revenue. They will also cut costs on support if everyone is on the same versions. Yes Microsoft will still be getting revenues from the OEM's and Enterprise.

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Free
Jun 10, 2015 4:20AM PDT

means you don't have to pay for the upgrade if you download before 07/29/2016. If you wait to download after that you will have to pay for the upgrade BUT you will get free updates until you machine dies.

NO UPDATES ARE FREE. THERE WILL BE NO SUBSCRIPTIONS WITH WINDOWS 10.