Windows 10 Upgrade — Getting Ready FAQ

Are you getting ready to upgrade your Windows 7 or Windows 8 PC to the newly released Windows 10? Did you reserve a copy?

Microsoft answers frequently asked questions about this upgrade on their “Windows 10 FAQ & Tips” page, such as:

  • When will I get my free upgrade?
  • How long does it take to install the upgrade?
  • What if I have more than one Windows device – can I upgrade them all?
  • What edition of Windows will I get as part of this free upgrade?

Another page answers the question, “Will my PC or tablet be compatible with Windows 10?” The basic system requirements are minimal. Even a 9 year-old PC running Windows 7 might qualify. But is that a good idea? Check the “Important Notes” regarding migration of existing applications and the section on “Additional requirements to use certain features.”

“You can check to see if it meets the requirements by using ‘Check my PC’ in the Get Windows 10 app. To open the Get Windows 10 app, click on the small Windows icon found at the right end of the task bar. … For certain third party applications, the Get Windows 10 app will scan for application compatibility. If there is a known issue that will prevent the upgrade, you will be notified of the list of applications with known issues.”

Absolutely can’t wait? You have a couple of options to get your upgrade sooner:
1. Visit a Microsoft Store for free upgrade services.
2. Use the Media Creation Tool to install immediately on one or more devices (recommended for tech-savvy users only).

If you reserved a copy of Windows 10 and are waiting … and waiting, in addition to Microsoft’s note above, PC World’s “Windows 10: How to skip the line and claim your free upgrade right now” article summarizes the steps.

Windows 10 is finally here! So why haven’t you been offered a copy even though you reserved your upgrade months ago? Simple: Because Microsoft only started rolling out Windows 10 on July 29.

People are taking advantage of the free upgrade at a blistering pace, and Microsoft doesn’t want to melt its servers. Because of that, the company’s rolling out upgrade prompts slowly—so slowly, in fact, that Microsoft recently warned would-be-upgraders that they may be waiting for a few weeks.

Fortunately, there’s a way to skip ahead in line if you’re impatient.

Are you going to backup your system before the upgrade, as recommended in “How to install Windows 10 on your PC?