Windows 10: How To Reserve Your Free Copy

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Microsoft is hoping Windows 10 will be so good that it will make up for the disaster that was Windows 8, and as part of its apology, the company is offering free upgrades to Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users. Unfortunately Microsoft is being somewhat hush-hush on this. After all, why give away free copies of the operating system when people will pay for them if they don’t know that they’re entitled to a free copy?

A clue about your Windows 10 upgrade

For those who know that they’re eligible for a free Windows 10 upgrade, it’s very easy to reserve a copy. In fact, you may already have noticed a Windows icon in the bottom right-hand corner of your desktop. Just hover your cursor over the icon, and it reads: “Get Windows 10.”

Just click on the icon, and then a description of the process pops up. It should be noted that Microsoft isn’t releasing the full version of Windows 10 until July 29, so it won’t be until then that users can actually download the new version of the operating system.

The upgrade process is simple, however. Just click the icon, give Microsoft your email address, and your computer will automatically download Windows 10 when the company pushes it out next month. Then you’ll be notified that your computer has downloaded Windows 10 and can decide when to actually install it.

Who’s eligible for a free Windows 10 upgrade?

In order to claim your free download of Windows 10, you must either have Windows 7 Service Pack 1 or Windows 8.1 (not Windows 8), according to CNET. You must also have installed Windows update KB3035583 in March. If your computer is set up to automatically download updates, then it should have installed that update. Tablets running Windows RT are not eligible for a free upgrade. Also those who are running pirated copies of Windows 7 or 8.1 are not eligible for free upgrades (for obvious reasons).

There is a time limit on taking Microsoft up on this offer. You have one year starting July 29 to decide whether you want the free upgrade to Windows 10. After that, you’ll have to pay for it.

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