If you have not taken Microsoft up on its offer to upgrade your Windows-7 or Windows-8 installation yet, time to do it for free is quickly running out! Microsoft has recently confirmed that the Windows 10 free upgrade offer will run out on the 29th of July 2016. After that date, the only official way to get it would be to pay $119 to upgrade on any desktop or laptop that hasn’t already upgraded.
But there are a few simple steps that you can and should take too “reserve” your free copy now, if you do this, you will still be able to upgrade after the 29th of July and will not have to pay.
Windows 10 Upgrade Solution
If you haven’t upgraded to Windows-10 yet there are probably many reasons for that, and you’re not alone many people have decided to hold off, and that’s fine. However, there will come a day when you will have to upgrade. And if you want to avoid that $119 charge, you can do so by upgrading your computer now and then rolling back the installation to Windows 7 or 8.
This will enable you to keep your original version of Windows, but also reserve your free copy of a Windows 10 license for later use!
How Does it Work
When you upgrade to Windows 10 from a computer running a genuine copy of Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 that particular computer receives a “digital entitlement”. This entitlement means Microsoft has noted that your computer is eligible for Windows 10 now and in the future.
One thing to note about this entitlement is that it is tied to your specific computers hardware, so if you change your motherboard or try to install Windows 10 on a different computer without the entitlement it just won’t work!
How to Reserve Windows 10
So, you want to reserve your copy of Windows 10, in this next part we’re going to explain how to do it, there are two different methods of doing it. So keep calm and read every part of what’s coming and then decide which route you want to take.
The Easy Windows 10 Update and Roll back Method
This is the easiest method to roll back to your previous installation of Windows however, it is not always a perfect way to do so because sometimes programs can be removed during the upgrade and you may have to re-install them.
Now if you like to live a little more on the edge, let’s continue with this method. The upgrade and roll back procedure is a simple one. First, download the Windows 10 upgrade tool, click and run it and then agree to upgrade your computer.
Next after you have installed Windows 10, click the start button and then go to settings, next find Update&security and then Activation. At this point make sure that Windows 10 on your computer is activated with a digital entitlement. If it has one your computer is now registered with Microsoft and Windows 10 can be installed when it suits you to do so.
Note: it can sometimes take a while for Microsoft to contact its activation servers, so be patient.
Now that your activated Windows look OK, head over to the recovery tab and click on the get started button, which is underneath “Go back to Windows 7” or “Go back to Windows 8.1”.
Final Thoughts
Now Windows 10 will automatically uninstall and your computer will be restored to whatever earlier version of Windows that you were running. Now pat yourself on the back, you have successfully rolled back your computer and are eligible to use Windows 10 whenever you see fit.
