gfunkdave

I was using my home laptop for a change, and saw the new Windows logo appear in the system tray, next to the clock. When I clicked it, it said that I could get a free upgrade to Windows 10: just click the button to reserve my copy, and then it would download and install automatically at some point. The small print at the bottom says, "Yes, FREE. This limited time upgrade offer is for a full version of Windows 10, not a trial. 3GB download required; internet service provider fees may apply."

It also takes you on a little tour of Windows 10.

I'm running Win7 Home Premium, and have been quite happy with it. But I clicked the button, because why not. I'm sure I'll have lots of driver issues when it upgrades!

Anyone else get this?

Dodge DeBoulet

Got it on all of the Windows 7 PCs, laptops and virtual machines in the DeBoulet household.

I've been playing with the tech preview since the end of October. Very easy transition from Windows 7, and I'm sure it'll be a huge relief for Windows 8 victims.

The latest tech preview download is looking very polished (I guess it should be, with release scheduled for next month). This is a Windows upgrade I'm actually looking forward to

Also, skipping the "Microsoft Account" sign-in requested during installation is dead easy now.

antichef

Dave,

EVERYBODY else running Windows 7 and 8 got it!

It came out as an update patch which put the icon there (one or both of either KB3022345 or KB3035583 caused this notice). Everybody in the world with Win 7 and Win 8 is to get a free upgrade.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/28732...d-8-users.html

gfunkdave

Well, fine, make me feel ordinary.

lwildernorva

This is an interesting business strategy for MS. I know that 8 has been mostly disastrous for them although I've been reasonably happy with 8.1. We also can infer that they jumped straight over 9 in an attempt to market the new OS as a complete break from 8.

MS has almost always charged for OSs, of course, although I seem to remember some manufacturers pitching free upgrades to the next imminent version when selling computers with the soon-to-be older system (wasn't Vista to 7 done that way by some manufacturers?), and although I'm sure MS gave them some incentives to soften the blow, that was still an offer from the manufacturer not MS.

We also know that Office has remained MS's strongest product and that Google would love to capture more of that market with Google Docs, etc. Maybe MS realizes they were a bit complacent when Windows was the dominant OS and don't want to see history repeat itself with office suites. So, in a world where Google is essentially giving away an OS, has MS realized that they've at least got to try that approach with Windows 10 to avoid further erosion of their customer base? And do they believe that they can put that genie back in the bottle and charge for future OS releases?

Nothing that really affects how our machines run, but of interest I think to the long-term viability of MS. By the way, I kept using that acronym because it's good to remind people that for a long time MS (or M$) stood for something other than manufactured spending.

chris19992

Just remember, this "free" upgrade is only for 1 year, after that you have to pay

antichef

... After that you have to pay to upgrade.

That is the marketing to get almost everybody to move so they can say it is "the most adopted system ever", bearing in mind how many may only have just moved from XP!

With the disaster that was 8 or 8.1 they need to get back in the mainstream market and the commercial market.

nerd

So what does it mean in the linked article above, when it says that once you claim the upgrade, it is permanent?

YVR Cockroach

A few months ago, I read that the UG from Win 8/8.1 would be just like a major upgrade (like from 8 to 8.1) but an UG from Win 7 would require a clean/overwrite install. Is this still true?

As for drivers, right click on the window for Check your Upgrade Status. The window doesn't stay open very long if no issues are expected

Win10UG by yvrcockroach, on Flickr

chris19992

Hmm, there seems to be a lot of confusion over this, some sites saying permanent while others are saying only 1 year.
http://www.cnet.com/uk/news/will-you...to-windows-10/

Think it's the wording that people are using, does indeed seem like it's free permanently.

Letitride3c

I haven't look at the detailed upgrade hardware specs/requirements up close, but got that icon/alert on the home server's taskbar - noticed it mid-week. Somehow, I don't think I want to bother messing around with the old Dell Optiplex tower, dual-core CPU with 4GB and 3 HDD's plus a few tweaks over the years. But, if that machine qualified for a free license/upgrade, I will register it for a download when it's pushed out. Should be a fun project - what the heck, right.

P.S. If MS/Dell can come up with the legacy drivers for those Dell seriesl, doubtful.

CPRich

Only if you mean "if you don't upgrade before the 1 year time period expires for the free offer, you have to pay."

If you take this free upgrade within the year that it's offered, it's free permanently on that device. You can even download an ISO so you can re-image whenever you like.

And if a year isn't long enough for you, you can claim the free upgrade, download it, and then wait as long as you want to actually install it.

Gaucho100K

The fine print I read said this upgrade was for a full version, not a trial version. Can anybody point to where it says its free for 1 year only...?

Letitride3c

Reserved - mine is checked now. Available on/after July 29th and will be pushed out & get notification that it's ready to install. Depending on current version running, will get either Windows 10 Home or in most cases, Windows 10 Pro (currently using Pro or Ultimate) some current 7 or 8 features will become optional and uninstalled.

According to the dropdown, the only issue for my mini-tower/server would be the antivirus/security software and graphics card driver w. compatibility issue - holy cow, 1 Ghz CPU and 1 GB memory or 2 GB for 64 bits - how sluggish that will be is a different story.

From what I read, it's free upgrade & good for lifetime, register all machines for upgrade, too good to be true from M$ but it is what it is. Still got one unused Win 8/8.1 free upgrade when that offer came out during the launch.

DYKWIA

It's permanently free, as long as you download it in the first year.