After the exciting news of the upcoming Windows 10 release, made even better by the fact it is free to all qualifying Windows 7 and 8 users, we’ve looked into the actual upgrade process after July 29^th.

As mentioned above, as long as you register within one year of the July 29^th release of Windows 10, Microsoft will let you have the upgrade for free. There are a few things to watch out for though, particularly one phrase stating the upgrade is for the “supported lifetime of the device”. It’s quite unclear what this means and as yet, Microsoft have not clarified. Also, your computer will need to be capable of running Windows 10, the main specifications being: 1GHz processor, 1GB RAM (32-bit Windows) or 2GB RAM (64-bit Windows), and 16GB of free disk space.

For those considering a new PC or Laptop; if you upgrade to Windows 10 from a previous retail version, you can then install the updated system to a new computer! The old version will need to be removed, but this is great news if you were considering buying a pre-installed Windows 10 device.

Another point to bear in mind is the type of Windows licence you have. It will be the same once the upgrade has been completed, so if you have changed any major components the software may need reactivating.

All will surely be elaborated come launch day though!

How to upgrade:

1. Your computer will need to be on the latest version its current operating system before the upgrade. This can be checked through Windows Update. Once updated to either Windows 7SP1 or Windows 8.1, a Windows tile icon should appear in the notification area of the desktop – this may have already appeared if your PC is up to date.
2. Click the Windows tile icon to begin the Get Windows 10 app. Here you can check your device complies with the Windows 10 requirements by clicking the Menu button (top-left of the screen, three horizontal lines) and then Check My PC. Don’t worry, if you need to update anything or clear some space, the app will notify you accordingly.
3. Reserve your upgrade: Click Menu and then Reserve to secure your free copy of Windows 10. You can view confirmation in the Menu, and you will be notified when Windows 10 has downloaded. Once ready, you will then be able to install an in-place upgrade of your operating system to complete the upgrade to Windows 10. From here, you can then transfer the upgrade to a new device (a clean install) from an ISO by Microsoft, using a DVD or USB flash drive.

Remember, you have one year from July 29^th to complete this installation so make sure to claim yours! Your upgrade will depend on the system you have, which can be determined below:

Windows 7 Starter  →  Windows 10 Home

Windows 7 Home Basic  →  Windows 10 Home

Windows 7 Home Premium  →  Windows 10 Home

Windows 7 Professional → Windows 10 Pro

Windows 7 Ultimate  →  Windows 10 Pro

Windows 8  →  Windows 10 Home

Windows 8 Pro  →  Windows 10 Pro

Windows 8.1  →  Windows 10 Home

Windows 8.1 Pro →  Windows 10 Pro

For further information on Windows 10, why not have a look at our upcoming series including:

Windows 10 in easy steps and Get going with Windows 10 in easy steps – both due August 2015.