Free upgrade to Windows 10?

[meriad]

My laptop runs off Windows 7 and I'm quite happy with that. Yesterday I received a notification that I can be upgraded to Windows 10 when it comes out towards the end of July; apparently totally free with no hidden catches; they do say that the only possible charges would be by your ISP but that I don't think would affect me.

Has anyone had the same email message and said yes; or probably more important - any reason why I shouldn't do this free upgrade?

[Workingman]

Ria, I am back on W7. I did upgrade to W8 then W8.1 but could not get on with it. To me it was like those product with "new and improved recipe" all over the adverts, which turn out to be worse or with no improvement.

I might run W10 in a virtual machine for a while to see how it goes.

[Kaz]

Took me ages to get used to Windows 8, they can keep 10

[TheOstrich]

I've got Windows 7 on the PC tower and yes, I have got the invitation to get Windows 10 residing on my taskbar. So has Master O.

I'm wary about upgrades, though - I was always taught to leave installing any new innovation for at least 6 months so all the bugs can be identified and worked out .....

Master O has said he will upgrade "sometime" but I suspect that's a euphanism for "sometime in the far distant future".

I think I have read somewhere that the free Windows 10 installation offer is going to be good until the end of the year, after that they'll charge for it, but please don't quote me on that as I'm not sure if I read it right.

[cruiser2]

I have clicked the box to get the free upgrade.
Am using Windows 8.1 Agree it is not as good as W7
If W10 is no better than W8.1 may try Linux.
If I do install W10. can I down load it onto a disc which I can then keep if I want to uninstall and perhaps re-install later

[Suff]

Hi all,

I have Windows 10 running in a VM and have been since February. It is somewhat better than 8/8.1 in that it does have a real start menu back but still in that annoying A... B.... C for all the programs. So I won't be using it. I've removed ALL the live tiles twice and I've also found a powershell script that removes all the "modern" (crap), UI apps that it insists on installing. Although I have to uninstall them every time I update the system as the major version updates add them back every time.

Windows10 will be a Fee update from W7/W8/W8.1 for one year after Windows10 ships. You will be able to do the update online but it will download a 4GB image file to do the install. That notification on the task bar was put there by one of the Windows updates you installed last week and is there to allow MS to calculate the load it's going to get when they ship W10 on July 29th.

The main question remaining is how to do a full re-install if the thing completely borks itself. Not impossible. I tried to enable a hack to remove the crapps and set my date to 2033. at which point the OS crashed, bombed out and failed on every reboot telling me critical components had expired and refusing to fix it. I had to do a complete new install.

Windows 10 is supposed to be the last version you will every buy again. Like 8.1, all updates to W10 will come online and will be free. They claim you'll never need to buy the OS again unless you buy a new computer. Which, after all, most people do every 7 years or so.

In general it's worth doing especially as you get the free upgrade now plus free upgrades forever thereafter. However, it will take some getting used to. Anyone who uses windows8 and has learned how to use it can use Windows10 quite easily. Not quite so easy for W7 users and, it seems to me, that they are pushing more and more system apps into their crapps called the "modern UI".

Let's face it. Whether you do the work now or whether you do it later, in the end you are going to have to accept the new Windows interface to some degree or other when your old W7 dies. Either that or go use a Mac or learn to "Run with Scissors" with Linux.

BTW those of you with Windows8 phones will also be able to upgrade them to 10. I've not tried the preview programme but I will upgrade my Windows phone when the full version is there.

[Gal]

I've got Windows 7 on the PC tower and yes, I have got the invitation to get Windows 10 residing on my taskbar.

Mine has appeared overnight Can I just ignore it, I still have W7 on the laptop and tbf, I've been having a few problems with the laptop before thinking about doing anything to change it!

[Workingman]

You can ignore it for now Gal, but as Suff says in his post W7 will at some stage become obsolete and unsupported and you will have to move on to W10 or a Mac or Linux.

Microsoft's instructions are here

It is not availabe to us mere mortals till July 29th, so no panic as yet. I am hoping that somewhere will offer and install disc so that clean installs can be done.

[victor]

have'nt had an offer

[Workingman]

It comes with a Windows update, Vic. If you have updates turned off or do them manually once in a blue moon, as I do, you might not get the invite. You can still register from the link in my last post.