free Windows 10 Upgrade Archives

Q&A: Can I install the free Windows 10 upgrade using just a Windows 7 product key?

Posted on November 25, 2015

Question from Todd J.: My company has just informed us that they’re going to replace all of the 3 year old Dell XPS 15 laptops in our division with new machines by the end of the year.

They’re going to remove the hard drives from all the old laptops and destroy them, then give the laptops to us to keep.

I’ve been told that computers running Windows 7 qualify for a free Windows 10 upgrade, but only if Windows 7 is currently installed on the hard drive. The problem is our IT guys are going to remove the hard drives before they transfer ownership of the laptops to us employees.

My question is will I be able to install a replacement hard drive and then download Windows 10 and activate it using the Windows 7 product key that’s printed on the bottom of the machine?

From what I’ve heard it sounds like I’m going to have to buy a copy of Windows too, but I’d like to know for sure so I’ll know what all I need to do in order to get the laptop back up and running again.

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Great news: Microsoft has simplified the free Windows 10 upgrade procedure

Posted on November 22, 2015

First of all, let me say that I really appreciate Microsoft’s generosity in letting Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users upgrade their PCs to Windows 10 for free.

That being said, they made the upgrade process a bit tedious for users who wished to do a clean install of Windows 10 on their machines instead of doing a simple in-place upgrade.

For whatever reason they designed the upgrade process in a way that required you to first upgrade your existing Windows 7 or 8.1 installation to Windows 10, then wipe the drive and reinstall Windows 10 using your old Windows Product Key. What on earth were they thinking? [Read more…]

Microsoft temporarily suspends new sign-ups for the Windows Insider Program

Posted on July 23, 2015

A while back Microsoft announced that participants in the Windows Insider Program will be eligible to receive a free copy of Windows 10 after its July 29 release. Well, it now appears they are having second thoughts.

After Microsoft made the announcement detailing that very generous Windows Insider bonus, thousands of users took Microsoft at their Word. They quickly began signing up for the Windows Insider Program just so they could qualify for a free copy of Windows 10 to install on machines that otherwise wouldn’t qualify for the free upgrade. [Read more…]