Beginning on January 14, 2020, Microsoft will stop supporting Windows 7 and for end-users, this could lead to serious problems. That's because the soon-to-be-obsolete OS will no longer get important security patches and machines running on it will be rendered vulnerable to potential attacks.
The best course available for users is to make the jump now to Windows 10 and doing so continues to be free. This was the case when Windows 10 was first introduced in 2010 as Microsoft offered its flagship operating system to Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 users at no cost.
Supposedly, that program has ended in 2016 but according to WCCFTech, the free upgrade is still available for those patient enough to perform the manual installation, which is a bit of work. The trick is to download the Windows 10 ISO and do a clean install on a PC with a licensed copy of Windows 7.
"The media creation tool and Windows 10 installation media (ISO files) are available for customers to install Windows 10. If you're installing Windows 10 for the first time, you'll need to enter a valid Windows 10 product key or buy a full version of Windows 10 during setup for this tool to work," the report quoted the Windows maker as saying.
In the same way, machines with earlier versions of Windows 10 will surely accommodate the latest release of the OS as Microsoft explained: "If you've previously installed Windows 10 on your device, you should have a digital license and Windows 10 will automatically activate without entering a product key."
Per the same report, this way of getting Windows 10 for free works perfectly and Windows 7 users have no reason not to take advantage. Besides, Windows 10 in its present form is far cry from the first version. The system stability, for instance, has greatly improved with the release of Version 1909.
Microsoft's decision to deploy the OS feature upgrade as a cumulative update made all the difference. The new version so far is free of the glitches that marred the previous releases.
However, while this free entry to Windows 10 seems tempting enough, specifically for those coming from Windows 7, Microsoft said the best experience of the new OS is through a new PC, according to Express.
"Today's PCs are faster, lightweight yet powerful, and more secure, with an average price that's considerably less than that of the average PC over nine years ago," the report quoted the tech giant as saying.
This makes sense indeed as a stand-alone copy of Windows 10 normally starts at $150 but with a pre-loaded copy on a brand-new laptop, for instance, that sells for $400, the optimal experience has got to be more rewarding.
