Microsoft already announced the estimated release date of Windows 10, its newest operating system, early last year. And part of the said announcement was that licensed users of Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 can get Windows 10 upgrade for free.
Recently, Microsoft has been very busy in detailing the highlights and features of its Windows 10 OS and the various licensing packages for its release. Below are some of the important information that you need to know in order to get Windows 10 for free, or for a fee.
Price and Release Information
According to Microsoft’s website, Windows 10 will be available on July 29 as a FREE Upgrade, this is the best part of this new OS release. However, this is only available as a FREE upgrade for the first year of its availability and only existing Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 users are eligible for the free upgrade.
For licensing cost, a copy of Windows 10 Home version will be made available for $119 while the Pro version (Windows 10 Pro) will cost $199. This will be the ideal license for those who are planning to build their own PC. For the upgrade path, if you have not availed the free upgrade and you want to upgrade to Windows 10 Pro at a later date, Windows 10 Pro Pack will cost $99 according to Microsoft.
How to Get the FREE Upgrade
If your system is eligible or qualified for the free upgrade, you shall see the Windows 10 upgrade notification icon in the system tray like the screen shot below.
Now, if you are running Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 and you are still not getting the Windows 10 Upgrade notification in your system tray, don’t fret. These are the possible reasons why the upgrade notification did not appear yet:
- The device is not running at least Windows 7 SP1 or Windows 8.1 Update.
- Windows Update is turned off or is not set to receive updates automatically.
- Windows Update functionality is blocked or uninstalled.
- The device is not running genuine Windows.
- The device is part of Enterprise licensing (SKU).
- The device is domain-joined.
- The device is MDM-managed.
And if you are lucky to see the upgrade notification in your system tray, act now and reserve your way to a better Windows 10 experience.