'Once the download is complete and the update is ready to install, we’ll check with you, so you can pick the right time to finish the installation and reboot,' Microsoft says. 'We do this so we can ensure the update does not disrupt you, and we use to help suggest a good time.' If you want Creators Update sooner, check for it manually via Settings >Update & security >Windows Update >Check for updates. Once it's installed, you're ready to go;. For everyone else: you blew it. As of July 2016, those still on Windows 7 or 8 have to pay up to $200 for Windows 10.

Last month, about 29 percent of worldwide PCs were running Windows 10; Windows 7 is still most popular with 47 percent, according to. So there are still quite a few people who have yet to experience Windows 10.

If you're ready to try it, check if your PC Fall Creators Update. Chances are good that it can; the system requirements are not extremely demanding. If that's a go,. Remember, a new operating system is a non-trivial upgrade, and even though Windows 10 has been tested on millions of PCs already, there's a chance your particular combination of hardware, drivers, and software could trip up the new OS. Getting Started To buy a copy of Windows 10, point your web browser to. Click Windows 10 >Get Windows 10 >Get Windows 10 OS >Next.

You'll get a warning that if your PC is more than three years old it may not support 'the innovative features of Windows 10.' Just click the Get Windows 10 OS option again. Then you pick if you want it for Home, School/Education, or Business. On the next page, you can choose to get Windows 10 Home, Pro, or, though the last one is not really for sale; it's only available if you purchase a. (Windows 10 S is the student-focused version of Windows 10 that only runs apps you get from the Windows Store, though it's upgradeable for a time to Windows 10 Home.) Choose to download the installation software or have a USB thumb drive sent to you. If you are a system builder or a Mac user wanting to install Windows using Boot Camp, the Windows 10 USB installer makes more sense.

Here's your guide to fixing those Windows 10 installation problems that could pop up when trying to upgrade or install from scratch. If you face errors like Something Happened or 80240020, while installing or upgrading Windows 10, then see this complete list of Windows 10 error codes. The error message along with the error code. The following are the list of common upgrade or installation errors along with solutions to fix problems.

You can also get Windows 10 via the online Microsoft Store, and have it sent to your home or pick it up at an actual Microsoft Store. The price is the same either way. Note that anyone can go to the and download the upgrade software to Windows 10, and even use the Media Tool available there to make a USB drive with the installer software. But you can't just install it any computer; the PC has to have a valid Windows 10 product key (that 25-digit alpha-numeric Microsoft sticks on everything its sells). Without the product key, the software won't install, so you still have to pay. It is, however, a smart thing to do after you install Windows 10, so you'll have an easy replacement (assuming you didn't buy the USB drive version in the first place).

This is also a good way to upgrade from 32-bit to 64-bit, or go from Home to Pro. Install the Operating System. Assuming your microphone is detected early on, even the will jump in to help with the install, letting you say 'yes' aloud to answer questions like what kind of keyboard setup you want. It's handy if you've got Windows 10 installing on a PC that's across the room. The entire process may take as little as 20 minutes or as much as an hour, depending on your configuration. The Loophole There is still one way to get Windows 10 as an upgrade to Windows 7 or 8 without paying:.

Sight-impaired users can get enlarged screen views with Magnifier or voice control for everything with Narrator; people who have trouble clicking a mouse get tools to make it easier, and more. The 2016 Anniversary Update. There's no requirement to use specific assistive technologies; you can still get this upgrade even if you use assistive tech from a third-party company.

Microsoft hasn't commented on whether it's checking whether those who take advantage of this offer are actually using the assistive technologies, but the download page says: 'If you use assistive technology on Windows, you are eligible for the free upgrade offer.' Microsoft still hasn't announced an end date to this offer. Going the Other Way What if you make the upgrade to Windows 10 and you don't like what you see? Microsoft has another surprise that breaks remarkably from the past: You have one month (and only one month) to your previous operating system version.

Michael Muchmore is PC Magazine?s lead analyst for software and Web applications. A native New Yorker, he has at various times headed up PC Magazine?s coverage of Web development, enterprise software, and display technologies.

Michael cowrote one of the first overviews of Web Services for a general audience. Before that he worked on PC Magazine?s Solutions section, which covered programming techniques as well as tips on using popular office software. Most recently he covered services and software for ExtremeTech.com. Ghita Munteanu Si Lena Miclaus Album 2012 Free Download. KML Buffer Tool more.

Jeffrey Hahner upgraded to Windows 10. But the new version isn’t updating itself as it should. Operating systems need to update regularly to fix bugs and close security holes. So if Windows 10 isn’t successfully updating, you’ve got a serious problem. Even worse, the failure to update itself might be a symptom of a malware infection. A quick note: I had to deal with this situation myself recently, but I didn’t think to grab images off the screen at the time.

So some of the images below are faked. Try these fixes until one of them works: [Have a tech question? Ask PCWorld Contributing Editor Lincoln Spector.

Send your query to.] 1. Microsoft’s troubleshooter This rarely works, but it’s so quick and simple that it’s worth trying. Download, install, and run the. Even if it can’t fix the problem, this program may provide a useful description that you can search for on the Web. System Restore If you can restore Windows to a time before the problem started, you will quite likely fix the problem. But first you’ll need to find out when the problem started. Click Start >Settings >Update & Security.

In the Windows Update tab, click Advanced options. In the new window, click View your update history. Scroll down until you find the last successfully installed update.

Leaving that window up, go to the Taskbar’s Search field, type restore, and select Create a restore point. In the resulting dialog box, click the System Restore button. Check Show more restore points—if the option is available.

You’ll want a restore point older than the last successful update. If you find one, complete the system restore and hope it works (it might not). Scan for malware Malware often protects itself by blocking certain services, including Windows Update, System Restore, and your antivirus program. A good scan may help the problem. Then scan with the and Trend Micro’s.

These are online and unlikely to be compromised by an infection. After scanning with one, try the other. If that doesn’t solve the problem 4. Restore from an image backup If you created an image backup when Windows 10 was healthy, try restoring Windows from that. But back up your libraries and other data files first onto external media. Of course you do that daily anyway, right? Well, do it this time.

Reinstall Windows 10 from scratch If you don’t have a good image backup, try installing Windows fresh using Microsoft’s Windows 10 Install Drive. Just to be safe, set this up on another computer.

I discussed details for creating this drive near the bottom of. Pay particular attention to the part about getting your Product ID number before you start the reinstall. As with the image backup option discussed above, make sure you back up your data beforehand.