How To Migrate From Vista To Windows 10

Microsoft's initial push to get Windows seven and 8 users upgraded to Windows 10 is over. But y'all can still get the Bone for free.

Microsoft Ended support for Windows vii on Jan 14th, 2020. And while there is not an official channel to upgrade to Windows 10, there is a pull a fast one on to get it. And this is non illegal. Microsoft is allowing users to practise this. Hither'southward how.

Important: Earlier attempting whatsoever major upgrade, brand sure all of your important data is backed up start. If something goes incorrect (and information technology certainly could with this blazon of upgrade) yous're not going to be able to recover information technology.

Upgrade from Windows 7 to 10 for Free

Before trying the upgrade make sure to update all hardware drivers and the BIOS or firmware on your PC. Also, recall yous're current Windows 7 PC needs to have a valid and activated license.

To attempt it, caput to the Windows ten download folio. Nether the Media Creation section download theDownload tool now button and run it.

Accept the EULA. So when information technology asks you what to do select "Upgrade this PC Now" and continue with the sorcerer's on-screen instructions.

Important Notes:

At that place are several caveats here that might make your upgrade attempt error out. At that place might be hardware cake — peculiarly on machines built before 2015. Microsoft added organisation compatibility blocks with Windows 10 1903. And so, brand sure your BIOS or firmware and all hardware drivers are upwardly-to-date before trying the upgrade.

And just note that Microsoft can just plow this "trick" off at any fourth dimension. Then, depending on your organisation or when y'all try this, your mileage may vary.

Editor Note 1/fifteen/2020: This commodity was originally written in 2017. It has been updated to reflect the end of support for Windows 7. Yous can read the original text beneath:

Windows ten was kickoff introduced to the market with a 1-year free upgrade offer. From July 29th, 2015 to July 29th, 2016, users could upgrade eligible Windows 7 and Windows eight devices to Microsoft'southward new desktop Bone for free. Many users did accept advantage of it, but for one reason or another, many others skipped the offer. No surprise, a 24-hour interval after Microsoft's free offer concluded, procrastinating users popped up all over the Internet, including our Windows x forums asking for data about how they could even so get Windows x for costless.

Last August, I noticed the complimentary upgrade offering seemed to nevertheless exist available and I wrote a brusque web log post near information technology. Throughout the month of August, some users were still getting notifications to upgrade for costless, while others saw them disappear altogether. Eleven months have passed since the gratis upgrade ended; in fact, we are approaching the second anniversary of the Windows 10 upgrade.

To those of you who are coming late to the party and still want a gratis upgrade: where've you been all this time? Anyway, whatsoever your reasons, allow's run into how we can get you a free re-create of Windows x at present that the free upgrade ship has officially sailed.

How You Can Still Get a Gratis Upgrade to Windows 10

According to some participants on Microsoft's Community forums, Microsoft might be forgiving to those who skipped on the upgrade. It seems y'all tin get a second chance to upgrade to Windows 10 by merely contacting support. A Microsoft MVP responded to a participant inquiring most getting Windows ten for free and this is what he said:

Contact MS support to request a free upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 10. The back up agent will provide you with an exception link to let the free upgrade to Windows 10. Source

Aside from that, you may also nonetheless be eligible for a free Windows ten upgrade if you utilise Assistive Technologies. Assistive Technologies users could be broadly defined as users with a particular impairment or disability using third-party software or hardware. There is no verification process for users who authorize for the Assistive Technologies upgrade.

Note (10th September, 2021): While this gratuitous upgrade promotion has long been scrubbed from Microsoft's website, yous may find it withal works in general. YMMV, however!

We really mentioned this in a forum blog post terminal yr; the option remains open and anyone it seems can use it to still snag a free copy. Of course, we urge you not to abuse this offer from Microsoft and to only practise this pick if yous rely on Assistive Technologies.

If you are non interested in going through whatsoever back up obstacles or loopholes, I discovered that yous can upgrade without purchasing a license at all. You are probably wondering, "Well, why didn't you just say so from the beginning?" Well, I could accept, only I just wanted to provide all the options for users who wanted to go through official channels.

Then, are there any legal challenges related to this? Microsoft did say the gratis offer ended in July of 2016. It seems that it was more of a formality or perhaps marketing mumbo colossal to create a sense of urgency.

I decided to test this out by starting time restoring my HP Elitebooks mill Windows 7 image. I also tried it out on my HP desktop with Windows 8.0 (yous read right, Windows 8.0, not 8.1 or eight.ane with Update 1). During this experiment, the start thing I discovered is your Windows 7 or Windows viii/8.i license must be activated. If it's non, Windows ten setup is going to prompt you for a production key.

You can't use a Windows vii or Windows 8 key if y'all are upgrading. What you can do though is activate it using a Windows 7 or Windows 8 key afterwards setup is complete; if you cull to perform a clean install. If information technology'due south activated, then setup doesn't prompt you lot. That's information technology, yous can upgrade without whatsoever further hindrance. There you lot go, my arrangement upgraded from Windows 7 to Windows ten in 2017 for free. Check out the video below.

Editor'due south Note: I've besides washed this a ton of times using my Windows 8 Pro license key that came with my installation DVD. The way I see information technology: I did take Microsoft up on its offer to upgrade for free when information technology was bachelor. Simply every now so, I like to practise a clean Windows install. It makes sense that I should yet be able to use the original license key that I paid for to get back to where I was before my reinstall.

What if my organization is not activated?

If your Windows vii or Windows 8 license is not activated and you are not interested in purchasing a license, then your options are limited. You do have some options though. Microsoft offers a 90 day trial of its Windows 10 Enterprise edition. Windows 10 Enterprise is normally distributed under Microsoft's volume license program for large organizations that deploy Windows 10 in bulk. Information technology's a full-featured edition of the operating system but in this case, it's really an evaluation version of the software. Users must register before they tin download and install the software. This option is perfect for those users who are running Windows Vista or never had a 18-carat license, to begin with.

I workaround users can use to extend the usage of the Windows 10 Enterprise trial is to join the Windows Insider Preview Plan. Be advised, when you sign upward for Windows 10 Insider Previews, yous are electing to download, install and utilize pre-release software still nether heavy evolution. The take a chance is indeed high as evidenced by a recent unintended delivery of internal crude border builds not even intended for users interested in bleeding edge.

Users do have the recovery options like rolling dorsum inside 10 days of upgrading – that is if you can boot the system. Regular backups such every bit creating organisation images, or storing files on OneDrive should brand it safe plenty to use Windows 10 Insider builds while getting a complimentary copy of the software. But, once more, use it at your ain risk.

For users who already take an installed, activated copy of Windows 10, just would like a second copy setup maybe for compatibility purposes on a second drive or segmentation, there is a loophole available. I discovered that if yous already installed and activated Windows 10 with a Digital License, you lot can practise exactly that. Just install a second copy and information technology will actuate without even asking questions. Previously, additional installations even on the same hardware required the purchase of an additional license in order to actuate. The Terminate User License Terms all the same says you do, just apparently, it is non enforced – for at present.

The free upgrade situation is a chip ironic, and I mean that the same fashion Alanis Morisette meant it: not really ironic, but rather unfortunate for a few individuals. Microsoft has been pushing a borderline for an entire year and I am certain many users with eligible Windows 7 and Windows 8 licenses ended upwards buying a total Windows 10 license – when technically, they already paid.

Anyway, those are the options even so available if you nonetheless desire to upgrade, let u.s. know what you think. We are as well interested to hear from the Windows Vista, seven, or 8 holdouts: what changed your mind afterwards then long?