The wait is over, today July 29th, is the official launch day of Windows 10. Microsoft is now making available its new operating system in over 190 countries and on 111 languages as a free upgrade for all Windows 7 and Windows 8 users.
The roll out will happen in phases, Windows Insiders will get it first, and everyone else who have reserved the a free copy will start seeing the upgrade notification in the coming days or weeks. Businesses using the Enterprise version of the operating system will be able to get the update on August 1st.
If you can’t wait to upgrade, you can use this workaround to manually trigger the upgrade process. The company also has just made available for download the ISO files to perform an upgrade or clean installation of the operating system. However, if you want to perform a clean installation of Windows 10 using your Windows 7 or Windows 8 product key, you’ll need to upgrade first to convert your Windows product key to a Windows 10 product key.
Starting today, people around the world should begin seeing the upgrade notification in the Taskbar to begin the process.
It’s worth pointing out that the free update is only available for computers running a genuine version of Windows 7 with Service Pack 1 or Windows 8.1 Update.
To be begin the upgrade process, simply click the Windows logo that appears in the notification area of the Taskbar. Keep in mind that it make take some time before the upgrade files are available to you.
Sometimes, it could also happen that something is not working correctly and you won’t see the Windows 10 update. If this is your case, you can follow this troubleshooting steps from Microsoft.
If you’re planning to purchase a new computer today, you will be able to find many of them already running Windows 10, make sure to check PCs, laptops, and tablets from Acer, Dell, HP, and Lenovo. More PC makers will ship new computers with Windows 10 very soon.
Among all the new improvements and features, Windows 10 brings a new familiar user interface, the Start menu returns; Cortana, Microsoft’s digital assistant, debuts on the desktop. There is a new Action Center similar to Mac OS X, universal Windows apps now run across devices including PCs, tablets, and phones, you can stream Xbox One games to your PC, and a lot more.
In case you’re not sure if your computer is compatible with Windows 10, make sure your device has at least 1GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, 20GB of free disk space, and it’s running Windows 7 or Windows 8.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 21 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].