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Windows 10 Will Be a Free Upgrade

Office IT, Softwaresoftware, Upgrade, WindowsOphtek, LLC

Mar 2015

Microsoft will soon offer free upgrades to Windows 10. We’ll explain everything you need to know and how to properly prepare for the upgrade.

An overview

We would have never thought we’d see the day that Microsoft announces a “free” upgrade to their operating systems!

So what is the catch? It appears to be that the upgrade will be free for one year and will only be offered to Windows 7, 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1 systems.

That’ll leave enough time for Microsoft users to test out the new OS features and functionalities for glitches, even past the technical preview version. Or could it be that they’re keeping up with Apple’s trend of free upgrades to fit in more with the flourishing mobile market?

Whatever the reason may be, we know that the announcement officially came through Terry Myerson from Microsoft. Myerson had conveyed the notion of moving towards a close-knit product, with the aim of leaving behind the problem of having to worry about multiple OS versions.

Either way, it’s a safe decision for Microsoft to make as they’ll gain a better foothold on various pies in market whilst maintaining consumer loyalty.

Since Microsoft’s operating systems are still predominantly used in many companies and businesses across the globe, the possibility for a free upgrade will also ensure compatibility with their existing systems, making it simpler for IT to implement upgrades.

What you need to know

Windows 10 is designed be even more robust than the previous versions, and it’ll include an exclusive voice control technology known as Cortana.
It’ll be an all-in-one platform supporting PCs, phones, tablets, laptops, and games consoles.

After the initial year is up, Windows 10 may possibly be priced as a premium OS, so be prudent with your budget and allocate a little more than you would on your existing Microsoft licenses.

It’s yet to be disclosed if any discount will be given after using the free one year upgrade. At present, an upgrade to Windows 10 from version 8.1 is priced at $199.99.

The system requirements for Windows 10 will be good on most desktops and laptops built within the past 5-7years.
According to the Windows Insider website the minimum requirements are a 1 GHz processor, 16 GB of disk space and 1 GB of RAM.
Microsoft reassures users that computer systems running Windows 8.1 will be good enough to run Windows 10.
Another consideration is Microsoft not raising their system requirements since 2006; You could even run Windows 10 from a Windows 7, Vista, and even possibly XP system!

Although Microsoft released their Technical Preview of Windows 10 last October, the wait still continues for the official “bug-free” version of Windows 10. We can only speculate that it’ll be out sometime in 2015.

For more ways to update business networks and systems, contact your local IT professionals.

Transfer Files and Settings from XP to Windows 7

SoftwareSettings, Transfer, Upgrade, Windows, windows 7, windows xpOphtek, LLC

May 2014

Since Microsoft has ended support of Windows XP and it has become increasingly dangerous to continue running XP, many people have purchased new Windows 7 systems. If you replaced your Windows XP system with a new computer you will want to move your Windows XP files and settings too.

This can be accomplished with a USB drive and Windows Easy Transfer.

First, on the Windows 7 computer, click the Start button, select Getting Started, and Transfer your files.

When asked What do you want to use to transfer items to your new computer?, select An external hard disk or usb flash drive.

Next select This is my new computer.

When asked Has Windows Easy Transfer already saved your files from your old computer to an external hard disk or USB flash drive?, answer No.

On the next screen, select I need to install it now if you haven’t installed Windows Easy Transfer on your XP computer.

Select External hard disk or shared network folder to copy the program to your USB drive. If you have an external USB drive, you need to use the External hard disk option.

Next Windows Easy Transfer must be installed on the XP machine. Follow the instructions that appear in the next window. The instructions will tell you to move over to your old computer.

After attaching the USB drive to your old computer, launch Easy Transfer from the saved location on the USB. While the program prepares to run, a window with a progress bar appears.

Next, after reading the instructions on the welcome screen, select Next.

Use your USB to transfer files by choosing An external hard disk or USB flash drive.

Next you can select which user accounts and settings, along with a list of accompanying files to save.

Selecting Advanced gives a more detailed way to save files.

If you so desire, you may password protect the backup.

After choosing Save, click Next, safely remove the USB, and plug it into the new machine.

Launch Windows Easy Transfer on the Windows 7 machine and click Yes when the following window appears:

After the file explorer opens, use it to move to the location of the backup on the USB drive.

You can restore the entire backup or pick specific files and folders to restore. Click Save to begin the transfer.

When the transfer is complete, you can view a report of it, as well as suggestions for additional programs to install.

The additional programs available for installation can be viewed under the Program Report tab.

Not all programs and settings will transfer to Windows 7, but this is one of the most seamless processes for transferring compatible program settings and files.

For more information please consult your local IT professional.

Tag Archives: Upgrade

An overview

What you need to know