Here’s how you can reserve free copy of Windows 10 for yourself ahead of its official release this summer. Full step-by-step guide on how to do can be found here.
Some users on Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 have already received a notification from Microsoft to reserve their copy of Windows 10 in time for its official launch this summer. Whether you have received the message – or not – instructions on how to get your free copy of Windows 10 reserved can be found below.
Note: You will need to have a genuinely activated copy of Windows 7/8.1 to reserve your free Windows 10 copy.
Step 1: If you’re on Windows 7, then it’s necessary that you have Service Pack 1 installed – download from Windows Update. If you’re running Windows 8, then you should have the latest 8.1 update installed, which can also be grabbed from Windows Update. Secondly, you should have the March update, labelled as KB3035583, installed on your PC as well. You can download the update directly from here.
Note: If you have Automatic Updates enabled on your PC, then it’s highly likely that you have the March update installed already. If not, then grab the update from the link which we have provided above.
Step 2: In the lower right corner of the Windows system tray, after installing the March update, you should be seeing a new Windows icon prompting you to ‘Get Windows 10.’ Click on it. Refer to the screenshot below for more details on what it looks like.
Step 3: Once you’ve clicked on the prompt, you’ll be greeted with a bunch of screens on how Microsoft plans to get Windows 10 to Windows 7 and 8.1 users for free. Go through the screens till you reach the last one asking for your email address.
Step 4: Enter your email address. Make sure this is a valid and a working one because this is where you’ll be sent a confirmation email regarding your interest in Windows 10.
Step 5: With the email address entered, hit the ‘Send confirmation’ button and you’re done.
Now when Windows 10 is out in July, it will automatically download for you in the background.
Want to cancel your Windows 10 reservation? Here’s how you can do that as well:
Step 1: Click on the Windows icon in the system tray.
Step 2: Now click on the three horizontal lines on the top left hand-side corner.
Step 3: You’ll be presented with a bunch of options. Click on ‘Cancel Reservation.’
Step 4: Now simply confirm your choice and your Windows 10 reservation will be cancelled.
Now you just have to wait for the 29th of July. This is the date when Microsoft will officially start rolling out final Windows 10 updates. It is important to note that some users may not be seeing the ‘Get Windows 10’ icon despite having installed the required update for reserving a Windows 10 copy. Since Microsoft has only started sending these notifications out, just be patient as it can take some time to reach you.
These notifications signify just how hard Microsoft is trying to move people from Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 to the new OS, especially after the abysmal performance of Windows 8 on touch based devices. The software giant hopes to have Windows 10 running on 1 billion devices in next two to three years.
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