Windows 10 Free Upgrade Expires end of July 2016

We receive a fair number of calls from our customers and partners, asking if they should take advantage of the free upgrade to Windows 10 before the offer is gone. We thought it would be helpful to document our responses and publish to our valued followers.

Questions to ask yourself:
– Did my computer come with Windows 10, but had a downgrade right to Windows 7 or 8 installed?

• If this is the case, you don’t have to worry about the free upgrade expiration. You can upgrade your system at any time since it’s already licensed for Windows 10.

                                                                                                                            

– Is my business-specific software compatible with Windows 10?

• You can verify with vendors, and if it’s not compatible, you can decide if it’s the right time to upgrade. If you’re not ready, don’t worry; keep reading.

 

– Do I have the time to learn a different operating system and 2 to 4 hours to complete the upgrade?

• We’re all busy. If the thought of learning a different operating system excites you and you’re prepared to have potential downtime, proceed with the upgrade.

 

– Are my printers compatible with Windows 10?

• It is easy enough to check for drivers and compatibility from the manufacturer. Some drivers that were written for previous versions can still work with other operating systems.

 

If the thought of spending the time to test, upgrade hardware and business software and learn a new operating just isn’t in the cards, but yet you’d like to take advantage of the free upgrade before it’s gone, no worries. Follow these steps to secure your future upgrade.

• Take the time to download and do the upgrade.
• Activate online which will register your computer’s unique number with Microsoft licensing servers.
• Test your apps and printers.
• If it’s a no-go, Windows 10 has a rollback feature that will put your computer back to the previous version and then since your computer is already registered with Microsoft, if you DO want to upgrade in a few months after you’ve upgraded software and hardware, you can do the upgrade again and since it was already registered/licensed once before, you can do it again and be fine.

 

Feel free to call our CSI Onsite office if you have any questions or comments. We’re here to assist you be successful with your IT needs.

Until next time, happy computing!