Microsoft’s Windows 10 launches today: Here’s a checklist to follow before you upgrade

Microsoft is revamping Windows. It’s newest flavour of the Windows operating system launches today. 29 July is marked on many calendars across the globe. Given that it’s the first time Microsoft is making a major release a free upgrade, it’s quite interesting! There’s a catch though. All genuine users of Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 are eligible for the free upgrade for up to a year.

Eligibility check

According to Microsoft, the Windows 10 operating system will be available as a free upgrade for qualified devices running Windows 7 and Windows 8.1. Yes, for free!

You may be desperate to claim something that is available for ‘free’ on the first day itself. And you need to decide whether or not you want to. The launch day is tomorrow. But you might just want to wait it out.

Before you decide to upgrade it’s important to understand the real deal behind Windows 10.

Check your system specifications

If you decide to not wait it out and opt-in for the upgrade, you will need to ensure that you run the latest update of the operating system. If you run Windows 7, then you should have installed SP1. If you haven’t, you can download it here. Similarly, if you are on Windows 8, then the Windows 8.1 update is a must to be eligible for the upgrade to Windows 10.

The minimum hardware specifications to run Windows 10 are as follows:

Processor: 1 Gigahertz (GHz) or faster processor or SoC
RAM: 1 Gigabyte (GB) for 32-bit or 2 GB for 64-bit
Hard disk space: 16 GB for 32-bit OS or 20 GB for 64-bit OS
Graphics card: DirectX 9 or later with WDDM 1.0 driver
Display: 1024×600

How do you upgrade?

I'd written before on how you could reserve your update for the new Windows 10. Here's in short for readers who haven't read it.

Assuming you have weighed all factors that need to be considered, and have decided to upgrade to Windows, all you need to do is install the Get Windows 10 app.

You could click on the Windows icon on the Windows icon on the system tray (at the right end of the taskbar).

Once you click on the same, you can Reserve your free upgrade!

What if you don’t upgrade?

You can still buy Windows 10! Windows 10 Home edition will cost you $119 (Rs 7,000 approximately). In comparison, Windows 10 Pro edition will cost you $199 (Rs 12,000 approximately). If you prefer upgrading from the Home edition to the Pro edition, you can opt for a Windows 10 Pro Pack at $99 (Rs 6,000 approximately).

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