You can now download the release version of Windows 10 directly from Microsoft. The tools on that page allow you to upgrade the computer you’re using, or to create bootable disc or thumb drive images, which can then be used to install Windows 10 from scratch on another computer. Both the Home and Pro versions are available, in 32 and 64 bit form.

If you’re running Windows 7 or 8.x, and you choose to perform an upgrade from the site linked above, you’ll get the Home version if you’re currently running one of the Home variants, and Pro otherwise.

It’s still not completely clear what happens when you don’t have a legitimate Windows 7 or 8.x license. At some point, you’ll be asked to enter a license key, and without one, presumably Windows 10 will stop functioning or suffer from reduced functionality. The same goes for in-place upgrades; as Microsoft has said, if you have a non-valid install of Windows 7 or 8.x and upgrade it to Windows 10, it will continue to be non-valid, with all that entails.

Update: My Windows 10 test computer is running whatever version is being provided via the Windows Insider program. It looks like the final release version, and has the build number Microsoft planned to use for the release: 10240. Because I joined the Windows Insider program (which involved having updates pushed to the computer regularly, and being asked to provide ratings and feedback), I’m now running Windows 10 Pro on a computer that previously ran Windows XP, and it didn’t cost anything, and it’s completely legit. Of course, if I ever want to stop logging in to Windows 10 with my Microsoft ID, I’ll have to purchase a Windows 10 license.

Windows 10 is scheduled for release on July 29. Microsoft really wants people to upgrade, offering the new O/S for free to anyone running legitimate installs of Windows 7 and 8.x, at least until July 28, 2016. Anyone who’s been running the Windows Insider Preview version of Windows 10 will also be able to install the release version for free. It sounds enticing, but is it right for you?

Questions remain

Unfortunately, there are still some unanswered questions regarding the free Windows 10 upgrades. How long will a ‘free’ install of Windows 10 remain free? If I try to reinstall it from scratch a few years from now, will I be forced to pay for it? What if my computer’s hard drive fails and I have to replace it and reinstall Windows 10? Microsoft has yet to produce definitive answers to these questions.

But the biggest unknown is the issue of forced updates. Windows 10 updates will be installed on ‘Home’ versions without allowing the user any choice whatsoever. That includes security updates and other bug fixes, but also new and changed features. ‘Pro’ users will be able to delay updates for several weeks, but have no way to prevent them indefinitely. While forced updates are arguably a good thing for most (especially non-technical) users, many power users find this prospect alarming. I don’t want Microsoft messing with my computer when I’m asleep. I want to be the only person who installs updates. I don’t want to see mysterious WAN bandwidth spikes that turn out to be huge, unwanted Windows 10 updates. Note: there may be a way to block certain updates indefinitely, according to Ed Bott, but the details are sketchy.

How to decide?

Is Windows 10 right for you? If you want the latest version of Windows, with the most up to date technologies and support for current hardware, and you don’t mind that the user interface is a hodgepodge of old and new (touch/tablet/mobile) style elements, you don’t mind forced updates, and your hardware supports it, then by all means upgrade to Windows 10.

If you’re running Windows 8.x, there’s no reason to hold back, since Windows 10 is basically Windows 8.2, and it addresses many Windows 8.x problems, including the lack of a Start menu.

The decision is not so easy for Windows 7 users. Windows 7 support (mostly in the form of security updates) will continue until January 14, 2020, so there’s no urgency. If you don’t like the new user interface, with its focus on touch and mobile devices, stay away. If you want to be able to use newer apps – the ones designed for the new UI – then you’ll have to upgrade. Support for Windows 7 by software and hardware makers is sure to decline over the next few years, which may force your hand.

I’ve been using the Windows 10 Insider Preview on a test machine, and so far, I like it. That machine was previously running Windows XP, which of course is no longer getting security updates and is increasingly risky to use. Upgrading to Windows 10 resolved a long-standing display issue on that computer, and I’ve had no new problems, aside from a few glitches and Explorer crashes that seem to have been resolved in later builds. I expect the computer to update automatically to the release version of Windows 10 at some point soon after July 29, but I’m ready to switch back to XP if Microsoft’s answers to the above questions prove unsatisfactory.

There’s a new process running on my Windows 8.1 desktop. I first noticed it just now, when I logged in for the first time after installing the June updates from Windows Update. Microsoft has confirmed that this new process was installed via the optional/recommended Windows Update KB3035583, which sports the somewhat misleading title “Update enables additional capabilities for Windows Update notifications in Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 SP1”.

The process name is GWX.exe. It appears in the notification area (aka system tray) as a white Windows logo. Right-clicking this icon shows the following options:

• Get Windows 10 – pops up a dialog with some explanatory text (see below).
• Reserve your free upgrade – pops up a dialog that says ‘Great, your upgrade is reserved!’ (see below)
• Go to Windows Update – does exactly that
• Get to know Windows 10 – opens a browser window and navigates to the Windows 10 FAQ

Reserve your free upgrade

On my computer, just before the upgrade reservation dialog appeared, another dialog flashed briefly on the screen. That dialog seemed to show information about the compatibility of the computer with Windows 10. All I managed to see was a bit of text that said something like ‘Windows 10 will work on this PC’.

Here’s the upgrade reservation dialog:

In case you can’t read that, it says:

Once it’s available on July 29th, Windows 10 will be downloaded to your device. You’ll get a notification when it’s ready to install — install right away, or pick a time that’s good for you.

As you can imagine, I was somewhat alarmed at seeing this, since it seems to be telling me that I’ve agreed to upgrade my Windows 8 computer to Windows 10, or at least that Windows 10 will be automatically downloaded to my computer. I don’t actually want either of those things to happen; at least not that soon, and certainly not automatically. So I skipped the email confirmation step and simply closed the dialog, hoping that canceled the ‘reservation’.

Unfortunately, that didn’t seem to help. The notification icon’s menu changed from ‘Reserve your free upgrade’ to ‘Check your upgrade status’. Selecting that option just performs the compatibility check and shows the upgrade reservation dialog again.

Get Windows 10

Selecting this option displays another dialog, this one consisting of a series of five panels that explain ‘How this free upgrade works’. This again confirms that Windows 10 will automatically download when it becomes available. That’s a 3 GB download, which is apparently unavoidable at this point. Thankfully, I will apparently be given an opportunity to decide at that point whether I want to actually install Windows 10.

Another panel trumpets the fact that the Start menu is back in Windows 10. Thanks a lot, Microsoft. How about adding it back to Windows 8, you know, like you promised? Other panels mention Cortana and the new web browser in Windows 10.

Also on this dialog is a small ‘hamburger’ menu at the top left. Clicking it shows a menu that includes an option to ‘Check your PC’ (see below). Running that shows the compatibility checker that I previously observed flashing past when I clicked the ‘reserve’ option.

Another option on that menu is ‘View confirmation’. Clicking that shows yet another dialog, and this one includes a ‘Cancel reservation’ link. As you can imagine, I clicked that link. After confirming my decision, it was indeed canceled (hopefully). The notification icon’s menu reverted to ‘Reserve your free upgrade’ in any case.

Check your PC

According to the compatibility checker: ‘This PC can be upgraded but there may be some issues.’ It goes on to say:

• Windows Media Center will be uninstalled during the upgrade. It isn’t available in Windows 10.
• You’ll need to reinstall language packs after the upgrade is complete.
• These apps will need to be reinstalled after the upgrade: Microsoft Network Monitor 3.

Details and limitations of the free Windows 10 upgrade

Much has been made of this free upgrade. Clearly, Microsoft wants to get everyone to upgrade to Windows 10. Especially if you’re running Windows 7 or 8, apparently. But if Microsoft was really serious about this, they would offer the free upgrade to users of Windows XP and Vista as well.

Here’s what you need to know about the reservation and upgrade:

• You only have until July 29, 2016 to take advantage of this offer.
• This is a full version of Windows, not a trial or introductory version.
• When you reserve, you can confirm your device is compatible with Windows 10. Between reservation and when your upgrade is ready, the files you need for the upgrade will be downloaded to your PC to make the final installation go more quickly.
• The only requirements are that a) your device is compatible, and b) you’re running genuine Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1) or Windows 8.1 (Update).
• There’s no obligation and you can cancel your reservation at any time.
• Get Windows 10 is an app that’s designed to make the upgrade process easy push users to install Windows 10. It checks to make sure your device is compatible, and it reserves your free upgrade; it also has information to help you learn about the features in Windows 10. For devices running Windows 7 SP1 or Windows 8.1 Update with Windows Update enabled, the app shows up automatically as a Windows icon in your system tray at the bottom right-hand side of your screen.
• The easiest way to get the free upgrade is to reserve, but you can upgrade even if you don’t reserve. Just open the Get Windows 10 app to schedule your upgrade.
• You can get a free upgrade for each of your eligible Windows devices. Again, ‘eligible’ means ‘legally obtained and licensed’.
• PCs that cannot run Windows 10 will not see the Get Windows 10 app before July 29, 2015. After July 29, 2015, the icon in the system tray will start to appear.
• When you upgrade, you’ll stay on like-to-like editions of Windows. For example, Windows 7 Home Premium will upgrade to Windows 10 Home.

Getting rid of the upgrade app

Needless to say, I’d like to remove the Get Windows 10 app from the Windows startup process on my computer. If I want to upgrade, I’ll do it in my own time, thank you very much. I don’t need Microsoft constantly yelling at me to upgrade. Removing the app involves uninstalling update KB3035583 via Control Panel > Programs and Features.

Related articles

• Windows 10 will be a free upgrade for Windows 7 and 8.1 users
• Windows 10 will be free for software pirates
• The Windows 10 free upgrade for pirates: More confusing than it seems
• Microsoft backtracks on free Windows 10 update for pirates
• Details of free Windows 10 update become a little clearer, but questions remain
• What Windows as a Service and a “free upgrade” mean at home and at work
• Yes, you’ll be able to do clean installs of the free Windows 10 upgrade

Update 2015Jun12: The KB3035583 update first became available from Windows Update in April 2015. I only started seeing it after I installed the June updates because I explicitly selected it from the list of optional updates, thinking it was actually something else. Mea culpa.