Nov 03, 2017 Following the trials and tribulations of Windows 8, Microsoft has been working hard to coax people to jump to Windows 10. The free upgrade offer for users of Windows 7 and 8.1. Apr 09, 2015 Updated 4/9/15: This article is out of date; for the latest information with active links, here’s how to download and install the latest version of Windows 8.1 Update for free.Or go here to find. Oct 28, 2013 Install this update to resolve issues in Windows. For a complete listing of the issues that are included in this update, see the associated Microsoft Knowledge Base article for more information. After you install this item, you may have to restart your computer.
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Updated 20-Sep-2019: Thank you to the many readers who have continued to provide firsthand reports that this procedure still works. The overwhelming majority of reader reports confirm that this upgrade is still available. A small number of readers have reported that the upgrade fails because of a Setup error or a compatibility block. For details on how to troubleshoot these errors, see 'This free Windows 10 upgrade offer still works. Here's why - and how to get it.'.
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Everyone knows the free upgrade offer for Windows 10 ended on July 29, 2016, right?
That's when Microsoft officially ended the Get Windows 10 program and, to the relief of many, stopped forcing the GWX tool onto the PCs of unsuspecting users who were perfectly happy with their current version of Windows and had no desire to upgrade.
As of July 30, 2016, the upgrade notifications stopped and the GWX app began disappearing. In theory, that means the only way to get a Windows 10 upgrade is to pay for it.
The funny thing is, no one told the folks who run Microsoft's activation servers. Which means today, more than three years after the free upgrade offer supposedly ended, you can still upgrade to Windows 10 from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 and claim a free digital entitlement, without being forced to jump through any hoops.
You can also still upgrade Windows 10 Home to Windows 10 Pro by using a product key from a previous business edition of Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 (Pro/Ultimate). That can save you $50-100 in OEM upgrade charges if you buy a new PC with Windows 10 Home preinstalled. (For details, see How to upgrade from Windows 10 Home to Pro without hassles.)
In this post, I'll cover the basics of a Windows 10 upgrade. I'll also talk about the licensing issues involved, which are (as always) confusing.
How to upgrade an old PC to Windows 10
In early 2017, I recycled an Intel small-form-factor PC that had previously been working full-time in the living room, running Windows Media Center on Windows 7 Ultimate. When I finally pulled the plug on Media Center after the release of Windows 10, I had put this little device on a shelf.
The GWX utility had never been installed on this PC and it had never been offered a Windows 10 upgrade via Windows Update.
As part of my digital clean-up, I decided to run the Windows 10 upgrade from Windows 7. I fully expected that after the upgrade was complete, the system would fail activation and I'd be asked for a product key.
Imagine my surprise when, instead, I was greeted with this screen.
I confirmed the same sequence on two different virtual machines, both created from scratch and running clean, fully activated installs of Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, respectively. I repeated those steps on test PCs at least monthly since the release of the Creators Update in April 2017 and the Fall Creators Update in October 2017, and as of mid-September 2019 I continue to receive confirmation from people who've seen the same results on their home or office PCs.
If you have a PC running a 'genuine' copy of Windows 7/8/8.1 (Home or Pro edition, properly licensed and activated), you can follow the same steps I did to upgrade it to Windows 10.
To get started, go to the Download Windows 10 webpage and click the Download tool now button. After the download completes, run the Media Creation Tool.
If you've downloaded the Media Creation Tool on the machine you plan to upgrade, and you plan to upgrade one and only one PC, you can choose the Upgrade this PC now option and be done with it.
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Windows 10 configuration settings can be difficult to locate because they reside deep down the rabbit hole of screens, control panels, and menus.
If you're running the tool on a different PC, or if you just want more flexibility, choose the second option and save the installation files to a USB drive or as an ISO file.
After the download is complete, double-click the ISO file to mount it and open a File Explorer window; or, if you chose the option to create a bootable drive, open the USB flash drive in File Explorer and run Setup from there.
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Then just follow the prompts to complete the upgrade. You will not be asked for a product key, and when the upgrade is complete and you've connected to the Internet, you'll have a digital license to Windows 10, which you can confirm by going to Settings > Update & Security > Activation.
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The digital license is associated with that specific device, which means you can reformat the disk and perform a clean installation of the same edition of Windows 10 anytime. You won't need a product key, and activation is automatic.
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Is your license valid?
And now the big question: If you avail yourself of this upgrade, is the resulting license valid?
The entire 'free upgrade' offer was always accompanied by language that was, to put it politely, a bit squishy. And the language around the end of that offer is similarly vague. For example, see the answers I've highlighted here on Microsoft's Windows 10 Upgrade FAQ:
That's very odd language. The free upgrade through the Get Windows 10 app ended on July 29, 2016. Likewise, the discussion of product keys says a key will be necessary 'for this tool to work' (not true) but doesn't say a word about licensing.
And unlike the weasely 'Genuine Windows' label on older upgrades, the activation screens for a Windows 10 upgrade specifically confirm the existence of a 'digital license.'
Anyway, the free upgrade offer was extended, at least for people who use assistive technologies. The FAQ on a separate page even called it a 'free upgrade offer extension' and pointedly noted that it was not limited to specific assistive technologies. (I regularly use the Magnifier utility in Windows, which is indisputably an assistive technology.)
Of course, I'm not a lawyer, and this column isn't legal advice. But I will say that I am personally confident in the activation status of any PC upgraded using the tool on that page during the eligibility period.
This extension was, I think, a very large nod and wink, designed to make it easy for those who wanted a Windows 10 upgrade to still get it while placating the OEM partners who were none too happy about the year-long emphasis on upgrades rather than new PC sales.
Alas, I say 'was,' because the extension (which was itself extended) officially ended on January 16, 2018. The page that formerly ran an Upgrade Assistant now displays a message about the expiration of the offer.
The big question now is whether Microsoft will ever turn off the code on its activation servers that dispenses digital licenses after an upgrade from an earlier Windows version. I've continued to test that scenario, and I can confirm as of September 2019 that it still works.
I continue to hear from readers sharing their experiences. If you've used this technique on a PC, click my name at the top of this post and use the contact form to let me know how it went for you.
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Enterprise Software Cloud Big Data Analytics Innovation Tech and Work CollaborationThere are any number of reasons why someone might want to download Windows 8, or maybe the newer Windows 8.1. Most obviously, if you don't have Windows 8, getting your hands on the operating system via a download is much easier than buying a boxed copy.
Even if you already have Windows 8 on a computer, most manufacturers don't include a copy, making a clean install of Windows 8 or 8.1 pretty much impossible. Plus, having a copy of Windows 8 makes some kinds of troubleshooting a lot easier.
Finally, maybe you just want to give it a try on a spare computer or on a virtual machine. You've seen the prices for Windows 8 and it isn't cheap. There are probably free copies of Windows 8 floating around somewhere, right?
Windows 10 is the most recent version of Windows available and can be upgraded to from a currently installed Windows 8 or Windows 7 OS. See Where Can I Download Windows 10? for help.
Update Windows 8 To Windows 8.1 Free
Where Can I Download Windows 8 or 8.1?
There are several ways to download Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 online, but of them are only a couple completely legal methods.
There is a Windows 8 trial option, as well as some not-so-legal methods of downloading Windows 8, all of which is discussed below.
If you do have a copy of Windows 8 or 8.1 (in ISO format or on a disc or flash drive) and also have that copy of Windows 8 installed and working but you've lost your product key, there may be a way to find it. See How to Find Your Windows 8 or 8.1 Product Key for help.
There are three, completely legal ways to download a full copy of Windows 8.1.
If you're new to Windows 8, purchasing Windows 8.1 (Windows 8 with the 8.1 update already included) is probably the smartest choice. Sometimes you can find a less expensive boxed copy of Windows 8 (before the 8.1 update) from general retailers like Amazon or from an electronics outlet like NewEgg, which you can then update to Windows 8.1 for free after installation.
Your second option, useful if you have experience working with ISO images, is to download Windows 8.1 directly from Microsoft. Please note, however, that unlike buying Windows 8 new, a Windows 8 download from Microsoft doesn't get you the product key you need to activate Windows.
- Visit Microsoft's Download Windows 8.1 Disc Image (ISO File) page.
- Download cimco edit full crack. Pick the Windows 8.1 edition you want, and select Confirm.Unless there's a specific reason to pick another option, most people should select Windows 8.1.
- Choose the Windows 8.1 ISO download you want. There's both a 32-bit and 64-bit download option.
Free Update Windows 8.1 To Windows 10
Your final option is to download Windows 8.1 or Windows 8 for 'free' as part of a paid Visual Studio subscription (previously called an MSDN subscription), which runs for several hundred dollars per year. You'll get a copy of Windows 8.1 in ISO format, ready for burning to a disc or transferring to a USB device.
This is a professional subscription program available for purchase by anyone, but designed for software developers. You get access to all full versions of Windows 8 & 8.1, including valid product keys, in addition to software and keys for almost every software and operating system Microsoft has ever created.
Install Windows 8.1 Free
The Visual Studio subscription program is anything but cheap. Unless you're a software developer or some other professional IT person that needs access to multiple operating systems, a Visual Studio subscription probably isn't a cost effective way to legally download Windows 8.
If you already have a Windows 8 or 8.1 disc or ISO and are only trying to download Windows 8 because you need to install it on a computer without an optical drive, there is a way to get the files from the disc or ISO onto a flash drive. See How to Install Windows 8 or 8.1 From USB for a complete tutorial.
It's important to follow the disc or USB creation instructions linked above if you want to put your Windows 8 download on a DVD or flash drive. You can't boot to the Windows 8 media just by downloading the ISO directly onto the disc or drive. A very specific process, explained in those links, is what you need to follow to make the Windows 8 download bootable.
Any other free or incredibly inexpensive Windows 8 or 8.1 download you find online is almost certainly illegal, including Windows 8 ISO files you might find on torrent sites. Legal issues aside, these Windows 8 downloads, unlike the official ones from Microsoft, run the very serious risk of containing a surprise or two.
For example, a number of Windows 8 & 8.1 downloads available from unofficial sources are 'cracked' versions of Windows 8 installation discs, meaning that they've been changed for one reason or another and could easily contain malware. It would be very unfortunate to install Windows 8 on your computer and be automatically infected with a virus.
Please know that when you pay for Windows 8, what you're actually paying for is the product key used to activate Windows 8. In other words, even if you do download Windows 8 from someone other than Microsoft, whether it's a clean and legitimate copy of Windows 8 or not, you'll still need a valid Windows 8 product key to use the operating system.
Windows Update Downloader 8.1
Don't Download Windows 8: Replace It
A much better option for those of you with lost or broken, but valid, copies of Windows 8 or 8.1 is to order replacement media. In your case, there's no reason to pay full price for another copy of Windows 8 or risk being infected with malware.
If Windows 8 came preinstalled on your computer, and you did have DVD or flash media but now it's damaged or lost, contact your computer maker for a replacement. Depending on their policy, your computer maker might provide you with Windows 8 media for free or a small fee.
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If you purchased a retail Windows 8 DVD, you can contact the Microsoft Supplemental Parts team and request a replacement.
While not a replacement for Windows 8, please know that you also have the option to create a Recovery Drive for Windows 8 using a friend's Windows 8 PC, all for the cost of a small flash drive. Your Recovery Drive can be used to perform all the diagnostic and repair functions that a full copy of Windows 8 can. See How to Create a Windows 8 or 8.1 Recovery Drive for instructions.
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