As July winds down, so does Microsoft’s offer to upgrade most of its existing users to Windows 10 Home for free. The free upgrade ends July 29 at 6 p.m. Denver time, after which Windows 10 will cost about $120.
So far, roughly 350 million devices that have taken Microsoft up on the offer, which is triple the number of devices from October, though far from its goal of 1 billion devices.
But the freebie, as many readers know, wasn’t without headaches. Microsoft’s offer began with little pop-up notifications showing up on PCs in July 2015. By February, the notifications became more aggressive and put Windows 10 as a “recommended” update. Some people complained the update installed itself. But we continue to hear from readers, like Rich Jarboe, who said the unexpected update went smoothly.
“My old desktop seems to run faster, and internet access is much quicker and better,” wrote Jarboe, who wrote to Tech+ about upgrading an old XP machine to 10. “Haven’t done much specific with Windows 10 yet, but I think I’ll like it.”
If you never upgraded to Windows 10 but still want to before Microsoft starts charging, download the upgrade at microsoft.com/windows10.
The free upgrade — which Microsoft said technically expires 11:59 p.m. Universal Time, or UTC-10 — at is only offered to computers with Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 software. Enterprise editions, however, are excluded.
So what happens after July 29?
According to Microsoft, Windows 10 users will get a new “anniversary update” on Aug. 2. New features will include:
- Windows Hello, which passwords in favor of biometrics. Windows will log in users if it recognizes a user’s face, fingerprint or iris. Hello is available only to Surface tablets and computer devices with fingerprint readers or special cameras.
- Windows Ink, which lets users hand write digital notes on a computer screen for those with touch-screen devices.
- Microsoft’s voice-activated assistant Cortana becomes more accommodating by playing music or answering questions even when Windows is locked.
- The update improves the power efficiency of the Edge internet browser so a device’s battery lasts longer. Microsoft said Edge will use fewer CPU cycles, consume less memory and minimize background activity to conserve battery.
- Gamers will be able to better play games across the Xbox console, a Windows 10 computer and other Windows devices. Using Xbox Play Anywhere, the same games played on an Xbox can be shared Windows PC and pick up where the user last left game play.
For those who plan to keep older versions of Windows, keep in mind that Microsoft support for Windows 7 ended in 2013 though extended support ends Jan. 14, 2020; Windows 8.1 support ends Oct. 13, 2020, with extended support ending in 2025.
