Ways to obtain a license for free. Ways to obtain a license for free Switching Vista to Windows 10

The period when you could upgrade your computer to Windows 10 for free is long over. However, there are still some possibilities remaining. Therefore, how to upgrade Windows 7 to Windows 10, as well as version 8, XP or Vista, will be discussed later in this article.

Microsoft, having released version 10, decided to please fans of all previous versions. Taking into account all the disadvantages and advantages of XP, Vista, 7 and 8 versions, Microsoft decided to make a generous gift in the form of a free update. Ten was intended to be the last version of the famous OS and now only updates will be available, but the version will always be the same.

It is clear that not everyone rushed to update, and not only for some subjective reasons. It is impossible to instantly release an ideal software product, and for some time it takes time to refine it and bring it to a fully operational state. Many manufacturers of computer components and peripherals, even very well-known and serious ones, have still not been able to release fully working drivers for Windows 10 for their equipment.

Of course, this constant discussion on the Internet about version 10 spying on its users also made us think and “sleep through” the free update period.

But don’t be alarmed, some update opportunities still remain in 2018, and we decided to devote this article to such an update. The issue of differences between different configurations is also discussed here. We really hope that this article will be useful to you.

Initially, after release, we received not just a “crude” operating system, but with a really large number of not yet resolved “bugs,” which made it difficult to work on.

Currently, all the main problems have already been solved, and equipment manufacturers have also managed to create new drivers for their hardware. Of course, owners of older PCs and laptops need to be careful and make sure they have everything they need before upgrading. To do this, go to the official websites of the manufacturers. Then you can look for drivers for the top ten on the Internet. Another option is to send a direct request to the manufacturer via email. Often developers agree to a meeting and will be able to release the necessary update for you.

Requirements for installing Windows 10

The new version of Microsoft Windows turned out to be quite demanding.

For Windows 10, your PC needs to have:

Least 20 GB free hard disk space if you have a 64-bit operating system and 16 GB for a 32-bit operating system. Of course, these are the very minimum requirements, and it is worth having even more space, otherwise, believe me, your computer or laptop will slow down quite often, and some programs will take much longer to open than before.
CPU: at least one gigahertz. Possible use of SoC.
RAM: for 64 bit it is 2 GB, for 32 bit 1 GB.
Video card: DirectX at least 9th generation with support for WDDM 1.0 driver.
Display resolution: At least 800 x 600 pixels.

You can see that the requirements are almost similar to the requirements of Windows 7 and 8.1, and this was done specifically so that you can update the same Windows 7 and 8 to Windows 10 without requiring changes in hardware.

The update is intended for people who, for some reason, have limited capabilities and therefore use special Windows technologies (narrator, screen magnifier, high contrast, and so on).

To download the update, before you start downloading the 3GB download files, you must confirm that you are using accessibility features:

This Windows 10 Upgrade utility downloads the OS distribution and the upgrade to Windows 10 is ready to launch.

To install, you may need bootable media, which can be a flash drive or DVD.

Update with license

If you do not think that your capabilities are limited, then you can purchase and install a full version of Windows 10. Finding a store is currently not a trivial task, and if you try to look for some cheaper online store, you will quickly find many offering licenses for strange and surprisingly low prices, up to 1000 rubles.

All such licenses are gray and by purchasing them you, in fact, do not become the real owner, and from Microsoft’s point of view, you will be the person who “spied” someone’s license number and entered it during activation. In fact, this is theft.

Therefore, we provide here a link to the online store where we recommend going to purchase a license. Choose the Windows 10 option that suits you: Home, Professional. The main difference between the Home version and the Professional version is that only the latter can work in a domain. OEM options. They are cheaper, but the license is forever tied to a specific PC or laptop.

Now, if you want to upgrade to Windows 10 using a purchased license, you can do this using the Media Creation Tool. You can download this utility at https://www.microsoft.com/ru-RU/software-download/windows10

After launching the utility, when you see the “What do you want to do?” window, select the first item, which will update your PC or laptop.

Windows XP or Vista

Now let's move on to the answer to the question of how to upgrade from Windows Vista or upgrade Windows XP to Windows 10. You won't be able to upgrade directly. In fact, you will have to install Windows 10 again. And for this you need to create bootable media.

Download the special program at https://www.microsoft.com/ru-RU/software-download/windows10

After launching the software, in the “What do you want to do?” window, select the second item and create installation media.

There are many methods and software products with which you can create a DVD.

Just start installing Windows 10 from a flash drive or disk, follow the simple steps that will be described in each window.

What else is important to know about this update?

Remember that Ten does not install quickly. Even a miracle of modern technology will update for at least an hour, and an old laptop will take even longer.

And we repeat once again: if you have an old computer, then before upgrading, be sure to make sure that you have drivers that work under Windows 10 for all computer components. This is especially true for the motherboard, sound card and video adapter. Don't forget to also check for compatible drivers for external devices such as printers and scanners.

Technical support for some laptop manufacturers does not yet advise updating the system due to the ongoing debugging of drivers released for Windows 10. For example, after the update, the sound may not work, the video may not be displayed correctly, and so on.

We sincerely hope that our guide to upgrading to Windows 10 was really useful and interesting for you. Be sure to visit other articles on our website, and also share this information with your friends and acquaintances, and we will try to make even more quality content.

Video on the topic

The promotion to upgrade Windows 7 and 8.1 to Windows 10 for all users ended at the end of summer 2016. Despite the fact that the free transition promotion expired a long time ago, many other methods worked for a long time - from changing the time in the system, to activating Windows 10 with existing keys of previous versions of the seventh or eighth generations.

But due to the fact that in January 2018, Microsoft representatives announced the official closure of any update opportunities, it seems that it is no longer possible to get a free licensed Windows 10. But as practice shows, many options that worked previously are still active. Let's look at the most convenient and effective of them.

At the moment, three methods of free updating are working: using the Windows Upgrade Assistant utility, activating the system with a key from previous versions, and a clean installation of Windows 10 (relevant for users who have previously made the transition, but for some reason returned to the previous ones versions).

Possible update options:

Before considering current upgrade options, you need to consider the following points:

The process of upgrading to Windows 10 cannot be completed with Windows Vista or XP.
The system from which the transition is made must have the latest updates installed.
The current system must be activated or an official key purchased.
The computer hardware must be supported by Windows 10.

Updating via Upgrade Assistant

For a long time after the termination of the free update promotion for all users, Microsoft provided the opportunity to freely upgrade to a new version of Windows 10 for people with disabilities. At first, the period of this promotion was extended until December 31, 2017, but after this period expired, the opportunity to upgrade was active until January 18, 2018.

The company even created a separate one to make the upgrade as comfortable as possible. One of the features of this promotion was that the user, to confirm his incapacity, did not need to undergo any special checks or confirmations. Anyone could update by going to the website and downloading the Windows 10 Upgrade Assistant utility.

At the moment, on the main page of the Microsoft website for updates for people with disabilities, there is an announcement about the termination of this promotion. The company indicates that now the only option is to purchase the original version already pre-installed on the new device, or to purchase a separate full version of the software. No download links for this utility are provided.

BUT The downloader file (Windows 10 Upgrade Assistant) is still available on the Microsoft website, download while you have access.
If the file disappears from the downloads, write in the comments, we’ll try to simply put it on the site (if at that time this update option in general still works).

During the first installation, the program will check the current version of the update assistant.

After this, you will need to read and agree to the terms of the license agreement.

Setup Assistant will check if your computer can be upgraded to Windows 10.

And, if all the points have passed a positive check, after clicking the OK button, the update process to Windows 10 will begin. After the update is completed, the key of the previous version is picked up, and at the end the user can use the activated system.

If the utility gives an error when you first launch it, this may be due to what was said earlier - Microsoft has officially closed the possibility of this update. But to get around this limitation, it is enough to change the system time to any time that is earlier than 12/31/2017.

To do this, click on the clock on the taskbar and go to change the date and time settings.

Then you need to go to the section to change the date and time.

And then choose any date that is earlier than the agreed date of 12/31/2017.

After this procedure, you can try to run the update assistant program again, it should start smoothly and update the system.

Updating using a key from previous versions

This method is the simplest and fastest. To get started, you already need to be the owner of a Windows seventh or eighth generation key. To switch to Windows 10 you need to:

The system must accept the key from the previous version and perform activation.

Clean installation of Windows 10.

It is necessary to make a reservation once again that this method is suitable for users who have previously upgraded to Windows 10. It consists of simply performing a clean installation of Windows 10, and the activation key should be automatically picked up by the system.

The activation key should be automatically accepted due to the fact that the user became a digital license holder when they first upgraded to Windows 10. This means that the activation key is tied to the hash of the equipment installed on the user's system. Then, after logging into your Microsoft account, activation data is stored on the company’s servers, and the digital license is automatically assigned to both the user account and the system hardware.

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Microsoft has provided users of licensed Windows 7, 8, 8.1 with the opportunity to upgrade to Windows 10 for free. However, owners of Vista and XP are deprived of this benefit. For a direct upgrade to “Ten” they will have to pay $119 or more. However, you can upgrade to Windows 10 from Windows Vista absolutely free.

Upgrading from Windows XP and Vista to Windows 10

Users who are still using Windows XP and Vista, in order to upgrade the system to Windows 10 without losing data, must initially upgrade to “Seven” and only then switch to the new OS.

A faster way is only a clean installation with data formatting. To do this, you can use an ISO image from the official website of the developer or the Windows Media Creation utility.

If you want to upgrade from XP to Windows 10 without purchasing a license and saving data, you need to update the system to Windows 7.

Download the image from the official Microsoft website of the bit size and build of the system that you have installed. That is, if you use Vista Home 32-bit, then Windows 7 should be Home 32-bit.
After downloading the image, download the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool from the developer’s website, which will help mount the required image on a flash drive (the size of the flash drive must be at least 8 GB). Download and launch the tool on your PC.

After installation, launch the Download Tool. The program will ask you to specify the storage location of the system image. Select the file and click “Next”.

We indicate the drive on which you are going to write the image. All data that was previously stored on the flash drive will be erased.

After creating the file, we launch Vista or XP updates to Windows 7. To do this, select the “Upgrade this computer now” section.

Once you upgrade to Seven, you can use various methods to upgrade to Windows 10 while preserving your personal data.

Important! Before you upgrade to Windows 7, and then to Windows 10, you need to check whether the technical specifications of your PC meet the official requirements.

Microsoft recently released a new version of the OS - Windows 10, with the possibility of a free update for users who have Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 installed on their PC.

Unfortunately, those who still prefer to use Windows XP will have to go a little longer and upgrade their software first to Windows 7 and then to Windows 10, without losing data.

Clean installation of Windows 10

Alternatively, Windows XP users can choose to clean install Windows 10 using an ISO file from the Microsoft website, or try installing using the Windows media creation tool.

Important: If you choose to follow the clean installation method, you will not be able to transfer user data to Windows 10.

Below we will provide step-by-step instructions on how to upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 10 without losing data.

System requirements

Before you begin the update process, check whether your computer meets the system requirements necessary for Windows 10 to install and run properly:

Processor – 1 GHz or higher
RAM – 1 gigabyte for a 32-bit system and 2 gigabytes for a 64-bit system
Hard disk space – 16 GB for 32-bit OS, and 20 GB for 64-bit OS
Graphics card supporting DirectX 9 or higher with WDDM0 driver
Display supporting a minimum resolution of 800x600

Purchasing a Windows 10 license

Unfortunately, it is not possible to directly upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 10. Therefore, after you have ensured that your system requirements are suitable for installing Windows 10, you can purchase a Windows 10 Home license. In Ukraine, the cost of licensed Windows 10 is approximately from 2500 to 6000 UAH, depending on the version. In Russia, the price ranges from 7,000 rubles.

How to upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 10 for free without data loss

To easily upgrade (without purchasing a license) from Windows XP to Windows 10, you first need to upgrade your system to Windows 7, and then use a direct online upgrade to Windows
Download one of the Windows ISO files below:

Attention: if for some reason the links do not work, then you can download any clean image of Windows 7 at your discretion, in Russian, Ukrainian or English.

Once you have downloaded the required ISO file, create bootable media to perform the update.

Attention: By bootable media we mean a flash drive, the size of which is at least 8 GB, which will be inserted into the USB connector before starting the update procedure.

Download Windows 7 USB/DVD download tool from Microsoft website, then install and run it.
The program will prompt you to select the ISO file you downloaded earlier. Just show the program where the file is located and click Next.
Select the media type "USB Device" and then select the USB flash drive on the next screen. You will see a warning in front of you that the information on the device will be completely erased.
Simply select "Yes" and a boot disk will be created.

After you successfully upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7, all user data will be saved. Now you can safely upgrade to Windows 10 without the risk of data loss using the Media Creation tool.

There is an opinion that today it is no longer possible to upgrade to Windows 10 Windows Vista for free. You will either need to buy a full-fledged distribution kit with Ten, or pay extra to Microsoft for the opportunity to update. However, in practice, a free update is still available. Some believe that the announcement of a time-limited free update was actually a Microsoft advertising ploy. Others believe that this opportunity will soon be closed.

Online update

The most commonly used option, which Microsoft itself offers as the main one. In fact, Vista itself will remind the user of the need to update. You can refuse the offer, or you can agree. In this case, the OS itself will download all the files it needs and install them. This process, I must say, is very slow, so it will take quite a lot of time. But the user will not be required to perform any actions, so you can leave the update overnight and wake up in the morning with a completely updated operating system.

Standard update tools can also help - through the Toolbar, go to the Update Center and allow downloading of the necessary files.

Update from disk

You can upgrade Vista to Windows 10 from the system disk with Ten. In this case, the procedure will be as follows.

With Vista running, insert the system disk and select “Update Vista to Windows 10” from the menu. It is, of course, recommended that you back up all your most important files in case something goes wrong. Although it is assumed that when updating all documents remain in their places, in practice anything can happen...

You can get a copy of the Ten, for example, from the official Microsoft website. Or you can buy a disk with this OS, or download it from some third-party resource.

Update utility

Instead of a disk, you can also simply download a utility to update the system bit size you need. In this case, after launch, the utility will ask whether you need to install updates on the current machine, or whether you should create a separate disk to update another computer.

Next, you will need to select the desired system language, and then indicate which flash drive should be used to download all the necessary files. Of course, all information from the flash drive will be deleted.

When all files are downloaded, the system will ask you to agree to the terms of the License. You will also be prompted to save documents and configuration files. It is recommended to update and save them.

Then all that remains is to observe how the installation progresses as a percentage. Once it reaches 100%, the computer will reboot with the new operating system.

You can upgrade, but is it worth it?

If for some reason you still have Windows XP or Vista installed, and the system and hardware parameters of the computer correspond to at least the minimum for working in Ten, then yes, it is better to upgrade. Still, the new Windows is much better protected than the old versions, plus, all kinds of security updates are constantly being released for it, which no longer happens in the case of Vista, and even more so, with Windows XP.

It is possible that in the near future it will indeed be impossible to upgrade Vista to Windows 10 for free. So everyone who wants to switch to the new Ten should hurry up and do so.