Monday, December 23, 2019

Upgrade To Windows 10... For Free!


Got to backtrack a little on advice I had previously given. For the last couple of years, I've said there was no reason for Windows 7 users who were happy with their computers to move to Windows 10 in January 2020, when Microsoft stops issuing security updates for Win 7. I mean, with their recent track record of updates breaking more things than they fix, "no more updates" doesn't sound like such a huge loss. Run a decent antivirus, enable windows Defender, use a router with a hardware firewall, enable the Win 7 software firewall, and use commonsense practices while browsing... and you should be okay, right?

Well... not so much. I've seen warnings from at least three of the online authors I follow, trust, and occasionally rip off, saying antivirus software and firewalls won't protect you from 'stack overflow' exploits... all you have to do is visit an infected site, and you're infected, too, without ever being asked for permission to install new software. This is how the latest few rounds of ransomware and other malware have been spread. And now, there's a new exploit using what's known as 'embedded fonts'... they don't need permission to download and run, and they can hide executable malware.


So, if you're not ready to switch to Linux (which I STRONGLY recommend you do), and don't want to go buy a new computer with Windows 10 already on it, you are in the unenviable position of needing to upgrade to Windows 10 on your existing hardware. I've done it a few times, and it's not as scary as it sounds.

First things first: will your hardware run Windows 10? Are all your installed programs compatible with it? How about your printer(s)? Here's a tool from Microsoft that will tell you whether you're in the market for a new computer, or can continue using your old hardware and software. It was written for Windows 8, but since Win 8 and Win 10 use the same driver format, if it says your hardware will run Windows 8, it should run Windows 10, too. The windows 10 installation program will run these same tests, but only after a considerable time was been spent doing other tasks; so, I suggest finding out up front if there's any point in even trying to upgrade.

The only thing I know of that the Windows 8 Update Advisor doesn't check is the configuration of the hard drive. Windows 10 requires a 'System Reserved' boot partition at the head of the drive; I believe it is usually 100 MB in size, but Windows 10 might require that you increase the size to 1 GB... or maybe not. (Hat tip to Dennis Haas of Infopackets.com for this info.) If the System Reserved boot partition is there, try the upgrade without resizing first... it's a little complicated and a little risky to resize a partition using only the tools provided by Wihndows; I usually remove a drive that needs repartitioning, attach it to a Linux computer, and use DiskPart for the heavy lifting; sometimes, you can just use a thumb drive to boot Linux without removing the drive, but if the BIOS is UEFI, that doesn't always work.

Here's some general instructions for upgrading to Windows 10 without shelling out $119 for a license.

And here's where to download the Windows 10 installation software.

I've used links to other people's pages, rather than paraphrasing or completely rewriting detailed instructions. If you need clarification, or more specific instructions, please email me... we'll discuss and discourse, and I'll help you if I can. To be blunt though, I'll likely ask you to donate to one of my animal rescues if I spend very much time helping you... that's just what I do.
 

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