Windows 10 was released with a free upgrade offer that lasted for 1 year. Now, the free upgrade promotional period is officially over.
However, you can still snag yourself a free license of Windows 10, perfectly legally, if you know how. It is a good idea to secure your important data before proceeding with any upgrade or installation.
While the free upgrade offer ended last year, Microsoft will still let you install Windows 10 and activate it using a valid Windows 7 or Windows 8. When you download Windows 10 this way, your PC will receive a digital license valid for the life of the device, exactly the same way as if you had taken advantage of last year's offer.
First, you'll need to find your product key. See my article " How to recover your Windows product key " for more information. When you've found your product key, head over to the Download Windows 10 website and click the Download tool now button.
When the tool finishes downloading, open it, accept the license terms, and hit Upgrade this PC now. If you prefer, you can also select Create installation media for another PC to download an. If you choose to create installation media, make sure to download the correct version of Windows Either way, after Windows 10 installs, you can use your Windows 7 or Windows 8. Microsoft is offering Windows 10 for free for customers who use "assistive technologies".
All you have to do is visit their Accessibility website and hit the "upgrade now" button. A tool will be downloaded that will help you upgrade your Windows 7 or 8. The process is the same as last year's free upgrade process. According to the terms, anyone who uses "assistive technologies" qualifies for the upgrade. These technologies can range anywhere from magnifiers and content readers to simply using a high contrast Windows theme or mouse pointer.
Despite the terms being clearly laid out, Microsoft is not checking that whomever downloads Windows 10 this way uses assistive technologies. And despite confusion when this loophole was discovered long ago, Microsoft has not hidden or withdrawn the offer. They also have not specified when it will end.
If you took advantage of the free upgrade offer, or you obtained Windows 10 using the methods in this article, you can reinstall Windows 10 on that same machine however many times you'd like without providing a product key.
This is because Windows 10 registers your hardware IDs with Microsoft's servers, so that when you reinstall Windows, your hardware is automatically matched with the servers and activated. Windows 10 also allows you to upgrade various hardware components like RAM or storage devices without requiring reactivation.
This is also thanks to the ID matching system. Was this article helpful? Yes No. Sorry this didn't help. I let it follow the whole upgrade process as Microsoft designed it by reserving a copy of Windows 10 and waiting for it to prompt me that Windows 10 was ready to install. AS part of this process, the checker tells me. It takes a long time on such a slow machine so I cant be sitting next to it for the whole process.
If I am not around, I went o bed last night , I don't even see this message. This morning I just woke up to a Windows 7 Starter system again. When my old Windows 7 starter re-boots, the whole automatic background download starts again and then I get asked to commence the upgrade again. Having now had 3 downloads on this one machine, I am not going to bother starting the next upgrade until I can resolve what is preventing this upgrade from happening. Windows Update History shows it failed with error code of C, which indicates some sort of incompatibility.
Any ideas about how I can narrow it down. Was this comment helpful? I'm looking into this; some users are experiencing problems that are exceptionally difficult to diagnose because of all the variables associated with the issue. Uninstall your antivirus, unplug any unnecessary peripherals, disconnect from the Internet entirely, and perform a clean boot.
Then, while in the clean boot environment, try starting the upgrade from there. If you need instructions on how to perform a clean boot, see this support page. If you do happen to run into the same issue as TimWG, try following the same suggestion I gave him in my last reply and see if that works.
You can give it a try and see what happens. Note that you must perform this from your current Windows 7. What was the problem that occurred using Windows Update and the MCT and at what stage of the installation? This is the only version that installed properly: All other ways would hang on the second reboot.
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Technical Level : Basic Summary Windows 10 was released with a free upgrade offer that lasted for 1 year. Details Use a Windows 7 or Windows 8.
Assistive Technologies Offer Microsoft is offering Windows 10 for free for customers who use "assistive technologies". Reinstall Windows 10 If you took advantage of the free upgrade offer, or you obtained Windows 10 using the methods in this article, you can reinstall Windows 10 on that same machine however many times you'd like without providing a product key.
Thanks for your feedback. How satisfied are you with this article? Thanks for your feedback, it helps us improve the site. Previous Next. Now on to my next machine, my daughter's Lenovo S netbook, running Windows 7 Starter. AS part of this process, the checker tells me It takes a long time on such a slow machine so I cant be sitting next to it for the whole process. I have let it try to upgrade twice by following the prompts and once by using the USB.
I cant even get the first upgrade to complete to take a clean install option. Report abuse. Details required :. Cancel Submit. How satisfied are you with this comment? In reply to TimWG's post on July 31, In reply to aakkam22's post on August 1, I have also been getting the c error when trying to do the update through windows update.
It now says that it is ready to install. Cross your fingers, I've been at this for two days with no luck. There's got to be a solution!! Good luck to you ; If you do happen to run into the same issue as TimWG, try following the same suggestion I gave him in my last reply and see if that works.
I have Genuine Windows 7 Ultimate x In reply to AkashYadav. OK, try the method in the article and see if it works. And of course does it contain any Spyware? Yeah it is from MS's server This site in other languages x.
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Windows 10 home microsoft account free
There are two ways to get Windows A short quiz will help you decide whether to buy Windows 10 to install on your current PC, or to buy a new Windows 10 PC. Norton provides powerful layers of protection for your Windows device, helping keep your information safer as you bank, shop and post online. Try it free for 7 days! Device Security: Automatically scans your Windows device for suspicious activities and personal information leaks and helps protect against Wi-Fi-based cyberthreats. Secure VPN: At home or traveling, . Apr 23, · I did go into system properties and enable RDP sessions for the desktop I am trying to remote to. I have a laptop signed in using the same microsoft account at home. I am using VPN tunnel to my office to get to the network. Once on the network, I enter my replace.me:port and would expect since I am logged in with the same microsoft account that.
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http://replace.me - Microsoft account | Sign In or Create Your Account Today – Microsoft
The account will have its own separate OneDrive storage. Then at the bottom of the next screen, click Add a user without a Microsoft account. Now you can add a user name and a password. So an administrator will have to be nearby to type in the password in order for them to install desktop applications. You can, of course, also log in from the lock screen, which displays all of the user accounts on the machine.
One thing to keep in mind when several people use a PC with separate accounts: Even when someone is not using the PC, they still remain signed into the account unless they sign out or the PC is restarted.
So several people might be signed into accounts, even though only one person is actively using the PC. There can be only one active account at a time; an individual user will still need to re-enter the password to see their account.
Look underneath each account. This is useful, but it can be problematic as well, because it can lead to lost work. When a PC is restarted or shut down, all users on it are automatically logged off. The upshot?
It only takes a moment: Click your account name at the top of the Start menu and then click Sign out. Choose Administrator and click OK. You can always change it back to a standard user account later using this same method. A screen appears warning you that when you delete the account, you also delete all data associated with it, which include files, desktop setup, apps, music and so on.
Also, note that you can only delete an account if the person has signed out of Windows But Windows 10 also sets up a hidden administrator account during installation. Some people refer to this hidden administrator account as an elevated account, and a normal one as an un-elevated account.
That turns on the hidden administrator account. It will appear on the Windows 10 login screen and on the Start menu screen — just click it to use it as you would any other account. This article was originally published in March and most recently updated in January Here are the latest Insider stories.
With MSN, the information that enriches your life is accessible every moment of every day. Sign In Create account. New to Microsoft? Learn more. Security Change a password, update security information, and keep vital account details up-to-date. Privacy Review your search history, browsing and location activity, and more.
Subscriptions Quickly renew and manage your favorite Microsoft subscriptions and services in one place. Devices Find, lock, or erase a lost or stolen Windows 10 device, schedule a repair, and get support. Help Get expert answers and advice on Microsoft products and services.
Outlook Email and calendar together. Microsoft Edge The faster way to get things done on the web with built-in features for staying organised, researching, and discovering. Microsoft Bing Intelligent search features make it quick and easy to find what you need — answers, news, entertainment, and more. Xbox Play your favorite games in more places than ever. How to sign in to Windows 10 using a Microsoft account. How to set up a Microsoft account First, go to Outlook.
Microsoft requires your password to be at least 8 characters long with at least two out of lower and upper case letters, numbers and symbols.
Fill in your first name and surname. The name that you use here will be displayed across all the Microsoft services you use and will be visible to friends, family, colleagues and other Microsoft users.
Now add either your telephone number, an alternative email address or both. If you have a problem with your Microsoft account, Outlook will use these contact details to verify your identity to protect your account. Finally, type in the random characters displayed at the bottom of the screen.
There is an audio option if you prefer. Outlook will now create your email inbox. Select your preferred language and time zone.
You now have a Microsoft account. Windows 10 will set up your new Microsoft account. This will not affect your files. In summary We've now completed the process of setting up a Microsoft account. Last updated May
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