Upgrading to Windows 10 Mike Farquhar January 2016 Thornbury U3A Computer Club

1. Can I Upgrade? 1.If you are running Windows 7 or 8.1 on a relatively new PC then, generally, upgrading is possible. If you are concerned about compatibility of particular hardware or software applications then some research on the manufacturer’s website may provide some answers.

1. Can I Upgrade? 2.If you are running Windows 8 (not 8.1) it must be brought up to Windows 8.1 to be eligible for the free upgrade.

1. Can I Upgrade? 3.Upgrading from Windows XP or Windows Vista is not possible: a new copy of Windows 10 will have to be purchased. Before purchase: You should check your PC hardware to ensure it is compatible with Windows 10. Microsoft has a tool available for this purpose. See the document “Check Windows 10 Compatibility”.

2. Should I Upgrade? There is little reason NOT to upgrade now. It is 5 months since Windows 10 was launched and, hopefully, the major bugs or annoyances have come to light have been addressed. So my advice is… If you are running Windows 8 or 8.1 and are still irritated by it then, Yes, now is the time to upgrade. If you are running Windows 7 there’s not so much to gain by upgrading at this time – but there’s nothing to lose.

3. What should I do before I upgrade? There’s no doubt that, with any installation of new software, things can go wrong. The results of something going wrong can be anywhere between an annoyance and a Catastrophe. My experience is that the better prepared both you and your PC are for the upgrade, the better the chance of success. This preparation is the most important part of upgrading PCs to Windows 10. There are two things to do…

1.First make sure the PC is tidy. It must have all necessary Microsoft Updates installed. Remove that unnecessary software you don’t use any more. Basically, the “cleaner” the PC the better the chance of a clean upgrade. Run some decluttering software such as Piriform’s CCleaner - read about it and download it from Leo’s link, here.here 3. What should I do before I upgrade?

Secondly, Make a “FULL Backup” of your PC. By “Full Backup” I mean a disk image; also make the Boot Recovery Disk. My personal recommendation is the same as that of Leo Notenboom, use Macrium Reflect. For the purpose of creating this disk image and boot disk I would guide you to … Do the first 3 parts of these step-by-step instructions and make yourself secure against anything going wrong.

4. How do I do the upgrade? After all the preparation (you have done the preparation – haven’t you?) you simply click on the icon which has appeared in the notification area. You will be greeted with a “Get Windows 10 “ window….

4. How do I do the upgrade? Click the “Upgrade Now” button and sit back and wait.

There are “Microsoft Software License Terms” to accept. (If you don’t accept them you don’t get Windows 10!) The PC will start Downloading and Rebooting and Upgrading. When you get to the “Get going fast” screen we need to NOT accept the Microsoft defaults but use the (very small print at the bottom left of the screen) “Customise settings”. This is all about PRIVACY. 4. How do I do the upgrade?

Click here! NOT here! To configure this section of the upgrade visit Configuring Windows Privacy (another Leo link)Configuring Windows Privacy

Continue the update The next stop is at “New apps for the new Windows” 4. How do I do the upgrade? If you want to use the new Microsoft defaults press “Next” Otherwise use “Let me choose my default apps”. Subsequently you will have to provide your required apps. For example, to play all music and videos you can use VLC Media Player (download from the internet) and use that instead of the Microsoft’s Music app.

After another restart or 2, Windows 10 will appear in all its glory. 4. How do I do the upgrade?

Seems like forever….. – The preparation (Section 3) should take some time, especially the full backup. Perhaps 3 or 4 hours elapsed time. – The Update itself (section 4 of this document) takes about 2 hours. 5. How long will it take?

6. If Disaster has struck ! If things go wrong and you have to recover your PC Microsoft have thoughtfully provided a webpage: If it is not possible to recover (the PC won’t start or is locked up) then you will be glad you’ve done your disk image backup. To restore your macrium Reflect backup consult section 6 of Leo’s document

Postscript… A Final Note: I’ve given several links to websites in this document – it’s really helpful, when you do the update, to have a second PC or laptop or tablet on which you can look at the linked sites and research your particular problems. Go for it… Windows 10 is worth it!