Windows 10 release: What to expect

Microsoft blog

Windows 10, Microsoft's upcoming new platform, will be on full release on July 29. With that in mind, and with the company's plan to pre-load the operating system, Microsoft has a few pointers for users to fully maximize its newest offering.

Windows 10 will become a requisite 

Microsoft is planning for Windows 10 to become the current platform for Windows users, and has already stopped support for Windows 7. In addition, although the company still has an extended support for Windows 8.1, it will stop in 2023. 

Update for free 

For those users who have Windows 7 Service Pack 1 or Windows 8.1 version, they don't have to pay for an upgrade to Windows 10. However, there is a condition — the upgrade must happen within the first year. This also extends to the continued support and updates for the upcoming platform. 

Meanwhile, for those who own a Windows version older than Windows 7, there will be a fee for upgrading. A charge will also be made for those who would be updating their non-genuine copy of Windows to Windows 10. The fee depends on the edition — the Windows 10 Home edition is priced at $110, while the Windows 10 Pro is at $199. 

Automatic upgrade 

The Windows 10 update will be coming automatically. Microsoft has recently released a "Get Windows 10" app that gives notifications to Windows users to reserve a copy of the new OS. Reserving a copy means that most of the data and information will start downloading before July 29. This pre-loading steps will continue toward the launch date. Once the new platform is fully released, the whole Windows 10 will be automatically uploaded as an update to the user's existing Windows platform via Windows Update.