Windows 10 upgrade not readily apparent to all
The recent Microsoft scuttlebutt has it that eligible Windows 7 users and 8.1 devices should now be able to see the “Get Windows” notification. This notification allows you to upgrade to Windows 10 for free, however, many users are not receiving this notification despite running Windows 7 (SP1), or Windows 8.1. If this is you, you are not alone. Here’s how to find and activate the “Get Windows” upgrade.
UPDATE: Microsoft flubs their roll out, and not all users will get Windows 10 for free… read more.
First, are you sure you are eligible for the upgrade?
If you are unsure which version you have, you will need to check as only specific versions of Windows are eligible for the free upgrade. Of course, only genuine versions are eligible; this includes Windows 7 Starter, Home, Professional, and Ultimate versions, as well as, Windows 8.1 regular, Pro, Pro for Students, and Phone. If you are on a desktop, you can see which version of windows you’re running by right-clicking your “computer” icon or tab (accessible from the start menu), and then clicking “properties.” Under properties, you can see then your Windows version.
Which upgrade will you get?
As mentioned above, if you are using Windows 7, you will need to be using Service Pack 1 (SP1). Windows Professional and Ultimate users will be upgraded to Windows 10 Pro, all other will be upgraded to Windows 10 Home. Windows 8.1 Phone users will be upgraded to Windows 10 mobile; Windows 8.1 Pro and Pro for Students users will be upgraded to Windows Pro 10, and regular Windows 8.1 users will be upgraded to Windows 10 Home.
Check the Control Panel
Also, you will need to check the Control Panel to see if you installed the optional update of KB3035583 and KB2952664 (Windows 7) and KB2976978 (Windows 8.1). Simply go to your Control Panel or access “Windows Update” with a quick Windows search. If you haven’t applied these updates, you will need to. If your computer is administered by someone else, you’ll need your IT department to install these updates.
Once they’re installed, reboot your machine and you may finally see the “Windows is coming soon” announcement. If you do, click “reserve” and you’ll see another message confirming that you’ve reserved your Windows 10 upgrade.
If you change your mind, you can cancel the upgrade. Just open the Windows 10 icon (which should be in your system tray) and click “cancel.” Even if you don’t click cancel, you can still change your mind, because you will have to initiate the free download on July 29th (it will not automatically happen).
TLDR Version:
With most users of Windows 7 or newer can go to their Control Panel, check for Windows Updates, and after the check has run, most computers will then show a blue link to reserve your free Windows 10 upgrade.
