Never was able to "...get Windows 10 for free!"

Now, back when Microsoft was giving away Windows 10 for free...

I ran the program and reserved my copy. The "Get Windows 10" program said that my copy was all reserved and all I had to dow was ...wait. The expiration date came and went. I wasn't really too worried, I just figured there was a backlog and they would get around to it when they could. After much waiting I talked to people I knew who built computers and installed operating systems (which I have done too), contacted support, and nobody seemed to really know what had happened. The only advice I got was "something must have gone wrong." Helpful! Eventually I just hit a dead end. The upgrade never arrived.

Windows 7 is great and I really like it. However, for the first time I am starting to get problems because many of the programs I use won't upgrade because they don't update them for Windows 7. So I started thinking about Windows 10 (or 11). Now that seems like a pretty costly option because I paid for my full-install version of Windows 7 and now I don't see why I should have to go out and pay again, especially after being promised by Microsoft that Windows 10 was on the way "for free!"

Microsoft seems to offer two solutions... buy Windows 10, or buy a new computer. There doesn't seem to be any way to hold Microsoft to their promise. What is the cheapest way to get Windows 10 and keep it as transferable as my Windows 7 currently is? If I bought a Windows 10 upgrade, I believe it would take over my Windows 7 serial number, but would my (now Windows 10) installation be transferable to a new computer when I upgrade? After all, I bought it as a full-install program, or would it be tied to the machine I now have? It seems I had to pay for Windows 7 once, and now have to buy Windows 10 in addition and I'm not even sure if that would be considered a full-install version of Windows. What are my best options?

And yes, Microsoft is still promising me that Windows 10 is on the way. Their confirmation of my reservation is still there. According to them, it's "All done for now" and there's "nothing else" I "need to do."

Any help would be appreciated!

What Microsoft said was that you can do either for free:
1. Upgrade an existing computer with Windows 7 or 8.1 to Windows 10. For example, you can upgrade Windows 7 Home to Windows 10 Home.
2. Create the install media (USB flash drive) and do a clean install of Windows 10. If the computer came with Windows 7 and the key is in the BIOS it should activate automatically. Otherwise you can use key for Windows 7 for the computer that used to have Windows 7 to activate Windows 10.

Officially Windows only offered this free upgrade the first year Windows 10 came out. However, they have not stopped anyone from getting the free upgrade anytime since them.

Just last year I upgraded for free three computers I have:
1. Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit > Windows 10 Professional 64-bit
2. Windows 7 Home 64-bit > Windows 10 Home 64-bit
3. Windows 8.1 Professional 32-bit > Windows 10 Professional 32-bit


To get the free Windows 10 upgrade go to this Microsoft web site:

Download Windows 10
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/soft...load/windows10

You have two options:

1. Windows 10 2022 Update | Version 22H2
Select Update now to upgrade your Windows 7 computer to Windows 10.

2. Create Windows 10 installation media
Select Download Now to download the Media Creation tool. When you run this tool you have two options:
a. Upgrade your Windows 7 computer to Windows 10.
b. Have it create a bootable USB flash drive with the setup program for Windows 10. You can use it to do a clean install of Windows 10.

We have a tutorial on how to get the free upgrade here - Upgrade to Windows 10 from Windows 7 for Free | Tutorials

Hi

if you installed a "blocker" program then it would not update/notify you again..... 3 i know off

I dont want 10
GWX
Never10


your system specs show 2 comps are both affected,

Thanks to all of you!

I really wasn't expecting to get a reply at this late of a date.

As I (may) have said, so far the only problem is that my Brave browser will not update as there is no newer version for Windows 7. But... I know what's coming. I had the same thing with XP. It was a shame to give that up, but eventually it just became a liability because even the programs I had paid for would not update on it. When I bought the retail version of Windows 7 (Professional), I dual-booted it for a while. It was amazing how quickly I stopped booting up the XP, as 7 was just as good of an operating system, but more current. I suppose it will be the same way going to 10 (or 11). I had been holding out after the Windows 8 debacle. I was hoping to dual-boot the Windows 7 as well, but because of the way it upgrades, that may not be possible. It seems I would have to buy a new license one way or another. I will shop around.

My laptop runs Windows 7. It came with the Home version pre-installed. Unfortunately, I spilled water on it at some point. I mopped it up quickly, but it has never been the same. It runs fine, but it doesn't detect half of the memory I have installed. I put in new memory sticks, but it doesn't detect them either. I'm more of a tinkerer than a computer hobbyist. This was beyond me. Also, at some point I had deleted the restore partition that had been installed on it when I bought it. I never thought it would be an issue, but when it got so bloated I wanted to do a clean install, I found another problem: The sticker with the key number on it had worn off. (It was a stupid place to put the sticker - right on the bottom, not even recessed), so I can't reinstall, even with the disk I have. I don't use it much anyway. Maybe I'll just make a disk image of the drive and uninstall everything. That should speed it up some. It's a shame, but with the specs on that computer, it's not really going to run Windows 10. It's got Windows 7 Home all paid for, but I don't think I can reinstall it at this point.

I bought and built my desktop "future-proofed", and though I know there is really no such thing, the specs on it are still quite good. I made a few upgrades since I last posted the specs, but it runs fine. Quite brisk. Especially since I put in the SSDs.

Anyway, I did find and download the Windows 10 media creator last night (this morning, LoL) and downloaded the ISO to my drive. Unfortunately, for some reason I am having trouble with my disk drive. Perhaps it's the blank disk, but if it is I'll just buy another flash drive - can't have too many. One way or another I will have installation media. Then I'll see if I can upgrade to Windows 11.

The whole thing has been kind of funny really. People would see I'm running Windows 7 and tell me I should upgrade and I would show them the reservation and say "I already did. It'll be here any day!" LoL. But in practice, I have had no problems with Windows 7. I love it! Brave was the first thing and I suspect it's only the beginning.

Thank you all! It is good to know there are ...options. If I could find a way to dual-boot them both it would be ideal. I can find out what does and doesn't work on Windows 10 (or 11)

Much Obliged to you All!

Mike

Oh, also...

I misread torchwood's advice. I had thought that it said that maybe I had installed a blocker and that's why it wasn't downloading. I just reread it and I realize that what was meant is that I could get rid of the message by installing a blocker.

I never wanted to get rid of it. I thought it was funny. LoL. I know there was an update to remove the program from your computer so that you wouldn't get the message again. It only shows up if you open it. I used to keep the icon hidden from the taskbar. I only would show it if people called me out on not getting Windows 10!

Does anyone know of a good article on making Windows 10 or 11 look more like Windows 7? It's not that I want to live in the past, but I like changing things one at a time. Otherwise it's like trying to drive somebody else's car and everything is in the wrong place. Muscle memory can be a problem.

Mike

Okay, thanks SIW2!

I'm pretty sure my desktop as it is now would run Windows 11, but if not... I will upgrade. In my worldview, updating to 10 without going to 11 will just kick the can down the road a bit.

I will just image my Windows 7 and get Windows 10 on here, and then see if I can go to 11 right away.

Thanks for the information on the customizing programs. I will check around myself too, but I figured someone in here may have known offhand. As always sevenforums came through. (I am hoping there is a tenforums or elevenforums out there.) I am going to get it all done though. I have used sevenforums a lot. I don't need to post much because the answers I want are usually in there somewhere.

I'll have to remember to update my hardware list.

Thanks again,

Mike