How to Reserve Windows 10 Upgrade (Free)

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by Dennis Faas on July, 3 2015 at 10:07AM EDT https://www.infopackets.com/news/9624/how-reserve-windows-10-upgrade-free

In order to activate the "Get Windows 10" app (which allows you "reserve" your free copy of Windows 10 using Windows Update), there are a number of prerequisites to be met in order to qualify. In a nutshell, here is a list in order of importance:

1. Only Windows 7 and 8 users qualify for the free upgrade to Windows 10.
   
2. You must have a legitimate license of Windows 7 or 8, or you won't see the "Get Windows 10" app.
   
3. Windows 7 users need to have Windows 7 Service Pack 1 installed, or you won't see the "Get Windows 10" app.
   
4. Windows 8 users need to update to Windows 8.1, or you won't see the "Get Windows 10" app.
   
5. If your Windows Update is broken and won't update, then you definitely won't see the "Get Windows 10" app. I have written an article on how to fix the Windows Update if it won't update.
   
6. Windows RT users won't be able to upgrade to Windows 10, but will have some partial compatibility.
   
7. Windows 10 CPU requirements suggest that your CPU must support PAE (physical address extension), SSE2 (supplementary instruction sets), and NX (no execute bit). Most computers made in the last decade support this; if you aren't sure, please read this article.
   
8. In addition to the above requirement, you will need to enable the NX (no execute bit) in BIOS if you receive an error message that your CPU isn't compatible with Windows 10. This particular error message will only appear once you install the "Get Windows 10 app", which is part of Windows Update KB3035583 (described further down). Refer to this article for more info on enabling NX in the BIOS.
   
9. Other hardware requirements for Windows 10 include: minimum 1 gigabyte of RAM for 32-bit Windows, and 2 GB of RAM for 64-bit Windows, 16 GB of free hard disk space, a graphics card supporting Microsoft DirectX 9 and WDM drivers, a Microsoft account, and Internet access.
   
10. To receive the "Get the Windows 10" app (which is effectively the program that allows you to reserve your copy of Windows 10), you need to have Windows Update KB3035583 installed, plus all of the above prerequisites mentioned. You can only download KB3035583 using Windows Update, so make sure all your Windows Updates are up to date and downloaded. Note: you may need to review your Windows Update History to ensure that you didn't accidentally hide updates that may prevent you from receiving the "Get Windows 10" app.
    
11. If you are connected to an Enterprise Windows Domain (for example, at work), then KB3035583 would most likely be blocked as it is the role of the Administrator to allow the upgrade to follow through.
    
12. Users wanting the free upgrade to Windows 10 will have 1 year to complete the upgrade. After that, it will cost $119 for WIndows 10 Home and $199 for Windows 10 Pro. Any users that don't receive the free upgrade can purchase Windows 10, including XP and Vista users, providing hardware requirements are met.
    
13. If you change your mind and you want to cancel your reservation for Windows 10, you need to uninstall KB3035583.

You can still Download Windows 10 without Reserving It
If you've exhausted all of the above, you can still download Windows 10 without using the "Get Windows 10" app reservation.

According to a Microsoft Wiki the "Get Windows 10" app serves mostly as a reminder notification and you will be able to download Windows 10 after the launch date (July 29, 2015) even if you don't reserve it. Most likely you will be able to download Windows 10 as an .ISO file (in order to create your own bootable DVD and USB media), but the release date for that has not been confirmed by Microsoft.