Free legal upgrade from Win 7 & 8 to 10

[Ssxy]

I've posted this here rather than the Technical board as this is not a query but to highlight little known fact that the Microsoft official site is still allowing free upgrades. As of this morning 19 Oct 2020 (UK) I was able to upgrade my laptop from Win 7 to Win 10. 

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

If like me, very nervous about attempting it I thoroughly recommend watching the video below beforehand which talks you through the process. I played the video on my PC and stopped and started it as I proceeded with the upgrade on my laptop.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERTKBVPd594&feature=emb_title

Other than having to uninstall a redundant Microsoft app along the way the process was straight-foreword but took a while.

Ssxy.

I have no connection with the author of the video.

[Ian Nelson]

Thanks for posting that link.  I've just downloaded Windows 10 and installed it on an ancient home-built desktop pc which has been running Win 7 with increasingly more and more technical things going awry and making me spend unwanted hours trying to keep it going but getting worried about losing 20 years of files and photos, even though I had already saved everything to a 64gb flash memory stick.
I was on a short learning curve from recently having acquired a Lenovo Ideapad running Win 10 but have just finished reading an article in the Computer Active magazine showing how to restore Win 7 Tools which are hidden in Win 10.
For some reason Win 10 doesn't like me Shutting Down and wants to keep installing Updates even though it just installed itself.   Hey ho, progress of a kind
Anyhow, thanks for that link, cheers, Ian

[Kiltpin]

I did the same thing about 18 months ago. Started with 7, which updated 7.1, then 7.2, then a big update to 8, then almost immediately to 8.1, then a while later to 8.2. Heard about the free update to 10 and gave it a go. It took about 4 hours all together. But a great improvement once done. 

I too have just bought a Lenovo Ideapad Gaming 3 - running 10 on the latest build 20. It seems that when it updates it does it in batches - 4 today and another 4 tomorrow. 

I would be interested, Ian Nelson, in knowing more about these hidden tools. 

Regards 

Chas

[Ian Nelson]

I've read several articles over the past few months regarding Power Tools and Hidden Tools and Programs or Apps. 
If you know the Name of the Prog or App or Tool apparently you either find it and restore it by going into Settings and hunting around or use the Search Box .... enter ' Control Panel' and you will find the Win 7 Version.
Have a look at the t'internet as there is much posted there about it too.
see this snippet from the mag ..   Their sister magazine is Web User and it covers similar articles.
the original Paint prog is hidden within Win 10 and there is also a Video Editor / Movie Maker.
If I find the other articles I'll post some links, cheers, Ian

[Ian Nelson]

I've a collection of WebUser and ComputerActive magazines and back issues are available from dennismags and Amazon.  I'll check for old articles on Power Tools etc! and post what I find.


ComputerActive Issue 571 of January 2020.  The main article is entitled 'Get the best of Win 7 in 10'.
They use www.snipca.com/33563 to source a zip file of Free Open-Shell menu.
  Using what you find in the extracted file you can revert to Win 7 and XP Start Menus and Styles Plus Plus.
There is a Free OldNewExplorer tool at www.snipca.com/33574.   
The hidden Movie Maker is found by clicking Start and typing 'photos' then selecting the Photos app,
 Then click Video Projects, then New Video Project.
You can buy back copies of both magazines from Amazon on CDs or from dennismags.co.uk/webuser & computeractive.