Tech Support Tuesday – Windows 10: To Upgrade or Not?

Welcome to Tech Support Tuesday. The first Tuesday of each month we’ll be sharing tips and “unique” experiences from both sides of the Tech Support spectrum. If you have a tip or you’ve had a strange (let’s just call them unique) experience with a Tech Support person or someone who’s called you for support; drop me a note and I’ll include it in the next episode. If you share a unique story please make sure it’s a real story, no third party stories or Urban Legends.

Windows 10: To Upgrade or Not?

Windows 10 has hit the public and while there are people who have had issues with upgrading not everyone has.  For many Windows 8x users the upgrade process hasn’t been that difficult when using the Get Windows 10 App.  Windows 7 users seem to have had more issues, especially using the Get Windows 10 App.

If you’ve decided to wait before upgrading, when you do decide to upgrade here are some tips to help prevent some headaches:

Know which version of Windows you have:

Sounds like I’m stating the obvious but not necessarily; are you running 32Bit or 64Bit?  Home, Home Premium, Pro or Ultimate?  Knowing which version of Windows 7 or 8 will dictate what version of Windows 10 you’ll get.  Here’s a quick breakdown:

Windows 10
  • Windows 7 Home
  • Windows 7 Home Premium
  • Window 8
  • Windows 8.1
Windows 10 Pro
  • Windows 7 Professional
  • Windows 7 Ultimate
  • Windows 8 Pro
  • Windows 8.1 Pro

While the differences between Win10 and Win10 Pro won’t really effect the average user.  Pro does a few more bells and whistles for the enthusiast and advanced user.

To find out which version you have:
  • Open the Control Panel
  • Click on SYSTEM

Version Info

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Back it UP!!

It doesn’t matter which version of Windows you’re running, make a disk image Back-up for safe keeping.  If something does go horribly wrong in the upgrade process you’ll have something that will return you system to its former state.

Choose an Upgrade method

While Windows8x users seem to be having less issues upgrading through the Get Windows 10 App.  Windows 7 users seem to be having a bit more issues using the Tool.  Either way, you have two choices:

  • Use the Get Windows 10 App
  • Download the Upgrade to a USB Flash Drive, External Hard Drive or DVD and upgrade manually.

While the Manual upgrade requires a lot more prep before you start, it does seem to be the safest way for many Windows 7 users.  The Get Windows 10 App seems to be better for Windows 8x users but even those users have had some issues using it.

In a couple of weeks I will post how to use the Manual Upgrade method.