[BritishShivans]

And windows 10 starter edition will have a background that you cannot change.

Which, if true (and I don't see any confirmation that a Starter edition exists in 10), is irrelevant, as all upgrade offers default to a minimum of Windows 10 Home.

Dragon, Shivans - Service Pack 1 is required to get the upgrade. Do you have it installed?

I believe I did have SP1, but it apparently... uninstalled itself. I'm currently going through a rather embarrassing and confusing attempt to find SP1 and install it again :S

[S-99]

Get it here, that should help force it.

You want "windows6.1-KB976932-X64.exe" or "windows6.1-KB976932-X86.exe

[BritishShivans]

Ah, thank you. Downloading it now.

[jr2]

http://www.maximumpc.com/how-to-get-windows-10-for-free/

(MS announces W10 TP users get W10 for free)

[BirdofPrey]

but only as long as you stay opted in for preview builds,  otherwise the license goes away.  Of course, supposedly, if you updated to the preview build from windows 7 or 8.1, you should already be authorized for the appropriate free windows 10 license.


More good news, the FAQ says that you can do a clean install with the free upgrade.

[Vrets]

I don't see any reason to upgrade from Windows 7.

[swashmebuckle]

Woohoo! I'm riding the free windows train as long as it lasts. Hopefully the next build will tell me the correct time of day!

[Fury]

I don't see any reason to upgrade from Windows 7.

Aside of the fact that games probably will have DirectX 12 and/or Vulkan as minimum requirement sooner, rather than later? Unless Vulkan somehow manages to out-play DX12, chances are you're going to need Win10 to play new games in the near future. People already have the hardware, they just need to upgrade their OS, which is free. If you don't upgrade within the year of release, then the upgrade is going to cost you.

This is of course a moot point if your GPU is not DX12 capable and you're not planning on upgrading your current PC, or if you don't play games on PC.

[Spoon]

More likely later than sooner. Seeing how long it took for directx11 games to start appearing. Even when they did start popping up, most of them still have the option to switch between 9 and 11.

I finally got the 10 icon to show up on my laptop yesterday. Still nothing on my desktop.

[Fury]

More likely later than sooner. Seeing how long it took for directx11 games to start appearing.

The big difference this time around is free Win10 upgrade. WIn10 adoption rate will be significantly higher than Vista/Win7/Win8.

[Spoon]

Which won't actually matter much at all. What is important is if the current gen consoles support dx12 (afaik the ps4 doesn't? Correct me if I'm wrong) and if the game dev studios will actually bother adopting it in any kind of timely fashion. If its going to be anything like dx11, then it'll be a great many years before dx12 is going to be a minimal requirement.

[pecenipicek]

and in other news i just shelled out 200€ for 2 copies of win8.1 for myself and my wife and legalised our windaz installations. free win 10 really helped there...

[Klaustrophobia]

"You're going to have to eventually" is the single worst argument for upgrading EVER. 
One, you don't know that.  You can only guess.  People said the same thing about Vista and DX10.  The only game I can recall being a DX10 exclusive is Halo 2, and that was clearly a marketing stunt by MS.  Hell, it was even cracked to run on XP. 

Two, it's a self-fulfilling prophecy.  Why are you upgrading?  Because the new software is going to be exclusive to it (maybe).  Why is the new software exclusive to the new OS?  Because enough people upgraded.  It is, and always has been, in the consumers' power to tell Microsoft and any developers sucking at their teats to screw off.  We don't have to let them shove it down our throats.  Again, I point to XP/Vista.

Third, even if reasons 1 and 2 fall flat, and it really DOES become absolutely necessary to upgrade (I'm going to go through my library and see how many absolutely won't run on XP, I bet it's an extremely small number), THEN it is time to upgrade.  Shelling out money* now for "might" and "maybe" later is just stupid.  There is nothing stopping you from upgrading later when you KNOW it's going to be a good choice. 

*And this is the very reason 10 is being offered for free for a limited time.  MS knows this bit of logic is a hindrance to their desire to kill off the traditional desktop for the wonderful new world of multi-device, cloud, apps, and every other trendy buzz word that'll make them a continuous stream of cash, so they are trying to stamp it out.  You don't honestly think MS is giving 10 away for free just because they are swell guys and are being charitable, do you?  Gee, where have we seen that business strategy before?



Well, that was a little more rant-y than I intended when I started writing it.  Also, let none of this be construed as a flat out argument against windows 10 (except for that last bit about an OS designed to continually make them money instead of just being a good product).  If you're truly excited by windows 10 itself and want it for its features, then by all means.  I already stated I'd get it on my windows 8 laptop (probably) because it's in all likelihood an improvement.  Just don't fall for the trap of feeling forced to upgrade.  If that's your only reason, it doesn't make any sense to do so until it turns out you ARE forced.

[Fury]

Which won't actually matter much at all. What is important is if the current gen consoles support dx12

Xbox One will be getting Win10 and DX12. Obviously PS4 will not be getting DX12, because duh, it's not running on Windows like Xbox One is. Which means, new games that will come out on Xbox One will be supporting DX12 soon. Games that don't come out on Xbox One, probably won't come out on PC either. So PS4's inability to run DX12 is mostly a moot point.

Unlike with DX10/11, there won't be need to wait for next console generation to get DX12 games.

[General Battuta]

From what I picked up at Studie Bungios, it's pretty easy to port PS4 games to PC. None of the PS3's crazy architecture.

[Fury]

(I'm going to go through my library and see how many absolutely won't run on XP, I bet it's an extremely small number)

I don't know what your library is like, but my library has plenty of games that require Win7 or newer. Many of them even go as far as to require 64-bit OS and DX11. Being stuck with WinXP would cut me off from a significant portion of games. And honestly, I wouldn't want to be stuck with over a decade old turd of an operating system.

Why is the new software exclusive to the new OS?  Because enough people upgraded.  It is, and always has been, in the consumers' power to tell Microsoft and any developers sucking at their teats to screw off.

Why would I want to tell MS and developers off? DX12 is a beneficial thing to us gamers. It moves progress forward. If you are not familiar with what DX12 brings to the table, feel free to google it up. If I can get that as a free upgrade and without even needing to upgrade any hardware, why would I complain?

There is nothing stopping you from upgrading later when you KNOW it's going to be a good choice. 

Except for the cost. It's free only the first 12 months.

And I am in fact already running Win10, been quite a while now. It's had its fair share of small bugs, but I feel it is generally an improvement over Win7/8. As soon as new Win10 laptops come available at work, I am going to replace my old Win7 laptop. I don't feel forced to upgrade at all. I am doing it willingly because I've already used preview builds and I like what I've seen.

[Spoon]

Why is the new software exclusive to the new OS?  Because enough people upgraded.  It is, and always has been, in the consumers' power to tell Microsoft and any developers sucking at their teats to screw off.

Why would I want to tell MS and developers off? DX12 is a beneficial thing to us gamers. It moves progress forward. If you are not familiar with what DX12 brings to the table, feel free to google it up. If I can get that as a free upgrade and without even needing to upgrade any hardware, why would I complain?

Read what Klaustrophobia said again, Fury. Tell them off for making dx12 exclusive to an os. Not telling them off for making dx12.
Is what he said.

Games that don't come out on Xbox One, probably won't come out on PC either. So PS4's inability to run DX12 is mostly a moot point.

Yeah okay, I'm fairly sure this is a false statement.

[Vrets]

Admit it, you overzealous upgraders. You only did it because you wanted the latest operating system for its own sake.

Aside of the fact that games probably will have DirectX 12 and/or Vulkan as minimum requirement sooner, rather than later?

Then I'll upgrade when games (that I want to play) have DirectX 12 as a minimum requirement. Who knows when that will happen. It could be years.

It's not like I'm preparing in advance for a natural disaster. When the game I want to buy announces that it requires DirectX12, I'll order Windows 10 and a new graphics card. I mean, what, are they going to release a hotly anticipated game and have DirectX 12 as a surprise requirement?

"Oh, god! If only I had bought Windows 10 eight months ago when I had the chance! Oh FML I gotta run down to Best Buy"

[MP-Ryan]

"Oh, god! If only I had bought Windows 10 eight months ago when I had the chance! Oh FML I gotta run down to Best Buy"

Except it's, um, free for the next 12 months.

Deprecated software and operating systems are one of the many reasons we have ongoing security holes in all kinds of applications. Upgrades for the sake the the shiniest new things are not desirable; upgrades that bring about improvement are.  Anyone still running XP over 7 at the moment is, quite frankly, an obstinate fool (or, I suppose, broke).  The same will eventually - and likely shortly after release - be true of 10 over 7.

Frankly, this is an area where I'd like to see Microsoft adopt some of Apple's practices and make OS upgrades essentially a patch system.

[Mongoose]

Anyone still running XP over 7 at the moment is, quite frankly, an obstinate fool (or, I suppose, broke). 

Or both!