If you haven’t upgraded to Microsoft Windows 10, you may want to before the July 29 deadline. The ideas behind Windows 10 have blended the best part of Windows 7 and 8 to a platform that is incredibly user-friendly across laptops and tablets alike.

Difference Between Upgrade and Install

Before we go any further, let’s make sure we’re all on the same page. Upgrading and installing are two different things. When you upgrade, you bring all of your files and settings from your previous Windows version. If you’re installing, you’re pretty much starting from scratch with Windows 10 before manually transferring all of your files from back-up.

How to Upgrade to Windows 10

If you’re ready to upgrade, you can do it through Windows Update. Here are the steps.

1. You can trigger Windows Update by opening the Control Panel and opening Window Updates. You won’t have to do much more than that besides allowing the upgrade to happen. Everything you need – your files, settings, apps, etc. – should be operating as normal.
2. After the installation, you should see a “windows.old” folder on your hard (C:) drive that contains your previous operating system. If that folder is taking up too much space, you can remove it with the Windows Cleanup tool. In most cases, it will be removed automatically after about a month.

If you’d like to use this upgrading period as a time to start fresh and get rid of a lot of old files, a clean install is the best option. You can do this via M/S’s Media Creation tool.

1. Download M/S Media Creation. Insert a USB flash drive, on which M/S will create a bootable drive for future reinstalls.
2. Begin the clean install with the Reset function. You can do this by following this path: Start > Settings > Update & Security > Recovery > Reset this PC.

*** An alternate way to do this is by shutting down your PC and booting from your USB flash drive. Just make sure you’ve backed everything up before doing so.

Call C3IT for Your Business Computing Needs

We’re definitely fans of M/S’s Window’s 10. It truly does combine the best of Windows 7 & 8 into one very easy-to-use platform and is much faster than its predecessors. If you need help your business computing needs, get in touch with the pros at C3IT by calling 800-728-1441 or sending an email.