Q. How Do I Create And Save A Free Windows 10 Upgrade?

Q. I have a Windows 8.1 machine that, believe it or not, I ultimately whipped into performing quite well. Please provide an article soon with a step-by-step process on how to do a free Win10 upgrade after July 29, 2016.

A. 

There is indeed a way to make and preserve a free copy of Win10 for later use.

But, naturally, there are a few caveats.

For example, your PC must be Win10-compatible, and you have to meet Microsoft’s requirements for digital entitlement — the company’s name for the free-upgrade licensing. In other words, you must be legitimately running an activated copy of Win7/8.1, and you must complete the upgrade process before July 29, 2016.

(For complete details on the free upgrade, see the Microsoft Support pages, Upgrade to Windows 10: FAQ, How to upgrade to Windows 10, and Get Windows 10.)

Note: This is not — repeat not — a way to acquire a second, unauthorized copy of Windows; it’s not a way use two, separate, live copies of Windows, based on one original license. That’s cheating and is emphatically not okay.

The process I’ll describe is meant only to assist people whose Win7/8.1 PCs fully qualify for the free Win10 upgrade. It lets you keep running your current Windows version past July 29, yet still be able to switch to a preserved and free Win10 setup at some later date.

Moreover, there are some unknowns associated with this delayed-upgrade process. To start, only Microsoft knows precisely how Windows 10 will change after July 29. For example, based on the preview builds of the OS, available via the Windows Insider Program, it appears that the current digital-entitlement licensing plan will be replaced with something Microsoft is calling digital licensing, which will work a little differently. Future Win10 licenses will be tied not just to a specific machine (as they are now) but also to your Microsoft Account sign in.

In theory, the new digital licensing should make future activations or re-activations more reliable. The license should, for example, stay with you even when you upgrade your hardware. That said, the new licensing plan is still in preview; its final version remains to be seen. (For preliminary info, see “Microsoft takes another step toward minimizing activation issues on Windows 10.”)

Going on what we know now, and with the above unknowns and caveats in mind, the following steps should let you create and preserve a free copy of Win10, while continuing to use Win7/8.1 for the present:

STEP 1. Make a full backup or system image of your current Win7/8.1 setup.

STEP 2. Download and set aside the Win10 installation files (ISO or flash drive) from a Microsoft site such as Get Windows 10 or Windows 10 Tech Bench Upgrade Program.

STEP 3. Upgrade your Win7/8 PC to Win10 via Windows Update or by using the installation medium you just created in Step 2.

STEP 4. When initially setting up Win10, use your Microsoft Account username/password as the primary sign in. (If you don’t already have a Microsoft Account, you can create one on the fly.) Note: You can later change to another sign-in method such as PIN, facial-recognition, local account, or other. But it’s important to initially associate your new Win10 setup with your Microsoft Account.

STEP 5. When requested, activate Win10. (If you’re asked for a product key, use your Win7/8.1 key.) Activating the new Win10 installation will permanently associate it with your hardware.

STEP 6. Once Win10 is activated, create and save a new complete backup or system image of the Win10 setup. Third-party tools make Win10 system imaging easy; I prefer to use Macrium’s Reflect, but you can find many other tools with a simple Web search.

STEP 7. Use Win10’s built-in roll-back mechanism to revert to your original Win7 or 8.1 setup. (Be aware: This option is available for up to 30 days after installing Win10; see, “Going back to Windows 7 or Windows 8.1.”)

STEP 8. If the roll-back process fails, use the backup or system image you created in Step 1 to restore your original setup.

STEP 9. When you’re ready to finally switch to Win10 for keeps, upgrade your PC via the preserved installation medium you created in Step 2. When setting up Win10, use the same Microsoft account you used in Step 4. With the same person setting up the same Win10 on the same PC, Microsoft should be able to find and reuse your original, completely valid digital license; and Win10 should activate normally.

STEP 10. If the upgrade fails for any reason, save your current user files to a safe location. Next, restore the Win10 backup or system image you made in Step 6. Because that Win10 installation was already activated, it should pick up from where it left off, without a hitch. Then restore your user files from wherever you placed them — and you’ll be off and running!

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Editor's note: We feature an abridged Q&A from Fred Langa's LANGALIST, a column available exclusively to paid subscribers of the Windows Secrets newsletter,. What you see here is just a small sampling of what Langa's writing for the newsletter — go here for more information on how to subscribe.