How To Download Windows 10 From Windows Xp

Anybody in the Windows globe is sitting on a bit of a time bomb: On July 29, Windows 10 upgrades finish to be free. Let's be articulate. While some of you dice-hards might not want to movement off of Windows XP, that Os is no longer safe to run on the net. And then, unless you intend to keep your automobile offline, information technology's worth considering an upgrade.

For many of you, particularly those with older machines running older versions of Windows, if y'all haven't upgraded yet, you're probably not going to pay for an upgrade later. So that gives you just about two weeks to become information technology together and do the upgrade at present, while it'south still gratis.

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For those running Windows 7 or Windows 8, the upgrade is straightforward. Heck, it'due south impossible to ignore. Microsoft has gone out of its mode to brand upgrading to Windows 10 easy. Some might telephone call information technology nagging, but let's not quibble.

In my case, I had a few machines sitting in my garage that nevertheless had Windows XP on them (and one with, I child you not, Vista). There were a few reasons I decided to do the upgrades. First, of course, I write about this stuff. But I often press onetime machines into service for some project or another.

And so, in that location's the skillful-deed side of things. I sometimes bump into people in my community who desperately demand a computer. If I can hand-me-downward something that's growing weeds in my garage, just would be a true assist to someone else, why not? That said, while I don't mind giving someone an onetime, tiresome machine, I volition not give them an dangerous one. That ways moving to Windows 10.

Some other reason is that newer versions of Windows have been able to breathe new life into these one-time machines. Both Windows eight and Windows 10 run on onetime hardware really nicely. In fact, some folks accept reported that newer OS versions really increase the performance of those one-time machines.

Pre-game preparation

Earlier you first to gather the materials and supplies you'll need to practise the upgrade, you should brand sure your machine can really run Windows ten.

Hither's a helpful guide on what you'll need to do, including links to the Microsoft compatibility checker. The key, I institute, was to make sure you accept at least 1GB of RAM for a 32-bit upgrade or 2GB for a 64-bit upgrade.

Getting started, what y'all'll need

So, allow's get started. Here are some of the things you'll probably need to brand the jump.

A thumb drive with at least 4GB of space. I recently bought a 16GB thumb drive from Amazon for nigh $v, and virtually of us have some spare USB sticks laying around.

An unused, sacrificial Windows 7 or Windows 8 license code. This could be the sticking point for some of you. Y'all're actually going to be upgrading to Windows 7 or Windows 8, and then to Windows 10. To get the free Windows 10 upgrade, y'all need to sacrifice a Windows vii or Windows eight license.

Many of us have a bunch of licenses left over from machines nosotros've taken out of service, so dig around. I purchased a bunch of cheap Windows 8 licenses, and then I had a few I could pull from. But this is important: Your XP or Vista license won't practice information technology. Y'all need an actual code from 7 or 8.

If you have a Windows 8 license, I'd recommend starting with that instead of Windows 7. You lot'll actually be upgrading to Windows 8.1. I found that a flake less fussy than upgrading to Windows ten from Windows seven.

A spare, modern computer. You could just practice the whole process on the auto you're upgrading, but, every bit I said above, I don't recommend going online with Windows XP. So, to download files and prepare the thumb drive, a working, modern machine will assist.

A DVD burner and blank DVD (optional). If you don't want to go the thumb drive arroyo, you can burn your Windows image to DVD. I won't be discussing this, because I've done my absolute best to forget DVDs ever existed. Merely you accept that option.

A Netflix subscription (optional). This process takes time. I found that re-watching old Height Gear episodes made the time pass more pleasantly. Simply so once again, I apply re-watching old Top Gear episodes the manner some people use Xanax, so, you know...

An old machine running Windows XP (or Vista, I guess). This point is probably obvious, merely for the sake of completionism, I'thousand including it.

Fast track to Windows 10 upgrade

Update: Ed Bott tells me at that place's a improve way than what I described (and did myself) below. Back in November, he wrote about how you lot could practice a clean Windows 10 install using Windows 7 or 8 license keys. At the time he wrote that, you had to exist opted into the Windows ten insider channel, but he tells me it's now available to everyone.

To make this work, you'll need to caput over to Microsoft's Windows 10 Disk Image (ISO) page and download the ISO. If you're using a helpful, modern machine (annihilation Windows 7 and above), you tin just right click on the ISO and fire the epitome to a DVD.

Since I promised that I was avoiding DVDs entirely, here's Adrian's guide to creating a bootable thumb drive from an ISO.

Safely remove the drive from your main computer, insert information technology in the XP auto, reboot. Then keep an eagle eye on the kicking screen, considering you'll desire to hit the magic cardinal that will drop you into the car's BIOS. Once you're in the BIOS, make sure you boot off the USB stick.

Go ahead and install Windows x. If everything works, you lot can skip the residue of this commodity. If the process doesn't pan out, here's the longer process using an intermediate Bone to take you the distance.

Preparing for the first upgrade

This is going to be your commencement pace. I know, it seems similar a hurting to first upgrade to an before version of Windows, and it is. Just, if you have a agglomeration of Top Gear reruns to watch, it's non really that bad. Y'all exercise a few clicks, and go back to fast cars. Rinse, launder, and repeat.

I went through the Windows viii upgrade process in some detail in this article: 8 lessons learned from upgrading a domestic dog-slow Windows XP machine to Windows 8.

Key among the lessons learned was making sure Windows XP was updated to SP3 before doing anything else. If y'all're running an onetime Windows XP install and need to become information technology upwards to SP3, information technology might take a few more reboots.

Now, switch over to your modern Windows machine, plug in the USB stick, and point your browser to Microsoft'south Create Installation Media page. This is how you get good install images for Windows 7 or Windows 8.

Click in, then choose Windows vii or Windows eight.1 at the bottom of the folio, and follow the directions.

Here's an important tip. Don't try to install 64-bit Windows 7 or Windows viii if you are running 32-bit Windows XP. Everything will neglect if you do. Exist sure to friction match bitness. In most cases, you lot're probably upgrading Windows XP 32-bit, which means you'll demand the 32-flake version of Windows 7 or Windows 8.

Note that if you have a Windows 8 (rather than Windows 8.ane) license key, you're fine. Download the Windows viii.1 installation, so enter your license fundamental, and Bob's your uncle.

Run the media creator and send that install to your thumb bulldoze. Brand sure you don't heed torching that drive, considering the media creator will zero it out to create a bootable image.

Stop upward, and so properly unmount the bulldoze. You'll move it to your old Windows XP machine next.

Installing Windows vii or 8

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Before you close down your old Windows XP machine, make sure you back upwards anything you care nearly. Y'all're going to be nuking the drive. Okay, now shut down.

Plug in the USB stick and turn on the figurer. Keep an hawkeye heart on the kicking screen, considering you'll want to hit the magic primal that will drop you into the machine'due south BIOS. Once you lot're in the BIOS, make certain you boot off the USB stick.

I constitute that one of my machines had both difficult drive priority and kicking priority, and I had to set both to become the USB stick to boot, so you might want to keep that in mind.

Get ahead and normally install Windows. There are the usual cornucopia of options, and I'm guessing yous know enough nigh Windows installs to get those options correct. If you're unsure, Ed Bott has a helpful list of Eight things to do right away after y'all fix Windows 8.

1 thing y'all can avoid doing is updating Windows 7 or Windows eight. This will save a lot of fourth dimension and a lot of reboots. Because you lot're going straight to Windows 10, you (probably) won't demand to run intermediate updates.

I say probably because I had no problem on ane machine, but on 1 Windows 7 machine, I had to accept it all the way through the update bike before Windows ten would properly install.

Once you're able to kicking into your intermediate, merely reasonably modern Windows, it's time for the next footstep.

Installing Windows 10

Let's get one thing out of the way. Fifty-fifty if you can't brand it all the way to Windows 10, yous've just completed a massive upgrade to your auto - and fabricated information technology rubber to apply online. But, if you lot've washed the compatibility check phase I recommended earlier, you lot should be just a few hours away from running brand new Windows 10 on your old box.

Here's something I discovered. I plant that going to Microsoft'southward site and doing the web-initiated update failed on me with some regularity. Instead, I directly downloaded the Windows 10 download tool from Microsoft and ran information technology on the target machine.

If yous're updating a 32-bit Windows, grab the 32-flake tool. If you're updating a 64-bit car (substantially less likely, coming from Windows XP), catch the 64-chip tool.

I merely permit these tools download to my Downloads binder then executed them. From that signal on, I mostly plant things to be smooth sailing, especially from Windows 8.

There you go. How many reboots did you lot accept to get from Windows XP to Windows 10? Let me know in the comments below.

You can follow my day-to-day projection updates on social media. Be sure to follow me on Twitter at @DavidGewirtz, on Facebook at Facebook.com/DavidGewirtz, on Instagram at Instagram.com/DavidGewirtz, and on YouTube at YouTube.com/DavidGewirtzTV.

Source: https://www.zdnet.com/article/how-to-migrate-from-windows-xp-to-windows-10-in-8-reboots-or-less/

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