Please keep in mind that you have to use Windows 10 on the same PC that you have upgraded on.Īfter Microsoft activates your copy of Windows 10, following the upgrade, you can go about making a clean install of the operating system. Those of you who are using Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, and wish to take advantage of the free upgrade offer, will first have to upgrade to Windows 10, so that your license gets validated for Windows 10. Just make sure that you read the section below if you have a Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 license and wish to use it with Windows 10. Microsoft has released an official tool (hit the first link in the first paragraph for more information) that automates the process, but, if you already have the ISO that you want to use, check out this how-to guide which takes you through all the steps in detail. That being said, you can also create your own bootable Windows 10 USB drive. It is the first time that Microsoft is offering this option, and I highly recommend buying the official bootable Windows 10 USB drive.

If you plan on purchasing a new Windows 10 license, you can get the new operating system directly loaded onto a bootable USB drive. Otherwise you risk losing important data, which can be very difficult, if not impossible sometimes, to recover. When it comes to the first requirement, I recommend using a bootable USB drive: it is faster than a DVD, works with ultra-slim devices that do not have an optical drive, and also easier to carry around wherever you need.īecause we are talking about a clean install, you should back everything up before going any further. In order to perform a clean install, you have to have a Windows 10 installation media ready as well as a valid Windows 10 license.

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