Appendix A
Upgrading to Windows 10
If you purchased your PC with Windows 10 already installed and have no interest in dual-booting, this appendix isn't for you. Go straight to the Introduction, or Chapter 1, at the beginning of this book, and forget all about upgrading.
If you purchased an upgrade version of Windows 10 to replace your current version of Windows and you haven't installed that upgrade, this appendix helps you complete the upgrade. However, you don't have to read the entire appendix to install your upgrade. Just do this:
- Insert the disk that came with your Windows 10 upgrade into your computer's disk drive and wait a few seconds.
- Follow the instructions that appear on the screen to install Windows 10 by upgrading your current version of Windows.
When the installation is complete, remove the disk from your disk drive, put it someplace safe, and ignore the rest of this appendix. If these two steps don't quite get the job done, read on.
Windows 10 System Requirements
Windows 10 has the same hardware requirements as Windows 7 and Windows 8.x, but it requires a bit more hardware horsepower than versions of Windows prior to 7. The more hardware capability you have, the better Windows 10 runs. The recommended minimum hardware requirements are as follows:
- 1GB of RAM for 32-bit (x86) versions; 2GB of RAM for 64-bit (x64) versions
- A 1.0 GHz 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
- At least 16GB free space available for 32-bit (x86) versions; 20GB for 64-bit (x64) versions
- DirectX 9–capable GPU with WDDM 1.0 driver or higher
- Screen resolution of at least 1024 x 768 for modern Windows apps
- A Microsoft account and Internet access
When you run the installation program for Windows 10, it automatically runs the Windows 10 Installation Compatibility Advisor tool on your computer. This tool tests to ensure your computer meets minimum requirements for Windows 10. It also checks many of your installed programs for known problems with those programs running with Windows 10.
Preinstallation Housekeeping
If you've been using your PC for a while with an earlier version of Windows, you have a few things to do before you begin your upgrade:
- If your computer has any time-out features, such as the power-down features found on some portable PCs, disable those features now.
- If you have an antivirus program handy, run it now to check for, and delete, dormant viruses that may be lurking on your hard drive.
- Make sure that any external devices (printers, external disk drives, and so on) are connected and turned on so that Windows 10 can detect them during installation.
- If at all possible, back up the entire hard drive. At the very least, jot down all the information you need to connect to the Internet. Back up all your documents, e-mail messages, contacts, and anything else you'll need after you complete the upgrade.
Most enterprise IT environments provide at least some mechanism for backing up your documents and other data. Services such as Backblaze (www.backblaze.com), Carbonite (www.carbonite.com), and Mozy (www.mozy.com) enable you to back up your computer outside the enterprise environment (such as at home). But even in the absence of those backup options, you can back up documents, e-mail messages, names and addresses, and so on.
Installing Windows 10
To upgrade an existing version of Windows 7 SP1 or Windows 8.x, first start the computer and get to a clean desktop with no open program windows or dialog boxes. You have a few options for starting the upgrade. Perhaps the easiest is to use Windows Update, available from the Settings app. Or, you can update Windows through the Microsoft Store. The third option is to use a Windows 10 disk.
Regardless of the method you use to start the update, after the installation procedure begins, you may notice that the screen goes blank once in a while during the installation. Don't be alarmed — that's normal. If the screen goes blank for a long time, try moving the mouse to bring it back. To complete the installation, just follow the instructions provided by Setup. The following sections will help you understand the choices you will be offered during setup.
Installation options
Next, the setup routine requests several pieces of information. The exact procedure varies a bit, depending on which version of Windows 10 you're installing. Also, the routine may request slightly different information depending on the hardware that's connected to your computer. Here's a summary of the items you're likely to encounter along the way.
- Product key: Type the product key. You should be able to find it on the sleeve in which the Windows 10 disk was delivered. If you downloaded Windows 10, you should have received a license key via e-mail.
- License terms: If you agree with the terms and conditions of the license, select the I Accept the License Terms check box.
- Upgrade or custom installation: If you decide to do a fresh installation, choose the Custom option. This option does not keep your personal files and programs. The Upgrade option keeps them. For tips on choosing a clean (custom) installation over an upgrade, see Appendix B.
Re-enabling old startup programs
You may discover that some of the programs that used to start automatically on your computer don't do so after you've installed Windows 10. You can follow these steps to get those programs to start automatically again in the future:
- Click the Start button, type Task Manager, and click Task Manager in the search results. This runs the Task Manager tool.
- Click the More Details link and then select the Startup tab.
- Right-click a program that shows Disabled in the Status column and click Enable. Or click a program that shows Disabled in the Status column and click the Enable button at the bottom of the Task Manager window.
- Choose File
Exit to close the Task Manager.
Windows 10 should restart with the programs from your previous version of Windows.