Win 10 Upgrades for Home Users FAQ

We answer a few commonly asked questions about the Win 10 Upgrade: Should I do it? Can I do it myself? How long will it take? Can you help me with the upgrade?

Win 10 Upgrades for Business

A Business has different needs to a home user – we address Business Specific Upgrade needs on our Win 10 Upgrades for Business page.

How much does Win 10 cost?

The Win 10 Upgrade will stay free until August 2016, after that you will have to pay to upgrade. The home version currently costs $179 to buy. Almost all computers are now ready to be upgraded, though we have struck one or two where the hardware is still incompatible.

Do you recommend Upgrading?

Yes. When it first came out we advised clients to hold off on the upgrade until Microsoft had worked out all the kinks. As of February 2016 most software is now compatible and we think it’s a great time to do the upgrade. It has a lot of terrific features, runs faster and preserves battery life better on laptops. Since it’s a new operating system it will be supported for 9 years, whereas Win7 users will lose support (and need to upgrade) in the next 4 years.

If you are interested in how an average user feels when taking Win10 for a test drive you can read about Jenni’s experience going from Win7 to Win 10.

Microsoft also have a video and some screenshots showing you what Win10 looks like at their site.

Can I upgrade myself?

Yes. You should run a full backup first, but if you are reasonably good with computers you can do the upgrade yourself. Depending on what other software you have the upgrade can be quite simple, or a bit tricky. Many home users manage the upgrade by themselves. The Upgrade is also reversible – I’ve been called out a few times to do reversals for clients who’ve tried to upgrade themselves and it USUALLY works (and takes me about half an hour to get things back to the way they were). If the reversal doesn’t work then you have to revert to your backup.

Microsoft have a lot of support online to talk you through if you’d like to do the Windows 10 upgrade yourself.

Can I change back if I don’t like it?

Yes, you can reverse the upgrade as long as you do it within 28 days – after that the change is permanent.

How long will the Upgrade take?

It takes 1.5 to 2 hours to upload the file depending on your internet speed. Because your computer has different components (motherboard / hard drives/ graphics cards etc) it is usually faster to download a new version of Win10 for each computer with exactly the right details. Running a full backup can take between 1 and two hours (longer if you have a lot of data), and the actual upgrade usually takes 1 to 1.5 hrs.

Can you do the Upgrade for me?

Yes – if you are in one of the Home User Suburbs that we service. I usually take the computer back to my workshop so that I don’t have to charge for time downloading and backing up. Most jobs take about 1.5 hrs at @$100 per hour, plus time to pick up and deliver the computer depending on where you are located.

Cracked and Illegal Software

The Win 10 upgrade will remove ANY cracked or illegal software that you are using, and unfortunately I can not put it back on for you. Some clients don’t realise that they are using an illegal version of software because it’s been installed by a friend, and sometimes they may even own a copy of the software but the wrong key has been used making the license invalid.

If I’m doing the upgrade and I notice a problem with software licensing I will stop and let you decide what you want to do (find the license / take the PC home / buy a legitimate version), but if we don’t see the cracked software then Win10 will remove it and you won’t be able to use that program until you get another copy. Win 10 is very fussy about licenses and it’s one of the reasons Microsoft is offering the upgrade for free.

Other Disadvantages

With older or very specialized software (or older hardware) you can still strike incompatibility issues. Win10 has a checker that should pick up anything on your computer that it doesn’t like before you start the upgrade.

What to expect from a Win 10 machine

With the Windows 10 upgrade you get to keep things like your Internet browser history, favourites and a lot of settings which does help to reduce the culture shock. There will be some differences, and you will probably want to spend some time afterwards customising ribbons (toolbars) and getting things back to the way you like them.

Win 10 is actually very good at giving you intuitive customisation options and helping you set things up efficiently. For example the Start menu can be customised by right clicking to pin or unpin whichever programs you use. You can turn “live tile” on or off, so if you add the Photos app with live tiles on then you’ll get a slideshow of your pictures within the start menu. Win 10 has a lot of nice touches for customisation.