Until recently, Microsoft prevented the download of the Windows installation disc at all costs. To obtain a copy of the CD or DVD it was therefore necessary to turn to external sites or torrent networks, often risking to download the wrong version or, worse, some malicious program.
Fortunately, things have changed today and it is possible to download a copy of Windows from the Microsoft site, legally and for free.
Not only can you get the installation disc of the latest version on sale (i.e. Windows 10 ), but also that of previous versions of Windows, Windows 8 and Windows 7 .
This possibility of being able to download any version of Windows from the internet, at any time and quickly, is truly precious for all of us, so as not to drive us crazy when we need to do a new installation on the PC .
READ ALSO: On how many computers can I install Windows "> // www.microsoft.com/it-it/software-download/home and choose the version you want to download: Windows 10, Windows 8.1 or Windows 7.
While for Windows 10 and Windows 8.1 it is possible to download the ISO images without the need for a product code, if you want to download the Windows 7 disc you need to enter a valid product key to proceed with the download. For all three versions, it will then be possible to choose the language in Italian and the architecture, that is, whether 32-bit or 64-bit.
As for Windows 10, there is a simple trick to get the links to download the installation disc of the latest version of Windows 10, directly from the Media Creation Tool page (or you can simply download the file ISO via Media Creation Tool)
As for Windows 7, the version you are going to download depends on the product key, depending on whether it is for Windows 7 Home, Professional or Ultimate.
For the download of Windows 8.1 you can see the linked article.
If you are unable to download Windows 7 from the Microsoft site, you can still do so using a modified version of the TechBench site (old name of the download page), where you can choose the version to download and proceed with the download directly from the Microsoft servers.
To download the ISO of each Windows version that you want directly and quickly, always legally and from Microsoft servers, an automatic tool has also been created that makes downloads easier.
It's called Windows ISO Downloader and allows you to download the ISO, ie the images to create the installation DVD or USB stick, of the following systems in Italian:
- Windows 7 SP1 : Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional, Ultimate.
- Windows 8.1 and Windows 8.1 Professional.
- Windows 10 and Windows 10 Insider Preview.
Even the Rufus program, the one that allows you to burn ISO to USB stick, allows you to download the ISO of Windows 10 or Windows 8.
Another thing that you need to do to install Windows 7 is to copy the downloaded ISO image to a USB stick or burn it to a DVD disc, in order to proceed with the installation on a new PC.
To do this with Windows 10 just use the Media Creation Tool downloadable from the download page.
For Windows 7, however, you can use a program such as Rufus (seen above), or Etcher or even the old Microsoft USB / DVD Download Tool program that allow you to create the installation media that can be booted when the computer is booted. This program also works for Windows 8 and Windows 10 even if it has become superfluous for these versions.
The fact remains that, as already explained in the guide to activate Windows 10, Microsoft has made it possible to download and install Windows 10 using the product key of Windows 7 or Windows 8, as long as it is installed on the same PC. Keep in mind that you can always upgrade for free from Windows 7 or Windows 8 to Windows 10.
