Today, July 29, 2015, Windows 10 is officially released which becomes available to everyone as an update and as a free download for all those who have Windows 7 and Windows 8.1. The free Windows 10 offer lasts until 29 July 2016 and after this date it will be paid.
UPDATE: Find out how you can buy a Windows 10 license for a few Euros .
You can also download Windows 10 immediately, to do a manual update or even as an ISO file for clean installation on your computer, which is still free and automatic today if you use the ISO file creation tool (the installation one) provided by Microsoft .
From this official page in Italian you can download the Media Creation Tool with which to proceed for the creation of the ISO of Windows 10 32 bit or 64 bit (use the 32 bit tool if the PC in use is 32 bit and the 64 bit one if the PC is 64 bit, in both cases you can then create the ISO file to install Windows 10 32 and 64 bit).
The tool is no more than 20 MB in size so it's a fast download.
Even after July 29, 2016 the tool downloads Windows 10 and installs it on Windows 7 or 8 in order to validate the license.
The Microsoft tool is still convenient because it allows you to copy the ISO directly to a USB stick or CD.
Once downloaded, choose whether to immediately update the PC in use to Windows 10 or to create a support for the clean installation on another PC .
Select the language, the desired version of Windows 10 which can be Windows 10 Home or Windows 10 Pro and then the architecture of the computer (32 or 64 bit).
If you are not sure, you can choose in the latter option, the item Both, to download a Windows 10 ISO file containing both the 32 bit and 64 bit version.
However, this file will be much larger.
Go Next and then choose whether to create an installation USB stick or to create the ISO file to be saved on the PC and then copied to a DVD disc.
The first option, the one to create the USB flash drive, is certainly more convenient.
If you select the ISO, you will be asked where to save the image file.
Pressing OK again, the download will start and you will only have to wait.
READ ALSO: Before putting Windows 10, prepare the PC
There are also other links for direct Windows 10 download of the installation disc as seen in another article.
In these cases, however, the installation does not lead to a valid license.
Those who are now using Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 (From 29 July 2016 this system no longer works) with an authentic license can click the button used to book Windows 10, the logo flag next to the clock, and start the automatic download of the installation .
After the first click on the notification icon, even if nothing has changed, close, wait a couple of minutes and try to click again to notice that the screen has changed, with a thank you message followed by a button to press to receive " OK notify when ready . "
All you have to do now is wait for the download to take place in the background and which will take several minutes or a few hours depending on the internet connection speed.
To verify that your computer is actually downloading the Windows 10 update, open My Computer and then the folder on disk C (or the current installation folder) to find a new folder called $ Windows. ~ BT .
This is a hidden folder so, to see it, go to the control panel, set the view to large icons, open the folder options and, in the Display tab, put the cross on the Show hidden files and folders option.
To see if the PC is downloading Windows 10 it can be verified that the folder is growing in size.
If you still don't see the $ Windows. ~ BT folder or if you notice that the download hasn't started anyway, you can force Windows to update and download Windows 10 by opening the command prompt as administrator (from the menu Start -> Programs -> Accessories in Windows 7 and pressing the right button on the lower left corner of the screen in Windows 8), type wuauclt.exe / updatenow and press Enter.
NOTES TO CONSIDER BEFORE INSTALLING WINDOWS 10
Keep in mind that even if a product code is not required for download, during installation, if it is not an update, you will be asked to put an original code.
If you upgrade your existing Windows 7 / 8.1 to Windows 10 using this tool you can use the bootable USB drive or DVD or ISO created by this tool to perform a clean installation of Windows 10.
However, if the PC has not already been updated and you try to install Windows 10 cleanly immediately, you will lose the possibility of a free update.
Also consider, as already written in the Windows 10 FAQ, that if you update Windows 10, it will be possible to return to Windows 7 or 8, but that after 30 days the WIndows 7/8 product key will be deactivated which will be permanently converted into a license for Windows 10.
Furthermore, after the update, you can reinstall Windwos 10 cleanly using the USB stick or the ISO on DVD and you can also change the architecture from the 32-bit to the 64-bit one.
The version of Windows 10 that can be installed for free on the PC instead will be the Home if you are updating from a PC with Home or Starter edition of Windows 7 or 8 and the Pro if you are updating from an Ultimate or Professional version.
Also, before installing, think about whether it is worth switching to Windows 10 right away.
Finally, remember that the free update allows you to use Windows 10 only on your PC without being able to install it on another computer, without buying a new license.
READ NOW: Complete guide to install Windows 10 even from scratch
