If you are running Windows 7, 8 or 8.1, tomorrow, July 29 is the deadline to get the free Windows 10 upgrade.
Pass this date you will have to pay (depending of the version) between (CAD)$150 and $250 to purchase it.
You don’t actually have to use Windows 10 right now if you don’t want to

You can upgrade to Windows 10, create the installation media on a USB stick, wipe the OS and install Windows 7 or 8 again. If you ever need to install Windows 10, you have the installation media that will work because it was created from a validated installation.
The media creation tool can be downloaded here

Interestingly, Microsoft also appears to keep a list of upgraded PCs tied to the motherboard. This is called a ‘digital entitlement,’ and it basically means you can do a clean install of Windows 10 at a later date—you don’t even need to remember your Windows key! I have tried many times and it works.

Hello Crazy Frog!

Congratulations to your retirement, now you have a lot of time, if you drive north with your bike and pass the beringsee, go straight ahead you can visit me in germany! ;-)

Now I have a reall question:

On my Mac I'm running Windows 7 with bootcamp and would like to make a image (backup) from Windows 7 and image it to bootcamp on a other Mac!

On Mac OSX that's now problem, I just use Apple disk-utility but what can I use on Windows?

Cheers

Macrium software works on a Bootcamp partition.

There is now problem to create an image of Win7 and reload it on the same computer. I am using Macrium on my Mac (on Bootcamp partition) and have reloaded Windows from previous Macrium images.

Reloading the image on another Bootcamp partition may be tricky.
First, the Bootcamp partition must be the same size.
I also don't know what kind of information is stored on the boot partition and it may be specific to each OSX.

I remember having problems when I replaced the original Macbook HD with an SSD.
I reloaded OSX from scratch, created a Bootcamp partition and reloaded my windows image. It failed but I believe that the problem was due to a different partition size.

Good luck.

Thanks for the info.
I will try Macrium. Can I use the Trail version (30day) or will I have to purchase a other version. After 30day I will not be able to reinstall?

Cheers

Chocolate wrote:Thanks for the info.
I will try Macrium. Can I use the Trail version (30day) or will I have to purchase a other version. After 30day I will not be able reinstall?

Cheers

No, get the free version. It's fully working and doesn't have an expiry date.

Perfect!

Thanks :-)

I inadvertently let Microsoft install their Windows 10 malware on my laptop.  I didn't know that I had 30 days to uninstall it, and now it is 6 months.

Is there any way I can go back now, or am I stuck with it?

Apart from nuking the entire PC, you're stuck

Point-Seven-five wrote:I inadvertently let Microsoft install their Windows 10 malware on my laptop.  I didn't know that I had 30 days to uninstall it, and now it is 6 months.

Is there any way I can go back now, or am I stuck with it?

It's too late to revert to Win 7 and you will have to re-install or reload an old backup.



The good thing is that if you want to reinstall Win 10 later, your computer is now registered with Micro$oft and the update will be free.

In Windows 10:
You may want to install Ccleaner and uninstall pile of unused software which are part of the basic Win10 OS but are not needed to run Windows: App Connector, Get Skype, Get Started, Groove music, Microsoft Wi-Fi, Money, Movies and TV, OneNote, People, Phone companion, Sway, X-Box, Candycrush....

You can disable most of the 'spying' features.
The first step to cleanup is to disable Cortana.
Next you go under Setting then Privacy and you can turn off most of the reporting apps.

You then run the task Manager go to the startup tab and choose which application you want to automatically start with your computer.

After these simple steps, you already have a much cleaner OS.

I am always smiling at people hating Windows 10 because of the spying.  When you look at these people smart phone, they have installed a lot of apps requesting access to their contact, location, phone history. Any original Samsung software installed on an Android phone is gathering data too.
Also, every time you use a mobile phone or Internet, all data, location, text messages are kept forever into your Internet/cell phone server's provider.
But, I know, people worrying about their privacy trust their phone/Internet/Apps providers.


Remember: Nothing is free (apart from my advise) and every time you install a free software or application, you, most of the time give away part of your privacy.

in my opinion, Windows 10 is a very stable OS since the November 27, 2015 cumulative update. As Windows 7 support life cycle will end, you won't have any other choice than upgrading ( https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/search/default.aspx?alpha=windows 7 )

Micro$oft just adopted Apple's way to impose to the users what they can and cannot do or install on their computer. Google (Chrome OS) adopted the same position too.
BTW, Windows 7 is not free of reporting to Micro$oft .

The only alternative is to use Linux.

CF

Called MS support yesterday to activate my Win7 on another computer in anticipation of upgrading. They told me not to worry because MS will allow one computer in a household to upgrade for free post-deadline.

Thanks a lot for this "good news"
One friend gave me 3 laptops to upgrade at 3:00pm (Atlantic time) and I am frantically trying to do it for him before the dead line.
It seems that the Microsoft server is very busy now.

Update:
After 15 hours, the computers were still trying to download updates. I believe that the Microsoft servers were swamped with too many requests. Even if the dead line passed, today I contacted Microsoft and the technician took over and started the free install from one of their special link.
All is good and if the friend doesn't like 10 he will be able to revert to 7 keeping the computer registered for 10 with Microsoft