Download Windows 10 for Free!

Microsoft today announced the launch of Windows 10. It is the next version of Windows and a drastic change from Windows 8. The changes are not visible in the form of user interface and features but also in the way Microsoft makes Windows available to consumers.

Windows 10, in an unprecedented manner, is free for most users. And when we say most, we include even those users who don't have a genuine version of Windows running on their computers.

So how do you get Windows 10 for free?

There are two ways. But before that let's talk about the requirements.

To get Windows 10 for free you need to have Windows 8 or Windows 7 (with SP1) running on your computer.

Now, the two ways:

One way to get Windows 10 for free is through Windows Update. You should keep an eye on the Windows Update Process. Depending on your luck and Microsoft's schedule, Windows 10 will pop on your machine as an update. Just click on the install update and Windows 10 will be installed on your desktop or laptop.

To understand more about the update process, see this.

The second method is via the ISO files. Microsoft has made the ISO files of both Windows 10 Home and Windows 10 Pro available at its site. These files can be downloaded from this webpage. However, the catch with these files is that you will need to have a genuine Windows key to use them. You can either find this key on your Windows 7/Windows 8 box or extract it from your computer by running the following command in CMD.

wmic path softwarelicensingservice get OA3xOriginalProductKey

Once you have the key, you can use the ISO files to install Windows 10.

What about the people who don't have genuine Windows 7 or Windows 8? Well, according to Microsoft they will also get the free Windows 10 update through Windows Update Process. But there is a catch. Currently, their computers are identified as non-genuine. Even after Microsoft has delivered the official Windows 10 update, these computers will continue to be identified as non-genuine. Though in all practicality this will not affect the user experience, Microsoft is keeping the status of these machines "non-genuine" for legal reasons.