Back up your data files to an external hard drive or cloud storage (or both).Download and install any available BIOS updates for your hardware this step is especially important for systems that were originally designed in 2017 or earlier, when hardware makers were still shaking out issues with Windows 10.Check for any recent driver updates, especially for network and storage hardware.This is especially important if you recently reinstalled the original version of Windows in preparation for the upgrade. Confirm that your copy of Windows is activated.If you have a PC running a 'genuine' copy of Windows 7/8/8.1 (Windows 7 Home, Pro, or Ultimate edition, or Windows 8.x Home or Business, properly licensed and activated), you can follow the same steps I did to install Windows 10 as an upgrade.īefore getting started, I recommend a few preliminary tasks that can head off potential problems: Want your own digital license to the latest Windows 10 version? Follow these instructions. For help decoding setup errors, see 'Windows 10: Use setup log files to troubleshoot installation problems'. For details on how to troubleshoot these errors, see 'This free Windows 10 upgrade offer still works.
Over the years, a small number of readers have reported that the upgrade fails because of a setup error or a compatibility block. Also: How to downgrade from Windows 11 to Windows 10 (there's a catch)
