Windows 10 will be pre-loaded on your PC ahead of its July 29 launch if you upgrade

If you choose to reserve your Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 PC to get the free upgrade to Windows 10 before its launch date on July 29, Microsoft will pre-load files for the new OS on your machine ahead of the release.

In a Windows 10 FAQ page, Microsoft states:

When you reserve, you can confirm your device is compatible with Windows 10. Between reservation and when your upgrade is ready, the files you need for the upgrade will be downloaded to your PC to make the final installation go more quickly. Then, when your upgrade is ready after July 29, 2015, you get a notification that lets you get started with your upgrade.

The FAQ page also mentions this about how long the installation should take for Windows 10 after the pre-load is complete:

Plan for about an hour for the installation. Newer devices may only take 20 minutes, and older devices may take more than an hour.

Of course, pre-loading is old news for gamers who can do the same thing when they pre-order digital versions of some Xbox One games before they are released.

Source: Microsoft (opens in new tab)

John Callaham
120 Comments
  • Sweet child mother of pearl!
  • But obviously if your internet speed sucks windows update takes time like anything!
  • Which would be negated by the pre-load. You could have the files, say a week or a few days before, and then on the 29th the speed of the update will be dependant on your machine only.
  • You'll be pre loaded with outdated files and have a million updates to catch up on 29.
  • Considering A) you don't know when the pre-load will happen, and B) you don't know how long after launch there will be an update, you're really just pulling info out of your ass.
  • There's precedence. Windows 8 RTM was look very bare compared to the eventual retail.
  • First off, precedence is nothing more than a logical fallacy, especially when it's only happened once. Second, you've said nothing to refute my comment. If the pre-load happens and there are no updates between the pre-load and launch, then you aren't behind at all.
  • I totally agree with you on that we have no info about the upcoming updates, but an on-launch final update is still a strong possibility.
  • "pulling info out of your ass" tis humorous....
  • The problem is I need to buy all the upgrade and all my application wont work anymore making my pc not functioning or turn into a dead pc.  
  • Microsoft really are on a roll with good ideas, good moves and good decisions. I'm liking this new Microsoft. Feels it has change dramatically under Satya.
  • +1
  • This is the benefit of having a CEO that has an in depth technical background. Steve ballmer had a really good buisness background and he genually loved consumer technology.... but he lacked in technical experience and software development understanding. And that showed through the micro decisions the company did or didn't make. It also showed in the lateness in going mobile and other key tech trends. Satya has a bachlers in engineering a masters in computer science and an MBA. So he has the buisness expertise of Ballmer, along with a passion for consumer tech.... but its backed by technical experitise and experience. And we are seeing that in what you call the "new microsoft". Satya is very much a combination of Ballmer and Gates, and i think the board members saw that and him, which made him instantly attractive.
  • Any fuck tard, even with a touch of downs can get an MBA anymore...and master degrees are easy, it is the bachelors that are the foundation...and yes, I have them all, including two MS degrees...so don't say I "h'aint knowin" what ima writing..
  • Microsoft wasn't late going mobile. They've had devices since the Palm days: long before iOS and Android hit the ground (Windows CE was 1996, Windows Mobile was 2000, etc.) They're been at the forefront of a lot of trends but, like their consumer early adopters, suffered for it.
  • While I like Satya, changes like this are not made by the CEO. They review what is there, make suggestions (this may have been one of them, but I doubt it), and with a high-profile product such as Windows make sure it looks good, but these fine details he is not part of other than being told about it and saying he likes it or not. This is done by the guys in the trenches, writing the code, designing the specs, etc. not the top guy.
  • However the CEO and the direction they set can have a huge bearing on the morale of the people in the trenches, encouraging them to innovate like this.
  • yes Ballmers gone to the Clippers good place for him, Goodbye Ballmer Hello Satya. Woo hoo loving it. okay who's having a Win 10 party? i know i am. doing it Cape Cod style BBQ style ribs burgers dogs you name it.    
  • What if im running already windows 10 tp, when it will be upgrade to final version?
  • No it's not possible, you downgrade to your previous version of Windows and you get ready to install Windows 10 ;)
  • That's never been said by anyone, in fact Gabe said exactly the opposite. Don't make things up.
  • Oh thanks.. I was thinking about install the TP, so I wont :P . 29th July is close so better wait a little more.
  • You have to roll back to a commercial release of Windows to do so (if I am not wrong).
  • Thx :)
  • You ARE wrong, Microsoft officially announced just the opposite, that you'll be able to go from TP to full release. Stop pulling info out of your ass
  • https://twitter.com/GabeAul/status/605379861260169217
  • :O I saw ur reply right now :) ... I was thinking about to install w10tp but since 29th July is close isn't better to wait? Im quite anxious to use but im really concerned about my vs/unity project (compatibility) someone told me that its ok but well :P I still worried... :P
  • Interesting, so because I am insider, I automaticly get a free WIndows 10 RTM licenece ? I installed WIndows 10 on a clean partition. So no upgrade. If true,sweet...
  • According to Gab's twitter, yes. im thinking about to install w10tp right now.. 
  • No, you will be able to upgrade the os from the preview version to the release version, but you will still need a valid windows 7 or 8.x product key to validate the windows 10 version. This will either be hardware coded on the machine or on the label or box, depending on how you got the copy of windows in the first place.
  • Yes
  • Gabriel Aul‏@GabeAul 16h16 hours ago @miketheitguy You're already reserved. Insiders running preview builds will be automatically upgraded to the final version.
  • Great!
  • I wonder if the auto preload of files will deal with folks who don't have much drive space left.
  • Will ISO available during release??
  • As a TP user from a legal version, I want to know this the most.
  • Yes yes yes. I dont want to upgrade. I just want a clean Instal
  • You can do a clean install without an ISO. I used the win8 upgrade to do a clean install. It just puts the old OS in a .old folder at the root (which you can delete after the install). Can't go that route if your super low on disk space.....but you have no reason to be these days.
  • That's not a clean install. Ending up with .old is not a clean install.
  • The latest Windows 10 preview makes it so I didnt need any outside media to clean install my system. I wiped out my old system, it reinstalled the OS (there was even an option to fully clean the drive to give to someone else) with no personal files on it and I was gtg. 
  • Last ISO was 72 I think. Did format, clean install, all good, now I'm on 130. Can't delete .old and I have a few bugs that aren't common. If I have the option, I'll always spend the extra 30 min to format and fresh windows.
  • Use Windows Cleanup (system files mode) to remove that folder.
  • disk cleanup system files will delete the .old
  • Thanks, but I know that, tried that, and it didn't work.
  • If our laptop is weak (in processing power) and we upgrade to win 10 will it be faster or slower?
  • It will seem faster. :)
  • Really hope so cause I've heard for mobile phones it seems slower (maybe its too early and they still have to optimize)
  • Installed the last few builds on 2 older HP-Mini's with 2gb of ram and ran better than it's original 7 basic.
  • I have an older Asus G50...pre Core i3/5/7 and with the latest TP build it is faster (was slow with previous builds).
  • What's the REAL benefit of "reserving" a copy?
  • Giving them an approximate headcount so rollout services can be tailored to demand. Creates a much better experience for all those involved.
  • Don't have to download the file on the day. As soon as 29 July hits, you are ready to install
  • Not paying if you forget to upgrade within the first year...
  • and you can find out whether your system is compatible or not much before the last hour .
  • Damn, I'm liking the way they are doing this! Its just like pre-ordering a game on Xbox One! Fast, and easy!
  • I wish I can join the reservation. But I'm just a poor with a not genuine Windows
  • Sounds like the real benefit will be a preloaded install so that you wont have to worry about their upgrade servers crashing on releaseday
  • Nice. Glad to see Microsoft thinking smart
  • Does anyone know the exact size of this update (mb/gb)
  • Microsoft just said about 3GB, not the exact size.
  • Any TP release has been about 3.8GB for the x64 version
  • I feel like downloading the last preview build, but I think I will wait
  • I noticed a Windows 10 icon suddenly present on my Windows 7 laptop about 40 minutes. I'm still kinda entrenched in Windows 7, but I'll probably be giving this a whirl at some point.
  • Where do you reserve a copy?
  • You should see a windows logo n the task bar, tap on that!
  • Anyone knows if will be possible to install W10 from a ISO with our W8.1 serial?
  • My windows 7 isn't genuine will I get the notification?
  • Nope
  • But ms said that non genuien version of windows will also get windows 10?
  • That was missunderstood. They said no.
  • Does MS let me choose which drive for preload the new OS ? How big is it ?
  • This seems to be good because Microsoft servers will hang up with thousands of customers upgrading at a time... As it happen in W10 TP2 for Phones.
  • What is to prevent us from accidentally deleteing these d/l files? I use CCleaner on a regular basis and I would not want to get get rid of these by mistake
  • They are probably going to be labeled/tucked away with system files. It seems like if you use the reservation notification thing it will be a background service just like Xbox One preorders.
  • Maybe you should pay attention. When they download, don't run the program. Or don't use crappy software to manage your computer.
  • Just awesome! Well done Microsoft
  • I presume the main reason for this is that otherwise they'd have however many millions of computers all trying to download Windows 10 on the 29th of July, which would do a number on Microsoft's servers. This way, it just works when July 29th rolls round and everyone hits 'Install'.
  • So what if I have several PCs running Win7-8.1 using the same account, is there a way to book more than one copy, or can the same copy be used on all my devices? Anyone with some insight or just a thought?
  • Windows 10 has a new way of updating many pc's in one network. Bit like bit torrent, so that will help you speed up getting all your pc's updated. Whether this will work when you reserve a copy, I don't know
  • Jup, just register all of the devices with the same email adress, i saw that on the top questions page on the Microsoft website Posted via the Windows Central App for Android
  • From some of the blog posts, it looks as if licenses are tied to actual devices starting with Win10, rather than tied to a user. Therefore, if the device fails, so goes your copy of windows.  But have no fear, if you buy a new device, it will already have Win10 installed on it and you will receive a new key with that. Also, if you have to do a clean install at some point later on a current device, the Win10 license will carry over with the install.There may be a license backup option for things like custom built tower PCs for those who like to change out parts consistently. Each one of your PCs will receive it's own legal copy as long as the device has a legal copy of Win8 or Win7 on it. 
  • It has always been that way. Most people buy a pc/device with windows installed. It is only licenced for that machine. If you buy retail copy of windows, it is active on one machine, the license can be moved to a new machine, but it normally requires a telephone call to Microsoft to reactivate on the new machine and transfer the key over.
  • http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-10-faq          hope it helps!!
  • I am hoping that there will be instructions for those who, like me, want to perform a clean install rather than an upgrade.
  • How many devices can I upgrade to windows 10 with the same account ?
  • Every device you own that is eligible. Not tied to account, tied to the device.
  • Thanx !!!
  • I still didnt get any notification -.-
  • My friends got it before 4 or 5 hours , I got it half an hour ago , just wait bro
  • You need to have "windows update " enabled, once all updates enabled and applied you will see "get windows 10"  icon.
  • Hope to get the DreamSpark version the same day too
    I want to do a clean install and not an upgrade from 8.1
  • Done. Lol. Why do they want to know how many pre orders they get so bad? I guess the numbers would be higher since its not just insiders that will apply.
  • As much as I want to reserve a copy, I think ill wait. I want to see if there's any last minute issues or bad bugs. I had an issue with the windows 8 upgrade in the app store before. This is why I will wait till after the flurry rush.
  • +1320
  • I don't want to upgrade but I do want to blow out the is on my computer. Clean install. Will figure it out later on eh?
  • AH, so now, take my a bunch of my 30 or so licences for WIndows 7 and 8, put them in VM's (install and activate) run them, allow the update to come down and then grab the licence keys. So I can swap 7 and 8 liceneces for WIndows 10... If course most of my machines WONT go to WIndows 10 but, would like to have the licences avable of Microsoft desides to give us Windows Media Center.
  • License keys will probably be the same...
  • It's already determined. There will NOT be WMC in Windows 10 (period).   From Windows 10 FAQ: Will Windows Media Center be available in Windows 10?  "Windows Media Center is not part of Windows 10 and won’t be available after upgrading to Windows 10. If you use Windows Media Center, we will alert you during upgrade that Windows Media Center is not available on Windows 10. We know that some users use Windows Media Center to play DVDs, and we are providing a free DVD playback app in Windows 10 for Windows Media Center users."    
  • For Windows 7 users, how much will be the fee after one year of free upgrade to Windows 10? Also, if it will be possible to stick to Windows 7 only?
  • Can I use my Windows 8 key with the ISO installation?
  • I cant see any windows logo on my screen. Running widows 7 ultimate.
  • I'm using a HP computer (HP envy 15) may i have to wait for HP to update drivers (fingerprint reader and others things) or can I do the W10 update without problems?
    An other question, I'm using a Microsoft BizSpark MSDN license for Windows 8.1 Pro. I'm gonna get that notification?
  • I have the same issue strangely there under optional though
  • This will be very helpful for folks with slower net connections. Download files a week in advance and upgrade when notification comes. Great strategy by MS
  • What about the Surface and Surface 2 tablets?
  • what determines what version of windows 10 that you will get? for instance, if you have windows 7 home is an upgrade to a better version of 10 still free?
  • check this out: http://www.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/windows-10-specifications
  • What about the Windows 10 for phones ? any dates for them yet or still waiting...
  • I got notification abt windows 10 ,I selected to reserve a copy of windows 10 ...how can I confirm if it Is reserved
  • I have a HP Stream, wich only have 20gb after the OS, but with my apps and programs, I only get like 6 gb. How can i be eligible for the update? Removable drive? Thanks
  • I am currently part of the insider program. I am dual booting windows 10 with 8.1 home. As I am part of the insider program, do I receive the professional edition of windows 10 or do I only get the home edition?
  • Got the reservation.
  • Hi,I have a Win7 Home Premium 32bit PC. When I upgrade to Win10 can I upgrade to 64bit?
    Thx! Posted via the Windows Central App.
  • absolutely not! you should have Windows 7 64bit to upgrade to Win10 64 bit.
  • If I buy a PC in August then which OS will be good for me to buy : Win 7,8.1 or Win 10 ???
  • 1. Will the drivers made for Windows 8.1 work with Windows 10 or not? (If not I have to wait until appropriate drivers released.) 2. My windows 8.1 is now a total mess, I've installed lot many apps, and it is very slow now, and during Update I want to install Windows 10 as a fresh copy, is there any way for that or the OS installs on present 8.1?, tell me if there any way to get Windows 10 pro ISO file.
  • Best wishes to everyone! Folks US Windows 10 Tech preview users and I am using build 10074 now should get the RTM version in early July. perhaps by the end of June. We may get just 2 more builds if that before we get the MS RTM version. After that we get the newest updates & NEW features to test and comment on before anyone else does . I hope that from the jump street that Microsoft gives it's Windows 10 Tech preview members an ISO Version of  Windows 10 RTM so we can have a physical disk to repair the  RTM program or format the disk and reinstall the RTM if MS gives us an Update that will Destroy your capacity to use your Computer. the newest build broke my Computer and I had to format the hard drive and reinstall build 10074 from ISO created disk. the Newest build will Not Even load on my Computer. personally I prefer a real DVD installation disk you can Make from an ISO disk image program Microsft gives so you start all over again if an MS update wipes out your Computer like the last one did mine. I am ready for the Windows 10 RTM version. Send it out Microsoft so us Windows Tech Preview Members can get FIRST Crack at what will be sold in the Market place.  WE ARE READY TO GO BABY!  
  • I wait for ISO... the best way for me... CLEAN install...
  • you need to upgrade first, or you will need the license key. if you upgrade then do clean install, you will not need the license key
  • it is either 29 july or not...whats this after nonsense?