Once you’ve performed the upgrade once, your PC has a Windows 10 license forever. You can also still install Windows 10 and enter a Windows 7 or 8 key in the installer to receive a free Windows 10 upgrade license.
Upgrade from Windows 7 or 8: Microsoft still offers a free Windows 10 upgrade to PC users who use accessibility tools.There are a variety of ways you can get a Windows 10 license for your PC, and many of them are still free. When the computer first boots, any optional components, drivers, updates, or language packs are processed.Ĭreate specific configurations, making the Windows installation unique.Īpply answer file settings in the oobeSystem configuration pass.Īpply content file settings from the Oobe.xml file.RELATED: All the Ways You Can Still Upgrade to Windows 10 for Free The settings are applied to the Windows image before that Windows image boots. Process answer file settings in the offlineServicing configuration pass. Windows Setup configurations include adding a product key and configuring a disk.Īpply answer file settings in the windowsPE configuration pass to configure the installation behavior and user experience. Specify Windows Setup configurations by using either the Windows Setup dialog boxes (interactive) or an answer file (unattended), or a combination of the two. Windows PE (for booting the Windows DVD or booting a custom Windows PE image) The following table shows the overall process for Windows Setup: Windows Setup phaseĭownlevel (for custom installations and upgrades) The Windows Setup program starts and restarts the computer, gathers information, copies files, and creates or adjusts configuration settings. Windows Setup can perform an installation that retains your settings and preferences while upgrading your operating system. The previous Windows installation will not boot after a clean installation. Windows Setup can perform a custom installation, also known as a clean installation, which saves your previous Windows installation but does not migrate your settings. Instead, you must use Windows Easy Transfer, the User State Migration Tool (USMT), or another migration tool to move data from a previous installation to the new operating system.Ĭustom installations. However, it does not perform computer-to-computer migrations. Windows Setup can perform both clean and upgrade installations. It is also the basis for the following installation and upgrade methods: Windows Setup is the program that installs Windows or upgrades an existing Windows installation.