Q. My somewhat ancient Hewlett-Packard laptop is running Windows Vista, and I never see Vista mentioned in articles about upgrading operating systems. Can it be upgraded to Windows 10?
A. Windows Vista is not mentioned in most articles about updating a computer to Windows 10 because Vista is not included in Microsoft’s free upgrade offer for the new operating system. The free Windows 10 upgrade is available only to Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users until July 29. If you are interested in moving from Windows Vista to Windows 10, you can get there by doing a time-consuming clean installation after buying the new operating system software, or by purchasing a new PC.
To go the less expensive route, first make sure your computer meets the Windows 10 system requirements, which are listed on Microsoft’s website. At the very least, the PC must have a one-gigahertz processor and one gigabyte of memory for the 32-bit version of the system (or two gigabytes for the 64-bit edition). The computer also needs 16 to 20 gigabytes of hard-drive space and a DirectX 9-compatible graphics card running the WDDM 1.0 driver software.
If your hardware meets the requirements and you want to proceed, you also have to buy a copy of Windows 10, which costs $120 for the home version. (Some experienced users have wrestled Windows Insider Preview versions onto older computers, but this is not for the technically faint of heart.) Before you install Windows 10 on the old PC, back up your files to an external drive so that you can copy them back to the computer after the upgrade. You will also need to reinstall all your programs that are compatible with Windows 10.
The upgrade process from Windows Vista takes time and money, and if the computer is old and comparatively slow, you may not find it worth the effort. Buying a new PC with up-to-date hardware specifications and Windows 10 already installed (and then using a data-transfer program to move your files to the new computer) obviously costs more, but it provides many more years of Microsoft support and system updates.
You could also just keep using your current system if you are happy with it. However, keep in mind that Windows Vista, which was released in 2006, is approaching the end of its planned life cycle next year. Microsoft’s extended support for the system ends on April 11, 2017.
0 Response to "Windows 10 Upgrade Options for Vista Users"
Post a Comment