Get Windows 10: Microsoft’s biggest software upgrade in history begins today

It’s official: Beginning July 29, Microsoft will offer free Windows 10 upgrades to hundreds of millions of PCs. Here’s how the Get Windows 10 (GWX) program works.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published in April. It has been updated to reflect the official rollout of the Get Windows 10 campaign on June 1.

What was already an open secret has now been confirmed. Microsoft will launch Windows 10 on July 29. (Previously, Microsoft had only committed to “this summer” as a launch date.) That date begins a one-year window during which free upgrades will be available to anyone running Windows 7 or Windows 8.1.

The first phase of the long, slow rollout begins today, with the appearance of a small icon in the taskbar on eligible systems. Here’s what it looks like on a PC running Windows 8.1:

<span class=”img “><img src=”http://zdnet2.cbsistatic.com/hub/i/2015/06/01/82b3cc3c-a598-4471-9070-cb688f2f2ea6/a1e7a75a6cf03d4f3ff84dfa989a8182/get-windows-10-tray-icon.jpg” class=”” alt=”get-windows-10-tray-icon.jpg”></span>

Clicking that link opens a six-screen advertisement, with a prominent “Reserve your free upgrade now” button. Clicking that button configures your PC to download and install the upgrade bits and adds the current device to the queue for Windows 10.

But what will actually happen when July 29 rolls around? That poses some interesting logistical questions for Microsoft.

The Get Windows 10 program is going to be one of the largest software delivery projects in history. Microsoft is offering full, free upgrades for every PC currently running Windows 7 Service Pack 1 or Windows 8.1 (excluding those running Enterprise editions, which don’t qualify for the free upgrade).

That means a massive bundle of software downloaded to each PC. The official upgrade offer warns that the approximate file size is 3 GB, although for most upgraders the actual package will be slightly smaller.

So just how big is the eligible Windows 10 upgrade base? It is certainly measured in the hundreds of millions, representing PCs running Windows in 111 languages and 190 countries worldwide…….

Continued at Source:- http://www.zdnet.com/article/get-windows-10-microsofts-hidden-roadmap-for-the-biggest-software-upgrade-in-history