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Do a full backup first (AOMEI is good, and free)
Upgrade.
Download ISO version.
Reformat HDD and install from ISO.
Reinstall software.
Reload data from backup (AOMEI allows you to load a backup as a virtual drive, so you can do an image restore to get back to your Win 7 setup, or access just the files you want from the backup set)
Don't try to miss any stages... 
You will likely get some grief - the 7 -> 10 upgrade can be awkward - but provided you do a proper install after the upgrade you should be able to minimize them.
Is it good? Well...a bit. It's uglier than Win 7, any old hardware may not have drivers and it's badly integrated. But it is the way forward unfortunately, so at some point you will have to move.
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
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OriginalGriff wrote: old hardware may not have drivers
BOOM! The single biggest reason NOT to upgrade to a newer version of Windows. If you don't want to entertain the possibility of having to buy any new hardware, do NOT upgrade to Win10. Remember the sh|tstorm that happened with Vista? All of a sudden, none of your otherwise perfectly serviceable hardware was compatible.
".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
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You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
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When you pry the gun from my cold dead hands, be careful - the barrel will be very hot. - JSOP, 2013
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John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote: Remember the sh|tstorm that happened with Vista? All of a sudden, none of your otherwise perfectly serviceable hardware was compatible.
Vista introduced a new driver model, which is still in use today.
I've never run Vista myself, but all the hardware I've used with 7 and above still run fine with 10. Even if manufacturers have no drivers specifically for Windows 10, the ones for 7 and above still work.
YMMV with laptops though. The OEMs seem to take the extra step to break everything at every Windows version to make sure you just replace your hardware.
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Why doesn't the "if it aint broke, don't fix it" attitude apply to Windows or are we talking built in obsolescence?
Today I tried a clean install of WinX. Afterwards my PC couldn't mount my Win7 drive. Unplug Win10 and everything works again.
Honestly. I give up.
I may not last forever but the mess I leave behind certainly will.
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OriginalGriff wrote: Upgrade.
Download ISO version.
Reformat HDD and install from ISO.
Why these steps? I have not updated yet but the November release should accept Windows 7 and 8.1 keys so that the first step can be omitted. That is one reason why I'm waiting.
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Because clean installs are always more stable.
I'm going to follow his suggestion.
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It would be a clean install to skip the first (upgrade) step and then format the HDD.
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That's fine if you want to pay for your copy of Win10.
But if you want to upgrade for free, MS needs to check if you have a valid OS. this is done during the upgrade.
Then it also saves a few hash values representing your hardware, that allows you to make a clean install afterwards.
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Pretty sure that's what Jochen meant. Why do step #1 (ie. upgrade)?
There are two types of people in this world: those that pronounce GIF with a soft G, and those who do not deserve to speak words, ever.
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Yes, but he seems to think the November release of Win 10 will accept Windows 7/8 keys which would eliminate the need for that step.
I have no idea if his statement about the Win 7/8 keys is true.
There are two types of people in this world: those that pronounce GIF with a soft G, and those who do not deserve to speak words, ever.
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I don't know either, but I wouldn't take any chances until I read it on Microsofts site.
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True - however its a non-issue for me right now.
At home, while my 7 year old iMac likely has the horsepower to dual-boot Windows 10 the folks at Apple chose not to create drivers for it so I'm plateaued at Windows 7.
At work, my 3 year old Dell laptop might be fully supported by Windows 10 but the Siemens software I use everyday isn't and never will be so I'm plateaued at Windows 7.
Good thing I like Windows 7... 
There are two types of people in this world: those that pronounce GIF with a soft G, and those who do not deserve to speak words, ever.
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It's true. I had an HP Win 7 computer sitting around that was all jacked up with viruses. I saw in one of the articles that you could download the iso. Went to the site and found Microsoft has a utility that will set up a thumb drive for you to do the installation. About 90 minutes later I had a full, clean install of Win 10 running on that machine using the HP Win 7 license. I should note that I had to change the boot order for some reason before it would allow me to choose the hard drive for installation.
modified 2-Dec-15 7:34am.
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I assume you need to use the computer you want to upgrade when you set up that thumbdrive.
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Nope. I used my regular computer to do it. It also gives me the option to install 32 or 64 bit when it boots from the drive. Here's the link.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10[^]
Now, in fairness, this might have been a bit more complicated if the installation media didn't have the drivers for the network adapter on that computer.
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Jörgen Andersson wrote: Because clean installs are always more stable.
/ravi
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The question is: how much do you trust MS to get it right? 
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
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That's why I'm waiting to know that it is working (at least for others).
If it does not work, it requires a re-install and activation of Windows 7 and upgrading that 
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Is AOMEI a general recommendation?
I always used Ghost in the old times, but I don't have access to it anymore.
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I like it - it's free, it works well, and it does compressed image backups that you can load as virtual drives for individual file restores which is the best of both worlds. It also stores the images as individual files (albeit big files) which means you can copy them to NAS, keep multiple images of several PC's on one backup drive, and so forth. It's also got a nice UI that I find easy to navigate, and creates Win PE bootable images for complete restores. Works for me...
Compared to MS's attempt, it's Win 7 compared to DOS 6...
* No, I don't work for them, get paid by them, or get any gifts to say this. Unfortunately *
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
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Update: The latest version of AOMEI appears to have gone all Windows 10 - the UI is the same, but twice the size! 
But I fixed it: Menu...Settings...Other, "Enable Large Window Mode" tick. "OK". Restart now.
Menu...Settings...Other, "Enable Large Window Mode" untick. "OK". Restart now.
Much better!
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
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Before you do anything, make sure your current system has been activated. Mine wasn't and I didn't realise it. I bought it installed on a new machine I had built and assumed it was pukka. When I tried to install the ISO, it wouldn't. I was then left with having to buy a legitimate copy just to get Win10 installed.
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I just upgraded one 4 year old dell Inspiron & one 3 year old Lenovo thinkpad mid November without any issues & they are working fine. These are home use machines though.
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