Windows 10 comes with new features that make it an attractive upgrade. Whether you’re looking to try the new Start experience or if you just want to talk to your new assistant, Cortana, there are a few things you should do before you upgrade.
To ensure that your system can handle Windows 10, you should check the Windows 10 Upgrade Advisor. When you get a notification in your taskbar to reserve your free copy of Windows 10, you can click the hamburger menu on the top left, navigate to Check Your PC and run the Advisor to ensure that your hardware and software will work with the latest version of Windows.
Microsoft will run a check, and you’ll get feedback on whether your installed software or hardware is compatible with Windows 10.
Once you know how upgrade-ready your system is, here are a few things to do before you actually take the Windows 10 plunge:
Create a recovery disk or drive with your current OS
You have a full month to test drive Windows 10, and if you don’t like it, Microsoft will let you go back to your original OS before you upgrade. But what if you found an issue in the second month?
At this point, the only way to downgrade is to use your own Windows recovery discs to reinstall your old version of Windows.
Back up your files
When you upgrade to Windows 10 from a system running Windows 7, 8 or 8.1, you’ll be presented with three options. You can keep everything, just your files or nothing at all and start fresh.
If you choose the first option, your files, settings and any installed apps will be kept and you’ll migrate to Windows 10 with everything intact. The second option retains just your files, but any apps you installed or settings you may have tweaked will be removed.
Even though the process is seamless, you should back up any important files before the transition. You can choose to back up files by copying them to an external hard drive or USB flash drive, or you can upload them to the cloud.
Associate your Microsoft ID before you upgrade
To associate your Microsoft ID to your PC, you’ll need to swipe in from the right edge of the screen if you’re on Windows 8 or 8.1 and tap on Settings. You’ll want to go to tap on Change My PC Settings, click Accounts and select Your Accounts. From there, you can either associate an existing Microsoft ID or create a new one.
Having an associated Microsoft ID is also beneficial if you’re upgrading machines. When you buy a new PC and sign in, your desktop and settings can automatically synchronize from your old system to your new one when you’re connected to the internet.
Software compatibility
If you chose to upgrade and retain all your files, settings and apps, most of the programs that you had installed on Windows 7, 8 or 8.1 will run fine on Windows 10, but there may be some exceptions.
Should you encounter issues, sometimes uninstalling and reinstalling may fix compatibility issues. If you do this, you’ll want to make sure you have your license keys available to reinstall your software. If this doesn’t work, you may have to reach out to your software’s creators to see if an update is ready for Windows 10 compatibility.
Additionally, you may need to reinstall drivers or upgrade existing drivers for compatibility. Windows 10 runs a compatibility scan during the upgrade process, and it will warn you if there are any conflicts.
If you have driver issues, you can visit your computer manufacturer’s website and navigate to the support page. Usually, downloadable files for divers are found there.
Be secure about Windows
If your system comes with a compatible Intel RealSense 3D camera or a fingerprint scanner, you can gain security and convenience with Windows Hello.
Windows Hello is a new feature of Windows 10 that allows users to skip annoyingly long passwords to log into Windows. You can also use Windows Hello for single sign-on with trusted apps, and like Touch ID on an iPhone, you can also use biometric security to authorize app purchases inside the Store.
After you’re up and running with Windows 10, you can go to Settings, Accounts and choose Sign-In Options. You’ll need to set up a PIN first, in case the biometric scanner fails, and then you can choose a compatible biometric authentication option.
