From PC World: Microsoft has closed one of the loopholes allowing those with older PCs from freely upgrading to Windows 10 and Windows 11. If you own a Windows 7 or Windows 8 PC, you’ll need to buy a new license to upgrade to either of Microsoft’s most recent operating systems.
“Microsoft’s free upgrade offer for Windows 10 / 11 ended July 29, 2016,” a Microsoft blog post now states, dating back to Sept. 20, and unearthed by Windows Central. “The installation path to obtain the Windows 7 / 8 free upgrade is now removed as well. Upgrades to Windows 11 from Windows 10 are still free.”
At one time, Microsoft offered a whole year — until July 31, 2016, one year after Windows 10 launched — for Windows 7 and Windows 8 users to tap their existing Windows licenses as a free entry ticket to Windows 10. Then Microsoft allowed those using assistive technologies as an additional loophole; if you used a screen reader, for example, you had until the end of 2017. Then that loophole was shut down, too.
What Microsoft never said was that the Windows 7/8 transition was never actually closed. Users, if they chose, could still upgrade their older PCs to Windows 10. That’s the loophole that has now officially shut.
View: Full Article
