How to install Windows 10
Step 1: Head to Microsoft's new Windows 10 download page and click on the link for the 64-bit version. Only use 32-bit if your computer doesn't have a 64-bit processor. There's no need to save the file - just choose the Run option.
Step 4: Accept the licence terms when prompted, and the installer will then check your PC for compatibility with Windows 10, that it has enough free space and will download updates. Youwill not need an activation key for Windows 10 if you are upgrading from an eligible version of Windows 7 or 8.1.
Step 5: When prompted, click to install Windows 10 and your machine will reboot. You'll see a Windows logo, followed by a language selection - UK English should be selected. Windows 10 will then install automatically, keeping all your programs (apart from antivirus), files and settings. However, as we said at the start, it's worth backing up anything you can't afford to lose first.
Step 6: When you finally get to the Windows 10 desktop, allow a bit of time for Windows 10 search for drivers for your hardware. Initially on our test laptop, it seemed as though the graphics card drivers hadn't been found and installed. However, after a few minutes this was all done in the background and the correct resolution set.
If you want to do a clean install, then scroll down to the next section.
Still, it's worth heading to Device Manager and checking that all drivers are installed, especially for the system chipset. If you can't find Windows 10 drivers from your motherboard manufacturer, Windows 7 or 8 drivers may work.
Step 7: Now read our Windows 10 in screenshots for a guide to how to use the new features.
How to install Windows 10: Clean install
You can't clean install Windows 10 without going through the upgrade process above. That's because you don't have an product key as you do with Windows 7 or 8, so Windows 10 needs to activate automatically online after upgrading from an elibigle copy of Windows 7 or 8.1.
When Windows 10 is activated, Microsoft can identify your PC and associate it with an activated and valid Windows 10 licence. This means you can perform a clean install (even on a different hard drive, so it's a good time to upgrade to an SSD if you have been running Windows on a traditional hard drive) and Windows 10 will activate without issue.
To check if Windows 10 has activated after upgrading, head to Control Panel > System and Security > System and look under Windows activation:
To do a clean install, you'll need to return to Step 2 in the walkthough above, using the tool you downloaded to create a bootable USB drive or DVD. Once that's done, turn off your computer, install and / or remove any hard drives and SSDs you want to swap around and then boot from your USB or DVD.
If your PC won't boot from it, head into the BIOS settings (typically press Delete, F1 or one of the other F keys just after you turn your computer on) and make sure removable drives, or the DVD drive is set as the first boot device, and not a hard drive. We can't be specific about the menus and settings, since each BIOS is different.














