In my last Windows 10 post I talked about the reasons that you should make the switch, but with Windows 10 now just around the corner I want to talk a little bit about getting your PC ready to make the switch.
How to Reserve Windows 10
This was covered at a high-level in my previous post, however some people are hitting problems where the reservation icon 
is not displayed. Microsoft have already done a pretty good job of explaining this in their article: I want to reserve my free copy of Windows 10, but I don’t see the icon on the taskbar; however there are a number of circumstances under which you may not receive the notification including: you may not be up to date on your Windows Service packs, Windows update may be disabled, Microsoft may have identified a potential compatibility issue on your device, you may not be running a Genuine copy of Windows or, you may be running an Enterprise or RT edition of Windows, or your device is part of a school or business network and the upgrade is restricted by policy.
Compatibility Check
Before you upgrade it is important to ensure that your computer hardware, and any applications that you use are compatible. Microsoft have made this nice and easy for you and, once you have reserved your copy of Windows 10 you will be able to access a compatibility report (though you may need to check back a few days later before the report is displayed).
To check compatibility, click on the Windows 10 Reservation icon on the System Tray area of your Taskbar, then expand the menu by clicking on the 3 bars 
then, under the Getting the Upgrade menu, you want to click on Check your PC and if all is good you should see a screen similar to the following.
Depending on the age of your computer, and peripherals, your version of this screen may show that your computer does not meet the minimum specification in which case it cannot run Windows 10 and you would need to replace your computer to take advantage of the new operating system; however for most people running Windows 7 or Windows 8 your PC should be compatible.
The compatibility check may also reveal some application or peripheral (printers, scanners etc) may not be compatible with Windows 10. For application issues you will need to determine whether there is a later version of that application that is compatible and, if not, whether you can live without the application(s) in question. If a peripheral such as a Printer or Scanner is not compatible you can check for later drivers for the device but chances are you will need to replace the device in question. Either way, if your compatibility issues are flagged you should not proceed with the upgrade until you have planned accordingly on how to remediate the issues.
Update your Drivers
Hopefully your computer, peripherals and applications all passed the compatibility test, however before completing the upgrade it is still advisable to ensure that you're running the latest device drivers for your core system devices graphics card, sound card, media cards, chipset etc.
Laptops / Desktop PCs
If you have a laptop or a branded PC you can head over to the manufacturer's website, look up your particular model, or better still look it up by Serial number, and download / update the appropriate drivers. If however you have a custom built PC, or have added a new graphics / sound card to a branded PC, you will need to look the devices up separately in using Device Manager then head to the manufacturer's website and get the drivers for the core components: motherboard, chipset, video card, sound card etc.
Peripherals
Look up the make / model of your peripheral(s), go to the manufacturer's website and find the appropriate drivers.
CAUTION: DO NOT under any circumstances get any drivers from 3rd party file-sharing sites. In doing so, you have no idea whether these are genuine drivers and could inadvertently be introducing malware to your environment.
Clean up the crud
Uncompressed the Windows 10 installation on my pre-release copy takes up approximately 11GB however you will also need to allow room to download the install files (3-5GB) and decompress the files so I would suggest you need at least 20GB of available space, but to be safe aim for a minimum of 30-40GB of free space on your system drive. I cannot stress how important it is to ensure that you have sufficient disk space on the system disk of your computer before attempting this upgrade.
If you're running low on space what can you do?
- Use the in-built Disk Cleanup tool to get rid of temporary files and other detritus
- If you have applications installed that you do not use, generally I would recommend that you uninstall them however don't just jump into Programs and Features and start deleting as a lot of core windows components are displayed here and if you delete the wrong things you could be in for a world of pain.
- Relocate any personal data files to another disk or partition
- Compress selected folders, or the entire drive if you prefer
Backup
Immediately prior to the upgrade you should ensure you have a current and up-to-date backup of all your important data. This should be stored on an external disk, and the disk should be disconnected from your PC during the upgrade process. If you don't have a backup of your important data, you can find instructions in my blog post: Is your data safe? However in addition to a basic backup of your data, you should also ensure that you create a System Image Backup which will enable you to restore your computer to current state in the event that something goes wrong during the upgrade process.
Wrapping Up
Upgrading your operating system is a major change and problems do occur particularly if you don't ensure appropriate safeguards up-front. The above information is intended for information purposes only and you need to use your own common sense and good judgement when following any instructions provided. Following these instructions, in whole or in part, does not guarantee a successful upgrade but should go a long way toward ensuring a smoother upgrade process. However please note that if you attempt the upgrade process yourself we accept no responsibility for any loss of data or system issues that you may encounter. If you're not confident - call the professionals.
If you’re keen to step up to Windows 10, but are concerned about making the transition then Excalibur IT can help smooth the path, and if your current PC is not up to it we can build you a new desktop PC, or assist you in sourcing a suitable laptop. Contact us today.
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