Has anyone done it and did you have any problems ?

kwg

Most hardware running 8 won't work on 10.

If you have a very late computer w/8.1, it MIGHT work, most likely not.

Unless you are pretty handy with computers, the trouble is not really worth the effort.

MM

I did it quite a while ago and it was pretty easy. 10 works slightly differently from 8, but not enough to be a problem...

This is a 12 year old, 32bit Samsung NC10. I haven't used it much. It's kind of a long story but I just didn't need it. My tablet recently died and I want to have a small computer I can set in the chair with while watching TV.

kwg

As cheap as laptops are these days, that is the route I would go- in fact it is the route I am going to go in a few weeks....

I have a 7 or 8 year old SurfacePro that I don't use all that often, but thought I'd give it a shot anyway.

Took several attempts, but finally got it done.

I think my issue was that I hadn't updated that machine in quite a while. If I had to do it over again, I'd make sure to run all of the updates first, then do the switch.

Anyway, it works fine now.

YMMV

I hate Microsoft and Bill Gates.

Won’t work bud sorry. The 32 bit is your killer.

See the thread about Linux Mint. As long as you're installing a new OS, you might as well switch to Linux.

For a machine that old, I'd strongly suggest ZORIN CORE as your new system. It comes with all the software you'll need for home use (and much more is available, almost all free) and you'll feel right at home navigating and using it.

Twenty minutes to download it, 20 more to make a bootable USB disk, and then 20 to install. Full instructions at the website HERE.

OOps! I missed the 32-bit comment. For that machine, you can use either LINUX MINT DEBIAN, or the 32-bit version of MX

Added: One I have not personally test-driven, but gets high marks is ANTIX which is aimed at the new user, has a 32-bit option, and easy to install.

I built my current desktop in 2009, it is socket AM2+. It started out on Windows XP and has been running Windows 10 since it was released.
I doubt you'll have any hardware incompatibility issues as long as you don't try to save your personal files. If you need to save them I recommend you save them elsewhere first but you don't have to. It should be a simple, straight forward upgrade.

I tried running updates for Windows 7 and it wouldn't let me. But, I'm kind of an idiot when it comes to computers and maintaining them. I would of been happy with Windows 7 until it died.

kwg

So you are saying do a complete install something like as if it was new ?

kwg

A complete new install would be best. First, copy and move all your personal folders, passwords, bookmarks and such to an external drive. Don't use Backup; do a copy and paste.

Then install a newcomer-friendly version of Linux. See my earlier post.

Really. Trust me. You'll thank me.

I don't know if I agree with that. I've upgraded many win 7 computers to 10. Is the free upgrade still available? Been a few years since I used it.

is there one in particular you can recommend? I googled it an' there were serval. thx

We turn our Windows up to 11.

Spook, for an old 32-bit machine, see my post about five above.

For a 64-bit, if it originally came with Win-7, first look at ZORIN CORE

If it originally came with Win-10, by all means look at MINT CINNAMON

But first, go to YouTube and watch a few videos by Thor. He has over 400 vids detailing many, many kinds of Linux and what you can do with them. Focus on the look and feel, and capabilities rather than the details of "how-to". LINK

You Da Man ! Big Thx

I'll say this: of all the people who switch to Linux from either Windows or Mac, very, VERY few ever go back. They may do a bit of "distro shopping" to find the version of Linux they prefer, or which suits their needs best - but they stick with Linux.

I have personally test-driven something like 25 different versions. Some I liked a lot, some not so much, some were just too weird, and some required too much technical skill to attempt. The three that I currently have loaded permanently on machines are Zorin, MX, and Mint. The MX laptop is my "test bed" for exploring new distros, and serves as my backup machine. The Zorin laptop is my travel machine. It was originally a Windows Student machine (an attempt to cut into the Chromebook market) with very low resources (4/64 Mb) and was well under $200. I keep no personal data on it, and if it gets lost or stolen, it will be no loss. It runs like a scalded cat on Zorin.

My daily driver is this old Dell mini-tower running Mint 21.0 (which will soon to auto-upgrade to 21.1) I put a larger SSD in it recently, a simple plug-in job. I have a 1 Tb Toshiba portable drive hooked to it to keep copies of all my personal stuff and also to hold my weekly system backups.

If you don't need a "real" computer, get a Chrome Book. Cheap as chips.

True, and I used to have one. But it is an "online only" machine totally based in Google. So EVERYTHING you do, watch, search, or type is run through Google's spy circuits. There is ZERO privacy on a Chromebook.

I would argue that any ideas of Privacy these days is merely a supposition.

Not suggesting that we make it easy for them, but at the end of the day, someone, somewhere is monitoring everything digital.

I tried downloading the Windows 10 system onto a thumb drive from an old Windows 7 computer. I kept getting error messages so everything would stop and I found no useable information about fixing the problems. I do have a Windows 10 lap top I rarely use. I am currently down loading the Windows 10 program onto the thumb drive and I got NO errors messages.

The reason I am so persistent getting the Windows 10 downloaded to a thumb drive I is have 3 computers to update. One is a 2009 Samsung NC10. It's a small lap top I took to Afghanistan with me. I have nothing to lose if the update doesn't work. The other 2 are used daily. One by my wife and she is very reluctant to give it up. So, one computer is practice and the 2nd computer is the back up computer but the 3rd is the one my wife uses and she is not very happy about losing Windows 7.

If Windows 10 won't work on the NC10, it's getting a linex system. The other 2 computers I'd like to update. The backup computer might get a Linex system if Windows 10 commits suicide. But the one my wife uses might get an upgrade to 11 whether the wife likes it or not.

kwg

If I may, you're going the long way around the tree. The best way is to have a computer with an internet connection and zero files that need to be saved.
Microsoft likely has a huge library of computers with hardware just like yours they have already updated 10's of thousands of times successfully. I would just let them update it and it will likely be painless.

When windows installs initially it is looking at your specific hardware and the software generally won't have to be overwritten at a later date.

Buy a Mac and never look back

The NC10 has no files I need to save. The other 2 will have files that need saved. I'm not sure what you are getting at. I tried to download the windows 10 onto the NC 10 but I kept getting error messages. There is a program you have to download and have running to download the windows 10 files. It's that first program that down loads and when you RUN it, it only works for a few seconds and then the error message. It's always error message 0X80072F8F-0X20000. I could never find a way to fix it.

I have tomorrow afternoon off. I'm going to try to upload the windows 10 program to the NC10. Hopefully, it works out.

kwg

Okay, that error usually stems from registry errors or the like.

Download W10 to a thumb drive and boot your computer from the drive. Once it boots from the drive you shouldn't get anything like that. Sorry if that is what you are already doing. It's difficult to know exactly via forum.

About the OP's question - it was easy for me. I turned it on one morning and found that Microsoft had done it for me, want it or not. It never gave me any problems.

KWG, put Zorin Core on that NC10 and let your wife play with it for a while. You'll very soon be a Linux family.

Rock Chuck, that's the whole problem with Microsoft. THEY control your computer; you don't.

If it wasn't for the error message this would all be done. I can't find the fix to the error message after searching google, other than paying for a monthly charge for driver updates. You would think it would be simple but I'm just not finding that fix. My guess is Microsoft wants you to go buy the Windows 10 disc for $139.

Rocky, I wish it were that easy. She can be stubborn and hard headed, especially when it comes to computers. It's the "old dog new trick" thing.

kwg

I know. My wife was the same way. "I don't want to try to learn something all new." But her Windows machine kept futzing up (largely due to her own messing around - but don't let her know that) until I finally convinced her to let me install Mint.

She hardly noticed any difference. Except that Mint just works; no bobbles, no freezeups, no "Windows is updating, do not interrupt" frustrations. She even had no difficulty with using LibreOffice instead of MS Office. All her elaborate tax record spreadsheets imported perfectly, and she has no trouble working with them.

If yours likes W-7, she'll be right at home with Zorin Core, which has much of the same look and feel. Except that it will run faster, cleaner, with no malware danger, and with her in complete control.

I suspect that this problem is some kind of malware holding your computer hostage. MS doesn't charge for updating drivers. If you haven't done it, download and run a couple different anti-virus programs, like Malwarebytes.

I did it 2 years ago on a Dell tower that was about 10 years old. Everything went smooth as far as I can remember. The best advice I can give is to make sure you do a complete system backup onto an external USB hard drive with a way to restore, before you attempt the upgrade. That way you can always go back in case things go south.
But as it has already been stated, the 32 bit may be a stumbling block for you. I don't remember all the min requirements.

I don't think that W10 will run on a 32-bit machine. AFAIK, the only two choices are to run it as-is or convert it to Linux. Conversion is vastly better.

Yes it does. I have it on an old machine running some software that won't run on a 64 bit machine.

Here’s your fix.

Media Creation Tool Error 0x80072F8F – 0x20000 in Windows 7/8

Fix] Media Creation Tool Error 0x80072F8F – 0x20000

To resolve the Media Creation Tool Error 0x80072F8F – 0x20000 error on Windows 7 and Windows 8 computers, enable the TLS 1.1 and TLS 1.2 protocols. Follow these steps to do so:

Method 1: Enable TLS 1.1 and TLS 1.2 via the registry (Windows 7 & 8)

Make sure your system is fully updated.
Open Notepad.
Copy the following lines into Notepad.
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\WinHttp]
"DefaultSecureProtocols"=dword:00000a00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\WinHttp]
"DefaultSecureProtocols"=dword:00000a00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Protocols\TLS 1.1\Client]
"DisabledByDefault"=dword:00000000
"Enabled"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Protocols\TLS 1.2\Client]
"DisabledByDefault"=dword:00000000
"Enabled"=dword:00000001
Save the file with a .reg extension — e.g., enable_tls.reg
Double-click the enable_tls.reg file to apply the settings into the registry. Click Yes when asked for confirmation.
If you’re using Windows 7, download the KB3140245 package (TLS 1.1/1.2 enablement update) from Microsoft and install it. This step may not be needed for Windows 8.
Restart Windows.
Download registry files: If you wish to download premade registry file(s), download enable-tls.zip. Unzip and run the enclosed file enable_tls.reg. To reverse/undo the setting to Windows 7/8 defaults, run the undo.reg registry file.

Method 2: Easy Fix (for Windows 7 only)

The above registry fix was created incorporating the suggestions in the Microsoft article titled Update to enable TLS 1.1 and TLS 1.2 as default secure protocols in WinHTTP

The article talks about the Microsoft Update with will enable TLS 1.1 and TLS 1.2 support via KB3140245 package. Here are the instructions:

Download the KB3140245 package. Don’t run it yet.
Download the “Easy Fix” executable via the above link (direct download) and run it. The fix will create the DefaultSecureProtocols registry value which is a prerequisite for the Microsoft update.
Now run the KB3140245 .msi package you downloaded in Step 1.
This automatically enables TLS 1.1 and TLS 1.2 on the computer.

Should add if you are running win8.0 you have to upgrade to 8.1 with SP1 installed. Win 8.0 has the wrong architecture so incompatible with 10.

Next caveat, if you are running Win 7or 8 or 8.1 the upgrade has to have come from MS either by Windows update or in Win8’s case the Windows store, which means it was delivered to a licensed copy eligible for upgrade. This in turn gives a permanent license to 10. In 2025 when 10 goes dead the upgrades as outlined above will continue to function as normal, the ones as being done like above will either have to buy a license @139.00 or the software will cease to function 1 year after the final update.


Per Microsoft.

What is this Save the file with a .reg extension — e.g., enable_tls.reg thing you talk of Swifty ??

kwg

Result from a search engine:

Windows 10 can run on both 32-bit and 64-bit processor architectures. If you have a computer with a 32-bit setup, you can upgrade to the 64-bit version without acquiring a new license.

I'm still debating upgrading from XP. Hard pass for me.

That’s how you save a file to the registry i.e .reg instead of .doc or whatever.
Word of warning if you are uncomfortable messing around in the registry, don’t. It’s not for the faint of heart, one fugg up and your OS is toast, never to run again



No it’s not, the free upgrade ended. MS site now says download 30 day trial version after which it’s 139.00 for a license.


https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us...rge/7cf1d3fb-41b6-4fc5-9cbe-afed871b8a1d

Windows 10 is not free if you are running Windows 8 or earlier or your computer doesn't have a license installed at all.


Hello, although Windows 10 is not free, you can use most of the basic features for free on trial mode. You can make the media creation tool and install Windows 10 here:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-downlo...

When you see the option to enter the Licence key, you can click on skip for now.
Hope this helps, and let me know if you have further questions! :-)

Good Lord, I miss my XP machines.

('Course I miss DOS 3.2 too )

I was a MicroLimp user since DOS 3.2, also. But I don't miss ANY of it one bit.

Hello Swifty
I can copy this to notepad but what do I do with it after that ?? Is it supposed to go live or do I need to copy and paste it somewhere else ??

kwg

DOS was fun. The one I really miss though is Vista, what a POS. That’s the machine I tried to load Linux on.
What a cluster that was.😳😳
Still got my XP and Win95/98 and 98SE machines out in the shop. Even got DOS and 95 on floppy. Guess you could call me a hoarder of sorts.

Changed from 8.1 to 10 last night, and it worked even for this mostly computer illiterate duff. I loaded all my files to my WD Elements external hard drive, then I loaded the free 10 from Windows' site, loaded back my files and photos and am now good to go with 10.

I don't see what all the fuss is about if even I could do it.

Save notepad file as .reg as suggested. Exit.

You need to open regedit. Type regedit into the search box. Once inside you have various options.

First back up the registry. I will point you here, suggest you print it out if possible.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...ows-855140ad-e318-2a13-2829-d428a2ab0692

Now you can edit the registry. Which again I am going to point you to that will give better step by step, I am not great at tutorials.

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/125696-export-import-registry-keys-windows.html

Basically what you do is double click that .reg file you created and follow the prompts in regedit.

Makes sense, I covered that.


👍

Good on ya, luv2. It can take courage to attempt stuff like that.

But now that you know you can do it, do consider trying Linux.

Why fool with gobbledegook like this?

Throw out Windows and get an iMAC instead. When they want to upgrade the operating system, they tell you to leave the computer on overnight. Next morning it's done.

And it works.

And it's free.

MAC machines are anything but free. $1,200-$1,500 is an awfully expensive "free".

Plus, you're stuck within Apple's "walled garden" of software options, everything you add to the expensive machine is expensive, and when they choose to turn off your support, your machine is dead. (At least that's what I understand happens.) None of that is true with Linux.

If you like Mac stuff, that's fine. But it isn't all rainbow stew and free Bubble-up.

LMAO at indy, Apple iMac=licensed UNIX kernel. Linux = open source, free non licensed, modified UNIX kernel. Same Same in function.

I did a clean install of Windows 8 from a disc last night. It took about 5 hours to get everything working except for the Windows 8 update. I did get Windows Defender to update. Something that hasn't happened for 10 years. I keep getting stuck with an error message. I'm at work so I can't tell you what the number is on that message. One suggestion from google was to delete file Cathoo2 which I did find and delete. I'd like to load Windows 8.1 just for the knowledge and practice but I might just go direct to 10. I will play with it some more after I get home.

kwg

I'm sorry, kwg. I just can't understand why you'd stick with an obsolete, unsupported, defenseless, kludgy, resource-hungry, and frankly ugly operating system when there are so many vastly superior ones available - for free.

Like the 32-bit MX

1. Windows 8 update has been dead since 2016. Just like Win7 update is dead so it’s not surprising the links don’t work.
2. Updating to Windows 8.1 w/SP1 which you can still download is the easiest path to 10.
3. Don’t see the real advantage here other than knowledge, Windows 10 is dead May 2025. So you will be right back in the sh*t spot you are in now.
My Win7 now Win10 machine has 2 years left. Then it’s either off the net, or Linux. I can get Win11 to install but not really impressed. Lot of work for little gain.
If I really want Win11 I can buy an upgradable hardware wise laptop off Amazon for 239.00 with 11 installed, or bump up to ~400 bucks and not have to upgrade memory or SSD.
I really hate HP and Dell. But my 128 gig iPad works just fine for 95% and my old laptop works just dandy for the rest.

Rocky, I be getting bored. Got 5 different distros of Linux (64 bit) this time, and it’s time to play. Out.

Me too, Swifty. I can only lead the mule to the pond.

Just downloaded AntiX and may keep it on a stick as an emergency boot OS, but will definitely give it a whirl in live session to see if it is recommendable to newbies.

Just wiped Spiral Cinnamon from my tester. It's nice, and I do love the Cinnamon desktop look, but it had an annoying bug with the mouse pointer that drove me nuts.

ON my little Samsung NC10 I won't care if Windows 10 is dead. That might be the time to go to Linux. The 32 bit MX looks like the route to go. I have 2 more computers to update. If I'm going to FUBAR a computer, I'd rather it be this NC10 and not the 2 desktops.

kwg

Yup.

I just test-drove AntiX and I'm not favorably impressed. It is NOT newbie friendly. Too many software packages with cute names and no clue what they do, just as one example.

MX is one of my faves. It has a boxcar of software with odd names, but at least it tells you what they do. Plus, it's gorgeous.

Do download the MX32. Make a bootable USB stick by downloading and using a small program called Etcher. (You can't just put the MX.iso onto a stick, it has to be modified by Etcher.)

Now boot to the stick and give MX a try uninstalled but live. It's that simple. If you like what you see, you can then decide to install it. (You almost surely will like it.)

Swifty, if you read this, I ran AntiX for only about 20 minutes. I think it would drive a newbie away from Linux.

Then I plugged in Solus. MUCH nicer and MUCH more newbie friendly. It's 64-bit only, though. I need to play with it more, but it might end up rivaling Zorin in my fave list. It's a completely independent fork, neither Debian nor Ubuntu-based. The budgie desktop is clean and familiar in a W-7 way.

kwg,I just ran MX32-bit on my test machine, and it appears to be identical to the 64-bit in all ways.

I got brave and went ahead with the Windows 8.1 download. It's completing that download now. Hopefully I will know in the next hour if I wasted the last 4 hours. My daughter has an old computer at home her daughter was using. I think it had Windows 7 on it. I should see if she still has it and download a Linux system on it and then compare them. How much space does the MX program need on a USB stick ??

kwg

Sounds like a plan. Any USB stick of 4 Gb or larger will be fine. Most Linux .iso take less than three.