Windows 10 Is Coming, But Don't Expect It This Month

Microsoft has said that Windows 10 will be released July 29, but what it didn't say until now was that only a relatively small number of people will get Windows 10 this month.

Microsoft will initially release Windows 10 Pro and Windows 10 Home on July 29. At this time, Microsoft will begin to ship the OS to OEMs, but it will take time for these companies to get products with the new OS ready. Also on July 29, Windows Insiders will be able to download a copy of Windows 10 and will be the first to use the new OS.

Soon after, Microsoft will ship Windows 10 to retailers around the world, who will then help their customers upgrade recently purchased products that originally had Windows 8.1.

Business customers will get the option to purchase a volume license of Windows 10 Enterprise or Windows 10 Education and download the OS starting August 1.

For everyone else, the wait may take several more days, possible even a few weeks. Although Microsoft reported that there weren't any compatibility issues in the tests when upgrading from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 to Windows 10, the company's method of rolling out Windows 10 implies otherwise.

The millions of people who reserved a copy of Windows 10 in June will get invitations to update in waves as compatibility with the user's previous OS is confirmed. Though the company might just be playing it safe, this does imply that there is at least some compatibility issue that Microsoft is still working on.

When it is time for you to upgrade, a notification will pop up informing you that your system is ready for the free upgrade.

Still, Microsoft's approach to releasing Windows 10 appears guarded. The Windows Insiders group is filled with millions of developers and end-users who have been testing Windows 10 for about a year now. If anyone would see a problem, it would likely be them. Then Microsoft adds in business customers, many of whom will have network administrators capable of identifying, testing, and reporting problems. Next comes a random sampling of people who reserved a copy of the new OS, and then finally the general public will get it.

Even if Microsoft is just playing it safe, this staggered rollout gives the impression that the company is worried something will go wrong. As a result, most users won't get the new OS until sometime in August. Hopefully, the release goes smoothly, however, and Windows 10 will make it out to everyone quickly.

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Michael Justin Allen Sexton is a Contributing Writer for Tom's Hardware US. He covers hardware component news, specializing in CPUs and motherboards.
  • epobirs
    No matter how much testing and planning you do, something will go wrong. Always hedge your bets. If things go well in the first wave, you can accelerate the second, and so on. But be conservative in your stated commitments and look like a hero if it goes smother and faster than expected.
    Reply
  • USAFRet
    Or, might the staggered rollout be due simply to bandwidth? Millions of PC's, 3+GB each....
    Reply
  • deftonian
    Well put epobirs. I'd prefer the phased approach rather than "all in". I see way too many release fails when trying to do it all at once.
    Reply
  • alidan
    is there any way to get a copy of the os so i can do a fresh install?
    Reply
  • USAFRet
    16169921 said:
    is there any way to get a copy of the os so i can do a fresh install?

    From the FAQ: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-10-faq
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------
    Can I reinstall Windows 10 on my computer after upgrading?
    Yes. Once you’ve upgraded to Windows 10 using the free upgrade offer, you will be able to reinstall, including a clean install, on the same device. You won’t need to purchase Windows 10 or go back to your prior version of Windows and upgrade again.

    You’ll also be able to create your own installation media like a USB drive or DVD, and use that to upgrade your device or reinstall after you’ve upgraded.
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------
    Reply
  • Martell1977
    It's very likely that MS paid attention to game launches like Diablo 3 and other new online games and decided that staggering the launch would be smarter than having millions upon millions slamming their servers and getting millions of trouble tickets. Looking at several of the last game launches, there has yet to be a very popular title with a smooth launch day (that I can think of).
    Reply
  • uglyduckling81
    It's not like we are in a rush. A new OS doesn't actually do anything. It's just a nice to have if it's done right. DX12 could be big but until it's actually used it's pretty pointless as well.
    I see no problem with a delayed roll out to make sure it's usable.
    Reply
  • USAFRet
    16170573 said:
    It's not like we are in a rush. A new OS doesn't actually do anything. It's just a nice to have if it's done right. DX12 could be big but until it's actually used it's pretty pointless as well.
    I see no problem with a delayed roll out to make sure it's usable.

    Haha. You haven't read here enough.
    There are MANY people in here who will have a major breakdown if their PC is not updated by 12:02 on July 29.

    Mark my words, on July 29 and 30, there will be a flood of threads asking "Why isn't my PC upgraded yet?!?"
    There will be people staying up until midnight, just to get it 'first'.
    Reply
  • dgingeri
    Well, I can tell you 10159 was not ready for release, by a long shot.
    Reply
  • jimmysmitty
    16169961 said:
    16169921 said:
    is there any way to get a copy of the os so i can do a fresh install?

    From the FAQ: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-10-faq
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------
    Can I reinstall Windows 10 on my computer after upgrading?
    Yes. Once you’ve upgraded to Windows 10 using the free upgrade offer, you will be able to reinstall, including a clean install, on the same device. You won’t need to purchase Windows 10 or go back to your prior version of Windows and upgrade again.

    You’ll also be able to create your own installation media like a USB drive or DVD, and use that to upgrade your device or reinstall after you’ve upgraded.
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------

    THG mods are the brightest :P

    That said this is what I am going to do. In fact I plan on buying a small cheap but fast USB 3.0 drive and making it my dedicated Windows 10 installer.

    I never upgrade, always do a clean install. All my data/games are stored on a RAID0 separate from the OS SSD so it is pretty much no loss.
    Reply