TORONTO -- Ten years after Microsoft launched Windows 7 the technology company announced it will no longer support it and urged its users to upgrade to Windows 10.
At Canada Computers in North York, they are stocked up on Windows 10 upgrades. The DVD version starts at $139, but since some computers no longer have a DVD drive, you may need to pay as much as $169 to $179 for an upgrade that comes on a USB. You can also purchase it online as a digital download.
Technology expert Marc Saltzman says that before paying for the upgrade, users may want to go to the Microsoft website and try to download it for free.
“Make sure you are on the official Windows website. The word is Microsoft is still allowing this transition from Windows 7 to Windows 10. It doesn't work for everyone, but if you read the comments online many people say it is still working,” Saltzman said.
Windows 10 is the most widely-used operating system in the world. Almost half of all computer users have it as their operating system, with half of all computers using it. According to Net Applications, Windows 10 runs on more than 900 million computers.
If you don’t switch from Windows 7 to Windows 10, your computer will still work, but you won't get software updates and security patches, which could leave you vulnerable to malware and viruses.
“The number one reason is to make sure your machine is protected from all the ills of the internet," Saltzman said.
If you have an older computer you may want to buy a new computer that comes with Windows 10 already installed.
“If it's been a long time since you bought a new computer it may not make sense to install $170 worth of software on a computer that is five to seven years old," Saltzman said.
A basic laptop with Windows 10 installed can start at around $300 and sometimes upgrading an older computer with newer software can slow it down.
Before you buy the Windows 10 upgrade, you'll want to make sure your computer has the system requirements to run it.
“Before downloading any new software you should back up all your important files to make sure that documents and photos don't going missing during your upgrade,” Saltzman warned.
