Windows XP is one of the most popular OS from Microsoft which was released back in 2001. The OS was an instant hit and was one of the most selling and used OS from the company. While Windows Vista was a major failure, things changed with Windows 7. While most of the users upgraded to Windows 7 from XP and then to Windows 8.1, there are still a good percentage of users who are still using Windows XP.
When Microsoft announced Windows 10, they mentioned that it will be a free upgrade for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users if they have a genuine license. Windows XP is almost 13 years old OS now and it is time to upgrade to latest Windows 10. Since there is no direct upgrade option, how to upgrade to Windows 10 from XP?
Since there is no direct path, you will have to buy a license for Windows 10 as free upgrade is only for Windows 7 and 8.1 users. So here is the cost to get a copy of Windows 10.
- Windows 10 Home is $119.99
- Windows 10 Pro is $199.99.
- Windows 10 Pro Pack (which enables you to upgrade from Windows 10 Home to Windows 10 Pro) is $99.99.
All these are available in stores or online.
Before you buy these versions, make sure your PC meets the system requirements for Windows 10. System requirements for Windows 10 are:
- Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster with support for PAE, NX, and SSE2
- RAM: 1 gigabyte (GB) (32-bit) or 2 GB (64-bit)
- Hard disk space: 16 GB (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
- Graphics card: Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver
In case your PC does not meet the requirements as it is old, it is always better to invest on a new PC and you will be getting the Windows 10 upgrade free with new PCs.
If your PC meets the requirements and you have the genuine ISO or DVD of Windows 10, you can start installing it on your PC by booting it. You will not be able to run the installer directly from Windows XP and you will need to do a clean install of Windows 10. Before you start this, make sure you have taken a back up of all the files on your PC as it will delete all the files in the drive you plan to install.
All the apps you have installed on Windows XP will be deleted when you clean install Windows 10.
