In July 29th Microsoft will release the final version of Windows 10, the widely used operational system. The update will be free for current users of Windows 7 and 8. This means that Microsoft is putting a lot of effort into moving its user base to the new version. Are you ready for it?
Introduction
After a really bad job with Windows 8, the new version of the OS has received very good reviews. Windows 10 brings back the start menu, so familiar to desktop users. Another important news is that it will retire Internet Explorer – in its place comes the new Microsoft Edge (or Project Spartan). The new browser was developed from the ground up, following web standards, which means that developers won’t need to adapt their sites to IE anymore.
The arrival of this new version is welcome, specially as a free update. But every time there’s a new version, the risk of incompatibilities and bugs in current systems emerge. If you use web applications, like the ones developed by Softerize, there’s not much to worry. As the new browser follows standards, it shouldn’t have any problems. But if you work with desktop applications, it’s important to try the new version before upgrading. There’s an easy way to do that.
Trying Windows 10
If you want to try Windows 10 before its final release, the safest way is to do it through a virtual machine. Basically a virtual machine is a virtual computer, which you execute as an application from your current operational system. Doing it this way means you don’t have to change anything in our OS, so you’ll be able to continue working without any problems in case something goes wrong with Windows 10.
Next a step by step of how to do that.
Install VirtualBox
VirtualBox is a software that allow you to create virtual machines- it’s free and has a huge user base. Download the latest version from www.virtualbox.org and install it.
Download Windows 10
There’s a Windows 10 version for testing purposes called Insider Preview. In order to install it in VirtualBox, we’ll need an ISO file. Download the x86 or x64 clicking here. The best option is to download the same version you’ll be using in the future (if you have Windows 7 or 8 with 64 bits, download x64, otherwise download the x86 version).
Create your Virtual Machine
Open VirtualBox and click New. Type the VM’s name (could be Windows 10) and select the version – if there’s an option for Windows 10, select 64 or 32 bit, according to your ISO file. If there’s no such option, select Windows 8.1 – also select 64 or 32 bit. Next, select how much memory the VM will have – use at least 2 GB (2048 MB). Finally, create the hard drive – you can use the recommend size.
Install Windows 10
When the VM is ready, click Start. A new window will open, asking for a startup disk. Select the ISO you downloaded and proceed with the Windows installation normally.
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