14 DAY TRIAL // Windows 10 will be offered as a free upgrade for Windows 7 and 8 computers during the first 12 months of availability, but Microsoft is yet to provide any other details regarding older Windows versions, such as Vista and XP, and pricing for non-Windows users who want to deploy the new OS.
But new rumors that are now swirling across the web are claiming that Microsoft does have a plan in mind for XP holdouts in the form of a very special price for Windows 10 that could convince them to upgrade.
Russian leaker WZor claims that Microsoft will allow Windows XP users to upgrade to Windows 10 for only $39.99 (€35), most likely during the first year of availability. After that, everyone might have to pay the full price for Windows 10 if they want to install it on their PCs, no matter their current operating system.
Hardware upgrades necessary too
Microsoft is yet to reveal whether it plans to offer direct upgrades from Windows XP to Windows 10 (which would make upgrading a lot easier and faster and would obviously migrate all data and user files), but there’s one big problem in this whole plan.
Windows XP computers need hardware upgrades to run Windows 10, so the full cost of moving a PC from the ancient OS to the latest one could actually be a lot bigger than expected.
These are the main Windows XP system requirements:
· Pentium 233-megahertz (MHz) processor or faster (300 MHz is recommended) · At least 64 megabytes (MB) of RAM (128 MB is recommended) · At least 1.5 gigabytes (GB) of available space on the hard disk. · CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive
And these are Windows 10’s:
· Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster. · RAM: 1 gigabyte (GB) (32-bit) or 2 GB (64-bit) · Free hard disk space: 16 GB. · Graphics card: Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver.
It’s pretty clear that many PCs would need significant hardware upgrades, so Microsoft must find a way to convince XP users to switch to Windows 10 even if the final cost of the process could be higher.
Remember that this is just a rumor for the time being, so don’t take anything for granted until Microsoft officially announces its plans for Windows XP users.