It appears that only new versions of the operating system will get access to the full Windows 10 upgrade path, which means Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 users are to be provided with this option.
Microsoft already revealed that computers running Windows XP computers will be able to upgrade to Windows 10 once it hits retail via the standalone ISO that will be provided. And now we can add another old version to this little list — Windows Vista.
Users running XP and Vista on their machines will have no other choice but a full install if they want to upgrade to Windows 10, and this means that applications and settings will be lost.
Gabriel Aul recently
confirmed this, saying:
So basically, if you are running Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 will be able to preserve all their settings and software, which is great news, as a large fraction of users are running these three (and currently supported) platforms.
Makes total sense too.
People close to the development process have also, over the months, hinted that Microsoft plans to make the Windows 10 upgrade not just faster and smoother for these users, but also more affordable once the new operating system launches in 2015.
More details on all this could be provided at the Windows 10 event this month.
source:windows10update
