Free WIndows 10 Upgrade Available for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 Users; Prices for Home and Pro Revealed

By Staff Writer

Jun 09 2015, 14:04 PM EDT

Prices for two of Microsoft's upcoming Windows 10 OS version have just been confirmed.

Windows 10 Home and Windows 10 Pro will cost US$119 and $199, respectively, for those who won't be able to take advantage of the one-year free upgrade from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1.

An upgrade from Windows 10 Home to WIndows 10 Pro, on the other hand, is priced at $99.

The other versions of the Windows 10 OS do not specifically target consumers, like the Enterprise, Education, and Mobile Enterprise versions. The remaining two versions are the Windows 10 Internet of Things Core and Windows 10 Mobile.

As for the upgrade paths, Window 7 Ultimate and Professional, as well as Windows 8.1 Pro users can upgrade to Windows 10 Pro. Windows 7 and 8 Enterprise can go to the Windows 10 Enterprise, while all other versions have to go with Windows 10 Home version.

"Once you upgrade W10 w/ the free upgrade offer you will able to clean reinstall Windows 10 on same device any time," Microsoft Operating Systems Group general manager Gabriel Aul said via Twitter.

"Either way will work. Once you've upgraded to 10 on the machine the license will allow you to reinstall at no cost," the Microsoft GM added.

This means that the free upgrade is also a standalone version, and its ISO disc image can be downloaded for future needs, unlike in previous Windows iterations where free upgrades were very difficult to reinstall - if not impossible.

Features for the Windows 10 include: the virtual assistant Cortana, the browser Edge, the enterprise-level 84-inch touch screen device Surface Hub, and the wireless holographic headset HoloLens.

Microsoft also came up with Continuum, which helps transition the OS in 2-in-1 devices such as laptops with tablet capabilities mainly for enterprise-level solutions and SaaS offerings. Continuum will unify multiple platforms such as the Windows PC, Lumia, Windows Embedded, and Xbox product lines. Finally, Windows 10 will also carry a two-factor authentication standard for security.

Windows 10 will be released on 29 July.