While Microsoft is working on the next version of Windows, you can get your hands on the latest preview that's available for free to anyone. You can sign up for this program, download the latest test version and install it on your computer or in a virtual machine. Here's how to get Windows 10 (Build 10130) and how to install it on your computer:
Signing up for the Windows Insider program
Go to the
Windows Insider website and click or tap the
Get Started button. Sign in with your Microsoft account.
You are shown the Participation Agreement and the Privacy Statement. You need to accept them to finish your registration. Scroll down and accept the Program Agreement, select your areas of interest and press the Submit button.
After submitting, you will be officially enrolled in the
Windows Insider program. To download the ISO image file for installing Windows 10 from scratch, go to this address:
Download Windows 10 Insider Preview ISO.
But, before you download Windows 10, read the next section in this guide.
Things to Keep in Mind
The Insider Preview version is a test version. Windows 10 still has many bugs, unfinished features and other issues like this. We strongly recommend that you do not install this as your main operating system on your computer. We recommend installing it in a dual-boot configuration, on a secondary PC or in a virtual machine.
Before you decide whether or not to install Windows 10, be sure to read the
FAQ section on the
Windows Insider website, and review its system requirements. Windows 10 demands the following:
- Processor: 1 GHz or faster, single core or multi core
- RAM: 1 GB for the 32-bit version or 2GB for the 64-bit one
- Free hard disk space: 16 GB
- Graphics card: Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver
- A Microsoft account and Internet access
Basically, if your PC can run Windows 8.1, you're good to go.
After you review the requirements, you can decide if you need a 32-bit or a 64-bit version of Windows 10. Scroll down the download page, click the language that you want the system to be in and then download the appropriate ISO file.
Also, write down the product key mentioned on the download page. You may be asked to enter it, in order to validate your test version of Windows 10. At the time this article was written, the Windows 10 product key was: 6P99N-YF42M-TPGBG-9VMJP-YKHCF. This will work only until the final version of Windows 10 is released, and only with Insider Preview versions of Windows 10.
How To Install Windows 10 Insider Preview
After you have downloaded the ISO file, you should burn it onto a DVD or use the
Windows USB/DVD Download Tool to copy it onto a USB flash drive. You'll want to use this if your computer does not have an optical drive or you simply want the installation to go faster. If you are installing Windows 10 in a virtual machine, you don't need to burn the ISO or copy it, you'll just mount it before you start the virtual machine.
Now it's time to turn on your virtual machine or boot your computer using the DVD or the USB flash drive that you created, with the Windows 10 setup.
Once the necessary files are copied, the setup starts by asking what language, time, currency and keyboard input settings you want to use. Make the selections you prefer and click Next.
Click or tap Install now to start the installation.
As we mentioned earlier, you may be asked to enter the product key for Windows 10. If that happens, enter it. If not, you'll be shown the license terms. Click or tap "I accept the license terms" and then Next.
Next, you are asked for the installation type. As you are installing Windows 10 from scratch, click or tap "Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)".
Now you are asked to select where you want to install Windows. Select the partition that you want to use for Windows 10 and press Next.
The installation starts. The setup takes a few minutes to copy all the required files and install the Windows 10 operating system.
Once the installation is done, the setup program will automatically reboot your system several times, to run the first-time configuration scripts. You just need to wait patiently for the process to finish.
How To Personalize Your Windows 10 Installation
After the reboots are finished, you are greeted with a first-time setup message, where you can select whether you want to use the Windows 10 recommended settings or customize each setting individually. We prefer to customize everything, so let's press Customize settingsand review each setting together.
Windows 10 asks you if you agree to send information such as contacts and calendar details, typing data or your location to Microsoft and/or some of their trusted partners. For each type of information, you can use the appropriate switch in order to send it or not. When you're done, press Next.
You are now able to set the default behavior of your browser, networks and error reports. You can enable the SmartScreen online services, choose if you want Windows browsers to preload pages, automatically connect to open hotspots and so on. Change the things you are interested in and click or tap Next.
You are now asked to confirm the ownership of your Windows 10 device. If you are its owner, select I do. If the device belongs to an organization (for example, the company you work at), select My organization, and you will be able to use your company account in order to sign in and access your resources. We chose the I do option.
You are asked to sign in with your Microsoft account. Enter your credentials and click or tapSign in.
After entering your email and password, in order to sign in, Windows 10 recommends that you create and use a PIN, instead of your password. We also recommend that you do that, because the PIN you create only works for the device you're installing Windows 10 on now. If you use your Microsoft account on more than one device, each of them has its own PIN. To create a PIN, click or tap PIN me!. Otherwise, select Skip this step.
You will have to enter the PIN you want twice, for confirmation. Note that, by default, a PIN has 4 digits. However, if you want to use more (or fewer) digits, you can deselect the option to "Use a 4-digit PIN". Once you're done, press OK.
And then… you get to meet Cortana, your personal assistant. This screen is purely informative, so after taking a quick look at what Cortana can do for you, click or tap Next.
Windows 10 takes a while to prepare your computer, your apps and all the settings. The process may also involve a restart. When it’s done, you are logged into Windows 10 and you can view the Desktop.
Congratulations, you have installed Windows 10 Insider Preview!
Conclusion
At least so far, the Windows 10 installation process is similar to that of Windows 8.1. Things may change in upcoming test builds so this may not be how the final setup process will look like. Before you go, we would like to remind you that you should not install the Insider Preview as your main operating system. It is best to use it as a secondary operating system or to install it in a virtual machine. We hope that you found this guide useful and, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask in the comments section below.
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