Each version of windows It has a very marked life cycle since its launch. When Microsoft launches a new operating system, we already know approximately how long it will be on the market and when it will die. And not only with the big versions, but also with each of the system updates. Therefore, it is vital to keep the computer always up to date, within the Microsoft support cycles. And, if you do not know how to do it, we will explain it to you below.
Depending on the version of Windows that we have installed on the computer, the process to update to a new supported version may be different. We are going to see the most common cases and how we should act in each of them.
Use Windows Vista, XP or earlier
If we have a computer with Vista, XP, or any previous version of Windows, it is very likely that we cannot update to one of the most modern versions of the operating system because we do not meet the requirements. We can try to install Windows 10 on the computer to see if the wizard will let us do it, but there is no option to update, so we will have to install it from scratch.
We must download the system, create an installation USB or DVD, and start the PC with it to start the installation. We follow it to the point of the partitions, and there we will simply delete all the partitions and let Windows create the new and necessary ones.
At the end, we will have the PC in Windows 10 updated.
Windows 7 and Windows 8.1
If our computer already has one of these versions of the operating system installed, it will almost certainly not cause problems with the new Windows 10, therefore, we can surely update. To do this, we can download this tool from Microsoft and follow the steps to be able to install the new version of the operating system on top. In the process, the wizard will verify that we meet the requirements and, in addition, it will keep our files and data so as not to lose anything in the process.
In case of having a 32-bit Windows, the ideal would be format the entire PC to install Windows 10 64-bit from scratch and take advantage of its advantages and advanced security features. Of course, it is most likely that we will not be able to install Windows 11 on the PC, since we will not meet the necessary requirements, especially with the TPM.
Windows 10 and Windows 11
If we are already using one of these versions of Windows, then we don’t have to worry, since both systems are supported (the first, until 2025, and the second, for now, indefinitely). What we must do is make sure that we are using the latest versions of the system to have all the advantages and features available. Both systems currently have version 22H2, released in Fall 2022.
To update to these versions, we simply have to open Windows Update, regardless of whether we use Windows 10 or Windows 11, and install from there all the updates that appear to us as available.
Also, if we have Windows 10, and we want to upgrade to Windows 11, we can do it too, as long as we meet the requirements of the new Microsoft system. The process is the same as the previous one, looking for the update in Windows Update, and following the steps that it indicates to start up the new Microsoft OS. Of course, programs, data and other settings are not erased in the process.
