Extended support for Windows 8.1 will end on June 10, 2023 and Microsoft has started alerting consumers and businesses of the need to migrate to more modern systems due to the risk of using an operating system without technical support and security patches.
Windows 8.1 was released in October 2013 in an attempt to fix the disastrous launch of Windows 8 and design decisions that no one outside of Redmond understood, like removing the start menu. Criticisms of the Modern UI interface were unanimous and Microsoft bought time with this version until the launch of Windows 10. There is not much data on the number of users that Windows 8.1 still has, but it is obvious that – if you want to use Windows – it is better to jump to Windows 10 now.
In addition to the warning and posting of a migration guide, Microsoft will soon show desktop notifications with messages similar to the ones it used in Windows 7. (Pretty tiresome, by the way, though we don’t expect automatic updates like it was back then.
And this is so because Microsoft says that “currently does not offer free upgrade paths from Windows 8.1 to Windows 11 and 10″, which means that users should consider purchasing a license for a newer version. Or better (according to Microsoft), consider buying a new computer that supports Windows 11 or 10 because those built for Windows 8.1″are designed with technology that is approximately 10 years old«.
This is officially, because until very recently it has been possible to use a Windows 7 license to install Windows 10, for free.
From Windows 8.1 to Windows 10, free?
Microsoft wanted the jump to Windows 10 to be massive and, although much later than expected, it has succeeded. Now he wants a larger number of users with Windows 11, but that’s another story. Officially, the “Free Windows 10” promotion ended in the fall of 2016, but informally the program has remained in a legal and technical limbo.
Personally, just two months ago I migrated a genuine Windows 7 laptop to Windows 10, so I understand that the same process can be repeated with Windows 8.1. And in two different ways.
Upgrade from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10
We start from a computer that has any version of Windows 8.1 with a valid license installed and we are going to update it to the equivalent version of Windows 10. It is the best option to start with since it does not fail on any computer, so that later we can use a clean installation from scratch. Having the scenario clear, we go through the process step by step:
- Back up your main files or the entire drive. In theory, the update preserves files, applications and user data, but better make sure you don’t lose them in case of problems. Follow this Backup Guide if you need it.
- Access the official Windows 10 portal and click on “Download the tool now”.
- Run the downloaded file “MediaCreationTool1909.exe”.
- Select the update method.
- The tool will download the necessary files and prepare your computer for the update.
- Simply follow the instructions and when prompted enter the Windows 8.1 license and finish the installation. If you don’t know the license you can use applications like ProduKey.
Once the process is finished, Microsoft servers will validate the installation and will transform the Windows 7 alphanumeric license into a free Windows 10 digital license. You will now have your computer updated with Windows 10 legally.
clean facilities
It must be remembered that the validation of Windows 10 is different from previous Windows and Microsoft uses specific servers acting on the hardware of a specific machine. Once the process is done, there is no going back in the sense that the Windows 8.1 license is lost in favor of the Windows 10 license.
The good thing is that from then on it’s already a Win10 machine for all purposes and if you prefer to do a clean installation from scratch you can do it without needing any type of license because that machine will already be recognized by Microsoft servers and they will validate it automatically. If you follow us regularly, you must know the process by heart because we have discussed it with each new Windows 10 update. Basically:
- Access the official Windows 10 portal and click on “Download the tool now”.
- Run the downloaded file, the latest stable version is the November update: “MediaCreationTool1909.exe”.
- Select create installation media.
- Select language, Windows edition and architecture.
- You will arrive at a screen to choose between «USB flash drive» where the same tool will create the installation medium at the moment or «ISO file» to create it later with your favorite application.
- Personally, we would opt for the second option. We would download the ISO image and “burn” it with Rufus, a free application that works perfectly. Either way, we would already have our media ready for clean installs or to upgrade other equipment.
As we said above, just two months ago we carried out this process (clean installation from scratch) with a Windows 7 license, so we understand that with Windows 8.1 it will work the same way. Microsoft is interested in getting users and businesses to jump to Windows 10 and we don’t think it’s going to ‘cut the tap’. From Windows 10, if your computer supports the increased requirements, you can upgrade to Windows 11 in one process, this one is officially free.
And if taking advantage of the end of support for Windows 8.1 you prefer to try other alternatives, here are some with the focus on a development as competent, free and free as Linux.
