Skip to main content

Some users are already starting their Windows 10 download

Windows 10
Image used with permission by copyright holder
After months of pre-release testing and conference showcases, tomorrow will bring the long-awaited launch of Windows 10. With the update being offered for free, plenty of users who wouldn’t normally consider themselves early adopters might be tempted to be among the first to install the OS on their system.

Save $20 on Ultimate Help Desk service for Win10 transitions. MSRP $99.99

There will undoubtedly be a great deal of people eager to grab Windows 10 when it launches tomorrow — even considering the number of Insider Program members already running a preview build. To cut down on the log jam, Microsoft has begun the process of circulating the files needed to install the OS tomorrow.

If you reserved your free upgrade, you’ll likely start your download today. Indeed, many users have already noticed that their system has begun the process, according to a report from WinBeta. While some have observed bit and pieces of the OS being downloaded, others have reported that the .esd file that contains Windows 10 is already present on their hard drive, ready and waiting for July 29.

The intention here is to spread the weight, in an effort to prevent any major problems from spoiling the party tomorrow. Windows 10 presents such a different approach to an OS upgrade for Microsoft that it’ll be interesting to see just how many people take the company up on their offer. The bargain price of free will be too much for many to pass up, especially in conjunction with the curiosity surrounding a brand new OS.

If you’ve already enrolled to reserve your copy, Windows 10 will downloaded automatically, so don’t worry about having to prompt your system to get in line. However, if you’re looking to get the inside track ahead of the hotly anticipated release of the OS, the Digital Trends guide to prepping for Windows 10 is a good place to start.

Editors' Recommendations

Brad Jones
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Brad is an English-born writer currently splitting his time between Edinburgh and Pennsylvania. You can find him on Twitter…
The Windows 11 Android app dream is dead
A photo of the TikTok app running on a Windows 11 laptop

Microsoft first brought over the option to run Android apps natively in Windows 11 in 2021, but the dream is coming to an end after just a few years. Today, the company quietly updated its documentation for the Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA) to indicate that it will be ending support for the feature on March 5, 2025. Amazon has also published updated guidance for the same issue about its Amazon App Store on Windows 11, which powers the WSA.

What's causing this change is unknown, as Microsoft did not dive into specific details. Left to speculate, we can assume it's due to either lack of use or licensing issues, but until we hear more, it's left ambiguous.

Read more
The Surface Pro 10 sounds amazing, and it may be coming soon
The back of the Surface Pro 9, with the kickstand pulled out.

Microsoft could be getting ready to reveal the Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 sooner than expected. Reporting from Windows Central's Zac Bowden indicates the devices might be announced on March 21, and could feature both Intel Core Ultra and Snapdragon X Elite chips under the hood, along with some design tweaks.

These new Surface devices are expected to go all-in on AI features in Windows 11. More important is that we could see the next Surface Laptop in a new ARM-based variant in addition to one with a traditional Intel Core Ultra CPU. This change in chips should not only bring more choice like the Surface Pro 9 did, but also performance gains that can help the devices rival what Apple has accomplished with the iPad Pro, as well as the new MacBook Pro with the M3 chip.

Read more
Microsoft may fix the most frustrating thing about Windows updates
Windows 11 updates are moving to once a year.

Most Windows users will agree that one of the most annoying things about the operating system is the updates. While Windows Updates are necessary, they often tend to come up at the worst possible time, interrupting work and gaming sessions with persistent reminders that the system needs to reboot. Microsoft might be fixing that problem in the upcoming Windows 11 24H2 build, but it's still too early to bid farewell to those ill-timed reboots.

As spotted in the latest Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26058, Microsoft is testing "hot patching" for some Windows 11 updates. Hot patching refers to a dynamic method of updating that often doesn't change the software version and may not even need a restart. In the context of Windows 11, it's pretty straightforward -- Windows will install the update, and you won't have to reboot your system.

Read more