You may have asked yourself which version of Windows 10 you’ll be receiving when the update rolls in around July 29th 2015. Here are the answers. Skip the introduction if you know the difference already.
What’s the difference between 32-bit and 64-bit Windows?
32 and 64 bit versions handle information differently. 32-bit can only use up to 4GB or RAM in a single process, whereas 64-bit Windows can handle more than 4GB of RAM in a process.
Therefore, if you have a CPU that can handle it(click on that link for the explanation on how to do that), and more than 4 GB of RAM, 64-bit Windows is the better option for you, as Windows itself and some programs on it will run quicker. If you don’t have more than 4GB of RAM, stay with the 32-bit version. If you want to know whether your computer is running a 32 or 64 bit version, then check our Windows 10 based article but many of the methods can work on other Windows versions too.
So, what will I be getting?
The short answer is: exactly what you have now. The automatic update (Windows will automatically ask you if want to update, but you would still need to confirm it) that will roll in on July 29th will upgrade your Windows 7 or 8 to a Windows 10 of the same structure. In other words: if you had a 32-bit Windows you’ll stay with 32-bit Windows, and if you had 64-bit Windows you will stay with that after the upgrade too.
What if I have 32-bit and want to upgrade to 64-bit?
If you want to upgrade to 64-bit do not confirm the upgrade that Windows will suggest, and instead download a standalone version from Microsoft’s website. You will need to put this standalone version on a USB-drive or DVD, and install out of that. Notice that this way will conserve none of your files/programs etc – it’s a clean install.
How do I know if my CPU can handle 64-bit Windows?
Here’s an explanation from Microsoft’s website:
To find out if your computer is running a 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows in Windows 7 or Windows Vista, do the following:
Open System by clicking the Start button, right-clicking Computer, and then clicking Properties.
Under System, you can view the system type.
If your computer is running Windows XP, do the following:
Click Start.
Right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.
If you don’t see “x64 Edition” listed, then you’re running the 32-bit version of Windows XP.
If “x64 Edition” is listed under System, you’re running the 64-bit version of Windows XP.
How do I know how many GB of RAM my computer has?
From Microsoft’s website:
Open System by clicking the Start button, right-clicking Computer, and then clicking Properties.
In the System section, next to Installed memory (RAM), you can see the amount of RAM your computer has.
And this is how it will look on Windows 7:
How to install Windows 10 from USB?
- Get a USB with 8 GB or more.
- Download the standalone file (ISO) from here:Â https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10ISO.
- Download the program Rufus and run it. Rufus is a program that creates bootable USBs (that is USBs that you can run outside of an operating system).
- Insert the USB. Rufus should recognize it and show it under “Devices”.
- Choose that device, make sure that the checkbox “create a bootable disk using…” is checked, and click on the CD icon next to it.
- Browse to the location of the ISO file and select it. Click ‘Open’.
- Click ‘Start’.
- Wait until Rufus says it’s done. This should take a while.
- Restart your computer with the USB drive inside the USB plug. If the installation doesn’t boot and the old regular windows just comes up, try restarting your computer and repeatedly pressing F12 the minute you see something on the screen. If that doesn’t work, check if the very first text you see on the screen after you restart says something about what you need to press to choose what device to boot from.
