Also, Microsoft has not extended the free upgrade to Enterprise versions of Windows 7/8, as those versions are under Volume Licensing.  One thing I did not see mentioned, but found out on my own, is that if your system is on a Domain, it also cannot get the free upgrade.

In my case, I have a small network setup using Windows Server 2008, a Windows 7 desktop, Windows 7 laptop, and a Windows 8.1 desktop.  In order for me to get the upgrade on the Windows 7 desktop, I had to remove it from the domain.  Once done, I was able to reserve my upgrade several weeks ago and then receive it on the 29th.

So, here is how it worked for me.

Preparation:

I have a nice Western Digital My Book 3TB external USB 3.0 hard drive that isn't being used anymore, so instantly the thought that went through my head was - BACKUP DRIVE!

On Wednesday (July 29th) morning, I connected the drive to my system to use Windows 7 Back to create a system image.  Major important step - NEVER DO AN OS UPGRADE WITHOUT A FRESH COMPLETE BACKUP.  Of course, you should be doing a backup on a regular basis anyway, but creating a complete backup just before a major upgrade is a smart idea.

Well, after several failed attempts, getting device errors, I gave up for the morning and headed to work.  I had tried 3 different USB 3.0 ports and a couple USB 2.0 ports.  That evening, instead of doing the upgrade as planned, I connected the external drive to the USB port of my LinkSys router.  Then I was able to complete the system image backup to a "network drive".  It took all night to backup nearly 500GB.

Execution:

Once the backup was completed, I went back to Windows Update.  I saw the Windows 10 logo and the upgrade now button.  I simply pushed the button and let it do it's thing.  I had Windows Update configured to download updates, but to wait for me to choose to install, and it appears the Windows 10 upgrade was no exception.  It took less than 30 minutes for it to be complete.

To restore my full network functionality, I had to rejoin my domain.  And this is were the only problem I had occurred, and it was minor.  After I joined the domain and restarted the system, I logged in with my standard network ID.  What did Windows do?  It created a new user profile for me instead of reusing my old one.  Not a big deal really.  First thing I did with the new profile was change the locations of the User folders from C:\Users to D:\Users.  This was done the MS approved method of right-clicking on the folder, choosing Properties, go to the Location tab, and then specifying what drive\folder I wanted to use for that type.  With the exception of settings, it was a easy fix: just copy my documents, downloads, pictures, etc. from the old profile folders to the new.

Now I had my system on Windows 10 and usable.

Then, as I did not want to rely on Windows Update if I ever need to reinstall Windows 10, I did a Google-search for the ISO download.  Microsoft did not fail on this.  They provide a utility for creating install media, letting you choose between a flash drive or an ISO.  One thing, if you want the ISO with both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions for a DVD, you will need a Dual Layer DVD.  The ISO is too large for a 4GB DVD.  The tool for Microsoft's Media Creation Tool is at https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10.

Complaints:

Right now this is a short list:

• Windows Update does not appear to be configurable.  At least not to the extent of previous versions.  You get to choose whether or not to let Update automatically restart your system after updates are installed.  You can choose to have it also check updates for other Microsoft products.  And you get the option to Defer Upgrades.  This last one allows you to defer feature upgrades, but security updates get installed anyway.  At this time, I haven't received any updates, but have read where others have had their video drivers automatically updated without warning.  For gamers and possibly graphic artists and CAD, etc, this can be VERY BAD and potentially "break" their software
• Too much personal information mining.  It seems a lot can be disabled, if you can find them all in the settings.  They are not all in one place, nor is there a master privacy switch.  Here are twoTechRepublic articles worth reading about this:
  • http://www.techrepublic.com/article/windows-10-violates-your-privacy-by-default-heres-how-you-can-protect-yourself/?tag=nl.e101&s_cid=e101&ttag=e101&ftag=TRE684d531
  • http://www.techrepublic.com/article/windows-10-privacy-and-data-sharing-specifics-you-need-to-know/?tag=nl.e036&s_cid=e036&ttag=e036&ftag=TREa988f1c
• Internet Explorer still exists.  Ok, some of the big news regarding Windows 10 was that there would be a brand new Microsoft web browser named Edge.  That much is true.  But since I did an upgrade, I retained IE 11.  Minor annoyance, as my current browser of choice is Google Chrome.
• Start menu doesn't have All Programs.  Well, not exactly.  It has an All Apps selection instead.  And this serves the same function as All Programs, but presents everything more like a address book with it separated by starting letter.  This is just another example of the mobile device influence on Windows.  On your mobile devices, you have Apps instead of Programs.  So now in Windows, even on a desktop, you have Apps.  It's essentially the same thing, so it's really no biggie.  It just takes some getting used to.

I'll have more to say regarding Windows 10, but this covers my upgrade experience on my desktop.  Next....clean install on an old laptop using the DVD I created.