|
The download from Microsoft will allow you to create a bootable USB drive. It’s been a while since I’ve done this but you will have the option of Home or Pro depending on what you have already. Also you will have the option of clean install or upgrade.
In the past I would always advise a clean install but if you have any older hardware and drivers I highly recommend an upgrade rather than clean install as Windows 10 will then retain any old drivers and allow older hardware to keep running. I’m not sure if this applies to all hardware but it sure fixed the issue iPad with my older printers and scanners.
When Windows 10 first came out I did a clean install only to find most of my peripheral hardware was not supported and no drivers were available. I went back to 7 the hard way by reinstalling everything. A couple of years later I tried again but this tome with an upgrade rather than clean install, (upgrade also allows roll back for a short time). I found that the upgrade kept every device I had working as before but under a new operating system. Since Windows 7 has not been supported (with security updates) for some time now it was an easy decision to move to Windows 10. Not sure when end of life of 8.1 is or was but Windows 10 is in 2025 sometime. All this means is that security and other updates will no longer be available for download.
If you have a stand-alone system and not connected to the internet and it is all working for you then no need to change but otherwise an update is recommended if only to keep up with security updates.
I have found an interesting pattern in Windows history in that every alternate edition is not as popular or favoured as every other edition beginning with 3.0 for me.
3.0 ok
3.1 better
95 ok
98 better
Me ok
XP better
Vista ok
7 better and best so far
8/8.1 ok
10 (various build versions) better if not even better than 7.
11. I haven’t got a platform that supports it.
I have omitted the OS/2, NT, 2000 and further server based versions that could also be setup as a stand-alone desktop.
|