I was tinkering with my secondary PC yesterday and installed Windows 7 64 bit with the intention of reserving my free upgrade to Windows 10 (out July 29th) via a taskbar icon that appears.

One thing I noticed though, after letting Windows Update download a plethora of required updates, was that the Windows 10 icon still hadn’t appeared on the taskbar like it had for my Window 8.1 computer weeks ago.

With a bit of internet research I’ve discovered that the required update is essential to reserving your upgrade of Windows 10 is kb3035583. Just for those who aren’t aware a free Windows 10 upgrade is available for the first twelve months from release on 29th July if you have Windows 7 (running with Service Pack 1) and Windows 8.1.

More details on eligibility and to what version of Windows 10 you get is here – https://www.microsoft.com/en-au/windows/windows-10-faq

Here are some direct links to allow you download kb3035583, which will give you the Windows 10 icon in the taskbar that will allow you to reserve your copy:

Windows 7 (with Service Pack 1) 32 bit – http://download.windowsupdate.com/c/msdownload/update/software/updt/2015/03/windows6.1-kb3035583-x86_457fc816e5855c206303bfe9ed14240eb701e5d2.msu

Windows 7 (with Service Pack) 1 64 bit – http://download.windowsupdate.com/d/msdownload/update/software/updt/2015/05/windows6.1-kb3035583-x64_d6308e28c41fcbd15695343d83709ed1c4bf5812.msu

Windows 8.1 32 bit – http://download.windowsupdate.com/c/msdownload/update/software/updt/2015/03/windows8.1-kb3035583-x86_c3cca41f70e4735fa71cc1ceacbf3701b87a655c.msu

Windows 8.1 64 bit – http://download.windowsupdate.com/c/msdownload/update/software/updt/2015/03/windows8.1-kb3035583-x64_4da62696602a9ed70ea54b477b2f309373623cf7.msu

You should see the Windows 10 reserve copy icon appear in your taskbar once you have run this small kb update.

Despite some negative articles being posted, Windows 10 is completely free if you reserve your copy in the first 12 months. You will not be charged at all despite some claiming it will be a subscription model. It should download the required iso file in the background for you (approximately 3gb in size).

For Windows mobile phone users – hopefully we’ll see an upgrade option of Windows 10 shortly after launch. Microsoft has confirmed there is no pre-downloading for the mobiles.

I’ve been previewing Windows 10 and I have to say it is probably the best OS Microsoft has released easily since Windows 7. It has so much more customisation available to you for those who prefer the traditional desktop approach. It is very quick and very stable. For Xbox One owners Windows 10 is a must as it has some great integration that allows streaming from your Xbox One to your PC. I would recommend getting the free upgrade while you can.