Don't wait all day on July 29 for your Windows 10 upgrade. It may not show up.

[Night Hunter]

 

Those of you who expect to get Windows 10 on July 29 may be disappointed.

 

In early June, Microsoft said that Windows 10 would officially launch on July 29. But that doesn't mean everyone will get the new operating system on that date.

 

Microsoft is counting on Windows 10 to bring back some of the appeal and audience it lost with Windows 8. As such, the company has been working hard to fine-tune the new operating system with each new beta build of its Windows 10 Technical Preview to try to get it just right. Microsoft is also offering Windows 10 as a free upgrade to Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users in hopes of getting it into the hands of as many users as possible. Those people have been able to reserve a copy of Windows 10. But some will have to wait for their reservation to be filled.

 

In a blog posted on Thursday, Terry Myerson, Microsoft's executive VP of Operating Systems, clarified how the Windows 10 roll out will actually commence.

 

"Starting on July 29, we will start rolling out Windows 10 to our Windows Insiders," Myerson said.

 

So those people who joined the Windows Insider program to try out each build of Windows 10 will be first in line. In effect since last October, the Insider Program invites people to test Windows 10 and provide their feedback to Microsoft.

 

"From there, we will start notifying reserved systems in waves, slowly scaling up after July 29th," Myerson added. "Each day of the roll-out, we will listen, learn and update the experience for all Windows 10 users. If you reserved your copy of Windows 10, we will notify you once our compatibility work confirms you will have a great experience, and Windows 10 has been downloaded on your system," Myerson said.

 

So Windows 7 and 8.1 users who reserved their free copy of Windows 10 will apparently be next in line, but only after Microsoft has completed testing to make sure the new OS will work for them as expected.

 

Instead of all interested parties getting Windows 10 on July 29, the rollout will occur in waves, running past the initial launch date. And just how far past July 29 will the rollout run? Days? Weeks? Myerson didn't point to any specific timeline. CNET contacted Microsoft and will update the story if the company responds.

 

So is this "wave" approach to the rollout good or bad? Well, folks who have to wait an indeterminate amount of time to get Windows 10 may be upset if they were hoping to have it by July 29. It's kind of like not being able to open your Christmas present until after Christmas. But Microsoft is actually adopting a sensible approach to the rollout.

 

Despite all the internal and external testing that's been done on Windows 10, the new OS is still just that -- new. And though Myerson said that Microsoft has seen "full compatibility today with the vast majority of Windows 8x and Windows 7x systems," there are still likely to be glitches and incompatibilities with some systems out there. Doing the rollout in stages gives Microsoft time to resolve those issues so the versions of Windows 10 launched after July 29 are more rock-solid.

 

And even beyond the initial rollout, Microsoft will continue to fine-tune and enhance Windows 10 to address any ongoing problems or concerns.

 

Further, Microsoft knows that trying to download Windows 10 on July 29 to everyone who wants it would be difficult. Such an effort would certainly put a strain on the company's backend to try to keep up with the heavy load. Pushing out the OS in stages ensures that the downloads go more quickly and smoothly.

 

"We've been really pleased with the strong response to Windows 10 since we kicked off reservations in early June, with millions of reservations," Myserson said. "We want to make sure all of you have a great upgrade experience, so we'll roll-out Windows 10 in phases to help manage the demand."

 

And what about hardware vendors aiming to roll out new PCs and tablets with Windows 10?

 

Myerson said that Microsoft will soon deliver a build of Windows 10 to its hardware partners so they can start installing the OS on their devices. Soon after that, Microsoft will distribute a build of Windows 10 to retailers so they can help consumers, who buy devices still stuck with Windows 8.1, upgrade to Windows 10.

 

So although you may have to wait beyond July 29 to get your copy of Windows 10, Microsoft's staged rollout is a smart way to ensure that the copy you install is as stable and as compatible as possible.

 

Source http://www.cnet.com/