Tuesday, July 5, 2016

How to upgrade Windows 10 Home to Windows 10 Pro using the Update & Security tool...

...using the Update & Security tool
Here are the steps to make it happen
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I had a Windows 7 system running the Home edition that I upgraded to Windows 10 a while back. Of course, the upgrade gave me Windows 10 Home. For all practical purposes, the Home edition of Windows 10 is perfectly fine. However, if you are used to the Pro version, you may find it lacking in certain areas.

Below is a list of the features found in Windows 10 Pro but not in Windows 10 Home:

Ability to join Azure Active Directory
Assigned Access
BitLocker
Client Hyper-V
Domain Join
Enterprise Mode Internet Explorer (EMIE)
Group Policy Management
Remote Desktop
Trusted Boot
Windows Store for Business
Windows Update for Business

Most of these features are probably of little consequence to the typical home user and are more appropriate for business.

Now, working out of my home office, I don't need most of these features, but I use a couple of them all the time: BitLocker and Remote Desktop. I like having the extra security that BitLocker encryption provides and I use it on my laptops. But the tool I use most often is the Pro version of Remote Desktop.

The Home version of Remote Desktop offers only a one-way connection option. More specifically, the Home version can work only as a Remote Desktop client while the Pro version can function as both a client and a host. In other words, I can use Windows 10 Home to connect to a Windows 10 Pro system, but I can't use Windows 10 Pro to connect to a Windows 10 Home system.

To rectify this situation, I decided to upgrade my Windows 10 Home system to the Pro edition via the Windows Store. This type of upgrade isn't free: It costs $99.99. However, since I got Windows 10 Home for free, I figured I could justify the expense. I decided to write an article about the process so that other Windows 10 Home users will know what to expect if they decide to perform this type of upgrade. Let take a look.

Check your edition

To begin, press [Windows]+[Break] to take a look the System window, shown in Figure A, and verify that your system is indeed running Windows 10 Home. Once you have verified that you have Windows 10 Home, you can proceed.

Figure A

Figure A
You can verify your Windows edition in the System window.

Launch the upgrade

You'll get the Home to Pro upgrade from the Windows Store, but you'll begin the process from the Update & Security tool in Settings. To get there quickly, press [Windows]+I and then click the Update & Security tile, as shown in Figure B.
Figure B
From within Settings, select the Update & Security tile.
When you arrive in the Update & Security tool, select the Activation tab on the left. As Figure C shows, the Activation tab also identifies your Windows 10 Home edition. To continue, click the Go To Store button.

Figure C

Figure C
From the Activation tab, select the Go To Store button.

When the Windows store opens, you'll see that you are in the right place to upgrade to Windows 10 Pro (Figure D). You can scroll through the Features list if you want more information on what's found in Windows 10 Pro but not in Windows 10 Home.

Figure D

Figure D
When you arrive at the Windows Store, you're taken to the Upgrade To Windows 10 Pro page.
Click the $99.99 button when you're ready to proceed. You'll be prompted to enter the password for your Microsoft Account, as shown in Figure E. Once you enter your password, click Sign In.

Figure E

Figure E
You'll be prompted to enter your Microsoft Account password.
When your account is confirmed, you'll be prompted to enter or verify your credit card information, as shown in Figure F. Click Buy to begin the download.

Figure F

Figure F
You'll be prompted to enter or verify your credit card information.

Performing the upgrade

When you click Buy, the upgrade will begin downloading and you'll see the Preparing For Upgrade screen, shown in Figure G.

Figure G

Figure G
When the download begins, you'll see the Preparing for upgrade dialog.
After the download is complete, your system will restart and the upgrade process will begin, as shown in Figure H.

Figure H

Figure H
When the download is complete, the upgrade will begin.
The update will progress through the various steps, as shown in Figure I. Just sit back and wait; it may take a little while to complete.

Figure I

Figure I
The update will progress through several steps that could take a while to perform.
Your system will restart again and you'll be alerted that the upgrade is complete, as shown in Figure J.

Figure J

Figure J
When the upgrade is complete, you'll see this window.
Press [Windows]+[Break] to view the System window again, as shown in Figure K. Here, you can verify that your system is now running Windows 10 Pro.

Figure K

Figure K
You can revisit the System tool to verify your upgrade.

4 comments:

  1. Go to Google Search "Vanskeys" to get product key.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Windows 10 Product Key

    Hi, there, as for your question, you definitely need to buy a product key to activate your Windows 10 Pro Product Key. But don't need to worry about how and where to buy the genuine product key. You can go to the professional site http://www.KeysOnlineStore.com/ . Choose the target product and order it online. The support email will be sent to you at the first time. If you have any other technical questions, you can also communicate with their support team.

    Windows 10 Product Key

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  3. Windows 10 Key Sale Store (http://www.windows10keysale.com)

    Hearing all the negative sentiments toward the Windows 7 product key OS made me really cautious in upgrading from Windows 7.
    Finally, my Windows 7 became buggy enough that I decided it was time for me to go ahead and upgrade.
    The days of reformatting my hard drive and reinstalling Windows OS (95, 98, XP...), when the computer started to act up, are over. I got the pro upgrade version....for a really great price on Windows 10 Key Sale Store (http://www.windows10keysale.com) .
    I purchased all my software from them. They are the best online store I ever buy.
    Installation took a while, with lots of downloading and installing drivers, updates...etc.
    When it was finally done, computer was running a lot faster, and all of the weird behaviors of previous installation were gone.
    Now as far as using the new OS, it really wasn't that big of a deal. Yes, it's different from the previous Windows; but after 2 or 3 days, I've picked up so many cool features that I truly believe it's a superior OS compared to the previous Windows releases. Really.
    The interface is quite convenient once you figure out how to use all the features and what happens when you move your cursor around the screen.
    Oh, yeah, and I don't have a touchscreen. Although I'm certain that a touchscreen would definitely be a more effective way to navigate Windows 8, I really have no problems using just the mouse.
    So, there you have it. I love this new OS.

    Windows 10 Key Sale Store (http://www.windows10keysale.com)

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  4. I also wrote an article on a similar subject will find it at write what you think. windows 10

    ReplyDelete