Microsoft will release Windows 10 on July 29th, and at that time millions of people using computers with Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 will be able to upgrade for free. In fact, Windows 10 will be a free upgrade for at least the first year after it’s released.

But what if you’re building a computer from scratch, running Windows XP, or don’t have a system that’s eligible for an upgrade for some other reason?

Then Windows 10 will be available through retail channels for $119 and up.

win10 desk

That’s about the same price Microsoft currently charges for Windows 8.1… although it’s worth noting that there may be a cheaper way to get a Windows 10 license.

Since Windows 10 is available as a free upgrade for Windows 7 and later, you can find a store that’s selling Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 for under $100, install the operating system and then upgrade for free on July 29th or later.

Anyway, if you do end up paying full price for Windows 10, here’s how much money you’ll end up spending:

  • $119 for Windows 10 Home
  • $199 for Windows 10 Pro
  • $99 for Windows 10 Pro Pack, which lets you upgrade from Home to Pro

Update: Windows 10 Home OEM sells for $110, while Windows 10 Pro OEM costs $150.

via Neowin and CNET

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7 replies on “Windows 10 will sell for $119 and up (if you can’t get for free)”

  1. $119 is way too expensive, and add another hundred bucks for the Pro version! That’s the last nail in the coffin for Windows on my bench.

  2. I guess I will buy parrarels and window 8.1 now and then upgrade to windows 10 later for free

  3. So on PC’s with Windows 10 Pro Technical Preview already installed it will cost $119.00 for a license. Thanks for the websites offering discounted copies of Windows 7 & 8, that is a great idea for going legit. Hopefully a few copies will still be around in September when I’d have decided whether or not the nag screen telling me to, “activate my copy of windows” is to annoying.

    1. Alternative to the retail copy is the OEM copy, it costs less but means you can’t uninstall and re-install to another system later but you still get the valid license…

  4. I think it’s good that MS is giving out the free updates to anyone using a recent version of Windows. This news really only affects system builders, and as you pointed out, you can buy Windows 7 licenses fairly cheaply.

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