Should I upgrade from Windows 8.1 to 10

[Niekon]

My HP laptop came pre-installed with Windows 8.1. Now, I want to upgrade to Windows 10. Is it a good idea to do it as it is mentioned here https://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-download-windows-10-for-free-now-that-windows-7-is-dead/

Could I get into some trouble from Windows for doing it? If no, are there any other caveats I should be aware of?

Thank you.

[WAWood · Accepted solution]

@Niekon 

If you're asking could you get in trouble from Microsoft -- the answer is no.

If you're asking could have have problems with Windows -- the answer is yes.  While Win8x PCs generally have no problems doing this upgrade, as with any OS upgrade, there is no guarantee.

So, BEFORE doing that, read the information below about making an image backup using Macrium Reflect.  That way, if the upgrade has issues, you have something to restore FROM:

------------------------

I personally prefer to use third-party Backup solutions as they tend to be both more flexible and more reliable than any built-in solutions.

Macrium Reflect (MR) provides a FREE version that can be used to image and restore partitions or entire drives.

What I recommend is the following:
1) Download and install Macrium Reflect (MR) from here: http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.aspx
2) Run MR and choose the option: "Create an image of the partition(s) required to backup and restore Windows" to write a full backup to an external drive or USB stick
3) Use the option to create a boot USB stick or CD

My experience is that MR, when using the High Compression option, typically can compress the saved image file to about 60% of the USED space in the OS partition. This means if you have an 80GB OS partition, and 40GB is used, MR only needs about 24GB to store the image file.

I use this all the time and it typically takes less than 15 minutes to do the image backup and about the same time or less to do a restore.

NOW, you have the means to restore a full working system from the external drive or USB stick in only a few minutes.

[Niekon]

Hello. Thank you for your reply!