IT Technical Support for Developers

Microsoft’s free upgrade offer for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users ended a few years ago, but you can still technically upgrade to Windows 10 free of charge.
While Microsoft has removed the special upgrade offer sites, but still now the company continues to activate Windows 10 licenses for people who upgrade from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1.

How to upgrade from Windows 7 or Windows 8,8.1 to Windows 10 for free?

To get Windows 10 for free, follow these steps:

Use a genuine copy of Windows 7 on your device or virtual machine.

Head to Windows 10 download page and click on ‘Download tool now’.

Open Media Creation Tool and select ‘Upgrade this PC now’. You’ll also need to click on the ‘Accept’ button to accept the terms and conditions.

Choose the upgrade option where you keep your files and information. If you do a fresh install via Media Creation Tool, you may not get Windows 10 for free.

After the installation completes, connect your device or virtual machine to the internet and open Windows Update > Activation.

Click on the ‘Activate’ button if required and your PC will be activated with a digital license after it establishes a secure connection to Microsoft servers.

If you’re unable to obtain the license, you can also enter your Windows 7 product key and manually activate the operating system.

The aforementioned steps will work only when you have a legit Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 installation.

When you download Windows 10 this way, your PC will receive a digital license valid for the life of your device.

It’s a common error that users face if a third-party printer driver is installed on the print server. Fortunately, you can fix this by following some simple steps.

Printer Error 0x00000040 can be fixed by following some simple steps.

What causes Operation could not be completed (error 0x00000040)?

Windows 10/11 doesn’t allow users to install a third-party printer driver on the print server. You need to change the Group Policy settings or tweak the Registry to resolve the issue. The other reasons for this error could be:

1.Point and Print Restrictions policy
2.Pending print jobs in Print Spooler
3.Printer Driver issues.

Run Printer Troubleshooter

1. Press Windows Key + I to open Settings.
2. Scroll down and select Troubleshoot > Other Troubleshooters.
3. Click on Run beside Printer.
4. Once the process is complete, restart your device to see if the printer error has been resolved.

Modify Group Policy Settings

Kernel-mode drivers operate in kernel mode and have unlimited access to hardware and memory. But sometimes, the kernel-mode driver’s policy can malfunction due to corrupted drivers. Disable the policy and check if the error is fixed.

Disable the Point and Print using Registry Editor

1. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type regedit and hit Enter.
3. Navigate to the following path :HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Printers\PointAndPrint

4. right-click on InForest and select Modify.
5. Now enter the Value data as 0 and click Ok to save the changes.
6. In the same way, change the value data of Restricted and TrustedServers to 0.
7. Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer.

Update Printer driver

Update your Printer driver and see. Keeping your drivers up-to-date is very important. Although Optional Updates do update some of the drivers, some require you to download the driver manually from the manufacturer’s website.

Is Windows 11 a free upgrade?

As Microsoft has released Windows 11 on 24th June 2021, Windows 10 and Windows 7 users want to upgrade their system with Windows 11. As of now, 

Windows 11 is a free upgrade and everyone can upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11 for free.

How to upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11 for free

Microsoft's free Windows 11 upgrade from Windows 10 is now rolling out. Microsoft is starting to offer the free upgrade Windows 10 to Windows 11

You can simply go to the system updates section of your existing windows and search for a new update.
Step 1: Go to the Start menu and type Settings and open settings page.
Step 2: Now click on the "Updates and Security" option from the settings page.

Step 3: Windows update page will Open. Click on the Check for Updates button.
Step 4: windows will show multiple updates and you can select which update you want to install.
Step 5: Go through the detected updates.

If Windows 11 is available, then it will show in your upgrade section. You can simply click the Download and Install button to install the domain directly to your system.

What's in Windows 11

Windows 11 features a streamlined new design, with pastel colors, rounded corners, a new startup sound and overall a more Mac-like look. The Windows Start menu has moved from the bottom left of the screen to the middle, with app icons arranged in the center next to it. You'll find lots of new desktop tools, like widgets that can give you at-a-glance information, and easier virtual desktop creation. And Android apps will be integrated into Windows and installable from the Microsoft Store.