Software giant Microsoft has scheduled the latest upgrade for Windows – Windows10 will become available to Windows 7 and Windows 8 users from July 29, 2015, writes Michael Branford.

They want this release to be smoother and gather pace quicker that previous updates. As an incentive, they are offering a free upgrade if it is implemented within the first 12 months.

When and whether to upgrade is the question business owners and individuals are asking.

Firstly what’s new? Well, a return to the familiar Start Menu similar to the one in Windows 7 will be popular with many. This was removed in Windows 8 although a version of it returned in Windows 8.1. Other features will include:

A new web browser called Edge, which should load web pages faster

Cortana, Microsoft’s voice recognition app will be available on PCs

Improved security – Microsoft Hello will support face, iris or fingerprint recognition to log in provided you have the right hardware. Plus it will support automatic encryption of sensitive data – helping protect against today’s data security threats

Naturally, Windows 10 is designed to run on PCs, laptops, tablets and mobiles. Users will have the option to run in either desktop or tablet mode to get the best experience on the device they are using.

How to get the upgrade? Home users will start to see notifications in the bottom right corner of their screen, from where a click will “reserve your free upgrade”. This will pre-download to the PC and on July 29 you will receive another notification allowing you to schedule the upgrade at a convenient time. After, it will be a one step process.

Most business users will not receive this notification and some will not be eligible for the free upgrade. Those using Windows 7/8/8.1 Enterprise will not qualify and PCs that are part of a domain (typically in business networks) will not receive the pop up notifications.

So should you upgrade? Our advice is for home users is yes.

The hardware requirements are the same as for Windows 8 so it should be straightforward and we expect it to support most modern software programmes currently running on Windows 7 – check with your software providers to be sure.

For businesses we suggest waiting a few weeks at least so that early bugs are identified and patched.

Then, test installation on a small number of PCs before rolling out to all. This will minimise the effect on business productivity during the upgrade.

Either way, as with any major upgrade, you should ensure you have a good backup before proceeding – ask your IT support provider for guidance.