How to download Windows 7, 8.1, 10 from the Microsoft website
Download any edition of Windows 7, 8.1, 10, as well as Microsoft Office from the official Microsoft website using a special utility.
In this article, we will consider a utility with which you can download any version of Windows 7, 8.1, 10 and Microsoft Office you need directly from the official Microsoft website.
You can download this utility, programs for creating bootable media, as well as comparing versions of Windows in the “Links” section.
Content
1. System requirements
The utility works on Windows 7 and higher, Windows XP is not supported. To run the utility on Windows 7, 8, 8.1, you may need to upgrade Net.FrameWork to version 4.6.1 or higher, the link to which is also in the “Links” section. On Windows 10, this component is installed automatically when the utility starts.
Do not forget to backup the system and personal files to an external drive.
2. How to download Windows from the Microsoft website
Run the utility and, if the following window appears, click “Details”.
You can also copy the link to the clipboard and paste it into the browser line or the program for downloading files (recommended) to download the image using them.
How to download Windows
Images are periodically updated and contain some of the latest patches. Those. you get the original Windows or Office image of the latest version, which you can use to create a boot disk or flash drive.
3. The choice of Windows release and bit depth
Choose regular versions of Windows without extra letters at the end.
How to download Windows
Further for information, I will give a brief decoding and recommendations, thanks to which you can choose the Windows image that meets your requirements.
Windows 7 Starter SP1 for very weak PCs and netbooks (without Aero theme, only 32 bits)
Windows 7 Home Basic SP1 for weak and medium PCs and laptops (one Aero theme)
Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 for old powerful PCs and laptops (with media center)
Windows 7 Professional SP1 for older professional PCs and laptops
Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 for enthusiasts (the most complete and heavy version)
Windows 8.1 for older touchscreen laptops
Windows 8.1 Professional for older professional laptops
Windows 10 Pro-Home for modern PCs and laptops
The home and professional versions of Windows 10 are distributed in a single image, the version is selected by the user at the installation stage.
If you want to know how Home, Professional, and other editions of Windows 7, 8.1, and 10 differ, which have limitations and components, download the Windows Edition Comparison in the Links section.
As for bit depth, the recommendations as a whole are as follows. If you have 3 GB of RAM or less, then download the 32-bit version. If the RAM is 4 GB or more, then it is 64-bit.
If your computer does not work as fast as you want, install an SSD drive and you will get a significant performance boost!
There are also versions of Windows with additional indexes in the marking. I do not recommend downloading them, but so that you can understand what this means, I will give a brief decryption.
N for Europe, without Windows Media Player and links to alternative browsers
K for Korea without Windows Live Messenger and Windows Media Player
KN for Korea and Europe without Windows Media Player and Windows Live Messenger
China for China (in Chinese)
C is a boxed version providing for a physical certificate (stickers)
LE electronic (non-boxed) version (another type of license)
OEM license for PC manufacturers (pre-installed version)
Single Language regular pre-installed OEM version
GGK license to legalize an already installed copy of Windows
Education (Academic) for educational institutions (special license)
Enterprise for enterprises (special features and multi-user license)
Insider Preview test experimental version for enthusiasts
RT for mobile devices (tablets)
Mobile for mobile devices with ARM processors (as on Android devices)
IoT Core for mobile devices with Intel processors (tablets, smartphones)
Build build number (the higher, the newer)
Versions with indexes K, N may not have the Russian language. Editions of Single Language or OEM may be needed if you want to restore the license before the corresponding version was installed on your computer (mainly on a laptop).
4. Creating bootable media
After downloading the image from it, you can create a boot disk using the Astroburn program or a bootable USB flash drive using the Rufus program, from which you can then install Windows.
