Back in 2015, Microsoft allowed users with Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 to upgrade their operating system to Windows 10 for free. They used some dishonest tricks too to force upgrades to Windows 10. After some time, the free upgrade offer was provided for users dependent on assistive (accessibility) technologies. This offer was supposed to end in 2017 but was extended in 2018 by a few more days. The Redmond software giant has now ended the free offer for assistive technology users on January 16, 2018.
Assistive technology users are those who are differently-abled and need ease of access features of Windows to interact with a PC better. Special accessibility features built into Windows are extremely helpful for these people because of their handicap.
Although the free upgrade offer was initially supposed to expire on December 31, 2017, it was extended for another fortnight. Finally, Microsoft set the deadline to January 16, 2018.
As of this writing, there is still a way to get Windows 10 for free.
Starting with the Windows 10 "November Update" (version 1511), you can enter your Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 product key (serial number) right in Windows Setup and do a clean install. This avoids the upgrade procedure too. This will allow you to install and activate the desired build of Windows 10 instantly. After installation, Windows 10 will verify the product key and convert it into a special digital license. This process is transparent to the end user and makes Windows 10 eligible for all free feature upgrades released in the future. Unless the hardware itself is not eligible to run future releases of Windows 10, you will be able to get all major upgrades to the OS for free.
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