PCs running Windows 7 and Windows 8 are harder, but not impossible, to repurpose. Windows 7 PCs were typically sold between 2009 and 2012, and Windows 8 PCs were sold mostly between 2013 and 2015.
The main issue with these computers, age aside, is that Microsoft stopped supporting Windows 7 and Windows 8 with new security updates. And using an operating system without security updates exposes you to malware that newer versions of Windows aren’t susceptible to. For that reason, you’ll want to upgrade to Windows 10, though it will only get updates through October 2025 or October 2026 if you enroll in the ESU program.
On the Windows 7 or Windows 8 PC you’re trying to upgrade, download and run Microsoft’s Windows 10 media creation tool, choose the Upgrade this PC now option, and wait for Windows 10 to download. When you reach the “Ready to install” screen at the end of the process, click Choose what to keep and select Nothing to start with a clean slate — you don’t want a bunch of old apps and files slowing down an already older and slower computer.
After a reboot or two, the installer will ask you for a license key, which Microsoft no longer sells, though so far Windows 11 keys have been interchangeable. If you skip entering the product key, you’ll be able to use Windows 10 indefinitely with a handful of minor limitations, such as an inability to customize your desktop wallpaper and a watermark that never goes away — not ideal but workable in the short term. If your PC still has the original label, entering your Windows 7 or Windows 8 license key may also work.
These PCs are also more likely to have significant problems, such as failing hard drives or dead batteries, and some systems might simply feel too slow for modern work, like streaming high-definition video online or opening more than a handful of browser tabs at a time. And while upgrades, like more memory or a SSD, might help a little, these PCs are too old to be worth spending any money on. If you can, consider putting that upgrade money toward a new PC instead.
