The Windows 10 Creators Update is several gigabytes in size, so the download will take a while to complete, depending on the speed of your internet connection.

You have the option of writing the operating system directly to a USB flash drive or saving it as an ISO file that you can manually write to the drive or a DVD later on. The Media Creation Tool (opens in new tab) has been updated to the very latest version of Windows 10, with the Creators Update, and you can use it to download and install the OS immediately or create your own installation media. The easiest way to create a bootable USB flash drive is to use Microsoft's own Media Creation Tool (see our Mini Workshop below for instructions on how to do this). Many newer computers and laptops don't have an optical drive, so although it's easy enough to save the operating system to a CD or DVD to boot from, a USB flash drive is more versatile. Once the installation is complete, you will need to spend some time reinstalling all your programs and copying over personal data and settings, but it's worth the extra effort because it means Windows will run faster and be less likely to crash once you've finished setting up everything.

Also, the OS stores the old version of Windows 10 on your hard drive in case you encounter problems and need to roll it back which means you'll lose a considerable chunk of drive space after it's installed.Ī better option is to perform a clean install rather than an in-place upgrade because the end result will be a fresh operating system that isn't bogged down with old system files, unnecessary Registry entries and incorrect drivers.

Because the Windows 10 Creators Update is fairly big, there's more potential for things to go wrong. That said, the upgrade doesn't always run as smoothly as it could.

Once it's done, your machine will have a raft of new features and improvements for you to try out. It might take some time to run, but you can generally ignore it and concentrate on more important things. Windows 10 updates run automatically in the background, so you're free to get on with other tasks.

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