My Experience Upgrading from Windows 7 to Windows 10
Is My Installation Stuck?
I’ve been watching the endless spinning dots for over 11 hours as my computer works to upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 10. No percentage complete is shown, just the non-stop circling animation and message that it’s “working on it.” At this point, I’m wondering if something has gone wrong or if it’s just taking an unusually long time to finish.
How Long Does a Windows 10 Installation Usually Take?
Most Windows 10 installations are completed within a few hours, depending on your computer’s specifications. Powerful machines with high-performance processors like Intel Core i7 chips or better can often finish the job in under two hours. However, lower-end PCs may require significantly more time, potentially stretching beyond that two hour mark. Specs like your CPU, RAM, and hard drive health all factor into installation speed.
Monitoring My Specific Upgrade Process
Since I started the Windows 10 upgrade, I’ve been keeping notes on my system specs and observing how long each step is taking. My PC has an Intel Core i5 CPU from the third generation, 8GB of RAM, and a 1TB hard drive reporting 100% health. After 11 hours, it finally reached the 96% mark for “getting files ready.” Once that completed, the PC restarted which took another 7 minutes. Now it seems to be on the customization/Cortana setup phase.
The Final Stretch and Completion Time
It’s been just over 15 minutes since the restart and Cortana personalization is now loading. I’m hopeful the end is in sight! These final configurations don’t tend to take too long. Just as I predicted, total installation time ended up being 21 minutes - right in line with expectations given my mid-range PC’s processor and memory. While a full day would have been excessive, 11 hours did seem a bit prolonged. I’m glad it’s finally finished!
Taking Notes For Future Reference
Documenting details of the upgrade process proved useful for gauging how things were progressing versus typical times. Knowing your system specs provides a baseline for what to expect. If it had exceeded 12-15 hours, I may have considered restarting orrolling back. Recording install steps and durations helps set reasonable expectations for the future too. Now that it’s done, I can spend time exploring the new Windows 10 features!
Final Thoughts on My Windows 10 Upgrade Journey
Overall, while the initial 11 hour stretch seemed worryingly long, the full 21 minute completion time fell right within expectations for a mid-tier PC like mine. Keeping notes on parts like the CPU, RAM, and hard drive health helped benchmark typical upgrade durations. I’m glad I stuck it out rather than prematurely restarting. In the end, documenting the process proved very useful for understanding how things were progressing behind the endless loading screens. Now I can enjoy all the new capabilities of Windows 10!
