Microsoft offering free 90-day trial of Windows 10 to entice reluctant converts

By Dave LeClair July 30, 2015

microsoft accidentally installs windows 10 on some systems review desktop experience — Image used with permission by copyright holder

If there’s one thing we’ve seen with previous versions of Windows, it’s that businesses are the most reluctant to upgrade to the new version. There are large firms paying large sums of money just to keep support for Windows XP alive and well, and Microsoft knows that courting these businesses to Windows 10 will be no easy task. To help entice them, Microsoft is offering free 90-day trials for the Enterprise Edition of Windows 10.

Of course, Microsoft is already working hard to attract home users by offering free upgrades to those with legitimate copies of Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, and this move could go a long way toward increasing adoption with the latest version of Windows.

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This move is definitely aimed at recruiting businesses into the Windows 10 fold, home users can also download the Enterprise Edition of Windows 10 if they want to get a feel for the OS before committing to a final upgrade. However, home users that choose to install the OS in this way need to make note of that fact that there are some notable features missing including Mail, Calendar, People, Photos, the Windows App Store, and Cortana. Still, it’s a good way to get a feel for navigating around Windows 10, which can help users decide if it’s right for them.

Windows 10 Enterprise also includes some features that should make IT professionals quite happy, including tools that can automatically configure new devices and Device Guard, a feature that lets businesses lock devices down to only run applications from trusted developers of their choosing. There is also a feature called Windows Hello that lets users log in with biometric information such as their fingerprint or face.

Only time will tell if Windows 10 will see the same slow adoption rate in the business world as previous versions did, but it looks like Microsoft is at least taking steps in the right direction.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Dave LeClair has been writing about tech and gaming since 2007. He's covered events, hosted podcasts, created videos, and…

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