- What is a Windows 10 compatibility checker?
- How do I use a Windows 10 compatibility checker?
- Windows 10 update check compatibility
- Asked by:
- Question
- All replies
- Windows 10 Compatibility Check – Test System, Software & Driver [MiniTool Tips]
- Summary :
- Quick Navigation :
- It Is Necessary to Check for Windows 10 Compatibility
- Check Windows 10 System Requirements
- Check Which Graphics Card You Are Using
- Go Beyond System Requirements to Ensure Windows 10 Compatibility
- Check Software Compatibility
- Check Hardware Specifications and Driver Compatibility
- Run Windows 10 Compatibility Checker
- Option 1: Use Windows 10 Compatibility Appraiser Manually
- Option 2: Use Windows Update Assistant
- Option 3: Run Media Creation Tool
- Upgrade Your PC to Windows 10
- Back up Files
- Clean Install Windows 10 on Your Old Machine
- Bottom Line
- Windows 10 Compatibility Check FAQ
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR
What is a Windows 10 compatibility checker?
- The Windows 7 users who wish to upgrade their OS need to use a Windows 10 compatibility checker.
- Using the Windows Update assistant is the easiest way to check if your hardware supports a system upgrade.
- Follow our Media creation tool solution in order to upgrade your Windows manually.
- Checking your PC components to see if they meet the official system requirements is also advised.
- Download Restoro PC Repair Tool that comes with Patented Technologies (patent available here).
- Click Start Scan to find Windows issues that could be causing PC problems.
- Click Repair All to fix issues affecting your computer’s security and performance
- Restoro has been downloaded by 0 readers this month.
Now that Windows 7 no longer receives support from Microsoft, users are forced to either opt for the Windows 7 Extended Support for another 2 years or upgrade to Windows 10.
There are countless reasons why the latter option is preferred, so many users are treating it as the default anyway.
Of course, migrating to a new OS isn’t all that simple, since you first have to make sure that your hardware can handle it. While Windows 10 is optimized to run on older systems, it is better to be safe than sorry.
The first thing that may come to mind would be to simply go online and check out what are the minimum system requirements for Windows 10.
You can visit Microsoft’s official site and check the system requirements presented there.
Keep in mind that these slightly change over the years. As hardware gets more affordable and accessible, the prices also fluctuate, therefore newer machines will be equipped with more powerful components.
Since Microsoft said that they’ve decided to continuously update Windows 10, more features will be added, thus it might affect the system requirements.
To make things easier for you, hese is a list of the current system requirements:
- Processor:
- 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster processor or SoC
- RAM:
- 1 gigabyte (GB) for 32-bit or 2 GB for 64-bit
- Hard disk space:
- 16 GB for 32-bit OS 20 GB for 64-bit OS
- Graphics card:
- DirectX 9 or later with WDDM 1.0 driver
- Display:
- 800×600
While that is indeed a good way to start, there are certain aspects that need to be observed in order to see if your new hardware is fully compatible with Windows 10 as it was with Windows 7.
How do I use a Windows 10 compatibility checker?
- Download the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool , then launch the program.
- On the License terms page, select Accept.
- On What do you want to do? page, select Upgrade this PC now.
- Select Next.
Using a Windows 10 compatibility checker is fairly easy and self-explainatory. Microsoft has one, and it is known as the Update Assistant or the Media Creation Tool.
Not only will it scan your PC to tell you if it will run Windows 10, but it can also install it as well.
This tool is extremely easy to acquire and use, as you may see from the steps below:
Keep in mind that this is the same set of steps that you need to take when upgrading your PC from Windows 7 to Windows 10. The only difference here is that you don’t have to go all the way with the process.
If the program detects that your PC is too old to run Windows 10, it will send you a notification, and stop right there.
If you don’t get any notification, it means that the system is compatible and that you can upgrade to Windows 10 without worries.
Note: Another thing you should remember is that if you want to use the Media Creation tool to upgrade to Windows 10, you will need to also have a Windows 10 license key at your disposal, in order to activate it.
Do you find these methods of checking system compatibility useful? Let us know what other methods you use in the comment section below.
Windows 10 update check compatibility
This forum has migrated to Microsoft Q&A. Visit Microsoft Q&A to post new questions.
Asked by:
Question
I’m trying a solution that allows you to check if a computer is compatible and ready to upgrade to Windows 10 1803.
1) If you manually start from the command prompt, as an administrator, one of the following commands, the XML files «[C:\$WINDOWS.
BT\Sources\Panther\CompatData[date-time].xml]» does not indicate any compatibility issues. such as a non-compatible driver or hardware.
-SETUP.EXE /Auto Upgrade /Quiet /NoReboot /DynamicUpdate Enable /Compat ScanOnly
-Setup /Auto Upgrade /Quiet /Compat ScanOnly /Compat IgnoreWarning /CopyLogs C:\Tmp\Logfiles.log
-SETUP.EXE /ImageIndex 3 /Auto Upgrade /Quiet /NoReboot /DynamicUpdate Enable /Compat ScanOnly
2) On the same computer, if I run the «setup.exe» with double click of the mouse, I am signaled «[C:\$WINDOWS.
BT\Sources\Panther\CompatData[date-time].xml]» There is an incompatible driver.
Because if I run the control from the command prompt the result is «0xc1900210», instead if I double-click on the Setup. exe the result is «0xc1900208» ?
===Incompatibility warning when I run the dot 1 [C:\$WINDOWS.
===Incompatibility warning when I run the dot 2 [C:\$WINDOWS.
Thanks for the support.
All replies
Thanks for your sharing. I think maybe other people with the same needs will benefit from it.
Yes, the Method 2 is more accurate. Compared to Method 1, it’s better to use Method 2 to check for OS upgrade compatibility. In the example, in order to make the upgrade process smoother, it is recommended to uninstall the AMD Radeon HD 7500M/7600M Series driver before upgrading the operating system.
If there are any further assistance we can provide, please kindly let us know. Thank you!
Best regards,
Simon Ren
Please remember to mark the replies as answers if they help.
If you have feedback for TechNet Subscriber Support, contact tnmff@microsoft.com.
Yes, I would like to understand why, by running the command from the command prompt, the compatibility check does not generate the same result as option 2. I’m using option 1 with SCCM but as described I’m detecting that it is not reliable. I’m using this solution because there are many computers that we need to update. Option 2 involves manual action on the computer, but the computers are many and the manual action is not contemplated. My target, is to locate, before a massive distribution, what are the computers in the company that are ready and compatible to upgrade to Windows 10 1809? In The company there are both Windows 7 and Windows 10 still with Build less than 1809. I would like to continue with option 1 that according to Microsoft articles, the command line should detect and register when a system is not compatible.
Thanks for the support.
I have discussed this case with my colleagues and will submit it to the Product Group and do some more research. If there is any update, I will let you know. Thanks for your efforts!
Windows 10 Compatibility Check – Test System, Software & Driver [MiniTool Tips]
By Vera | Follow | Last Updated March 03, 2021
Summary :
Can you run your computer on Windows 10? It is necessary to check your PC for Windows 10 compatibility. Well then, how to perform a Windows 10 compatibility check? After reading this post written by MiniTool, you can know some simple ways for the test.
Quick Navigation :
It Is Necessary to Check for Windows 10 Compatibility
Nowadays Windows 10 operating system has become most popular due to its powerful features although it sucks in some aspects.
Most users choose to upgrade to the new system from Windows Vista/XP/7/8. However, many Windows update problems happen. One of the reasons is that your machine is not compatible with Windows 10. The software, apps, and drivers on your device don’t work for the system. In particular, a bad driver can wreak havoc your system.
So, you need to first perform a Windows 10 compatibility check before a system update. This mainly aims to avoid troubles of downloading the OS and running the setup tool only to figure out whether obvious compatibility problems exist. Besides, Windows 10 compatibility test can give you a choice to consider solutions before upgrading to Windows 10 when some compatibility issues are found.
In the following parts, let’s go to see how to do check Windows 10 compatibility.
Check Windows 10 System Requirements
Microsoft officially states some minimum requirements for Windows 10 on its website so that you can make sure if your computer can run the new operating system, as shown below.
- Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster processor or System on a Chip (SoC)
- RAM: 1 gigabyte (GB) for 32-bit, 2 GB for 64-bit
- Hard drive space: 16 GB for 32-bit OS / 32 GB for 64-bit OS
- Graphics card: DirectX 9 or later with WDDM 1.0 driver
- Display: 800×600
Although these are the minimum requirements, it’s best to always exceed these values to avoid any obstacle when using the upgraded system in the future.
You can check your computer’s specifications by following ways mentioned in our previous post — How to Check PC Full Specs Windows 10 in 5 Ways. If your PC meets the minimum requirements or exceeds in some way, you should be all right.
If the PC can’t meet system requirements, you cannot upgrade your machine to Windows 10 unless you take a hardware upgrade into account. That is, you may need to update CPU, increase the RAM, buy a new graphics card or get a large hard drive to build a suitable environment for your PC to run Windows 10 without any compatibility problems.
Most of these requirements mentioned above are simple, but for the graphics card, it requires the DirectX version. So, firstly you need to know which graphics card you are using so as to know if it satisfies DirectX.
Check Which Graphics Card You Are Using
Step 1: Open the Run box by hitting Win + R keys.
Step 2: Input dxdiag and click OK.
Step 3: Go to the Display tab and you can see much information about your graphics card.
Step 4: Go to the Internet and check if the specifications of your graphics card support DirectX9 or later.
Go Beyond System Requirements to Ensure Windows 10 Compatibility
In addition to system requirements, you should also check software compatibility and driver compatibility. This is very important. If you don’t do the checks, once you start the upgrade, the Windows 10 installation process will be stopped when some errors and compatibility issues are found.
To avoid trouble, check the software and driver compatibility now.
Check Software Compatibility
It has been a long time since the release of Windows 10. Most of the software suppliers have already rolled out the new versions of their popular software and they are compatible with Windows 10. Just update your software if you haven’t updated them.
For critical and frequently-used apps, you can go to the developer website to know if they have the current version of Windows 10.
Check Hardware Specifications and Driver Compatibility
When upgrading from Windows Vista/XP/7/8 to Windows 10, you should consider the hardware requirements. Driver issues can be troublesome, especially during your system update.
So, it is necessary to download updated drivers from the hardware manufacturers’ websites and install them after or before installing Windows 10 update to ensure the system can run flawlessly without any issue.
Run Windows 10 Compatibility Checker
When referring to Windows 10 compatibility check, you may be wondering about the answer to this question “is my computer compatible with Windows 10”. You can choose to use a tool to directly know if you can run Windows 10 on the computer. The following are some options for you.
Option 1: Use Windows 10 Compatibility Appraiser Manually
Microsoft Compatibility Appraiser can scan Windows 7/8/8.1 app files on your computer to assess the compatibility with Windows 10 if you perform an upgrade.
Step 1: Input cmd to the search box and right-click it to choose Run as administrator.
Step 2: Type the command — schtasks.exe /Run /TN «\Microsoft\Windows\Application Experience\Microsoft Compatibility Appraiser» and press Enter.
This app can take up to 15 minutes to perform a full scan. If you cannot run Windows 10 on the machine, the message “Windows 10 will not run on” will display on the screen and you can see the critical issues that stop Windows 10 from running.
Sometimes you cannot run this command line with an error. In this case, you can try another tool.
Option 2: Use Windows Update Assistant
You can run Windows Update Assistant on your machine and check if it meets the system requirements of Windows 10. After launching this tool, you need to accept the license terms, and then this tool will check device compatibility. After a few seconds, a result will be shown to you.
Windows 10 Update Assistant tool has been updated to install the Windows 10 May 2019 Update (version 1903), and here are details.
Option 3: Run Media Creation Tool
In addition, you can download Media Creation Tool offered by Microsoft. If the app detects that your PC is too old to run Windows 10, it will give you a notification and stop right here. If no notification is sent to you, this means the system is compatible and you can perform a Windows 10 update.
After finishing Windows 10 compatibility check, you know clearly if you can run Windows 10 on your machine. What to do next if the machine meets all the requirements? Upgrade the old version of the Windows operating system to Windows 10 now.
Upgrade Your PC to Windows 10
Windows Update Assistant and Media Creation Tool can work on some of your machines and help you perform the in-place upgrade without damaging your files. However, sometimes you fail to use these two tools to finish the update along with some errors although your machine meets system requirements and hardware requirements.
Besides, some older operating systems like Vista cannot support Update Assistant and Media Creation Tool. To successfully update your device to Windows 10, performing a clean install is recommendable no matter you are using Windows XP/Vista/7/8. This can avoid many troubles.
Do you want to upgrade Vista to Windows 10 since you think it is outdated? How to do Windows Vista upgrade? This post will walk you through a full guide.
Back up Files
To back up your files within simple clicks, you can use a piece of professional data backup software. Here, MiniTool ShadowMaker is worth trying. This backup program is compatible with many operating systems, for example, Windows 7/8/10, etc. It can be used to back up your data easily via two modes – imaging backup and file sync.
Now, download MiniTool ShadowMaker Trial Edition and install it to the computer that needs to upgrade to Windows 10.
See how to back up files via imaging (as an example):
Step 1: Launch MiniTool ShadowMaker.
Step 2: Go to Backup, click Source > Folders and Files and choose items that you want to back up.
Step 3: Decide where you want to save the backed up files to.
Step 4: Start the file backup by hitting Back up now.
Clean Install Windows 10 on Your Old Machine
See how to upgrade your old operating system to Windows 10:
Step 1: Download an ISO file of Windows 10 from the Internet and create a bootable USB drive or CD/DVD disc.
Step 2: Connect the bootable device to your computer and boot it to BIOS so that you can change the boot order to boot the computer from your USB drive or disc.
Step 3: Select the language, time and currency format and keyboard.
Step 4: Click Install now button when seeing the following interface.
Step 5: Input the license key of Windows 10 you have bought.
Step 6: Choose a Windows 10 edition.
Step 7: After accepting license terms, choose to install Windows only.
Step 8: Delete Drive 0 Partition 0 and install Windows 10 on it.
Step 9: Follow the on-screen guide to finish the Windows installation. After that, customize the new system based on your needs and you can enjoy powerful features.
Bottom Line
Is your computer compatible with Windows 10? You can perform a Windows 10 compatibility check by following the operations mentioned in this post. Once you find your PC satisfies system requirements and hardware requirements after checking for Windows 10 compatibility, you can take action to upgrade to the new operating system.
In addition, if you have any questions or suggestions, you can leave your idea to the comment part below. Also, you can contact us via [email protected] .
Windows 10 Compatibility Check FAQ
Microsoft shows you the Windows 10 minimum system requirements:
- Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster processor or SoC.
- RAM: 1 gigabyte (GB) for 32-bit or 2 GB for 64-bit.
- Hard disk space: 16 GB for 32-bit OS 20 GB for 64-bit OS.
- Graphics card: DirectX 9 or later with WDDM 1.0 driver.
- Display: 800×600.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Position: Columnist
Vera is an editor of the MiniTool Team since 2016 who has more than 5 years’ writing experiences in the field of technical articles. Her articles mainly focus on disk & partition management, PC data recovery, video conversion, as well as PC backup & restore, helping users to solve some errors and issues when using their computers. In her spare times, she likes shopping, playing games and reading some articles.
