Microsoft surprisingly announced that even pirated copies of Windows 7 and 8.1 can be upgraded to Windows 10. The company announced this during an event in Beijing, China.

A genuine installer of Windows 7 or 8.1 typically costs around ₱4,000 in the Philippines. Hence, there are a lot of PCs in the country that are using non-genuine Windows. These should be upgraded within one year from the official launching of Windows 10.

Windows 10
This is how the Start Menu looks like in Windows 10.

Windows 10 is the next generation of Microsoft’s operating system. It is currently undergoing a technical preview program where PC enthusiasts can download and try out the OS then send feedback to Microsoft.

During the event, Microsoft also showed off a biometric framework called Windows Hello that will ship with the final version of Windows 10. It allows users to unlock their PC using a fingerprint sensor or other biometric device.

Windows 10 will be launched sometime in summer. That’s around June to August in the US.