Click to Skip Ad
Closing in...

Windows 10: Forget Disks, Microsoft’s Next OS Might Be Sold on USB Drives

Published Jun 25th, 2015 9:15PM EDT
Windows 10 Price Installation USB Flash Drive Package
Image: Microsoft

If you buy through a BGR link, we may earn an affiliate commission, helping support our expert product labs.

Many current Windows 7 and Windows 8 computer owners will be able to upgrade to Windows 10 this summer free of charge after downloading the new operating system, but some users who aren’t eligible for the free update will have to purchase the new OS. According to a few leaked Windows 10 listings, Microsoft might be planning to ditch Windows disks for in-store sales and instead offer USB drives containing the necessary Windows 10 installation files.

DON’T MISS: T-Mobile’s New Uncarrier Move Kills Lump Payments, Offers iPhone 6 for $15/Month

The news comes from Myce, which spotted a couple of such listings on Canadian online stores including CompSource (which sells a “Microsoft Win Home 10 32-Bit/64-Bit English 1 License Usb Flash Drive KW9-00016” for $124.00) and PCCanada (which has a “Microsoft Win Home 10 32-BIT/64-BIT USB [KW9-00016]” for $134.49).

Apparently, there won’t be separate USB flash drives for 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 10. Furthermore, the site says that both Home and Pro versions of Windows 10 will be available for sale on USB sticks.

Microsoft has yet to unveil the official retail packaging for Windows 10, and these Canadian retailers have not offered any images showing the product.

Windows 10 should be released on July 29th, by which time Microsoft will have revealed more details about its retail plans for the OS.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.