Microsoft announced during its January 21 event at its headquarters in Redmond that Windows 10 would be offered as a free upgrade to computers running Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, but it turns out that this promo isn't covering all versions of these two operating systems.

In a blog post detailing some of the changes that Windows 10 brings to businesses, the company reveals that enterprises won't get the new OS as a free upgrade, as this promo only includes consumers.

“Windows 7 Enterprise and Windows 8/8.1 Enterprise are not included in the terms of free Windows 10 Upgrade offer we announced last week, given active Software Assurance customers will continue to have rights to upgrade to Windows 10 enterprise offerings outside of this offer – while also benefiting from the full flexibility to deploy Windows 10 using their existing management infrastructure,” the company posts.

Microsoft hasn't provided any other details about how much enterprises will actually have to pay for this upgrade, but given the company's new approach for consumers, expect something similar to be offered for business customers as well.

What it means for users

Consumers, on the other hand, are getting the chance to upgrade to Windows 10 completely free of charge during the first year after launch.

This means that, if you run Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 on your computer when Windows 10 comes out, you have the option to upgrade without paying anything for the new OS. If you do that, Windows 10 continues to be free and supported on your PC during the lifetime of your device, the company says.

Many people believed that after one year they might be charged for using Windows 10, but this isn't the case, Microsoft has clearly emphasized through various channels.

Once installed free of charge, Windows 10 continues to remain so, but if you don't do it in the first year after the public launch, you might have to pay a fee for the new operating system.