If you do decide to update to Windows 10, you'll have to do a clean installation as there's no way to upgrade and keep your files, settings and programs.

It isn't a limitation of Windows 10 but of XP: even if you wanted to upgrade to Windows 7 from XP you'd have to wipe your hard disk and start again.

At its recent Build conference, Microsoft lowered the system requirements for Windows 8.1 so more machines can upgrade to the latest OS.

Basically, Redmond would much prefer you just buy a new Windows 8-based PC.

Given that your PC or laptop is probably quite old, it may not just be time to upgrade Windows, but also the hardware itself - we'll get to this later.

Windows 10 is the latest version from Microsoft, and there are new features in the free Creators Update.

Windows XP is still loved by many people, and still runs on millions of PCs and laptops.

There is not a direct upgrade path for Windows Vista (or the much older Windows XP) to Windows 10, as such you’ll be doing a clean installation of the OS, which will wipe your computer clean, deleting your files, apps, and settings to start from scratch again.

Before moving forward with the upgrade, you want to make a backup of your files to an external drive, and make sure you have the installation files and product key to reinstall any software after the upgrade.

But it isn't supported by Microsoft any more and therefore is at risk from viruses and malware that can take advantage of any security holes that remain.

So it's not a great idea to use Windows XP if your computer is connected to the internet, although good antivirus software should help.