The free Windows 10 upgrade expires July 29

After July 29, Windows 10 will cost you at least $120.

When Microsoft launched Windows 10 last year, it declared that the OS would be free to Windows 7 and 8.1 users until July 29, 2016, with a few exceptions. On May 6, the company reiterated this expiration date, possibly to address a rising tide of customers who were hoping for an extension. If you qualify for an upgrade but have not yet gotten a Windows 10 license,you'll need to go to Microsoft's website to get your copy before the offer expires.

The "download now, install later" Windows 10 option

You don't have to install the upgrade right away, though. Microsoft provides a free tool that will download a version of Windows 10 that you can burn onto a blank DVD, Blu-ray disc, or USB thumb drive, any of which you can use to install the OS whenever you're ready. This version of Windows 10 does not come with a product key, but if you use it to upgrade before July 29, you won't need one. If you already have a product key for Windows 10, you can use it with this version at any time, because that key does not expire.

If you previously installed Windows 7 or 8.1 from a retail disc (or you purchased Windows 8.0 at retail and installed the free upgrade to 8.1) and you install the free Windows 10 upgrade, then you effectively have a retail copy of Windows 10. You can use your product key to install Windows 10 on a different machine in the future, as long as you remove it from the old machine first. However, if Windows 7, 8.0, or 8.1 came pre-installed on a computer you bought, then you are limited to the OEM license and can't transfer the Windows product key to another computer.

Upgrading from Windows XP or Windows Vista

You can't upgrade directly from Windows XP or Vista to Windows 10; you must purchase a copy of Windows instead. Installing Windows 10 on such a machine requires erasing the drive that contains the old version of Windows, so before you do anything, back up your files to an external drive and/or the cloud. You will basically be starting from scratch.

Windows XP users cannot directly upgrade to any version of Windows 7 or 10.

Vista users can directly upgrade to Windows 7, then upgrade to Windows 10 for free, as long as you do so before July 26. However, if your Vista is 32-bit, you cannot install the 64-bit version of Windows 10 without wiping the drive first. Your alternative is to install the 32-bit version of Windows 10. This version is unable to use more than about 3.5GB of system RAM.

The good news: websites like Amazon are still selling legit OEM versions of Windows 7 for around $50, so getting Windows 7 and the free Windows 10 upgrade now is cheaper than buying Windows 10 outright. This cheaper version of Windows 7 is 32-bit, but the 64-bit Windows 10 installer will accept this product key.

Pay-Per Click Ad Campaign

 Earn More By Spending Less

What is "Pay-Per Click"? "Pay-Per Click", is a straightforward promoting procedure. There are around 300 million searches at major search engines everyday. This causes 80% of web activity. Placing your websites on these search engines is very important in reaching as many potential customers as possible. In any case, with a specific end goal to be seen and clicked most every now and again, your site ought to be seen at the top a large portion of the inquiry list. A great many people just reach up to the third page of an internet searcher so the lower your rank, the lesser the chance you will be clicked. In "Pay-Per Click" publicizing, you pay to be constantly noticeable on the web. You select watchwords or key expressions about your site, and the most elevated bidder positions the best. There is no forthright cost. You just pay after a guest snaps your connection. This is the reason it is called "Pay-Per Click". 

Ordinary a large number of individuals around the globe click on Pay-Per Click Advertising Campaign. With the blasting web industry and the regularly developing online business, an advertisement of essentially anyone on the planet can be seen on the web anyplace in the world.The "Pay-Per Click" promoting effort is the chief development region in internet showcasing. A year ago, an expected $741.2 million was spent on "Pay-Per Click" promoting. The standard website streamlining can take weeks or even months to deliver results. "Pay-Per Click" publicizing can draw in clients at a moment. Why? Since, this forefront advertisement battle can be set on any site and can be seen by potential online clients, anyplace, at whatever time and constantly. The main test is putting the promotions on appropriate sites that will pull in conceivable clients for a particular item or administrations. 

"Pay-Per Click" promoting effort pulls in the right purchasers at the most brief conceivable time. This is the most financially savvy method for showcasing items or administrations. You can likewise screen the clients who visit your site, what they are searching for and what they are purchasing. With the right inventiveness on utilizing the right search queries, we can coordinate the right individuals why should willing work with us. 

"Pay-Per Click" publicizing can undoubtedly be overseen 24 hours for each day and 7 days a week through the web. This permits you enhance the crusade system by successfully reacting to the exercises of both clients and competitors.So what are you sitting tight for? "Pay-Per Click" now and let your business take the quick course to achievement.

The 15 Best Android Games

Your Android device is the portal to an amazing selection of world-class gaming. Here are our favorites.

These days, you can use your smartphone for just about everything. There are Android apps for getting things done, for doing your office work, and for predicting the weather. You can even file your taxes. But what if you don't want to do any of those things? What if, instead of being productive, you'd rather waste a few minutes, race a few laps, or slay a few dragons? For that, you need games, and for you, we have a list of our favorites.

Our Favorites
This is by no means a comprehensive or complete survey of Android games. A marketplace as vast and vibrant as Google Play has something for everyone: board games, word games, shooters, racers, runners, and even fantasy quiz RPGs. To tackle a market that broad, we combined research with a poll of what PCMag staffers had on their own phones. Like the offerings on Google Play, it's a broad mix of new and classic games that we love, and we're sure you'll feel the same way.

We've got a few high-octane, high-performance titles that will stun your eyes and drain your battery. We've also got a lot of smaller, simpler titles that are perfect for just killing time and occupying your mind. There's also titles designed to challenge your wits, and some oddballs to keep things interesting.

What really excites me is the number of titles that premiered on computers but have made their way to Android. It shows that these games have really strong concepts that can be translated across just about any platform, and it's a testament to how far mobile devices have come as gaming platforms. It's also super convenient to have your favorite games accessible, no matter where you are.

The Best Is Yet to Come
As with all of our lists at PCMag, this is a work in progress. We'll be updating and expanding it from time to time. We'll try to keep it fresh, too, by cycling out titles that have already had their moment in the sun. Hopefully, every time you check this list, there'll be something new and interesting to discover.

Don't see your favorite on the list? Drop us a polite message in the comments. Like you, we're always hungry for new tappy timewasters and we'll definitely take a look.

The Banner Saga

$9.99
This tactical, turn-based strategy game was a hit on the PC and has finally arrived on Android. Lead your party of Vikings through a gorgeous, mythic world and weave your own legendary story. Though the price tag is steep, the rewards are worthwhile (read: buy it).

Crazy Taxi

$4.99
Do you love classic Dreamcast titles? Do you support traditional taxis in the face of Uber? Do you really, really love The Offspring? Then you'll faint with joy playing Crazy Taxi, a port of the console classic for Android. Don't spring for the ad-riddled remake Sega Crazy Taxi: City Rush; stick with the original.

Disco Zoo Free From the creator of Tiny Tower comes another retro-themed time-waster you won't be able to put down. This time, you work to assemble a zoo of adorablepixelated animals and earn extra cash by...wait for it...throwing an animated party in which all of your cute denizens dance their hearts out.

Kim Kardashian Hollywood 

Free
Calm down, haters. Regardless of what you think about Kim K or casual gaming, Kim Kardashian Hollywood is an enormously fun, cleverly written, and enjoyably addictive breakout hit that is worth your time. I have nothing to add to our review's excellent summation: "basically, it's exactly like Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas."

Lyne $2.50 If you like dastardly puzzle games that look like maddening schematics, then you'll love Lyne. Connect each geometric shape the appropriate number of times, and you win. It's deceptively simple, and the difficulty ramps up quickly. This game has hundreds of levels, and releases new sets daily (yes, daily) so you'll never be without a puzzle.

Marvel Contest of Champions 

Free
If you're a fan of comic books or the hit Marvel superhero movies, you'll love Marvel Contest of Champions. This one-on-one fighting game is extremely simple, but also fast-paced and fun. Warm up your tapping fingers!

Minecraft—Pocket Edition 

$6.99
It would be difficult to understate the importance of Minecraft in the world of gaming today, and you can get a taste of that experience on your phone in Minecraft—Pocket Edition. Think of it as a cubist terrarium in which you can mine, craft, and construct to your heart's content. It's surprisingly compelling, even for hardcore fans of the original desktop Minecraft.

Monument Valley  $3.99 Monument Valley is an incredibly beautiful game, proving that mobile game doesn't need to be synonymous with cheap and shallow. In this meditative puzzler, you'll have to use optical illusions to complete each gorgeous level. Meditative, mysterious, and intriguing, it's a must-play Android game.

Ridiculous Fishing  $2.99 Try to hook as many deep-sea fish as you can before they're all tossed in the air. Then throw aside your rod and reel and pull out your...minigun? The madness doesn't stop there in this hilarious, bizarre game. This is truly ridiculous fishing.

The Simpsons: Tapped Out 

Free
Far from being a dreary cash-in, Tapped Out is a brilliant, satirical look at casual gaming and even the long-running cartoon which spawned it. Yes, it's packed with opportunities to spend real money, but it's always with a wink and a nudge. The best parts of this game are easily the massive events that completely re-skin Springfield and its denizens. You'll wear out the screen with all your tapping.

Spaceteam  Free Set Lustrous Prismneck to Maximum! In Spaceteam, you and the other people in the room work together to navigate a spacecraft through various mechanical disasters. If you love the techno-babble of Star Trek, then you'll love this unique game.

Star Realms 

Free
This clever sci-fi card game has surprising depth despite being easy to learn and fast to play. Assemble your fleet, and then use your ships and bases to pummel the enemy into submission. If you enjoy deck-building games like Dominion, then you'll feel right at home.

Survive! Mola Mola!  Free One of the strangest games to arrive on our phones, Survive! Mola Mola! is a sunfish simulator based on the (scientifically dubious) idea that these animals are the dumbest and weakest of all living things. Basically, it's a virtual pet, but one that's more likely to kill itself by jumping too high out of the water.

Trivia Crack Free Play against your friends (or enemies) with the game that blatantly flaunts its addictive properties in the title. Answer multiple-choice questions in the areas of Science, Entertainment, Art, Geography, Sports, and History. Be horribly embarrassed when you fail.

TwoDots  Free If you enjoyed the minimalist beauty of Dots, then you'll love its sequel: Two Dots. As in the original, you're tasked with connecting dots of like color, but now there are new challenges and an even lovelier aesthetic.

10 Great Sites to Find Gigs and Part-Time Work

Where to go online to land a job with flexible hours 

If you’re considering escaping your 9-5 job for something more flexible or want to work part-time in retirement, you’ll likely discover that finding a flexible job online is a challenge.
 
It takes persistence, patience and moxie to sift out the few flexible gigs from the thousands of full-time postings.
 
Making matters more complicated for you, there are scores of sites advertising work-from-home gigs and part-time jobs that are questionable at best — and con jobs at worst. You’d be amazed how sophisticated some of these work-from-home sites look, making it nearly impossible to distinguish the scams from the legitimate players.

To help you cut through the clutter (and avoid the phonies), I’ve pulled together a list of 10 of my favorite sites for flexible work. In addition to job listings, many of these sites host valuable articles and resources to help you navigate the world of alternative-work arrangements. (To learn about other helpful resources for finding flexible work, visit my list of 100+ Great Second-Act Career Sites on my blog at MyLifestyleCareer.com.)

One caveat: When you go to any site looking for work opportunities, please exercise common sense and caution. With that in mind, here are the 10 sites I recommend checking out, whether you’re looking for a challenging part-time gig, a seasonal job or just an easy way to supplement your retirement income:
 

Best Overall Site

FlexJobs.com In my estimation, this is the best jobs board for flexible work. While I normally advise steering clear of sites that charge for access to their postings, I think this one is worth it (cost: a minimum of $14.95 a month).

FlexJobs is fastidious about checking the legitimacy of its listings before posting. As a result, the site boasts an unusually high percentage of flexible professional jobs. (I experienced its rigorous screening process firsthand a few months ago while helping my congregation search for a new assistant; FlexJobs carefully evaluated us before agreeing to post our listing.)

You’ll find jobs in more than 50 categories and a wide range of scheduling arrangements — part-time, telecommuting, full-time but flexible, etc.

Even if you choose not to pay to access the listings, you can still read the FlexJobs blog, where you’ll find a wide selection of articles on flexible work, including some targeted to the 50+ demographic.

Working From Home 

Ratracerebellion.com Out of all the types of flexible job listings, finding quality and legitimate work-from-home gigs tends to be the most problematic. That’s why I like Ratracerebellion.com.

This site screens all its listings and compiles them into a free daily e-newsletter. You’ll find a variety of jobs, including customer-service, administrative, technical and writing projects.

Most are on the lower end of the pay scale — often in the under $20 an hour range. But as a subscriber to their newsletter, I’ve seen see a smattering of higher-paid opportunities, some of which even offer benefits.

Directselling411.com Love ‘em or hate ‘em, the home-party industry is a big player in the work-from-home space. And if you’re interested in working for a home party such as Pampered Chef, this site (from the Direct Selling Association) is a great place to begin your research.

In its Direct Selling Member Organization Search area, you’ll find information about sales opportunities with the trade group’s roughly 200 companies, all of whom must abide by its code of ethics.

(MORE: Can You Really Make Money In Direct Sales?)

Seasonal and Summer Jobs

Most people think of seasonal and summer jobs as the domain of college kids. But they can be equally attractive for retirees looking to supplement their income. Here are two sites to explore:

BackDoorJobs.com  While this site has a decidedly young vibe, many of its advertised positions are equally attractive for boomers looking for meaningful short-term jobs.

BackDoorJobs.com specializes in “short-term job adventures” in the U.S. and overseas. It includes opportunities to teach abroad, work on farms and help provide what’s known as wilderness therapy (using expeditions for therapeutic intervention).

CoolWorks.com This site features seasonal and part-time “jobs in great places” and is designed to be as appealing to boomers as it is for their kids.

CoolWorks even has a job page called Older & Bolder, targeted at retirees or soon-to-be retirees, where you’ll find a variety of part-time and seasonal posts. Its current listings for seasonal jobs include Guest Services Manager at a world-class resort, Dining Room Manager at a national park and line cooks for a cruise line.

Freelance Gigs

There are a growing number of online job boards specializing in freelance, project and contract work. Some cover a wide range of industries; others are industry-specific. In addition to searching their jobs, you can create a profile and define the freelance services you can offer. That way, interested employers can contact you.  Here are three sites to consider:

Elance.com 
Hundreds of thousands of projects are listed here, including web development, graphic design, programming, marketing, writing, administrative and research.

Elance.com handles the payments for your projects. The site tacks on an 8.75 percent service fee to the price you quote for a job and then, when your client pays you, it deducts the fee and passes the rest on to you.

Freelancers can also choose to join one of the site’s four membership plans (the basic plan is free) offering additional benefits and features.

Guru.com Another of the big players in the freelance space, this site lists opportunities in over 160 professional categories including website design, programming, graphic design, business consulting and administrative support.

Like Elance, Guru.com handles payments for you and provides a suite of tools that make the administrative side of freelancing easier to manage.

Behance.net This is an online marketplace where artists and creative types (photographers, graphic designers, illustrators, etc.) can showcase their work and search for part-time jobs and freelance opportunities.

Staffing Companies

If you’re a professional interested in working as a temp or an interim executive in the Washington, D.C. area or in Colorado, these staffing sites might be useful:

FlexProfessionals  This is a staffing company serving the Washington, D.C. metro area that fills part-time, flexible and project-based needs. Candidates must have a college degree and at least 10 years of professional experience in a business-related capacity.

10 til 2 Originally a service designed for moms, 10 til 2 contracts out professionals who want to work on a flexible basis in Colorado. Most jobs are for long-term, part-time assignments. Contrary to the site’s name, notall assignments are for 10 til 2; hours vary based on the project.

4 Myths About Affiliate Marketing You Need To Know

There are lots of myths out there surrounding affiliate marketing, and these can frequently cause brands/businesses to pass on these kinds of programs. It’s important you understand some of these myths so you can make the correct decisions for the future growth of your business.

Whether you’re the brand manager at a Fortune 100 brand or the marketing director/everything else at a startup, setting up a solid affiliate program can open a revenue avenue without much of the hassle usually associated with setting up new marketing initiatives.

1. Affiliate systems are quick and easy to manage

An affiliate marketing program is a lot of work, and in most situations there’s a lot of competition so you’re not going to be bringing in money immediately. Business owners and entrepreneurs suppose that all you need do is setup a site and choose an affiliate to associate with and then just let it run its course. But according to Three Ladders Marketing,only 0.6% of affiliate marketers surveyed have been in the game since 2013. That means that affiliate marketing takes time and effort to build and make money.

The affiliate marketing business relies on fostering relationships. You foster these relationships by:

*Bringing the right partners into your program

*Seeking out better and more efficient partnerships

*Updating your content regularly to keep things new and fresh.

An affiliate program is only going to help bring traffic to your website or business; you are in charge of turning that traffic into conversions.

2. You need to work in a very popular and lucrative niche to make affiliate marketing work for your business.

A lot of companies do not even bother trying an affiliate marketing program because they think their market is too little. Some companies will try and break into bigger niches even if they don’t have any interest in the market niche.

It is true that popular niches do better with affiliate marketing, but that doesn’t mean you do not have a chance at success. Stay in line with the goals and mission statement of your company and find affiliates who understand the relevance of working in a market where you are comfortable.

3. Affiliate marketing is a strategy of yesterday

Due to Google’s new algorithms for SEO, link building is becoming outdated which can discourage affiliate activity. Even if this is the case, there are many new ways to use SEO and build your brand.

You might come across a couple of link problems with Google if you are not managing your program, but for the most part the entire notion of affiliate marketing still makes sense to Google –it offers another relevant and related resource to consumers.

4. Success in affiliate marketing comes from getting your product on as many sites as possible

The best way to think about affiliate marketing is quality over quantity. There are a lot of small websites that will promote your product, but the key is finding a small number of partners that will deliver conversions. For example, an equity management services firm has over 20,000 affiliates in its system, but only about 25 affiliates generate 85 percent of revenue.

The real deliverables will be dependent on locating the right affiliates, big or small, which drive results. According to the same study done by Three Ladders Marketing, the most traffic for affiliates were driven by SEO, 79% and social media, 60%.

Although studies show that affiliate marketing isn’t easy, as you remember to foster relationships, focus on your niche, focus on a few key affiliates, and create a system that generates performance for both the advertiser and the affiliate you can drive profit and conversions for your small business.

Affiliates Beware

There are caution flags, however when it comes to affiliate marketing. In a piece late last year, Affiliate Theft Could Be Costing You Millions, Forbes contributor Jabez LeBret wrote of unscrupulous affiliate marketers’ tactics which cost brands and businesses millions of dollars every year.

LeBret adds that affiliate theft”…could be preventing you (brands/businesses) from beating profit expectations while making it difficult for you to properly allocate your marketing budget to programs that are working.

What Microsoft-LinkedIn Deal Means for the Digitization of Business

Microsoft took a lot of people by surprise with the news that it was buying LinkedIn. The deal shows how important digitization has become to business, but also how important having the right people in place will continue to be

Microsoft bought LinkedIn for $26 billion this week in what is the tech industry’s third biggest acquisition ever, and Microsoft’s biggest by a large margin.

Many have warned that Microsoft is wasting its money but, while everyone argues over what may happen, the deal does provide some pointers for how digitization is shaping the business world and, maybe counter-intuitively, for the continued importance of people to the world’s companies.

The excitement of Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s CEO (pictured above with LinkedIn’s founder, Reid Hoffman, and current CEO Jeff Weiner), shines through as he outlines new opportunities created from the union of the “world’s leading professional cloud and the world’s leading professional network.”

Some of the many implications include, but are not limited to:

1. Targeted marketing and social selling across a steady stream of posts garnering billions of page views.
2. Real-time data and personalized support across Office 365 and Dynamics via a large network of users.
3. Integrated talent management solutions from hiring using LinkedIn Recruiter to training and development using Lynda.com.
4. Machine learning opportunities across data sourced from both cloud applications and social media.
5. New products and services derived from customer and network-based information.
6. Blurred boundaries between internal and external networks within an enterprise context with applications like Yammer.

Also, as technology and business processes rapidly become more and more digital, people become more and more important.

Having the right people in the right roles is the critical component to successful integration of Microsoft and LinkedIn’s products and services. To supply data, to share opinions, and to interpret analysis.

What’s certain is, without that rich network of people, nothing is possible.