Have you seen the notification on the right? If you have a computer running Windows 7 or 8, you probably have. It pops up all the time, bugging you constantly, trying to get you to upgrade to Microsoft's latest operating system.
It's possible to get rid of this message permanently. It's tied to a Microsoft Windows update that was installed as part of your routine security updates, but fortunately others find it just as annoying and have created tools to remove these notifications. Most people have been clicking the X without thinking twice, but things have changed and it's no longer a minor annoyance, so you might want to run those removal tools. Here's why.
Recently, Microsoft switched strategies to improve their upgrade numbers. They switched from the notice above to this one:
In both cases, a couple clicks gets you upgraded to Windows 10, but previously, clicking the X meant that nothing would happen and you were ignoring the prompt to upgrade. But now Microsoft is saying that you don't have a choice. They've downloaded all the files and you WILL be upgraded to Windows 10 by the time specified. If you click the X then come back to your computer after the time in the notification, you'll be coming back to a Windows 10 computer.
This is highly problematic. While each version of Windows has brought a smoother upgrade than the last, things can still go wrong. Most of my clients experience driver compatibility issues, so things like scanning or printing might not work like they used to. But I've had other users end up locked out of their computers, and other major problems. At the very least it should be up to the user to decide when they're ready for this kind of major process on their computer.
Now, even with this new notice there's still a way to deal with it. Take a close look and notice the word "here" in blue text. That can take you to a screen that will let you delay or cancel the upgrade. However, I've seen some instances where you don't have the option to cancel. My own desktop computer, for example, had to be upgraded and I had no choice.
Once the upgrade has happened, if you decide you hate Windows 10, you can always downgrade back to 7 or 8 within 30 days. Either way, make a backup of your files before you do so to make sure nothing gets lost.
In the end, there will be no choice. Windows 10 is the future of Microsoft whether we like it or not. To be clear, I actually think Windows 10 is pretty nice and miles better than 8 (7 is my favorite). But I think users should have the choice of when they switch to it. Fortunately, others feel the same way. Again, you can download a tool here that will remove the prompts to upgrade.
As I've mentioned in a previous article about this upgrade, Windows 7 and 8 will be supported until 2020 and 2023, respectively. At that point you'll probably want a new computer which will come with Windows 10 anyway. Until then, you can fight off these update notifications, downgrade automatic upgrades, or give in and live with it. If you have any trouble, just give me a call.