Microsoft is seeking to accelerate the adoption of its new Windows 10 operating system by making it a "recommended" update, which is putting laggards round the world in a dilemma, experts say. Half a year after Windows 10 came out, many people using Windows 7 and 8 are undecided about the free upgrade, and don't want to be rushed.
Microsoft distinguishes its "important" updates from the less urgent "recommended" category. But many users may not have noticed they have a system which has a check mark next to "Give me Recommended updates the same way I receive important updates."
This means that their computers are now set to automatically download the 6-gigabyte installation file for Windows 10 without asking the user first. After that, little nag messages keep cropping up. Of course the user still has to consent to install the update.
This nagging is prompting many users to either go with the flow and upgrade, or take a stand and prevent it.
"Whoever doesn't use some specialised programme or hardware should just update," advises Jan Schuessler of German computer magazine c't.
It's different if you use older or rare hardware. In that case you need to check whether all your drivers will work with Windows 10.
The new operating system actually has relatively tolerant hardware requirements. Even the average older Windows 7 computers can cope with the update. Whether to upgrade is ultimately a matter of taste, Schuessler says. At least initially, there are no big disadvantages from continuing to use either Windows 7 or 8. But ultimately, both operating systems will one day stop receiving security updates and new functions.
Microsoft has committed to supporting Windows 7, one of its best-loved iterations and one that many fans are clinging to, till January 2020 and Windows 8 for another three years after that.
Whoever wants to control what's being downloaded to their computer can prevent the automatic download of Windows 10. The easiest way is to go into Settings and choose the option "Check for updates but let me choose whether to download and install them."
There's also a free programme called Block-GWXUpdate that you can install to block the Windows 10 upgrade, the experts advise.
Even if you do upgrade to Windows 10, the decision is not irrevocable. If you don't like it within the first month after installing it, you get the option to revert to the old version again.
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