14 DAY TRIAL // It’s no secret that Microsoft wants to bring Windows 10 on as many PCs as possible, and as part of this plan, the company is getting ready to turn to more aggressive tactics that would change the way the new operating system is offered to Windows 7 and 8.1 PCs.
Windows 10 is available as a free upgrade for Windows 7 and 8.1 computers, and while at first the company offered it as an optional download in Windows Update, a significant change could take place very soon.
A recent post on reddit has revealed that Windows 10 is provided as a recommended update in Windows Update, and while there’s no evidence that Microsoft has made this change on all PCs, it might be the beginning of a more aggressive strategy whose purpose is to upgrade more computers to the OS.
Microsoft had already announced the change
Terry Myerson, head of the operating systems group at Microsoft, announced these changes in October 2015, saying that Windows 10 would be listed as a recommended update in Windows Update starting “early 2016.”
“Early next year, we expect to be re-categorizing Windows 10 as a ‘Recommended Update.’ Depending upon your Windows Update settings, this may cause the upgrade process to automatically initiate on your device,” Myerson explained.
“Before the upgrade changes the OS of your device, you will be clearly prompted to choose whether or not to continue. And of course, if you choose to upgrade (our recommendation!), then you will have 31 days to roll back to your previous Windows version if you don’t love it.”
As you can see, users will still be prompted to install Windows 10, even if the operating system is displayed as a recommended update, so make sure you double-check every click you make so you won’t install it by mistake. Also, you can always revert to the original Windows version in the first 30 days after install, but this obviously takes time and not everyone is willing to do it.