14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is reportedly downloading Windows 10 installation files on Windows 7 and 8.1 computers even if users didn’t reserve the upgrade with the company’s free tool released on June 1, thus using not only their bandwidth for unrequested files but also their storage space, as the installer could take up to 6 GB, depending on the version of Windows.
A report by British website The Inquirer reveals that a number of users running a genuine version of Windows 7 or 8.1 and who are eligible for the upgrade to Windows 10 received the necessary files on their computers even if no reservation was made.
All files are stored in the ~BT temporary folder that Microsoft created on your main partition in order to download Windows 10 setup files, and that’s how users actually noticed that something fishy was happening. The available amount of space dropped significantly all of a sudden, and it turns out that the Windows 10 setup files are at fault.
Downloads taking place in the background on Patch Tuesday
Most users claim the change occurred on Tuesday, which was actually Microsoft’s Patch Tuesday, the day when the company releases updates and security fixes for its software. This does make sense because, at that point, the company shipped updates to all Windows versions, so it most likely started downloading Windows 10 on eligible PCs at about the same time.
When asked about what was happening with these files, Microsoft said that consumers with Windows Updates set to automatic are indeed getting the necessary files to start the Windows 10 install.
“For individuals who have chosen to receive automatic updates through Windows Update, we help upgradable devices get ready for Windows 10 by downloading the files they’ll need if they decide to upgrade. When the upgrade is ready, the customer will be prompted to install Windows 10 on the device.”
Previously, Microsoft said that only users who reserve their copy of Windows 10 would get these files, so it’s quite surprising to see such a change overnight. Maybe Redmond’s trying to make sure that more people upgrade, but forcing them to do that is certainly the wrong way to go.