As indicated in my January 20 post, Microsoft is aggressively pushing Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users to upgrade to Windows 10. Well, yesterday the situation became more interesting. The Upgrade status was changed from “optional” to “recommended.” What does that mean for you? Here’re some articles which answer that question.
Microsoft starts pushing Windows 10 as a ‘recommended’ update
One more time, for the record: Windows 10 is not a required update for Windows 7 and 8.1 users. It is now recommended. Users who do not want it can just say no.
Microsoft makes Windows 10 a ‘recommended update’ for Windows 7 and 8.1 users
This is a change from the previous categorization of the upgrade as an ‘optional update’ and it means that there is renewed potential for unwanted installations.
And here’s the original Windows Blog post (October 2015) outlining Microsoft’s Upgrade policy.
Making it Easier to Upgrade to Windows 10
Early next year [2016], 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. 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.