We are seeing a disturbing trend of Windows 7 computers being involuntarily upgraded to Windows 10 and even trying to trick users into installing Windows 10 by using the red “X” button at the top right of the screen (historically used to close a window with no action but frequently abused by viruses and other malware to confirm an install), documented here by BBC.
- Windows 7 is still supported by Microsoft until 14 January 2020, documented here on the Microsoft website.
- Windows 10 is a significant change from previous versions (‘rolling’ updates, new user interface and [not the least] privacy concerns)
- Like any major upgrade, the upgrade to Windows 10 is not flawless or error free and could cause downtime or compatibility problems with hardware and software not designed for Windows 10.
- You have a 30 day ‘window’ to remove Windows 10 and revert back to Windows 7 after the upgrade. We’ve had pretty good success with this so far (it hasn’t been without failures or problems, but has been effectively relatively consistently).
If you have a computer with Windows 7 and do not want to upgrade, you’re apparently going to have to be hyper vigilant in preventing the upgrade from being automatically installed. Some options include:
- For stand-alone workstations or small networks, run the Never 10 tool from GRC. We have had a lot of success with this and have not yet had any problems.
- For larger networks, you can manage the KB’s used for the update and prevent them from being installed (fair warning, some of these are hidden)
If you have questions or concerns or if you’ve already been upgraded and need help reverting back, let me know.