Ten minutes to write. Less time to read.

I am fairly happy with Windows 7, but apparently Microsoft doesn’t think I should be. Now that Windows 10 has been on the market for almost six months, I regularly receive notification that I can download the newest version for free. So far, Microsoft has made it sound as if I have a choice.

I’ve checked with a couple tech people I know, and both say, “Don’t do it. Windows 10 has bugs (as most new versions do), and once you upgrade you cannot return to your old version.”  Of course, this was only a sample of two opinions, but they’re from people I trust in the business.

Now Microsoft is becoming bolder. It is changing the status of W10 from an “optional” choice to a “recommended” one. This means that owners who have told their computers to automatically download all recommended options will see Windows 10 appear on their screens, possibly without their full understanding of the situation.

I find this sneaky, aggressive, underhanded, and duplicitous. And that’s for starters. So I’ve set my computer to never download updates without my permission. Sure, I have to check from time to time and manually tell Microsoft what I want and don’t want. But at least I’m in charge of the decision.