Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users have been experiencing an aggressive push from Microsoft to upgrade to Windows 10. Microsoft recently confirmed the end of the free upgrade offer will happen at the end of July 2016. The company is making one last ditch effort to get users on the latest release. After July 29th of this year, the Windows 10 Upgrade will still be available, but you’ll have to pay for it.
Today, Microsoft published a Knowledge Base article (KB3095675) with information about the changes in the Windows 10 Upgrade Notification. The report details instructions how to manage, schedule, and disable the upgrade.
Microsoft Guides Users for Cancelling Automatic Upgrade to Windows 10
We have already covered some of the information discussed in the article, which describes how to use the Get Windows 10 app (GWX) itself to disable the upgrade. Since then, modifications have been made to GWX, and it is more verbose about when it will happen. This still does not necessarily give users the peace of mind that they can safely opt-out of the upgrade, though.
You may have received a notification (like the pop-up screen shown here) about upgrading your PC to Windows 10.
This notification means your Windows 10 upgrade will occur at the time indicated, unless you select either Upgrade now or “Click here to change upgrade schedule or cancel scheduled upgrade”. If you click on OK or on the red “X”, you’re all set for the upgrade and there is nothing further to do.
When you close this pop up, your PC will upgrade at the scheduled time. Based on customer feedback, in the most recent version of the Get Windows 10 (GWX) app, we confirm the time of your scheduled upgrade and provide you an additional opportunity for cancelling or rescheduling the upgrade. Source
Part of the reason why Windows 10 is installing without consent, is due to changes in delivery over Windows Update. Instead of an optional upgrade, Windows 10 is now provided as a Recommended Update. Users can manually modify this setting by opening Control Panel, Windows Update, Change settings then uncheck Give me recommended updates the same way I receive important updates.
With less than three months to go, users need to consider seriously if they want to pass up on the free offer. At the end of July 2016. If you decide you want to upgrade, you will have to pay $119 for the Home version or $199 for Pro. Windows 10, so far, is off to a great start, with 300 million systems already running the OS since its launch last year.
I have committed to upgrade. A lot of the severe bugs in Windows 10 have been ironed out over the past nine months. This is due to constant updates on a near weekly basis. The Anniversary Update expected this summer refines Windows 10 even more, but only users who have already upgraded will get the update for free.
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Laurence Frishman
May 20, 2016 at 7:38 am
I’ve been trying to update my Lumia 640 for a long time but I keep getting put off by Microsoft with the excuse that they’re working on the issue with my carrier — Cricket. Am I going to be allowed to upgrade for free?
Nukecity
May 20, 2016 at 5:26 pm
If you elect the free upgrade and your hard drive should fail later down the road, can you reinstall Win 10 with the Product Key like you could with Win 7 or 8? I’d like to see an article on how to restore Win 10 to a new hard drive if you elected to upgrade to Win10 during the free period.
Andre Da Costa
May 21, 2016 at 1:15 pm
You don’t even need to use your product key.
When you upgraded from a previous version of Windows, what happened is the hardware (your PC) will get a digital entitlement, where a unique signature of the computer will be stored on Microsoft Activation Servers. The Windows 7 or Windows 8 genuine license you were previously running will be exchanged for a diagnostics key.
Anytime you need to reinstall Windows 10 on that machine, just proceed to reinstall Windows 10. It will automatically reactivate.
So, there is no need to know or get a product key, if you need to reinstall Windows 10, you can use your Windows 7 or Windows 8 product key or use the reset function in Windows 10.
thom r
May 22, 2016 at 10:15 am
If you get GWX console, you’ll also stop GWX.
Nukecity
May 22, 2016 at 3:04 pm
Thanks Andre, but how can I reinstall Win 10 since I never received a CD of the software? I upgraded from Win 8 Pro, for which I have the installation CD. If I have to install a brand new drive, will the install of Win 8 Pro automatically initiate the Win 10 upgrade?
Andre Da Costa
May 22, 2016 at 9:27 pm
Review:
https://www.groovypost.com/howto/windows-10-iso-download/
then
https://www.groovypost.com/howto/create-windows-10-bootable-usb-flash-drive/
Joseph cullen
November 4, 2016 at 10:22 am
I have windows 10 on my laptop. Lately there is a W10 update that keeps trying to install on my system. It goes through all of the process including several restarts but when it is all done after the final restart then it does not start. I get this black window with the little whirligig thing going round in circles. When I shut it down and then start up it continues trying as before with no success. When I shut it down a second time then on start up it gives a message that it is reverting to my previous version. All of this takes hours and drives me mad.
Joseph
Jack Rock
May 27, 2017 at 7:43 am
I don’t want to up grade. How can I stop it!