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Windows 10 Upgrade Reportedly Starting Automatically On Windows 7 PCs (softpedia.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the do-you-want-the-following-program-to-make-changes-to-this-computer dept.

An anonymous reader writes: Many users have confirmed in the comment section of a popular reddit post that "Windows 7 computers are being reported as automatically starting the Windows 10 upgrade without permission." It's no secret that Microsoft wants users to upgrade to their new OS. Earlier in the year, Windows 10 was set as a 'recommended update' so when you install new security or bug patches, the new OS is selected by default as well. Terry Myerson, head of the OS group at Microsoft, warned users about the possibility of the OS automatically installing. "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," he said. Whether or not the recent outcry is caused from users forgetting to deselect the Windows 10 upgrade in the update list or Microsoft updating Windows 7 PCs without users' permission, the good news is that you have 30 days to downgrade to the previous version of the OS.

13 of 370 comments (clear)

  1. Will Someone Please! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Will someone please sue these fuckers!

    Please?

    1. Re:Will Someone Please! by JSG · · Score: 5, Interesting

      "Will someone please sue these fuckers!"

      In the UK there is something called the Small Claims Court which is designed for, well, small claims. It costs very little to get into and involves magistrates (IIRC). The fees are here https://www.gov.uk/make-court-.... Lawyers are generally frowned upon as I recall because it is a form of arbitration between reasonable people.

      It might not sound very exciting but you claim for your costs for reinstating your system after it was broken. So if you do it yourself, you might price your time at say £20 per hour (reasonable) or you might hire outside help at say £30ph. It will take say five hours to find and copy all your data off to a USB disc that you had to buy at say £80 plus the two hours trip to town. Then you have to restore your system from source - let's say you still have a Windows restore partition - that will take a good two hours. Then you have to patch it - another five hours. Reinstall your apps - another five hours.

      So 5*20 + 80 + 2*20 + 2*20 + 5*20 + 5*20 = 17*20 + 80 = £420 minimum

      That's for someone who knows what they are doing and are being reasonable. For an IT duffer then the £30+ph is more likely because they will need professional help (receipts please).

      The whole point of this is that MS (if they really are pushing forced installs) will end up with some form of court judgment against them and you will get recompense. The SCC is not a get rich quick scheme. It is designed as an easy to use and cheap way of reclaiming monies. It has worked very well for me and some friends in the past. In one case the threat of SCC was enough to make a very, very large multi-national do the right thing because of the fact that the SCC is a serious court and a judgement against you can look a bit shit (especially when publicised.)

      Now, if after restoring your system it does yet another win 10 breakage then you can always do it all again. If a few 1000 people do this it could be interesting.

      I am making a big assumption here which is that you will probably have to persuade the magistrates that your system was broken by MS's automatic "update". You would have to make a formal claim to MS first requesting payment for your time. You would also have to demonstrate that they refused to comply.

      Worth a crack though

      Cheers
      Jon

  2. Witnessed it personally by ArchieBunker · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Showed up for work last Monday and saw one box had switched over even after telling the nag screens NO. I had to do the uninstall because we have software that does not work properly under 10. I can't recommend GWX Control Panel enough. It removes all signs of 10 and even the 4Gb of files it downloads without telling you.

    --
    Only the State obtains its revenue by coercion. - Murray Rothbard
  3. This is the newer, software Microsoft?! by surfdaddy · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I'm running the GWX control panel so hopefully that will prevent this.
    I'm running Win10 on my secondary laptop and while it's nice, it doesn't add any features I find important, and I really don't like my OS becoming an advertising program. It nags me to buy the latest version of Office (which I don't need or want). Lord knows what else MS has in store in the future.
    I'm thinking that Linux desktop or a Mac are in my future once Win7 support runs out in a few years. I'm not going to be coerced into an ad program by Microsoft.

  4. SubjectIsSubject by p0p0 · · Score: 5, Informative

    My grandma accidentally updated to Windows 10 from 7 because of their shifty practises. My dad called me to say that everything on my grandmas computer "was different" and no one had changed everything.
    She has mild alzheimer's and forgets short-term so we can have the same conversation 3-4 times in an hour (which gives you lots of time to prepare an answer), so she forgot she had clicked okay when Windows Update had asked to upgrade. I'm glad I'd gone around when I had because there was only a week left before the change was irreversible.Thanks for the timebomb, douchebags
    I would have left it. She does nothing on the computer besides Facebook and Solitaire but the performance was awful. All these new features and crap were beyond her realm. I downgraded her and found a tool that hides/deletes all the Windows 10 update crap so it wouldn't happen again.

    She got hit by ransomware last week despite only using Facebook. I reckon it was one of those inescapable ads that warn you you're infected then proceed to catch you in a "Ok/Cancel" loop where Cancel just opens a new prompt.

    She has nothing on that computer so I just nuked the drive and stuck Linux Mint on there and with some themes and such she can't tell the difference.
    Year of the Linux Desktop amiright?

  5. Thom Hartmann show live stream went down... by KaLeVR1 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The Thom Hartmann syndicated radio show got a rude introduction to Microsoft's new upgrade policy yesterday when their YouTube live stream server went offline and started upgrading while they were on the air. Thom Hartmann was freaking out and asking if listeners could help them switch to Ubuntu. They simulcast on terrestrial radio, Siriusxm, YouTube, and Free Speech TV. Hartmann was updating viewers on the upgrade completion percentage because viewers were complaining about losing their feed. He was livid but what can one do at that point?

    --
    Peace, K1
  6. Re:EULA by rudy_wayne · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I wonder what happens if you don't accept the end-user license agreement. Surely it must ask for acceptance before it does anything.

    I just read an article yesterday which recommended exact;y this as a way to deal with the problem. Just don't accept the EULA and Windows 10 won't be installed.

  7. Re:Either Incompetent or Malicious. Or Both. by Lead+Butthead · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Either Incompetent or Malicious. Or Both.

    Whichever applies, you should uninstall this Windows-thing crap immediately.

    First time, I can accept incompetent. The second, the third and the forth? Hello? Are you fucking kidding me?

    --
    ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI!?
  8. The real solution by sjames · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I see a bunch of advice about how to jump through multiple flaming hoops to stay with Windows 7. Each works for a while and then MS sends out a new load of malware to again corrupt your PC. So here's the question:

    WHY THE HELL ARE YOU NOT MIGRATING TO SOMETHING ELSE??!!!?

    Just leave him. The abuse will not stop!

  9. Unconscionable Contract by ytene · · Score: 5, Interesting

    What Microsoft have done with the W7 to W10 upgrade is equivalent to taking your car into a dealership for a routine service, except that when you get it back, you find that it's been turned into a mobile advertising platform, it has the words "Taxi" painted down the side and, even better, Microsoft get the income from rides you are now required to give to advertisers... In legal terms that's an "unconscionable contract", meaning a deal that is *so* one-sided that it is unfair to one party and therefore unenforceable under the law. Microsoft are simply better that most of their users are too stupid to realise that they have become the product.

  10. Re:Wondering the same thing. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Being in the EULA doesn't make it automatically legal. You can write stuff like "By pressing AGREE you AGREE to give us a million dollars, your wife, and all your future earnings" , but no court will see it as a binding agreement. The only legal stuff in the EULA is things like copying and reselling softare, trademarks, things like that. Most of those are already made law so the EULA is more like a reminder that these laws exist, not that the EULA magically allows any laws that the company wants to make true for their own benefit.

  11. Re:Wondering the same thing. by Greyfox · · Score: 5, Funny

    You agree to Microsoft's dick in your ass when you buy one of their products. It's in their EULA. Microsoft may at any time install any random shit on your computer. And also put their dick in your ass. Totally legal. Everyone was all like "Well I guess I don't mind some dick in my ass as long as I can still play my games."

    --

    I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?

  12. Re:Wondering the same thing. by Nunya666 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's in the EULA

    Citation needed.

    Please show us the EULA from Win7 that gives M$ permission to shove Win10 down our throats.

    After all, we did pay for Win7, so we have the right to use it as long as we want to.