Is Win 10 Upgrade Still Free?

[ameerat42]

NOTE: This is for info only and perhaps discussion. It is NOT meant as a recommendation.

Over on DPR, a user said he upgraded for free from Win 7 to Win 10 about 2 months ago. - That's 2 years after official
free upgrades were stopped by MS.

The link provided was this one: https://www.zdnet.com/article/heres-...ws-10-upgrade/

Does anybody here know about this?

[Bianca]

I read about this somewhere else as well, but also haven't tried it. I was really, really tempted when Adobe told me I had to upgrade....but then the updates went through anyway, so I had a big sigh of relief and stopped worrying about it. I really dread the thought of Windows 10, but unless I go to the Apple side of things, I'm going to have to bite the bullet eventually. Perhaps with a new computer...

[ameerat42]

Fair enough, Bianca. If it still works and is web-safe, you might as well stick with Win 7.
I did take the opportunity to upgrade back when it was free. I suppose the day will come
when SW Coys force you to take a ride on the upgrade make-you-go-round.

[MrQ]

Windows 10 is great - as long as you check all the privacy and security settings (and double check after every major update). Windows 7 is also fine though, and if it's working for you then don't worry too much. For anyone who's stuck with Windows 8... upgrade ASAP!

[ricktas]

Windows 10 is great - as long as you check all the privacy and security settings (and double check after every major update). Windows 7 is also fine though, and if it's working for you then don't worry too much. For anyone who's stuck with Windows 8... upgrade ASAP!

I agree. I have three machines running windows 10 and I find it the most stable version of windows ever and quite snappy.

[Mark L]

..... I really dread the thought of Windows 10, but unless I go to the Apple side of things, I'm going to have to bite the bullet eventually. Perhaps with a new computer...

We got Windows 10 with a new computer a while back. Don't dread as it works well. There's a few adjustments easily figured.
Biggest problem with the upgrade for me was my dear partner. She looses it if things don't work how they used to. Pretty funny how stressed she got and how simple the explanation was.

[Tannin]

Windows 10 is great - as long as you check all the privacy and security settings (and double check after every major update). Windows 7 is also fine though, and if it's working for you then don't worry too much. For anyone who's stuck with Windows 8... upgrade ASAP!

Certainly not!

Windows 8 / 8.1 is technically the best of all Windows versions. It is vastly faster than Windows 7 and somewhat faster than the bloated Windows 10. It is the last Windows version which puts you, the user, in charge. Unlike 10, 8/8.1 gives you full control of updates, for example. 10 shoves them down your throat, usually at the most inconvenient possible moment. In many other ways, Win 10 treats you with contempt: you do things the Microsoft way or go hang. And like Windows 7, 8.1 is ultra-reliable. Updates don't break things. It just works.

Setting aside the tiny minority of broken programs which actually require Win 10, the ONLY thing against Windows 8.1 is the user interface from Hell, and this is the easiest thing in the world to fix. There are many options, but Classic Shell is the benchmark. It takes 30 seconds to install and only ever has to be done once. Then you have your free choice of user interfaces: with a single click you can set the horrid Windows 8 interface to act like Win 7, Win XP, even Win 98 if that is your choice. And any small thing you don't like, just change it.

Windows 8.1 with Classic Shell and a few other little tweaks is the nearest thing to a perfect operating system Microsoft have ever made.

Cold dead hands. Cold dead hands.

[Bianca]

Tannin, that's what I've read, too. The lack of control over your own computer that you have with Windows 10 would annoy me. And the constant advertising and suggestions.

I read the other day that a Windows 10 update actually deleted user files if they weren't in their default directories. That's just.....expletives deleted!

Anyway... I'll avoid upgrading long as I can, too.

[ameerat42]

You could, perhaps, substitute the expostulation "probably baloney" for your deleted expletive.
Did the person explain what this meant? I can only imagine the likes of a program installed other
than in one of the Program folders, but I have not found anything happening to my several of
these after an update. I'd be interested to know what the problem really was - apart from the
possibility of "User Error "

As for the timing of updates, it's usually when you shut down. (At least I can't think of any exceptions.)

[Bianca]

Ameerat, this article talks about it: https://www.ghacks.net/2018/10/20/wi...ta-loss-issue/

The author has been writing about Windows and other software for years. I find him pretty reliable and not a sensationalist.

If you look at his Windows articles list, you can see there have been various problems with Windows 10 updates recently.

[Bianca]

Ameerat, this article talks about it: https://www.ghacks.net/2018/10/20/wi...ta-loss-issue/

The author has been writing about Windows and other software for years. I find him pretty reliable and not a sensationalist.

If you look at his Windows articles list, you can see there have been various problems with Windows 10 updates recently.

And then I just now opened this article which talks of yet more dramas: https://www.alphr.com/microsoft/micr...tallations?amp

[ricktas]

Tannin, that's what I've read, too. The lack of control over your own computer that you have with Windows 10 would annoy me. And the constant advertising and suggestions.

I read the other day that a Windows 10 update actually deleted user files if they weren't in their default directories. That's just.....expletives deleted!

Anyway... I'll avoid upgrading long as I can, too.

I have never seen ads or suggestions (what are they?) on any of my windows 10 machines??

Yes ads on websites, where the website serves them up, but not as part of Win 10. So bit confused about what people are seeing or think they will see?

[Bianca]

I have never seen ads or suggestions (what are they?) on any of my windows 10 machines??

Yes ads on websites, where the website serves them up, but not as part of Win 10. So bit confused about what people are seeing or think they will see?

I'm not talking about in Chrome or Firefox on the web - I have blockers for those. I'm talking about within the start bar and lock screen and so on. I remember seeing some of this on friends' PCs.

Here's an article that talks about how to get rid of all the advertising Windows 10 pushes on you: https://www.howtogeek.com/269331/how...n-advertising/

I shouldn't have to do all that.

[ricktas]

I'm not talking about in Chrome or Firefox on the web - I have blockers for those. I'm talking about within the start bar and lock screen and so on. I remember seeing some of this on friends' PCs.

Here's an article that talks about how to get rid of all the advertising Windows 10 pushes on you: https://www.howtogeek.com/269331/how...n-advertising/

I shouldn't have to do all that.

And that is what I am talking about. I have never seen those...ever! So my guess is that people do not read the screens as they do the install and choose to either tick or not remove a tick from boxes during the install process that then leaves them seeing ads. I have never..ever.. seen an ad in the status bar, lock screen etc. So if people are to damn stupid to read the options and choose appropriately. then that is user error not Win 10 fault.

[Bianca]

And that is what I am talking about. I have never seen those...ever! So my guess is that people do not read the screens as they do the install and choose to either tick or not remove a tick from boxes during the install process that then leaves them seeing ads. I have never..ever.. seen an ad in the status bar, lock screen etc. So if people are to damn stupid to read the options and choose appropriately. then that is user error not Win 10 fault.

Having never installed Windows 10, I don't know if it's really just a matter of reading the screens and ticking/unticking boxes during the install process. But I don't think you should have to opt out of being advertised to by your operating system. It should not be part of the OS at all, even optionally. Especially if you've paid for it!

[ricktas]

Having never installed Windows 10, I don't know if it's really just a matter of reading the screens and ticking/unticking boxes during the install process. But I don't think you should have to opt out of being advertised to by your operating system. It should not be part of the OS at all, even optionally. Especially if you've paid for it!

Except Windows 10 was free.. and apparently still can be gotten for free.

Sorry, but I see no difference between this and any other software you get for free. Most contain ads. Even AP has ads, because the site costs money to maintain (hosting costs, licences etc).

[ameerat42]

Ameerat, this article talks about it: https://www.ghacks.net/2018/10/20/wi...ta-loss-issue/

The author has been writing about Windows and other software for years. I find him pretty reliable and not a sensationalist.

If you look at his Windows articles list, you can see there have been various problems with Windows 10 updates recently.

Yes. I can say I have seen this phenomenon. - You go to highlight some files to be copied to another location, then go to that location and
click "Paste", and find you get that message. I can't say when it occurred, but within the last month or so. Of course, on checking, I found
the files were actually there. I couldn't "figger rit out " at the time.

Today I was doing the same just before I logged on here again (like about <10min from this post) and this did not happen again.
Maybe it has been fixed

I have never seen the second issue - ads on screen - that you mentioned - that I can remember
Maybe I switched it off ages ago - like in the Win 8.x manifestation, but I don't know. Of the 3 machines I
have running on Win 10, I have not seen this one. Perhaps it is a proclivity of the brandware installed, for
example, some annoying alerts about installed apps pop up on a Toshiba we use in the house, but...

However, it's good to be apprised of these possibilities, so ta for that.

[Bianca]

Except Windows 10 was free.. and apparently still can be gotten for free.

Sorry, but I see no difference between this and any other software you get for free. Most contain ads. Even AP has ads, because the site costs money to maintain (hosting costs, licences etc).

Yes, I agree, if the software is free and not open source, you kind of expect to be advertised to. But not all versions of Windows 10 were/are free, though all are affected. "It doesn't matter if you moved to Windows 10 using the free upgrade offer, it came pre-loaded on a new device, or you paid $200 for a copy of Windows 10 Pro (or $120 for a copy of Windows 10 Home), you'll see ads everywhere — on the Lock screen, Start menu, Action Center, Cortana, etc." - quoted from here: https://www.windowscentral.com/how-r...ing-windows-10

Anyway, I'm glad you don't have to see them on any of the PCs you see.

- - - Updated - - -

Yes. I can say I have seen this phenomenon. - You go to highlight some files to be copied to another location, then go to that location and
click "Paste", and find you get that message. I can't say when it occurred, but within the last month or so. Of course, on checking, I found
the files were actually there. I couldn't "figger rit out " at the time.

Today I was doing the same just before I logged on here again (like about <10min from this post) and this did not happen again.
Maybe it has been fixed

I have never seen the second issue - ads on screen - that you mentioned - that I can remember
Maybe I switched it off ages ago - like in the Win 8.x manifestation, but I don't know. Of the 3 machines I
have running on Win 10, I have not seen this one. Perhaps it is a proclivity of the brandware installed, for
example, some annoying alerts about installed apps pop up on a Toshiba we use in the house, but...

However, it's good to be apprised of these possibilities, so ta for that.

Yes, they have fixed it in the meantime, Ameerat. And it didn't affect everybody or there would've been more of an outcry, I'd imagine.

Glad you don't see any ads or suggestions (eg Get Office) either.

[gcflora]

I've never seen one single ad on a Windows 10 computer (not from Windows 10 anyway). If people are seeing ads they must have enabled something or installed something because Windows 10 doesn't serve ads. I've never seen one anyhow. It sounds like FUD to me. Edit: maybe the ads are on pirated versions of win10

[ricktas]

Glad you don't see any ads or suggestions (eg Get Office) either.

OK, now I understand what you meant by 'suggestions' earlier. I havent used Office in years. I use a suite called LibreOffice (free). I can also confirm that I have not see a suggestion on any of my Win10 machines either, now I know what they are.

Interesting discussion that some seem to have issues with ads and more in Win10, but others of us have no idea what the issues are because even though we are using Win10 we haven't seen these. I wonder if this stuff is pre-packaged by certain manufacturers? Basically like the spamware /gameware that some manufacturers include when you get a new computer, rather than something inherent to Win10 in all instances. Otherwise why would some of us not be seeing this, unless as I said earlier, if you read the questions during install and make sure you select/deselect as appropriate during install?

I recall adobe flash updates used to include mcafee by default. Used to annoy me no end that I had to make sure to untick to install that along with a flash update, but untick it, i did, every time. However so many people just do not read what is on the screen and just click next without really taking the time to ensure they know what clicking next really means. It has been a while since I installed Win10, but I do recall clicking a few things and declining a few things during the install and 'first run' because I read what I am clicking next for. So maybe I just chose the right install options that mean I don't get the ads and suggestions. And if I can do it, so can everyone else.