Windows 10 upgrades getting scheduled, whether you like it or not

If you thought getting reminded to upgrade your TV studio's computers to Windows 10, right in the middle of a weather report, was the worst, things are about to get hairier. Good news: you might no longer get a reminder to upgrade before the world ends on July 29. The bad news: that's because Microsoft is now automatically scheduling the upgrade on its own, without the user's knowledge and whether they like it or not. And if they've held out as long as this, chances are, they don't.

Microsoft's urgency to have people upgrade to Windows 10 ASAP is understandable from a business perspective but deplorable in almost everything else. From constant nagging to automatic scheduling of updates, Windows 10 has been plagued by complaints about such invasive control over users' decisions. Sure, Windows 10 has a lot going for it too, but sometimes people tend to see the warts more than any other thing.

To be fair, Microsoft already takes this kind of stance with Windows 10 security and feature updates since Windows 10 first rolled out. Such updates happen regularly and get downloaded behind the scense without user intervention or consent. All that users can really do is to schedule when the computer restarts if necessary, and sometimes even that Microsoft takes into its hands.

But a whole OS upgrade is different story, as that sometimes can end up breaking some computers due to incompatible or broken drivers. And not everyone has bought into the whole Windows 10 promise just yet. Those still on the fence, however, have little time left to decide, as the free upgrade to Windows 10 ends on July 29.

It's not entirely bleak, however. You still have the option to reschedule or even indefinitely delay the update. If you do so all the way to July 29, Microsoft will no longer bug you about it. That only works, however, if you actually catch the upgrade before it happens. At least the upgrade is usually scheduled in the dead of night, when Windows determines you are less likely to be using you computer. You will, instead, be greeted next day either by a shiny new Windows 10 or a broken install. Talk about a rude awakening.

VIA: Tom's Hardware