Windows 10 Becomes A Recommended Update For Windows 7 And 8.1 Users As Microsoft Stops Making It Free

Microsoft announced that Windows 10 has become a recommended update for Windows users. Windows 10 will no longer be a required update for users to upgrade to. Although some users have encountered problems with the new operating system, Windows 10 surpassed both Windows XP and 8.1 in terms of the number of users who now use the operating system. Windows 7 still has the most number of users.

Beta News reported Microsoft has been accused of pushing Windows 10 ^[1] on users, and users complained that it was being automatically downloaded to their computers without their permission. Microsoft sought to silence critics' accusations that Microsoft is forcing the new operating systems on users.

In a statement released by Microsoft, their spokesperson said the following.

"As we shared in late October on the Windows Blog, we are committed to making it easy for our Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 customers to upgrade to Windows 10. We updated the upgrade experience today to help our customers, who previously reserved their upgrade, schedule a time for their upgrade to take place."

Although Microsoft's change to their offer isn't out of the blue, it may catch some Windows users off guard. Users still have the option to upgrade to Windows 10, and if they decide to revert to either Windows 7 or 8.1, they have a 31-day grace period to make the change. This change may still be made regardless of whether the update is accidental or not. Users may still see this as an aggressive move on the part of Microsoft.

As previously reported in The Inquisitr, Windows 10 ^[2] left a lot to be desired when it came to the privacy settings within the software. Microsoft set the software to automatically default to recording the keystrokes users make. For Windows 10 users who are unhappy with these settings, they have the option to set the privacy and security settings within Windows to a more restrictive setting.

Microsoft starts pushing Windows 10 as recommended update. via /r/sysadmin https://t.co/fSXilYhZhN pic.twitter.com/HGUqE7lNsi ^[3]^[4]

— Besmir Zanaj (@besmirzanaj) February 2, 2016 ^[5]

For those who are having problems with Windows 10, PC World offered five different fixes ^[6] to help users troubleshoot the operating system and fix any problems they may be having. Updating Windows on a regular basis applies bug fixes and patches security holes to protect users from having problems or facing attacks. One of the biggest problems is that Windows 10 doesn't update regularly the way it should.

To solve these problems, there are several tools that can be used to fix Windows 10. The first tool to use is Microsoft's Troubleshooter. Although it rarely works, it's simple and it's worth trying. Users can download, install, and run the Windows Diagnostic to check for problems. Even if this tool doesn't fix the problem, it may provide information users can use to search the web and find a fix.

Your main base in @TheDivisionGame Beta is the same building we did our Windows 10 devices event in Oct. https://t.co/4BMq4DmgRz ^[7]^[8]

— Larry Hryb (@majornelson) February 1, 2016 ^[9]

If the software is corrupted or severely damaged, System Restore can be used to fix the problem. There are two ways to do it. The first is to do a complete system restore and set Windows back to the default. This erases all files and software previously installed on the system and requires the user to once again install any Windows 10 updates that were previously released.

The other way to use System Restore is to simply restore the operating system without removing files and programs that were installed. Programs will need to be reinstalled, but it preserves all user files. Keeping a back up of all files before there is a problem can help users avoid losing crucial data.

Other potential fixes for Windows 10 that may help are to scan for malware. This is less invasive than doing System Restore. Users may also consider installing Windows from scratch or try restoring from an image of the system back up if one is available.

[Photo by Wallpapers Pal]