Windows 10 Upgrade Become More Creepy, No Option to Opt-Out

If you are running Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 and have no plans to switch to Windows 10, then Microsoft could force you to install Windows 10, making it harder for you to cancel or opt-out of upgrading.

Note: Above image has been photoshopped, but the original screenshot taken by Windows users is given below.

Reports are circulating that some Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users are claiming that the latest Windows 10 OS has begun to automatically install itself on their PCs.

According to complaints by users, Windows Update screen is only offering them the option to either:

• Start the upgrade process, or
• Reschedule the upgrade for a later date

Other users are finding that the dialog boxes they are presented display a message saying that the "Upgrade to Windows 10 is Ready," and prompting users to "Restart your PC to begin the installation."

The issue actually resided in the Windows Update process. Microsoft has listed Windows 10 as an "Optional" update, and normally these updates are unticked, meaning a user has to manually check them to install the OS – it shouldn't be installed automatically.

Also Read: Here's How to Stop Windows 7 or 8 from Downloading Windows 10 Automatically

However, Microsoft mistakenly checked these updates while listing them, which results in automatically installing Windows 10 on some computers running Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1.

When reached out to Microsoft, the company said that the issue occurred with an optional update in Windows Update that was checked by default. Microsoft has now acknowledged the issue and reverted the checkbox, calling it "a mistake."

Mistake? Oh Really?

Here's the full official statement provided by Microsoft's spokesperson to Ars:

"As part of our effort to bring Windows 10 to existing genuine Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 customers, the Windows 10 upgrade may appear as an optional update in the Windows Update (WU) control panel. This is an intuitive and trusted place people go to find Recommended and Optional updates to Windows. In the recent Windows update, this option was checked as default; this was a mistake, and we are removing the check."

Just last month, Microsoft was caught downloading the Windows 10 installer files – large gigabytes in size – to Windows 7 and Windows 8 users, even without their knowledge.

Now this recent so-called mistake by Microsoft shows that how much the company is desperate to bring Windows 7 and Windows 8 users onto Windows 10, but there is a fine line between desperation and trust which the company has crossed many times.

How to disable upgrade of Windows 10

I you are a Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 user, who don't want to upgrade to Windows 10 now or anytime soon, you might be sick of Microsoft constantly pestering you to upgrade your OS.

Aren't you?

With its goal to deploy Windows 10 on over 1 Billion devices worldwide, Microsoft is becoming more aggressive to convince Windows 7 and 8.1 users to upgrade to its newest operating system, and it is getting harder for users to prevent the OS being installed.

But if you're worried that this out of control Windows 10 upgrade process will force you into downloading an unwanted OS; I have an easier solution to block Windows 10 upgrade on your PCs.

A new free tool, dubbed Never10, provides the user a one-click solution to disable Windows 10 upgrade until the user explicitly gives permission to install Windows 10.

Never10 has been developed by Steve Gibson, the well-known software developer and founder of Gibson Research, which is why the tool is also known as "Gibson's Never10."

How to Disable Windows 10 Upgrade on Your PCs

1. Go to Gibson's Never10 official site and click on the Download.
2. Once downloaded, the program detects if the upgrade to Windows 10 is enabled or disabled on your system and then shows a pop-up. If enabled, Click 'Disable Win10 Upgrade' button.
3. You’ll again see a pop-up that now shows Windows 10 upgrade is disabled on your system, with two buttons to 'Enable Win10 Upgrade' and 'Exit.' Click on Exit button.

That's it, and you have successfully disabled Windows 10 Upgrade on your PC.

Here's the kicker:

The best part of this tool is that you don't have to install an application on your PC to do this. Gibson’s Never 10 is an executable. So you just need to run it, and it doesn’t install anything on your computer. You can delete it when you're done.

"The elegance of this 'Never 10' utility is that it does not install ANY software of its own. It simply and quickly performs the required system editing for its user," Gibson writes on his page about the new utility.

According to Gibson, Never10 will be a great help to inexperienced users while advanced users will likely appreciate the fact that no additional software is installed and will be able to refer their family and friends to this easy-to-use utility.

For more technical details on how this tool works, you can head on to this link.

Unlike other available Windows 10 blocker tools, Never10 blocks the Windows 10 upgrade, but at the same time, the tool allows you to start the update process in case you change your mind, according to Windows watcher Paul Thurrott.

However, the primary purpose of Gibson's Never10 is to prevent Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 operating system from being upgraded to Windows 10. As Gibson says:

"Many users of Windows 7 and 8.1 are happy with their current version of Windows and have no wish to upgrade to Windows 10." 

"There are many reasons for this, but among them is the fact that Windows 10 has become quite controversial due to Microsoft's evolution of their Windows OS platform into a service which, among other things, aggressively monitors and reports on its users' activities."

Moreover, just a month ago, Microsoft was caught displaying unsolicited advertisements on its Windows 10 users' desktops.

These reasons are enough for many users to stay on their previous versions of the Windows operating system.