When Microsoft rolled out its free upgrade to new Windows 10 back on July 29, 2015 – free for Windows 7 and 8.1 users only – it said the free upgrades would be available for just one year. Not everyone believed that, especially as Microsoft got more and more aggressive in pushing Win 10, stealthily downloading the upgrade files to computers, installing Windows Updates whose sole purpose seemed to be to pop up reminders about Windows 10, and even providing Windows Updates designed to start the Win 10 upgrade process, whether users requested it or not.
But now Microsoft says it will keep its word and, after July 29, 2016, will not offer the free upgrade to Windows 10. Anyone who wants to upgrade starting July 30th will have to pay $119 for the Win 10 Home edition – no mention made yet of the editions used by businesses.
And what’s more, Microsoft will stop nagging you to upgrade your Windows 7 and 8.1 computers to Win 10, disabling and eventually removing the annoying “Get Windows 10” app. Just as the nagware didn’t appear on all computers at the same time, it will take time for Microsoft to make it completely disappear, so until then, you can use one of the two free and safe utilities we told you about earlier this year to stop the Win 10 “reminders.”
I hate to sound cynical (moi?), but Microsoft announcing the end of free upgrades does sound like a little bit of marketing push, like car dealers advertising they must make way for new inventory, or the phony – and illegal – “Going Out Of Business” ploy made infamous by New York City tourist traps. Microsoft claims 300 million devices on Windows 10 now – computers, tablets, and phones – but that includes new devices, not just upgrades from Win 7 and 8.1. So at least a billion more to go!
You still have to option of installing the free upgrade before July 29th, and if you don’t like it, you have 30 days to roll it back, although that’s sometimes unsuccessful. And of course most new computers now come with Windows 10, but with models designed for business, you can get one with an installed “downgrade” to Windows 7, which Microsoft will support until January 14, 2020. Windows 8.1 will be supported until 2023.
One word of warning, though. If you have a new PC with an Intel Skylake processor, Microsoft is ending support and non-critical updates for Windows 7 and 8.1 on those computers on July 17, 2018, although “critical” updates will be continued until 2020 and 2023 respectively. Skylake processors are usually known as “6th Generation Intel Core” processors in the desktops and laptops.
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