A number of users with  Windows 7 and 8 based computers might have noticed Microsoft recent attempts to persuade them to upgrade their computers to Windows 10, in recent months. This included, briefly in October last year, an attempt to make Windows 10 a recommended update in Windows Update, a move from which Microsoft backed off shortly after. However at some point “early this year” Microsoft apparently intends to move the update to Windows 10 back to a recommended update, which means if you are using a Windows 7 or 8 based computer, you’re likely to find yourself prompted to start the upgrade without much choice.

The good news is there are some ways around this. I unfortunately can’t go into too much specifics because 1) It’s a little more involved than what the average computer user normally deals with and 2) the workarounds have been evolving and still are, as Microsoft changes its approach to persuade users to go ahead with the upgrade. But if you are in a position where you need help or coaching through this, I can be of help.

One other thing to be aware of is that if you have gone ahead and upgraded to Windows 10 and it has been less than 31 days since you did it, there is a way to revert back, if you so wish, to the earlier version of Windows you had installed. This is an easier task than the one in the paragraph above so here’s a brief how-to you can follow:

Open the Start menu and select Settings. Click the “Update & security” icon and select “Recovery.” You should see a “Go back to Windows 7” or “Go back to Windows 8.1” option. Click the Get started button to get rid of your Windows 10 install and restore your previous Windows install.

Then contact me if you need help making sure the update back to Windows 10 doesn’t happen again.