Microsoft to change Windows 10 upgrade process to expand adoption

Microsoft outlines details on its plans to get everyone upgraded to Windows 10, even non-Genuine customers.

Terry Myerson and Joe Belfiore taking Windows 10 questions

Microsoft outlines its plan to continue upgrading computers to Windows 10. On a new article at the Windows Blog, Terry Myerson, head of the Windows team, shed some light on how the company will continue expanding Windows 10 to more users, now that millions of computers have gone through the reservation process.

In the past, Microsoft has been using a notification in the taskbar to help users reserve a free copy of Windows 10, but this system to deliver the operating system wasn’t exactly well received by many users. Now, if you’re not interested in upgrading, the company is adding the ability to turn off the “Get Windows 10” app notification.

The software giant also explains that after 110 million installs, reservation “is no longer relevant”. This means that moving forward if you “reserve” a copy of Windows 10, the upgrade process will begin immediately, and before the upgrade happens “you will be clearly prompted to choose whether to continue”.

In a very near future, Microsoft is also planning to roll out Windows 10 as an “Optional Update” in Windows Update for every Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 customers that have updates enabled.

Early next year, the new operating system will be categorized as a “Recommended Update”. This means that upon your Windows Update settings, the installation files will download automatically and trigger the update. However, the upgrade process won’t continue without your explicit permission.

In any case, Microsoft will give you 31 days to roll back to your previous version of Windows. The operating system leverage the ability to roll back, by saving a copy of your previous installation on your computer under the “Windows.old” folder, if at any time you feel that Windows 10 isn’t for you, you can revert to the previous version by going to Settings > Update & security > Recovery and click “Uninstall Windows 10”.

For users who like to perform a clean install using the bootable media, soon there will be an updated version of the Media Creation Tool to create DVD ISOs and USB flash drive that contains a single image with Windows 10 Pro and Windows 10 Home, and with the option for 32- or 64-bit versions.

Another good news is that starting next month, the company will be publishing more information about the changes included in new cumulative updates, “and improving scheduling options for when updates are installed”.

Finally, Microsoft says that it’s planning to introduce a new approach to help non-Genuine Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users to upgrade with a “one-click opportunity to get Genuine via the Windows Store or by entering an activation code purchased elsewhere”. The experiment will begin in the United States and then it will expand to different countries, but the company hasn’t shared any more details and it’s unlikely that will be a free offer.

About the author

Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me.