Windows 7 Users Not Overly Excited About Free Upgrades to Windows 10

Jack

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Earlier this year, Microsoft took everyone by surprise and announced that Windows 10 would be offered free of charge to those running Windows 7 or 8.1 on their computers.

The offer was supposed to be available for only 12 months after the launch of Windows 10, and everyone believed this to be an excellent starting point for the first Windows version offered for free in the history of Microsoft.

Only that, despite the big push that Microsoft's making with Windows 10, the majority of Windows 7 users don't really seem to be interested in the free upgrade, and market share data shows that only a few have actually moved to the new OS from this particular version.

Windows 7 going back up
Back in July 2015, when Windows 10 finally came to be, Windows 7 was powering 60.73 percent of the world's desktop computers. Moreover, it's worth noting that, despite the arrival of the new version on the same month, it managed to achieve a record share in June, when it almost reached 61 percent.

In August, however, the arrival of Windows 10 indeed caused a drop, and Windows 7 fell to 57.67 percent, with the decline continuing in September and October, when it reached 56.53 and 55.71 percent, respectively.

But in November, some of those who previously jumped ship returned to Windows 7, so its market share increased to 56.11 percent, which is even bigger than the one in January 2015, when this OS was running on 55.92 percent of the world's PCs.

Read more: Windows 7 Users Not Overly Excited About Free Upgrades to Windows 10
 
I

illumination

The whole upgrade for free, is not really free. You will eventually end up buying a license. Either from converting your Windows 7/8.1 to a digital entitlement after 30 days on windows 10, then realizing you want to go back to one or the other, or when one of your main hardware needs replaced and the digital entitlement will not recognize the system any more. It is not a free license you receive upgrading, that can be taken from one machine that croaks and placed on another. Very effective way to suck the users in.
 

DracusNarcrym

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Nobody is, unfortunately.

But Windows 10 is the future, good or bad.

For now, users will have to cope with custom tweaks for Windows 10 which aim to fix or eliminate the unwanted functionality. (e.g. the notorious and mandatory Telemetry feature in Windows 10, which performs data mining procedures in Windows 10 - in my opinion, this is by far the most important issue in Windows 10)
 

Hangtooth

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I have used Windows 7 for years, after years more of using XP until it got long in the tooth as well. From what I had read about moving from Win 7 to Win 10 I wasn't going to get much out of it. No DirectX 12 as of yet for gaming, and I don't care about most of the flashy additions to Win 8/10 over Win 7.

Reports of stability indicated that it's probably about as stable as Win 7 already, though that may be MS sponsored lies on Reddit and the like.

I finally took the free upgrade and upgraded both of our machines 2 days ago to Windows 10 Pro, partly because of the product lifecycle and the fact that mainstream support ended already on Jan 15, 2015 - not that that means much (Windows 7 support: What happens on January 13, 2015? | ZDNet)

I am actually pleased with Win 10 so far, I can turn off pretty much all the tablet/handheld touchscreen type things that kept me from even looking at Win 8. It looks and functions much like Win 7 did. My wife is no computer wizard but she's able to use her upgraded system to do everything already. The only problem she had was figuring out where the Shutdown and Restart functions had moved.

Stability-wise, even as a upgraded Win 10 and not a fresh format/reinstall (my usual choice for installing new OS) we have not had a crash on either machine (yet), all software applications we had continue to work or have updates, and even all my games work. I have a modest bang for the buck i5 4590 (not overclocked) on an AsRock H97 Pro4 budget priced mobo, with 16 GB of ram and an aging Nvidia GTX 660 video card, and all modern titles continue to be playable and enjoyable even under Win 10. I figure I'll be happy I upgraded once DirectX12 comes along.

I am usually resistant to change, but I could see that this time, MS is super serious about forcing folks into W10, and I figured i was going to have it forced upon me eventually so I better get comfy with it.

So far I find it as stable as Win 7, but it's only been a few days. There are definite privacy concerns with Win 10, but a lot can be shut off in a variety of ways )easiest way I have found is the free 'ShutUp10' O&O ShutUp10: download free antispy tool for Windows 10 that lets me play with all the privacy toggles in the registry and normal Win 10 settings with clear advice and the ability to reset things to Win 10 defaults if something goes wrong.

Overall, this has been the smoothest, most hassle-free OS upgrade/reinstall yet. I have heard a LOT of horror stories though, so be sure to use a GOOD backup program before even starting the upgrade process. I actually deleted my old backup to make room due to my confidence in the new Win 10 install =)
 

Cats-4_Owners-2

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So is there any way to downgrade now after 3 months of usage?
Hi @Purshu_Pro. My thought is you could use a backup image, that is if you have one saved as our friend @frogboy.;):)

PS I've yet to make the jump to from 8.1 to "10 Speed", yet each time I hear positive impressions which lull me into wishing I have, there is my wife's unwillingness to switch as well as the examples of happy returnees to 7 which bring me to thinko_O again.:rolleyes:
 
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Hangtooth

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PS I've yet to make the jump to from 8.1 to "10 Speed", yet each time I hear positive impressions which lull me into wishing I have, there is my wife's unwillingness to switch as well as the examples of happy returnees to 7 which bring me to thinko_O again.:rolleyes:

I had the same problem! My wife hates when I upgrade things on her machine because as we all know, sometimes things just don't work out as planned. Luckily with 2 machines I use my own as a testbed for anything I am about to do to hers, though since they have almost completely different hardware components it can be a real crapshoot.

I backed up my machine with Macrium Reflect, took the plunge and ironed out the problems that popped up. Tested it for a bit and deemed it stable enough that I then repeated the process on my wife's machine. The backup is the key for sure. If I lost her bookmarks, photos and Real Housewives shows she'd never forgive me ~

As suggested by folks I am about to install Spybot Anti-Beacon for Windows to monitor the spying transgressions to see just how bad it is today.

EDIT Whatever Spybot Anti-Beacon is up to, it's hogging 25-30% of my CPU constantly as monitored by both Task Manager and Process Lasso. Shutting it off and just going with the recommended privacy settings changed by O&O ShutUp10: download free antispy tool for Windows 10

EDIT2 Spybot Anti-Beacon for Windows 10 [Archive] - Safer-Networking Forums Webroot strikes again. By default it blocks anything from changing the HOSTS file, which makes Spybot Anti-Beacon fight to do just this nonstop lol. Turning this option off in Webroot has Spybot Anti-Beacon playing nicely now at 0% cpu usage (negligible)
 
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Hangtooth

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The whole upgrade for free, is not really free. You will eventually end up buying a license. Either from converting your Windows 7/8.1 to a digital entitlement after 30 days on windows 10, then realizing you want to go back to one or the other, or when one of your main hardware needs replaced and the digital entitlement will not recognize the system any more. It is not a free license you receive upgrading, that can be taken from one machine that croaks and placed on another. Very effective way to suck the users in.

That *is* sneaky. The following article (and discussion) do go into some depth in explaining how you can move your free Win 10 upgrade to your current machine if you replace the mobo or CPU or perhaps even a new one if you can get away with pretending it's just a mobo/cpu upgrade on your old machine - but you have to contact MS.

"The activation screen will prompt you to purchase a new license from the Windows Store.

According to Gabriel Aul, Vice President of Engineering for the Windows & Devices group at Microsoft, you can then contact support from within Windows 10, explain the situation, and they’ll activate Windows 10 for you:

To do this, you should be able to open the Start menu, select All Apps, and launch the Contact Support app included with Windows 10. Navigate to the Services & apps > Windows > Setting up category, which includes activation issues. You can text-chat with a Microsoft support representative here or have a Microsoft representative call you on the phone." How to Use Your Free Windows 10 License After Changing Your PC’s Hardware

If however you try to move it to a different machine (and the article hints that you could just pretend you upgraded your old mobo/cpu to the new config to qualify for your old free upgrade activation) you are out of luck and will have to buy a new retail license, which will then be movable to other machines until they play this same game again =(

I am glad you pointed this out, it would have been a real surprise for me when activation failed next time I upgrade one of our machines to a new mobo/cpu! At least I have some hope that I can contact MS to get it activated as it's just an upgrade.

I never actually buy new machines, and have not since the early 90s. I just keep recycling parts. Eventually it all changes, even the case itself, but the components keep moving from build to build, being replaced when they break/become obsolete.
 
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Smoke

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I tried it out a few weeks after release and while it wasn't terrible it wasn't a noticeable improvement either. Infact in CSGO on W7 I would cap my FPS at 300 and it would never drop below 299 and when I upgraded to W10 I couldn't get above 130 fps, no matter what.

Reverted back to W7 and have had no problems since.
 

DracusNarcrym

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I tried it out a few weeks after release and while it wasn't terrible it wasn't a noticeable improvement either. Infact in CSGO on W7 I would cap my FPS at 300 and it would never drop below 299 and when I upgraded to W10 I couldn't get above 130 fps, no matter what.

Reverted back to W7 and have had no problems since.
Windows 10 indeed has way more performance issues than what people had anticipated. They are one of the top priorities for Microsoft to fix at the moment. (the Telemetry data mining scandal being at the top, of course)

@ryb0rg Unless you are recording/streaming, I don't see why 300 FPS makes any difference in gameplay. The lowest recommended framerate for smooth visual output is 60 FPS, and CS:GO is not that heavy of a game either. If you have a stable 60 FPS then you're more than okay.
 

Exterminator

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It took me a long time to move from XP to 7 and when I did I had both dual booted.XP was still used as my number one OS.However after using 7 more and more I came to like it.Then came Windows 8/8.1 which I now had it dual booted with Windows 7.
I never liked Windows 8/8.1 so 7 was my main OS.Personally I thought 8/8.1 was a dud.In fact I had on a VM recently for about 10 mins and that was enough to want to put my fist through the monitor.
Along comes Windows 10 and its free!!(well almost free) I have to admit I like free :D However this is the first new OS in all these years that I use as my main OS.Although I had both 10 & 7 dual booted I only have 7 on one Laptop now.
I personally like it.Seems faster and looking back on the update problems 7 & 8/8.1 had the ones in 10 have not been so bad.In fact there seems to be a speedy fix for every update blunder in Windows 10 Unlike 7 & 8 where the fix was blocking the update or reinstalling your OS.Remember the awesome Windows 8.1 update that killed the update service completely.
I personally find the OS appealing and much easier to learn your way around than when they threw out the touchscreen OS 8.
Wife and kids adapted to it almost immediately in fact I don't think they even noticed it for a couple days :D
The privacy issues are irritating but don't keep me up at night.I don't agree with their forcing the upgrade on people but that is a Company problem and doesn't take away from the new OS.
I can always go back to 7 if I need to but for right now I am sticking with 10.
 
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Smoke

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Windows 10 indeed has way more performance issues than what people had anticipated. They are one of the top priorities for Microsoft to fix at the moment. (the Telemetry data mining scandal being at the top, of course)

@ryb0rg Unless you are recording/streaming, I don't see why 300 FPS makes any difference in gameplay. The lowest recommended framerate for smooth visual output is 60 FPS, and CS:GO is not that heavy of a game either. If you have a stable 60 FPS then you're more than okay.

I have a 144hz monitor so getting less than that isn't using the potential the monitor has, 300 FPS is considered a sweet spot in CS. While I don't mind if it was a bit lower, getting lower than my monitor output is very noticeable.
 
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DracusNarcrym

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I have a 144hz monitor so getting less than that isn't using the potential the monitor has, 300 FPS is considered a sweet spot in CS. While I don't mind if it was a bit lower, getting lower than my monitor output is very noticeable.
Can you adjust the refresh rate? And obviously having really powerful hardware and noticing great drops is very unsatisfying, so I'm going to agree with your downgrade. :D
 
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Smoke

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Can you adjust the refresh rate? And obviously having really powerful hardware and noticing great drops is very unsatisfying, so I'm going to agree with your downgrade. :D
I could run it at 100hz but if I knew that I could get the most out of my hardware with W7 and stayed with W10 it would always be bugging me in the back of my mind. :p
 
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DracusNarcrym

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I could run it at 100hz but if I knew that I could get the most out of my hardware with W7 and stayed with W10 it would always be bugging me in the back of my mind. :p
I do also have quite capable hardware on my main PC (used for rendering and gaming) and I do know what if feels like not being able to maximize the output of one's hardware. :p If that happened to me, Windows 10 would be halfway out of the window. :D
 
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