Microsoft has now moved the Windows 10 update into the “recommended” category, which means it now will get installed unless you alter their default Windows update settings to avoid “recommended updates”:
Go to the Control Panel,
Choose Windows Update,
Uncheck the box that says “Give me recommended updates the same way I receive important updates,”
Click OK to apply the new setting.
Afraid the Win10 upgrade will now get moved from “Recommended” to “Important” if everyone follows this advice? There’s no indication that will happen, but there is a way to regain control over those “Important” updates, too. Select Change Settings in the left pane and under “Important Updates,” change the selection from “Install updates automatically (recommended)” to “Download updates but let me choose whether to install them.” The downside to this change is that you will now have to decide which important updates to install and which ones to avoid, and to date, the Windows 10 “updates” have been masked such that no mention of Windows 10 is ever shown. It is only with further investigation where you find the update is related to Windows ten.
If you avoid making the change above, or your system already has the Windows 10 update prep tool installed, you still have a chance of avoiding the Windows 10 upgrade. Microsoft has stated that if the registry has a certain value set, the windows 10 upgrade will not start. I could post that registry key, but there is an easier method, provided generously by the folks at Gibson Research Corp (GRC) with a tool called “Never 10” The web page may be found here Towards the bottom of that page look for the green button “download now” to obtain the tool. The page will show you what the tool looks like, and to click on the “disable Win10 upgrade” button within that tool. It only takes a second and has an annoying audio that happens when you press the button. Clicking it again will enable the upgrade, should you decide later to go for it.
The final straw…
If all else has failed, and you find your PC starts into the Windows 10 upgrade, fear not. But, above all, DO NOT STOP THE PROCESS!!! Turning your PC off during the upgrade can really mess things up and there may not be anything The Tech Guys can do if you do not have a good backup. So, let it proceed! Once it has saved away your old system, it will start the full install of Windows 10. To make sure they get your permission and avoid litigation, Microsoft will display an End User License Agreement (EULA) for Windows 10. Simply DECLINE the agreement! Do NOT approve it, and there is no other option for the software other than to revert your system right there, back to the previous operating system. But note, after it reverts, it will try again in a short while, so running Never 10 is a great way to avoid this time wasting event. Call us if you have any questions!