Microsoft is continuing to push users of its previous-generation Windows operating systems to Windows 10, listing the upgrade as a 'Recommended Update' in its Windows Update service.
Windows 10 represents a major shift in Microsoft's attitude to operating systems. Where it has previously worked on a relatively rapid release cycle where full-version upgrades are sold at high prices every few years, Windows 10 is set to be supported on a hybrid rolling-release model for quite some time - borrowing a trick from rival Apple and its free OS X updates. To boost adoption and telegraph its new vision for the platform, Microsoft made the bold move of offering Windows 10 as a free upgrade for anyone running Windows 8.1, Windows 8, or Windows 7, provided they upgraded within the first year after launch.
With the offer due to expire in July this year, Microsoft is keen to hoover up as many upgrades as it can. The company has previously run into criticism for downloading the installation files to users' systems automatically, on the off-chance they may want to upgrade, and now it's making the push more obvious with the inclusion of Windows 10 in the 'Recommended Updates' section of its Windows Update system.
Anyone running Windows 7 or above will find the Windows 10 upgrade option listed in Windows Update from this month forward, whether or not they have previously declined to upgrade. Unlike the 'Critical' updates, however, while 'Recommended' updates are usually selected for installation as standard the Windows 10 update requires the manual acceptance of a licence agreement - meaning users will have to actively choose to install the upgrade, even if it is downloaded automatically.
The move comes as industry watcher StatCounter claims Windows 10 now accounts for 12.6 per cent of the desktop operating system market, above Windows 8.1 at 10.3 per cent but well below the 43.7 per cent share reported for Windows 7.
Windows 10 represents a major shift in Microsoft's attitude to operating systems. Where it has previously worked on a relatively rapid release cycle where full-version upgrades are sold at high prices every few years, Windows 10 is set to be supported on a hybrid rolling-release model for quite some time - borrowing a trick from rival Apple and its free OS X updates. To boost adoption and telegraph its new vision for the platform, Microsoft made the bold move of offering Windows 10 as a free upgrade for anyone running Windows 8.1, Windows 8, or Windows 7, provided they upgraded within the first year after launch.
With the offer due to expire in July this year, Microsoft is keen to hoover up as many upgrades as it can. The company has previously run into criticism for downloading the installation files to users' systems automatically, on the off-chance they may want to upgrade, and now it's making the push more obvious with the inclusion of Windows 10 in the 'Recommended Updates' section of its Windows Update system.
Anyone running Windows 7 or above will find the Windows 10 upgrade option listed in Windows Update from this month forward, whether or not they have previously declined to upgrade. Unlike the 'Critical' updates, however, while 'Recommended' updates are usually selected for installation as standard the Windows 10 update requires the manual acceptance of a licence agreement - meaning users will have to actively choose to install the upgrade, even if it is downloaded automatically.
The move comes as industry watcher StatCounter claims Windows 10 now accounts for 12.6 per cent of the desktop operating system market, above Windows 8.1 at 10.3 per cent but well below the 43.7 per cent share reported for Windows 7.
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