Furious Windows 7 users on Reddit are claiming Microsoft has begun automatically installing Windows 10 and bricking some computers.
Windows 7 users on Reddit have claimed that Windows 10 automatically installs and that they are then asked for passwords they set years ago and had forgotten, rendering their machines useless.
Last month, it emerged that Windows 10 had overtaken its predecessor 8.1 in terms of installs, with the latest operating system on 13.7pc of PCs worldwide.
Windows 7, by far Microsoft’s most popular operating system ever, is on 47.7pc of computers, according to recent data from StatCounter.
However, users are claiming the download of the new operating system occurs automatically or that the decline option is not clear to see.
TheRealSpaceTrout said: “This came up on all of our work computers. I told IT. They basically said oh f***.”
geekygirlhere said: “Yep this happened to me this morning. Working and all of a sudden Windows closed all my programs, logged me out and started the upgrade. I quickly shut down my computer and was able to stop it but my son wasn’t so lucky. Same thing happened to him today.”
8165128200 said: “In some cases the upgrade went OK and the user is just really confused. In others Windows 10 is asking for a login password the user set years ago and hasn’t used since, that was fun. In still another, it’s screwed up access to their shared folders.”
TLDReddit73 said: “I thought my ex was crazy when she said her computer just randomly rebooted and started installing Windows 10. I guess she isn’t crazy, at least on this one thing.”
Growingpain said: “When did Microsoft hire the same guy who thought it was a good idea to put a whole U2 album on my iPod without my permission?”
bnned said: “Yep, went afk and saw this message box that said something like ‘Your update is ready! Restarting and installing in 13 minutes’. If I made myself a meal or watched tv, I would have had Windows 10. Oh, and the best part is how they hid the ‘Decline’ button in the ‘More Info’ button.”
Microsoft denies claims it automatically installs Windows 10
However, Microsoft has denied these claims and said that it will not install Windows 10 without receiving explicit permission.
The software giant recently changed the Windows 10 upgrade from “optional” to recommended.
If users have Windows update on Windows 7, 8 or 8.1 set to “install all recommended updates” the Windows 10 upgrade will automatically start.
According to The Guardian, Microsoft has said that users who see Windows 10 install unexpectedly may have pre-selected an upgrade to the new operating system at a different stage.
It claims what is likely happening is users are unwittingly hitting ‘Okay’ and accepting the upgrade, realising what they have done too late.
From the tone of irate Reddit users, they are likely to disagree.
Frustrated IT user image via Shutterstock