Because Microsoft are Microsoft, and Microsoft are the worst, they've now got a new GWX strong-arm tactic to replace the one they just did away with: a full-screen nag screen. Yes, that's right: they took something that was already wildly unpopular, and made it worse. Again.
From Myce:
Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users who didn’t want to upgrade to Windows 10 and deleted the ‘Get Windows 10’ application from their computer, are now targeted by Microsoft with a full screen message urging them to upgrade to Windows 10.
The message is caused by KB3173040 and its headline states, “Sorry to interrupt you but this is important, Windows 10 free upgrade offers ends July 29”. The message goes on with, “Microsoft recommends upgrading to Windows 10 – the most secure Windows ever built. The upgrade is free and you can easily roll-back to your current operating system within 31 days if you decide Windows 10 is not right for you. We’ll check for compatability before starting the upgrade. Over 300 million people have upgraded. Upgrade your PC before the offer ends”.
Users can then select to either upgrade now or to be reminded later. It’s also possible to select to be notified three more times or to be never notified again.They just won't learn, will they?
On the plus side, this nag screen at least includes "notify me three more times," and "do not notify me again" options, and apparently it won't show up if you've already declined the upgrade (which you've only been able to do for about five minutes, but whatevs), if the upgrade failed, or if you've already rolled back from Windows 10, so it's not as bad as previous versions of GWX, but... damn.
Of course, we've already seen the market share numbers, and know that Windows 10 wasn't luring users away from Windows 7 at all, so it's not really a surprise that they're making one last desperate effort to convince users to switch, but this latest tactic shows just how totally Microsoft have missed the point, here. People aren't refusing to switch, or rolling back after switching, or switching to Linux, because they haven't heard the pitch yet; everybody knows the talking points. And they're not procrastinating, either.
Win7 users are actively avoiding the switch to Win10, and have been for months. They're dug in; MS have changed the deal too many times, and that deal wasn't truly compelling in the first place. Making this already-failed pitch even more intrusive just looks like desperation, especially considering how few users are going to actually see the new nag screen. Who is Redmond even targeting here?
In order to get entrenched Win7 users to switch to Win10, I suspect that Microsoft are going to have to sweeten the deal. For example:
- Give users the ability to control Windows updates. Given that MS are mainly dealing with people who'd avoided switching because they didn't trust MS to manage Windows updates, why would those same users switch to an OS that doesn't even give them the option of staying in control?
- Either remove the adware and spyware from Windows 10 entirely, or make those "features" opt in rather than opt out -- and, if users opt out, respect that decision. That means no advertising on the lock screen, or the Start Menu, without explicit permission from the user.
- While they're at it, a Classic Start Menu option probably wouldn't go amiss.
- If new updates are adding new privacy settings, then those should be set to the most private setting by default, or at least brought to users' attention. And updates should never reset privacy settings to recommended/default settings without the user knowing, and approving, the change.
- Cortana should not use a cloud service to perform local searches; Microsoft should take a page from Apple, and implement differential privacy in Windows 10/Cortana. And again, those features that require the use of a cloud-based service should be opt-in, not opt-out.
- Either revive or replace the Windows Bridge for Android, allowing Windows 10 users to simply run Android apps, rather than making them beg Android developers to make Win10 versions of those apps.
By now, you've probably spotted the themes: choice, control and respect. Microsoft has shown a shocking lack of respect for their customers, and clearly shown that them plan to take control of Windows users' PCs, harvesting their data and metadata to Microsoft's benefit, corralling them in Redmond's walled garden Windows Store. Win7 users, however, aren't having it, and I suspect that they can hold out until hell freezes over... or until they have to replace their PCs, which may be just as bad for MS.