5 Reasons not to upgrade to Windows 10

The free to upgrade period to Windows 10 is almost at an end, and it is likely that many users who have not upgraded yet consider doing so.

The reason is simple: the upgrade is free, and it is possible to go back in the first month should things turn out not to your liking.

That's a pretty good incentive to try out the new operating system. There are other things that you may like about Windows 10, and I will reveal them in another article that I'll publish soon.

This article on the other hand concentrates on reasons why you may not want to upgrade to Windows 10.

Now, some may find these reasons insufficient while others that they are strong enough not to upgrade to Windows 10. I'd like to read what you have to say about them in the comment section below.

Reason 1: Time, effort and never change a running system

Microsoft tries to make it as easy as possible to upgrade to Windows 10. You get notifications on Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 powered by the Get Windows 10 application for instance.

Also, the upgrade downloads directly without you having to download an ISO image first, burn it to DVD or USB Flash drive, and start the installer manually afterwards.

While that is the case, it still requires time and effort to install the operating system. If things go right, you may spend a couple of hours at the very least setting up Windows 10 after the upgrade.

You need to learn to interact with new features, a new search, Cortana, Microsoft Edge instead of Internet Explorer, maybe the whole apps concept if you upgrade from Windows 7.

Also, some tools like Windows Media Center are not available anymore, so that you may need to look for alternatives.

But what if things go wrong? You might want to create a full system backup previously that you can restore, but you will lose quite a bit of time in this case.

Why bother if the current system runs well, and is configured the way you like it? Some new features, like DirectX 12 support may persuade you to give it a try despite the fact, but if you don't require those, there is little incentive to run the upgrade.

The only thing valid is that you will end up with an operating system that is supported longer than your current one. Windows 7 is supported for the next five years though, and Windows 8.1 for the next eight.

Reason 2: Compatibility

Software and hardware compatibility can block you from upgrading to Windows 10 even if you want to.

The upgrade installer runs a compatibility check to give you some reassurance in this regard. It does not check all components and programs though. For instance, it won't check portable software as well as many peripherals.

Generally, speaking, most software and hardware that runs on Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 should also run on Windows 10.

The compatibility tool ensures that the core system will function properly after the upgrade.

I recommend you check your favorite search engine to find out whether important software is compatible with Windows 10.

Or, and that will surely add time to the whole upgrade process, use a virtual machine to run Windows 10 to see if hardware and software is compatible.

Reason 3: Less control over system updates

Two things play a role here. First, Windows 10 ships with fewer update management options than previous versions of Windows.

The two options displayed to you when it comes to updates are to install them automatically, or to notify to schedule a restart.

While you can get some control back using the Group Policy, it is only available on select versions of Windows 10.

Using the Group Policy, you may set Windows 10 up to notify you about updates and installs.

More problematic than that is a change in how updates are delivered. Microsoft started to create update packs for Windows 10 that combine a variety of updates in a single installer.

These cumulative updates introduce a truckload of changes to the system. The June 2016 cumulative update installs for instance ten security patches. If one of the patches breaks the system, you are left with no option but to uninstall the whole cumulative update to fix it.

Reason 4: Feels unfinished

Windows 10 feels like an unfinished product in some regards. There is the new Settings app and the old Control panel for instance.

You may notice menu and icon inconsistencies, notice that Microsoft Edge is too bare bones even for a bare bones browser, or that some of the apps that replace traditional desktop programs are not cutting it.

Microsoft works on those things, and the Anniversary Update will fix some. Still, there is plenty to do even after the release of the Anniversary Update.

Microsoft will get there, eventually, but some users may prefer to wait until the company does before they upgrade to Windows 10.

Reason 5: Privacy

Privacy may or may not be a big issue. What's clear is that Microsoft pushes telemetry gathering with Windows 10 a tad further than it did on previous versions of Windows.

The custom installation dialog lists several pages of privacy related switches and settings for instance, but even if you disable all those, you have not plugged all telemetry leaks.

In the best case, you are able to reduce the data that is collected by the operating system to a large degree. You may use Windows 10 privacy tools for that, of which there are plenty available.

You may also get some ads, in the start menu, other menus or as notifications, but may turn off those in the options as well.

Now You: Would you say those are valid reasons not to upgrade to Windows 10? Do you have others?

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