Microsoft's Windows 10 Anniversary Update timing is off
In a little bit over a week, Microsoft ends the free upgrade offer for eligible Windows 7 and 8.1 systems.
While some may still get the upgrade for free after July 29, 2016, the majority of Windows devices aren't.
It is likely that Microsoft servers will experience a rush of late-comers who want to grab the free upgrade before it expires. After all, if it turns out to be not to a user's liking, it is easy enough to roll back to a previous version of Windows.
It is up to you to use built-in functionality or system backups for the purpose.
Last Effort
Anyway, it appears that Microsoft has started a last ditch effort to get users to upgrade to Windows 10.
The company updated the patch KB 3035583 once more which means that anyone who just hid the patch on their device will see it offered again by Windows Update.
The patch powers the notorious Get Windows 10 application that pushed the upgrade to the new operating system in various ways. Microsoft pushed the operating system in an aggressive manner at times, and towards the end even without decline option.
The most recent attempt, spotted by InfoWorld's Woody Leonhard, has a clear decline option. Probably the biggest change apart from that is the big countdown that counts down to the end of the free upgrade period.
Timing is off
Microsoft's timing is a bit off. Considering that it is likely that quite a few users have waited to the end of the upgrade period to upgrade their devices to Windows 10, they will have to download and run two major operating system upgrades in a short period of time.
Microsoft announced that it will release the Anniversary Update for Windows 10 on August 2. While the company mentioned that the update will roll out gradually to users, it means that users who upgrade their devices to Windows 10 right now will have another major update at hand as early as four days after upgrading their systems to Windows 10.
This means two large downloads, and two lengthy installations of Windows shortly after one another.
If Microsoft would have extended the free period by a week, or two, it could have offered the Anniversary Update version of Windows 10 to late-comers effectively halving the data download and upgrade time for them.
As it stands, the upgrade period is not extended. This means that users who plan to upgrade in the last couple of days will have some downloading and installing to do over a short period of time.
Now You: Are you looking forward to the end of the free upgrade period / Anniversary Update?
I’m really looking forward to it.
to be safe I’ve turned off the windows update until next month :)
I am happy for you… now go away troll!
@Anonymous for many people Windows’ forced upgrade has been a headache that doesn’t mean honest people are trolling.
You are so rude, get the hell out of here uneducated kid and next time choose a proper name!
… stupid comment … I mean yours Anonymous, not mine ….
Me too. I hate having to guard myself against my vendor to the degree they’ve made it mandatory.
… me too …
Ugh, I can’t wait until this fiasco is over with at the end of this month…
I have upgraded all 55 of our workstations this past month. It really sucks that such an update is coming out so soon, it was hard enough training end users. Now I’m going to have to retrain them with the new changes coming. Makes me look like an ass. Thanks, Microsoft.
This is why removing the ability to block updates sucks. Or at the very least significantly delay them (so you can stagger the releases). I used to run a 125+ LAN back in the day – having this forced on every machine is impractical, not just the actual upgrades on mass, but the time to test and troubleshoot changes on a test PC beforehand, as well as the logistics/real world scenarios of users being away. Imagine if half your users are away around the country on business trips all the time.
My understanding is that the enterprise edition will allow much better control of updates. I haven’t been following this, so if anyone can clarify, thanks. I assume enterprise edition isn’t available yet? Is there even a beta version? Is there any limitation for purchasers (eg number of machines)?
@Anonymous, Unless I’ve misunderstood you do gain some control of the updates with different versions, IIRC there’s now 3 main branches for how long an update can be delayed, CB (current branch) machines receive updates as and when published by Microsoft, CBB (current branch for Business) can delay updates for around 4 month but is limited to Pro, Education, and Enterprise versions of Windows 10, and lastly there’s LTSB (Long-Term Servicing Branch) that can delay updates for 10 years but is limited to Enterprise versions.
Added to that is (afaik) all versions of Windows 10 receive security updates as and when published, in effect the different branches allow you to delay feature updates but not security related ones, although I’m not sure how that plays out with the other new way of updating Windows that Microsoft have adopted of rolling updates into single packages,
That’s my general understanding of it but as I’m never going to use Windows 10 I’ve not looked into it to deeply, maybe someone else can correct any mistakes I’ve made. :)
I use WSUS and have control over our update schedule. I am still stuck trying to strategize with my current situation. Do I install this update which changes the GUI now while their minds are still soft, or do I delay it? The more weeks that go by, the more accustomed they will become of the current layout. My thinking now is to take the bullet and install the update when it is released as to make it as quick and painless as possible. I truly hope Microsoft doesn’t plan to dick around with the GUI in future releases. It’s making the OS feel that much more incomplete.
For many end users, if they can’t find a shortcut then the program may as well not be installed. I am an insider and see the start menu change, I can already tell some end users are going to be confused on how to lock or log off their computers. Currently I have end users turning their computers off because the power button is easier to find than the lock and log off button. Makes it frustrating when trying to update their computers after hours.
“Last Effort”
:3
imgur com/gLQmFmM
On a more serious note, I do hope they get this crap off people’s PC’s who have declined this offer. I also hope they stop sending it on mine as well.
I’m really looking forward to seeing if it will benefit the Linux desktop world.
Free downgrade is one thing, paid for downgrade is another all together.
I support Microsoft products in my professional life. But I am living a dual OS citizenship as I’m running Linux at home now. I’m transitioning from Windows to Linux administration. I think the writing is on the wall for Microsoft.
@FunForAll, Obviously it’s hard to say for certain but it seems it already has, Linux broke through the 2% market share barrier for the first time in history last month, and yes, before anyone jump on that, 2% isn’t exactly big but it’s something. :)
Looking Forward, too.
Until now it’s not working in our enterprise environment – roamimg profiles aren’t working so it’s useless! 😟
I like that last menu item: “Get help”
They’re just a software company that can’t take “No!” for an answer. They need to get help for their psychological disorder and/or social dysfunction and/or lack of language skills and/or being just plain dumb.
How many former but not future Windows users do you think they’ve chased away due to this fiasco of forcing this “upgrade” on people?
@ Earl
Um. About 650 million potential Win 10 users.
Bang go the targets !
Looking forward to the update, but since it’s a fairly major one I’ll clean-install it. Waiting for those ISO’s :)
Ok…I am seeing the term ISO a lot today….What is it?
@Anonymous, ISO is an archive file of an optical disc, a copy of a CD/DVD in a file format that can be stored on other drives (USB/HDD/SSD), a bit like a 4.7Gb zip file but with the information needed to recreate the DVD at a later date.
Finally we’re getting to the end of the tunnel. I hope. One year of chaotic and dishonest maneuvers are about to end, or at least to calm down. No Windows 10 here, and I guess never.
July 30th, 2017 will be a splendid day.
I wonder though what Microsoft has in mind for the future of Windows 7/8.1 users. I really hope this circus is over.
Better circle them thar wagons agin, Tom Hawack. Don’t fergit now: Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition.
Make sure we got plenty of that danged Legionaires coffee !!! :-)
We’ll show them darn Redmond varmints if they mess with our Win 7/8.1.
Well, I don’t see it as a battle, Microsoft ain’t an enemy, no hatred. Rather, a phlegmatic relief as when a friend who’s been bothering you for months to borrow some money finally moves off. I reserve hatred for malware developers and spreaders, terrorists, rapers, pedophiles … (reverse the order). Let’s keep reactions proportionate.
Otherwise : Rawhide :)
Dramatic much? It’s only been a ‘circus’ if you have spent the last year reading every FUD article most click bait writers have been putting out.
It’s simple enough to remove the upgrade prompts from a system and that’s it, hassle over. One day you’re going to have to remove the Tinfoil hat and upgrade, unless you’re planning on staying with Windows 7/8 forever, which is just more silliness.
@Jonathan, What’s silly is that you believe there’s no other operating systems in the world and that one day you’re going to have to upgrade, what’s even more silly is that you think the fear, uncertainty and doubt is anyone’s doing other than Microsoft’s, it is after all Microsoft who decided to keep people in the dark, to foster an atmosphere of unknowns, and who contradicted some peoples beliefs that they’re a company that have their customers best interests at heart.
@ Jonathan
Your post is very vague and does not supply any informative input.
“It’s simple enough to remove the upgrade prompts from a system and that’s it, hassle over.”
Please post DETAILED instructions on how to do this and how to stop auto updates in Win 10.
We will await your your input with great eagerness.
“if you have spent the last year reading every FUD article most click bait writers have been putting out.”
Are you referring to the zdnet and Ed Bott articles paid for by Microsoft ?
If not, please provide a comprehensive list of such click bait writers so that we can be sure to avoid them in the future.
“remove the Tinfoil hat”
Can you PLEASE be more constructive with your patronising, supercilious, comments.
Tinfoil Hats are SO last year.
“July 30th, 2017 will be a splendid day” … goddamn it, my time machine is off .. need to fix the flux capacitor… also, Tom, can you give me the lotto numbers for July 23 2016? will PM you shortly for the info, thanks
Anonymous, “July 30th, 2017 will be a splendid day” as well, I hope! I must have had a brain bug (the first this year, of course) adding a unit as the principle, adding it to 2016 instead of 1915 … No one is perfect, not even me :)
I could give you all the numbers you wish but they’re already available!
Is it still FUD now that M$ had to pay out $10000 to one person who’s business operations were trashed by a forced upgrade and failed downgrade?
No, when a consumer or small business wins a lawsuit against Microsoft in the United States, I’d call that more akin to a miracle.
Of course M$crosoft opted for an out of court settlement to avoid shame and to avoid other people using the same court ruling to mass sue them!
I had read a few accounts on Windows 10 , including my social network friend account, and I decided that I don’t want Win 10 except test builds for virtual machine when I (may) test if something works with it.
I think I’ll hold off on the anniversary patch for a few days. It might be a good idea to see how many machines blow up worldwide first.
@ Maelish
After the anniversary update, Cortana will say nothing except “Win 10 does not compute” and will BSOD the computer. :-)
here’s the weird thing, i think if you do an upgrade (as opposed to d/ling an iso) from 7/8.1 to 10 right now, you get win10 from last summer and not threshold 2 from winter. or at least that’s what i read a few months back when threshold 2 first came out. the idea being you would get a month (before being served threshold 2) for you to change your mind and rollback to 7/8.1. has that changed?
what are the chances that you’ll have to go from threshold->threshold 2-> anniversary?
What i don’t see in the comment nor in the article is another stupid reason why the anniversary update should come BEFORE the end og the upgrade period.
W10 ani2016 is something like SP 1 (or 2 even) an should be better then the current version.
So why not lure ppl with an even better version then the crappy one ?
still on Win 7 here , but thinking about buying an new SSD install W10 on the old one and Win7 on the new, just to have a free copy for when or if the time comes that MS has come to it senses, and give me control back over my system.