Have you updated to Windows 10, or are you still rocking Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1? If you’re in the latter group, chances are that you already have Windows 10 stashed away on your hard drive whether you want to upgrade or not. Why? Because Microsoft wants to make the upgrade process quick and easy… if you want to upgrade, that is.
“I know of two instances where people on metered connections went over their data cap for August because of this unwanted download. My own internet (slow DSL) was crawling for a week or so until I discovered this problem. In fact, that's what led me to it. Not only does it download, it tries to install every time the computer is booted,” states an unnamed reader of The Inquirer.
According to the source, Window 10 resides in a hidden folder labeled as “$Windows.~BT” and measures between 3.5GB to 6GB in size. While that may sound a little suspicious, a Microsoft representative confirmed that Windows 10 will indeed download for those who have chosen to receive automatic updates through Windows Update.
“We help upgradable devices get ready for Windows 10 by downloading the files they’ll need if they decide to upgrade,” the Windows rep said. “When the upgrade is ready, the customer will be prompted to install Windows 10 on the device.”
But what if a device, such as a laptop, can’t update to the new operating system? We’ve actually seen a case where Windows 10 was downloaded but not installed because Microsoft can’t determine if the device is upgradable. Shouldn’t that have been determined before the OS was downloaded? How will the device owner get rid of the Windows 10 image if they’re not computer savvy?
As The Inquirer points out, Microsoft has gotten a little trigger-happy with Windows 10, downloading the platform without notice or permission. Imagine the free space individuals with only 32GB of internal storage will have once Windows 10 sneaks onto their device. Didn’t Microsoft understand why so many people rejected U2’s new album that automatically downloaded through iTunes?
While we applaud Microsoft for the work it’s done with Windows 10, sneaking in the Windows 10 update notification on every Windows product was a little creepy. Downloading an entire OS in the background without the consumer’s knowledge isn’t any better. That, of course, is just an opinion.
However, for the record, the Windows 10 machine used to write this article has the folder in question on drive “C” measuring 6.39GB. Windows 10 was installed using a USB drive and not through Windows Update.
From maximumpc
from http://bit.ly/1LmwKYL
