Microsoft is so proud of its new Windows 10 operating system that it is offering it free to consumers for the first time ever. The days of charging PC owners $100 or more for a Windows upgrade are long gone, with Google Chrome, Apple, and others now offering operating systems and web browsers.
So to stay current and make sure millions of people make the upgrade, Microsoft is offering Windows 10 free to owners of PCs with Windows 7 or 8 currently installed.
However, you should know about some problems and privacy concerns some people are having with the upgrade.
Tech websites report several problems with making the Windows 10 upgrade on older Windows 7 PCs. CNET reports some users end up with an unending reboot loop, which makes the PC unusable. Others talk of getting the dreaded "Black Screen of Death."
Newer Windows 8 computers seem to have fewer problems than older Windows 7 models.
Silicon Beat magazine says if you have an Asus computer in particular, you need to be wary of upgrading to 10. This article explains the issues with Asus PC's.
And with so many questions remaining that this point, the website GottaBeMobile.com suggests why you may want to wait for Microsoft to work some bugs out.
Also watch for emails that purport to come from Microsoft telling you to click a link to download Windows 10 for free. While it is true that Windows 10 is free for most people, you must visit Microsoft's website or Windows Update feature to sign up for it.
Microsoft will not send you a free upgrade email with links in it. These are phishing scams, designed to get you to download malware in to your PC. In some cases the malware turns out to be "ransomware," requiring you to pay $200 or more to a scammer to get your computer unlocked and working again.
Microsoft, meantime, is under fire from privacy groups over what its new Windows 10 operating system is allowed to save and share with the company.
Slate Magazine calls it a privacy nightmare if you don’t opt out of certain tracking features. Slate says if you use the Express Install, you are giving Microsoft the right to see and save your emails and websites you visit.
Instead, Slate suggests you use Custom Install and check the privacy boxes so that you are not sharing everything.
But the reality is that Windows 10 is not the only service that's keeping tabs of what you do and where you are. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Skype all are able to learn what you post and hold onto the info. When you sign up and click the Agree"\ button, you are on your way to sharing your thoughts, photos, and daily life.
With Facebook you give the site permission to track websites you visit, even when you are not logged on to Facebook. And they technically own the photos that you post to the site.
So, remember that nothing you post online is truly private.
That way you are not surprised, and you don't waste your money.
