Windows 10 free upgrade? I don't think so

I have just been informed that I can have a free upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 10, when it's ready to be rolled out.

Yippee! I thought, but then wondered what the catch was.

At first glance, Microsoft's blurb looked really enticing. I didn't know how long it would last, so I agreed to agree to the upgrade - after all, it was free.

However, you don't usually get something for nothing, so what was the cost?

Well, having just seen Kingsman, you can understand my skepticism. When some big corporation gives away their product, mass panic, violent attacks, death and heaps of messiness ensues.

Okay, so that's fiction, but what would happen if I upgraded?

According to The Verge, Windows 10 upgrade won't mess with what's already on the PC... except for Media Player and Media Centre.

One of the only reasons I bought the PC I did was because of the TV tuner card that was fitted and Windows 7 provided a good system for watching and recording TV broadcasts.

All that will go, unless I find some other software to replace Media Centre. Microsoft are removing it as people use it for DVD playback and they will provide a downloadable app for that, which would be free.

Nice of them to think of those who use it to control our TV cards, isn't it?

But that's all, right?

According to Microsoft, media player and media centre will be removed during the upgrade, as will certain games pre-installed on 7, however, a Solitare program and Microsoft Minesweeper will replace them.

And that's not all.

Here's what Microsoft actually say:

• Applications, files and settings will migrate as part of the upgrade, however some applications or settings may not migrate.
• For Anti-virus and Anti-malware applications, during upgrade Windows will check to see if your Anti-virus or Anti-malware subscription is current. Windows will uninstall your application while preserving your settings. After upgrade is complete, Windows will install the latest version available with the settings that were set prior to upgrade. If your subscription is not current, upgrade will enable Windows defender.
• Some applications that came from your OEM may be removed prior to upgrade.
• For certain third party applications, the “Get Windows 10” app will scan for application compatibility. If there is a known issue that will prevent the upgrade, you will be notified of the list of applications with known issues. You can choose to accept and the applications will be removed from the system prior to upgrade. Please be sure to copy the list before you accept the removal of the application.

Having ready this, things were beginning not to sound quite so sunny.

I decided that perhaps this upgrade wasn't for me; perhaps I'd jumped the gun and seen 'free' as 'friendly', but it turns out that I'm one of perhaps a few who don't see the upgrade as being of benefit to me personally.

I went to the FAQ page and discovered that there's no harm done, I can unreserve my download of Windows 10 upgrade on the app.

Oh wait! No I can't.

The FAQ page is wrong. There is nowhere to click, fill in or communicate otherwise if you change your mind, despite what it says in the screen shot above.

Not only that, but the annoying and useless windows logo that I inherited in this drive to upgrade as many unsuspecting people as possible, should be able to be hidden.

Well, that's true ... until you restart your computer and there it is again.

Well done Microsoft. You've screwed up again.

In my opinion, if like me, you've grown accustomed to your Windows 7 based PC or laptop and you are running older programs, such as MS Office 2003, then don't upgrade. Your office suite will not be compatible and you'll either have to install Open Office or buy a newer version of MS Office.

There may well be numerous other programs that fall into that category too and while Microsoft may want to try and get ahead of the game, there are no guarantees that you won't have to shell out a whole heap more dosh to replace those programs you bought with more up-to-date releases.

In my book, that means that this upgrade is far from free. It's certainly not free of headaches and that alone should be a warning if nothing else.

Oh and by the way, if anyone from Microsoft is reading this, please un-reserve my copy and I really don't want my PC tied up with a 3gig download for something I don't want anywhere near my computer.