Microsoft Adds Decline Windows 10 Button Following Lawsuit

Microsoft is set to introduce a decline button to its Get Windows 10 hassleware pop-up window, and not before time. Since May 2015, Microsoft has become increasingly pushy in its efforts to persuade Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users to upgrade to its new operating system, to the point where many users either couldn’t find a way to decline the upgrade, or had the upgrade enforced on them without consent. Microsoft now claims, 13 months later, that it is introducing the ‘Decline free offer’ button to the GWX pop-up “in response to customer feedback.”

Executive Vice President of Windows and Devices Terry Myerson issued the following statement (via ZDNet) regarding the new decline button:

“We started our journey with Windows 10 with a clear goal to move people from needing Windows to choosing Windows to loving Windows. Towards this goal, this week we’ll launch a new upgrade experience for millions of PCs around the world. The new experience has clearer options to upgrade now, choose a time, or decline the free offer. If the red-x is selected on this new dialog, it will dismiss the dialog box and we will notify the device again in a few days. We continue to recommend all of our customers upgrade to Windows 10 before the free upgrade offer expires on July 29. Thousands of engineers have been working on making Windows 10 the most secure version of Windows, helping to protect people from viruses, phishing, identity theft and more. We’d like our customers to upgrade and improve their experience with Windows and Microsoft.”

The move, coincidentally, follows Microsoft losing a lawsuit launched against them over a Windows 10 update on a woman’s computer without her consent. The plaintiff was awarded $10,000 in damages.