# windows 10 **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 25, 2015, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10/735726 "2015-10-25T15:09:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![stosh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@stosh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stosh)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2015, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10/735726/1 "2015-10-25T15:09:24Z")
I have tried windows 10 and did not like it. I went back to windows 7,but I understand that Microsoft, in it’s infinite wisdom, has decided that we all are going to get windows 10, no matter if we want it or not. Can I do anything to stop this from happening. I really would rather not talk about the merits of windows 10. I just don’t want it. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2015, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10/735726/2 "2015-10-25T15:22:27Z")
You are going to have to get it eventually because Windows 7 will become unsupported at some point. You don’t absolutely have to have it now but almost everyone that I encountered that made a similar complaint did so for misguided reasons. Do you have a real issue with compatibility or do you just not like the user interface? If it is the latter, that is a misguided complaint because the user interface does not equal the operating system. A lot of people conflate the two but they are not the same thing. The user interface is just the trim that controls how you interact with the OS but it can be changed or replaced entirely. In the case of Windows 10, there are hundreds of controls that make major to minor differences in the user interface. You can also use a free third party application like [ClassicShell](http://www.classicshell.net/) to blast them all en masse to achieve whatever you want. There is no reason that you can’t have a Windows 10 installation that looks and behaves almost identically to Windows 7. That is what I did with mine except I kept a few of the newer features that I found useful. If you don’t feel like experimenting with it yourself, ClassicShell will take care of it for you in just a couple of minutes. It is reputable and free. ---
**Author:** ![Palooka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/palooka/32/2902_2.png) [@Palooka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palooka)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2015, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10/735726/3 "2015-10-25T15:27:13Z")
You’ll want to roll back your Windows installation to Windows 7 and then uninstall the upgrade update. If the updates appears in Windows Update again, hide it by right-clicking on it (I think.) You can rollback to Win7 from the Windows Update settings options. I don’t know directions for uninstalling the upgrade update off hand, but it is pretty easy. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2015, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10/735726/4 "2015-10-25T18:55:52Z")
You can keep Windows 7 for a long, long, time. I still have one machine running Windows XP and it’s doing fine, despite being “unsupported” by Microsoft. (but most of my machines are happily running Windows 10) ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2015, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10/735726/5 "2015-10-25T19:48:01Z")
Windows 7 only goes out of support in 2020. And since you’ve already upgraded once, you now have a permanent free license for that device should you decide to upgrade at some point in the future. As for removing the warning, you don’t have to do it manually. Download and run [GWX Control Panel](http://blog.ultimateoutsider.com/2015/08/using-gwx-stopper-to-permanently-remove.html) and you can disable everything in one spot. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2015, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10/735726/6 "2015-10-25T19:58:58Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > … > There is no reason that you can’t have a Windows 10 installation that looks and behaves almost identically to Windows 7. That is what I did with mine except I kept a few of the newer features that I found useful. If you don’t feel like experimenting with it yourself, ClassicShell will take care of it for you in just a couple of minutes. It is reputable and free. This is what I did. My WIN10 looks and functions virtually identically with WIN7. I also got the Classic Shell. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2015, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10/735726/7 "2015-10-25T20:15:43Z")
There are instructions [here](http://www.infoworld.com/article/2974479/microsoft-windows/how-to-get-rid-of-the-your-upgrade-to-windows-10-is-ready-lock-on-windows-update-in-win7-and-8-1.html) for turning off the update checker/nag. Hopefully that will mean you don’t have to open a fifth thread on this topic 😉 ---
**Author:** ![stosh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@stosh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stosh)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2015, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10/735726/8 "2015-10-26T15:06:22Z")
I want to thank all of you for your help. I am 64 years old and this computer stuff is kinda new to me. When I hear about some of the things that are going to happen, I tend to panic. It’s good to know that I have to at least 2020 to hang onto windows 7. By then it’ll be up to windows 15 or so. I’m sure that will be the best one ever. . .until the next one ! I will try to live by that old adage; " If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it." Once again, thank you all. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2015, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10/735726/9 "2015-10-26T21:50:16Z")
> [@stosh](#): > > I want to thank all of you for your help. > I am 64 years old and this computer stuff is kinda new to me. When I hear about some of the things that are going to happen, I tend to panic. > It’s good to know that I have to at least 2020 to hang onto windows 7. By then it’ll be up to windows 15 or so. I’m sure that will be the best one ever. . .until the next one ! > I will try to live by that old adage; > " If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it." > Once again, thank you all. There are a lot of us old farts here. I’m going to be 67 next month. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![stosh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@stosh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stosh)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2015, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10/735726/10 "2015-10-26T22:10:07Z")
No Kidding ! I’m going to be 65 next month. On the 3rd. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2015, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10/735726/11 "2015-10-26T22:17:40Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > You can keep Windows 7 for a long, long, time. I still have one machine running Windows XP and it’s doing fine, despite being “unsupported” by Microsoft. This. I have both XP and Windows 7 on a bunch of different computers. “Unsupported by Microsoft” is much less important IMHO than “unsupported by reputable anti-virus software” or “unsupported by security certificate protocols” or any other essential apps or functions, and none of this is true for XP SP3 or Windows 7. I’m sure that many have persuasive reasons for migrating to Windows 8.x and 10, but for those of us who use computers for basic functions and are not gamers or otherwise into bleeding-edge apps, the old adage of “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” is a very powerful one. After Windows XP, the functional justifications for upgrading became progressively less persuasive, other than the vague principle of “staying current”. Which is a major reason that Microsoft had so many development challenges with Vista (“what do customers need that they don’t already have in XP? Gee, not much, but I’m sure we can work with marketing to come up with something.”) and so many marketing problems with everything from that point on. Some of this is opinion, of course, but the factual part of the observation is that Windows XP systems can and do still function well, and many corporations have mission-critical applications running on even older Microsoft desktops. They are, perhaps ironically, among the most resistant to change and often the last to upgrade because of the value they place on stability. Of course they do have special support contracts with MS, but for big companies running lifeblood apps you’d expect no less. ---
**Author:** ![stosh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@stosh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stosh)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10/735726/12 "2015-10-27T00:26:28Z")
Wolfpup, You are 100% correct. That"s just how I feel. Windows 7 works fine for me. In fact, some programs that run on win 7, don’t run on win 10. My computer is a dinosaur in computer age, but, once again, it works for me. I don’t know how important all this stuff I hear is. I just want some common sense opinions and I will make up my own mind. ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10/735726/13 "2015-10-27T11:51:22Z")
I reserved mine back in July when the windows icon showed up in my taskbar. Since then, I haven’t had any reminders to update. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10/735726/14 "2015-10-27T12:23:53Z")
> [@stosh](#): > > Can I do anything to stop this from happening. > I really would rather not talk about the merits of windows 10. I just don’t want it. Nobody has said “Mac” yet, I’m surprised! ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10/735726/15 "2015-10-27T14:40:14Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Nobody has said “Mac” yet, I’m surprised! You can do that too. If you are a Windows user with a pathological case of Mac envy, you can make your Windows PC look and behave just like a Mac. [Just download Yosemite](http://hackerspace.kinja.com/yosemite-transformation-pack-makes-your-windows-desktop-1647527326) (free) and use the money you just saved to buy something nice for someone. User interfaces can be changed quite easily in Windows (or Unix/Linux) but that is what people focus on. Microsoft still isn’t that good at providing great ones by default but you don’t have to stick with what they give you. Windows Vista and Windows 7 are really the same OS except the latter has a much more agreeable user interface. However, even the Vista user interface could be fixed by anyone with any technical skill (why Microsoft didn’t take 2 hours to take care of that before it shipped is a mystery). If you are still groovin’ for 2003, you can even make Windows 10 look and behave almost the same as XP.