Microsoft literally counting the seconds until free Windows 10 upgrade expires

Grab it while you can: Microsoft's free upgrade to Windows 10 is coming to a close on July 29. In case you forgot, though, a new update nags Windows 7 and 8.1 users with notifications and a full-screen advert.

In a last-ditch effort to get those running older versions of Windows to upgrade to Windows 10 before the free-upgrade deadline on July 29, Microsoft has added a countdown timer to the Windows 10 update panel. It’s even popped a yellow exclamation point by the update icon in the system tray.

If you merrily breezed by the repeated attempts Microsoft has made in the past to try and encourage to upgrade, it’s hoping one last final nag will get the job done. If you’re still running Windows 7 or 8.1, look down at the bottom right-hand corner where your icons are: You’ll likely see the familiar upgrade icon, though it’s now highlighted with a yellow marker.

Opening up the upgrade panels greets you with a revamped interface — how exciting! There’s now a countdown timer, acting as if some sort of catastrophe will take place in just over a week’s time. There’s even a handy bullet-pointed list of great reasons to upgrade to Windows 10. It’s free, “familiar and easy,” and “designed for speed,” we’re told (via InfoWorld).

Microsoft’s efforts aren’t stopping there, though. It’s also pushed out a patch which pops up a purple, full-screen advert for Windows 10. “Sorry to interrupt,” it begins, before reminding you that you have until July 29 to register your free copy of Windows 10.

“Microsoft recommends upgrading to Windows 10,” it says, as if that should be a surprise at this point.

Although Microsoft received a lot of praise for its initial release of Windows 10 for free to those with valid Windows 7 and 8.1 licenses, it’s taken a lot of flak in recent months for its pushy upgrade tactics. At one stage it made the update “recommended,” without telling anyone, which meant that simply closing the upgrade box would actually begin the download and install; something that caught a lot of users off guard.

For those looking to avoid both of these nagging messages, they are considered recommended updates in their own right, and should download automatically on a lot of machines. Look out for and block KB 317304 if you want to dodge them.

Still, if you haven’t upgraded to Windows 10, Digital Trends has a number of good reasons why you should.

• Windows 10 stops being free on July 29, here’s what you need to know
  
• Microsoft gearing up for one last wave of Windows 10 free upgrade nagging
  
• Want Windows 10? It’s only free for another month, so upgrade ASAP
  

Source: yahoo tech