The Google Play Store may need a serious security upgrade
Google Play Protect isn’t as effective as its peers, according to six-month long test.
Read MoreThose stuck on Windows 7 may wonder – is Windows 10 free to download? Just over a year ago, on January 14, 2020 to be exact, the older operating system entered its End of Life phase.
And, though Microsoft’s initial free upgrade offer officially expired years ago, the question remains. Is Windows 10 free to download? And, the answer is yes. While you would generally shell out $120 to upgrade to Windows 10, the loophole seems to have been intentionally left open to get as many people to switch from Windows 7 to Windows 10 as possible, even if Microsoft has to lose out on the money they would make from those upgrades.
Someone claiming to work for Microsoft revealed on Reddit that the "whole 'free' upgrade for a year was fully marketing fluff,” and that even after the initial cut-off date for the upgrade, it’s easy to upgrade from Windows 7 and get that free Windows 10 download.
According to the poster, CokeRobot, Microsoft didn’t care, as Terry Meyerson, who was previously Executive Vice President at Microsoft, and head of the Windows and Devices Group, “at the time cared more about his upgrade stats than license revenue as Windows isn't Microsoft's cash cow anymore.”
Since Microsoft ended support for Windows 7 last year, it seems the company would rather take the financial hit and make it easy for people to upgrade to Windows 10, rather than them sticking with Windows 7, which could potentially become a security risk as no new patches or updates would be released for the operating system, or worse, switch from Windows to a free alternative like Linux.
However, it seems like while Microsoft knows about the loophole (and tacitly approves of it), it doesn’t want to publicize it, as that could annoy people who have paid for the upgrade.
Of course, bear in mind that this is coming from an unverified user on Reddit. However, it doesn’t seem too far-fetched, as Microsoft could easily stop the free upgrades if it wanted to – and so far, it hasn’t.
As CokeRobot explains, you need to choose the upgrade where you keep your files and information. If you choose to do a fresh install, you lose the ability to upgrade to Windows 10 for free, and will need to buy a Windows 10 licence.
If this happens, check out our pick of the cheapest Windows 10 prices.
However, we have also heard from readers who say that even doing a fresh install will work with the free Windows 10 upgrade, as long as you have your Windows 7 key to hand.
To upgrade for free, use the Windows Media Creation Tool and select to upgrade from there. Enter in your Windows 7 (or Windows 8) licence key, and you should soon have a Windows 10 running – for free.
For more in-depth advice, visit our guide on how to upgrade to Windows 10 for free.
Via MSPowerUser
Google Play Protect isn’t as effective as its peers, according to six-month long test.
Read MoreAfter June 1, 2021, 'high quality' photos and videos will start counting towards your 15GB of free storage.
Read MoreMembers of Generation Z, the cohort of people born in the first decade of the 21st century, care about digital privacy, but their desire for online fame and popularity is greater, a new study from ExpressVPN suggests. The VPN provider surveyed 1,500 young adults from the US to evaluate their online habits and attitudes towards social media, and identified a troubling pattern that could have dire consequences. The survey found that Generation Z isn’t trusting of the social media platforms they frequent, expressing concern that platforms may be using their images for facial recognition (67%) and wariness about oversharing personal information (66%). They also typically use at least one privacy and security setting on their social media accounts, such as two-factor authentication (64%) and disabling contact syncing (50%). Yet, paradoxically, 78% of Generation Z said they would be willing to give up more personal data in exchange for social media fame, and 40% would do so in exchange for early access to new features on their favorite platforms. About a third of members of Generation Z also admitted to purchasing followers on social media, even though half of them knew it posed a potential security risk and there was a high likelihood of the followers being automated bots. Yet, those who purchase followers are willing to take this risk for the potential of getting a verified profile (40%) and/or the prospect of attracting brand collaborations (36%). “One of the most surprising findings is that even though the Gen Z knows how social media corporations are mining personal data and selling it to third parties, they are still willing to disclose their most personally identifiable details in exchange for social media fame. An Instagram post or TikTok video might grant a few days of fame, but a third-party company's access to your personal information can last forever,” commented Harold Li, Vice President, ExpressVPN. The willingness to hand out personal information in exchange for short-term gains could be a slippery slope for Gen Z. Bad habits are hard to change, after all. ExpressVPN has been in the news of late due to concerns about one of its executives and its proposed acquisition by Kape Technologies, the impact of which is still unclear. News of the acquisition led to the resurfacing of earlier claims that Kape predecessor, Crossrider, was previously responsible for developing and distributing adware or malware. Such claims appear to be erroneous; the Crossrider development platform had simply been misused by third parties, just as is the case these days with Github. There still remain questions about how the acquisition will impact ExpressVPN’s service going forward, though the company has said ExpressVPN will continue to be run as an independent service.Risky behavior
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