Starting this month, Microsoft will begin forcing some users to upgrade to Windows 10 version 1909 or version 2004 if they don’t update their PC manually.
This is coming after Microsoft announced that it’s ending support for Windows 10 version 1903, including Windows 10 Home and Windows 10 Pro.
If you’re on Windows 10 version 1903, you’ll be force upgraded to version 1909 later this month.
If you’re on Windows 10 version 1909, you’ll be forcefully upgraded to Windows 10 version 2004 (May 2020 Update) by the spring of next year.
If you’re still using last year’s Windows 10 versions, it’s better to attempt the upgrade manually.
If you would like to get the most recent version of Windows 10, simply head to the Settings app and check for updates.
You can also use the Media Creation Tool or Windows 10 ISO files.
Microsoft is also informing users about the upcoming forced upgrade via a new notification within the Windows Update page.
The process is expected to start this week and expand over the course of the next month before Windows 10 version 21H1 update is ready for production channels.
While I agree in principle with updating because there is a limit to how many software versions it should be necessary to support and always better to be able to devote resources to fixing bugs in the more recent versions, there is a problem for many users stuck with PCs or tablets that have (eg) 32 GB eMMC storage devices in that there can be only limited space left on these devices unless users ruthlessly prune stuff and use files-on-demand options in OneDrive. My experience is that it can be necessary to have over 10 GB free before an update can complete, and 10 GB free can be a big challenge. I have been thru the mill with this plenty of times in the past, and I just wish Microsoft would be sensible with their minimal hardware requirements to avoid such problems in future, eg requiring minimum 64 GB or even 128 GB.
That’s always been the issue. That 10GB free issue has been a pain in the ass for a long time.
How to permanently block and prohibit the upgrade?
Owner doesn’t care if not supported anymore – that is user’s risk.
Owner doesn’t care if there are vulnerabilities – that is owner’s risk.
Risk of losing data, work, in process items, info, and breaking what works is too great (as this has happened with previous updates) – not upgrading is risk owner is will to accept.