PC Support Reps Tell Users to Uninstall Windows 10

Victek · 07 Nov 2015

unifex said:

Why does one need to upgrade? Is the old OS no longer working? Is there a program one wants to run that works only with the new OS? I mean, the mere fact that they made a new product is not a reason to "upgrade".

I think this a point of view that needs to be understood and appreciated more. OEM PCs are designed and tested to work with a specific OS and I don't blame them for being reluctant to support OS upgrading. I advise my customers to check with the OEM to find out if their particular model is listed as compatible with Windows 10 before they try the upgrade; if not then don't, or least don't expect support from the OEM if there are problems. I say this also because I don't want people to see me as responsible if the upgrade doesn't work out. Also there's an important difference between supporting the upgrade and educating users about how to use new OS features. For instance I wouldn't expect OEM customer support to explain to me how Cortana works. People should turn to Microsoft to learn how to use new features in the OS.

There's another important issue which is average users are extremely averse to change. When Windows 7 users ask me if they should upgrade to Windows 10 I say that they will not experience any significant benefit and there will be a learning curve. That often discourages them and I think that's just fine. Many people are no longer interested in upgrading after learning that they're not missing out on anything. For Windows 8 users it's not as simple. If they hate 8 then I advise them to upgrade (after checking with the PC OEM as well as the printer OEM, etc). If they're gotten used to 8 then often I just install Classic Shell so they have the added convenience of the Start Menu and they're happy.

rfruth · 07 Nov 2015

Nothing against support reps but if someone upgrades they may not buy a new PC as soon & upgrades usually mean more support

groze · 07 Nov 2015

I never knew an OEM to actually support any operating system that is upgraded to newer version of windows even if you paid for an extended support service.

BunnyJ · 07 Nov 2015

unifex said:

That's five years from now. I am sure that five years from now I will have a newer PC which will run newer software. To be honest, my hope is that they will come up with something better then W10 in the mean time or at least adapt the UI to be more usable on the desktop.

I don't think that MS is going to make any changes to the current UI and I don't know why you think that the UI is not usable for desktops. I for one have no problem with it.

pchelp · 07 Nov 2015

Gas said:

Hi all,
This is an intriguing question and asking to myself why do I like/want upgrade my OS' the answer to me is: an OS is like a car, after few years it become older noisy and worn, don't you get bored driving the same old car?

I agree with the answer but not the solution. After a year or two Windows starts slowing down, having more problems, etc. So I do a restore to OOB & presto, it's new again. (Actually I restore the image I made when I was still happy with how it performed. Same idea, different details.) New versions of Windows are excuses for buying new computers. Not that I consider that a bad thing, but it's the truth.

snoopy51 · 07 Nov 2015

HaHa!
Last week, my neighbor called me in a panic mode. Her upgrade to Windows 10 with her Lenovo 27" All-in-One is going badly. She got the BestBuy's GeekSquad on site. After 3 hours, the rep recommended for her to make an appointment and bring her machine to the GeekSquad shop so they can reset it to factory condition of Windows 8.1. This service is not cover under her warranty!

The problem turned out a bad graphic driver update. I fixed for her in 20 minutes flat!

I find many Tech Rep in HP for the last 3 years is completely unreliable at about 40% rate based on my past experience. They sounded like they were reading from a script rather than thinking through troubleshooting!

Just my 2 cents!

SoDiMm · 07 Nov 2015

I've found that unless the system is lean and devoid of crap OEM apps/malware, other misc garbage, its going to have some annoying issues after upgrading. Most systems I've upgraded end up needing a reset early on and then they're fine.

Windows 10's install/upgrade process leaves a lot to be desired. I don't blame the reps for suggesting the user to stick to what works because walking them through an upgrade, then telling them to reset their PC to make it usable is more trouble than its worth.

Leopard · 07 Nov 2015

Victek said:

I think this a point of view that needs to be understood and appreciated more. OEM PCs are designed and tested to work with a specific OS and I don't blame them for being reluctant to support OS upgrading. I advise my customers to check with the OEM to find out if their particular model is listed as compatible with Windows 10 before they try the upgrade; if not then don't, or least don't expect support from the OEM if there are problems.

I absolutely agree. An OEM PC is setup with drivers that are best suited to a particular model and its capabilities. If the OEM PC is seen as having a compatible set of components by MS for the W10 upgrade, MS offers the upgrade to it without taking into account the modifications that the OEM has made to the PC. W10 is being promoted by MS as an OS that will evolve over time - that means it will not take long for it to outpace a basic compliant system. Many of these OEM PCs are merely basically compliant. IMO: after the free upgrade period is over they will start seeing escalating performance issues. OEMs have a list of the models that CAN upgrade so that is the best advise you can get.

Berton · 07 Nov 2015

snoopy51 said:

HaHa!
Last week, my neighbor called me in a panic mode. Her upgrade to Windows 10 with her Lenovo 27" All-in-One is going badly. She got the BestBuy's GeekSquad on site. After 3 hours, the rep recommended for her to make an appointment and bring her machine to the GeekSquad shop so they can reset it to factory condition of Windows 8.1. This service is not cover under her warranty!

The problem turned out a bad graphic driver update. I fixed for her in 20 minutes flat!

I find many Tech Rep in HP for the last 3 years is completely unreliable at about 40% rate based on my past experience. They sounded like they were reading from a script rather than thinking through troubleshooting!

Just my 2 cents!

I have a couple of clients that also tried BestBuy's GeekSquad repair service but were not satisfied the same day after having driven 170 miles to the store. They did eventually get things fixed but couldn't stay in town necessitating a second trip to pick up their machine. Not the best recommendation to get the extra-cost add-on service.

aztec506 · 07 Nov 2015

unifex said:

Why does one need to upgrade? Is the old OS no longer working? Is there a program one wants to run that works only with the new OS? I mean, the mere fact that they made a new product is not a reason to "upgrade".

Sure, I'm testing W10 out of curiosity. But on a separate machine. And frankly, I don't see any reason to migrate my work machine. I just don't see anything in W10 that W7 cannot do, at least as far as my needs and the programs I'm using. The fact that the design is flat and square does not help the case either. But the main question has nothing to do with design. It's simply that my work machine is working well. Why would I want to mess with it?

Really? First you say why bother & then you say "sure, I'm testing Win10". I thought you had better things to do with your time. Why bother?