Several tech support teams of popular PC vendors, such as HP and Dell, are apparently discouraging customers from upgrading to Windows 10 and even telling them to roll back to Windows 8.1.
According to Laptopmag.com’s annual Tech Support Showdown, some tech support staff also failed to understand the core features of the new operating system.
The report claims that one HP support agent said ‘I really don’t recommend customers upgrade to Windows 10’, while a worker on Dell’s support line told them ‘there are a lot of glitches in Windows 10’.
“Phone-support reps from Dell and HP told us they discourage users from upgrading to Windows 10. An HP rep even tried to help us roll back to Windows 8.1 during one of our support calls. A Lenovo rep had nothing negative to say about Windows 10, but was confused about how Cortana works,” claims Laptop.
The publication has since had responses from both Dell and HP commenting on the situation.
Dell’s official statement on the matter reads: "As Windows 10 continues to evolve, we sometimes recommend a customer revert to their previous operating system to troubleshoot a specific issue they're having. In addition, we have a continuous feedback loop with Microsoft in which we share insight from our customers, like the one received from this particular call, to inform further updates to the OS and ensure Windows 10 reflects the experience our customers are seeking. We remain committed to Windows 10 and are ready to help our customers make the transition as easy as possible.”
Meanwhile, HP’s VP of customer experience, Mike Nash, told the publication: "At the end of the day, the person's job is to get the PC running. Given the scenario, it might have been the most expeditious thing to get them back to a known good space."
This report comes shortly after Microsoft revealed that it will be stopping pre-install sales of Windows 7.
While the official end of support will not happen until 14th January 2020, what does this mean for the industry?
“The announcement that Microsoft will be stopping pre-install sales of Windows 7 signifies the very first step in yet another long, and potentially painful, OS migration for businesses all around the world,” said CEO of Camwood, Adrian Foxall, who has over 20 years of experience working in application migration.
“While Microsoft remains reasonably coy about the total number of Windows 7 licences sold, we do know that 53 per cent of all desktop traffic is now being accessed via a Windows 7 device. This figure has grown substantially amongst the business community, with the vast majority of organisations switching to Windows 7 after the end of support for Windows XP.”
He warns: “Businesses should not be looking to undertake some mad rush to abandon their existing IT systems. Instead, they should be using this announcement as an opportunity to get their application estates in order and to start thinking about how to plan and build an appropriate long-term migration strategy.”

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