Microsoft is in the process of releasing their new Windows
10 Operating System. For your home computer, this is an upgrade that you do not pay for if you
already have Windows 8 on your home computer. This upgrade promises to fix
problems with earlier versions, and claims to be more secure. The Microsoft
plan to upgrade a billion personal computers has caused inevitable confusion
among PC users.
Internet thieves and hackers are trying to exploit this
confusion. You might get calls from scammers that claim to be Microsoft tech
support and try to charge you for the upgrade using your credit card. This is a scam. Microsoft NEVER calls uses for
this sort of process. Do not fall for this.
You may get a link in an email
offering the upgrade for free by clicking a link that appears to be from
Microsoft, Dell, HP or some other technology vendor. This is also a scam. This link is going to load a variant of the
Crypto Locker virus on your computer.
The scammer will then hold your computer for ransom and ask for $3-800
in bitcoins to release your files.
For Windows 8.1 users, if you do a Windows Update, the offer
to upgrade to upgrade should appear in your pending upgrades. If you would like to upgrade directly, here
is the official link:
I upgraded my son’s new laptop and have the following tips
based on that experience
1) If you have a
laptop, you should be plugged into a power outlet with the screen saver and “go
to sleep” functions turned off. If the
computer goes to sleep during the upgrade, the whole process is going to pause.
2) You should back up
your hard drive before the upgrade in case it fails in the middle
3) The upgrade is an over 2 gigabyte download. Depending on the speed of your internet
connection, the download and upgrade are going to take quite a bit of time.
Please feel free to pass this on to friends and family.
