We’re getting a horrible nagging feeling this month, from Microsoft in one ear and a tech-savvy three-year-old in the other. Still, at least we’ll all soon be loaded

Not everybody wants Windows 10, but if you’re not careful you could find it taking up a huge chunk of your hard disk space

I LIKE WINDOWS 10. I think it’s a strong operating system that is improving all the time. However, I fully support those who, for whatever reason, don’t want to make the jump. For example, I have one AMD-based system that, with Windows 10, is incredibly slow in games. Nothing I do with graphics drivers will fix the problem, so I’ve just resigned myself to the fact that Windows 10 hates my motherboard and, on that machine at least, I’ll stick with Windows 8.1.

decent operating system, and can be vastly improved by installing an alternative program interface such as Classic Shell. Once you have a proper Start menu installed, you’ll have a fast, stable operating system, and the only thing you’ll have to worry about is in which one of the 47 Settings menus (spread across two different Control Panels) you’ll find the option to change your password.

Unfortunately, Microsoft is determined to drag me, and other Windows 10 refuseniks, kicking and screaming into double digits.

There you are, happily minding your Windows 8.1 business, when after a certain Windows update up pops the Get Windows 10 application. This has two boxes: Upgrade now and Upgrade later. You’d think that clicking Upgrade later would just close the window, leaving you free to decide when you want to take the upgrade leap. Not so. The Get Windows 10 application takes you at your word, and downloads 3GB of Windows 10 in the background, presumably so it can nag you with even greater intensity later

The only way not to grab several GB of unwanted files over your 2Mbit/s metered broadband connection is to click the X in the top-right of the window. However, you’re not out of the woods yet. Even if you’ve remained disciplined and calm and have managed to find the secret to dismissing the popup with no adverse effects, the Get Windows 10 icon will stay staring at you from your notification area, daring you to slip up and click one of the big, inviting Upgrade now or Upgrade later buttons and have your operating system destiny whisked out from under your feet. Even if your mouse control is so refined that you avoid clicking on the Icon of Evil, the upgrade application will still pop up to nag you when you first boot to the desktop.

Microsoft has pledged to support Windows 7 until 2020 and Windows 8.1 until 2023. These are still current products, and you shouldn’t be forced to dump them, or at least download gigabytes of data you don’t want, through sleight of hand. Thank heavens, then, that there are bright sparks out there who also find this behaviour irritating. The GWX Control Panel from ultimateoutsider.com/downloads, in just a couple of clicks, will kill the nagging forever