Microsoft Pays Woman $10,000 Over Unwanted Windows 10 Upgrade

Microsoft recently paid a $10,000 judgment to Teri Goldstein, a California woman who successfully sued the software giant after her computer installed Windows 10 without prompting her for her approval.

Since Microsoft unveiled Windows 10 in July of last year, it has been aggressively pushing users to adopt the new operating system, making a free upgrade available on systems running Windows 7 and 8.1. The campaign has been effective for the most part and as a result Windows 10 usage has grown faster than that of any previous operating system.

However, the push has also drawn flak for being pushy and deceptive, with the upgrade sometimes being installed automatically on systems.

Goldstein, who uses her computer to run a travel agency, found last year that it had downloaded Windows 10 without her authorization. The upgraded system was riddled with errors and her computer became prone to crashes, which lasted at times for days on end. After reaching out to tech support and failing to address the issues, Goldstein opted for legal recourse, successfully suing Microsoft for compensation for lost wages and the cost of a new computer.

Last month, Microsoft dropped its appeal and paid Goldstein $10,000.

The free Windows 10 upgrade offer is due to expire on July 29, 2016, at which time the unwanted and automatic downloads will end as well. That being said, consumers who, like Goldstein, have experienced unintentional upgrades now know that they might have the grounds and incentive to seek monetary compensation.