Microsoft Windows 10
Microsoft is now warning users to upgrade to Windows 10 before 29 July 2016 or they will miss out on the free offer Reuters

Microsoft is now warning users that its free Windows 10 upgrade will cease to be free after July 2016 in an announcement celebrating the fact that Windows 10 is now being used on 300 million active devices in the world.

"Today, we want to remind you that if you haven't taken advantage of the free upgrade offer, now is the time. The free upgrade offer to Windows 10 was a first for Microsoft, helping people upgrade faster than ever before," Yusuf Mehdi, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft's Windows and Devices Group wrote on the Windows blog.

Read more about Windows 10 on IBTimes UK:

"And time is running out. The free upgrade offer will end on 29 July and we want to make sure you don't miss out."

After 29 July, if you want to upgrade to Windows 10, you will need to pay $119 or £99.99 (in the UK) to get Windows 10 Home on your PC.

Obviously, IBTimes UK isn't the biggest fan of Windows 10 and we have been quite fervent about pointing out its drawbacks and teething problems. Users have had to put up with Microsoft secretly downloading 6GB of Windows 10 files onto machines that haven't upgraded; the Threshold 2 update deletes default programs and freezes during the update; and most recently, Windows 10 updates are forcing PCs to use Microsoft products to open various file formats as a default, instead of allowing the user to choose for themselves.

We also find the ever-persistent 'Get Windows 10' nagware ads that pop-up on your desktop seriously annoying, and are not surprised that it uses similar techniques to illegal malware in order to promote the new Windows operating system – including a patch that constantly reinstalls itself after the user has removed it.

However, money is money. Windows 10 might not be where it needs to be just yet, but it will be eventually. So the question you need to think about is – would you rather stay on Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, or upgrade your machines now so you don't have to pay more in the future?

In the words of the Grail Knight in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: choose wisely.

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