Microsoft pays woman $10,000 over unauthorised Windows 10 update

Microsoft, which  wants a billion of its users on the Windows 10 platform by mid-2018, has already come under fire for the manner in which its latest software is being promoted.

A travel agent in Sausalito, California, sued the company after an unauthorised update of her operating system to Windows 10 caused her  computer to malfunction, which at the time was operating on Windows 7.

According to the complainant Teri Goldstein, the forced update in August 2015 affected her business computer and caused her travel agency to lose over $17,000, especially around the last quarter of the year, when the holiday season rolled in and bookings were at their peak.

Goldstein was unable to attend to her client's needs as all the files and emails she needed remained inaccessible. She said her computer just ''limped along'' as she reached out to Microsoft's customer support and scoured forums to find a way to remedy her computer.

Microsoft says it was not in the wrong and would have filed an appeal but decided to cut expenses from continued litigation, The Seattle Times reports.

When Goldstein's case came up at the small claims court, rather than a lawyer, an employee from the local retail store represented Microsoft.

"Nobody ever asked me if I wanted to update," said Goldstein who, at the time of the automatic installation, had not even heard of Windows 10.

Launched in July 2015, Windows 10 is currently available for free download for users with Windows 7 or Windows 8 operating systems. The free download would end on 29 July this year.

However, many people had opted not to upgrade due to several reasons. Some are running old hardware, some had software that did not run on Windows 10, and some were concerned over the software's tracking features and others simply did not want it.

Though Microsoft had pushed the Windows 10 update along with its security updates and classified it a ''recommended update,'' meaning it will be automatically downloaded and installed unless blocked by the user, Microsoft said the update was a choice, not a compulsion.

People needed to acknowledge in dialogue box before the installation and agree to a license agreement to download and install Windows 10, the company said.