PC makers' tech support asks customers to avoid Windows 10

You may have upgraded to Windows 10 as soon as humanly possible, but don't tell that to your PC manufacturer. As part of its tech support research, Laptop has learned that at least Dell and HP are discouraging customers from updating to Windows 10, or even recommending that people roll back to older versions. When asked, both companies defend the practice. They're committed to Windows 10, but their ultimate goal on a support line is to fix your PC... even if that means reverting to old software.

This kind of policy isn't strictly new. As anyone who's worked tech support will tell you, vendors usually teach reps to support a narrow range of software for a reason. It's hard to guarantee that a years-old PC will run a version of Windows it was never designed to use. However, this policy is at odds with Microsoft's attempt to push as many Windows 10 upgrades as possible, including for Windows 7 users. The two sides are effectively fighting each other -- one camp wants a wave of early adopters, while the other wants to discourage those eager beavers whenever possible. Unless PC makers go the extra mile to support Windows 10, Microsoft could end up with a lot of confused customers.