Microsoft is downloading Windows 10, the new version of its operating system, onto users' computers without them asking for it.
People using Windows 7 or Windows 8 and 8.1 are seeing installation files for Windows 10 appear on their computer after being downloaded in the background.
While the downloads do not automatically install Windows 10, they take up a significant amount of storage space - up to 6GB - and bandwidth to download.
The files being downloaded do not mean that Windows 10 is automatically installed, but once they are present, Microsoft will prompt users to install the software every time a computer is rebooted.
Microsoft, which has made Windows 10 a free upgrade in order to get as many people as possible to install it, said only users who had signed up to automatic updates would have Windows 10 downloaded automatically.
Microsoft's automatic updates are highly recommended for security and efficiency reasons, but many users would not expect this to apply to a brand new operating system that takes a large portion of memory, especially on some portable hybrid devices that may only have 32GB of storage.
The automatic download was discovered by an Inquirer reader, who said he had not signed up to download Windows 10 and did not intend to.
"I thought Microsoft [said] this 'upgrade' was optional. If so, why is it being pushed out to so many computers where it wasn't reserved, and why does it try to install over and over again?" the reader told The Inquirer.
"I know of two instances where people on metered connections went over their data cap for August because of this unwanted download."
Automatic downloads are often unwelcome, as Apple found out last year when it placed U2's latest album in iTunes users' music libraries.
"For individuals who have chosen to receive automatic updates through Windows Update, we help upgradable devices get ready for Windows 10 by downloading the files they’ll need if they decide to upgrade.
"When the upgrade is ready, the customer will be prompted to install Windows 10 on the device.”
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