Accept windows 10 upgrade but continue to use windows 7

[oscarcat]

After several months, Windows 10 is now attemting to upgrade automatically and against my upgrade choice onto my windows 7 (home premium 64 bit) PC.
I want to continue running Windows 7 but also keep the copy of Windows 10 I'm elegible to have.
How can I best acheive this? I do not want the update notice continually flashing up, in fact I'd like to make it disappear (once Windows 10 is stored somewhere. I do have an old internal hard drives gathering dust in the 'useful spares box' (about 400gbs) and wonder whether this might be a suitable place for it?

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Why would you want to "store" Windows 10 anywhere? I have no idea what that means.

You don't have to "keep" anything if you are not interested in Windows 10 as of right now.

If you want nothing to do with it today, there are dozens of instructional threads on this forum, the sister Windows 10 forum, and scattered across the Internet about how to avoid it. It's a pain, Microsoft is aggressive about trying to force 10 on you, but it's doable.

I'd search those threads and follow the advice, and would not attempt to "store" anything.

The free offer expires in July 2016. If you decide between now and then that you in fact do want to install Windows 10, that's easily done. You don't have to reserve anything or download anything or do anything at all UNTIL the day you want to install it.

After next July, you will have to pay.

Unless Microsoft changes it's mind about stuff---which is certainly possible.

 

[oscarcat]

Is it really so strange to want keep a obtain a copy of a new OS against the day when it might, for any of a number of reasons, be needed (but very definitley isn't needed right now)? By 'store' I mean no more than the dictionary definition, ie something kept and preserved and not immediately used.
This is a windows 7 forum and I think it is eminently suitable and logical to post this question, which is to do with windows, 7 here. I'm running windows 7 and want to continue to do so for the time being. Microsoft, on the other hand are unilaterally over-riding my windows 7 update choices - choices which they give the user, and are trying to force me to accept a change to windows 10. Some might liken it more to a cyber attack than just aggressive behaviour.
I have windows 7 on a disc with a product key. All I want to do , if possible, is to aquire a copy of the windows 10 (with any necessary product key or authenticator) to which I am entitled. Maybe I'd have to make an ISO file of it, I don't know.
But I do NOT want to use it straight away, but rather store it safely until it becomes a more attractive proposition than windows 7 is at the present time. Things that might make me look at windows 10 with approval would be if it abandons its mobile phone/tablet GUI looks (how many large commercial enterprises have taken it up?), or is able handle files with large names, or is able to count like a human being when you want to consecutively number several hundred files.
Once windows 10 is safely locked away, I then want to find out how to make Microsoft leave my update choices alone and stop interfering with my system.