NEW YORK: Microsoft has admitted that it is blocking Windows 7 and 8 updates on Intel's seventh generation Core i3, i5, Qualcomm's 8996 and other processors to 'force' users upgrade to Windows 10, a media report said.

According to a report in Forbes on Friday, when a user tries to run Windows Update, Windows is unable to search for new updates generating a message "Code 80240037 Windows Update encountered an unknown error".

"As new silicon generations are introduced, they will require the latest Windows platform at that time for support. This enables us to focus on deep integration between Windows and the silicon while maintaining maximum reliability and compatibility with previous generations of platform and silicon," the report quoted a Microsoft spokesperson as saying.

Microsoft is making sure its runs new silicon on latest Windows and install them on most new-build PCs running these processors.

"While there will be user benefits to this strategy, it also means that Microsoft is taking away a measure of control from users," the report noted.

Intel Skylake processors will also not be supported on Windows 7 and 8 from July. Therefore, its users will have to upgrade to keep the updates coming.

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