Whose fault is this? Tencent and Qihoo stop helping users upgrade to Windows 10

Windows 10 is here. And in China, Microsoft’s move to launch the new operating system has included an unprecedented effort to partner with local companies and allow users to upgrade via local partners Tencent, Qihoo 360, Baidu and Lenovo. It’s a savvy move that was being praised by observers as a good way to get typically-upgrade-shy Chinese consumers to make the switch.

But things quickly went awry, and now both Tencent and Qihoo 360 have suspended their support for the Windows 10 upgrade. The reason? Compatibility issues. According to Qihoo’s statement announcing its suspension of upgrades, for example, a number of users have experienced compatibility issues with the upgrade that made their computers unusable, doing things like “constantly restarting.” Tencent’s announcement of its suspension of support cited similar reasons.

It’s not clear who is really at fault here, though. Many Chinese web users have suggested that downloading Windows 10 directly from Microsoft alleviates all of these problems, suggesting that the issues might really lie with Qihoo and Tencent rather than Microsoft’s new OS. The top comments on a Sina article about the suspensions, for example, nearly all suggest that users think Tencent and Qihoo are the cause of the problems.

A Microsoft spokesperson told Tech in Asia: “We are pleased by the customer response and demand for Windows 10 in China. We are aware of isolated delays affecting some customers looking to upgrade through our partners, Tencent and Qihoo 360. We are working closely with both Tencent and Qihoo 360 to ensure that our shared customers with qualified devices receive their upgrade to Windows 10 as soon as possible.”

A Qihoo representative told Tech in Asia: “As far as I know, this problem does not only shows [sic] in Qihoo’s system. We will provide our users with any support if necessary.”

Tech in Asia has also contacted Tencent for comment on this story and will update if we hear back. Update: Tencent has provided Tech in Asia with the following statement: “As of July 29, Tencent PC Manager has suspended Windows 10 upgrades after a number of users reported various technical issues as a result of compatibility problems between Windows 10 and users’ hardware systems which we have subsequently identified. We are closely working with Microsoft to provide a solution and will reactivate the upgrade function once ready. We apologize to all users for any inconvenience.”