So if a specific accessory or part of your computer acts badly, an outdated driver is often the culprit. If, say, your printer stopped working, go to the manufacturer’s support website and search for a new driver for that printer model with Windows 10 compatibility. If there is no updated driver, your best options are to stick with the older version of Windows or buy a new printer.

If Things Go Wrong, Revert

A lesser-known feature in Windows 10 is a button to roll back to the previous version of Windows if you are having problems. Microsoft basically creates an archive of your past Windows version and puts it in a directory so that you can revert easily.

In the Settings window, select the Recovery tab, and there will be an option to go back to an older version of Windows. Click “Get started,” and Microsoft will return you to the previous version of Windows.

In other words, when you install Windows 10, you need not purge all the data from the hard drive to install a fresh copy of the operating system. Doing so would wipe out the directory with that older version of Windows, killing an important protection. So create a backup, install the operating system, see how it hums and revert if the system is unstable. The option to return to a previous version of Windows is available for only one month after an upgrade to Windows 10.

Kill the Reminders

If you have tried all of the above and Windows 10 is still not playing well, you can stick with your older version and tell Microsoft to leave you alone.

Mr. Dennis said the company had heard feedback about it being too aggressive with encouraging people to upgrade. So Microsoft recently clarified the wording of the upgrade reminder to read: “Click here to change upgrade schedule or cancel scheduled upgrade.” Clicking through will let you opt out of the upgrade.

Consider a Hardware Upgrade

If you are eager to get on Windows 10 and your machine is not cooperating, consider upgrading the parts or buying a new computer, Mr. Denslow said. He and other I.T. professionals recommended that owners of PCs with older, spinning hard-disk drives upgrade to solid state, a newer storage technology. Solid-state drives generally have less storage capacity than spinning hard-disk drives, but they load Windows 10 applications faster and are more durable because they lack moving parts.