A Chicago federal court has been asked to upgrade a law suit brought by three individuals against Microsoft to a class action suit.

The claimants allege that the free Windows 10 upgrade they had installed on their PCs caused "data loss and damage to their computers."

"Many consumers have had their hard drives fail because of the Windows 10 installation," alleged the complaint. "Many consumers have had their existing software and data rendered inoperable by the Windows 10 installation."

The plaintiffs contend that after the free upgrade, files were damaged and one claims that her computer was so damaged that she had to purchase a new machine.

Howard Goldberg of Highland Park, Ill., contends that: "After three attempts to download Windows 10, each of which tied up his computer for extended periods of time, Goldberg's computer was damaged, and Windows 10 was not actually downloaded and functional," the complaint read. "Goldberg contacted Microsoft about the problems, and was told his computer was out of warranty, and that he would have to pay them for any assistance with the problems. Goldberg therefore had to have somebody repair the computer to make it functional."

Microsoft issued this statement: "We believe the plaintiffs' claims are without merit," a Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement. Microsoft also pointed out that "customers had the option not to upgrade to Windows 10" and added that users also could contact the company's free technical support.

Source: Network World