Windows 10 Download Reservation started today

Post by **BobHelm** » June 4, 2016, 7:49 am

For anyone that does NOT want to upgrade to Windows 10 then there are a number of free programs that will remove the icon & remove the update files, if they have already downloaded. Never10 is one that I would recommend for anyone that doesn't want to update & can't be bothered to stop it the 'long' way..
https://www.grc.com/never10.htm

The uptake on Windows 10 is certainly increasing, although that is probably driven by many new PCs not offering another option.

Although I gather than Microsoft's new browser, Edge, has failed to generate much support. Despite it being the default browser on Windows 10 it is estimated that 3 out of 4 Windows 10 users are using a browser other than Edge!!

Post by **hairyharry** » June 4, 2016, 9:36 am

I finally bit the bullet and upgraded from Windows 7 to Windows 10 a month ago.

At present I am very pleased with the result. The upgrade has solved a few issues that I had with Windows 7, with a couple of new problems being encountered now.

Start up and shut down are significantly faster. Movies of a large size and format are now playing without any problems. Office works well too. I use Google Chrome and have no difficulties.

I am having a problem with pdf readers. Adobe (previously reliable) is now crashing on a reqular basis. I use Adobe every day so that is a real pain. It's a known issue but none of the suggested fixes have worked. I've tried the leading alternative but that also crashes and the minimum functions of the lightweight readers don't meet my requirements. This is currently an ongoing problem. I also had problems with Zoom video conferencing software but those have been resolved following an update by the authors of that software.

The one big difference for me is that my 1,2 ghz processor is no longer fast enough to cope with Windows 10, Adobe and Zoom Video Conferencing Software all running at the same time. From my experience so far, I believe I need a minimum of 2 ghz for a processor, plenty of cache and plenty of RAM. Also noted a comment on the forum about having a solid state drive so that's now on my list of desirables.

Incidentally, all my software is licenced and I have fairly basic requirements so that may go some way to explaining the lack of problems encountered so far.

Much to my surprise, I like Windows 10 and I'm very happy with the upgrade outcome!!!!

Post by **Stevo** » June 4, 2016, 12:12 pm

Udon Map wrote:A solid state drive will make it go light-speed fast. Think about one for your next computer, maybe.

I'll second that =D>
Not only are SSD's more reliable (no moving parts) they are 4 or 5 times faster than SATA HDD's.
One of my computers was being throttle by the SATA hard disc (Windows Experience showed a score of 5.9 for HDD), replacing with a solid state drive brought it up to speed with the rest of the system.

The Windows 10 boot up and shut down speed increase is a farce IMHO... sure, it will display your desktop background image faster and close it quicker too.. but that doesn't mean it's fully booted or shut down.
I have done back to back tests with identical machines, one running Win 7 Ult and the other running Win 10 Pro... the Win 10 machine was quicker to display the desktop image, but the test was to boot up, open browser (Opera), then sign in to a certain website account. As for shut down, again, the Win 10 machine closed the desktop image faster, but the test was when the CPU fans stopped and all lights went out. The winner in both cases was...
Windows 7 Ultimate.

Post by **jingjai** » June 4, 2016, 1:49 pm

Gotta be honest...I'm not that computer/software savvy.
Today, I noticed a icon in the lower right corner which says "Get Windows10".
If I decide to get it it, what do I need to do before hand? One friend said I needed to back-up my entire Windows 7 hard drive since Windows 10 in a completely new OS? That nothing from my current Windows 7 OS will be saved?
Then I read articles like this from May 5:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonkelly ... 3ca861395e
and then this one from a June 1:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/update-wi ... 10788.html

Seems like some people praise the Windows 10 upgrade, while others curse it

.

Post by **BobHelm** » June 4, 2016, 2:04 pm

In theory you need to do nothing other than click on the icon & let it happen.
It does take a fair time to load though.

If you are on Windows 7 then, in theory, it is an 'upgrade' rather than an 'install' so it should leave all your personal stuff alone & just upgrade the operating system.

But that is theory rather than practicality

Personally I would certainly back up any personal data that I wanted to keep before upgrading. After all, even if it all goes according to plan, you will still have a backup of your personal stuff - which is worth doing even if you are not updating the system.

Some people prefer Windows 10 to Windows 7, some hate it. It is a very different (phone like) system & I would highly recommend that you have a look at it in action before you make the move.
In theory (again

) it is possible to 'go back' to Windows 7 if you find that you hate 10, but I do know of people who have ended up with difficulties when they tried to do that!!

If you can't see Windows 10 in the 'live' before you take the plunge then it would be worthwhile looking at Youtube, where there are a fair number of beginner guides that will give you a fair indication of what it is about..

Oh, sorry, one last thing.
In order to get much out of Windows 10 you need a Microsoft Account name - an outlook or hotmail address, for example.
The idea is that you can sign onto a Windows 10 machine anywhere with your user name & then you will get your desktop & Applications on that machine. It is possible to use Windows 10 without but you can't then download Applications etc...

Post by **jingjai** » June 4, 2016, 9:18 pm

BobHelm wrote:In theory you need to do nothing other than click on the icon & let it happen.
It does take a fair time to load though.

If you are on Windows 7 then, in theory, it is an 'upgrade' rather than an 'install' so it should leave all your personal stuff alone & just upgrade the operating system.

But that is theory rather than practicality
Personally I would certainly back up any personal data that I wanted to keep before upgrading. After all, even if it all goes according to plan, you will still have a backup of your personal stuff - which is worth doing even if you are not updating the system.

So, how does one know whether it is a update or upgrade? I've looked but can't seem to find the info? This is where it is confusing.
I have backed up all my personal data.
But how does one back up all the info on my browser (Firefox)?
What about programs?

Post by **Lone Star** » June 4, 2016, 9:31 pm

Post by **BobHelm** » June 4, 2016, 9:54 pm

If you are currently on Windows 7 then it should be an upgrade, rather than a complete re-install.
So, as I said, in theory all the programs & data should be transfered.

Programs, if they are not carried forward, will be a problem.
Just copying the programs as they are in Windows 7 will not do any good whatsoever. You would not be able to then copy them to Windows 10 if the upgrade went wrong.
When you load programs to Windows for the first time it does other things than just copy the program, it often sets pointers in the registry that repasting a program that you copied will not do.
So copying your current Programs will not buy you anything.
If any of your programs fails to survive the upgrade then you will need to reinstall it in Windows 10 from scratch, not copy it.

Firefox is rather easier...
You can EXPORT bookmarks to a disk & then re-import them to a new version of Firefox, plus there are FireFox add ons that allow you to export (& then import) all your passwords as well.
With Firefox the best thing is also to go to Options & then Sync & create a Firefox username & password which will let you save most of the settings & then recreate them anywhere you like in the future...

Post by **Stevo** » June 4, 2016, 10:44 pm

jingjai wrote:If I decide to get it it, what do I need to do before hand?

Mark, before you go ahead with the upgrade... read this through, follow the instructions to check your PC's compatibility first

http://www.zdnet.com/article/will-your- ... -find-out/

Post by **jingjai** » June 5, 2016, 12:25 pm

parrot wrote:This news in the Economist:
http://www.economist.com/news/science-a ... windows-10

Thanks Parrot.
The article provided some welcome relief:

As enterprise customers call the tune, Microsoft has promised to provide security patches for Windows 7 on old computers until January 2020.
What this all means is that Windows 7 users have four more years to decide whether they really want to upgrade to Windows 10. If they decide to carry on using their trusty old operating system, they will be free of disruption while enjoying reasonably secure computing until the cut-off date in 2020.
On the other side of the coin, there are good reasons to stay with Windows 7. With security upgrades guaranteed for the next three or four years, no hardware or software will need to be replaced; no new drivers installed or keyboard shortcuts learned; and all those pesky wireless problems can thankfully be forgotten. As it is, Windows 7 simply gets the job done—and that, for most computer users, is probably reason enough to stick with it.

Check out the entire article for more info.

I was not planning on getting a new laptop for another 3 years anyway...barring some unforeseen disaster.

Post by **BobHelm** » June 5, 2016, 1:21 pm

The downside to not updating to Windows 10 before the end of the month is that the Microsoft offer to upgrade for free then expires.
Exactly what Microsoft will do then, no one yet knows.
Equally no one knows what Microsoft will do for the follow on Operating Systems that come after 10.

There are real alternatives to Microsoft, of course, that have always been free & open sourced.

Post by **Khun Paul** » June 5, 2016, 2:10 pm

You know I was using 8.1 Windows with a 2013 Office programme, updated fine, no problems and recently upgraded my Office 2013 to Office 2016 ( cost 3000 odd baht. )payable yearly
Everything else works fine. The only problem I ever here about is those with NON Original Windows and office programmes.
years ago I was advised by a real Computor wiz-kid ( Wrote programmes for the USAF ) always use originals for windows and office, everything else will then work perfectly. That is so TRUE !!!

Post by **jingjai** » June 23, 2016, 8:42 pm

BobHelm wrote:The downside to not updating to Windows 10 before the end of the month is that the Microsoft offer to upgrade for free then expires.
Exactly what Microsoft will do then, no one yet knows.

According to this latest article:
https://www.yahoo.com/tech/sticking-win ... 19540.html

Extended support is still ongoing until January 14, 2020. That’s the date Microsoft will stop issuing new security updates for Windows 7.
This means it’s safe to keep using Windows 7 until 2020, so long as you install all updates. After that point, any and all zero-day exploits will never be patched on your machine, meaning would-be attackers can easily compromise the system using any number of well-documented exploits.

My biggest issue with this "free upgrade", is that it is so un-Microsofty, to be so altruistic, as to give something away for free...

Post by **BobHelm** » June 23, 2016, 9:33 pm

You are, undoubtedly, correct JJ, Microsoft are unlikely to do something for nothing.
However, the game has changed away from PCs & laptops to tablets & phones.
Microsoft are pretty way behind the software market on both those fronts & I think they have realised that their golden calf of old (selling operating systems) is now pretty much a dead duck going forward.
The purchase of Linkedin for $26.2 Billion seems to suggest that they are after the 'personal data' business in a very big way.
http://uk.businessinsider.com/microsoft ... din-2016-6

You have to personalise the out of the box Windows 10 like a programmer in order for it not to know what you eat for breakfast..

With people becoming Oh so reliant on the Internet to do just about anything in their daily lives, what they actually like to do becomes an ever increasing marketing tool to be sold on!!!

Post by **parrot** » June 23, 2016, 9:37 pm

jingjai wrote:
BobHelm wrote:The downside to not updating to Windows 10 before the end of the month is that the Microsoft offer to upgrade for free then expires.
Exactly what Microsoft will do then, no one yet knows.
According to this latest article:
https://www.yahoo.com/tech/sticking-win ... 19540.html
Extended support is still ongoing until January 14, 2020. That’s the date Microsoft will stop issuing new security updates for Windows 7.
This means it’s safe to keep using Windows 7 until 2020, so long as you install all updates. After that point, any and all zero-day exploits will never be patched on your machine, meaning would-be attackers can easily compromise the system using any number of well-documented exploits.
My biggest issue with this "free upgrade", is that it is so un-Microsofty, to be so altruistic, as to give something away for free...

It's as 'free' as Facebook or Line or Google or Gmail or the GPS on a smartphone. They all come with a price, I suppose. The price I pay (losing a bit of my privacy) is worth the benefit of having these programs. My viewing habits on Netflix, for example, are now part of their algorithms........I'm willing to let them know how long my pee breaks are during a show or whether I binge watch a series, if it results in a better product. Same same for me with Microsoft.
I'm sure my computer is feeding the Microsoft algorithms as well.....and for me, I'm willing to submit to share that info for a vastly superior product. Free, completely trouble free, extremely flexible and extremely easy to use and extremely reliable. Meanwhile, Mark Zuckerberg recommends covering up the camera on your laptop.

Post by **BobHelm** » June 23, 2016, 9:48 pm

^ or just use Linux as an operating system & TOR as a browser...

Post by **jingjai** » July 15, 2016, 12:51 pm

Remember, I'm only the messenger...

Microsoft Confirms Windows 10 New Monthly Charge
July 14, 2016
By Gordon Kelly , Contributor

For months Microsoft has been describing Windows 10 “as a service” and now we know why. Microsoft is going to introduce a monthly subscription fee for Windows 10 usage…

That cost will be $7 per user per month but the good news is it only applies to enterprises, for now. The new pricing tier will be called “Windows 10 Enterprise E3” and it means Windows has finally joined Office 365 and Azure as a subscription service.

Of course the big question is now: How does this new subscription pricing affect the millions of consumers who upgraded to Windows 10 on the promise of it being free?

The good news is Microsoft has gone on record to say it is not being passed down to consumers at this stage: “This new subscription model is not associated with our current upgrade offering or applicable to the Windows 10 consumer edition,” a Microsoft spokesperson told PC World.

Could Microsoft eventually introduce Windows 10 monthly subscriptions for consumers? Without doubt, but I would be highly skeptical they would apply to anyone who has already upgraded. That said there is likely to be a threshold in future where Microsoft will draw a line in the sand for the ongoing addition of new features without a fee.

Why? Because Microsoft has confirmed on many occasions that Windows 10 is the “last version of Windows” meaning it will be updated on a rolling basis with no Windows 11 to replace it. Consequently there will have to be a cut off point somewhere, sometime – mostly likely when Microsoft feels Windows 10 is at the ‘Windows 11’ stage of development.

At that point I suspect Microsoft may simplify things and just rename it ‘Windows’. Here is when all Windows pricing could become subscription only given even upfront costs would expire at some point and become a messy marketing exercise.

But in the meantime the rush is on for those who still want to upgrade to Windows 10 while it is free. The window for this closes on July 29th and Windows 10 Home and Windows 10 Pro will then cost $119 and $199 respectively for consumers who didn’t upgrade.

Out of interest at the $7 per month enterprise rate, consumers would get 17 and 28 months use out of Windows 10 Home and Windows 10 Pro respectively. This isn’t a great deal for Home users and shows a new consumer-focused pricing tier would likely need to be introduced to make it more appealing should Microsoft go down that path in future.

Until then Windows 10 will remain free a little longer and for millions of Windows 7 and Windows 8 users it is make up your mind time…

Article: http://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonkelly ... f4f56edfab

I don't even have a clue as to what “Windows 10 Enterprise E3”, Office 365, and Azure are?

Post by **arjay** » July 20, 2016, 11:03 pm

What's the prognosis then for anyone preferring to stick with their current Windows 7?

Post by **jingjai** » July 21, 2016, 1:40 pm

arjay wrote:What's the prognosis then for anyone preferring to stick with their current Windows 7?

According to this article:

As enterprise customers call the tune, Microsoft has promised to provide security patches for Windows 7 on old computers until January 2020.

What this all means is that Windows 7 users have four more years to decide whether they really want to upgrade to Windows 10. If they decide to carry on using their trusty old operating system, they will be free of disruption while enjoying reasonably secure computing until the cut-off date in 2020.

On the other side of the coin, there are good reasons to stay with Windows 7. With security upgrades guaranteed for the next three or four years, no hardware or software will need to be replaced; no new drivers installed or keyboard shortcuts learned; and all those pesky wireless problems can thankfully be forgotten. As it is, Windows 7 simply gets the job done—and that, for most computer users, is probably reason enough to stick with it.

Entire Article: http://www.economist.com/news/science-a ... windows-10

Post by **arjay** » July 22, 2016, 11:29 pm

Thank you JJ. Yes, I think I will stick with W7 on our older laptop.

I have a newer laptop bought in the UK which came with W8.1 and which was automatically upgraded to W10 and even after using that for almost a year now, I still much prefer Windows 7. With W7 I don't have all the imposed things which W10 brings. I also didn't like the idea of MS Office with a monthly fee being offered with the W8.1 & W10 packages.

I have fully paid for versions of MS Office 2013 on both computers and prefer those arrangements.