Who's using Windows 10?

[Robby]

I'm not only dual booting with Linux (2 flavors), but I'm on the beta testing of W10. So far I'm enjoying it, and just wondering who else was using it, and whether or not you like it? Tell me what is good and bad about it.

[Barberian]

Win 10 here. For the most part I like it. There are a few bugs that really ...

The Bad.

The volume control in the sys tray sometimes fails to load. Log off/on optional. I usually do because everything seems to be at different volumes and I have a strong noise sensitivity usually.

Cortana and the start menu sometimes fail to load requiring a log off/on. Not optional.

New Internet Explorer usually requires two starts. First one locks up, second one works. Then I have to click my favorite from the favorites menu I've selected twice. First time locks up, second time usually works. I use Chrome usually for FB, this site, youtube, IHeartRadio.com, Amazon.com and a few others. I use IE for news sites. Why? Cookies. IE wipes them, Chrome remembers me. Don't want to dig into IE again to find the setting. Having one that remembers me, one that doesn't, suits my surfing to my wants and needs.

Microsoft Store doesn't seem to work for me. I've tried a bunch of things, reloading, looking for settings, etc.

The Good.

I'm a news junkie. I click on Cortana a couple times a day and it gives me a few news feeds and the weather. Cortana remembers my interests (scary) and presents stuff of interest usually.

I'm a news junkie. I click on MS Edge a couple times a day and it gives me a few news articles of interest along with a bunch of carp [sic].

Faster boot times from Win 7.

Didn't have any driver problems. I don't do much but surf the web, play EvE online, and World of Tanks. Occasionally use Gimp - photo editing.

Win 10 is an improvement from 7(?). Software only progresses(?), and new programs, apps, and such want the newer operating systems.

[countryboy]

The guy I work with 'when I am able to work' uses it in 3 of his putters.  He has for 3 months now and still thinks he will go back to 7 till more of the bugs are out.   

[Robby]

That's strange I really haven't ran across any real bugs, a glitch or two but no bugs. Of course I don't use IE or Edge, if I'm not on Chrome, I'm on firefox (set for incognito). I just refuse to use any browser from M$, their history is just too bad, no way for them to get it right now.

I was forced to take Windows 8.0/8.1 when buying my laptop, no way to downgrade, so I mostly used Linux except for a few programs that just will not run on Linux. Talk about a nightmare, W8 was the worst piece of garbage since the 5& 3/4 floppy. You would have to use W8 to truly understand just how bad it is. So yes W10 is an improvement, any Linux and the command line is better than W8 (Don't get me wrong I love Linux, I was speaking for most people).

[looneylane]

For the most part been good for my three windows pcs

[ronr]

Still looking at converting from 7 on the desktop and wife's laptop.  My tablet has 8. 

Maybe I should try converting on the OLD vista laptop that needs to find a junk pile first so I can see how the conversion process works.  It has to be plugged in to the wall to work because the battery died long ago.

[Robby]

Maybe I should try converting on the OLD vista laptop

The free upgrade is only for pc's running 7 & 8 now. However, if you don't like it, there is a rollback button.

As for as the process goes, you click on "Upgrade", it downloads the info, it restarts a couple of times, and boots up to 10, it's that easy.

[ronr]

it's that easy.

So long as you don't want a clean install.

[Robby]

you can burn an .iso and install, it's just as easy as any other .iso install.

[willie]

Did the free download, hated it. Had to buy Windows 7 install disc from Microsoft. Went through Hell to get back to Windows 7. Finally got it back, computer died two weeks later. Got another computer with Windows 7 already on it. If they ever make me upgrade, I'm done. I quit!!! Just like the Joe Walsh song, "I'm an analog guy in a digital world". Can't keep up with this high-tech stuff!

[foxgrove]

I'm having trouble remembering which computers I still have, which have been donated to folks who needed em, and who's got what on which one right now.  I know I have at least three computers/multi-boots running Windows 10, six running Windows 8.1 (touchscreens all), and one system running exclusively Windows 7... my primary server... just 'cause I still love 7's simplicity and it's rock solid dependability.  It rarely gets shut off except every few months to blow off out all the dust monsters but still runs like the day I set it up!!!

I'm quite pleased that some of the promised options of Windows 8 have finally been delivered in 10.  8 was a sloppy and poorly thought out rollout but I have been able to stabilize it quite well on all my systems as well as making options available to all of them to improve the interface at least as well as MS did in Windows 10... so... the draw is pretty weak at this point.

Windows 10 has stabilized quite a bit and I think I can say, finally, that it is worth upgrading to it.  I do, however, urge great caution as I know of a fair number of catastrophic upgrade cases due to improper drivers or non-conforming systems where, instead of an upgrade, the user was presented with a non-functioning or even non-booting system, sometimes with no way to go back.  

Often this is because they upgraded and attempted to stay with it and fix through the issues for longer than a month or were simply stumped for that long as to what to do next.  There is a secret that MS hasn't let too many folks know but essentially, the first month is the romance stage... after that month is over, you are married to it and it is no longer possible to revert back to your previous operating system without physical restore media.  All on-disk restore options are converted to Windows 10 only at the one month mark.

With that in mind, I urge anyone who is considering upgrading to Windows 10 to use an imaging product like Macrium Reflect (excellent free product!) and an external hard drive or BluRay disks if you have that option, to make an image of your hard drives.  An image is simply a copy of your disk drives not including the blank space.  

The reason you want to image the drive instead of simply copying off the files you want is that a restored image will bring back your system to it's exact state when the image was done, including the operating system and all it's hidden and system files, and allow it to boot.

As well as making as image, collect all the drivers for your system related to Windows 10, get yourself a thumb drive big enough to hold them, and decompress/extract all of the driver files to the thumb drive so that Windows 10 can use the drivers as it installs/upgrades.  Bad drivers are the #1 problem experienced by people upgrading to Windows 10.  

Sadly, not every system has the proper Windows 10 drivers available for them making upgrading to 10 not yet possible.  Drivers have always been one of the big issues to plague Windows systems!  It's a major reason so many tech folk turned to and are continuing to turn to Linux where they can, in a worst case scenario, write their own drivers.

If you have any questions about it, just pop them in here.  We have a ton of geeks around here with lots of experience dealing with these kinds of problems.  I know all of them are happy to chime in and help out with computer problems or at least point you to where the best information on that problems is.

ps... sorry for the novel!!

[Lonesome George]

What is your opinion of Windows 10 and the lack of privacy?  I don't like any program tattling on me for every site I visit or anything I do. That is my main concern.  I'm totally up to date. I have Vista on one computer and XP on the other. If I had my way, I would kick Microsoft in the nuts and have them revert everything back to XP.

[Robby]

revert everything back to XP.

I agree completely. Although I did love 7 almost as much. I still had XP on a pc until last week when it finally stopped booting, major motherboard failure.

What is your opinion of Windows 10 and the lack of privacy?

I understand what your talking about, but there are settings to turn all of those reporters off, which I've done almost. I do find some of it too helpful when re-visiting certain sites. Besides I have nothing to hide, so I don't care who sees what I'm doing.

[ronr]

http://www.infopackets.com/

This site has tons of info.  You can sign up for an account that will send you a daily newsletter with Q/A our just search the archives.  I'm sure this is where I saw a link to a MS website to download all the windows versions for free.  Since they are giving  win10 for free they will also let the others go for the same price.  Of course I can't find it right now as usual so will look later, after I forget a couple times.

[foxgrove]

There are a number of steps that you have to take to opt out of sending information to MicroSplat but even past that, Windows 10 leaks like a seive.  I use several pieces of software to neuter Windows 10 and pull it's teeth.  One of the main ones is "DoNotSpy10" which essentially plugs the privacy leaks that you can't plug by opting out.  

Here's an article that talks about DoNotSpy10... http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2015/08/05/stop-windows-10-spying-dead-in-its-tracks-with-one-free-app.html

Basically, whether or not you have nothing to hide, I dislike the idea of MicroSplat taking information that it has no right to and using it to make money.  It's essentially the same thing as being heavily infected with malware that steals your information for their own purposes.  The issue isn't whether they are taking it or not, the issue is that once they have it, you have no say in what they do with it.  One crazy ass hack and their customer base's identities are ripe to be stolen.  Now that's an experience I'd rather skip!