Windows10

I thought win 10 was suppose to have started shipping this week. What's the current news? Also, has anyone heard anything about it? good? bad? run for our lives?

Gotta be better than 8

I was sent an email earlier this morning to reserve Windows 10. It won't start downloading after July 29th.

There are plenty of articles reviewing Win10. If you mainly browse the Internet and deal with office docs, then it probably won't have many major benefits for you. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't upgrade.

If you've already reserved a copy, it will download some time after the middle of next week. It could be next Wednesday, it could be a week from then. Most likely late next week. Then you'll have the option to install it. From what I've read, it won't install automatically. Depending on your hardware, I've heard it can take between 20 minutes and over an hour to install.

If you haven't reserved a copy, you'll have until July of 2016 to download a free copy. I haven't seen a definitive declaration that they will start charging after that, but they might.

My advice? If there are no compelling features for you (probably not), then it might be worthwhile to let the early adopters and geeks shake out the production version for a little while. If it seems stable, then install it...

I've been running the insider preview in a virtual machine for a few month now and like what I'm seeing. I'll update my home laptop as soon as I get it, but for the average Joe I would wait a month or so and let it shake out. Also, Microsoft is rolling it out staggered, not everyone will get it on the 29th. Insiders first, then those who reserved it from that tray icon, then the rest.

ParticleMan said:
If you haven't reserved a copy, you'll have until July of 2016 to download a free copy. I haven't seen a definitive declaration that they will start charging after that, but they might.

Which brings up my question. Can Windows 10 update be downloaded as a separate file or package for storing on a DVD for a future update or is this update only downloadable and installed through Windows update?

Because if you can't download the Windows 10 update into a DVD for future installation then there will be an issue if your hard disk crashes after July 2016. If you kept your original Win 7 or 8.1 product disks, you'll be able to reinstall your original Windows but you will not be able to update to Win10.

BG9 said:

ParticleMan said:
If you haven't reserved a copy, you'll have until July of 2016 to download a free copy. I haven't seen a definitive declaration that they will start charging after that, but they might.

Which brings up my question. Can Windows 10 update be downloaded as a separate file or package for storing on a DVD for a future update or is this update only downloadable and installed through Windows update?

Yes. You can save it to external media.

ParticleMan said:

BG9 said:

ParticleMan said:
If you haven't reserved a copy, you'll have until July of 2016 to download a free copy. I haven't seen a definitive declaration that they will start charging after that, but they might.

Which brings up my question. Can Windows 10 update be downloaded as a separate file or package for storing on a DVD for a future update or is this update only downloadable and installed through Windows update?

Yes. You can save it to external media.

Thank you. Its first thing I'll do when they release it.

Just ran the update installer on my laptop and so far so good. Windows 10 in da house.

It's fast, very clean looking and all my devices are working fine. And Cortana is working like a charm, too.

I upgraded to 10 in one computer and tested several apps. Its working well.

One device is upgrading now ("working on it"). For another, GWX.exe disappeared from it. Icon is gone. Executable no longer on device. Trying to manually download and install leaves the incredibly useful statement "Something happened." Nothing more.

Well, seems like it's a bust on both devices. Will try again over the weekend.

Here's the link to Walt Mossberg's less-than-enthusiastic review of Windows 10, below. I think I'll wait to get my free upgrade from Windows 7, until it's less buggy. Now that I use Chrome most of the time, except for occasional work-required Explorer, I'm confused about whether I even need Windows on my PC, do I?

http://recode.net/2015/07/28/windows-10-review-microsoft-takes-a-step-back-to-move-forward/

So the Win7 machine updated ok this morning. but the Win8.1 laptop that I use most often is killing me. Log file is useless. Grr.

Jasmo said:
Here's the link to Walt Mossberg's less-than-enthusiastic review of Windows 10, below. I think I'll wait to get my free upgrade from Windows 7, until it's less buggy. Now that I use Chrome most of the time, except for occasional work-required Explorer, I'm confused about whether I even need Windows on my PC, do I?
http://recode.net/2015/07/28/windows-10-review-microsoft-takes-a-step-back-to-move-forward/

If you need explorer, you need windows. Otherwise you could move over the Linux...

ParticleMan said:
So the Win7 machine updated ok this morning. but the Win8.1 laptop that I use most often is killing me. Log file is useless. Grr.

This is something that Apple does very well and Microsoft does poorly. Then again, Microsoft's job is a lot harder, because the combinations and permutations of hardware are endless.

On this front, Microsoft did a really bad job that is unrelated to the breadth of hardware on which it runs. How do you code an error message that says "Something Happened" with no further information?

However I may have fixed my problem. After various attempts to force a download via a command line reset to Windows Update, I ran a diagnostic on Windows Update itself. Apparently there was something broken, which got fixed. I ran the command line to force the update again and it's running. We'll see if it actually works. I'm cynical, but we'll see.

Success. But Microsoft gets a real black eye for that error message. Beyond useless, it's insulting to users. It's saying "It didn't work, but we really don't feel like trying to help you figure out why."

I am in strong agreement about that.

Windows 10 automatically downloaded and installed on my machine, that was not supposed to have it. And now I've spent a week undoing the mess and still working on it. I finally have Windows XP installed and hopefully can get my free upgrade to Windows 7 working again later this week. Automatic updates are not nice.

Automatic updates are the best thing, except when they aren't. Most of the time, I like them.

Did you ever upgrade Google Chrome? Nope. It doesn't ask, and it doesn't tell.

Google chrome has never rendered my computer completely useless, fortunately.

Tom_Reingold said:
Automatic updates are the best thing, except when they aren't. Most of the time, I like them.
Did you ever upgrade Google Chrome? Nope. It doesn't ask, and it doesn't tell.

So for the "not as tech savvy as most of you are," should I ignore the tantalizing suggestions on my computer to reserve my update?

I was your guinea pig. Definitely ignore it for a while...

Guess I'll wait a while.

Tom_Reingold said:
Automatic updates are the best thing, except when they aren't. Most of the time, I like them.
Did you ever upgrade Google Chrome? Nope. It doesn't ask, and it doesn't tell.

Google Chrome does a lot of things without asking, including reading my mail(1), listening to what's going on in my office(2), and possibly turning on my camera(3).

Which is why I don't use it.

1: http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/aug/14/google-gmail-users-privacy-email-lawsuit

2: http://www.blackhatworld.com/blackhat-seo/blackhat-lounge/770018-chrome-browser-turns-microphone-snoops-everything-you-say.html

3: http://www.nbcnews.com/id/48444750/ns/technology_and_science-security/#.UBmFczGe4p8

Our daughter reserved her update but mentioned it to us before she actually did it and we recommended that she wait. Now that she has reserved it, is she on any tighter timeframe to install than if she had waited?

That is why I don't use Gmail.

Maintaining Gmail, the servers, the data, the software is expensive. To believe Gmail is given to you freely from the goodness of their heart is naive.

Google is a business, a business that expects income. Their income is not by selling you products such as Gmail. Its the selling of you. You are their product. Your shopping habits, your hobbies, your politics, your entertainment and travel wants, your desired restaurants, your ethnicity, etc.

Gmail, computerized personal assistants, web browsing, GPS navigation, etc gives them that database profile of you, their product, to be marketed and sold.

Hey Google voice or GPS - show me how to get to that Mexican Restaurant. OK. Update database to show product goes to Mexican Restaurants. +1. When +5 or +10 is reached then database indicates product REALLY likes Mexican.

Downloaded this past weekend. No issues. looks better and easier to navigate.

I upgraded my win7 and win8.1 machines and didnt run into any issues (except actually getting the update to run on one of them). I don't see that much of a difference, though it seems a bit snappier than win8. I wouldn't let a couple of bad experiences deter you from upgrading.

It's a little weird that it upgraded without asking, though. I could maybe see if you had "download and install updates automatically" selected, which is not the windows default. But even then, I though it was supposed to ask.