Windows 10

Discussion in 'Cactus Cafe' started by NBHorn7, Jul 23, 2015.

  1. NBHorn7

    NBHorn7 Pimp Daddy

    As many of you probably know Microsoft will give Windows 7 and 8 owners a free upgrade to Window's 10 on July 29th. When I first got the notice, I contacted Microsoft, to see if this was a legit offer. They assured me it was. I asked why they were giving away something they usually charged a good amount for. They told me they just wanted to offer their customers an upgrade for the new product.

    Does anybody know anything about Windows 10? Are there any glitches that are known. Will it be that much better than 7 or 8. Why is Microsoft giving it away? Will it be a smooth transition? It seems there will be new drivers and other tweaks required.

    We have some techs on this site, I looking at our administrator, as the first that might know something about this. Would be nice to know as much as possible before the upgrade takes place.
     
  2. WorsterMan

    WorsterMan SEC here we come!!

    IMO, MS does not do anything for free unless there is something big in it for them to do so. I suspect they either want to get some real world guinea pigs to use 10, perhaps it has not been well received and people don't like it or I suppose it could be for another reason.

    My old home PC was slowly dying. I went out and bought a new laptop with Windows 8 about 6 months ago. I still hate 8 for various reasons but I have managed to live with it. If I could go back to Windows 7 I would.

    Besides trying to locate some people that have it to get feedback, if I were you I would see if MS would agree to upgrade you to 10 but agree to let you go back to 7 or 8 if you don't like it.
     
    Last edited: Jul 24, 2015
  3. Dionysus

    Dionysus Idoit Admin

    I don’t have any experience with Win 10. I use Macs as do most of my customers but some of them have a couple PCs, we keep them on Win 7 because it has been pretty stable and we know their applications run well on it. Anecdotally, most people I have spoken with hated Win 8. Maybe the new version is good but I think a lot of folks will just stay with whatever is working for them now. Changing can be a huge pain and this is especially problematic for a business that needs a stable environment.

    But if I had to guess my professional opinion would be that Windows 10 sucks.
     
  4. Dionysus

    Dionysus Idoit Admin

    @WorsterMan — One of my customers on Win 8 got this product called Start8 and loves it—it makes Win 8 a lot more like Win 7 ... for $5. Might be worth a look for you.

    http://www.stardock.com/products/start8/
     
    • Like Like x 1
  5. Palladio

    Palladio 25+ Posts

    From what little I've read, it seems they're giving away Windows 10 because sooooo many people hated Windows 8. Win8 was their first real stab at a mobile-specific OS, and it's not a terrible option for mobile devices. But it really sucks for servers, desktops and non-touch-screen laptops, which is most of their business market. Big miscalculation on their part, and so, many people stayed with Win7. Microsoft wants to stop supporting Win7. This giveaway is meant to entice more people to make the leap.

    I've seen a preview of Windows 10, and it looks like they're bringing back the Start menu from Windows 7 and earlier, which helps quell the loudest complaints about Win8. However, I think the Start menu will have something similar to the panels from Windows 8, so not sure how much people will embrace it. I don't remember any other updates, but you can find Windows 10 demos on YouTube.
     
  6. NBHorn7

    NBHorn7 Pimp Daddy

    Don't you just hate it when IT's give you all that technical jargon?

    I stayed with Windows 7 because I heard that 8 was bad, even though I have a touchsmart HP.
    If they are already phasing out Windows 7, it seems that that I might as well give Windows 10 a shot and see how it goes.

    Microsoft should work on fixing IE, as a browser. It's got to be the most unstable browser out there.
     
  7. Horns11

    Horns11 10,000+ Posts

    IE is gone. They replaced it with something called "Project Spartan," and some specs say that the browser will be called Microsoft Edge and have a Google Chrome feel to it. It wouldn't surprise me if they just named the browser "Cortana" after the popular Halo character and voice of all things Microsoft, trying to compete with Siri and OK Google.

    What Palladio said about Win10. They basically bridged the gap from 7 to 8, and made the OS cross-platform (will be able to run on desktop, laptop, tablet, phone). You can force all the full features if you run a powerful desktop rig, or just the "mobile" features if you're on a 4.5-inch phone screen. Still has the panels, but I don't necessarily care about those either.

    I guess I'll come back on this thread in a week and let everyone know how it goes.
     
  8. TxnByBirth

    TxnByBirth 1,000+ Posts

    They are also dropping DirectX 12 with Windows 10 and all of the new video cards coming out are supposed to take advantage of it. Should improve gaming frame rates quite a bit if the vid card drivers are any good. And MS won't be making DX12 available to anyone using prior versions of Windows. So if you are into gaming like I am then it should be worth the upgrade.

    Assuming you have a DX12-capable video card that is :)

    http://www.pcworld.com/article/2952...t-windows-10s-supercharged-graphics-tech.html
     
    Last edited: Jul 24, 2015
  9. NBHorn7

    NBHorn7 Pimp Daddy

    I talked to a MSN tech today and he told me that IE will remain. That Spartan is a new alternative browser.
     
  10. Seattle Husker

    Seattle Husker 10,000+ Posts

    I'm pretty excited about Win10. I think MSFT had the rare HR (for them) with the Surface Pro 3. Office 365 is shaping up very nicely too. Satya Nadela has MSFT running much better than Balmer did. I'll be upgrading my own machines as soon as it's available.
     
  11. Wideawake

    Wideawake 100+ Posts

    I'm interested in Windows 10. I would note that it's best not to jump on any brand new release of software. Wait for the first set of patches. I wouldn't worry about the free upgrade aspect. These days there doesn't seem to be a big craving for a new operating system, especially with the growth in mobile devices. Microsoft has tried to get in on the mobile space, but Apple and Android based devices are winning at this point. Revenue driven by applications on top of an operating system (MS Office, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) may be what MS is banking on. They have named the Spartan browser as Microsoft Edge.
     
  12. Dionysus

    Dionysus Idoit Admin

    True. The desktop OS for many people is becoming a secondary thing. If you’re satisfied with Win 7, as many people are, there’s no compelling reason to update.
     
  13. NBHorn7

    NBHorn7 Pimp Daddy

    How much longer will Microsoft keep supporting Windows 7? It's been said they want to stop supporting it and Windows 10 is being offered free to speed that along.
     
  14. NBHorn7

    NBHorn7 Pimp Daddy

    It has begun, my Windows 10 is downloading as I type. The dye is cast, I hope it comes up eleven, since seven is being removed, or do I mean ten.

    This is complicated, for dice analogies.
     
  15. Dionysus

    Dionysus Idoit Admin

    Thoughts and prayers.
     
  16. uisge beatha

    uisge beatha 1,000+ Posts

    Good luck

    I read this today which will put me off upgrading for awhile
    http://www.cnet.com/products/microsoft-windows-10/
    Personally, I don't like the idea of not being able to control what someone else does to my computer.
     
  17. Driver 8

    Driver 8 Amor Fati

    Geez, you talk like you own the damn computer or something.
     
  18. NBHorn7

    NBHorn7 Pimp Daddy

    Houston we have a problem, many people including me are getting error code 80246007. I have now found out that MSN will contact you when you can upgrade and tell you how to solve the problem to complete the upgrade.

    Meanwhile the Windows 10 icon tells me it's downloading the upgrade again. It's already failed twice to upgrade, then gives you the error code. This is confusing to say the least.
     
  19. Seattle Husker

    Seattle Husker 10,000+ Posts

  20. Horns11

    Horns11 10,000+ Posts

    Coupla thoughts:

    It's basically like Windows 7 with some Windows 8 tips and tricks thrown in.

    The control panel is a lot trimmer than before, which isn't necessarily what I want out of a desktop rig with a lot of power. It's OK for a tablet or phone, but I want to be able to go "item by item" on any hardware or software issue I have.

    The first time you open the Windows Store, it auto updates all of the Microsoft apps. I don't want them, but I appreciate the sentiment. Also, it seems the "account" options have been overloading the servers today as everyone is signing in to the Microsoft stuff all day.

    I really like the Mail and Calendar apps. Much better than the stock ones from Windows 7.

    Startup and shut down are about the same as before for me, but my computer is pretty powerful, so I don't know if it would make a big difference unless I had a different system.

    If you have any specific questions about apps or functionality or anything, post here.
     
  21. Horns11

    Horns11 10,000+ Posts

    Until 2020, but Win10 is only available for free until July 29, 2016. I don't think you'll have a problem with Win7 if you want to keep it forever. It's solid.
     
  22. NBHorn7

    NBHorn7 Pimp Daddy

    I would just be able to do the upgrade. Seems many people are having this error code problem and there is an over 200 minute wait to talk to Microsoft about it.
     
  23. Dionysus

    Dionysus Idoit Admin

    Windows fubar? I’m shocked.

    win10.png
     
    • Like Like x 1
  24. Horns11

    Horns11 10,000+ Posts

    It looks like the biggest issue is that Win7 Windows Update is having problems with a corrupt download manager file. There's a quick workaround for it by deleting the update directory and starting over. There's about a hundred articles if you Google it.
     
  25. VulcanHorn

    VulcanHorn 100+ Posts

    My Windows 8 PC is in the queue for the upgrade. How, exactly, does Microsoft contact you to let you know your update is ready? Email? Window popup?
     
  26. NBHorn7

    NBHorn7 Pimp Daddy

    Don't know, I clicked on the Windows 10 icon and it said it was downloaded and ready to upgrade, the upgrade failed due to error code 80246007.

    I looked for answers and found that this was an expected error and to wait for Microsoft to contact you and tell you what to do. People are offering other ways to fix the error. I wanted to contact Microsoft, but the wait was over 200 minutes.

    They restored me back to Windows 7 and I am going to try and contact Microsoft tomorrow, maybe more information will be out then.
     
  27. Horns11

    Horns11 10,000+ Posts

    NBHorn:

    Do this first: Fix for your error code

    Then this: A little more technical but still easy

    Basically, you have to start over with Windows Update by deleting all of the repositories (a cool Linux word, for those of you who like the alternate operating systems) that Windows has sent to your computer regarding any updates, and then forcing Windows Update to "start over" with the wuauclt /updatenow command. It's kind of like having a fresh install of Windows and pushing the updates as if the computer has never seen updates before. Over time, the updates will change multiple portions of your registry that conflict with each other. Just poor programming and unavoidable if your job description doesn't require that you figure that stuff out beforehand.

    So a ton of people yesterday figured this out the hard way. It's good to clean up the registry from time to time anyhow. I use CCleaner about 6 times a year in order to figure out what's messing with my hard drive.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  28. Horns11

    Horns11 10,000+ Posts

    That's what happens when you go to Windows and download the .iso or bootable drive installer, but don't have a license for the software you installed. There's a third party program you can download to figure out what your Windows Activation Code was, but it's risky. Companies typically figure out what the algorithm is for valid Windows license codes and then plug them in, but the moment that Microsoft notices you're using one of those codes, they block your updates and tell you to enter a new activation code. The other option, however unsatisfactory and expensive, is just buying an OEM version of the software for $99 (at least for a valid Windows 8 code) and then manually updating to Windows 10.
     
  29. accuratehorn

    accuratehorn 10,000+ Posts

    Don't you just love the commercials running that are showing a baby, which says the child will always be using Windows 10?
    Ha!
    By the time the kid can eat solid food, there will be another version, Windows 11 or 12 or 59 or 173.
     
  30. Horns11

    Horns11 10,000+ Posts

    Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if Win10 was the new "WinXP" in terms of longevity. Since the OS and its updates are catering more towards auto updating and the tablet/phone stylings, and the new one kind of bridged the gap between Win7 and Win8, I think 10 could be the one that thrives for 5+ years.
     

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