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Windows 10

my message;
I use a tablet more and more for browsing Internet and emails and I think the days of the Laptop are limited. I am certain the tablet will be developed more and more. My laptop seems to take longer to start up in the mornings even though I regularly run maintenance programs. Tablets start instantly so why cant windows.

has raised some very interesting replies, thanks everyone. Its interesting trying to predict where we go next. One of my biggest mistakes in my Computer career was not taking PCs and Windows seriously, I really thought mainframes was the way to go, wrong. Another mistake was not realising the power of the internet.
 
I've read that Microsoft will download Windows 10 in bits and pieces before the release date. When Windows 10 is good to go you won't have to download a massive installer from Microsoft at the same time as everyone else does.
 
I believe you will find that that has, in a small part, already happened. As with all Microsoft updates the details are given, but I am not technically equipped to know what they are for and mean, so like many, I just install them.
 
oldMohawk said:
I've read that Microsoft will download Windows 10 in bits and pieces before the release date. When Windows 10 is good to go you won't have to download a massive installer from Microsoft at the same time as everyone else does.
Click to expand...

My guess is to spread the load they will download the huge file over a number of days (or even weeks) so it is then ready on people's hard disk before they release the final "install" command.

I hate to think of the chaos when thousands (or even millions) of people try to install Windows 10 at roughly the same time.

It would advise everyone to hold off for at least a few weeks (if not a few months) to let all the major bugs be sorted out before doing a Windows 10 install.
 
This is quite a long thread so my question may have already be answered, but here goes;

Windows 10 is a free upgrade, for 12 months but then payment is required. What happens if you dont want to pay?
 
My understanding is that Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 can be upgraded free if you do it within 12 months from 29/07/2015 and Microsoft will support it with updates. If you do not upgrade within 12 months from 29/07/2015 and then later decide to upgrade after 29/07/2016 you would then have to pay for an upgrade.
 
I like Windows 7 but more important I understand it and do not wish to change (yet again) to 10. Am I correct in thinking 7 will be around and 'supported' for a few years to come. If not I will seriously think of cancelling my broad band and staying off line. I shall miss this Forum but that cannot be helped. Eric
 
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If windows 7 is like XP you should get updates for at least 7 years. Even if updates stop you will still be able to use it but would be advised to still keep your virus protection up to date.
 
Hi Eric ..... Microsoft will support Windows 7 with security patches until at least 2020, so it will safely continue as it is until then.
 
Mainstream support for Windows 7 ended on 13th January 2015, BUT Microsoft doesn't plan to stop fixing security problems in Windows 7 until extended support ends. That's January 14, 2020--five years and a day from the end of mainstream support.
 
That's OK then, in 2020 I will be 90 so will be past caring !! (if I am still around). I wonder how long OS 10 will be around ?
 
As I mentioned - I think - Microsoft are planning to emulate Apple by rolling changes on a regular basis rather than the big changes of old.
 
I want to reserve Windows 10 and to do so they are telling me to click on the windows logo on my task bar, but there isnt one shown. Please help (again). Thanks
 
If you have Windows 7 or W8.1 (maybe W8 as well) then go to Windows Update using your Control Panel. I believe there is a facility there to subscribe to reserve Windows 10. (There is on my W7 laptop and W8.1 desktop).
Once you reserve W10 the icon in the Taskbar should appear.
 
I have tried and tried but to no avail. For some reason I am on Windows 8 although originally I did have Windows 8.1. Everytime i try and reinstall Windows 8.1 so I can reserve Windows 10 it tells me to go through a procedure via settings to eventually - install windows update. After approx 1 hr of windows updating it suddenly comes up unable to install updates. I think I will have to take it to a computer man as there is obviously a problem. I even uninstalled Norton as that was another thing it said could be preventing updates.
 
Hi Carolina - I can't understand how your laptop has reverted to Windows 8 if you originally had 8.1. The image below show the system page information of my laptop and at first glance it looks as if it is Windows 8 see the big blue text top right but the small print shows it is 8.1
Capture.JPG
 
You could try the following
Hold the Windows key down and press W this brings up the Search
Type troubleshoot in the search box and press enter
The Troubleshooting window will show
At the bottom of the window click on 'Fix problems with Windows Update' and follow the instructions.
 
Carol / Phil,

If I can just chip in here, last week my Windows 7 machine became so unstable I decided to reinstall Windows. Of course, you then get several days of updates, and the more updates, the slower it becomes and the more unstable it becomes. This morning it refused to boot and I had to go into repair mode. It promptly removed the last 12 Windows Updates, it then rebooted fine, is now reasonably stable, and to ensure it remains that way I have turned automatic updates off. And that is the way it will remain. I've been involved with Windows since version 3.1 and before that with all the versions of DOS. IMHO Windows XP was by far the most stable version that was ever produced. Were it not for the availability of drivers, I would be tempted to go back to XP.

Like OldMohawk, I can't see how you got from 8.1 to 8.0 without removing a number of salient files or formatting the disk. However, you won't see the Windows 10 icon unless the relevant Windows update (which one I don't know) was installed. This is explained in the Microsoft Q & A about Windows 10.

I have 8.0 on one of my laptops and it too is very unstable. Fortunately I very rarely use it. Jan, my other half, has a Windows 7 Desktop 32 bit machine and recently that has been installing rather a lot of updates - one night there were 24 ! Yesterday, that too went pearshaped and refuses to show, or let me use, a restore point more than 24 hours old. Jan is currently backing up her salient files (a tedious job) and that too will be another candidate for a reinstall.

I just wonder what Microsoft's plans are as they say Windows 10 will be the last version. Are they going to continue issuing updates until the whole OS grinds to a halt and then get out of the OS market altogether? Hmmmmm.....

Maurice
 
In windows 7 you need to go into Control Panel (click START and Control Panel) then select Windows Updates. You should see Windows 10 is coming, reserve your free copy.

I have also given up with Updates, takes forever to check if updates available and slows the laptop right down, almost to a halt. I have checked to see if there is another method of checking for updates but unable to find anything.
 
I believe to see the "Windows 10 is coming" options you need to be on the latest level of Windows 7 (in other words all Windows updates installed) or on Windows 8.1 with all updates installed.

You WONT see the Windows 10 options if you are still on Windows 8.0 (in other words have not upgraded to Windows 8.1)

But as I have said before, don't rush to upgrade to Windows 10. This is the first time Microsoft has tried to update millions of versions of Windows all in one go, and all by downloads from the internet.

It may all go fine, or it may not, but let others take the hassle if it goes wrong.

You can easily wait a month or so and do the Windows 10 update then. Hopefully by then they will have ironed out any early bugs.

Also people are saying this is the last Windows version because from now on they wont bring out new versions, but will just keep updating the Windows code on a regular basis. They already do a similar thing on Internet Explorer. If you go to the IE Help option, then select "About Internet Explorer" you see there is a tick box which says "Install new versions automatically".

However they MAY start charging a yearly fee if you want to keep getting these Windows updates (like they do with Office 365). If you don't pay you stop getting the updates (including security updates !).
 
If they do not intend to go beyond OS 10 why did the bring it out in the first place, personally I cannot fault OS 7, why did they not stick with that as the final OS ?? (probably a naïve query from a non tech user). I clicked on updates and I have got an option to reserve OS 10 but declined the offer, quite happy with OS 7, mind you I was happy with XP but that as been phrased out. Perhaps I am a cynic but I think money comes into this. Eric
 
Dead right, Eric. They have to keep changing things to sell something. But how many of the new "features"will affect us? Most probably none, like the versions of PhotoShop. No point in photographers going beyond version 5 - all that was in 6 & 7 was for the benefits of designers. But why should I worry? By the time Windows 10 is a couple of years down the line, I could have snuffed it - ha ha!!

Maurice
 
cookie273uk said:
If they do not intend to go beyond OS 10 why did the bring it out in the first place (probably a naïve query from a non tech user).
Click to expand...
Most of us who use Windows see it as one single program with just the one user interface, but Windows is a very complex piece of computer software which consists of millions of lines of computer code and thousands of small programs all working together and "talking" to each other.

Normally an Operating System is written to run on particular hardware platform. In Windows case it was written to run on Intel (or AMD) type CPUs using the "IBM PC" hardware technology designed by IBM more than 20 years ago when the first IBM PC came out.

But hardware is changing, and new hardware platforms such as Tablets and Smartphones are available that DONT use Intel or AMD CPUs and DONT use the IBM PC technology.

And the problem is that Microsoft has to write one version of Windows to run on Intel / AMD type CPUs, another version of Windows to run on Tablets, and another version to run on Windows Smartphones. So that is three different versions of Windows which are all different and all written by different people.

So what Microsoft have decided to do is write a SINGLE version of Windows that will run on Desktop PCs, Laptop PCs, Tablets and Smartphones.

So Microsoft now only need to write one version of Windows for all those platforms, and that is Windows 10 (I believe it will also run on their Xbox games machine as well).

This obviously makes it a lot easier for Microsoft as they need less developers, and less testing, and they can have the same look and feel across all devices.

I know that many non-technical people think that new versions of Windows are released just to make money for Microsoft, but the "internals" of Windows in Windows 10 (even in Windows 7) are very different from that in Windows XP. There is much more in built security for example.

And think of all the new technology that has come along since Windows XP came out.

I should also point out that if Windows is going to work on a principle of updates being downloaded on a regular and continuous basis then the underlying structure of Windows had to be changed, and that is what they have done in Windows 10.

So for example, for HOME users of Windows 10 you CANT turn off Windows Updates, it is on all the time and fixes will be downloaded as and when Microsoft release them. Note: Business users CAN turn off Windows Updates but not Home users.
 
If you have windows 8.1 professional, as I have, this will be updated to windows 10 professional, does this mean that as its professional updates will not be automatic ?
 
nickcc101 said:
If you have windows 8.1 professional, as I have, this will be updated to windows 10 professional, does this mean that as its professional updates will not be automatic ?
Click to expand...

Looks like it only affects the Home product.

Most "home users" who upgrade from Windows 7 and 8.1 will upgrade to the Windows 10 Home product.

Found some text on the web which says

"Windows 10 Home users will have updates from Windows Update automatically available, Windows 10 Pro and Windows 10 Enterprise users will have the ability to defer updates."
 
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