A few good reasons to upgrade from Win7 to Win10

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	TOP STORY A few good reasons to upgrade from Win7 to Win10
	By Lincoln Spector That “Get Windows 10” icon sitting in Win7’s notification area will get you a free upgrade, but you haven’t decided whether it’s worth taking the plunge. For most Win8 users, upgrading is a virtual no-brainer; for Win7 users, however, the case is not so compelling. Here are a few enhancements that might tip the balance toward Win10.

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The full text of this column is posted at windowssecrets.com/top-story/a-few-good-reasons-to-upgrade-from-win7-to-win10/ (opens in a new window/tab).

Columnists typically cannot reply to comments here, but do incorporate the best tips into future columns.[/td]

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“File Explorer’s Quick Access Toolbar is completely different from Quick Access.”

Yep. Thanks Microsoft. :rolleyes:

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”File Explorer’s Quick Access Toolbar is completely different from Quick Access.”

Yep. Thanks Microsoft. :rolleyes:

Bruce, I can’t decide if you’re being ironic or genuine by your comment. Having found the quick access toolbar in Office 2013 and have made good use of it, by adding various commonly used commands, I can see that it’s there in file manager and could have the same utility. Quick access is a rename of the old Favourites and has (seemingly) some extra functionality, which looks useful to me.

Currently I have a win 8 PC and a Win 10 pc, though the 8 one is my main one which I intend updating in the near future. The 10 one is my old PC and I use it to test the functionality of 10 so when I upgrade, I won’t be floundering as to where various options are.

Eliminate spare time: start programming PowerShell

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Bruce, I can’t decide if you’re being ironic or genuine by your comment. Having found the quick access toolbar in Office 2013 and have made good use of it, by adding various commonly used commands, I can see that it’s there in file manager and could have the same utility. Quick access is a rename of the old Favourites and has (seemingly) some extra functionality, which looks useful to me.

Yes, they’re both useful. But as Microsoft decided to rename Windows Explorer Favorites (presumably to remove confusion with Internet Explorer or Edge Favorites), I don’t get why they had to choose the same name as a toolbar which already existed along a different side of the same window. When someone refers to File Explorer Quick Access, can we now be sure which they’re talking about (the toolbar or the virtual location)?

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Yes, they’re both useful. But as Microsoft decided to rename Windows Explorer Favorites (presumably to remove confusion with Internet Explorer or Edge Favorites), I don’t get why they had to choose the same name as a toolbar which already existed along a different side of the same window. When someone refers to File Explorer Quick Access, can we now be sure which they’re talking about (the toolbar or the virtual location)?

Point taken, it’s the name you’re talking about, not the functionality. But then MS have previous on this – Outlook anyone?

Eliminate spare time: start programming PowerShell

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I live in South Africa and the non-availability of Cortana is a real irritation

[:huh:

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I live in South Africa and the non-availability of Cortana is a real irritation

It doesn’t understand your accent.

cheers, Paul

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I’d like to ask whether free, time limited software, like GOTD offers, will not upgrade automatically when upgrading from Win7 to Win10?

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No other software upgrades as part of the upgrade from W7/8 to W10.
What software were you concerned about?

cheers, Paul

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No other software upgrades as part of the upgrade from W7/8 to W10.
What software were you concerned about?

cheers, Paul

GOTD- Giveaway of the Day – offers fully functioning programs for free, but with the stipulation that they are one-time offers, and any registration procedure for the sw only works for that day. For example, I have something called VideoCompressor. I cannot reinstall as it was a one-time offer. Do you know if reinstalls are needed for non-Windows 10 software? I suppose that’s what I’m asking, and apologize for being so round about.

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Thanks for a useful, informative, well-composed article!
My major gripes with Windows 10 are …

[*]Windows Update can hang totally … YES! … I will continue my story in the Thread “Thirty-day Win10 experiment lasts only a week” once a Misrosoft level 2 technician contacts me (I was away in the meantime)
[*]Windows 10 has no concept of separate SYSTEM and DATA partitions! Why Microsoft pack everything into one partition that just bloats until the drive is full and the operating system no longer works makes no sense to me. A clean concept would be to place your personal DATA in a totally separate partitiom that’s easy to backup, protect, move, expand, control growth, etc.
[*]Privacy issues – which you already highlighted. I’d be interested to hear what other users think of the tool “ShutUp10” from O&O (http://www.oo-software.com/en/shutup10). I think their initiative is brave and bold and a dammned good idea. But it may have some issues … ?

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Hi abauer, don’t forget that Windows 10 is now a ‘Service’, not an Operating System…:confused:

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Thanks for a useful, informative, well-composed article!

[*]Privacy issues – which you already highlighted. I’d be interested to hear what other users think of the tool “ShutUp10” from O&O (http://www.oo-software.com/en/shutup10). I think their initiative is brave and bold and a dammned good idea. But it may have some issues … ?

looks good, but it seems like most of those settings could be done manually without such a program? Would be nice if WindowsSecrets could put together a list of settings we could use to secure our computers against sending info- But then we still have the problem of windows updating automatically without our permission as well- which according to forums is already causing headaches and problems- Seems to me that cortana might also pose some kind of privacy issue too- dunno if that could be tamed as well?

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Windows 10 performs an in-place upgrade, so all existing software remains in place – although there are no guarantees that they will still work.
Always make an image backup before upgrading to 10.

cheers, Paul

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•Windows 10 has no concept of separate SYSTEM and DATA partitions! Why Microsoft pack everything into one partition that just bloats until the drive is full and the operating system no longer works makes no sense to me. A clean concept would be to place your personal DATA in a totally separate partitiom that’s easy to backup, protect, move, expand, control growth, etc.

That’s your job, not Microsoft’s.

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Query: I have a win7 system with three monitors. If I upgrade to Win10, can I replace one monitor with a touch screen, and leave two others non-touch?? I don’t know if that would work. Thanks.

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All the Windows 10 privacy invading stuff aside, here is why I can’t upgrade:

41512-Win7_GEForce7300LE1

Note the item “Issues require attention”.

41513-Win7_GEForce7300LE2

In this dialog, the indication is that the display manufacturer has not made the display compatible with Windows 10. However, it lists the video card as the reason (different manufacturer). If Microsoft can’t get this right, what else could be wrong?

Further, the video card vendor does not have an update for this, which opens the possibility that Microsoft hasn’t taken them to task for this. They seem to be the only ones that can make a difference here.

Before you ask, I have checked with the video vendor and installed their latest driver, which is advertised for all versions of Windows, and that has made no difference. The vendor has a newer version of the driver, but when I attempt to install that, it indicates no compatible device found.

But that is okay. This is a much older (from 2007) workstation that is 32-bit and runs just fine as is. Funny thing though…thoughout the Window 8 preview & production release, Win8.1Pro runs just fine on this workstation. So, why is Windows 10 so restrictive with this video interface? With the newer version of GWX, the only option presented is an offer to buy a newer PC, so it turns out to be all about marketing and the money.

By the way, I don’t buy into many of your reasons for getting Win10. Long term support is the only real reason to make the change.

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In this dialog, the indication is that the display manufacturer has not made the display compatible with Windows 10. However, it lists the video card as the reason (different manufacturer). If Microsoft can’t get this right, what else could be wrong?

Why do you assume that display means monitor but not video card? Your video card is listed in Device Manager under Display adapters, but your monitor is not.

Further, the video card vendor does not have an update for this, which opens the possibility that Microsoft hasn’t taken them to task for this. They seem to be the only ones that can make a difference here.

Before you ask, I have checked with the video vendor and installed their latest driver, which is advertised for all versions of Windows, and that has made no difference. The vendor has a newer version of the driver, but when I attempt to install that, it indicates no compatible device found.

It appears to me that several GEForce 7300 LE users have had success on Windows 10 with this driver: GeForce 309.08 Driver

See the last post (and a few others) in this GeForce Forum thread: GeForce 7300 SE/7200 GS Windows 10?.

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Please explain why you think upgrading for win8 users is a ‘no-brainer’. I have win8 on all my work computers and have no intention of going through the hassle of upgrading all my computers.

Perhaps you meant for home users, but even then I haven’t found any compelling reasons to upgrade.

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I see no mention of print problems. 1st, background … Decided to try Win10 on an under-powered laptop (ASUS Aspire 5552-3691) that MS initially disavowed as being suitable for upgrade. After updating video driver, and adding a registry key avowing that it was good to go, the upgrade from Win7 to 10 seemed to go reasonably smoothly, though it took more than ten hours (partly due to the power cord unplugging itself (?)).
That laptop has quite a dogs-breakfast of sw on it, and everything seemed to function (though ClassicShell needed a re-install to work reliably). It was days before I noticed it was not possible to print (other than by using print to PDF features within browsers).
Turned out that Print Spooler service was not starting. There are a lot of threads about 1721 or …706b9 errors, many of which have no clear resolutions. In this instance, it appears that a networked HP printer might be the culprit. Removing all printers should have been done before uninstalling the HP software, because doing so afterward left a non-removable printer husk, which had used the Web Services transport (WSD) to support networked scanning.
Acck!! it appears the only option is a rollback to Win7, remove all printer traces, upgrade to Win10 then reinstall the printers.

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Is it just me that thinks the windows 10 flat design looks somewhat amateurish compared to the sophisticated windows 7 aero? The screen shoots in this article look like stepping back in time. I realize that graphic processing is limited on tablets and phones compared to PCs but why cripple the PC. I’m waiting at least another 6 months before even thinking of upgrading as windows 7 is perfectly adequate for software development, web design land heavy duty number crunching.

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A word of warning about upgrading. Microsoft fools you into thinking you can download the upgrade and schedule installation at a later time. All the literature says the free upgrade will last until next July. *However, the re-scheduling limits you to the next 3 days!!!*

So I upgraded anyway instead of trying to get rid of the upgrade files. (I system image every 2 or 3 days and had a perfectly good Win8.1 image available if I continued to dislike Win10. (I had already tried it earlier). Surprise of surprises, I actually like Win10 this time, with 1 caveat, I like it *on my desktop machine.* I will not put it on my Surface Pro 3 tablet as it takes away some of the functionality of Win8.1 on a tablet. MS obviously tried to make this OS “desktop friendly,* and in that they’ve succeeded. It’s better than Win 7 or 8 on the desktop.

Having said all this, the new OS is still slightly unstable. I would not recommend it yet for a business environment. I have had some minor issues. A few examples: WDfilter.sys killed my Windows Defender. Not only did it kill it, but it caused spontaneous reboots every 30 seconds or so, until I managed to disable Defender and install Avast. Sometimes restarting takes longer than it should. Updates stopped working and MS support had to reset my updating mechanism. (Update troubleshooter did *not* work). Finally, I occasionally get hung on shutdown. (“Windows is installing updates. Do not turn off your machine” – it’ll stay there for hours if you let it. I just press and hold the shutdown key).

I put up with these minor inconveniences: because the new interface is terrific for a desktop machine, because everything is blazingly fast, and because I’m assuming MS will eventually fix these small annoyances. But again, it’s not yet ready for a business environment.

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I have Win7 and Dell states they will not update the drivers for Win10 for my laptop. So I guess I won’t get to download it although I did try it and almost lost my computer. It kept popping up an error with a blue background. So I went back to my Win7.

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I realize the intent of the article is to aid in helping to choose what and why a 10 update could benefit a user, but I currently have Win7 home running so sweet that I cringe even when doing security updates in case there is a conflict or broken code involved. :rolleyes: lol!

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I realize the intent of the article is to aid in helping to choose what and why a 10 update could benefit a user, but I currently have Win7 home running so sweet that I cringe even when doing security updates in case there is a conflict or broken code involved. :rolleyes: lol!

Do be aware that a Win 10 ‘upgrade’ may be inflicted on you even if you don’t choose to reserve it. To prevent a Win 10 ‘upgrade’, see, for example: http://windowssecrets.com/forums/showthread//171747-Need-Help-With-These-Few-Windows-Updates?p=1023707&viewfull=1#post1023707

If the KB3035583 update has already been installed, you will need to uninstall it (see http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/remove-update#1TC=windows-7). Even after uninstalling the KB3035583 update, Windows may keep running a GWX process in the background. Getting rid of that is rather more involved. See, for example: http://googleexperts.altervista.org/uninstall-kb3035583-windows-10-downloader-windows-7-8-1

You’ll also want to disable the option to automatically install recommended updates until you see all of KB3035583, KB3021917, KB2990214 and KB2952664 updates, so you can hide them before they get installed. Do note that Microsoft has changed things so that some of these unwanted updates will keep coming back even after you’ve hidden them. To prevent that too, see: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3080351

Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]

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Do be aware that a Win 10 ‘upgrade’ may be inflicted on you even if you don’t choose to reserve it. To prevent a Win 10 ‘upgrade’, see, for example: http://windowssecrets.com/forums/showthread//171747-Need-Help-With-These-Few-Windows-Updates?p=1023707&viewfull=1#post1023707

If the KB3035583 update has already been installed, you will need to uninstall it (see http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/remove-update#1TC=windows-7). Even after uninstalling the KB3035583 update, Windows may keep running a GWX process in the background. Getting rid of that is rather more involved. See, for example: http://googleexperts.altervista.org/uninstall-kb3035583-windows-10-downloader-windows-7-8-1

You’ll also want to disable the option to automatically install recommended updates until you see all of KB3035583, KB3021917, KB2990214 and KB2952664 updates, so you can hide them before they get installed. Do note that Microsoft has changed things so that some of these unwanted updates will keep coming back even after you’ve hidden them. To prevent that too, see: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3080351

Thanks macropod.
Yes, indeed. I took those steps to stop any downloading and installing of 10.
Good to know/save if I need to reinstall 7.
Have saved your post for future reference.

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Mr. Spector lists 5 things better in 10 than 7. In my opinion 0nly 2 of the 5 are applicable:
1. Task view improved – meh. So -tab now has an icon on the taskbar. It’s nice that the thumbnails are bigger, but so what.
2. Virtual Desktops – again meh. I switch with -tab, and since the alternate desktops all have the same wallpaper and icons, it’s really not different. Now if it were *really* different desktops like Linux does, that would be better. But certainly not a deciding factor.
3. Cortana: Smart local and online searches. But you have to be signed into your Microsoft account at all times so that they can track you. (ok, not “you”, they want to track *everybody*!) I will never use Cortana with that prerequisite. I use a computer, not a phone.
4. File Explorer – gains a ribbon. To do all those things that you used to have to go into options for. This is good.
5. Task Manager. “More Information; Easier to read.” Agreed.

Stupid things that Windows 10 doesn’t know how to do: Put an icon on the desktop. Use random wallpapers. Any color other than white for windows. (Steve Jobs was right, as least for Windows 10: “Windows has no taste.”)

I’ve forced my self to switch to 10 from 7. I don’t recommend it though; 7 is a much, much better OS than 10. (Oh, and Office 2010 blows both Office 2013 and 2016 out of the water. Just try to work with text boundaries turned on … unacceptable.)

Back in January 2010 I gave a presentation on “The Rise and Fall of Microsoft” (From QDOS to Windows 7) calling Win7 the high water mark for Microsoft. This has come to pass – it’s all downhill for MS from here. They are trying to get into tablets and phones, but Android and Apple are too well established. To survive, they’ll have to go the route of IBM and become a service company for businesses. I sure hope the “PC” survives (it’s the only thing I’ve used since 1980) but I have my doubts.

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Back in January 2010 I gave a presentation on “The Rise and Fall of Microsoft” (From QDOS to Windows 7) calling Win7 the high water mark for Microsoft. This has come to pass – it’s all downhill for MS from here. They are trying to get into tablets and phones, but Android and Apple are too well established. To survive, they’ll have to go the route of IBM and become a service company for businesses. I sure hope the “PC” survives (it’s the only thing I’ve used since 1980) but I have my doubts.

I know, I know, everyone else has already said it: If MS would just put the Windows 7 style Start Button into Windows 8.x and beyond as an option, there would be NO controversy about Windows 8.x, and not a lot about Windows 10.

Unfortunately, it seems that MS has adopted the attitude that they want to shoehorn all of their customers into a new way of doing things, whether or not their customers agree.

I actually liked Windows 8 better than Windows 7, once I had StartIsBack installed and configured. But every now and then something didn’t work exactly right, so I went back to Windows 7.

Group "L" (Linux Mint)
with Windows 10 running in a remote session on my file server

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What is the advantage to me of Virtual Desktop. I understand the concept (I think) but if I’m only using a browser window for checking e-mail, FB and shopping, why would I need virtual desktop?
Thanks

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What is the advantage to me of Virtual Desktop. I understand the concept (I think) but if I’m only using a browser window for checking e-mail, FB and shopping, why would I need virtual desktop?
Thanks

If you have software which won’t run in Windows 10, a virtual desktop would allow you to run it in a previous version of Windows. A virtual desktop is like a separate computer within Windows 10, that separate computer running whichever OS you install on it.

Doing this will allow you to keep using that one ancient piece of must-have software that has not been upgraded to run under a modern OS.

My pastor has a really old Greek and Hebrew Bible study program. He has Windows 8.1, but the Greek and Hebrew program won’t install under Windows 8.1, not even if you try it in Compatibility Mode (XP). So I installed Oracle Virtual Box, and I put Windows 2000 in the virtual box, and the program installed (and runs) with no problem.

I’m sure that Windows 10 Virtual Desktop works exactly like that.

Group "L" (Linux Mint)
with Windows 10 running in a remote session on my file server

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If you have software which won’t run in Windows 10, a virtual desktop would allow you to run it in a previous version of Windows. A virtual desktop is like a separate computer within Windows 10, that separate computer running whichever OS you install on it.

Doing this will allow you to keep using that one ancient piece of must-have software that has not been upgraded to run under a modern OS.

My pastor has a really old Greek and Hebrew Bible study program. He has Windows 8.1, but the Greek and Hebrew program won’t install under Windows 8.1, not even if you try it in Compatibility Mode (XP). So I installed Oracle Virtual Box, and I put Windows 2000 in the virtual box, and the program installed (and runs) with no problem.

I’m sure that Windows 10 Virtual Desktop works exactly like that.

The question was about virtual desktop, not virtual machine.

Have you tried running it in a Virtual Desktop, with Windows 7 as the OS of the Virtual Desktop?

You mean virtual machine, not virtual desktop.

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If you have software which won’t run in Windows 10, a virtual desktop would allow you to run it in a previous version of Windows. A virtual desktop is like a separate computer within Windows 10, that separate computer running whichever OS you install on it.

Doing this will allow you to keep using that one ancient piece of must-have software that has not been upgraded to run under a modern OS.

My pastor has a really old Greek and Hebrew Bible study program. He has Windows 8.1, but the Greek and Hebrew program won’t install under Windows 8.1, not even if you try it in Compatibility Mode (XP). So I installed Oracle Virtual Box, and I put Windows 2000 in the virtual box, and the program installed (and runs) with no problem.

I’m sure that Windows 10 Virtual Desktop works exactly like that.

The question was about virtual desktop, not virtual machine.

Have you tried running it in a Virtual Desktop, with Windows 7 as the OS of the Virtual Desktop?

You mean virtual machine, not virtual desktop.

Pardon my misuse of the term Virtual Desktop.

It seems that a Virtual Desktop is, for all practical purposes, a duplicate of the primary computing environment. And the virtualization can be provided by the hardware or the software.

A Virtual Machine, however, is much more a “blank slate” rather than simply a duplicate of the primary computing environment; in other words, you provide whatever OS you want, rather than the VM providing the same OS environment as the primary computing environment. And the virtualization is entirely done by the software, not the hardware.

And so I should have advised the user to try Hyper-V, rather than Virtual Desktop.

Am I correct in the above?

Group "L" (Linux Mint)
with Windows 10 running in a remote session on my file server

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I was amused by the opening line “That “Get Windows 10″ icon sitting in Win7’s notification area will get you a free upgrade,…”. I requested Win 10 almost as soon as it was available and have had the icon on my task bar for many months (5??). My Dell computer is less than a year old, runs Win 8.1 and was certified by Dell as ready for Win 10. It is automatically updated. Still have not received Win 10. Clicking the icon has produced several responses such as “We are thinking about your OS” (something like that) and “Your computer is ready to be upgraded”. I do not know of but one person who actually got Win 10 this way (He is in Philadelphia; I am is South Carolina). Good old Microsoft

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I have Win10 on a Surface Pro 3 so I am at least passing familiar with some of the new features. I have Win7 on two other computers and have used various versions of Windows since it came out in the 90’s so I’m reasonably familiar with what works for me and what doesn’t.

So far, I have not seen any compelling reason to upgrade to Win10 and this article has not shown me anything that I need to do that I cannot do now or cannot live without. And that’s what people should be looking at when they upgrade.

Yes, there are some new features but ask how useful they are to YOU and then compare them to the fact that you are going to have to relearn how to do a lot of things. There are also a few programs I use that may not work in Win10, I haven’t looked.

There are also some things about Win10 that I don’t like, Cortana is one of those. I don’t want to talk to my computer. I don’t use Ask Google or Siri or Echo either and have no particular reason to start. I would very much prefer it if they weren’t even installed and sitting in the background in hopes that I might call on them one day. The same goes for other services that I don’t use that eat up CPU and battery.

Win10 is worse about loading me up with stuff I’m not going to use than any prior version. If they wanted to improve Win10, they should have done the reverse – install a bare bones version and let me choose what I want to add on when and if I choose to do so.

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So far, I have not seen any compelling reason to upgrade to Win10 and this article has not shown me anything that I need to do that I cannot do now or cannot live without.

Yes, there are some new features but ask how useful they are to YOU

There are also some things about Win10 that I don’t like, Cortana is one of those. I would very much prefer it if they weren’t even installed and sitting in the background in hopes that I might call on them one day. The same goes for other services that I don’t use that eat up CPU and battery.

Win10 is worse about loading me up with stuff I’m not going to use than any prior version. If they wanted to improve Win10, they should have done the reverse – install a bare bones version and let me choose what I want to add on when and if I choose to do so.

Excellent points- I really really wish they’d stop mucking with things and changing them to something they think we would want- I don’t want change- I’m perfectly happy with the OS 7 as it is- And like you say, I wish they would at the very least, offer a bare bones version that doesn’t deviate from the previous os versions UNTIL we choose to activate the ‘new features’ that they are constantly rolling out-

Like you say, I’m not going to start holding conversations with my computer- (I might take it on a date or two- but speaking to it? That’s just crazy talk)- [Seriously though- I do NOT want to speak to my computer- so I’d never use this function anyways- people might say she can predict what we are asking for- but so can’t yahoo search, as it fills in what I’m typing as I type to give suggestions I na drop down list- good enough for me]

And what happens when cortana feels jilted? Scorned? Cheated on? Lied to? Will she go running to the NSA with wild made up stories about us? Will she install viruses just to get even with us? Will she refuse to speak to us if we say the wrong things? Will she deplete our bank accounts if we don’t bring her roses on her birthday? So many Questions

I want my start menu EXACTLY like it is now with windows 7- I don’t want some gaudy hybrid conglomeration

I want the privacy settings I have now- Don’t want ot have to learn all kinds of new workarounds to shut off ‘phone home’ applications

I don’t want my computer updating without my permission, or being able to choose which updates I want and which ones I don’t-

Just when I get my os working the way I want it- Microsoft comes along and changes everything- How long before we’re forced to upgrade to windows 10? If I knew we could stay with windows 7 from here on out, this wouldn’t even be an issue, as I’d opt to remain with windows 7, but like I said, how long before programs no longer work with windows 7? Before new versions of IE don’t work with 7? etc etc etc

I’m old I’m tired, and I just want things to remain the same, or at very least given the choice for things to remain the same- I don’t want ot have to keep wasting my time trying to find workarounds and bypasses, and tweaks etc to get operating systems to work how I want them to- I just wanna cruise then et, do my photography, check email, etc- I don’t want ot have to keep learning new operating systems just to keep doing thins the way I like to do them-

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There are also some things about Win10 that I don’t like, Cortana is one of those. I don’t want to talk to my computer. I don’t use Ask Google or Siri or Echo either and have no particular reason to start. I would very much prefer it if they weren’t even installed and sitting in the background in hopes that I might call on them one day. The same goes for other services that I don’t use that eat up CPU and battery.

You don’t have to talk to Cortana. She responds to texts too. The speech reaction is not enabled by default: How to Turn On “Hey Cortana” in Windows 10

Like you say, I’m not going to start holding conversations with my computer- (I might take it on a date or two- but speaking to it? That’s just crazy talk)- [Seriously though- I do NOT want to speak to my computer- so I’d never use this function anyways- people might say she can predict what we are asking for- but so can’t yahoo search, as it fills in what I’m typing as I type to give suggestions in a drop down list- good enough for me]

It only takes four quick clicks to disable Cortana completely: How to Disable Cortana in Windows 10

(As mentioned by Susan Bradley in the Windows Secrets newsletter two months ago: Making Windows 10 a bit more private and secure)

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I’ve spoken to this before but I really like the improvements to Task Manager and the file copy functions. Both are much more sophisticated now than in the older Windows.

While these enhancements made their appearance in Windows 8, the theme of the OP was upgrading from Win7 to Win10.

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I’ve tried to go to Windows 10 from 8.1 on my HP Spectre laptop twice now -and both times, I’ve reverted back.

It feels ‘clunky’, the video is slow, the network driver has bugs in it and it generally feels like it’s still a beta. OK, it may have some nice features, but if it stops me being productive (and it does), then I need a good incentive to move over.

Windows 8.1 with Classic Shell installed makes me feel right at home. So, why should I change?

Alan

PS – I’m running the Insider stuff on a VM on a desktop machine to see what’s new, but unfortunately that doesn’t check the basic stuff – I use it to check that apps still work.

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Great article, but I too have a few issues with the upgrade even though overall productivity-wise it has been a positive move. My issues relate to 3 relatively minor annoyances:
a) Why did they have to remove Hearts? Did it cost them anything to have it there? Was it bothering anyone? I know that they want to SELL more XBox junk but come on – no one that only used Hearts will EVER use XBox.
b) Microsoft will again get themselves into hot water because ALL the default APPS are Microsoft products. Most of which are pretty junky. The default apps that were in Windows 7 have NOT moved over to Win 10. All defaults (Default Apps in System Settings) are now Microsoft Apps, and if you want to change some of them you can only do it through the Microsoft store where they want to charge you for the apps. You can get around this problem but it’s tedious and annoying.
c) The upgrade to Win 10 may be free, but Microsoft will charge you for every little thing that used to be free in previous paid versions of upgrades. It’s a trade off, but it’s extremely annoying, deceptive, and unfair (unfair in the sense that we paid for hearts in the previous versions and now they want us to pay again or to view endless ads).
d) But the most problematic of all issues has been the fact that Windows 10 takes control of your system and certain programs will no longer run on your computer. Specifically, any programs that have substantial graphics, will be blocked by the new Windows 10. I am not a programmer or expert so I don’t know exactly what features from what programs are being messed up but I can provide an example. I have a fantastic game called Backspin Billiards, that simulates real “pool”, which was developed some 20 years ago by some Eastern European programmers. (I believe they were either Czech, Romanian, or Serbian). The game was never upgraded for the Windows reiterations, but it ran quite well on all versions (including Windows 7). The game has now been taken over by a company called GameHouse and they now charge a nominal fee for the game. However, they have done nothing to upgrade or to modify the game to make it more user friendly (it still cannot be minimized, it also can’t be closed on many occasions without shutting down the computer). However, whatever Windows 10 has done to graphics – it affects this game completely and it does not even open up. If it does, it freezes the computer, or it appears in a 640 X 320 resolution on only part of the screen.
Whatever Microsoft has done to graphics programs, cards, apps, or whatever, it messes with existing programs.
What a shame!

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But the most problematic of all issues has been the fact that Windows 10 takes control of your system and certain programs will no longer run on your computer. Specifically, any programs that have substantial graphics, will be blocked by the new Windows 10. I am not a programmer or expert so I don’t know exactly what features from what programs are being messed up but I can provide an example. I have a fantastic game called Backspin Billiards, that simulates real “pool”, which was developed some 20 years ago by some Eastern European programmers. (I believe they were either Czech, Romanian, or Serbian). The game was never upgraded for the Windows reiterations, but it ran quite well on all versions (including Windows 7). The game has now been taken over by a company called GameHouse and they now charge a nominal fee for the game. However, they have done nothing to upgrade or to modify the game to make it more user friendly (it still cannot be minimized, it also can’t be closed on many occasions without shutting down the computer). However, whatever Windows 10 has done to graphics – it affects this game completely and it does not even open up. If it does, it freezes the computer, or it appears in a 640 X 320 resolution on only part of the screen.
Whatever Microsoft has done to graphics programs, cards, apps, or whatever, it messes with existing programs.
What a shame!

Have you tried running it in a Virtual Desktop, with Windows 7 as the OS of the Virtual Desktop?

Group "L" (Linux Mint)
with Windows 10 running in a remote session on my file server

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Have you tried running it in a Virtual Desktop, with Windows 7 as the OS of the Virtual Desktop?

“Sounds like a wonderful idea, but how does one set up the Virtual Desktop?
I read through all the help pages. I’ve set all the toggles to ON in the virtual desktop questions in settings.
I’ve researched much of Microsoft help web information, and I’ve signed up for a bunch of classes.
However, none of this helps. I remember reading that this was an option in Win 10, but for the life of me, I can’t place where and when this was.
I’m not, by any means, an expert, nor do I want to be, at 75 I don’t think I have the time to do so, but whenever I’m presented with a challenge, I aim to resolve it.
Since you appear to be exactly what I’m not, perhaps you can help.
Thanks.
Walter”

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”Sounds like a wonderful idea, but how does one set up the Virtual Desktop?
I read through all the help pages. I’ve set all the toggles to ON in the virtual desktop questions in settings.
I’ve researched much of Microsoft help web information, and I’ve signed up for a bunch of classes.
However, none of this helps. I remember reading that this was an option in Win 10, but for the life of me, I can’t place where and when this was.
I’m not, by any means, an expert, nor do I want to be, at 75 I don’t think I have the time to do so, but whenever I’m presented with a challenge, I aim to resolve it.
Since you appear to be exactly what I’m not, perhaps you can help.
Thanks.
Walter”

Simply press the button on your taskbar that looks like a box with ears beside the search box. (It’s called “Task View”). That’ll show you your open apps, *but also, in the bottom right corner of your screen, you’ll see a + sign over text indicating “New desktop.”* That’ll do it. Press the same taskview button to switch between desktops. You can also drag windows from one desktop to the other by using that button again.

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”Sounds like a wonderful idea, but how does one set up the Virtual Desktop?
I read through all the help pages. I’ve set all the toggles to ON in the virtual desktop questions in settings.

But virtual desktop will not help you run a program which ran on a previous OS, which I think is why you’re interested.

When Virtual Box was recommended, that was using a virtual machine solution not a virtual desktop.

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Great article, but I too have a few issues with the upgrade even though overall productivity-wise it has been a positive move. My issues relate to 3 relatively minor annoyances:
a) Why did they have to remove Hearts? Did it cost them anything to have it there? Was it bothering anyone? I know that they want to SELL more XBox junk but come on – no one that only used Hearts will EVER use XBox.

FYI Never played hearts, but Spider and Freecell from XP and maybe W7 work just fine when copied to W10 w/ maybe a dll or two. Perhaps hearts will too.

:cheers:

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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Why do I need Task View or Virtual Desktops? I know what I am doing. I don’t have a scatter brain that tries to do everything (badly) at the same time. Do it once, do it right and get on with making some money. Cortana? To spy on what I search for? Gimme a break. File Explorer with the cursed Ribbon? You must be joking; try adding a destination to the “copy to” menu – there’s no way but you could do that back in XP. Touch screen on a desktop? If you are sitting that close to today’s 20″+ screens, you are too close.
What I want from a new OS is speed, to boot and and operate, not boot to screen but disk thrash for 15 minutes so any action is delayed. I want small size so that half my phone/tablet memory is the OS. I want an update that installs on Intel Atom devices, not one that takes all night but gives up at day break and leaves me to re-install Win7. And I want Media Center back now you have destroyed the competition by giving it away free.

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I have W7 on a HP computer. I have found that a few operation programs were modified by HP and cannot be updated by the normal method. As a result the computer seems to act a little different than the normal W7 OS. Some of the things that you wrote about I already have. I am delaying converting for that reason and because I am still dealing with the back up pfoblem.

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I wonder if it’s possible to have Win 7 & Win 10 installed on the same PC
It would then be easier to check if the software I am using is fully compatible.
If yes, would it be possible with the free W10?

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I wonder if it’s possible to have Win 7 & Win 10 installed on the same PC

You can load W10 in a virtual machine alongside your existing Windows version, use VMware Player or VirtualBox.
You would need to join the Windows insider program to obtain a version of W10 that you could use.
Alternatively, make an image backup and then upgrade to W10 and test. You have 1 month to roll back and as long as you want to re-load the image.

cheers, Paul

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Thanks Paul. I think I’m going to continue to wait out on Windows 10 at least for awhile.

I feel that fundamental issues with Windows remain. First, the Windows registry needs to be split into two registries: the first and fully locked down except under administrative control should contain the core of what Windows needs to operate and items that Microsoft software needs, and the second should be for non-Microsoft software only. This way outsiders would not be able to compromise Windows, though they might compromise each other’s settings. Active scripting needs much better internal controls especially with JavaScript, Active X, etc.

The second issue pertains to respect and trust for customers, vendors and Microsoft employees. I see qualities of respect and trust in a long slope of decline over the years and this needs serious repair. I think back to how great Windows 95 felt, the enthusiasm, the happiness with Windows, etc. People lined up to get a copy of Windows then. There are no lines waiting at my local Microsoft store in our local mall–not for tablets, not for phones, not for Windows. The store has customers, but the traffic there is thin with many employees just playing with the latest virtual reality and Xbox games.

The Apple store across from them is loaded with excited customers and long lines form every time for the latest iPhone.

So you can see why, even though I’m 76, that I’m not at all quick to embrace the newest, greatest Windows.

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Thanks Paul. I think I’m going to continue to wait out on Windows 10 at least for awhile.

I feel that fundamental issues with Windows remain. First, the Windows registry needs to be split into two registries: the first and fully locked down except under administrative control should contain the core of what Windows needs to operate and items that Microsoft software needs, and the second should be for non-Microsoft software only. This way outsiders would not be able to compromise Windows, though they might compromise each other’s settings. Active scripting needs much better internal controls especially with JavaScript, Active X, etc.

This is not feasible. You show no understanding of how the Windows Operating System works.

Even if it were possible, this one change would in no way close the many avenues by which software and code from web sites can attack Windows (or any other OS for that matter). Linux for example does not have a Registry. Yet it can be attacked by the same program types you cite as security problems for Windows. Apple’s iOS does exist as a walled garden where third parties can’t post their own programs (although side-loading is possible with a few hacks), and iOS does get hacked. The Apple Store recently had to take down hundreds of Apps due to a hack which infected them with malware. Finally, the Windows 8/8.1/10 Universal (Metro) Apps are sandboxed and otherwise walled off from traditional desktop software. This in no ways protects Windows from infection through browsers, even Edge, or third-party plugins which operate under the Win32 API.

So your entire premise is deeply flawed, and shows no understanding of how Operating Systems, the Windows Registry or application software (Win32 or WinRT APIs or software on other OSes) work.

The second issue pertains to respect and trust for customers, vendors and Microsoft employees. I see qualities of respect and trust in a long slope of decline over the years and this needs serious repair. I think back to how great Windows 95 felt, the enthusiasm, the happiness with Windows, etc. People lined up to get a copy of Windows then. There are no lines waiting at my local Microsoft store in our local mall–not for tablets, not for phones, not for Windows. The store has customers, but the traffic there is thin with many employees just playing with the latest virtual reality and Xbox games.

The Apple store across from them is loaded with excited customers and long lines form every time for the latest iPhone.

So you can see why, even though I’m 76, that I’m not at all quick to embrace the newest, greatest Windows.

As far as respect for customers goes, Apple forces upgrades and even device purchases on its customers with alarming frequency. And its OS updates have far less documentation than MS Updates have had until Windows 10 came out. So no, other big for-profit software companies do not have any better track record of respecting customers than Microsoft.

This said, yes, there is a troubling trend among all these companies, that they are trying to force all customers into a one size fits all paradigm. And they seem to be trying to take away local storage, local backup and local recovery and self-help options away from their customers. We are careening back to the old days of dumb-terminals and no user control over our own data.

As far as privacy goes (about which several folks posting in this thread express concerns) there are several recent tech articles outside of the Newsletter here which give up to 20 Windows 10 privacy settings and show exactly when, where and how to control what we can control for our privacy concerns. One such article is here .

I don’t know that I would try to turn off all telemetry communications, nor would I forbid even Universal Apps from using location information to deliver local information or suggestions, but it’s good to know where and how such restrictions can be imposed. As Susan Bradley points out, even with all telemetry supposedly suppressed, Windows 10 still may be communicating with its home servers. So we can’t totally disable Windows 10 telemetry, but this is not personal data, and should not pose serious privacy issues to most folks.

For reasons surrounding forced automatic updates and general stability, I am waiting for Threshold 2 to come out (November 2015, last I read) before even considering upgrading any of my PCs or devices to Windows 10.

-- rc primak

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You can load W10 in a virtual machine alongside your existing Windows version, use VMware Player or VirtualBox.
You would need to join the Windows insider program to obtain a version of W10 that you could use.
Alternatively, make an image backup and then upgrade to W10 and test. You have 1 month to roll back and as long as you want to re-load the image.

cheers, Paul

thanks Paul,
I was thinking about dual boot more than a Virtual machine, I thought it would be easier, but is it feasible?
If I get a chance to find some time I’ll try the Virtual machine option.

Image backup, upgrade and roll back is not an option as I am working every day on my machine, with tight deadlines to be met, this is why I would like to have the 2 systems in parallel

Cheers
Elricou

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Agree with YouMike; its a real bummer that Australia also can’t access Cortana. The rest of the reasons are very valid. I’m running three machines each on a different version of Windows and I love Windows 10 most of the time. Inability to resize taskbar though is a real downer.

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Agree with YouMike; its a real bummer that Australia also can’t access Cortana. The rest of the reasons are very valid. I’m running three machines each on a different version of Windows and I love Windows 10 most of the time. Inability to resize taskbar though is a real downer.

I can resize my toolbar in 10 – or am I missing something here….?

Eliminate spare time: start programming PowerShell

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Thanks for your take on Windows 10. Despite all the new features which appear to be very good and inviting, the privacy and security issues remain front and centre for me. Microsoft simply has to level with users about what’s really going on under the hood–what data is collected, how it’s shared, how it’s used. Without that clarity, I’m staying with Windows 7 (prevented from ever getting Windows 10) forever and my Linux Ubuntu computers.. New features and improvements never, never override the issues I described as far as I’m concerned when considering a new computer OS.

For those insisting, panting, salivating and wanting Windows 10, here’s an easy important suggestion: don’t EVER upgrade from any box containing Windows before Windows 10 to avoid the truly awful hassles and/or an ageing hard drive issues that may happen. Just go out put the $$$ down and buy a Windows 10 pre-installed on a new computer box–do this to increase the probability that you somehow remain sane.. All I can then say is: “May the force be always on YOUR side!” And finally, don’t forget to give thanks for the blessing you have already received.

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Two glaring omissions in Windows 8/10- due to the lack of MSCONFIG. On the Task Manager:
The start-up tab does not identify the Registry setting or startup file that corresponds to the entries. This means that I have much more time to manually locate the file.
The services tab does not give the option to filter out the Microsoft services. This means I have go to services.msc and slowly work through the entire list.

I routinely work on people’s machines that either have crapware/malware that is either ahead of their antivirus or (more often) not seen because their out-of-date antivirus was compromised. And while I use many diagnostic and repair tools, a manual inspection is always part of the process. The lack of these Windows 7 “features” just means it takes considerably longer to inspect.

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Two glaring omissions in Windows 8/10- due to the lack of MSCONFIG. On the Task Manager:
The start-up tab does not identify the Registry setting or startup file that corresponds to the entries. This means that I have much more time to manually locate the file.
The services tab does not give the option to filter out the Microsoft services. This means I have go to services.msc and slowly work through the entire list.

I routinely work on people’s machines that either have crapware/malware that is either ahead of their antivirus or (more often) not seen because their out-of-date antivirus was compromised. And while I use many diagnostic and repair tools, a manual inspection is always part of the process. The lack of these Windows 7 “features” just means it takes considerably longer to inspect.

Windows 8 and 10 does have an MSConfig utility. And it does have a checkbox to hide Microsoft Services on the Services tab. In the Startup tab in Task Manager, you can get the startup file and its location for an entry by right clicking on the entry and clicking on either properties or open file location.

you can also use a third party utility like Autoruns or What’s in Startup to get the registry locations.

Jerry

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Yes, virtual desktop is just screen expansion.

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It appears to me that for every ‘good’ reason TO upgrade there are a dozen ‘good’ reasons to NOT upgrade.

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It appears to me that for every ‘good’ reason TO upgrade there are a dozen ‘good’ reasons to NOT upgrade.

I was going to say the same thing and you did it first. Way to go!

Being 20 something in the 70's was far more fun than being 70 something in the insane 20's

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With tight deadlines I would steer clear of the upgrade completely. When you get a new computer you will then have W10.

cheers, Paul

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With tight deadlines I would steer clear of the upgrade completely. When you get a new computer you will then have W10.

cheers, Paul

I suppose it’s the wise thing to do.

Cheers

Eric

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For most Win8 users, upgrading is a virtual no-brainer …

Please stop saying that upgrading to Windows 10 is “a virtual no-brainer” for Windows 8 users. Not upgrading is a virtual no-brainer until its problems are fixed. I still haven’t found a compelling reason to “upgrade”. All of my software works just fine on Windows 8.1 Update 1. (Not so much on Windows 10…) All of the enhancements (vice Cortana) can be achieved (or even surpassed) without Windows 10 without the problems.

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