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	TOP STORY Win10 build 10074: What’s new, what’s unknown
	By Woody Leonhard With the recent release of build 10074, Windows 10 Technical Preview should be nearing the feature-complete phase. But while there’s lots to see in the latest build, there’s also much that’s still unknown. Here’s a look at what’s new, what’s been killed, what’s likely, and what’s still obscure.

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The full text of this column is posted at windowssecrets.com/top-story/win10-build-10074-whats-new-whats-unknown (paid content, 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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Hi
I am a freelance IT technician in Australia and some of my customers have received an email (see below) stating that the free upgrade Windows 10 customers will automatically go on a monthly fee system for the use of Windows 10. It also warns that non-payment will result in reduced functionality.

(Email Text Starts)
Subject: A warning about Windows 10

Microsoft aims to suck consumers into a web that many will find difficult to get out from.

Microsoft is getting worse than Apple, now with the introduction of subscription software. Adobe has tried it and and are now offering both subscription and stand alone software. Maybe it is time to look at Chrome as an alternative to Windows.

So the answer is unless you have plenty of money, DO NOT TAKE UP THE FREE OFFER TO UPGRADE TO WINDOWS 10

Stick with Windows 7 or Windows 8.1

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Around the 27th of July Microsoft will start banging their drum as they offer Windows 10 for free, millions are expected to download the new software to their computers and every new computer will come with the new OS installed.

But as they say in this world nothing comes for free and in Microsoft’s case the free 12 month software licence will terminate in July 2016 which is when Microsoft will dumb down the capability of PC’s unless you fork out a monthly or annual licence fee which could be as high as $10 a month per PC in a home.
The unlock key to how Microsoft will try and lock in consumers to paying monthly for the privilege of having Windows on their PC were outlined this week by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella when he predicted that Microsoft will lift their cloud based revenues from a current run rate of $6.3 billion for the their cloud services such as Office 365 to $20 Billion by June 2018.
Last week, Microsoft said sales of Windows to PC makers to install on their machines dropped 19 percent for the Pro version and 26 percent for other versions in the most recent quarter.
Meanwhile at Google executives are sitting and waiting as they further develop their Google Docs and free Chrome operating system.
Already several big Companies in Australia have dumped Windows from their PC’s ahead of the introduction of Windows 10.
Woolworths already has 25,000 employees operating on the Google OS. So has Clipsal and Sound retail group Addicted to Audio.
Nadella announced the run-rate goal for cloud services at a meeting last night with analysts during the software maker’s Build conference in San Francisco.
Run rate refers to quarterly revenue presented on an annualized basis.
Microsoft wants to get a billion people using its Windows 10 operating system before they throw the charge switch in 2016.
Windows chief Terry Myerson said that Microsoft has developed tools to make it easier to convert applications originally programmed for Google’s Android to Windows phones and those written for Apple’s iOS devices to Windows gadgets without rewriting the bulk of the code.
Microsoft is trying to use Windows 10, to jump-start the personal-computer market and to entice more tablet and smartphone buyers to choose Windows models. If they achieve this they are in an excellent position to restrict PC operations or restrict access to certain services running on the Windows OS unless a consumer or business signs up to pay for the privilege of using their Windows OS.
The company is also betting that easier development of mobile apps and the ability to repurpose work done for other operating systems will get more engineers to build Windows programs, which in turn could help woo users back to the platform they have been dumping in favour of Android and Chrome.
“One thing we haven’t had — a great Windows release could drive people to refresh their PC,” Myerson said in an interview. “I see people with these Windows 7 PCs and I look at a great new 2-in-1 device with touch and I think there’s so much more you could have. I’m a little more optimistic.”
With Windows 10, Microsoft is introducing what it calls Universal Apps, which work regardless of the size of the device — though developers will have to add code if they want to tweak the programs to only show certain things on, say, an Xbox, or to make use of 3D holograms using HoloLens technology being developed by Microsoft.
Microsoft said companies such as Disney, Netflix, Evernote, and Box are creating Windows 10 Universal apps.
For Windows 10, Microsoft will have one app store regardless of whether users are on PCs, tablets or phones and will add the ability to pay for apps through customers’ wireless carriers — an advantage in countries where fewer customers have credit cards, Myerson said.
Nadella also demonstrated additions for Office software, including functions from SAP SE and LinkedIn. and a service for Uber. that lets customers summon a ride based on appointments in their Outlook calendar. It grabs their location from Outlook as well.
What Microsoft is aiming to revive the Windows franchise with Windows 10 by giving software away fror free, and 12 months on when consumers have got use to the new sofware start charging consumers.
In the browser market Explorer has been smashed by both Google Chrome and Firefox now the Company wants consumers to start using their new called Edge.
New features in Windows 10 will constantly prompt consumers to start using Edge and their doomed search engine.
Edge Browser
The program has a design that blends some aspects of Windows 8 with the older, more popular Windows 7’s appearance. It adds a new browser, which the company said Wednesday will be called Microsoft Edge, to succeed Internet Explorer. The update to Windows will also bring Cortana to PC desktops, and will have touch-enabled Office applications such as Word and Excel built in for smartphones and tablets.

Sales of Windows are suffering along with a declining PC market, after corporate customers upgraded new machines last year because Microsoft was ending support for the 13-year-old Windows XP. That buying cycle has petered out and global PC shipments dropped 5.2 percent in the first quarter, according to researcher Gartner Inc.

(Email Text Ends)

This appears to me to be a false rumour.

[*]Have you noticed anything similar?
[*]What is your opinion on this matter? Can you clarify?

Kind Regards
Ken Farlow
Cornerstone Computer Connections[/TD]
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Thank You all for the replies.

I have decided to take a sort of middle road so here is how I configured it.

1. Clean install of XP SP3.
2. Latest drivers from Manufacturer’s web page
3. No updates. Because the customer’s software is old anyway.
4. LAN port disabled in BIOS.
5. No antivirus.

And yes I created an image on DVD.

Spec.
PIV 3GHz
2.5GB RAM
80GB Seagate Barracuda SATA
NVIDIA GE Force G210

Clean, simple and it runs sweet as a nut. 😀
Ken
p.s. Now if we could deep six all the malware writers/hackers etc. wouldn’t the world be a simpler place.

I particularly enjoy the hammer method. The bigger the hammer the better.

My accountant actually used a high-powered rifle (in a safe envionment) one time.

Great for de-stressing too 😮

Further to my previous.

Most of my MSE users are single core XP machines (PIV or equiv.) with 2GB RAM and are getting good results.

I haven’t been receiving calls about poor performance.

Thanks Fred for your comparisons.

With my customers mostly in the over 55 ag group and many with limited finances, their security is mostly handled by free products.

Previously most have been using free AVG but since your earlier recommendations I have been changing them over to MSE with very good results.

It’s quieter, simple operation has been great.

I take it that you will be monitoring the progress of ClamWin as it approaches and after release, and we may hear from you on this matter at a later date.

Ken Farlow
Cornerstone Computer Connections
New South Wales
Australia

Thank you for your reply.

For reasons I cannot fathom, after about four hours, with firewalls down and Internet Security uninstalled, pinging by IP and computer name OK, and much head scratching, the network burst into life and mysteriously all workgroup computers reappeared :confused:

One message did pop up momentarily saying that there was an IP address conflict on the LAN, and this would certainly cause some symptoms.:huh:

Anyway the end result is all systems normal. So now I have to reinstall the Internet Security.

All the best to all :rolleyes:
Ken Farlow
Australia

I am an IT technician and have couple of questions because I am often removing malware from client’s computers.

1. After booting on CD and running Windows Defender Offline, how effective is the update function?
2. Does the boot CD include a fairly complete range of NIC device drivers?

If the answer to either of the above is no, then it appears that it will be necessary to download the product every time it’s used to ensure latest signatures, engine etc.

Regards
Ken