Newsletter Archives

• Windows 7 “not dead yet”

  Posted on December 30, 2020 at 17:34 CST by Kirsty • Comment in the Forums

  Nearly a year after Win7’s EOL, Ed Bott has been diving into how many might still be using the OS. He hints it’s a big number.

  …as December 2020 draws to a close, the proportion of PCs running Windows 10 has gone up 12%, to 87.8%; the Windows 7 count has dropped by more than 10 points, to 8.5%, and the population of Windows 8.x holdouts has shrunk even further, to a minuscule 3.4%
  …
  If my calculations a year ago were on the mark, that means more than 100 million Windows PC were retired, recycled, or upgraded in the past 12 months.

  It is somewhat reassuring to hear that WinXP is now in the region of a “fraction of a rounding error”. And of course, that doesn’t quantify how many of those Win7 machines are or aren’t enrolled in the ESU program.

  You can read Ed’s write-up on Zdnet here.

  Windows 10, Windows 7, Windows News Ed Bott, Win7 EOL, Win7 ESU, Win7 market share, Windows market share

• Ed Bott unloads on the horrendous state of Windows as a, uh, “service”

  Posted on November 9, 2018 at 08:30 CST by woody • Comment in the Forums

  If you only read one article today, read this one from Ed Bott on ZDNet:

  If Microsoft wants to treat Windows 10 as a service, it has a responsibility to its customers to provide accurate information about problems with that service. Over the last month, the company has failed miserably in that regard.

  Of course, I’d argue that MS has failed miserably for much more than a month, but that’s just me.

  Read it.

  Windows News Ed Bott, Windows as a Service

• Ed Bott weighs in on two years with Windows 10

  Posted on August 3, 2017 at 09:39 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  A very interesting analysis from my old friend, Ed Bott at ZDNet. Caution: ZDNet has a stupid sound-tracked video that plays every time I go on the site, so turn your speakers down or off before clicking.

  Here’s one that caught my eye:

  And after more than two years under the microscope, there’s still no evidence from credible security researchers that that data is being used for anything other than its stated purpose of product improvement.

  Compare and contrast that to the new Creators Update option:

  Get more relevant tips and recommendations to tailor Microsoft products and services for your need. Let Microsoft use your diagnostic data to make this work.

  Of course, I’m a loyal member of the tinfoil hat club, but that setting certainly must give everyone pause. Doesn’t it?

  Other than that, I generally agree with Ed’s findings. I’d be interested in hearing your take on Ed’s comments….

  Windows News Ed Bott, Windows 10 report card

• Ed Bott’s Windows 7 Release Candidate FAQ

  Posted on April 27, 2009 at 14:18 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  Thinking about installing the Windows 7 Release Candidate?

  The official version will be widely available on May 5. I’ll post the download link here as soon as it’s available.

  The most important thing to remember about the RC: when you decide to switch to the “real” Windows 7 (or on March 1, 2010, whichever comes later), you should plan on wiping out your hard drive and starting all over. Yes, you can use Windows Easy Transfer to take your data off the hard drive before you upgrade. But, no, Windows Easy Transfer doesn’t transfer everything – most notably, you’ll have to re-install all of your programs.

  Before you consider downloading and installing the RC, take a look at Ed Bott’s extensive FAQ about the Release Candidate.

  Windows News Ed Bott, Windows 7 Release Candidate, Windows Easy Transfer