Windows 10 Round-Up: What You Really Need to Know

29th July 2015. The day when Microsoft re-imagined their own OS and released it to the world. They skipped a number and from Windows 8 went to Windows 10, but so far, we’ve liked what we’ve seen.

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I’ve personally been waiting for it a while, right since I saw

this heart-felt response from a Microsoft veteran

about the state of affairs within the Redmond company. This really puts in perspective what Microsoft has gone through, as an organization, and now that Satya Nadella is at the helm, let’s hope that things can improve. After all, Windows OS is still the mostly widely sold and used OS for computing devices.

Before Getting Started

1. Knowing the Flavors of Windows 10

So it’s quintessential to know what Windows 10 is all about and how many versions there are. Usually we’ve seen the usual culprits like Home Edition, Professional and Ultimate. It’s a bit more complex with Windows 10 and we’ve already covered those in our feature.

2. Is It Free?

We’ve answered this burning question along with clearning some other misconceptions that people might have about Windows 10.

3. Back Up Your Data

Upgrading can be tricky, and even though your C:\ drive gets wiped, you might want to read our article on backing up your app settings before you actually upgrade.

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Are the Reviews Any Good?

Well, let’s just say this is perhaps the closest Windows has come to Mac in terms of OS functionality. Wall Street Journal’s tech writer Joanna Stern made the comparison in her review, although she did make a rather staggering statement

Ironically, I found my MacBook Air to be the best Windows 10 laptop. It may not have a touchscreen, but it was snappier, and beat the Dell and Surface for normal scrolling and navigating. (The three-finger swipe wasn’t enabled during my tests, however.) Windows 10 is in desperate need of a worthy PC laptop.

Tom Warren from The Verge noted that this is the upgrade that we needed from Microsoft and noted

Windows 10 has some great additions over Windows 8 and Windows 7, and it really feels like a good blend of the familiarity of Windows 7 and some of the new features of Windows 8. It’s not irritating to use, and you don’t need a tutorial to find the Start menu. It just works like you’d expect.

Finally, let’s also talk how Windows 10 affects Microsoft. Although Walt Mossberg from Re/code was largely impressed with the OS, he did say

However, by making that upgrade free, Microsoft may be dampening, not boosting, the market for new PCs, at least in the short run.

I’m not sure if I can totally agree with that, but you guys can let us know your thoughts in our forums.

How to Upgrade

There are many ways of upgrading to Windows 10. The easiest being reserving your free copy (if you are running genuine Windows 7/8) and following the on-screen instructions.

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Image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

If you’re running an older version, say XP, you will need to purchase Windows 10 from the Microsoft store and either create a custom ISO or a bootable ISO to install it on your machine.

It’s Not Perfect

We’re not saying that Windows 10 is perfect. But, it’s a lot better than Windows 8 at launch was. Plus, if you think your favorite features are missing, then we have some explored alternatives for you too.

Don’t Like A Few Things? Change ‘Em

Windows has always been known for its relative openness, compared to Mac’s OS. So, if you don’t like the way the new Start menu looks, simply customize it.

Don’t like the login screen? You can change that, plus also get dark mode.

Don’t like the bland title bars? Add a dash of color by checking our article on the topic.

Finally, cross your fingers and hope that something like this doesn’t happen to you when you upgrade or right after you upgrade to Windows 10.

Things Can Go Bad: That’s why we recommend creating a recovery drive for Windows 10. Just in case.

More To Come

We’re only getting started, there’s more to explore in the coming weeks. So here’s our link for all things related to Windows 10 – https://www.guidingtech.com/tag/windows-10/

Bookmark, maybe? Or join us in the forum to discuss everything about it there.

Last updated on 02 February, 2022

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