Windows 10 Launches

[dlevere]

Posted by Soulskill

An anonymous reader writes:

Today Microsoft officially released Windows 10 in 190 countries as a free upgrade for anyone with Windows 7 or later.

Major features include Continuum (which brings back the start menu and lets you switch between a keyboard/mouse UI and a touch UI without forcing you into one or the other), the Cortana digital assistant, the Edge browser, virtual desktops, DirectX 12 support, universal apps, an Xbox app, and security improvements.

Reviews of the operating system generally consider it an improvement over Windows 8.1, despite launch-day bugs. Peter Bright writes, "Windows 8 felt unfinished, but it was an unfinished thought. ... Windows 10 feels unfinished, but in a different way. The concept of the operating system is a great deal better than its predecessor. It's better in fact than all of its predecessors. ... For all my gripes, it's the right idea, and it's implemented in more or less the right way. But I think it's also buggier than Windows 8.1, 8, 7, or Vista were on their respective launch days."

Tom Warren draws similar conclusions: "During my testing on a variety of hardware, I've run into a lot of bugs and issues — even with the version that will be released to consumers on launch day. ... Everything about Windows 10 feels like a new approach for Microsoft, and I'm confident these early bugs and issues will be addressed fairly quickly."

[AsPika2219]

Nice! I will install this one anytime soon, just after any news about good or bad when using Windows 10.

[dlevere]

Pirates reportedly upgrade to Windows 10 from non-genuine Windows and remain activate

By Jonathan Caldwell

The whole upgrading to Windows 10 from a non-genuine Windows is so confusing. First, Microsoft announces that it plans to give Windows 10 as a free upgrade regardless of whether users don’t have a genuine copy of Windows 8.1 or 7. Then shortly afterwards, Microsoft backtracked what it said and told everyone that pirates will not get Windows 10 for free.

Quite a few people have reported on Reddit have reported that they have successfully upgraded their pirated copies of Windows (check out this thread and this one), both 8.1 and 7, to Windows 10. Surprisingly, many of these people got their Windows 10 activated, despite their previous Windows installation not activated.

Many users are claiming that all they had to do was run the Get Windows 10 app and then the magic began. They didn't even need to run any hacks or exploits.

[dlevere]

Is Windows 10 Playing Fair - Mozilla Thinks Not

Windows 10 is free if you upgrade from Windows 7 or 8.1, which makes it very attractive to the huge base of existing Windows users. But now the complaints are beginning to be heard.

[dlevere]

Mozilla CEO: Windows 10 Strips User Choice For Browsers and Other Software

Posted by Soulskill

puddingebola writes:

Mozilla CEO Chris Beard has sent an open letter to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella complaining about the default settings in Windows 10.

Users who upgrade to 10 will have their default browser automatically changed to the new Edge browser.

Beard said, "We appreciate that it’s still technically possible to preserve people’s previous settings and defaults, but the design of the whole upgrade experience and the default settings API's have been changed to make this less obvious and more difficult. It now takes more than twice the number of mouse clicks, scrolling through content and some technical sophistication for people to reassert the choices they had previously made in earlier versions of Windows.

It’s confusing, hard to navigate and easy to get lost. ... We strongly urge you to reconsider your business tactic here and again respect people’s right to choice and control of their online experience by making it easier, more obvious and intuitive for people to maintain the choices they have already made through the upgrade experience.

[dlevere]

Windows 10 Upgrade Strategies, Pitfalls and Fixes As MSFT Servers Are Hit Hard

Posted by timothy

MojoKid writes:

The upgrade cycle begins, with Microsoft's latest operating system - the highly anticipated Windows 10 - rolling out over Windows Update for free, for users of Windows 7, 8 and 8.1. For those that are ready to take the plunge over the weekend, there are some things to note.

So far, Microsoft has been rolling out the upgrade in waves and stages. If you are not one of the 'lucky' ones to be in the first wave, you can take matters into your own hands and begin the upgrade process manually. While the process is mostly simple, it won't be for everyone.

This guide steps through a few of the strategies and pitfalls.

There are two main methods to upgrade, either through Windows Update or through the Media Creation Tool. In either case, you will need to have opted-in for the Windows 10 Free Upgrade program to reserve your license. Currently, the Windows Update method is hit or miss due to the requirement for additional updates needing to be installed first and Microsoft's servers being hit hard, leading to some rather humorous error messages like the oh-so helpful description, "Something Happened."

Currently, it would be best to avoid the Windows Update upgrade, at least for the time being. Numerous issues with licensing have been reported, requiring manual activation either through the dreaded phone call, or by running slmgr.vbs /ato at the command prompt to force license registration.