Windows 10 upgrade

[dman11235]

So I'm running Windows 7 on my laptop, and Microsoft is offering a free upgrade to 10.  Should I take it?  How different is it from 7?  Will my hardware (it is a bought laptop after all, they're designed to work with a specific OS) be able to handle it without a significant drop in performance?  I mean, I mostly use this computer for videos and web traffic, and school work (word processing and web processing, using Office, Sharepoint, and Endnote)

[Raineh Daze]

Well, if you get it, you skip 8's lack of a start menu, and get new tools/better security and so on.

As for performance hits, just find the minimum specs if they've been released yet and compare?

[Nanshork]

I'm going to do what I always do, wait until it comes out and try to test drive it before I decide if I actually want it or not.  Although yeah, I'll probably miss out on the free upgrade.

[Jackinthegreen]

You might want to look at http://www.theverge.com/2015/6/1/8696949/windows-10-feature-loss for some information, including minimum specs.

[Raineh Daze]

Automatic updates? Given the number of people that use it, thank god for that.

[phaedrusxy]

I'm going to do what I always do, wait until it comes out and try to test drive it before I decide if I actually want it or not.  Although yeah, I'll probably miss out on the free upgrade.

I've been thinking the same thing, but I do hate that I'll probably miss the free upgrade...

[bhu]

Automatic updates? Given the number of people that use it, thank god for that.

The problem with automatic updates is that Windows has a nasty habit of releasing updates that fubar your system, and then release the patch a week or two later.  But most users are technologically illiterate enough that they don't know how to fix the problem.  So they end up spending exorbitant amounts at a techie who exploits them.

[Raineh Daze]

Automatic updates? Given the number of people that use it, thank god for that.

The problem with automatic updates is that Windows has a nasty habit of releasing updates that fubar your system, and then release the patch a week or two later.  But most users are technologically illiterate enough that they don't know how to fix the problem.  So they end up spending exorbitant amounts at a techie who exploits them.

Potential update breakage (universal to all updates for anything ever) vs open security holes which aren't being fixed.

One of these is better than the other. It's the one where technological illiteracy simply gets price-gouged.

[Jackinthegreen]

Yeah, I have a feeling I won't be able to get the 7 to 10 upgrade since I don't have 7 at the moment.  Stuck on Vista that came with this surplus computer.

[Raineh Daze]

Yeah, I have a feeling I won't be able to get the 7 to 10 upgrade since I don't have 7 at the moment.  Stuck on Vista that came with this surplus computer.

Yeah, you'd have to buy it.

[linklord231]

I'm running Windows 7 Pro right now, which according to the FAQ will upgrade to Windows 10 Pro so I won't have to deal with the mandatory update thing.  Still, it's a little worrisome that the majority of Windows 10 users won't be allowed to decline an update if they don't want it. 

[Raineh Daze]

I'm running Windows 7 Pro right now, which according to the FAQ will upgrade to Windows 10 Pro so I won't have to deal with the mandatory update thing.  Still, it's a little worrisome that the majority of Windows 10 users won't be allowed to decline an update if they don't want it. 

There's a lack of valid reasons that you'd want to be using the home version and wanting to decline updates.

[Nanshork]

I'm going to do what I always do, wait until it comes out and try to test drive it before I decide if I actually want it or not.  Although yeah, I'll probably miss out on the free upgrade.

I've been thinking the same thing, but I do hate that I'll probably miss the free upgrade...

What I'd do if I had the money is to buy a really cheap laptop and perform the free upgrade on it as a tester.  Then again, I'm planning on buying a new expensive laptop sometime late this year so Windows 10 will be an option for me without any extra expense.

I'm running Windows 7 Pro right now, which according to the FAQ will upgrade to Windows 10 Pro so I won't have to deal with the mandatory update thing.  Still, it's a little worrisome that the majority of Windows 10 users won't be allowed to decline an update if they don't want it. 

There's a lack of valid reasons that you'd want to be using the home version and wanting to decline updates.

Depends, is Microsoft going to force users to update their drivers using Windows update?  Currently we have the choice and that's not a particularly good way to update drivers.

[Raineh Daze]

I'm running Windows 7 Pro right now, which according to the FAQ will upgrade to Windows 10 Pro so I won't have to deal with the mandatory update thing.  Still, it's a little worrisome that the majority of Windows 10 users won't be allowed to decline an update if they don't want it. 

There's a lack of valid reasons that you'd want to be using the home version and wanting to decline updates.

Depends, is Microsoft going to force users to update their drivers using Windows update?  Currently we have the choice and that's not a particularly good way to update drivers.

If you know enough to care about how your drivers are being updated, you know enough to go manually install them even if they are automatically updated.

It seems pretty clear that the point of this exercise is so that the lowest common denominator doesn't leave dozens of unpatched security holes due to not updating, since it's just the home version it applies to.

[phaedrusxy]

I'm running Windows 7 Pro right now, which according to the FAQ will upgrade to Windows 10 Pro so I won't have to deal with the mandatory update thing.

Well, that's good then. I have Win7Pro also.

[Nanshork]

I'm running Windows 7 Pro right now, which according to the FAQ will upgrade to Windows 10 Pro so I won't have to deal with the mandatory update thing.  Still, it's a little worrisome that the majority of Windows 10 users won't be allowed to decline an update if they don't want it. 

There's a lack of valid reasons that you'd want to be using the home version and wanting to decline updates.

Depends, is Microsoft going to force users to update their drivers using Windows update?  Currently we have the choice and that's not a particularly good way to update drivers.

If you know enough to care about how your drivers are being updated, you know enough to go manually install them even if they are automatically updated.

It seems pretty clear that the point of this exercise is so that the lowest common denominator doesn't leave dozens of unpatched security holes due to not updating, since it's just the home version it applies to.

Question: Why do you care so much about the computers of the lowest common denominator?  If they get a virus it doesn't hurt you in any way.

Edit: And I only update drivers if there's an issue that might be caused by out of date drivers.  If my graphics card suddenly stops working because Windows automatically updated my graphics card drivers to a bad version I can't really fix that.

[phaedrusxy]

  If my graphics card suddenly stops working because Windows automatically updated my graphics card drivers to a bad version I can't really fix that.

Agreed. I'm not going to even consider using an OS that inflicts this kind of BS on me. And yes, I am a lot more worried about this than some security issue. You can avoid most security issues by not going to risky websites, and not doing stupid shit like clicking on links in your emails.

Another thing that goes along with this is that if you can control installing it, then you can typically control uninstalling it as well. SO yeah, having control of that is really fucking important as far as I'm concerned.

[dman11235]

The upgrade to 10 isn't a forced upgrade for anyone....it's a free upgrade for Home and Pro 7 and 8 users, and you can wait up to a year to get it after 24 days from now.

EDIT:  Allow me to summarize the first couple paragraphs of that article Jack:  "Waaah  licences are forcing me to wait because of bureaucracy!  And I need special software/hardware to do things that only special software/hardware can do!"  Seriously, complaining about needing an infrared camera to do an infrared camera's work is kind of stupid...  Only thing in that article that's news to me at all is the desktop gadgets, really.  And the playback software for DVDs, though that doesn't affect me thankfully.

[Raineh Daze]

I'm running Windows 7 Pro right now, which according to the FAQ will upgrade to Windows 10 Pro so I won't have to deal with the mandatory update thing.  Still, it's a little worrisome that the majority of Windows 10 users won't be allowed to decline an update if they don't want it. 

There's a lack of valid reasons that you'd want to be using the home version and wanting to decline updates.

Depends, is Microsoft going to force users to update their drivers using Windows update?  Currently we have the choice and that's not a particularly good way to update drivers.

If you know enough to care about how your drivers are being updated, you know enough to go manually install them even if they are automatically updated.

It seems pretty clear that the point of this exercise is so that the lowest common denominator doesn't leave dozens of unpatched security holes due to not updating, since it's just the home version it applies to.

Question: Why do you care so much about the computers of the lowest common denominator?  If they get a virus it doesn't hurt you in any way.

Why indeed should I care that something which doesn't actively harm me but does do more good for said lowest common denominator is included? Whyever should my opinion on an OS feature when the userbase will end up far larger than the population of my entire country be based on nothing but paranoia about update bugs?

The upgrade to 10 isn't a forced upgrade for anyone....it's a free upgrade for Home and Pro 7 and 8 users, and you can wait up to a year to get it after 24 days from now.

They're talking about the home edition automatically installing OS updates rather than letting you not update it.

[Nanshork]

Raineh, Windows by default already downloads updates and installs them without prompting unless you turn that off.  The new Home edition makes it so that you can't turn that off.  If someone doesn't know/care enough about Windows to do any updating on their own my assumption is that they're the same kind of person who doesn't know/care enough to turn off automatic updates in the first place.

Microsoft isn't helping people, they are just making sure that anyone who cares about customizing Windows has to spend more money on their OS.

Hell, my currently laptop is Windows 7 Home Premium.  If I get a new laptop with Windows 10 I'll have to shell out more money for Pro.