Windows 10 . Anybody downloaded it yet?

[Trevellan]

Don't sure that its correct to accuse everyone as being smug, if their Win 10 works. I have no idea why Win 10 seems to work for some people and not others. In my earlier post, I said that FireFox works just fine, which it does, nothing more was intended.

 

Now if my old Vista PC updated its patches, I'd be happy, but it just sits there for days, allegedly updating, with nothing seemingly happening. A couple of reboots and then it mysteriously updates, within a couple of hours. I'll be installing a version of Linux on it soon, since support for Vista ends soon.

 

XP was another good operating system, that almost always, just worked.

 

Perhaps "patronising" may have been a better choice - and your posts were not those I was referring to.

 

I have little experience of Linux, barring two years of using Mandrake on a PC which was mostly number crunching from a call centre logging system to generate stats.

 

I did have XP for several years and, like you, I found it worked well most of the time. Unfortunately, my distrust of W10 is such that I now have Task Manager running in the background so I can instantly check CPU and HDD usage if things start to go slow.

[raymw]

 

I think one of the main problems with W10 is that it tries to be all things to all people and many of its features seem to be aimed at tablet users. Frankly, I'm not interested in fripperies, like their choice of picture on startup.

Just picking on these two. M$ have said they intend for w10 to be everywhere. It is, more or less, or can be set to be, the same interface on tablets, desktops, laptops, phones and games machines, iot, etc.. It is quite possible, for those who want to do so, to turn off most features, make it look like w7, say.. Wrt start up screen, you can set that however you like, tailor it exactly to your needs, in the same way as others may like to see a picture of their cat/whatever. Of course it isn't going to be as simple  as what went before, or what you want, straight out of the box (more like scratch building cf rtr), you have to make choices. Now, in a business environment, think about the old  cpm machine. 80 column mono screen, no graphics, 8 inch floppy discs, no internet... Not good enough for you today? So why do you think that your requirements should be specifically pandered too, instead of those of anybody else? It's not as if you buy the operating system/software. It is licensed to you, so you don't own it, as such. You can get what you want, but you either sort it out for yourself, or get someone to do it for you, like most things really. It is easier to blame the pc manufacturer/M$, whoever, but in reality, the chances are that it is the user that is the problem, reluctance to adapt to change, lack of knowledge, whatever. I guess, in the same way that folk think that maybe an artist (painter) has an innate skill they were born with, that pc configerators have an innate aptitude, too, perhaps a way of thinking that is lacking in others.

[Butler Henderson]

I did have XP for several years and, like you, I found it worked well most of the time. Unfortunately, my distrust of W10 is such that I now have Task Manager running in the background so I can instantly check CPU and HDD usage if things start to go slow.

 Still have a XP computer - slow.....Did not seem like it at the time but compared to the W10 computers. Have you cut down on the default feedbacks to MS

http://www.networkworld.com/article/2957205/microsoft-subnet/tweaks-to-windows-10-settings-for-privacy.html

You can remove all of the tiles from the desktop and if you install Classic Shell you have a W7 or XP desktop back.

[RFS]

 Still have a XP computer - slow.....Did not seem like it at the time but compared to the W10 computers. Have you cut down on the default feedbacks to MS

http://www.networkworld.com/article/2957205/microsoft-subnet/tweaks-to-windows-10-settings-for-privacy.html

You can remove all of the tiles from the desktop and if you install Classic Shell you have a W7 or XP desktop back.

 

I've removed all the tiles from my desktop to make it look like W7.  It's not exactly the same but the differences are only minor, so I haven't bothered with the likes of Classic Shell.

 

Incidentally, if any of you are wondering what happened to patch Tuesday a couple of days ago, MS discovered a late problem and pulled the changes just before they went live.  Latest news is this month's patches will be rolled into next month's upgrade on March 14th.

 

Also I understand the Windows 10 practice of doing monthly cumulative updates is being rolled out onto Windows 7 and 8.1.

[raymw]

I don't know why you need to go through the fuss of  'remove all tiles' - go to settings, personalisation, then start, and slide 'em all to the left, in particular 'use start full screen'. It will then boot up into 'the normal desktop'..

[Jol Wilkinson]

Just picking on these two. M$ have said they intend for w10 to be everywhere. It is, more or less, or can be set to be, the same interface on tablets, desktops, laptops, phones and games machines, iot, etc.. It is quite possible, for those who want to do so, to turn off most features, make it look like w7, say.. Wrt start up screen, you can set that however you like, tailor it exactly to your needs, in the same way as others may like to see a picture of their cat/whatever. Of course it isn't going to be as simple  as what went before, or what you want, straight out of the box (more like scratch building cf rtr), you have to make choices. Now, in a business environment, think about the old  cpm machine. 80 column mono screen, no graphics, 8 inch floppy discs, no internet... Not good enough for you today? So why do you think that your requirements should be specifically pandered too, instead of those of anybody else? It's not as if you buy the operating system/software. It is licensed to you, so you don't own it, as such. You can get what you want, but you either sort it out for yourself, or get someone to do it for you, like most things really. It is easier to blame the pc manufacturer/M$, whoever, but in reality, the chances are that it is the user that is the problem, reluctance to adapt to change, lack of knowledge, whatever. I guess, in the same way that folk think that maybe an artist (painter) has an innate skill they were born with, that pc configerators have an innate aptitude, too, perhaps a way of thinking that is lacking in others.

 

No doubt that computing has come a long way  but a lot of it is down to the hardware, rather than the software.

 

It's in the software where others make decisions about how we should do things, what we should like, etc. Whilst I am very happy for them to create software that will make the most out of the hardware, I don't want them to think they know better than I do about what's good in life. 

[raymw]

Just a few years ago, cars had accelerator pedals in between the clutch and brake pedals, no synchro gear boxes, starting handles, and a guy with a red flag walking in front. It took a few years/decades for that to change, with a fair bit of protesting along the way, I guess. If you don't like what is provided, make your own, because nobody is going to make it for you at the price you want to pay. It's not a question about 'what's good in life', its about getting common interfaces between various bits of kit, and getting income to pay for future development. You need to decide whether to run with it, or run away from it. Anyway, before long, pc's as we know them today, will be pretty well redundant, they will be not wanted nor needed - there will be little money in developing software for them, it'll be like steam railway preservation, but without the tracks.

 

In earlier days, before the ibm pc, companies had a central computer or three, users had dumb terminals. Advent of pc's/wordprocessors, companies began to lose a bit of corporate identity, had to introduce rules, ways of working different to before. Now, it's going full circle. Outfits like google, ibm, microsoft, and a few others are taking the place of the corporate servers, with 'the cloud' and AI, such as Watson', and business uses - you will not be able to afford the software, you will not want to keep it maintained, so it'll be rented to you (like Adobe with their consumer based software, for example. The pc /mobile phone/games machine are the new dumb terminals.

 

I am puzzled about where the 'what's good in life' comes from. It can be frustrating if the machine keeps breaking, but it is not the end of the world. It is only a tool, no different than a hammer with a wooden handle being replaced by one with a fibreglass handle - it feels different, but after you've used it for a while, you get the hang of it. I think that perhaps today, folk expect an instant fix, and for free.

[Jol Wilkinson]

Ray,

 

I agree entirely that it is only a tool, so why don't the software designers make it easy for anyone to use and provide the options to allow the more skilled to adapt it.

 

Your comparison with the automobile is interesting. You can buy an entry level spec, add options or buy one to a higher specification. They all do the same job of providing personal transportation, but with greater degrees of sophistication, comfort or w.h.y. depending on what you choose.

 

With Windows it seems we get the fully loaded model and have to adjust it to suit what we want/are comfortable with. Sometimes it seems like having to learn to drive again just because you've got a new car.

 

I "upgraded" to W10 from W7 Professional. I am still lost about how I go about somethings I had already learned to do. Mind you it was the same each time I had to change to a new Windows "improved" model. I've also had to upgrade some other software because my old stuff isn't compatible with W10, although there are no obvious benefits for my needs.

 

Don't misunderstand me, I appreciate the need for progress and recognise that we can benefit from it. However, I believe that those that create much of the software, user interfaces in domestic electronics, cars, etc. are more interested in designing something because it is possible, not necessarily because it is actually better for the user (our Samsung DVD player/HDD recorder is a case in point).

 

Jol

[melmerby]

There is definitely a "technology chasing a use" mindset these days.

This seems especially so with smartphones which get upgraded frequently with features that 99% of buyers would never use but sales are driven by the "must have the latest" attitudes.

 

It's a pity software doesn't come with core features enabled and extras which only some would use, activated if/when required.

MS Office used to do this. (does it still?)

 

Keith

[raymw]

What I've found is, for anything I'm stuck on, I try and phrase the question in a number of ways, and use 'Bing' to search out answers. Within two or three pages, I'll get an answer, and after a few such queries I began to discover,  the forums/sites with the better answers related to my problems, and my level of understanding. .Or, you could use 'Cortana' for your searches, as they bring in more AI, then she/it will learn how to interpret your requests.  However, the jargon in the replies can be offputting, but it is exactly the same if you are looking for railway/model answers on here, some folk come in with technical answers, that you don't understand, others give wrong answers. One of the problems has been with the media (isn't it always) where the journalist had no idea about the os, and became anti, but as in the newspapers/bbc, the reporting is mainly about what is wrong. That attitude is now being ingrained in the mindset of the population and it is sort of infectious. 

 

I was all windows 7, didn't like what I had seen/heard of w8, but decided to 'make a go of w10'. I realised that down the road, I'd have to change to w10 or something, so may as well get into it before needed, so that I could hit the ground running, so to speak. I can not recall any real problems, ones that were not overcome - it'll be mentioned in this thread, if any. I think it was my attitude of being on their side that worked, I had had great anger with upgrading previously., iirc. If I'd listened to those who complained about w10, then my attitude would have been different, and I would have been as disappointed as them.

 

The options to adapt windows by the more skilled is there, power shell, registry editor, and so forth - they even publish their api's, and give away for free a comprehensive ide. (maybe just a few words for you to search out  ) ..

 

Best wishes,

 

Ray

[melmerby]

Seems like a fairly big update today

Took a bit longer than usual with six separate items updated.

Anyone else got that?

 

Keith

[teaky]

Seems like a fairly big update today

Took a bit longer than usual with six separate items updated.

Anyone else got that?

 

Keith

Yes, six updates yesterday plus a further one today.  Stable so far.

[PhilJ W]

I've had no updates at all but my computer has had W10 from day one. I did notice however that things had slowed down quite a bit the last couple of days but things are back to normal now.

[RFS]

Seems like a fairly big update today

Took a bit longer than usual with six separate items updated.

Anyone else got that?

 

Keith

 

Yes - installed OK on all of mine with no issues and in a reasonable time (less than 30 minutes).  It's a bit bigger this time because last month's update was cancelled so this time it was two months' worth of changes.

[melmerby]

I've had no updates at all but my computer has had W10 from day one. I did notice however that things had slowed down quite a bit the last couple of days but things are back to normal now.

You should get updates even if Win10 was pre-installed as MS release updates/fixes on a regular basis

 

Keith

[PhilJ W]

You should get updates even if Win10 was pre-installed as MS release updates/fixes on a regular basis

 

Keith

My computer 'bleeped' whilst it was switched off this afternoon and I had a message saying updates had been installed.

[melmerby]

There seems to be a problem with one of the Windows updates, (I think it's KB4013429)

My main computer took two attempts to download it (download was faulty) although it was fine on the second go.

My laptop has just done exactly the same and Swmbo's laptop hasn't downloaded it at all!

 

Keith

[RFS]

There seems to be a problem with one of the Windows updates, (I think it's KB4013429)

My main computer took two attempts to download it (download was faulty) although it was fine on the second go.

My laptop has just done exactly the same and Swmbo's laptop hasn't downloaded it at all!

 

Keith

 

My first PC had a problem with this (failure 80070003) but was fine when I clicked on "retry".  I assumed it was an issue of some sort with the server perhaps being overloaded.

[melmerby]

My first PC had a problem with this (failure 80070003) but was fine when I clicked on "retry".  I assumed it was an issue of some sort with the server perhaps being overloaded.

This, my main PC, needed one retry due to a failed installation, my Core i7 laptop failed three times before properly installing it.

SWMBO's laptop also made a bit of a meal of these latest updates, however it was the Flash update KB4010250 which failed to install today having also not installed during the previous updates, (Today's later one KB4014329 did install).

 

Normally I don't get much hassle during updates but today was a bit of a PITA!

 

Keith

[raymw]

been a few problems, apparently http://computerworld.com/article/3181808/microsoft-windows/windows-10-servicing-stack-update-cripples-some-pcs.html

All OK here, though.

[melmerby]

been a few problems, apparently http://computerworld.com/article/3181808/microsoft-windows/windows-10-servicing-stack-update-cripples-some-pcs.html

All OK here, though.

Perversely my oldest computer updated the quickest and with the least aggro!

All the updates installed first attempt.

 

All 4 computers are now updated and all work fine after the update process was completed.

 

Keith

[keefer]

first i knew of any updates was wednesday, when i was prompted about needing to restart.

did it there and then, it wasn't a straight restart - it had the 'updating computer xx% complete, don't turn off...etc' message - but didn't take long ~5 mins

after looking in on this thread yesterday, i 'checked for updates' and another was available but it went through in seconds.

 

if they have been big updates this time, can't say i've noticed too much - i often notice if there's a search going as my laptop slows down a bit, if there's a big download then i can't usually get on t'internet at all till it's finished.

 

as i said, the first i knew of these ones was the 'restart' notice - otherwise, no probs

[Silver Sidelines]

Advertsiding on Windows 10!  Just had this link forwarded to me.  Reads like the end of the free meal.

 

Ray

[Ian J.]

And this: http://www.windowscentral.com/microsoft-starts-blocking-updates-windows-7-and-81-pcs-newer-hardware

 

And this, as well: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/03/17/microsoft_to_kill_windows_vista_april_11/

 

Though the Vista execution was inevitable.

Edited March 19, 2017 by Ian J.

[teaky]

Has anyone encountered a problem with MS Powerpoint following the latest updates?

 

It used to be possible to embed files which would play automatically as part of a presentation.  This now only works with .wmv and no longer works with .mp4

 

I have two computers: one with the latest updates and one without which allows me to confirm that, without the updates, I can still add embedded files into a presentation.  Nothing else has been changed in the meantime.