Windows 10

[Duncan A]

Good advice from Sheptonphil.
I recently updated a HP laptop from Win7 to Win10 and it was remarkably straightforward by Windows standards.
- First I did a clone of the hard disk using the free-of-charge Macrium Reflect. (You could just backup your data files, but I had a spare hard disk to hand)
- Then I updated all drivers thro the HP website. This can be quite important or Win10 may struggle with graphics when it starts up - I initially tried an upgrade without updating the drivers and ended up with a blank screen.
- MS then checked the laptop for compatibility, downloaded the upgrade and I then told it to go ahead with the install.
It installed without trouble - took about 2 hours.
- BUT....after a week or two, startup became very slow due to a Win10-incompatible Intel HD3000 graphics processor inside the i7 CPU. There were no other issues and after some fiddling, startup is now as fast as ever. Intel state clearly that their 2-series i7's (with embedded HD3000) are not compatible with Win10, but MS and HP seem unaware of this fact.

Points to note
- You have a month to rollback to Win7 if you don't like Win10. After the driver fiasco (above) I rolled back to Win7 with no drama whatsoever, but this may not always be the case! I chose to stay with Win10 because it does seem stable and comes with some nice apps.
- Win10 is nowadays installed as an update, rather than as an upgrade, so if you have automatic updates turned on, some time soon you will find yourself running Win10 whether you like it or not.
- As stated above, Win10 enforces updates, you have little choice in the matter.
- There is a big Win10 update due in July 2016. Hope it goes well!
- If you are keen on upgrading, I would strongly advise going to the chip or board manufacturers websites and checking compatibility of your CPU and graphics processors, rather than just relying on the MS compatibility checker.

Duncan

 

[Wuffles]

There are utilities to stop Windows 10 downloading onto older operating systems automatically, there are also built-in workarounds to stop Windows 10 from automatically updating itself too.

Just a heads up.

 

[Duncan A]

Thanks Wuffles, thought there might be some utilities, but didn't look into it and OP said he wasn't great with PC's, so I tried to keep it simple.

In fact, that's one of the few good things about Windows (in my view) - countless little apps to do pretty much anything.

 

[Shultzy]

I've been involved in computers since 1974, from mainframes to micros. The policy at work was not to upgrade to the latest version, always be one behind. This ensured that somebody else sorted the bugs out before we installed. In 2005, pending retirement in 2006, I bought the best pc I could afford running XP. After 10 years of use (including the same Canon colour printer, HP Lazerjet 4+ and Canon scanner) and after MS decided to stop supporting XP, I bought the best pc I could afford running Win8.1. Luckily for me all the drivers for my peripherals were available. This would not be the case for Win10 and I would have to buy new printers and scanner. I will keep this computer until MS ceases to support 8.1, which will probably be in another 10 years.

If you are wondering I am using MSoffice 2002 along with other well out of date software and my desktop looks exactly as it did under XP.

The moral of this tale is unless you run a business and have to keep up-to-date software don't chase the version numbers. Stick with what you have until you need/can afford to buy a new computer.

Remember if you still had a IBM PC running Dos 2 with Dbase II and Visicalc it would still perform at the same speed today as it did when it was new AND it would probably be all most users would need

 

[Spindle]

Hi

Thanks to all for the advice so far =D>

Some of you are saying 10 will automatically install unless I take precautions, others saying that after June it will no longer be free, (implying that auto install will not occur). Which is correct?

I think I'd like to not upgrade - hate it to happen automatically because I didn't take precautions.

Regards Mick

 

[Duncan A]

I stand ready to be corrected but, to the best of my knowledge, MS said that Win10 would be free for one year from it's date of introduction (29? July 2015 in the UK) but did not definitely state that it would not be free after the first year. They want people to switch to Win10 hence the encouragement, and hence a lot of work to make it compatible with older software and accessories such as printers and scanners.

What they decide at the end of the year will probably depend upon the takeup of Win10, so best to check closer to the time.

Commercial copies have to be paid for and new PC's with a MS operating system will pretty well all have Win10 installed - although there will be some exceptions, esp. where attaching specialist hardware. Some of our stuff at work still insisted on seeing Win XP and an RS232 serial port!

In our household, SWMBO's laptop is now on Win 10 but I switched my ancient desktop and laptop to Ubuntu and think it's great. Realistically, though, this is probably not practical for those who are not confident fiddling around with computers .

Duncan

 

[Wuffles]

Hi

Thanks to all for the advice so far =D>

Some of you are saying 10 will automatically install unless I take precautions, others saying that after June it will no longer be free, (implying that auto install will not occur). Which is correct?

I think I'd like to not upgrade - hate it to happen automatically because I didn't take precautions.

Regards Mick

I used this on my workshop machine to stop the Windows 10 whatever. Worked a charm. http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details ... panel.html

 

[dickm]

I stand ready to be corrected ...... hence a lot of work to make it compatible with older software and accessories such as printers and scanners.

I reckon you do need corrected!! The barstewards don't seem to be doing anything to make Win 10 compatible with my older software and accessories! :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:

 

[Bm101]

Wuffles, your concerns about privacy on the win10 os are well documented and not for me to argue with. What you may or not be aware of is that the same concerns you're talking about were rather less famously mounted into an update into win7. So unless you've taken the relevant steps to reduce said steps, they are running right now without your knowledge on your win 7 os.
Perhaps Im teaching Granny about eggs, if i'm not I can look up the removal links for you (I don't have them to hand) or you can do it yourself if that's a possibility. But every time you update win7 you'll need to do them again. In perpetuity.

Personally, I don't get the argument unless it's something you have major concerns about and go all out by using ghost browsers and so on. I do get the concern but unless you go down the ghost route, all your info is tracked anyway. And if you go down the ghost route, then you're almost inviting attention anyway. You may as well say, look at me trying to hide! All our information is tracked. Targeted ads, the lot. I do understand the concern so I'll leave this link here.
http://school-of-privacy.com/

 

[Wuffles]

Good point well made.

It's not a problem for me (afaik) as foolishly the laptop in the workshop doesn't do those updates (turns out not quite as foolishly as I believed), but will certainly be worth noting. I will grab one of the tools and see what's running on it though.

Everything else in and around the house runs OSX and all devices run Little Snitch, gotta love the "family licence".

Edit: should clarify, by "those updates" I mean "optional updates" within WU - it's a Panasonic Toughbook I bought second hand, and one update once destroyed the screen turning button on the front of the unit, made it a right pain until I tracked down the driver concerned and sent it packing.