I see that Microsoft has now admitted that it screwed up. From ITPRO:

There's a large Windows 10 update coming in November - those who have Win10 Home won't have any choice over the download as the ability to manage updates has been deleted from Win10 Home as they're now downloaded automatically.

Oh good - I can hardly wait....:rolleyes:

Can we have something useful back please, Micro$oft? Such as AutoRoute??

I dug out an old Vaio today and defragged drive c-colon. I set about downloading 10 only to find it took half of eternity to load and is now taking the other half to check for updates. Well over an our and still on 0%.

First time around I pulled the plug on it. Literally. I almost gave up on an earlier stage, but suddenly it went into the update check thing so was hesitant to give up too early, but I've loaded all brands of DOS and Windows and never encountered delays like this.

The computer is dual boot. Could that be a problem? Can't see why as it's responding normally in every other way.

Huh! After well over an hour of being on 0% it suddenly started to do things. It's now writing to the disc for the first time in ages and installing the basic (sadly) copy of 10. Even my PC is 32 bit - I recall thinking I'd only need that for my software and didn't know about the memory limitation. Still, I've got the i7 Vaio that I lugged back from Texas.

It's nearly as heavy as the PC. :uhoh:

Running. Brisk. Toys look fairly straightforward. But, the screen is fuzzy. It says it optimum res, but the darn thing looks like a TV scene where they soften the focus. Anyone else?

I can't see an obvious selection for this. And one thing this computer had - a stunning little screen with strong clear colours

You need to find out what the actual native resolution of the screen is and then compare to what it's actually displaying.

Right click on the desktop, Display Settings, change size of text/apps/etc here.

Then, Advanced display settings where you can check the screen size, color calibration, adjust ClearType, and micromanage text sizes.

You can do all this via the control panel too, if you prefer,

It reccomended a res, but I tried a tad either side of it and that was worse and the 'raster' didn't fit. so, I guess It's okay.- ish


The hello screen is smoke-filled anyway, so that doesn't help. :*

All in all not too bad but not quite that edge the other one had.


For now, doesn't matter as this little laptop will only be for reading Kindle etc. I see it has a serial port, so may do morse on it.


Now, it has dual boot with the original Vista. That came first obviously. Then I made a partition or three and then dual boot with a legal copy of W7. W10 has gone over that W7.

Question is, can I put the W7 - which has the same key as the 10*, where Vista is now. That would be neat, and this machine would only have one copy of Windows on it. i.e. one Key. The W7 has been the main OS for at least 5 years.

* I see it's the same key from Belarc which by the way, shows the 10 as 8.1 Confused? You will be.

The MS super-computer somewhere in the US will only see that reg key at any one time and one is allowed to go back to the old OS anyway, but in my case I would be hopping to and fro.

Legal issues aside, is it now possible to do a clean install of W7 for the dual boot? i.e. do the first partition last? l see W10 has a nice screen especially for dual booting. Not at bios level now. So, while this is nice, it does mean the OS is more aware of what's going on with dual booting and may object.


I only kept my Vista to help a pal with support over the phone. He now has his own guru, so one is free of that duty. I can see plugging in a clean install where the Vista was might cause all sorts of problems.

Apparently, next year, Microsoft are going 'make upgrading to Windows 10 easier' by doing it for you automatically:

Making it Easier to Upgrade to Windows 10 | Windows Experience Blog

Might be a bit pointless dual booting from W10 to W10 :uhoh:



But look here, MS. I paid for a specific product. Nothing In my bill of sale that said you could take it back again . . . erm, or is there? I don't think I ever own it, so that cocks that notion up.


I still don't know where these dual boot items lie. I cleaned out drive C and defragged it just left 7 on there in basic form. When booting in Vista I can see all my photos, book etc., so I'm not sure where this w10 green field site came from. Always wondered about that.

D and E logical drives seem unaffected.

Is CTRL-ALT-DELETE still available on 10?

Yes, but trying it just now was the first time I've used it...

Sadly I can report that I am aware of three of my friends who elected to accept the free upgrade to W10 on their machines discovered some basic things that no longer worked as they did on W7 and W8. The common factor was that the machines themselves were getting on in years - still very useful and usable, but no drivers for W10 seemed to be available for some hardware components.

In another instance, an entire office elected to go with the flow and 'upgrade' about ten machines at once. All went well in the upgrade process, but the rest of the day was spent resetting basic installation parameters back to "Australian" regional settings, and trying to discover where everything they used in the past was now hiding. I think all is now well, but none of these people apparently had sufficient 'geekness' to deal with changes which they didn't anticipate or expect.

I think I'll wait a bit longer.

FOR

FOR, do your friends realise they can revert to their previous version?

http://winsupersite.com/windows-10/h...ows-10-upgrade

Note they only have a month to change their mind.

I have an old laptop that came with Vista. A couple of years ago I put in a new HD and installed 8. It was an improvement, but not much. I installed 10 as soon as I could. I really like it. It is a lot faster than 8, and it is nice to have an actual start button again.

Quote:

---

FOR, do your friends realise they can revert to their previous version?

---

Thanks - however I think the time had well and truly passed by the time they had talked to me about it.

The office / network installation has been pretty well sorted out eventually, and I doubt that they would turn back having done all of that work. They're accepting of the fact that this is the way it will be, so having made the move, and sorted out the challenges (as far as I am aware), it was going to stay that way. It's a 'serious' office network in the National Capital (yep - that serious!), the machines are work horses to do the job, extensive written material is their tool of trade, and there is too much at risk to fiddle beyond the minimum necessary.

Thank you again,
FOR

That's often the way, particularly when there's a lack of planning - it's easier to push on after a certain point than try to untangle what you've done.

As to OP and post #2 some may find it helpful to delete windows update KB 3035583

Don't go there
 

I would not recommend W10, I too tried the free upgrade but was immediately put off by all the 'noise' on the screen start-up, the dependency on being hooked up to the web and the loss of some functions that I had liked. Oh yes, it wiped all my emails from Outllook Express in the process. I am now happily back with Windows 7.

Reading about reinstalling, I had a thought. My dual boot is Vista first, and now 10. Works fine, but now, the dual booting choice is on a 10-like screen not just a BIOS affair. Looks cool, but what the heck happens when you need to do a full reinstall of 10?

It seems to me you'll have no way of getting to that boot-specific partition, so a format followed by a clean install becomes a bit of a mystery.

Oh, Gawsh. My old Sony Vaio lost its fn controls due to never getting drivers working on W7. Believe me, I tried. (Vista boot fn's still work okay.) But all was not lost.

Windows button + X would give me a screen for the total management of added screens/projectors etc. Now, W + X gives the old Start menu items. Nice, but I need my screen control for adding big screen for editing. :ugh:



Updating 10. Is all updating automatic now? I see no invitation to bring it up to date.
Found it - while right clicking on desktop looking for Power settings. Settings. Update and Security.

The thing you're wanting to use is called Windows Mobility Centre - it's on that menu you're seeing. Pressing "b" will open it.

A million thanks! :ok: Yep, into old menu and b gets it. It's got a brand new sub menu for the monitors but they seem to be doing much the same.

I don't know. I'd never have looked in there - it kind of put me in mind of help for wobbly old people . . . oh, wait . . . :uhoh:

While searching for another answer I came across this. I don't fully understand, but I gather it's an issue about having to extensively update the new download - or not.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/antonyle...resh-installs/



I was looking to see if I could upgrade my PC from W7 home (OEM) to pro, and 64bit as well. I know it wouldn't be free, but wondered if there was a path and if the cost might be erm, promotional.

Given MS are not at all fond of OEM packs being sold to the public* ( I phoned them about mine) I imagine even if there was a route to a version upgrade, the OEM packs might be excluded.


* I recall us discussing OEM packs some years ago. BTW. They have let me reinstall on a new hard drive after my carry-on disc didn't survive airport security.

Posted by one, Frog, on How-Too Geek

Several things I've spotted this evening seem to be saying the same thing. My reaction to 10 is that I like it more each time I play with the test laptop, and would like to dual boot onto my i7. However, I don't need to commit to too many hours of 'fun' right now. Anyone else concerned about this step backwards?

I am aware about the early posts in this thread and need to learn how to turn off - what was it, 16 items? - that are unacceptable.

Rivets, you might find this article of interest - it tells you how to upgrade from Win7 32-bit to Win10 64-bit. Doesn't help with the move to Pro though. Out of interest what's the reason for moving to Pro?

How to Switch From 32-bit Windows 10 to 64-bit Windows 10

EDIT: Quick read through. Oh. Yes, my kit is probably on the cusp. The Sony Vaio however is already 64. Seems such a shame not to be using it. See below.



Well, in the past, Pro carried some privileges Home didn't. Like, rolling back from 8 to 7. I just wondered if it might be wise, and not more costly, to go there at the same time as upping to 64.

On my PC, I've got 4 gigs of memory with the 3 gig limitation. Just wondered if it might be a good idea to reap that wasted area.

The only reason I've not gone to the Vaio i7 laptop as my main computer is that even when the LG screen is connected, the colours don't seem to have the same 'depth'. I've posted on this, and indeed loaded the latest Nvidia drivers, but still the 1600 res screen seems poor compared to all other laptops I've seen. Fiddling with the settings has made some improvement, but it looks kind of unnatural.

It's a pity, because 1600 seems a perfect compromise in terms of res. The pinnacle of monitor/cards for me was an Asuz exec laptop into their 21" screen. A breathtaking combination. However, while it was fine for looking into the watch mechanisms I was restoring, for day-to-day use it was trying. 1440 is great for editing/proof reading.

My LG is 1440 but offeres LG's usual higher refresh rate which I value. But hey, I'm an oddity - I could even read the Dowty label on my spinning propellers.


Thanks for the help. I'll be back in the loop on the morrow.

Cumulative update for Windows 10 version 1511
 

Micro$oft has finally sorted out the latest update for Windows 10. The 'November update' had caused problems to some by overriding user privacy settings, but they claim to have fixed this in Build 10586.

However, the upgrade process takes an absolute age! I started it at 21:00 last night, it took nearly 2 hours before it was ready to restart, then after a further hour of a blank screen, I let it get on with things and went to bed. This morning it had finished, but nagged me for another set of upgrades for the processor and graphics card. Which took a further 30 minutes, including another restart.

Once the restart was complete, I noticed that it had changed my WiFi preference; normally I use an external 5 GHz adapter, but the upgrade had switched back to the internal 2.4 GHz card. It had also deselected my Homegroup settings to link with other devices, so that took a little time to correct.

The difference? Right-clicking on the Start button gives a less Windows 8.1-like menu, it's now in white on grey. Quite a few other tweaks-for-geeks, no doubt.....

I get that via the Windows button as mentioned above. It's nice to see that option. However . . . I've been Gotcha'd.

I posted this on the HTGeek forum. It just shows how easy it is to make a fool of oneself. (I think the truth is, part of me just wants new toys every day.)


While I'm now well kitted up with experimental soft and spare computers, a very intrusive offer of Windows appeared on my main PC. I was mindful of this 'free forever' statement quoted earlier in this thread.


I became quite good at detecting ambiguous statements while polishing writing skills, but I fell for this Gotcha and find W10 not just "downloading for later", but setting an install date which can't be altered more than once. It's on my main PC which contains the draft of my 700 page novel in several formats. Should have known better than to trust MS. :unamused:

I did give it permission to download, but then it started to prepare, and then gave me an install time of later today. (I'm on GMT for now) As mentioned I get one crack at setting another date.

I've heard of the need to vary 16 different possible intrusions to regain control of, and indeed ownership of one's data. So just a teensy bit T'd of with MS and indeed, myself.

I've been monitoring this thread since it appeared. Not being computer literate one question, is it worth considering upgrade from Windows 7. Pleas guys keep it simple, yes or no!

It depends.

If you have several older peripherals (printer, scanner, sound card etc.) for which there are no Win 10 drivers, then no. If you have none, or can afford to just replace them all, fine, go ahead. You should check the hardware manufacturer's website to see if there are Win 10 drivers available.

If you have old programs that are not compatible with Win 10, then no, unless you can do without them or replace them. Most programs that work with Win 7 will work with 10 (allegedly).

If you are using Windows Media Centre - it isn't available as part of Windows 10 and will be removed during the upgrade. You won't be able to install Windows Media Centre after the upgrade.

Most computers that run Windows 7 will run Win 10, but you should run through the compatibility checker - see this explanation for example: Can my computer run Windows 10?

You should also review https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/wind...specifications

SD

Dear Mr Fan. Firstly, you should be advised that Saab has everything, albeit hidden in a parallel universe. This is after he has asserted you can't have it. If it, normally considered to be singular, can be everything. Confused? You will be.


Secondly, one has to watch one's @rse with Micro Soft-and-fluffy, because they will creep up behind you and stuff 10 onto your computer while you slumber peacefully. Ten, or 10 as she is known, is seductive, she has wondrous frontages, but then so did the Nine Muses, and look where that got the honest young man of the species. :E

SaabD, re: Media Centre. I've just followed the guide in the link below, and it's working for me.

Get Windows Media Center Running on Windows 10 in a Few Easy Steps

No. (based on your need to ask and the way you formulate the question). Windows 7 is fine, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

I did upgrade for reasons good and I am seriously pleased with the outcome. 2 desktops (2009 vintage), 4 notebooks (2010) and 1 convertible (2015). One reason being that I had W8 on three of those machines.

Windows 10
 

My conclusions are:

If you're using Windows XP, definitely update to Windows 10.

If you're using Windows 7 SP1, don't bother with Windows 10.

If you're using Windows 8 or 8.1, you probably should update.

Bear in mind that certain familiar programs won't be there in Windows 10 and that certain peripherals might well require driver updates.

Thanks guys, both Mrs TCAS and myself are staying with Windows 7.

Very quickly:

Kaspersky removed. One blink of a notice and then nothing. Still listed in Programs and Features. New one available for ten.

Okay, so do you clean up first? Big question, because getting the licence number from Barclays to give Kasper is a pain. So, I let Kasper install hoping it acted as an update. It did, and seems to have quite a few more modern features and mini screens showing data-flow etc.

So, I suggest, don't remove the old one first. There's only one showing in P&F.

CCleaner the same. It took ages to run first time. Given it's the one for 10 I HOPE they know what they're doing.


Setting FireFox as home page. That had me flummoxed until 03:00 this AM

It all worked, integrated it seemed, with 10. But, a darn notice kept appearing saying that FF was not set as main browser [Sic] Time and again I un-ticked the 'Show this' box but it just re-ticked itself and showed the warning box every time I called FF up.

I had to search the net to get that one sorted.

I went the old way - which gets you there. FF running, Tools, Options
SET the screen you want to start in (mine's just GoGo with the toolbars) Then there's a button to the right, Make FF your default etc. This takes you to a blue menu overlay which really had me flummoxed. Scroll down on the right side to . . . Aaaagh, it's of course not there anymore because mine's set, but I think Microsoft was mentioned in the button - anyway you can press them all with impunity, and this one shows a list of Browser Icons. I picked FF and it was done.

Now I use Snipping tool a lot. No real order to my life, so I just make a .jpg of receipts etc., and that serves well. Now no hint of Snip. I asked Cortana, and she found it for me in an instant. It still worked. Phew! Wouldn't want to be without that.

Since loading 10, my screen is slightly phase shifted to the right. I've checked the monitor settings and it's in 1440 the recommended res.

All that happens is the Desktop button is partly obscured. One can just put the tip of the cursor on it. The scroll bar is clipped but usable. I can see the edge of the scan on both sides.

Is this on a laptop or an external monitor? If the latter, is there an auto-adjust button on the monitor to centre the display?

It's an LG 17" on my PC. 1440 native via an NVidia card and was okay on W7. Yes, I've given the monitor Auto a go, but so dim and distant are my memories of phasing the scan that I'm not sure how I used to do it when it was a regular item to set.

Having said this, it's pretty tight on the left so not much room to play with.

Just booted my old Vaio, the only other machine with 10 on it at the moment. It's exactly the same! Just get the cursor arrow tip to fit in and touch the Desktop button bottom right.

I'll bring the scan in too small just to be sure but the controls for that are bizarrely counter-intuitive.

Set it to 4:3 for a moment with 1" either side. Same.

Off to Windows settings to see what's afoot.


Gosh, even flipping it vertical leaves it the same. Must be windows, surely? This one was loaded a week or so later and I think, just caught the latest update.

Really, the Desktop button is the only real issue, so quite liveable-with - just a puzzlement.