Some Things About Windows 10 TP

[NoelC]

I've installed and fully configured a VM with Win 10 Enterprise x64 TP today.  It's a decent system.

 

Really it's a lot like Windows 8.2 at this point.  All the hype the pundits are spewing about it being an amazing thing is just paid opinion.  It's just another version of Windows with almost no new substance, just some reimplemented control panel stuff and some minor window dressing changes.

 

Can't say I prefer the direction they're taking the UI, though I imagine there'll be folks who like it.  It's probably something one could get used to.  And I imagine it'll get better with 3rd party software in time.

 

Virtually every tweak I've discovered for prior versions, and in my Windows 8.1 book works for it.  Even Classic Shell installs and runs almost perfectly (and is still about 500% better a Start Menu than the one Microsoft put back).  Classic Shell even works around a new problem with the auto-hidden Taskbar not coming out if you try to slide your cursor to the Start button.

 

The only tweak I've had to do a different way was the change in the date format to get it to read out file times to the second (instead of stuff like "4 minutes ago").  That required a registry mod, since the folks who reimplemented the control panel neglected to offer the ability to hand-configure the format.  More dumbing down.

 

Aero Glass doesn't yet work with it, but I hear Big Muscle's well on his way to making it work.

 

Things I've learned so far...

 

It responds to disabling UAC just like Windows 8.1 does.  You do become a full-time admin, but lose the ability to run Metro/Modern toys - a win/win situation in my book!  Windows' own control panel applets aren't bothered by the setting.  Only thing is the integrated Search doesn't work with UAC disabled, so I may enable it again to play around.

 

Disabling Indexing is still possible (and a good thing to do).

 

Explorer seems to be confused about how to show you the stuff on drive C:.  It's under This PC and also a root namespace, and neither can be hidden (or at least I haven't found out how yet).  I guess they didn't want us to miss that the best place to work is on the actual hard drive, as it always has been.

 

The system is quite responsive.  I have a powerful workstation, but Windows 10 seemed right snappy.  I'm thinking the base system takes a bit less resources and runs several fewer processes when nothing's running.

 

I can't unpin Search or Task View from the Taskbar near the Start icon.

 

It now has a new feature where mouse scroll wheel events are sent to whatever window you're hovering over.  That used to require a 3rd party application to achieve (WizMouse).

 

Old tweaking programs that worked with prior versions.  For example Explorer still responds to UI changes set up with Classic Shell and Folder Options X.

 

IE is version 11 still, though interestingly an older version (11.0.8) than is running on Windows 8.1 (11.0.12).

 

The processes are mostly the same familiar list (supporting my impression that not much of substance has changed).

 

SFC shows that the servicing database is corrupted right out of the box.  DISM won't fix it.

 

Major applications, such as Photoshop CC 2014, install and run on it no problem.  Really old applications (e.g., XP-era) seem to work; the appropriate compatibility settings are there.

 

-Noel

Edited October 4, 2014 by NoelC

[osRe]

I might try it in 2016.

[MTDirector]

I have also try this Technical Preview of Windows 10. First, all my tweaks work on it and my visual style also work but with some problems in jump lists.

I have, first, re-enabled the start screen, so much better than start menu for me, and I have try this system on desktop and on a Surface Pro. On the surface, this os is very unusefull, you can't select options for medern apps becose a small menu with fingers..... Closing modern apps with this crapy small close button is not very usefull too.

On desktop, this system just work fine, but the 2 new buttons (Search and Task view) take too much place in task bar. I have removed them with AutoHotKey, just add a script in shell:startup with that :

Control, Hide, , Search, ahk_class Shell_TrayWndControl, Hide, , Task view, ahk_class Shell_TrayWnd

After, remplace start button with classic shell and those buttons will disapear.

I have re-enabled hot corners with Hot Corners 2 for Windows 7 because the charm bar still exist (just do a WIN+C to use it) but all keybord storcuts from Windows 8.x (like WIN+Q and others) doesn't work at all !

This os is not realy usefull for the moment but it's a Technical Preview so they can improve all this point

Edited October 4, 2014 by MTDirector