Windows 10 - First Impressions

[NoelC]

So distance yourself.  Don't let them bring you down.  Unfortunately, it IS worth worrying about, but...

 

1.  Smart people can't influence the idiots.  That's plain for all to see.  Whatever will be will be.  They WILL pay for their mistakes (though some individuals, after having destroyed the computing world as we know it, will have golden parachutes).

 

2.  We can keep using what we have now.  Things will ultimately get better.  I bought a monster computer a couple of years ago that might actually be good enough running the OS I have now for quite a few years.  There will probably come a time (if it is not already here) to stop taking new Windows Updates.

 

-Noel

[Formfiller]

So distance yourself.  Don't let them bring you down. 

 

Oh, don't worry! I think I haven't lost one single argument on that place. Sticking it to the metroistas is even relaxing in some odd way (I know, kinda weird, especially after you will read the links I posted below... ) It's just that I could have read some good books with the time I've wasted there, that's all. 

 

It helps that the topic is NuMicrosoft and Windows 8 of course. You almost can't lose that way.

 

If you want to see some of them really getting shriek, Here are two recommended threads:

 

http://channel9.msdn.com/Forums/Coffeehouse/There-is-no-end-of-life-XP-problem?page=3

https://channel9.msdn.com/Forums/Coffeehouse/E3-Smackdown

[Formfiller]

So distance yourself.  Don't let them bring you down.  Unfortunately, it IS worth worrying about, but...

 

1.  Smart people can't influence the idiots.  That's plain for all to see.  Whatever will be will be.  They WILL pay for their mistakes (though some individuals, after having destroyed the computing world as we know it, will have golden parachutes).

 

Well, that's certainly true however. Microsoft is hellbent to crash that thing once and for all.

 

Even better than the appearance of Windows 10 is the optionless automatic updater in it. That's a fine time-bomb they have here once they screw up some updates again (and they will). Not to mention if they will indeed heed their retarded promise and regulary put major versions of Windows through WU out. Man, the sparks will fly!

[NoelC]

I'll take your word for it.  I don't find reading what smaller-minded people have to say about high-tech pleasant.  It frustrates me at a fundamental level, mostly because where we are today is only a tiny bit of where we could have been by now.

 

Would you say, since about ten years ago, we're closer to:

 

A.  A Star Trek future?

B.  An Idiocracy future?

 

-Noel

[Formfiller]

Well, that's easy to answer.

 

 

 

[Formfiller]

Attack of the hipsters:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JorgeA]

So far, Build 10074 has been an underwhelming experience, to say the least:

 

• The Start Menu doesn't work. I click on it and it lights up, but nothing more happens.
• The Search function on the Taskbar doesn't work -- clicking on it doesn't bring anything up. My Taskbar has a little magnifying glass icon; if I right-click to change it to a search bar, nothing happens.
• The Notifications pop-up says that I have two notifications, but when I click on them nothing happens.
• I have a Windows Update available (KB3061161), but it keeps failing to install. Actually I'm not even sure if it finishes downloading completely.
• The irony of the Start Menu not working is that I have no way to access the Insider Hub app in order to report the problem. And of course I can't even do a search for it.
• I think I do have translucence on the Taskbar (blur), but needless to say I can't tell what that looks like on the Start Menu.

BTW, when 10074 was downloaded, I did not get a chance to decide when to install it: it simply went ahead with the installation.

 

--JorgeA

 

EDIT: missing word

Edited May 1, 2015 by JorgeA

[MagicAndre1981]

So far, Build 10074 has been an underwhelming experience, to say the least:

 

• The Notifications pop-up says that I have two notifications, but when I click on them nothing happens.

 

this happens for me since the first preview. Windows also annoys me to do a scheduled restart to finish the offered update, which I already did.

[ralcool]

I'm having to disable wifi on my laptop to prevent the forced install of the next build update. Selective browsing, and causing WU to fail.

 

Currently I'm on 10041, its trying to install 10061... and now 10074 is out.

 

Although I could probably try to change a reg string somewhere..again... I want to wait for the next build before I do anything.

 

Data isn't cheap for everyone. Where is the 'Limited connection' switch? I'm sure I've seen it somewhere.

 

Sean

[NoelC]

Yes, I've been getting spurious reminders of "scheduled restarts" as well, even when there's nothing pending.  I thought at first it was because I had set the group policy to ask before installing updates, but I created a new VM and installed 10074 afresh, leaving alone the update settings, and I still get it.

 

Likewise, I clicking on reminders takes me nowhere.

 

-Noel

 

 

Edit: Sean, I've been able to get Windows to stop checking for updates on its own (at least mostly) by changing settings in the Group Policy editor.  Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update, then choose Configure Automatic Updates and select Disabled.

Edited May 1, 2015 by NoelC

[JorgeA]

• The Start Menu doesn't work. I click on it and it lights up, but nothing more happens.
• The Search function on the Taskbar doesn't work -- clicking on it doesn't bring anything up. My Taskbar has a little magnifying glass icon; if I right-click to change it to a search bar, nothing happens.
• The Notifications pop-up says that I have two notifications, but when I click on them nothing happens.
• I have a Windows Update available (KB3061161), but it keeps failing to install. Actually I'm not even sure if it finishes downloading completely.
• The irony of the Start Menu not working is that I have no way to access the Insider Hub app in order to report the problem. And of course I can't even do a search for it.
• I think I do have translucence on the Taskbar (blur), but needless to say I can't tell what that looks like on the Start Menu.

 

KB3061161 finally installed properly. Once again I did not get a choice to reboot right away or at some other time, it just went ahead with the reboot. Isn't there any way to modify improve this behavior?!

 

Anyway, Start and Search are now working, but the two notifications that I can't do anything with are still showing up.

 

I do have the translucent Start Menu, and it looks much nicer than the previous blob of solid color. However, although Microsoft claims that you can now resize the Menu, this only works on the vertical axis (i.e., you can make the menu taller or shorter, but not wider or narrower). (The double-headed arrow in the top right corner is to make the menu fullscreen.)

 

And d*mned if the menu doesn't take up even more room on the Desktop than the previous incarnation. Here's how ridiculous the thing looks when you have no use for Metro crapps:

 

 

If this is the way the Windows 10 Start Menu is going to be like, then if I ever have to make the move to Win10 I will be using Classic Shell or Tihiy's StartIsBack.

 

--JorgeA

[JorgeA]

I know, I am really wasting my f***ing time there, but some metroistas are completey in the freetard-zone (Linux fanatics back in the day) now with their "but this year it will work!"-talk:

Channel9 yet again

I really had to laugh at all the "Year of the Windows Tablet" wishful thinking going on at that thread.

 

That really is funny, in light of your earlier post here about iPad sales tanking. Yeah, like Microsoft is going to make it in mobile devices where even the masters of mobile devices (Apple) can't sustain their success. Dream on, fanboys...

 

--JorgeA

[MagicAndre1981]

how can I change the desktop icons? doing a right click goes to the ugly settings app

[JorgeA]

how can I change the desktop icons? doing a right click goes to the ugly settings app

 

The old (and simple) way to do it was to right-click on the Desktop, then choose Personalize in the Control Panel, then select "Change desktop icons." I used that method in a recent Win10 build to change some of my icons. But now the folks at Microsoft seem to have done away with that option. :angrym:

 

Here's what I did. You can still change the icons by typing "Desktop Icon Settings" in Search. That will bring up the familiar interface, from where you can go to Windows/System32/imageres.dll. If you're multibooting, then you can Browse from there to the corresponding imageres.dll file in the other OS that you have installed on the same PC. There are a few other files in the System32 directory that have useful (and prettier) icons, too.

 

Hope this helps. Enjoy your new icons while Microsoft still allows you to change them.

 

--JorgeA

[JorgeA]

For those who are on 10074 but didn't get the blur feature:

 

Windows 10 build 10074: How to enable blur (Aero) for the Start menu

 

According to Reddit, there is a way to enable the aero look (blur) on Windows 10 Insider Preview for those of us that didn't get it in the 10074 build. Some people got the Aero look, and some people didn't. So, here's a look at how you can get the Aero look (if you want it). Redditor skittles92 found this work-around:

"Seems some didn't get the aero look "blur" . If you want to enabled just run Regedit and navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\themes\personalize and set blur behind to 1. There is also an option in the theme color settings though not sure if it will show for non-blur previewers. enjoy!"

 

I have not tried this tweak (my copy did come with blur enabled), so I can't speak for the results or any risks this might entail.

 

--JorgeA