Windows 10 - Deeper Impressions

[helpdesk98]

 

 

 

My first experience with the no-DVD policy was in 2008 when I bought my first Vista PC (a Hewlett-Packard model). Even in my technologically-challenged condition back then, I remember my first reaction being, "What?! I can't believe how cheap they're getting!", and my second reaction being, "Hey, what if the hard drive crashes? That partition thing's gonna be useless!"

 

As part of my purchase, the store made recovery disks for me, but in the back of my head I always wondered about all those people out there who wouldn't know to make them, or would never get around to doing it. It seemed a needless risk to make this an extra step.

 

--JorgeA

 

I liked the recovery boot at first, however, that was only because I had never gotten any form of recovery media with any of my other computers I had bought. I learned quickly (after I laptop took a tumble down a flight of stairs) that I needed to make my own backups. Also I have noticed a lot of the recovery partitions fail to work when you boot off them, but I was able to make DVD media off of them and that worked no problem. anyone else experience that?

[Techie007]

Also I have noticed a lot of the recovery partitions fail to work when you boot off them, but I was able to make DVD media off of them and that worked no problem. anyone else experience that?

 

    No, I have not experienced that, but I have experienced many machines that would fail to create recovery media when asked.  Sometimes I could eventually get it to work by using different media (e.g. USB or DVD), and other times I just grabbed the key and reloaded Windows entirely.

[Bakuchris]

The Computer I use from 2010 is lucky not to have Secure boot technologies, I hope that doesn't happen more like some people said here.

[JorgeA]

The Computer I use from 2010 is lucky not to have Secure boot technologies, I hope that doesn't happen more like some people said here.

 

My understanding is that this is intended to become universal or nearly so.

 

And you're right to count yourself lucky. Secure Boot is a PITA -- I have one machine with it, and it won't boot live CDs (usually Linux-based utilities) unless I turn Secure Boot off.

 

Then again, I hesitate to turn it off permanently because of the FUD created around not using it.

 

--JorgeA

[JorgeA]

 

I liked the recovery boot at first, however, that was only because I had never gotten any form of recovery media with any of my other computers I had bought. I learned quickly (after I laptop took a tumble down a flight of stairs) that I needed to make my own backups. Also I have noticed a lot of the recovery partitions fail to work when you boot off them, but I was able to make DVD media off of them and that worked no problem. anyone else experience that?

 

The few times I've had to go into a recovery partition, it seems to have worked OK.

 

However, a couple years ago my Vista laptop's HDD developed some kind of electrical connection problem and it would no longer boot, or even be readable when removed and connected to a different PC. Needless to say, the recovery partition was useless here. (I didn't have a backup image as it's a lightly used machine with nothing irreplaceable on it.)

 

Fortunately, back when I first bought the laptop I had created a set of recovery disks -- on CDs, 17 of 'em!    (What can I say, I was ready to create the disks and I didn't feel like driving out to the store for blank DVDs.) The recovery disks saved the day when the replacement HDD came in the mail and I installed the OS on it off the recovery disks. I got to see again what Vista was like before the first Service Pack. Didn't look or act so awful, really. 

 

--JorgeA

[TELVM]

... Secure Boot is a PITA ... ... Then again, I hesitate to turn it off permanently because of the FUD created around not using it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Epic post from elsewhere:

 

"After the announcement of Windows 10 in the wake of the failure of Windows 8, people were saying that Windows 10 was the "make or break" product for MS; another failure would doom them and hasten the decline of the PC market even more.

 

Microsoft could have gone back to making a desktop OS designed (get this) for the desktop, rather than entertaining some harebrained idea about making one OS for two very different platforms. Imagine the success Windows 10 would have if it had the UI of Windows 7 with the underhood improvements of 10 (but without the spyware and forced updates)! They could have had that, easily. It would be a clear upgrade for Windows 7 users, and compared to 8, it would look like a completely new, upgrade-worthy OS, even with its older UI. It would have been a smash hit on the desktop!

 

That's the problem, though. They don't want merely a smash hit on the desktop. They want something that will make up for the 7 year head start iOS and Android have on them in the mobile market... the same thing 8 was meant to bring about, and which led to its utter rejection by the market.

 

With all of that in mind, Microsoft decided not to give us a great desktop OS, one worthy to succeed Win2k, XP, and 7. Instead, they took another shot at an idea that had already been rejected by their customers. Their desire to crowbar their way into the mobile market is so strong that they threw all of their desktop customers under the bus to try to accomplish it.

 

Now that 10 has been out for a while, and it has become evident that there are a LOT of us rejecting it, Microsoft is getting worried-- for good reason. They know a lot of people resisted giving up XP, and that was with a popular replacement (7) available. What will people do when 7 comes to its end and there is no popular replacement? All of the features they added in 10 (the carrot) didn't work, so here comes the stick.

 

Speaking of that... as I am typing this, I noticed that my laptop (Win 7) has some updates ready. As always, I inspect them to make sure they are things that will benefit ME instead of Microsoft... and what do I find? All of the updates I had hidden are now unhidden and marked for installation... again. Gotta love it! "This update resolves issues in Windows." Apparently, not having a "Get Windows 10" adware popup is an issue (among about nine other things that also have nothing to do with making Windows 7 better for me).

 

If 10 was any good, it would be selling itself. It's free for home users of 7 and 8, after all! If we won't even take it for FREE, what does that say about how good it is?

 

What a pickle (of their own creation) MS is in-- they can't give us an OS we'd actually WANT to use, because that won't sell any Windows mobile devices, and they can't get us to adopt 10, because it sucks. They're left trying to FUD their own prior products to death. If they can't sell us on it, they'll browbeat us, scare us, threaten us into taking their horrible product. After all, it's a make or break product; MS cannot afford to fail on this one.

 

It will be interesting to see how it plays out once the free upgrade period ends. If Win 7 users would not take it for free, what are the odds we'll take it for a hundred bucks?"

Edited January 20, 2016 by TELVM

[helpdesk98]

I get my first real taste of Windows 10 tonight. Someone installed W10 thinking it would speed up the computer and then relised that it was a bad idea after the fact. Attempted to revert to 7 him self and now nether system will boot.

[NoelC]

Then again, I hesitate to turn it off permanently because of the FUD created around not using it.

 

The question keeps arising...  Who are we supposed to feel secure from?

 

I agree with TELVM, don't bother turning it back on.  Just practice conscientious computing (and I already think you adopted some of my ideas about blocking badware websites).  You'll be fine.  You've already said you make backups, so you can be confident too.

 

-Noel

[NoelC]

Epic post from elsewhere:

 

Man, wow, I kept wondering if that was a post I'd written.  But it wasn't.  Just another brother in spirit.

 

-Noel

[aviv00]

Im testing it on old i7 with lazy hdd ,half dead

Did same tweaking classic shell services ...

Its run not that bad ,better then win8 i think didnt test good enuf, the readiness after booting is bad and windows ecplorer hicups

But its ok , everything else is quiet smooth

[mikedigitize]

 

 

 

 

too bad Snow Leopard wasn't made for PC's

 

Well I have SL runing on a PC. Works great!

[JorgeA]

I get my first real taste of Windows 10 tonight. Someone installed W10 thinking it would speed up the computer and then relised that it was a bad idea after the fact. Attempted to revert to 7 him self and now nether system will boot.

 

It kinda figures, doesn't it.

 

I'd be curious to know what made them realize Win10 was a bad idea.

 

Best of luck to them getting back to Win7.

 

--JorgeA

[JorgeA]

For what it's worth, here's the result of an online poll on Windows 10:

 

 

What makes this result more interesting is that the website's owner is a big-time Microsoft cheerleader and Win10 apologist, so you would think his audience would skew in that direction.

 

--JorgeA

Edited January 21, 2016 by JorgeA

[helpdesk98]

 

I get my first real taste of Windows 10 tonight. Someone installed W10 thinking it would speed up the computer and then relised that it was a bad idea after the fact. Attempted to revert to 7 him self and now nether system will boot.

 

It kinda figures, doesn't it.

 

I'd be curious to know what made them realize Win10 was a bad idea.

 

Best of luck to them getting back to Win7.

 

--JorgeA

 

I got all their files back at the very least. the Win 7 recovery partition still works is still in existence so I will attempt to do something with that ultimately probably wont work. I wonder if I can get 10 to boot if I can launch the recovery disk maker?

[NoelC]

For what it's worth, here's the result of an online poll on Windows 10:

 

Win10 poll.jpg

 

What makes this result more interesting is that the website's owner is a big-time Microsoft cheerleader and Win10 apologist, so you would think his audience would skew in that direction.

 

--JorgeA

 

What's ironic is, because of the way I have monitors arranged (I have two side monitors as "ears" turned up sideways, so they're 1200 x 1600 pixels), I tend to browse in windows that are more vertical than horizontal.

 

That's meaningful in the context of this particular site because - in the fashion of "modern" self-rearranging windows - that poll doesn't show at all, anywhere on the page, unless I make the window wider than will fit in 1200 pixels.

 

Tall and narrow (the norm for me).  Note, no scrollbar, no evidence whatsoever that there's anything more that could be seen out there.  Just the kind of good, modern design that Windows 10 espouses.

 

 

 

If I make it wider (e.g., on my big central monitor, on which I usually don't run browsers), look what shows up!

 

 

 

Yep, ya gotta love them modern design concepts.  Scroll bars are SOOOO outdated!

 

-Noel

 

 

 

 

Edit:  Okay, with a tall, narrow window the Windows poll actually IS visible - it's wayyyyyy down at the bottom, under the comments.  Now ask yourself:  Do you ever scroll down and look BELOW the comments on a blog page?

Edited January 22, 2016 by NoelC