Windows 10

[Mike Farley]

Microsoft has just announced the launch date for the next version of its Windows operating system, which will be on 29 July. The OS will initially be available for PCs and tablets, with phones coming at a later as yet unspecified date. The release is notable for a couple of things. Version 9 has been skipped, apparently due to Microsoft's acknowledgement that it did not get everything right in Windows 8 and is signifying its intent to do better by going straight to Windows 10. Whatever. More significantly, an upgrade to the new OS will be free for a year to anyone who has a valid licence for Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1. As Windows 7 entered its period of "extended support"* last January, users who choose to update will once again have a fully supported operating system for the next few years.

Windows 10 can be reserved now through an application which is placed on the right of the task bar. If you cannot see it, then you will need to run Windows Update, although most people probably have stuck to the default of updates being applied automatically.

More information at the link below:

http://www.alphr.com/operating-systems/ ... -confirmed

* Microsoft's current policy is that its products are fully supported for five years, followed by a further five years when only critical bugs and security flaws are fixed. Extended refers to duration, not the level of support which, ironically given the name, is reduced.

[Mike Farley]

It would appear that Microsoft's offer of lunch is not quite as free as it first seemed. Windows 8 was launched without the Start button and it looks as though Windows 10 Home, the one which will be used by most people, will also be missing a significant feature, Windows Update. Currently users have the option to decide when to update their computer with the latest fixes, but with Windows 10 this will occur at a time when Microsoft chooses. Windows Update already ships by default to apply changes automatically and I suspect that most people do not turn it off, so nothing much will really change for the majority. That said, Microsoft's record at applying error free patches has been, er, patchy. Usually they work just fine, occasionally not. Therein lies Microsoft's main reason for removing Windows Update as it wants to be able to reassure its business customers that any fixes they receive will have first been tested by millions around the world. Other considerations might include benefits such as smoothing out data centre flows, but could well be less important than having unsuspecting guinea pigs. Anyone currently using Windows Home who wishes to maintain control of updates will have to pay for an upgrade to Windows Professional. Or find another operating system.

This could change. Microsoft has had to reverse unpopular decisions on previous occasions or legislators might force a rethink, although I am not sure on what grounds the latter could happen. Removing Windows Update again shows the arrogance for which Microsoft has become renowned, but it does not appear to be anti-competitive which in the past has been the basis for action by bodies such as the EU. It is also possible that third parties will step in with their own solutions, such as occurred with replacements for that missing Start button in Windows 8.

There are also suggestions that Windows 10 will be Microsoft's last operating system. Yes, it will still change and evolve over time, but major updates will not be characterised by the release of a new version. As a commercial strategy, this is not quite as perverse as it initially seems. Home users typically stick with the supplied operating system and do not upgrade unless purchasing a new computer, whereas business users pay on a regular ongoing basis.

As with anything new, it would be best to wait a while before upgrading to Windows 10, which is a non reversible step. Worryingly, beta testers are still reporting instability in the software, even though the launch date is less than two months away. You will also want to be assured that any applications you use are compatible. Let others find the issues, I say. Microsoft will not be short of eager users who will want to try out the new operating system.

More information at this link - http://www.howtogeek.com/219166/you-won ... s-10-home/

[Mike Farley]

Today's the day.

[davidc]

Microsoft already backpedalled on the start button for windows 8, you can patch it in now.

[Mike Farley]

Microsoft already backpedalled on the start button for windows 8, you can patch it in now.

I believe it was re-introduced with 8.1?

To recap, I would not recommend anyone to upgrade this side of Xmas and wait for the inevitable gremlins to be sorted. There is also the issue that Microsoft will determine the timing of updates for the Home Edition, which might not occur at a convenient time. With earlier versions, it is possible to turn this off, although it was on by default and I suspect most people did not bother. Unless I unexpectedly become a total Apple devotee, I might have to consider moving my desktop machine to the Pro edition. Although I will lose the option to choose which updates to take, at least I would still have control over the timing.

[Mike Farley]

If anyone has a Fuji and transfers images to their PC directly from their camera, i.e. does not ue a card reader, several models now have a firmware update for compatibility with Windows 10. Further details at DPReview.

http://www.dpreview.com/articles/859442 ... -7-cameras

It is unclear whether other makes are affected, but this is one sort of issue which we will be seeing over the next few months as manufacturers update their drivers for the new OS. If you have an older camera, or any other device which requires an updated driver for that matter, you might be out of luck if the manufacturer decides to save a few pennies and only provide refreshes for their current models.

[Mike Farley]

Just a month to go before Microsoft's free upgrade offer expires on 29 July.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows ... GB_windows

[Mike Farley]

I doubt if this will be relevant to most forum members, but I am posting here on the off chance.

I have just updated my main computer to Windows 10 but the driver for my Epson 3800 printer was not installed. According to the Internet, a number of people appear to have had a problem getting their 3800 printers to work on Windows 10 and I eventually found the driver at this link, which resolved the problem:

http://esupport.epson-europe.com/Produc ... U003D&tc=6

The driver I downloaded is from Epson's European site is version 6.63 and is dated 20 March 2015. The driver others have reported having difficulties with is version 6.62, which is the download I found initially and was dated 04/01/2016. Given that this is the US site, it probably means that it was released on 1 April. That probably explains why it has a later date and earlier version number. Quite why Epson seems to have two separate drivers is anyone's guess, but it could be that Epson has implemented independent regional support teams. I did not try the US driver, but just in case anyone is interested or needs it, this is the link:

http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/supp ... =Downloads

[Iggy]

Our IT department at KCL has advised not to install Win 10 for the moment and to stick with Win 7 for the time being especially if we have old equipment, such as my 5 year + old laptop.
So in spite of daily annoying pop ups setting times for my free Win 10 download, I have resisted.
Have all those who have installed Win 10 had trouble free use of software such as Photoshop or LightRoom?
Regards,
Iggy

[Mike Farley]

Our IT department at KCL has advised not to install Win 10 for the moment and to stick with Win 7 for the time being especially if we have old equipment, such as my 5 year + old laptop.

Did the KCL IT department give a reason for this statement? Not knowing this information makes it hard for you to come to a decision.

Windows 10 has not been an unmitigated success for Microsoft, although much of that is due to the company lacking a clear strategy which is a longstanding problem for it*. Moreover, IT support teams tend to resist change as they like to keep their networks stable and upgrades are expensive. However, I am not aware that the computing demands of Windows 10 are greater than for Windows 7. If your laptop runs Windows 10 OK, then your laptop should be OK. That said, and maybe this is the reason for the advice you have received, you might experience problems with older versions of software or incompatible drivers for components which are no longer supported by their vendors.

There is one way to find out. Take the free upgrade to Windows 10 and see what happens. If you do not like it or it causes problems, you have the option to revert. Just be aware it could take some time to make such a round trip durng which your computer will be unavailable. Windows 7 has been in what is known as "extended support" since the beginning of 2015, which sounds great until you realise that Microsoft has two distinct support periods for its older operating systems. The first five years includes bug fixes and security updates, whereas during the second "extended" five year period only security flaws are fixed unless the problem is deemed critical. It means that there will be limited support for Windows 7 until January 2020, by which time you will probably need a new laptop anyway.

Have all those who have installed Win 10 had trouble free use of software such as Photoshop or LightRoom?

So far, I have updated one of my computers, my desktop which is around four or five years old. Apart from the SSD which I had to replace a year or so ago, all the components date to the time when I built it. Most of my software is reasonably up to date, including Lightroom and Photoshop, which are the subscription versions. In theory, older software should be OK, but see my earlier point.

So far, I have experienced a few issues with Windows 10, but none have affected the applications I run. While not outrageously complex (although some might think so), my setup is definitely not typical and the problems I have encountered to date would not affect most people.

The printer issue I have already addressed in an earlier post and was not difficult to resolve. The main drawback was that my wife discovered it when she wanted to print something, which lent a certain urgency to determining the fix. Fortunately for marital harmony, the IT support team was up to the task.

The next problem related to my use of multiple disk drives. I have a SSD from which, for reasons of speed, I boot the operating system and applications, with my data held on conventional hard disks. By default, Windows places the default locations for standard libraries such as Documents and Pictures on the drive on which it is installed. I had changed this in Windows 7, but the Windows 10 update did not pick this up and reset them. It was no big deal to alter them back.

The other issue concerned my NAS (Network Access Storage) device, which is my main backup for data. The settings, which worked with Windows 7, stopped following the Windows 10 update. I'll not bore you with the full details, but the initial configuration two or three years ago had proved quite frought as it involved setting up a network, which until that point had been outside of my experience. The NAS no longer functioning was unwelcome news. After spending some time checking all the various settings without success, I realised that what initially seemed like a complex situation actually had a simple resolution. I had never bothered to protect my Windows 7 userid with a password, since there was no point as my wife and I are the only users. Windows 7 is OK with a remote device on the network requesting data without proper access credentials, Windows 10 is not. I did try specifying just the userid, but Windows 10 was having none of that and I had to add a password as well.

Windows 10 has not been a totally smooth update for me, but neither has it been disastrous and I currently have no plans to revert. That said, the next machine I plan to upgrade is a laptop which dates to 2010. If that goes wrong, there definitely will be trouble as it is my wife's main computer.

* Arguably Microsoft has been a very lucky company. It was fortunate to be selected by IBM to provide the operating system for its first PC, which went on to be widely adopted by corporate users and later individuals. It exploited the situation by indulging in anti-competitive practices which enabled Windows and Office to become ubiquitous. A number of good companies which might otherwise have enjoyed long term success went out of business as a result. In the US, the Department of Justice brought a law suit against Microsoft which it eventually won after several years, but by the time that the protracted legal wranglings had concluded Microsoft's software was in wide use. Some years previously a similar case had been successfully brought against IBM and severe sanctions were imposed. Had Microsoft received similar punitive punishment, it would have restricted its ability to support its customers with possible repercussions for the US economy. Microsoft has attempted other IT related business ventures, which it has conducted within the law, but none have enjoyed the same commercial success of its core products which date from its earliest days.