So how are you liking Win10 so far?

[alcoholbob]

Not liking the fact that recent Windows 10 builds broke DS4 Windows and I'm now back to a 360 controller. Really preferred the PS4 controller.

 

[Elixer]

You know you can remove all the tiles? You can also move them and resize them. There are no ads there for me. Whatever you don't want to see there, unpin it. It is made to be customized for you. This is what I see when I click start

Problem is, it is still an eyesore.
These big (heck, even the small ones), ugly tiles look like crap on the desktop, they could have added shading, depth, control alpha blending or something to make them more pleasing.
It still looks like a nokia phone interface on the desktop.

 

[WilliamM2]

I did a clean install today. I have a retail W7 Ultimate key that I don't want to give up, so I installed a copy of 8.1 that I won't ever use from USB and updated to 10 from USB immediately the first time it booted into windows. Made sure it activated, then re-booted and did a clean install. This also activated fine without any key, or logging into a Microsoft account. I was surprised it worked so well, and that I was able to do all that in under 30 minutes. I mention this because I have seen conflicting stories on how to do this

That said, it looks just like 8.1 without WMC to me. I don't see any great improvements. I'll probably install Classic Shell, just like I did with 8.1.

The one big annoyance I have, is that all 4 of my drives show up in "safely remove hardware". One is e-Sata, but the rest are internal. If you accidentally remove the wrong drive, you have to reboot to get it back. In windows 7 and 8.1, only the e-Sata shows up there, as I have it set to removable in the bios. Anyone else have this issue?

And I agree with the post above, whoever designed the calculator and clock should be fired immediately. There's just no reason for anything to be that ugly.

 

[JimmiG]

Coming from Win7, the new UI is confusing. I find myself constantly digging up old control panel applets, mmc snap-ins etc (win+r -> "control mouse", "control system", "control userpasswords2" etc.). because it's quicker than trying to get used to the new UI's. I guess I'll get used to it eventually.

Also the UI is horribly inconsistent, with multiple types of contextual menus, dialog boxes etc. It's a mishmash of different Windows UI styles from the last 10-15 years. At least the stupid hot-corners and full-screen silliness are mostly gone. So it's a huge improvement over Microsoft Screens 8.

 

[destrekor]

Coming from Win7, the new UI is confusing. I find myself constantly digging up old control panel applets, mmc snap-ins etc (win+r -> "control mouse", "control system", "control userpasswords2" etc.). because it's quicker than trying to get used to the new UI's. I guess I'll get used to it eventually.

Also the UI is horribly inconsistent, with multiple types of contextual menus, dialog boxes etc. It's a mishmash of different Windows UI styles from the last 10-15 years. At least the stupid hot-corners and full-screen silliness are mostly gone. So it's a huge improvement over Microsoft Screens 8.

I bet from Win 7 it is a bit jarring. You didn't have Win 8 or 8.1 to help you get accustomed to the changes.

Everyone forgets that sometimes there are major changes that take time.
Windows 7 was and is freaking fantastic. Aside from a few things, many of the changes found in Windows Vista still remain in Windows 10 the way they were then, though obviously a few things have shifted.

But while, it seems, that everyone has come to love Windows 7 after a little time, don't forget all of those who heard the vitriol about Windows Vista and skipped it and went straight to 7 from XP.

How much hate for Windows 7 did you hear at that time? I remember hearing it all - how terrible it was, how much Microsoft was simply copying Apple with the dock-like taskbar, how much the new control panel sucked.. etc etc etc. All that had already been said and done with Vista, and Vista itself was actually a terrific OS at the time, so long as you had good drivers. Windows is utter crap with bad drivers, we should all know that by know... but it is not Microsoft's responsibility to write drivers for third parties. And MS can't make sure all old drivers work perfectly with new kernels... this is normal. The kernel has to change, adapt, evolve, the underlying system approaches must make progress.

To those on Windows 7 moving to Windows 10 - be prepared for a shocker. On the level of moving from XP to Windows 7.

The UI, obviously, is a point of contention, but it is all the rage these days in the modern design language of all digital media. Flat, Pastel, and Retro is here to stay for the time, and thankfully it's worlds better than skeuomorphic, but Microsoft didn't really follow that design language.

Windows 10 is far and away closer to what the universal design construct should be - of course there is room for improvements. Sometimes a few iterations are required to nail it, but there will always be someone.
Frankly, aside from the titlebar design, I love the Windows 10 style. But I am particularly fond of the "Metro" design language - it's a fresh take on the modern interface, whereas Android and iOS still rely heavily on the desktop metaphor. Live Tiles, if you can find yourself able to use the Windows Store apps, are fantastic, and blending them seamlessly with the classic shell Start menu style, that's just great.

In short - change is jarring. But, like always, progress marches on whether any individual likes it or not. There is a need to continuously march forward, and like others, you too can learn to adapt. Most found out how much Windows 7 offered and how to take advantage. Even with all of the shortcomings, many found how to take advantage of what Windows 8 offered.
Windows 10 is far more approachable than Windows 8/8.1, and while there are some inconsistencies as they try to manage the classic and new control panels, the inconsistencies are far less numerous than they had been. I suspect at some point Windows 10 will be made more consistent, be it through 10.1, 10.2, or some otherwise numbered update or service pack.

There are certain caveats and sacrifices that must be made to bring a singular OS/kernel to a universal ecosystem on multiple platforms, and Microsoft is treading new ground.

I'm no apologist, but it should be understood that the dynamics of the Windows of old were incompatible with a universal ecosystem. That's a huge move for Microsoft, and I am truly excited to see what it may bring as Windows 10 for XONE, tablets, and phones becomes the standard. After some growing pains, I truly think it will be a win/win for us all.

 

[Puffnstuff]

My biggest complaint is that huge search bar on the task bar - I want to make it go away. Edit: I found that right clicking on the task bar and selecting search-hidden makes it go away so I'm okay now. Now my task bar looks normal again.

 

[Mem]

I use a clean taskbar now and even hide the search box and cortana icon. I like it better this way. All the stuff I would have on the taskbar is under the start menu.

I like a clean desktop ie no icons or short cuts on my desktop wallpaper,each to their own .

I also hide the search box on taskbar,takes up too much space and looks neater hidden.

 

[Mem]

Restarting is annoying lol. I'm so used to the Windows 8 charmbar restart.

Great OS though I love it.

I'm glad we still have the Win+X shortcut menu,ie right click in left corner of taskbar,I still use that a lot lol from Win8 to 10,it can be quicker sometimes then the main start menu.

 

[CZroe]

My biggest complaint is that huge search bar on the task bar - I want to make it go away. Edit: I found that right clicking on the task bar and selecting search-hidden makes it go away so I'm okay now. Now my task bar looks normal again.

There's an option under task at settings to make the entire task at smaller while being just as long. It broke the search box formatting in earlier preview versions but it should work fine now. I like that it's just as functional but uses less spaceman my screen without the inconsistencies of auto-hide.

I did a clean install today. I have a retail W7 Ultimate key that I don't want to give up, so I installed a copy of 8.1 that I won't ever use from USB and updated to 10 from USB immediately the first time it booted into windows. Made sure it activated, then re-booted and did a clean install. This also activated fine without any key, or logging into a Microsoft account. I was surprised it worked so well, and that I was able to do all that in under 30 minutes. I mention this because I have seen conflicting stories on how to do this

That said, it looks just like 8.1 without WMC to me. I don't see any great improvements. I'll probably install Classic Shell, just like I did with 8.1.

The one big annoyance I have, is that all 4 of my drives show up in "safely remove hardware". One is e-Sata, but the rest are internal. If you accidentally remove the wrong drive, you have to reboot to get it back. In windows 7 and 8.1, only the e-Sata shows up there, as I have it set to removable in the bios. Anyone else have this issue?

And I agree with the post above, whoever designed the calculator and clock should be fired immediately. There's just no reason for anything to be that ugly.

If it's anything like prior versions of Windows, there is a "removable" checkbox in the Device Manager property page for the drive or the controller.

 

[chimaxi83]

Well my clean install of uefi windows 10 went great and my 850 pro is screaming with freshness. Just putting everything back in. This time I made a preinstall checklist and am following it for the most part checking things off as I get them done. I'll be ready to go back to school tomorrow lol. Put office, perrla, myitlab and zotero back in right away so I can get into class without issues and do my papers.

https://ninite.com/

This tool can save you time when reinstalling a bunch of software.

 

[FrankRamiro]

Hi guys i just did a Win 10 clean install after i had Upgraded on one of my HP laptop and everything was smooth now it looks clean fills clean runs great,
before i had the synaptic pointing device icon on my task bar and i could never get rid of it despite hiding it,it kept coming back on boot, so i will do clean install on all my machines.

 

[WilliamM2]

If it's anything like prior versions of Windows, there is a "removable" checkbox in the Device Manager property page for the drive or the controller.

I don't see that option anywhere. Just checked some 7 and 8.1 machines, they don't have it either. It just works as it should on those machines. When I plug in my e-sata drive, safely remove appears in the taskbar, and only that drive is there, or any USB drives I insert.

 

[PlanetJosh]

I want to download an iso of the Enterprise version of Win 10 because it won't default load any metro type apps or Cortana from what I've read here. But I don't want to install it just yet. I'm planning on holding out with Win 7 Pro until pc games really get into the use of Dx12. But I need to take advantage of the free Win 10 download which gives me 11 or 12 months to do so.

However let's say in 8 months a couple of decent pc games come out using Dx12 features. Ok then I'll install Win 10. But by that time Win 10 will have updates built in to the iso download. It will be a better iso than the current iso because the updates would already be in the download.

But right now I feel I just have to have the Win 10 iso today for the sake of having it. But if I don't install it until 8 months or a year then what's the use of bothering to download it now other than feeling better? I don't want to install an 8 months old iso and then install updates on top of it. Wondered if anyone else faces this issue. Or if I'm missing something and my post doesn't make sense. It seems logical to me, sort of. Heck it wouldn't hurt just to download it and let it sit on my hd, jeesh.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Problem is, it is still an eyesore.
These big (heck, even the small ones), ugly tiles look like crap on the desktop, they could have added shading, depth, control alpha blending or something to make them more pleasing.
It still looks like a nokia phone interface on the desktop.

If you say so, personally I think it's fine. They are dynamic so news rotates to show headlines, the photo app shows a preview of the pictures I have in a little slideshow. The color also changes depending on my desktop wallpaper(i have it change every minute in a slideshow). It gives a little color accent depending on what the background is. I don't need shading, 3D pop out effects and crap like that. Those things are what made Windows Vista and 7 feel slower than 8 and 10 and use more memory, vram included.

 

[WilliamM2]

I want to download an iso of the Enterprise version of Win 10 because it won't default load any metro type apps or Cortana from what I've read here. But I don't want to install it just yet. I'm planning on holding out with Win 7 Pro until pc games really get into the use of Dx12. But I need to take advantage of the free Win 10 download which gives me 11 or 12 months to do so.

However let's say in 8 months a couple of decent pc games come out using Dx12 features. Ok then I'll install Win 10. But by that time Win 10 will have updates built in to the iso download. It will be a better iso than the current iso because the updates would already be in the download.

But right now I feel I just have to have the Win 10 iso today for the sake of having it. But if I don't install it until 8 months or a year then what's the use of bothering to download it now other than feeling better? I don't want to install an 8 months old iso and then install updates on top of it. Wondered if anyone else faces this issue. Or if I'm missing something and my post doesn't make sense. It seems logical to me, sort of. Heck it wouldn't hurt just to download it and let it sit on my hd, jeesh.

As far as I know, you can't get the enterprise version as a free upgrade. And even if you already have a 7 or 8 enterprise, it's not eligible for the free upgrade either.

 

[Makaveli]

As far as I know, you can't get the enterprise version as a free upgrade. And even if you already have a 7 or 8 enterprise, it's not eligible for the free upgrade either.

From what i've read that is correct.

 

[TeknoBug]

You're better off sticking to 7 enterprise anyways, if it's for your office workstation, you don't want to risk instability or any major issues that'll affect your daily workload.

 

[pcslookout]

I really like it now with StartIsBack++

 

[destrekor]

I'm glad we still have the Win+X shortcut menu,ie right click in left corner of taskbar,I still use that a lot lol from Win8 to 10,it can be quicker sometimes then the main start menu.

Still one of my favorite features, so damn powerful having most of the power-user functionality tucked away in an incredibly easy to access menu.

 

[finbarqs]

win xp - win 7 wasn't that big of a jump, as you can still customize your program menu. Win 7 to Win 10 is a huge jump as many features you are 'comfortable' with before, are completely gone.. or changed to another way to do it...

 

[Megatomic]

I'm late to the game, I just got Win10 installed on my Vaio Tap 20. I have to say I love it so far. I'm even using Edge and Mail rather than the Google offerings that I was relying on for forever. The Photos app is a bit janky but Groove is growing on me. All of my programs are working great on Win10 and all of the hardware drivers installed properly right out of the starting gate.

I have zero problems to report. I can't believe it.

I just thought of a question: for those of you that are happy with and enjoying Windows 10 on your desktops/laptops do you think you'd be willing to consider a Windows Phone when Windows 10 for Mobile and the 950/950XL are released later this year? I have to admit that the thought did cross my mind.

 

[CSMR]

I went back to W8.1 to get parental controls back but my overall the OS is very promising but very unfinished still.

Universal apps: the most impressive part of W10/WP10. Windowed apps can work well. This is huge for Windows development. However there is no clarity about installing apps as an administrator for all users: is it possible and do the apps end up duplicated?

Similarly offline maps are nice but if several users install the same maps, are they duplicated?

Also too many of the preinstalled apps cannot be uninstalled.

Edge browser: very promising but at the moment there are 2 browsers there, one fast but incomplete and one slow and semi-complete.

User accounts: There are some issues Microsoft accounts now that everything is online. Can all data (onedrive, skype, email, contacts, calendar, etc.) come from a different account if needed?

The new start menu is overhyped. There is basically no folder organization apart from some fiddly categorization of live tiles.
W7: can arrange start menu programs into folders and subfolders
W8: folders appear as a structured list on the "all programs" screen
W10: just long list of programs in alphabetical order
In WP8.1.1 there are start screen folders so I expect Windows to get back there eventually but so far it is going backwards.

Overall I think it looks good for standard single user setups or multi-user setups where the users don't share anything. But I wouldn't recommend it yet for more complicated or advanced setups.

I will keep up to date with the OS's progress especially as I'm familiar with Windows Phone which similarly started from scratch and was lacking in features but eventually has become very impressive.

 

[destrekor]

I went back to W8.1 to get parental controls back but my overall the OS is very promising but very unfinished still.

Universal apps: the most impressive part of W10/WP10. Windowed apps can work well. This is huge for Windows development. However there is no clarity about installing apps as an administrator for all users: is it possible and do the apps end up duplicated?

Similarly offline maps are nice but if several users install the same maps, are they duplicated?

Also too many of the preinstalled apps cannot be uninstalled.

Edge browser: very promising but at the moment there are 2 browsers there, one fast but incomplete and one slow and semi-complete.

User accounts: There are some issues Microsoft accounts now that everything is online. Can all data (onedrive, skype, email, contacts, calendar, etc.) come from a different account if needed?

The new start menu is overhyped. There is basically no folder organization apart from some fiddly categorization of live tiles.
W7: can arrange start menu programs into folders and subfolders
W8: folders appear as a structured list on the "all programs" screen
W10: just long list of programs in alphabetical order
In WP8.1.1 there are start screen folders so I expect Windows to get back there eventually but so far it is going backwards.

Overall I think it looks good for standard single user setups or multi-user setups where the users don't share anything. But I wouldn't recommend it yet for more complicated or advanced setups.

I will keep up to date with the OS's progress especially as I'm familiar with Windows Phone which similarly started from scratch and was lacking in features but eventually has become very impressive.

There seems to be a feature missing that must have been overlooked somehow, and will be made available in the future: folders in the All Apps menu.

There ARE folders for any installers that happened to make them. You can also browse to ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\ and even create folders there, and the folders already present appear as normal folders. BUT, any folder YOU make does not show up in the start menu.

At least, that is what happened on the laptop on which I installed Windows 10. I haven't upgraded my desktop.
I suspect it is some kind of bug that self-created folders do not appear (even with shortcuts inside said folders). That there is no native way to create folders from the Start Menu itself is annoying, but that folders can and will exist in the program menu yet folders you create will never appear, that's just ridiculous, and I cannot help but assume that is an overlooked feature or a bug, and assume it will be corrected in time.

 

[CSMR]

There ARE folders for any installers that happened to make them. You can also browse to ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs and even create folders there, and the folders already present appear as normal folders.

Hmm. I have only seen a long alphabetical list in the screens I've seen.

BUT, any folder YOU make does not show up in the start menu. At least, that is what happened on the laptop on which I installed Windows 10.

I can't check on W10 but on W8.1 you have to restart the computer for the new folders to (semi-)show up.

 

[MongGrel]

Have it on 2 out of 3 of the desktops now, so I guess I like it.