I appreciate the research. I guess its hard to know if it will be "mandatory" to be on Windows 10. Windows 7 has been fine for me, as a casual gamer, forum poster, and leisure excel user.
Eventually like XP MS will kill off support entirely for 7. I think the end of life cycle for 7 starts in a year and a half (it is technically 2 distros old now with 8 and 8.1). Who knows, if adoption of 10 is poor (which I doubt it will be) 7 might be the new XP and users might keep it from ever dying.
Windows 10's upgrade is free for several reasons. 1. Microsoft wants you to buy into the ecosystem. Just like with Apple and Google, if you have a device with Windows 10, you are more likely to buy into the ecosystem. This includes Office 365, OneDrive, Xbox Live, Xbox Music, Xbox Video, etc. They feel that the tight integration with their premium services, will help pay for Windows 10 itself. Think of it as an Operating System as a Service. 2. They want to woo developers. Microsoft announced Universal Windows Apps last year, where a developer can write an app with shared code that is usable across the entire ecosystem, include Windows 10, Windows 10 for Phones, Xbox One and Windows Server vNext (2016). The more potential users/customers, the more developers that will follow. The "app gap" between other platforms will be a thing of the past. Devs and platforms won't be able to ignore the gigantic user base. Microsoft built Windows 10 on top of the XAML design Framework, the exact framework used for Universal Windows Apps - to show developers that Windows apps can handle anything they throw at them. 3. They want to get people off of Windows 7, and embrace the newer, more secure platform. Windows 8 had huge security improvements over Windows 7, and Windows 10 has tremendous security improvements over Windows 8, and more importantly "modern apps" run in a sandbox, which helps protect systems from malicious code and malware. 4. They want to win back customers who scoffed at Windows 8/8.1. Contrary to popular belief, they weren't Vista - not even close. Windows 8.1 is a fantastic OS with huge usage numbers that continue to grow. But, perception is reality in the tech world. There will be between 300-400 million Windows 10 users in the first 18 months. It is going to rock.
Windows 8/8.1 has more users than all versions of OSX combined. It's easier to write tech pieces about the failures of MS, and how it is a doomed company and that's why the general tone of everything MS is gloom and doom inside of that sphere. Windows 10 mobile I am a bit worried about. It isn't stable and it seems like it is only 60% baked. Cortana is completely broken in it, Outlook is still filled with glitches, it's a mess right now. Who knows, after 10 for PCs reaches it's final stages pre-RTM we might see dramatic rises in the fixes for 10 mobile...
Click start menu > right click on computer > click on properties I would assume so but not sure so would also like to know.
I'm wondering with this free upgrade, if it will allow me to get the Professional version????? I know it's free to upgrade for a year and I plan on doing just that, I hope it allows the choice of upgrading to either the Home or Pro versions, that would be SWEET (if I can upgrade to Pro, but I think it will be Home Version).
Everyone probably gets base version with a chance to purchase and upgrade to better versions. That would make the most sense.
From what I've gathered through the Insider Preview yes. Every new build just keeps the apps and settings of the previous build. With that said, OS updates don't always take cleanly, and there MAY be an issue where to upgrade you might have to do a clean install all together. I know it isn't a straight answer to your question, but with different manufacturers and drivers and such it isn't a clean cut answer.
I just switched to a new Macbook. Got rid of my old one finally. I do not see this option. Please advise.
Oh in that case, all you got to do is put a bin next to the table, one preferably marked garbage, then use the 3 finger swipe that apples have and swipe it into the bin. Fixed. Youre welcome A-hole.
Did you get conned into that Core M mess as well? God that thing is a turd. I really hate apple for giving that thing legitimacy in anything other than a tablet.
Professional and Enterprise versions are not part of the free upgrade path, it is for home edition only. This will be the route, they did this same thing with Windows 8 where at initial release it was just $20 - but you could upgrade to Pro at anytime for an additional price. I spoke in depth with several Windows 10 engineers at the Ignite Conference last month, and "Upgrade in Place" has been completely reworked with Windows 10, so much so that it is the "preferred method" for upgrading. This includes from Windows 7 and 8.1. 8.0 users will have to upgrade to 8.1, then to Windows 10. I went to a Q&A session where they were grilled for an hour about it, and they (along with consultants that were there) swore by the Windows 10 upgrade. Windows 10 will search for newer drivers, but if it doesn't find a driver it will retain the old drivers from either Windows 7 or 8.1. "If your driver works on Windows 7 or 8.1, it will work in Windows 10" was echoed throughout the week at Ignite. All apps, settings and files (even custom files in Windows and Program Files directories) will make it through the upgrade. The upgrade simply updates the bits it needs to, and leaves anything it doesn't know, where it is.
This is really good to know. I still have my reservations about systems not needing a clean install (or running better with a clean install), but maybe the numbers won't be as widespread as I'm thinking. This is also why I love having an SP3, you know this is one of the key pieces of hardware that people at MS are playing with.
