Microsoft Wants You to Upgrade to Windows 10 (Now)
Windows 10 is not a bad operating system, according to the critics. It's certainly a better user experience than Windows 8, and everybody loves a freebie. Still, longtime Windows users are often reticent to switch to the latest operating system — for every Windows XP, there's a Windows ME, after all. Unfortunately, PC users' days of playing the waiting game are running out.
Microsoft is planning to download the new OS to your computer, whether you want it or not. And if your PC's hardware and applications are not compatible with Windows 10, you could be stuck with a very large, very useless file taking up space in your drive — and that's the best case scenario. Read on to see why you should be more concerned about Windows 10 compatibility.
UPDATE: According to CNET, Microsoft has made good on its earlier promises and shifted the Windows 10 upgrade from "optional" to "recommended." If your system has automatic updates enabled, you're likely to find the new OS downloaded onto your computer soon. However, as we previously mentioned, Windows 10 won't be installed until you initiate the change.
The OS That Won't Take 'No' For an Answer
As far back as October, Microsoft said it would switch Windows 10 from an "optional" update to a "recommended" one. If you're not into having 16- to 20GB files downloaded onto your drive, you can turn off automatic updates. Please enjoy the glaring holes in your security when you forget to apply the updates on your own.
It's important to note that Windows 10 will not be automatically installed, even if your system has downloaded it. As long as you keep ignoring those popups (or get rid of the software that's running them), you can still avoid making the switch by sacrificing a little hard drive space.
Be Careful What You Pay For
The biggest problem for upgraders (or potential upgraders) is that your PC may not be ready. The requirements for Windows 10 are fairly barebones, but your hardware or software may be incompatible nevertheless. If you choose to initiate the installation, Windows 10 will run a check on your system, then recommend removing incompatible applications or devices.
Some users may find a nasty surprise in their report, like a recently purchased keyboard or mouse making the list of incompatible devices. And Windows 10 may not install until an offending piece of hardware or software is removed, which means you could find yourself in OS limbo.
The bottom line is, definitely don't buy any new PC components or applications without first checking that they're fully compatible with Windows 10. Because you're definitely upgrading — it's just a matter of time.
We have an older laptop still running Vista and had a really cheap copy of Windows 8 Pro ($38) sitting on the self. Thinking that doing the Win 8 upgrade first will get us the free Win 10 upgrade.
FYI, if anyone is looking for simple library management, Plex is also good, and supported on a MUCH wider variety of things.
Is Kodi missing any important features vs Media Center - like the electronic guide?
Actually, Windows 10 is pretty nice and while there's a bit of a learning curve vs 7, it isn't that difficult for the average user who uses the Internet and Microsoft Office.
BTW, Office 2007 and later is Windows 10 compatible. The challenge: Office 2007 gets desupported (if you believe Microsoft) in a little over a year.
This is not true.. It's more paranoid conspiracies.. What MS wants to do is concentrate it's resources on one OS (which is 10) then soon everybody will be raving about win10 but okay, for you tin foil hats, say MS is using us and once everyone has it then they can (and will) do as they please including charging for updates, creating a monthly user fee, etc., etc. now we're screwed? Nada.. Now we'll all know MS isn't to be trusted and Ubunti (a free OS) will suddenly become THE OS for all Americans.. Do you actually think the people at MS are THAT stupid? Tell me, who out there actually owns a bridge in Brooklyn? We're smarter than that and we're not being scammed for MS sake.
Second, Windows 10 works fine with external harddrives. I have 8 external drives on just one of my 9 Windows 10 computers, and they all work. And several of them are Seagate Expansion Drives (a 6TB and a couple of 8 TB drives). No random disconnections.
Not sure what Cilvre is talking about with Windows Update changing updates and marking them as incompatible.
They kept disconnecting unexpectedly and one actually failed.
It took me a week of using my windows 8 laptop to restore files from the failed drive and during all that use on Windows 8, there were no disconnect issues.... ding, ding, ding! Upon investigation of the specifications of these drives, I discovered that they didn't say the drives were compatible with Windows 10, but I sorta assumed that they would be. Wouldn't you?
After all, these are some pretty huge drives that were manufactured after the Windows 10 came on the scene.
I strongly suggest that anyone who is running Windows 7 to stay with it. Windows 10 has no real advantages over 7 on a system with no touchscreen functionality -- desktops or laptops, for example.