Access MVP (2010-2015)I have been *playing* with Windows 10 for about a month and half now. Since then I have removed the ability to upgrade any other machine to Windows 10. Says a lot right? However, my reasons for not wanting to upgrade the other machines is not because there was any problem with the in-place upgrade, hardware conflicts or any other issues others are seeing. So why?
1.
I have older programs that run on Windows 7 64 bit but will not run on Windows 10 64 bit. Not sure why but having tried to load a few of them and trying to get them to run was good enough for me. This is a HUGE issue as I use those programs frequently enough that I would need two machines running and then be transferring files back and forth, no sense in that.
Third party drivers that have not been upgraded will cause major, crippling issues. Am I supposed to replace all my equipment, really?
To boot, there is no Windows 10 Upgrade Tool to tell which programs/hardware are incompatible, nope, it just uninstalls it or breaks your machine, really?
2.
Having a machine update on its own is disturbing. We all have come to know *Patch Tuesday* as a *Let me see what’s broken now Tuesday*. Spending the day trying to figure out which update did what causes me serious downtime. And then to add to my stress… waiting another week (or more) for a fix is beyond crazy. Should one just hang out a shingle… *Business closed due to Windows updates, will reopen when fixed!*, really?
3.
Installation of Office 2016 Click-to-Run, in some cases, removes Office 2013. Umm, as a developer that supports ALL versions of Office, this is a huge inconvenience. I either need a virtual machine or I have to switch to the .MSI installation or I’m back to two machines running. Even two machines is an issue, what if I go to a Client that has both? What then?
4.
Widgets – I have family and clients all over the world. Calling them can be challenging with all the different Time Zones, so… on my Windows 7 Desktop sits clocks for each location of my family, no can do in Windows 10 with buying a bunch of different clocks. Really?
On the same note, I kept the weather widget, just for fun so I can also see the weather where they are, so again… really?
5.
Cortana – I do not want some artificial *intelligence* peeking at my Contacts or my eMails. I do not want it remembering where I searched. On that same note, this should not be an hour exercise to turn off. Really?
6.
Mail tile that shows me an envelope with a number, really? You can get a live feed from Twitter (when it’s working) but you can’t get a live feed for my incoming mail. Really?
7.
Flip 3D gone. Loved that and made it so much easier when, if you’re like me, you 10+ windows open. It was in my top 5 reasons for moving to Windows 7. Now, I’m back to using my keyboard, really?
8.
Flat Icons – Feel like we went back to the 1980’s or is the 1990’s, really?
9.
Renaming of Programs on Program Apps menu and I still can’t figure out how to move them around, I don’t want them in ALPHA order and I don’t want Tiles. There is a system my madness and now doing what I do requires extra clicks. On that same note, what happened to right mouse click > Send To Desktop? I want my Shortcuts on my Desktop. I have about 30 of them there now and I use them. To do that in Windows 7 one has to navigate to the actual file, really?
10.
Edge – Why? Just tell me why because I hate it, quickly installed Internet Explorer.
While I understand the issues that go with supporting multiple versions of anything, whether it be Windows or Office and that Microsoft may not want to do it but there are those of us that still do it. It’s our business. So for Office, a choice should be an option as it was in previous versions of Office. For Windows 10, at a minimum, let us choose whether we want without having to jump thru hoops to say no and let us choose whether we want to install updates/patches automatically or not. Again, all which was available in previous versions of Office and Windows.
Just in case you’re interested, my opinion of Windows 10…
Slick UI (Yep, that’s it!)
If you have not upgraded yet and still want to, a few things I would suggest…
Confirm your hardware is compatible – That little icon that says your machine is ready is not quite accurate. Do your own research by either visiting the manufacturer’s website or going to the Microsoft Forums and searching.
Visit…
Windows 10 Specifications
Known issues with Office and Windows 10
Do the same for your software, especially if it’s older software. The fact that it runs on Windows 7 64 bit or 32 bit is not a prerequisite for it running on Windows 10. This has been especially problematic for Anti-Virus software.
If you’re on a metered connection be careful, see…
http://lifehacker.com/enable-metered-connection-to-delay-windows-10-updates-1723316525
However, this won’t help for the initial download. You will need to figure out a plan yourself to get it initially installed.
Connection speed – I have a relatively fast connection, 100 mbps, so my download and install was done in less than an hour. Bare that in mind when getting ready to download and install.
After it installs the password I did have set was no longer valid. Instead I say my eMail and that is the password it wanted, ugh. I did change it that which does not affect your password to your eMail but some warning would have been nice as that is not the eMail I would have chosen. (I guess I don’t understand why it couldn’t leave my previously supplied password.)
If you don’t…
Third party tool (most effective)
GWX Control Panel app
OR…
Manual
This is what I did to stop the nagging and the attempts to download…
Uninstall these updates (found in the Microsoft Windows section):
KB2952664
KB2976978 (usually found on Windows 8.x machines)
KB2990214
KB3021917
KB3035583
KB3044374 (usually found on Windows 8.x machines)
KB3068708
Do NOT reboot when it asks you. After you are done go to Windows Update and search for updates, and you will see them listed again. Right mouse click on each one individually and select Hide update. Then go to Windows Update under Control Panel and select Change Settings and uncheck Give me recommended updates the same way I receive important updates. I have also changed my Important Updates to Check for updates but let me choose whether to download and install them.
Side note: While those updates come in as Optional and Important, once installed they are shown as Recommended.
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