Windows 10: The Good, The Bad, The Awesome!

When Microsoft released 9860 of Windows 10, the last of Windows, in a few countries, it came with options of getting the OS installed in “slow” and “fast” release pace. This is where the users’ patience was tested.  Before taking a decision, they needed to understand what they stood to lose and what they gained upon choosing any of these options.

 We all know we will have to ultimately comply with this version of Windows, so why not jump on the bandwagon right away. Well, here are a few reasons why waiting to ‘jump’ might seem like a good idea. 
If they chose to be on the “fast” ring, they got the faster builds. But, it came at the cost of their becoming test subjects who got significant bugs and other issues as well. Those in the “slow” ring got rewarded for their patience. So, even if it took more time, their update had a fixed BSOD issue, where BSOD stands for the much dreaded ‘Blue Screen of Death’.

(For the lucky ones who aren’t aware of the BSOD, it can be hardware or drive related issue that causes a blue screen to flash on your screen and before you have time to make out any of it, your PC reboots. 

So, the “slow” ring gives you stability in your installation.

  

Gabriel Aul, the leader of the Windows Insider program at Microsoft, had revealed the reasons behind the move in a blog post:

"If you're in the Slow ring, we made the decision not to push 10049 out to you because of the bug with long upgrade times caused by installing all Language Packs. We'll evaluate how 10061 goes in the Fast ring before deciding whether to push it out to Slow as well. The Language Pack issue is a good example of our approach to the Fast/Slow rings for the Windows Insider Program, and why we have two rings."

  The Windows 10 upgrade has finally hit countries like India, where people were early awaiting for it and reserving their free upgrades in advance by simply clicking the little windows symbol on their respective toolbars. So, when you finally get something after months of waiting when others have already got their updates, won’t you expect to get a proper working version?  Nay, not so!
  People who have got their updates now are still grappling with the ‘slow PC’ issue.   They are left to frantically search for a way to revert back to the older versions of Windows they had installed previously. Others, who have heard of this and still haven’t updated, as they are wary of going ahead with the update.
  If you have been loyal to Windows by having Windows 7 or 8 previously om your system, then you can just sit back, relax and wait for your PC’s turn for upgrade. Here’s what this new installment requires for the Upgrade:

• 1GHz processor

•  For 32-bit computers, required RAM size is 1GB RAM

•  For 32-bit computers, required RAM size is 2GB RAM

• 16GB hard drive space for the 32-bit OS

• 20GB for 64-bit OS

• DirectX 9 graphic card or later with WDDM 1.0 driver

• Display: 1024x600px 

• And a working internet connection

  Windows 10 upgrade seems to be automatically upgrading the previously installed drivers. This is becoming more of a bane then a boon as it is causing the PC to slow down or heat up for some users.But worry not, you can always choose to revert to the previous version of Windows which was running on your PC during the one-year free usage period.  Not all is unpleasant. Here are a few nice features packed in that might compel you to hold on to Windows 10:
EDGE: Edge is the new browser that would replace the meme of a browser that Internet Explorer has become. This new browser comes with a ‘Reading Mode’ that lets you read without other multimedia contents disturbing you. It also has a share button, which lets you share a screenshot of the webpage you are viewing within the browser.
START MENU: The much missed ‘Start Menu’ of Windows 7 comes back with Windows 10.

CORTANA: Microsoft’s answer for Apple’s Siri, Cortana would be your personal assistant like Siri. Although, this feature is still not available in the Indian release.TASK VIEW: Nestle beside the Search box, Task View helps you organize working windows.
ACTION CENTER: You can access the Action Center by swiping to the right corner of the screen. It lets you view alerts and notifications until you swipe them off. It also provides quick access to Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, etc. The best part is that it has a ‘Tablet-mode’ toggle that lets you have a keyboard-less mode much like a tablet of course.
Candy Crush Saga and MS Solitaire Collection are also bundled in with the Windows 10.
Windows 10 has been described as “Universal” application architecture, developed to run across multiple Microsoft products, viz; PCs, tablets, smartphones, embedded systems and Xbox One.
Let’s ride along with the dream of a version better than Windows 7. Shall we?