Windows 10 – Revisited?
There has been a lot of discussion, blog posts, Facebook posts and various other Internet comments about Windows 10. We are coming down to the wire of the July 27 deadline to upgrade for free.
Microsoft has corrected most of the “bugs” in Windows 10 so for the average home computer user, it is now a safe and fully operational environment and you should have no fears in upgrading. In the last 6 months none of my customers have experienced problems that were significant enough to either require them to revert to their previous version of windows or to cause a loss of data of any sort.
There are some PC’s out there that are “not recommended” by their manufacturers to upgrade. These are rare and it is easy enough to verify with your PC manufacturer’s website of your model is recommended or not.
Remember – only windows 7 and windows 8 (8.1) systems are eligible for the free upgrade. Any system running XP or Vista is not only not eligible for the free upgrade to Windows 10, but they should also be scheduled for replacement as your budget and time permit. Of course the PCGUY can help you evaluate your system, make recommendations as needed, sell you a new Windows 10 system and transfer all of your data, files, email, pictures, music, etc. to the new system
There are a few minor “GOTCHAs” that often occur when you upgrade to Windows 10. They are simple to correct and should not deter you from upgrading:
- Windows 10 uses a new Web Browser called EDGE. It replaces Internet Explorer. However, it is still in its infancy and does not work as well as whatever browser you are used to using (Likely CHROME or Mozilla FIREFOX). The upgrade sets EDGE as the default browser. It is quite simple to reset your default browser to your preferred browser.
- The upgrade also sets your system to open PDF files in EDGE which is not recommended. You likely use Adobe PDF READER / ACROBAT to open your PDF files today. This is also a simple fix to restore that functionality.
- Certain printers will not properly survive the upgrade. You occasionally must download new printer software for your specific printer model and re-install the software. Your printer will be returned to service in just a few minutes.
The PCGUY can work with you to correct these issues quickly, usually via remote access so no visit is required. The first two issues will have to be adjust for each individual user account on your system. If you only have one user account, then the single change is enough.
Some other change to note when clicking on the start button in windows 10: are:
- There is no longer a “SHUTDOWN” or “RESTART” option immediately available. These options are now under the selection called “POWER”
- If you have multiple user accounts on your system, you click on your user name (at the top of the start menu for options to logoff the current user and select a different user. These options only exist if you have multiple user accounts on your system
- Control Panel is now called “SETTINGS”. The structure of the SETTINGS menus are quite different from the old control pane., but relatively easily navigated. Many of the old control panel functions are still available and can be easily accessed by RIGHT MOUSE clicking the start button instead of the normal LEFT MOUSE.
- Instead of ALL PROGRAMS there is now an option for ALL APPS. This shows an alphabetical list of all Programs/apps installed – the same as was in ALL PROGRAMS, however divided alphabetically.
- You can ignore all of the “tiles” on the right hand side of the start menu for now. These are the new Microsoft apps, many of which were introduced in windows 8, but never became popular. Feel free to explore them at your leisure.
The PCGUY is available to help you as you need. You may reach out to me at paul@thepcguy.co.il
Paul, the PCGUY