Windows 10 – Should I Upgrade?
With Windows 10 being available for almost 6 months, most of us currently running Windows 7 or Windows 8 (8.1), are being asked on a regular basis if we want to upgrade to Windows 10. The experience I have gained from a number of my customers asking for my help is that while a new PC with Windows 10 works fine, the upgrade path was often not smooth.
What do I mean by often? At least 50% of my customers who have tried upgrading have had significant difficulties using their system after the upgrade. Luckily, Microsoft has added a “return to your previous version of Windows” option which may be used within 30 days of processing the upgrade. This option works well and returns your computer to its previous version of windows.
Now that Microsoft has released an update to Windows 10 (available through Windows Update as well as through the upgrade path), it seems most of the problems have been resolved. This won’t guarantee 100% a flawless upgrade but your chances are much better. There will still be the option to restore to your previous windows if there is a problem.
Now let’s back up a bit. First of all – what does Windows 10 do for us? There are a number of improvements in Windows 10, especially if you have been using windows 8 or 8.1. The start menu has returned – albeit with a few changes. If you liked the APPS (those pesky tiles that made your PC look like a tablet or a smartphone and seemed to only work well with a touch screen), they are still available but now, from the start menu. They can also run in “windows” instead of requiring the entire screen, so you can run a combination of regular PC programs and APPS at the same time.
Most of the other improvements are under the covers, meaning the underlying technology for windows has gotten better and more stable as well as it is a platform for future upgrades to windows that Microsoft will be making over the next years.
There are other tips and tricks that I will share in future blog posts so stay tuned.
Paul, the PCGUY
