How-To Geek
What’s New in Windows 10’s First Big Update (Which Arrives Today)
The first big update to Windows 10, which should be arriving today via Windows Update, fixes a lot of problems with Windows 10. Microsoft is streamlining activation, restoring colored window title bars, integrating Skype, and improving the Edge browser. But they’ve also added advertisements to the Start menu.
This release was referred to as “Threshold 2” in development — Windows 10 itself was “Threshold.” It’ll report itself as version “1511”, as it was released in the eleventh month of 2015. It’ll arrive through Windows Update – not through the Store, as Windows 8.1 did.
Editor’s Note: this article was written a few weeks ago but we’re republishing it today because the new update has just been released.
You Can Activate Windows 10 with a Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 Product Key
The Windows 10 upgrade process drags old files, settings, and programs from your previous Windows system to your new one. Microsoft... [Read Article]
Windows 10 activation has been a confusing mess. When it was originally released, Microsoft didn’t really explain how the upgrade process worked. We did the research and explained how to clean install Windows 10, which was an unnecessarily confusing process. Later, Microsoft posted documentation to its website in an attempt to explain this stuff.
Activation now works as it should have originally. When you install Windows 10, you can enter your PC’s Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 product key and it should activate properly if that PC was eligible for the upgrade.
The “digital entitlement” process — where your PC activates automatically without entering a product key — is also better explained. Under Settings > Upgrade & security > Activation, you’ll now see “Windows 10 on this device is activated with a digital entitlement” if it activated without requiring a product key.
Colored Title Bars Are Back
Colored title bars are back, so you don’t have to perform obnoxious hacks if you don’t like those standard white title bars. Just visit Settings > Personalization > Colors and ensure the the “Show color on Start, taskbar, action center, and title bar” option is enabled. The color you choose here will be used for your title bars.
The Start Menu Includes App Advertisements
The Start Menu is a staple of the Windows experience and should be streamlined, efficient, and unmolested by the greater... [Read Article]
The Start menu will now show you “occasional suggestions” recommending apps you should install when you open it. It’s just another feature that makes the Start menu noisy for Windows 10 users. But, like the app advertisements in Microsoft Edge, this feature encourages Windows 10 users to install and use more apps from the Store. Microsoft really wants that to happen.
You can disable these ads, if you like. Visit Settings > Personalization > Start and disable the “Occasionally show suggestions in Start” option.
Windows Can Natively Track Your Lost PC
Windows 10 now includes a “Find My Device” option under Settings > Update & security. This means Windows 10 finally has built-in tracking, so you can track your laptop or tablet if you lose it via GPS and location services — without using a third-party application like Prey. You can also tell Windows 10 to periodically send your device’s location to Microsoft’s servers, allowing you to view its last known location if you ever lose it.
Edge Gains Browser Sync and Tab Previews
Windows 10 includes Microsoft Edge, which replaces Internet Explorer as the default browser. Edge’s interface has been rewritten from scratch,... [Read Article]
Microsoft Edge was updated to a new version, and it features support for new HTML5, CSS3, and ECMAScript features in its engine. The big two user-facing features are tab previews — just mouse over a tab in the titlebar — and syncing of your favorites and reading list across all your Windows 10 devices.
Microsoft Edge won’t be receiving browser extensions yet, however — those have been delayed. And, interestingly enough, Microsoft isn’t updating Edge via the Store as originally promised. Edge updates seem to be held back for major new versions of Windows 10, unlike Windows 10’s other included apps, which are updated more regularly.
Skype (and Sway) Are Integrated
Windows 10 Fall Update includes a few new apps. The big three are Skype Video, Messaging, and Phone. These three apps all use Skype’s service — for video calls, text chat, and audio calls — replacing the big Skype “Metro” app offered for Windows 8.
These simplified apps are designed to integrate Skype with Windows 10, although the standard Skype for desktop app is still available.
Windows 10 also includes Sway, an Office-style app Microsoft describes as a way to “create and share interactive reports, presentations, personal stories, and more.”
There’s Good News For Devices With Low Storage
If you know you’re going to be using your PC in a location without an Internet connection, and you need... [Read Article]
The feature that lets you install Windows 10 apps to another drive — for example, an SD card on a tablet or laptop with a small amount of storage — has been re-enabled. You’ll find it at Settings > System > Storage.
You can also choose where Windows 10 stores its offline maps at Settings > System > Offline maps. This helps if you have a device with a small amount of storage and want to store them on an SD card, for example.
The Start Menu and Context Menus Are More Polished
The Start menu was also improved. You can have more than 512 apps installed — the Start menu now supports up to 2048 “tiles,” or apps. If you have more than 512 shortcuts, the Start menu will be able to find and display your installed apps again.
Windows 10 apps and tiles can now have jumplists, and you can show more tiles on the Start menu. Windows 10’s odd mixture of context menu styles have been improved, and they’re more consistent — on the Start menu and on the rest of the desktop.
Windows 8 Fans Will Appreciate Some Touch Improvements
A few tablet mode features work more like they did on Windows 8. When you’re in Task View, you can now drag an application’s thumbnail to the bottom of the screen to close it — just like on Windows 8.
You can also enable the “When I resize a snapped window, simultaneously resize any adjacent snapped window” feature under Settings > System > Multitasking. If you do, you can touch (or click) and drag the handle between two side-by-side apps and it will resize both of them at once, just like resizing two Metro apps did on Windows 8.
Cortana is Better
Cortana is one of Windows 10’s most visible new features. Microsoft’s virtual assistant makes the leap from Windows Phone to the... [Read Article]
Cortana no longer requires a Microsoft account, so you can use Cortana even if you’re logged into your PC with a local user account. Cortana can also understand inked notes, track movies and other ticketed events, warn you when you miss a phone call, and sync your messaging and call history. Cortana can also power itself down when it knows you’re not using your computer.
Windows Will Manage Your Default Printer For You
By default, Windows will manage your default printer for you. Whenever you print to a printer, that printer will be marked as your default printer. You can disable this by going to Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners and disabling the “Let Windows manage my default printer” option.
The Windows 10 Background on the Login Screen Is Now Optional
Windows 10 allows you to change the lock screen background, but the login screen background always features the default Windows 10... [Read Article]
Windows 10 no longer forces you to edit your registry if you want to use a plain-color background instead of the Windows 10 “hero image” as a background on your sign-in screen.
Just head to Settings > Personalization > Lock screen and disable the “Show Windows background picture on the sign-in screen” option if you’d rather use a plain-color background. You still have to use hacks if you want a custom background image, however.
These are just a few of the bigger changes you’ll notice. Windows 10 Fall Update also features new icons, other visual tweaks, and under-the-hood improvements, including ones to memory management.
The more I see and read about Windows 10 the less I see it being used in a business environment. Specially something like Banking or Health related businesses.
I agree to that except that these reviews are covering the consumer version of Windows 10 (Think Home Edition).
I have been testing the Enterprise edition and it allows for much more control over the features of Windows 10. The Consumer version does not allow you to turn off automatic updates, while the Enterprise version allows me to control what updates to apply and when to do so. I also have control over the update sharing feature to allow only on my network or to get them only from Microsoft servers. There is more but too much to cover in a post.
Cheers,
This one thing is probably the best change they could have made. This will save a lot of people a lot of headaches.
Also, while it may seem like a small thing, I appreciate the colored title bar. It makes it much easier to see which window has the focus when you have a lot of stuff open at once.
I'd rather Microsoft give me the opportunity to downgrade to windows 7 from 8.1 than give me a OS that is full of crap I didn't want in the first place. I don't want or need their apps, Cortana or Big Brother watching me.
Have they fixed the problem with the touchpad on Acer laptops? I got so annoyed with mine I loaded Ubuntu onto it as the default OS! (And now I can play Solitaire and Minesweeper again, just like back in Windows 3.1..![:smile:]( ":smile:")
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Totally agree with @Gordon_Class, on everything. In addition, seeing the ads on MY computer infuriated me.
Please please will they make SafeMode work from Boot/F8 once again (as in F8 actually works everytime you use it).Currently its such a mess. They increased the number of ways you can activate it while the PC is working fine. But when its crufted and in a boot loop or BSOD due to driver fail its bloody frustrating. No I don't want to do a refresh...I just built the damn thing and the last update screwed it all up!
I don't care if they add another second or two to Fastboot as long as we can repair the things when they get corrupted. Which currently with 8.1 and 10 seems to be quite often for Joe Average.
I completely agree. I just wish they would decouple the coloring of title bars from the coloring of Start, the task bar and the Action Center. I like colored title bars but prefer the others as the dark gray/black.I will think about Cortana, now that it doesn't need a Microsoft account, but I'll probably end up still not using it.
Enterprise version only allows you to disable the features indefinitely (postpone) though, right? Also, I don't think there's a legal way to get Enterprise edition onto a home computer if you're not involved in a business (correct me if I'm wrong).
Get or use Enterprise edition*
The white title bars made me hate Windows 10. Such a completely terrible decision - I mean, how do you tell which window has focus?
And the activation process was pretty stupid. Glad to see they are changing it. They need to just admit that they won't be charging end-users for Windows from now on.
Yes, you have to be a business to purchase Enterprise. Not sure of the pricing, but I'd guess a volume license would be at least a few hundred or thousand dollars for a business or other large organization, as it's expected to be installed in more than a handful of computers. IOW getting this version is pointless if Win10 is installed in only a small number of machines (perhaps if you have thirty or less people in your business). Most small businesses run the Pro version for the client PC's, and perhaps the Server edition for a server if needed.
I spent the first hour or so w/ my brand new win10 computer back on October 3, coming here & learning how to make those title bars anything but white. It really IS a big deal if you sit at a computer all day and your eyes sucked long before there were PCs. I simply couldn't see the top of the windows & it took several passes to move the darned things. I doubt I could express how much I hated those white title bars.
Question: Have they taught Cortana to JUST search windows documentation & apps yet? I find that unless I already know the exact phrase (some have changed since 7) she goes to the web to find answers to, everything - but esp my windows-related questions. It's irritating, given they've "hidden" so many renamed features and options. Beyond even that, she then searches my own docs, spreadsheets, picture titles, whatever -- I mean, "create restore point" took me hours and she has yet to actually help me be produuctive. I find nothing more irritating than asking the three fake women in my life (Siri, Cortana & Alexa - from Amazon) questions they should have a ready answer to & getting a web search back. (I have learned that at least Apple programmed an answer to "FU, Siri" - which lightened my mood considerably.) Maybe I shouldn't get so worked up about it, but man, when you're learning a new system, some documentation is not a bad idea. Fine if it's web-based, but don't make me google every question & read articles to find basic functions. (I'm one of those people who expects to use my computer as a work horse, for it to be dependable, work & have help available, and not take hours to find said help for obvious topics.) It was like having nothing but a browser & I've never needed help to google. How about just showing me the control panel or whatever we're supposed to call it now? Meanwhile, I was constantly reminded to sign in to Skype, use the Facebook App, try out Twitter... I honestly think perhaps they've concluded everyone using pro or home editions just wants a massive, desk-based phone, which is how it feels at times. There are good things that I appreciate, but I'd never have known about them if sites like this one & a few others didn't exist. Finally, I blame computer manufacturers partly. Many of us said stop sending us giant books with pages devoted to the power cord, but nobody said "oh, and take away all the help options too." In my little bit of experience w/ HP, Dell & Acer on 10, none of them had a clue if there actually was an issue. All of them offered to come pick up my computer & "fix" it. None of them needed fixes, they needed a user who knew how to use the OS. Luckily, I found this site pretty fast & haven't left. It is literally the only place I've found reliable answers to practical "I need to USE this computer" questions. Even Microsoft tech support is not helpful in so many of these newly integrated areas. Also, +1 on keep the start menu sacred. I'm too ignorant to know if that's a security issue. Having the web constantly flickering around on so many desktops 100% of the time seems, um, risky - but I honestly have no clue.
ETA: Maybe I just should use Cortana as a new GREP?
Hmmmm...I like Win10, and Microsoft isn't spying on me, I don't use Cortana, I don't use "apps" (I prefer applications of various kinds), and I don't use tiles. Didn't know there was anything besides those things there, eh?...![:smiley:]( ":smiley:")
The minimum for volume licensing is 5 products, and while I'm not sure exactly what the licensing cost is, I seem to recall that it's around $200 per PC with software assurance. (That's what gets you ongoing tech support and free upgrades and downgrades.)
The 5 products don't even have to be the same title, so buying three copies of Windows and two copies of Office can qualify a small business for volume licensing.
I like Windows 10. After turning off the stuff that gets sent to MS and uninstalling some of the apps I am more comfortable with it.
As others have said, and I am in agreement, the ability to change the title bar color will be a boon.
I don't use Cortana, but might in the future since it appears MS is making some refinements to it.
The default printer management is not something I'll use. I have two printers, one of which I keep as the default, so I'll likely turn this option off. It might be nice to have for some, though.
I do wish Edge would allow extension, such as LastPass. The new tab view sounds cool.
I do like what they're doing with the start menu and the windows snap feature.
So, all in all, it appears MS is listening to us users, but the new Windows looks to be an ongoing 'work in progress'.
Lots of still I like but
Still no app market for DESKTOP?
Microsoft, FAILED again.Why did you abandon thousands of developers who made real software for Windows and not provide them with a place to present and sell them like you do with Metro Apps? Where is AutoDesk and Adobe and all others being presented for desktop software? How come to this date you have not bought download.com and softpedia.com and clean up the virus and add ons and built a Desktop software market? What are you guys doing up there in the rain? Shut the window (the metro) and think!
Expand the Control Panel to tons more items and bring them all in one window instead of tens of windows popping open when I want to change something in the printer driver or LAN or Wifi driver section.
Think carefully and fix all the tens of issues with multi screen systems.
Hire everyone at howtoogeek and sevenforums and make them the head of Windows development. They know whats wrong with Windows.
At least you brought the windows back to Windows.
Windows needs to be a TOOL to help people do what PEOPLE want to do. Windows shouldn't be a PRESENTATION market for Microsoft to sell stuff.
Hey how about completely locking up Windows like Android and iOS so users have to root to do anything serious. Then you will be completely out of business.
Yes, I am ranting because another product of yours turned into a POS (Office) and I have to deal with it daily. The FILE menu for example, completely flashes into a different application covering everything in the screen. Thats just one.
O and why don't the "metro apps" have the same exact access to the hard drive as normal software does? Where is the browse? What happened to the save looking into the drives now we have a weird menu instead?
The whole point of the app model is to sandbox the apps for both portability and security. This allows for improved security as well as the ability to port apps across platforms with zero code changes.
If an app had access to the whole file system, then a badly behaved app could implant viruses and worms on your system - pretty much the thing apps are not supposed to do.
And limitng access to the file system also makes it easier to run the same app across different platforms: one app can run on an XBox, a Hololens, a Raspberry Pi, a smartphone, a small tablet, and a desktop PC - all without changing a single line of code. Visualizing and compartmentalizing storage is part of that, since you don't know exactly what the file system structure is going to look like on different devices, or whether a device even has a recognizable file system.
good reply tom now the App madness makes sense to me
I still cant get the new update from 10547 to • th2_release Professional 10565 to install on my Pc. all updates to the OS for the past 8 months i have been an "Insider" was been spot on. still no answers from MS or any tech forums, tried all the suggestions from the ten forums and win 10 forums to no avail. it wasn't meant to be, ill wait until the next round of updates, this so call version 1511 and try again : =...cheers
What about 'Save as' in Edge?
I get it. Eventually, one won't even have the option to download and install apps outside the Windows ecosystem and all personal files should be in the cloud. Well, I don't want my work PC to be a 'black box'. It isn't like a game console or a phone. I use a lot of programs not available in the store. It is not online everytime. I need the capability of playing several video and audio formats (codecs). I want to have total control of where I place, copy, move, save or download files, apps or programs. I don't want leftovers that take up space. I have several volumes and drives. I name and organize files BEFORE downloading or saving them. I want to use local storage instead of the cloud if it fits me. I want to be a Power User, not a dummy. Edge doesn't even ask permission to download a file. It saves it to the default download location automatically. I know Chrome and Firefox work that way but one can change that behavior. For clarification, my rant isn't against you, wilsontp, it is against MS.
If I understand it correctly, they will continue to charge the average consumer by incorporating the cost of the OEM license into the price of the hardware. If I buy or build a new PC without Windows, I'm pretty sure I can't move my current "free" license to it as it was an upgrade from 8.1 that came installed on my current laptop.
This raises an interesting issue - would Joe Consumer be better off buying a Windows 10 license rather than paying an unknown hidden cost every few years when he upgrades his hardware?
HowtoGeek, I think you should make it clear that this article is talking about a Preview Release of Windows 10. The 'Threshold 2' (TH2) release is ONLY available to those of us who are still enrolled in the Windows Insider program. You don't anywhere in the article make this fact clear. I'm sure a lot of people will be going away from reading this article wondering why they don't yet have this 'new version', and how can they get it!
I have to say that I'm in full agreement with those who have praised the re-introduction of colour to the title bars. It makes it so much easier to distinguish between open windows, especially the active one. Now all we need is the ability to choose a separate colour for the title bars from that of the Start Menu, Taskbar and Notification area.
Using Windows 10 Pro I have no problems avoiding using the cloud services, I also have multiple drives and like to organise everything "my way"! It's no more difficult to do this in Windows 10 than it was in any previous version since Win XP. In fact it far easier to move the User Files & Folders to another location in Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7, & Vista, than it ever was in Windows XP.
While Windows 10 does seem to be very much a work in progress, it is definitely a huge improvement over 8/8.1 for those of us who are wedded to a keyboard and mouse.![:smile:]( ":smile:")
JontyRP.
The very first line says that it isn't out yet.
HTG, do you know how large, approximately, the download is, and if it will be released on the regular 'Patch Tuesday' in November?
Thanks.
Not sure about all of that, there's still a lot up in the air at this point. One would assume it will come through Windows Update though.
Not really.Microsoft actually started with only being able to get Universal Apps via the Windows Store in Windows 8.In Windows 10 Microsoft actually changed it so you can get Universal Apps outside of the Windows Store if you turn on sideloading like on Android.
It's a little weird that Microsoft figured out that people wanted the freedom to do things like install apps from any source they want but then decided for Windows Updates to give no options to control when it downloads and what it installs.
You can't activate a clean install of 10 using the windows 8 BIOS embedded activation key, I tried it, and called the 855 number and it isn't possible
I went through this. I chatted with a Microsoft tech and he activated my clean install:
See: http://www.howtogeek.com/226510/how-to-use-your-free-windows-10-license-after-changing-your-pc%e2%80%99s-hardware/
Rumour has it that the new release, due in November, will allow Win 10 to be activated with a Win 7 or 8 product key. ...