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Windows 10: The next chapter

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Genuine Windows and Windows 10

Genuine Windows and Windows 10
May 15, 2015 by Terry Myerson

This week we shared more details about Windows 10 “editions.” Today, I thought I would provide answers to some questions we’ve received regarding how this will work for Genuine vs. Non-Genuine Windows.

With Windows 10, we have extended an offer to our Genuine Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 customers to upgrade to Windows 10 for free. Once a customer upgrades, they will continue to receive ongoing Windows innovation and security updates for free, for the supported lifetime of that device.

These customers purchased their Genuine Windows license from our valued OEM partners, which ensures Windows is properly installed, licensed, and not tampered with. Windows 10 offers our customers an even more secure and modern experience. Bringing all of our customers to Windows 10 improves the ecosystem for developers which makes Windows better for all of our customers. We are working hard to make the in-place upgrade experience from Windows 7 or Windows 8, to Windows 10, seamless for the customer. Throughout the Windows world, I am humbled by the excitement being associated with this opportunity to upgrade to Windows 10.

When we can’t verify that Windows is properly installed, licensed, and not tampered with, we create a desktop watermark to notify the user. If you ever encounter this watermark on a new machine, I encourage you to return the device immediately to the retailer from whom you purchased it and request a Genuine Windows device. Non-Genuine Windows has a high risk of malware, fraud, public exposure of your personal information, and a higher risk for poor performance or feature malfunctions. Non-Genuine Windows is not supported by Microsoft or a trusted partner.

Microsoft and our OEM partners know that many consumers are unwitting victims of piracy, and with Windows 10, we would like all of our customers to move forward with us together. While our free offer to upgrade to Windows 10 will not apply to Non-Genuine Windows devices, and as we’ve always done, we will continue to offer Windows 10 to customers running devices in a Non-Genuine state. In addition, in partnership with some of our valued OEM partners, we are planning very attractive Windows 10 upgrade offers for their customers running one of their older devices in a Non-Genuine state. Please stay tuned to learn more from our partners on the specifics of their offers.

Windows 10 is still in development and we won’t be able to answer all questions yet, but I hope this provides some clarification on important topics. If you’d like to help shape the future of Windows and contribute to Windows 10, please join the Windows Insider Program, where you can download technical previews of Windows 10 and provide us valuable feedback.

Thank you for your support of Windows and our Windows partners by choosing genuine Windows 10.

Terry



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I have eight COAs for Windows 7 Professional (full version) which means I can move it to another computer and another as I upgrade to better systems or break one. Now will that Windows 10 upgrade be just as portable or is it the equivalent of an OEM version forever married to the motherboard it was installed on?
 
Well if your license is full, that should translate into a full 10 license too.
It wouldn't make sense to take a step down.

One thing I feel they are serious about is that the initial free period will really end.

When Windows 8 first came out, they were practically giving away the retail version at Office Max where I bought mine. And then fairly quickly the promo period ended and that was it. So I would get those Windows 10 licenses while you can, the free switch will not last more than the initial year.
 
The only way we'll know if it's the full version is to have a COA, full install media and be able to move the installation to another computer.
 
If you have an ISO you can put it on a USB drive with a program. Or do you mean to buy a pre-made USB key?
 
With USBs being cheap and easily available, it'll be just a matter of running a Microsoft provided program to directly convert the downloaded .iso to a bootable USB, just like we can with Windows 7/8.

What you are asking for has in effect been available since Windows 7: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/windows-usb-dvd-download-tool

Rufus is very easy way to create a bootable usb drive for an os install, https://rufus.akeo.ie/ It is my go to program, it works with Windows and Linux .isos.
 
Yes, official Microsoft's solution or third party programs work great, but it's interesting they all only work on Vista/7/8 and I'm sure future Windows 10.
So on that topic, I think it's interesting that only one program I ever came across was able to create a Windows XP bootable USB for me.
Any one know of different ones?
http://wintoflash.com/download/en/
 
If you have an ISO you can put it on a USB drive with a program. Or do you mean to buy a pre-made USB key?
Thinking of Out-of-the-Box on that thought. 10-15 years ago I received a catalogue/data set from a vendor on a 250MB USB at a trade show; still have it, still use it (the stick that is). Anymore it seems like another good way to sell/deliver software. I've got some versions of Winderz on a stick that I burned myself. Open source too.
 
Windows 10 Build 10122 Imminent

Windows 10 Build 10122 Imminent


Microsoft is going to release a new Windows 10 Build this week to fast ring users. Gabriel Aul from Windows team today tweeted that there is an known issue related to AMD Graphics drivers in this build, but they are planning to release it to the public based on the feedback they got from the users.

He also revealed that the upcoming Windows 10 Build 10122 will feature many improvements and pretty buttery goodness.



10122.png



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if you dont want to see the interface ever change buy a mac ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
 
Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 10122 for PCs

Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 10122 for PCs
May 20, 2015 by Gabe Aul


Hi Everyone,

Today we have a new build for PCs going out to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring – Build 10122. I usually start these posts with the fun stuff at the top but want to call out our only big known Issue here right away – if you’re using an AMD GPU you’re likely to run into frequent crashes in Microsoft Edge (still branded as “Project Spartan” in this build.) If you want to avoid that, simply go to Settings > Update & security > Windows Update > Advanced and change to the Slow ring to sit this one out. We’re working with our partners at AMD on new drivers which should prevent the issue and will update this post once they’re released.

Other than that issue I think you’ll see that this build is a bit more stable and polished than the last one, which is to be expected as we begin to stabilize for the public release this summer. From here on out you’ll see fewer big feature changes from build to build, and more tuning, tweaking, stabilizing, and polishing. The Insider Previews continue to be aimed at very technical people who want to play with pre-released code, but I think you’ll feel more and more comfortable using this build and future builds on your day to day systems.

Here is what’s new in this build

Start and Continuum improvements: This build introduces some of the changes that were shown off by Joe at Build and Ignite a few weeks ago for both Start and Continuum. We’ve further refined the visual layout of Start by moving File Explorer and Settings to the bottom left of Start next to Power and All Apps for better symmetry. We have also updated the context menu when you right-click on items on Start. In addition, the ability to toggle between Start menu and Start screen has been moved to the new Start settings page under Personalization settings. We did this because on a vast set of devices like desktops, laptops or All–n-Ones, we expect users will pick the appropriate size (or just go with the default) for Start and stick with that – which makes having this button being present all the time unnecessary. Removing it also saw that this button was creating confusion for users where many thought that is how they got to Tablet mode when all it did was resize Start. Moving the toggle to Start settings not only helps us remove this confusion, it also gave us the ability to further reduce the top chrome of Start to make it a bit sleeker. And remember for people on 2:1’s or tablets, Windows 10 will automatically resize Start to the appropriate size when you are in Tablet mode. You can enable the full screen start without being in Tablet mode by going to Settings > Personalization > Start.

Speaking of Tablet mode, we also continue to improve Continuum. When you switch to Tablet mode, the left-hand pane is now collapsed and can be brought back out by clicking the icon at the top left. Start also now has larger tiles to better use the available space– similar to what was seen in Windows 8.1.

We’ll continue to tune these experiences and you’ll see changes in future flights. Let us know what you think about what you see in this build to inform us as we do that work.

Microsoft Edge: This build has the New Tab Page for Microsoft Edge that Joe showed off in April at Build. This page features a revamped layout, including top sites, featured apps and content from MSN. It’s designed to get you to your next destination on the web as quickly as possible. The content of the page can be lightly customized in Settings. We’re still testing several different versions of the New Tab Page to learn more about how users interact with Microsoft Edge, and we have set it as the current default homepage to get as much data and feedback as possible – so let us know what you think. We’ve also added a few other things to Microsoft Edge including InPrivate mode, the ability to pin websites to Start, history view, a new animated Reading View icon, and an audio indicator on tabs that have web pages making sounds or playing music. This build also includes the latest enhancements to the Chakra engine in Microsoft Edge, which now leads all 64-bit browsers in both Google’s Octane 2.0 benchmark and Apple’s Jet Stream benchmark, and introduces class-leading ECMAScript 6 implementation. You can read about these improvements in detail on the Microsoft Edge Dev Blog.

Changes to how Windows 10 handles default apps: ‘Default apps’ refers to the way that Windows maps file types and protocols (like HTTP) to the Windows applications they open by default. For example, your favorite photo editor may be set as the default app for .JPG files, which means that when you double-click on a .JPG file in File Explorer, it opens in that photo editor. In Windows 8.1, Classic Windows applications (Win32) could invoke the prompt asking you to change your defaults, so you may have seen multiple prompts during install and after they launched. However, Windows Store apps could not invoke this prompt. Instead, a notification banner will appear after your apps are installed telling you that new apps are available and you would click on this banner to change your defaults.

We know your defaults matter to you. With Windows 10, all apps – both Classic Windows apps and Universal Windows apps – will be unable to invoke a prompt to change your defaults, only Windows. You remain in full control of your default experiences, while reducing some of the unwanted noise that multiple prompts can bring.



For example – if you install a new photo editor and go into File Explorer and double-click to open a JPG file – Windows will show you a prompt to change your default to the new app. So the prompt is shown in context when it matters, not randomly during setup or when an app is launched.

We have had to do some compatibility work for Classic Windows apps and you might see a new dialog box appear in the places where Classic Windows apps previously asked you to set your default:


Over time, as apps are updated to align with the new Windows 10 model for defaults, you shouldn’t see this dialog any more.

And finally – for people who upgrade from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, we’ll give you an opportunity to upgrade your defaults during initial set up to new Universal Windows apps that come as part of Windows 10.

Redesigned Insider Hub:
The Insider Hub has gotten an overhaul in this build using a lot of the same design as the other Universal Windows apps included in Windows 10. Check out the clean new homepage where Quests are shown front and center. You can navigate to different content easily through menu and top left, your profile page can be seen at a glance, and announcement and alerts are succinctly organized. You can also easily find known issues, which was a top request from Insiders, and view new badges for achievements that you have earned and can earn.

Here are some issues we have fixed

*We have fixed the visual glitch (“rectangle slivers”) that appears on Live Tiles on the Start menu with the new tile animation. In general, performance of the Start menu should be better in this build.
*We believe we have fixed a lot of the crashes with Microsoft Edge (Project Spartan) reported by Windows Insiders.
*Developers – when you go to Settings > Update & Security > For developers – it no longer crashes the Settings app.
*We fixed the issue some people were seeing where their graphics driver fails to install from Windows Update with error code 80070103. This was happening because WU was trying to re-issue the driver.
*You should now be able to edit the IPv4 properties of an Ethernet adapter on your PC.
*We have fixed issues where fonts would render blurry on High DPI displays. We’re cooking up a blog post we plan to publish shortly that talks a little more in depth about our investment with High DPI in Windows 10 so watch for it.
*We have fixed some keyboard shortcuts in Microsoft Edge. Control + L or Alt + D shortcuts now got to the URL bar more reliably.

Here are some known issues for this build

*See my note above regarding the issue on PCs with AMD GPUs and frequent crashes in Microsoft Edge.
*Upgrading to this build on certain PCs may fail and roll back to the previously installed build with error 0x80070057 – 0x20007. This is a bug where too many device INFs are being migrated and hitting an internal limit. Possible workaround is to use Disk Cleanup to clean up system files and choose Device driver packages, Previous Windows installations and Temporary Windows installation files. You may also need to remove unnecessary peripherals and remove them from Device Manager and trying the upgrade again.
*In this build there is a bug that may cause issues with Cortana speech. If you are experiencing problems with speech recognition, or are getting errors when trying to speak to Cortana, please visit this thread on the Windows Insider Program forum for assistance in recovering from this bug.

With this build we continue to move Windows 10 closer to our public release date this summer, and you’ll see changes large and small which were based on the input and feedback of Windows Insiders. It’s been wonderful for us to see the energy and passion of the millions of people who signed up to get Insider Preview builds, send us their feedback, and connect with us in the Windows Insider Program forum and on Twitter.

Thank you all.

g



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New driver from AMD...

Apparently AMD has released a new driver to address the frequent crashes in Microsoft Edge when running Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 10122. Noted here


No reason not to check out the "buttery goodness" for yourselves now. :thup:


With the release of a new AMD graphics driver for the latest build of Windows 10, we will likely see build 10122 released to the slow ring early next week...



Edit (5/28/2015): Or maybe not :shrug: lol
 
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Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 10130

Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 10130 for PCs
May 29, 2015 by Gabe Aul

Hi everyone,

We have a new build for PCs releasing today to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring – Build 10130. As I mentioned with the last build, from here onward you are going to see a lot of tuning, tweaking, stabilizing, and polishing which means fewer big feature changes from build to build. You’ll see that in this build which has a number of small improvements and more polish. For example – you will see some new icons (check out File Explorer) as well as many subtle changes to the UX. We heard a lot feedback around icons in Windows 10 and think these new ones are a bit more refined. Let us know what you think. We’ve also added new Taskbar animations for actions like moving files, downloads, etc. and more improvements to Start. And we also heard a lot of feedback around the border around Action Center – which is now gone in this build and looks much nicer.

We are still doing a lot of work so of course you should expect to see some bugs as well, but we’re making good progress working through bugs as we progress towards our public release this summer.

...

Known issues in this build

*Mail app may crash due to a memory error, and may not synch mail when in the background. We plan to service this issue with an update via Windows Update.
*In some cases, flyouts from the Taskbar (including Start, Cortana, Network, Battery, and Action Center) fail to fly out. This is a transient issue, and after retrying a few times it will succeed. We are also working to service this issue with an update.
*Wi-Fi connectivity may fail at times due to a known issue. A system reboot is required to recover from this state.


We won’t be pushing Build 10122 to the Slow ring due to a bug impacting upgrades from Windows 7 and Windows 8.1. Since the Slow ring build is what new people joining the Windows Insider Program for the first time will get, this unfortunately blocks us from choosing this build for Slow. If Build 10130 looks good in the Fast ring, we will look at pushing it to the Slow ring and releasing ISOs.



More (lots) info: Here
 
Phone Companion App for Windows 10

Published on 26 May 2015

Learn about the new Phone Companion app. Built-in to Windows 10, Phone Companion will help you connect your Windows PC to whatever phone you own– whether it’s a Windows phone, Android phone, or iPhone. Access your files, content and even Cortana from your PC or phone.



 
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