What Are Your "HONEST" Opinions On Windows 10?

[Rokkaholik]

I may be getting old and crotchety and maybe I don't like change... so WHAT!!!!! Or maybe I just don't have or want the time to have to re-learn an entire new OS. Maybe part of me just says "leave well-enough alone"..... I'm not sure.

 

I started with 98 and although it was boxy and had some flaws, it was ok.

 

I then had Millennium and although it was prettier, it was loaded with flaws.

 

Next I had XP and it took me all of 15 minutes to know I loved it and I'd stick with it.

 

Vista came out and I liked its looks, but hated the consistent errors and other BS, so I went back to XP.

 

Vista did a LOT of ironing on their OS and when Service Pack 1 came out, I went and tried it again and it was MUCH better, but it was too late. It had already tarnished it's own rep.

 

Windows 7 came out and it took me a while to redo all it's setting to how I wanted it too look. I HATED the pinned Taskbar BS and finally figured out there was indeed a Quick Launch HIDDEN within the OS. I've had Windows 7 ever since.

 

Windows 8 and 8.1 don't even deserve a mention, but I just wrecked that, huh?

 

 

 

 

Now Windows 10 is upon me. I tried the Beta and although I liked it better than the ones I won't mention, I still wasn't SOLD on it. I did keep it on a side machine and tinkered with it off and on, and it took forever to grow on me. It still isn't there. I did the "Upgrade" to my daughters computer and with her not having any pre-existing hesitation due to previous Microsoft blunders, she said she likes her new computer.

 

So... When I decided to rebuild my machine with the new Skylake stuff, I toyed with the idea of going FULL Windows 10. I actually got right down to the end and went to Windows 7 again. 2 weeks later, I got a hair up my ____ and decided to get a Samsung 950 Pro M2 SSD, and I found out about their Driver to make Windows 7 use the SSD and their easy Data Migration tool, so I did that. The Master Boot Record was effed up, but I could always just hit F12 and make it go to the M2 Drive and it worked fine. That took me all of 30 min to piss me off....

 

SO....... I decided to forego my crotchety disposition and was "going to" do the upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 10 and I remembered how much I hate "upgrades". So after looking on the Microsoft Upgrade To Windows 10 site, I actually found out (after "expanding" every friggin thing) that there was an option I hadn't seen before where I could make an ISO or USB install to do the FRESH install. This is much more gooder for me. The plus side was that I still have my regular Windows 7 SSD that I used before, so if anything went wonky, I could return to that,

 

I took the Corsair SSD out and unplugged the 2 storage drives just in case. Yes, I had a Windows XP install MANY years ago decide it wanted to format EVERY drive it could see. Luckily I had Externals that are backups to my Internals.

 

I did the USB FULL Install and it went without a hitch for the most part, right up until the new install starts and wants to "SET UP". This is where the crotchety disposition came back. What the HELL is with all this intuitive crap where the OS wants to be a part of EVERYTHING and share EVERYTHING?!?!? Holy Smokes the damn computer wants to be my "friend". It literally took me 2 hours to go through and find and CHANGE all these settings that seem to jump out of the screen and bombard you. I found the Quick Launch first. Then after messing with the new Microsoft "EDGE" browser, it took me all of 20 minutes to not like it and I went about looking how to get Internet Explorer back. I do use Google Chrome as a back up. For some odd reason, IE was kind of "hidden", but I finally found it. Then on to changing the folders views and pictures views, etc... Drivers for all my extras were actually really easy and haven't been an issue.

 

I'm happy to have the "Start Button" back, but still not fond of the layout once it's opened. I don't need that Tile Layout with 21389 things going on everywhere, so I had to delete all those. I'm still plugging away at getting settings where I'd like them, so it brings me to this... Why are these extras all enabled by default? It's the exact opposite, but just as bad, as the Bloatware that used to come on prebuilt PC's that the user would have to spend an hour deleting. Now you just have to go and UNDO everything that THEY thought you'd like.

 

So this crotchety 41 year old has the opinion that Windows 10 itself actually runs pretty smooth so far, but I hated having to go through all the BS to get it back to the BASICS. Believe it or not, MANY users are BASIC users and don't need all that extra stuff that bombards and intrudes on their lives. I don't want it to SYNC to my phone or TV, or need it to do my hair or cook me dinner. Somewhere in the Windows 10 SetUp, it should ask what kind of user you are and then have a few "Levels" (Basic, Entertainment, etc...) to choose from along with descriptions of what each entails and then the rest of the install can go accordingly from there.

 

I have it finally set back as close to the Windows 7 settings as I could get as of now. In time I'm sure I'll explore the new options available, but I didn't need them bombarding me all at once.

[Waco]

I upgraded day one and haven't looked back. I hated 8,8.1.

[SpikeSoprano]

I tried it for 2 weeks, it took that long to set it up the way I wanted it, had it running fine and then realized there was no way to turn off updates completely . I went back to w8.1 on my laptop ( I find Kodi runs great on it )  and w7 on our 2 other desktops and that's where I'll stay until they pry the mouse from my cold dead hands.

Edited March 24, 2016 by SpikeSoprano

[bp9801]

It took a bit to get used to how it does things compared to 7 and 8/8.1, but I've got all my machines running it. All my parents' machines, too. Just nicer than 8/8.1 ever could be, while bringing in plenty of what made 7 so great. Games and programs run just fine on it, no issues there, and it just does what I need it to do. Sure, the update method is a bit annoying, but you can get around it easy enough.

[ClayMeow]

tl;dr OP

 

I went from Win7 to Win10 in November. Only thing I don't like is the logging in (which I disabled, yet it still asks me to log in every time...go figure). But other than that, it's been great.

 

There's really no reason not to upgrade to Win10 at this point, especially if you're a PC gamer.

[RedFury77]

Old crotchety 38 year old here, and I hear ya.  The new fad having everything sync to each other and have facebook log me into other programs while google uploads my cell phone photos so I can see them anywhere ....scares the crap out of me.  I mean what if my wife opens my google photos!    It feels like everything is less and less secure in exchange for bettering the "user experience".

 

Other things I don't like with windows 10, the settings and control panel are not the same, or linked to each other.  Also, Edge is crap.  For me it has massive lag and stutters horribly while scrolling.  And the big problem I had with 10 right off the bat was that I couldn't dual boot off of the same drive.  I have to boot into xp or 7 from 1 HDD and keep 10 isolated on its own drive.  

 

Other than that 10 seems fine.  I don't really notice a difference when I switch back and forth from a 7 machine to a 10 machine anymore unless I try finding a setting somewhere.  I have a few running 10 now, but I just don't have the determination needed to upgrade my main gaming rig right now.  With the OS on a seperate ssd and reg hacks, plus multiple data drives, I know I'm in for a full clean install and reinstalling / transferring a lot of stuff.   I need a free weekend and a good drink before I start that mess.  

 

@ClayMeow

I had that same logging in issue too.  Even when you change the setting it still makes you log in.  I fixed it, and load right to the desktop now.  But I don't remember how... I'll try to figure it out and get back to you.

[That_Guy]

I love it. Had minor problems with sound after i installed a pre-release version on my wife's laptop, but when i updated my own PC to 10 i had zero problems ever since. This is a worthy successor to 7.

[phil69]

I'm a 68 year old geezer and I upgraded from 7 to 10 over a month ago. It took a while to get it running the way I wanted it to then it started to act goofy. It would freeze, shut down, and not start. I spent days trouble shooting until I went to ASUS's motherboard site and found out my MB isn't certified to run Windows 10 even if Microsoft said it would. I then applied a fix I found online. I did a clean install of Windows 7 and after a few hundred updates and blocking any updates that had anything with the number 10 in it I got my old computer back but running faster because of the clean install. My next Microsoft update will be Windows 2099.

Edited March 25, 2016 by phil69

[ir_cow]

Compared to Windows 8, Win10 is AMAZING!. For someone who hated Windows 8, at lest I could turn off 99% of the crap M$ included in Win10. Windows 7 is still the best, besides the fact that DX12 is only Windows 10, I wouldn't ever switch for Win7 until programs stopped running, so for gamers, it can make someone switch. For everything else, I see zero reason to switch.

[Braegnok]

Windows 7 will continue to be updated for some time, but it will never have all the features of Windows 10. Sticking with the older operating will leave you in a familiar environment, but it also will mean missing out on handy all-new extras that improve performance, reliability and convenience. You can be on the leading edge, and among those experiencing what's great in computing. Or you can stick with what's old, and then complain that PCs have become dull.

[Phil]

I've installed it on many machines and am getting along with it OK.

 

The good:  I'm glad to see that the trend started in Vista towards resource hog GUIs and general operation seems to be over, 10 will run fine on modest software.  With considerable tweaking and 3rd party apps it works OK for me on most machines, bugs notwithstanding.

 

The bad:  Microsoft doesn't give a shit about consumers, it's all about forcing users to do things their way and all roads lead to their store.  10 was put out half baked, and now is being stealth installed through Windows Update on machines that they have not properly designed the OS for.  There are many driver conflicts on older hardware and don't expect MS to fix them.  Their attitude is "here's a link to our store so you can buy a new computer".  There is also a huge amount of embedded spyware with all sorts of apps and processes phoning home your stats to MS.  Anyone using 10 should also use Spybot Anti Beacon to keep MS out of your business.  I hate that 10 is so focused on mobile devices and just expects desktop users to try to adapt.  Would it kill them to have installers for both types? 

 

But mostly I'm disturbed by the trend away from personal autonomy towards users being mere supplicants suckling at MS's teat.  Fewer optional things, more mandatory things, this is going in a very bad direction.    Just my 2 cents.

[Phil]

I'm a 68 year old geezer and I upgraded from 7 to 10 over a month ago. It took a while to get it running the way I wanted it to then it started to act goofy. It would freeze, shut down, and not start. I spent days trouble shooting until I went to ASUS's motherboard site and found out my MB isn't certified to run Windows 10 even if Microsoft said it would. I then applied a fix I found online. I did a clean install of Windows 7 and after a few hundred updates and blocking any updates that had anything with the number 10 in it I got my old computer back but running faster because of the clean install. My next Microsoft update will be Windows 2099.

I've seen this on several machines.  10 wants to be the single source for drivers but they aren't.  I had one older laptop freeze so bad I couldn't even open the task manager to start shutting things off.  MS even makes a tool that lets you block certain updates of drivers that you know will bugger your system.  A tool that you are supposed to know to use because they can't get their software to work right, how lame is that?

 

PS I guess I'm not the oldest Phil on OCC anymore, LOL.