OSes Windows 10: Free upgrade for Win 7 & 8 users

I went from Windows 7 which I really liked to Windows 10. I heard so much bad stuff about Windows 8 that I decided to just wait.

What was the bad stuff you heard about Windows 8?

Just curious. And I am thinking of buying a second laptop. I would like to get one with a DVD/CD drive, and the only ones I've seen online run Windows 8.1. A guy I know who was running Win 8/8.1 "upgraded" to Windows 10 and "lost" his DVD/CD drive. He said there was some kind of "fix" for this for $25, but I didn't get the details, except he regretted doing the "upgrade."

BTW, my current laptop runs Windows 7.
 
What was the bad stuff you heard about Windows 8?

Just curious. And I am thinking of buying a second laptop. I would like to get one with a DVD/CD drive, and the only ones I've seen online run Windows 8.1. A guy I know who was running Win 8/8.1 "upgraded" to Windows 10 and "lost" his DVD/CD drive. He said there was some kind of "fix" for this for $25, but I didn't get the details, except he regretted doing the "upgrade."

BTW, my current laptop runs Windows 7.
"Windows 8 is a powerful operating system, but it's also perplexing to new users. The built-in tutorial is very brief, amounting to a few instructions on how to perform some basic actions with a mouse or finger. If you want to engage snap mode or scroll through apps running in the background, good luck figuring them out without someone holding your hand. Even finding the restart button is a little challenging. It all amounts to a pretty steep learning curve, even for longtime Windows users.

And in the end, what's the benefit? For all of the hype from Microsoft on launch day, there are scant few Windows 8 apps. The limited selection is holding back some of the OS's potentially groundbreaking features — such as the hard-wired Share button — since they're only as powerful as the apps on board the device.

SEE ALSO: Windows 8 Is Bold and Powerful [REVIEW]

Moreover, for what people tend to use PCs for — which is to say, productivity-skewed tasks such as document creation, task management and email — Windows 7 suits them fine. The big thing Windows 8 adds to the equation is "consumption" activities because now the same device can be your PC and your tablet.

However, tablets have gotten so cheap that it's hard to make a case that spending $500+ on a new Windows 8 machine is better than just keeping what you have and spending $200 on a cheap tablet. That goes double when the cheap tablet in question has hundreds of thousands more apps. Throw in an unfamiliar user interface, and you're basically telling people to please leave the Microsoft Store."
The Problem With Windows 8
 
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What was the bad stuff you heard about Windows 8?

Just curious. And I am thinking of buying a second laptop. I would like to get one with a DVD/CD drive, and the only ones I've seen online run Windows 8.1. A guy I know who was running Win 8/8.1 "upgraded" to Windows 10 and "lost" his DVD/CD drive. He said there was some kind of "fix" for this for $25, but I didn't get the details, except he regretted doing the "upgrade."

BTW, my current laptop runs Windows 7.

It's not that Windows 8 is/was bad it was just too much change at once. In fact I would go as far as to say that Windows 8 is a total departure from what legacy desktop users know Windows to be. There's a much bigger learning curb going from Windows 7 to Windows 8 than there is going from Windows 7 to Windows 10. Windows 10 should still feel familiar to Windows 7 users, unlike Windows 8.
 
What was the bad stuff you heard about Windows 8?

Just curious. And I am thinking of buying a second laptop. I would like to get one with a DVD/CD drive, and the only ones I've seen online run Windows 8.1. A guy I know who was running Win 8/8.1 "upgraded" to Windows 10 and "lost" his DVD/CD drive. He said there was some kind of "fix" for this for $25, but I didn't get the details, except he regretted doing the "upgrade."

BTW, my current laptop runs Windows 7.

What the others have said. Just too much change for most users to adapt to.
 
I actually have to sing some praise to beancounter. Anyone feeling overwhelmed by either Windows 8.x or Windows 10 should follow his advice and get Start10 by Stardock.
 
Two books I would recommend to anyone starting a new version of Windows.

The first is David Pogue's Windows [X]: The Missing Manual. He has a book in this series for Win 7, Win 8, and Win 10. The only thing about them is that they are massive. The Win 7 "Manual" is over 850 pages of text, not counting the index. And it is fairly expensive, like, $35 for softcover. But he explains everything clearly and comprehensively.

The second (which gets a much weaker recommendation, but still positive overall) is Learning Windows [X] Visually. Chock full of illustrations, it is a good way to learn new stuff because you can literally see many examples. But it is far less comprehensive than Pogue, and poorly explains some of the more complicated features of Windows.
 
I think if we want/need to use technology, we have to be prepared for some change once in a while. This is becoming even more so the truth the more technology advances, because it's advancing at a faster pace all the time.

Not to say that we need to jump on the next new thing right away, but eventually, we need to bite the bullet. I think it's ok to skip a version once in a while... I wish I would have skipped Vista, and I skipped 8. In my opinion, Microsoft should at least always fully support one version behind the current one.

Myself, I hated 8 at first because of the tiled interface. To me, (and lots of others I'm sure) this was an interface for a tablet or phone, not a laptop or desktop PC. I realised that you could still use 8 without using the tiled interface, but it sometimes came up accidentally, and I HATED when that happened.

10 fixed that, so I made the jump from 7 to 10. The interface is quite different, I agree, and there are inconsistencies (context menus, anyone?), but it's a way more workable version than 8. I can and do use it a lot like I used 7.

One problem I am having with 10 though, is that I seem to not be able to update it to a newer build. I am stuck on build 10240.
 
I think if we want/need to use technology, we have to be prepared for some change once in a while. This is becoming even more so the truth the more technology advances, because it's advancing at a faster pace all the time.

Not to say that we need to jump on the next new thing right away, but eventually, we need to bite the bullet. I think it's ok to skip a version once in a while... I wish I would have skipped Vista, and I skipped 8. In my opinion, Microsoft should at least always fully support one version behind the current one.

Myself, I hated 8 at first because of the tiled interface. To me, (and lots of others I'm sure) this was an interface for a tablet or phone, not a laptop or desktop PC. I realised that you could still use 8 without using the tiled interface, but it sometimes came up accidentally, and I HATED when that happened.

10 fixed that, so I made the jump from 7 to 10. The interface is quite different, I agree, and there are inconsistencies (context menus, anyone?), but it's a way more workable version than 8. I can and do use it a lot like I used 7.

One problem I am having with 10 though, is that I seem to not be able to update it to a newer build. I am stuck on build 10240.

Very well said Mel.

As for your problem, you actually have to go to Settings -> Update & Security do it from there. "Update & Restart" or "Update & Shutdown" does not work for installing new builds.
 
Is it possible that 10240 is the latest live build though?

I'm thinking of reinstalling the insider's preview version then. :p Hmmm....
 
Very well said Mel.

As for your problem, you actually have to go to Settings -> Update & Security do it from there. "Update & Restart" or "Update & Shutdown" does not work for installing new builds.


Oh thanks. Will try. I've tried Googling the problem and haven't come up with any solution yet. :)
 
Very well said Mel.

As for your problem, you actually have to go to Settings -> Update & Security do it from there. "Update & Restart" or "Update & Shutdown" does not work for installing new builds.
I actually replied to the post before reading it. I've already tried updating through that venue. It only ever shows me Windows Defender updates and other things. Never a new build. I'm not sure why I'm not getting any new ones. I'm pretty sure this started when I changed from the insider preview to the live build. Or soon after anyway.
 
I actually replied to the post before reading it. I've already tried updating through that venue. It only ever shows me Windows Defender updates and other things. Never a new build. I'm not sure why I'm not getting any new ones. I'm pretty sure this started when I changed from the insider preview to the live build. Or soon after anyway.

Hmm strange, I've not had a problem with it. I'm not an Insider anymore though. I quit the program a build made my video drivers highly unstable.
 
I kind of feel like, if I can adjust to W10, anyone can. No one whined and cried more than me, lol. I'm not saying it's great or anything, but coming from W7 (I wasn't going to go anywhere near W8), it took a few weeks but I'm at a point where I can do my basics. Having an iPhone probably helps with the tiles.

That said, I reserve the right to B and moan when the next change comes down the pike, hahahahaha. I would prefer it if we could have the option of keeping our dinosaurs or moving on to newer things.
 
I kind of feel like, if I can adjust to W10, anyone can. No one whined and cried more than me, lol. I'm not saying it's great or anything, but coming from W7 (I wasn't going to go anywhere near W8), it took a few weeks but I'm at a point where I can do my basics. Having an iPhone probably helps with the tiles.

That said, I reserve the right to B and moan when the next change comes down the pike, hahahahaha. I would prefer it if we could have the option of keeping our dinosaurs or moving on to newer things.

I totally understand the whole "hate change" thing. But quite honestly, upgrading is a LOT easier than it use to be back in the day. I used to dread an OS upgrade as it meant a total wipe of everything and you had to reinstall ALL your programs and you had to back up all your stuff, then reinstall it. Windows 10 as an upgrade was a snap compared to that!
 
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I kind of feel like, if I can adjust to W10, anyone can. No one whined and cried more than me, lol. I'm not saying it's great or anything, but coming from W7 (I wasn't going to go anywhere near W8), it took a few weeks but I'm at a point where I can do my basics. Having an iPhone probably helps with the tiles.

That said, I reserve the right to B and moan when the next change comes down the pike, hahahahaha. I would prefer it if we could have the option of keeping our dinosaurs or moving on to newer things.

Not really any tiles to mess with in Windows 10... You're lucky you didn't try going from 7 to 8, if you had you'd know the pain known as Metro UI lol
 
Not really any tiles to mess with in Windows 10... You're lucky you didn't try going from 7 to 8, if you had you'd know the pain known as Metro UI lol
I don't doubt it, lol.
 
"Windows 8 is a powerful operating system, but it's also perplexing to new users. The built-in tutorial is very brief, amounting to a few instructions on how to perform some basic actions with a mouse or finger. If you want to engage snap mode or scroll through apps running in the background, good luck figuring them out without someone holding your hand. Even finding the restart button is a little challenging. It all amounts to a pretty steep learning curve, even for longtime Windows users.

Thank you for posting this. :)

SEE ALSO: Windows 8 Is Bold and Powerful [REVIEW]

Here's the link.

Windows 8 Is Bold and Powerful [REVIEW]
 
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Both of those desktop backgrounds are cool!