Windows 10 Upgrade Or Stay......

[duckbilled 310]

The update hosed drivers on my laptop. I colleague of mine also had similar problems. I like the OS, but I am not installing it on my FSX rig.

[z06z33 763]

My girlfriend has it on her laptop it's ok,I prefer windows 7 as it works which means I have no real reason to upgrade. Plus I don't like the GUI of 10

Oh one feature of Win10 Enterprise I really don't like is Windows Defender ... I can disable it for "one session" but it will re-enable itself the next day (even tells you it will when I disable it).  So I do have more control with the Enterprise edition, but I still don't have "complete" control.

 

There are also many other items that one might want to disable -- like allowing your PC to effectively act as a torrent site for other Microsoft users -- this is just NUTS, so much for security and a great way to transmit a virus to world of users - hackers are just loving this new feature.

 

But good idea to check back in July, see what's been fixed.  I think Bill had posted those areas in Win10 you might want to disable if you do end up going this route ... on the Free version some of them can't be disabled.

 

What "I think" will change the market share numbers for desktop computers is when we see many more DX12 titles operating extremely well on moderate hardware, games/sims are a key driving force for the desktop market.

 

Cheers, Rob.

I always disable windows defender on my systems and just install avast

[Clutch Cargo 384]

I have installed Win10 on an HP all-in-one desktop and a Toshiba laptop to try it out and get used to it for the next several months.  But for my flightsim PC's sticking with Win7 for now.   I see no compelling reason to upgrade those as I see no FS benefits yet.  When P3D becomes DX12 compatible, and I do my hardware upgrades for that... that is when I will probably go for Win10 (even then I will still perform a full Win7 partition backup before I do).   That's my plan, anyway.

[Guest]

Can't you disable Defender through Services.msc?

 

Unfortunately NO, Start, Stop, Disable, etc. are all disabled.  I'd have to enable login to the "real Admin" account (not the same as the pysdo-admin account one gets by default) and try from that account (not sure it's possible even then).  Enabling login to the "real Admin" account is NOT something I want to do as this has huge security context implications and WILL confuse older applications.

 

 

 

I always disable windows defender on my systems and just install avast

 

I like Malware bytes, but will not install it if I can't disable Defender permanently.  Have you checked to see if Defender is still running in addition to your "avast"?

 

Windows Update is now reporting this error:

 

 

HP driver update for HP LaserJet Professional CP1520 Series PCL 6 - Error 0x80240017

 

Apparently it's common error: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-update/hp-driver-update-for-hp-laserjet-m1530-mfp-series/f06fab12-2ba3-4bfb-92e2-03286b18500e ... and the comical part is my printer is working fine, but Windows Update will just keep reporting the same error over and over.

 

Point being, Win10 is SSDD ... not that I expected it to be any different coming from Microsoft.

 

Eventually Win10 will get to the point where the errors are less obvious ... hopefully before Microsoft shift to subscription only for their OS.  But in all honesty I can't recommend anyone upgrade from Win7 to Win10 at this point in time.

 

Cheers, Rob.

[Mean Aerodynamic Chord 269]

 

.

 

Have you checked to see if Defender is still running in addition to your "avast"?

 

 

Defender automatically turns off when you install another AV.

 

Windows Update is now reporting this error:

Use this tool to stop the printer driver from trying to install: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3073930?utm_source=twitter

 

 

 

 

Then, go here to stop future driver updates through Win Update:

 

 

Edited January 18, 2016 by linux731

[Wobbie 938]

 

 

I think the upgrade is free because MS wants as many people as possible to be on a platform that has access to the "Windows app Store". Since W8 had it but not W7, the offer was probably extended to W7 so that as many people as possible would be exposed to their "mobile apps" and "app store", which for some reason, MS thinks are wonderful on a desktop computer. The "app store" is rubbish and it's the first thing I always disable when setting up W10. I suppose the "mobile app world" is where MS sees their future.

 

Well, for me, I find the 'Shop' quite useful.

Some of the very stuff I have found:

Network Usage

Network Speed

Money

Weather

Free movie apps (who needs Netflix now?)

Health & Fitness

 

So, have a look before trashing the Shop.

[gboz 157]

Eventually Win10 will get to the point where the errors are less obvious ... hopefully before Microsoft shift to subscription only for their OS.  But in all honesty I can't recommend anyone upgrade from Win7 to Win10 at this point in time.

 

Hi Rob.

Having my doubts about Win10 myself.

I did a clean install of Win10 using my win7 serial number.

If I reformat and try to install Win7 again will the win7 serial still be valid?

 

Thanks,

gb.

[Mean Aerodynamic Chord 269]

If I reformat and try to install Win7 again will the win7 serial still be valid?

 

Yes

[gboz 157]

Yes

Great, thanks.

 

gb.

[Guest]

 

 

Having my doubts about Win10 myself.

 

Unfortunately I think I may be going back to Windows 7 -- I haven't been able to find a good work-around for this issue I'm having: http://www.avsim.com/topic/482121-windows-10-and-shadowplay-causing-100-cpu-utilization/?p=3359459

 

Cheers, Rob.

[Afterburner 374]

I have recently made a fresh install of W10 Pro on my second partition. On the first (main) one, I run W7 Ultimate 64 bit. Prior to installing W10, I had my old W7 Pro 32 bit system running on the second partition alongside with the 64 bit counterpart in a dual boot configuration. However, that system was only intended for experimental purposes recently (testing new software before installing it on the main system) and got quite old and messy over time. So I decided to take the opportunity to get a "free" copy of W10 Pro in exchange for scrapping the W7 32 bit product key (but I opted for the 64 bit version of W10).

 

Three days into an attempt to make myself familiar with the system, I can personally conclude that it yields very limited benefits, but more hiccups over Win7. It all begins with the start menu (which at least made its way back after it wasn't fully featured in Windows 8 (which I never owned) ) that greets the user with a lot of junk tiles by default. It looked better after erasing them all, but I was left with a list of "recently added" programs and "most used" that doesn't seem to work properly (there is always only a single recently added program that I can see, regardless of how many I install). In W7, after installing a new program or add-on, I could access the respective folders that were highlighted in yellow color (to open the Dash Q400 configurator, for example). No longer in W10: There is an "all apps" button that shows all programs in alphabetical order, but it is mixed with some useless bloatware apps, and doesn't seem to have any sub-folders. It looked like I would need to navigate manually to get to the exe file using the file explorer. Next, I wanted to calibrate my controllers. In W7, upon clicking the start button, I could see the entry "Devices and Printers", which listed all connected USB devices. Quite intuitive. In W10, that's no longer the case. It took me a long time to find my USB devices. When clicking on the window button, there is a "settings" option, but it directs to a settings menu that is very basic and general. It is not the control panel. Only after learning indirectly that a control panel existed, and typing that word into the Cortina search assistant was I able to access the control panel; otherwise it was hidden too well.

 

Now comes the default web browser - Microsoft Edge. It is reported to be faster than IE, but lacks extension capability and offers very limited functionality. The only useful feature is the "read" button which converts a website full of ads into a clean "read only" version. As for the rest, there is no "most frequent sites" tabs, and when I was downloading an add-on, there was not even any information about the download speed. Why oh why?  Personally, I use Google Chrome anyways, but Edge has so much wasted potential for a new operating system...  And it can't be uninstalled.

 

There are ways to bring back the W7 user friendliness by installing the Classic Shell and circumvent the miscues of the Edge browser (I have done both), but that's all available in W7 by default already!  Which begs the question: In what respects is W10 better than W7?  To me, I like the "Quick Access" button in the file explorer that allows you to save your "favorite" folders, which you can access quickly and directly (which is especially useful if you have the FSX Steam Edition installed in the default folder that is nested somewhere deep in the C: drive). That's one of the few pros I can think of besides the option of having two desktops running in a multi-monitor setup. Other than that, I am irritated by Microsoft's strategy to make some simple and important things so complicated. Having the option to use a classic windows navigation scheme would solve a lot of problems in this regard, but it can't be configured this way by default.

 

I am not saying that W10 is a bad system; just that it feels so half-cooked and that it yields doubtful benefits over Win7 in general (and that is not yet accounted for the confusing and intrusive update policy, as well as potential incompatibility with some add-ons). I have decided to continue using W7 as my primary OS and leave W10 on my second partition as an experimental version. I hope that the deficits will be addressed in one or two years, after which I am willing to give another try. I hope that information is useful to you. (BTW, I made a fresh install, not an upgrade).

[Ray Proudfoot 8,947]

"Which begs the question: In what respects is W10 better than W7?"

 

Precisely. If FSX / P3D ran substantially better on 10 than 7 then you have your answer. Some say they get better performance but that could be down to a freshly installed OS rather than any specific improvements in 10.

 

Let's suppose I wanted a Oculus Rift headset and it only worked with 10. That for me is a genuine reason to change. But 7 is stable and everything works for me. Why would I want to cause myself loads of grief for no benefit other than getting an OS free?

[ErichB 3,640]

Which begs the question: In what respects is W10 better than W7?"

 

Precisely. If FSX / P3D ran substantially better on 10 than 7 then you have your answer. Some say they get better performance but that could be down to a freshly installed OS rather than any specific improvements in 10.

 

Let's suppose I wanted a Oculus Rift headset and it only worked with 10. That for me is a genuine reason to change. But 7 is stable and everything works for me. Why would I want to cause myself loads of grief for no benefit other than getting an OS free?

 

Hi Ray,

 

These are exactly the questions I am asking. Although I have heard many positives about W10, there doesn't seem to be a convincing reason to make the switch from a flightsim perspective - and as my PC is purely for flightsim use, I think I'll stay with W7 for now.

[Alpha Floor 237]

What I've learned over the years with Flight Simming and computers is:

 

If it works and you're happy, don't "fix" it.

 

There's 2 conditions:

Does it work? It could work but with horrible performance, then a change is desired

Are you happy? If you're flying with a performance that makes you happy, don't be "greedy" and try to install a new OS just to gain a couple FPS. There's much more to lose than to win in these case.

 

This will save you from innecessary headaches.

 

When the day comes that all the Lockheed's, PMDG's, X-Plane's etc. have moved on to Win10, then I will jump as well.

 

Never be the first one to try (buy) anything. This applies to cars as well, for example.

[Fielder 3,663]

I would never upgrade a computer to a new version of windows. I would stay with the original version that came on the system. Your next system will be the best way to get to a new windows version. The hardware components were chosen to work together with a specific version of windows. There is nothing to be gained trying to catch the future with old tools.