In keeping with its traditionally senseless naming conventions, Microsoft decides to skip Windows 9 and call its next O/S Windows 10.
My Windows 10 testing computer is still on the Windows Insider Preview ‘Fast Ring’, which means it gets the very latest Windows 10 preview builds as soon as they become available.
The test machine was just updated to preview build 14257. This build includes a lot of bug fixes, including one for a nasty app crashing problem related to memory management. The WSClient.dll error dialog box problem has not yet been resolved.
Responding to a steady stream of complaints since the launch of Windows 10, Microsoft has finally relented and will now provide useful notes to accompany changes to the operating system.
The Windows 10 update history page shows changes to release versions, starting with the initial release (build 10240.16683) in July, and ending with the most recent release version, 10586.104.
The notes for release 10586.104 show that a serious security flaw related to InPrivate browsing in the Edge browser has now been fixed.
As expected, Microsoft recently changed the status of the Windows 10 update for Windows 7 and 8.1 computers, from ‘optional’ to ‘recommended’. If your PC’s Windows Update settings are configured to automatically install recommended updates, Windows 10 will be downloaded, silently consuming multiple gigabytes of bandwidth and hard drive space.
Thankfully, the Windows 10 upgrade won’t actually be installed without your consent; users will be given a chance to skip or reschedule the upgrade. You can also avoid the update completely by making some changes to the Windows registry, or by using the excellent GWX Control Panel.
When Windows 10 updates itself, in the final stages, we’re treated to a series of screen-filling messages, like “We’ve updated your computer”, and “All your files are right where you left them.” I can understand why Microsoft is showing messages like this: to reassure users who would otherwise be wondering what’s going on as their hard drive thrashes away. As a more technically-minded person, I would prefer an indication of exactly what’s happening, and how long it’s going to take, but I can live with these messages instead.
On the other hand, sometimes these messages are misleading. Take this one: “We’ve got some new features to get excited about.” Apart from the grammatical issues, this message simply isn’t usually true. The most recent Preview builds, for example.
Build 11102, released on January 21, includes only one new feature of note, and it’s hardly exciting: you can now “right-click on the back and forward buttons in Microsoft Edge for quick access to your recently visited websites in the current tab.” Woo hoo.
Note that this build still has the problem with WSClient.dll error dialogs popping up at inconvenient times. At least the build announcement describes a workaround.
Build 14251, released on January 27, has the distinction of generating a lot of discussion regarding the large jump in build number. It turns out that the big jump is the result of Microsoft trying to synchronize builds across platforms, which is actually a good thing.
Meanwhile, the announcement for build 14251 actually says “This build doesn’t have notable new features in it”. And sure enough, it’s mostly bug fixes.
My Windows 10 test computer just upgraded itself to the latest Insider Preview build, 11099.
I’m now on what Microsoft calls the ‘Fast Ring’, which means that I get new Windows 10 builds almost immediately after they become available. One of the drawbacks of this scheme is that these early builds tend to have more problems than regular releases. For me, that’s acceptable, because my test PC is not used for much aside from testing. I wouldn’t try this on my main computer.
The first thing I noticed about the new build is that the File Explorer progress dialogs are back. Those dialogs disappeared in the last build, which wasn’t a huge problem, but it was disconcerting.
The only other difference I’ve noticed in this build is a weird error message that pops up when Windows starts. There’s additional information, including a couple of possible fixes, over at Neowin.
I’ll post updates here as I work with the new version.
If you run Windows 7 or 8.x, you’ve probably seen for yourself the many ways in which Microsoft is trying to get people to upgrade to Windows 10, or at least to add unwanted Windows 10 features to your O/S. I wrote about my own experiences with this back in October. Here are a few observed examples:
If you’re like me, you plan to upgrade to Windows 10 when you bloody well feel like it, and not when Microsoft decides you should. And, like me, you’re looking for ways to prevent all this annoying behaviour on your Windows 7 or 8.x computer.
One of the more annoying features of the ‘Get Windows 10’ icon is that even if you remove it (using instructions I posted earlier) it typically reappears for no apparent reason. This makes it seem more like a virus than anything helpful.
Microsoft’s own instructions for removing the ‘Get Windows 10’ icon, published only grudgingly after many user complaints, are poorly written and needlessly complicated. But rather than try to present a simpler guide here, I will instead point to a small utility that does all the work for you: GWX Control Panel, available as freeware from Ultimate Outsider.
GWX Control Panel shows the status of the ‘Get Windows 10’ app, whether Windows Update O/S upgrades are enabled, and whether there are any Windows 10 installation files on your computer. Buttons let you disable ‘Get Windows 10’, disable O/S upgrades in Windows Update, and clear the Windows 10 download folders (which, by the way, are typically huge). It’s totally safe and simple to use.
Sadly, Windows 10 will start appearing as a ‘Recommended’ update in Windows Update on Windows 7 and 8.x computers at some point in 2016. Hopefully the update will be clearly labeled and easy to ignore and/or hide.
How-To Geek has additional information.
It could be argued that it’s unfair to talk about problems with Windows 10 preview builds, since they are provided to us for testing purposes and expected to have issues. I hold the opposite view: everyone is better off if we report problems as publicly as possible. But I’ll try to stick to the facts and avoid complaining.
With the arrival of Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 11082, my test PC started doing some very weird things. The extent to which these problems are specific to my hardware remains unclear.
None of these issues are show-stoppers for me. I used the Windows 10 Feedback app to report the File Explorer dialog problem.
This is the first Windows 10 preview build with which I’ve had any serious problems, aside from privacy concerns. It will be interesting to see how quickly Microsoft responds.
Update 2015Dec21: The CCleaner developer responded to my report, saying that they have received similar reports and that they are looking into it.
Ed Bott noticed that the latest release of Windows 10 (1511) was mysteriously removed from availability via the Media Creation Tool. The new version can still be obtained through Windows Update. Microsoft’s explanation isn’t very helpful, and it’s rather annoying to system builders who missed the brief window during which release 1511 was available via MCT. Update #1: Ars Technica reports on the situation, noting that there are reports of serious problems with release 1511 when installed via the MCT. Update #2: Ars Technica confirms that upgrading via MCT was causing privacy settings to be reset to defaults. The problem has been fixed, and build 1511 is once again available via MCT.
Meanwhile, Microsoft apparently updated its privacy policy in response to concerns about information gathered and transmitted by Windows 10. Changes to the policy make it clear that Microsoft will only provide law enforcement access to your data on their servers, not data stored locally on your computer. Encryption keys are backed up to Microsoft servers, but Microsoft will not use them to decrypt disks or files on your computer. The collection of telemetry data cannot be disabled, but it can be limited so that only very basic data is collected, and none of it personal.
And finally, Microsoft has relented somewhat on its Windows 10 activation policy, allowing for legitimate installs using old, unused activation keys from Windows 7 or 8.
Microsoft is turning its sights on businesses and other large customers, making changes to Windows 10 that it hopes will entice IT departments to try the new O/S.
With the arrival of build 10586, Windows Update for Business is now ready for use in Windows 10. This is bound to be helpful for business users, since it allows updates to be delayed, but there’s still no way to avoid updates indefinitely. Microsoft is still promising to provide better information about updates, but as yet that hasn’t actually happened.
There’s also now a business-oriented version of the Windows Store. Most importantly, there are options for disabling telemetry and other data sent to Microsoft from Windows 10 computers. Hopefully that change will find its way to regular Windows 10 versions as well.
It’s far too early to decide whether these changes will have any influence over business and corporate decision makers. I certainly wouldn’t recommend Windows 10 for use in business or educational environments; there are simply too many unresolved issues related to privacy, updates, and the user interface.
Ars Technica has additional details.
Microsoft has confirmed that OEMs will no longer be allowed to sell new computers with Windows 7 or 8.x after October 31, 2016. If you buy a new PC after that date, you won’t have any options besides Windows 10.
Support for Windows 7 – including security updates – will continue to 2020, so it’s still a perfectly viable operating system. But it’s unclear whether you will still be able to purchase Windows 7 OEM separately, from Microsoft or any other seller, after October 31, 2016. I certainly hope so, although it seems unlikely. So if you’re planning to build any new Windows 7 computers between October 2016 and 2020, you should stock up on Windows 7 OEM licenses now.
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