Articles about Windows 10

Although the rumors of a July launch for Windows 10 have been swirling for a while, there’s been no official confirmation from Microsoft. That all changes today, however, as the software giant confirms that the new OS will be available on July 29.

As we already knew, the company states it will be a free upgrade to anyone using Windows 7 or 8.1. The push-ads promoting the new OS to users of those operating systems started to appear over the weekend.

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Microsoft will be releasing Windows 10 -- at least some versions of it -- this summer. The company hasn’t announced a specific release date yet, but it has apparently started to notify people about the impending release of its forthcoming operating system.

As a user on Reddit notes, the Redmond-based company has started to roll out what appears to be the first push ad of Windows 10 to Windows 7 and Windows 8.x users. As seen in the screenshot above, the company is reminding users that Windows 10 will come as a free upgrade to them, and is also giving them an option to 'reserve' it. Opting into this will essentially initiate an automatic download once Windows 10 becomes available. The final version of Windows 10 will weigh around 3GB, the notification reads.

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On Friday Microsoft surprised us by releasing a new build of Windows 10 to Insiders on the Fast ring. This build includes new and updated icons, improvements to the Microsoft Edge browser (still called Spartan, unbelievably), Jump List tweaks and more.

Microsoft has also introduced additional options for customizing Windows 10. In particular, you can now easily choose what appears on the Start menu. It’s very easy to make changes to the OS's appearance, so let’s take a look at the options.

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Microsoft has been promising that Windows 10 will see the light of day this summer for a while now, and current rumors suggest that we might hit RTM as early as July. Now a new listing on Newegg reveals -- perhaps -- that the Windows 10 release date is pegged for 31 August.

A pre-order listing for the OEM version of Windows 10 Professional has popped up on the site with a price tag of $149.99. Windows 10 Home OEM is listed for $109.99 Based on the previous pricing for OEM versions of Windows, it's fair to assume that this is the full version rather than the upgrade edition. The suggested release dates aside, the first thing that many people will jump on is the fact that Windows 10 has a price tag at all...

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Early on in the Windows 10 preview program, things looked a bit grim. While I was confident Microsoft would pull it all together eventually, I was dubious that the company could meet its self-imposed summer deadline. Not only were there many bugs, but some baffling design choices.

A lot has changed since then. Since build 10122, I am totally convinced that not only will Windows 10 be ready by the summer, but it will be exceptional too. Today, Microsoft releases Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 10130. The company is wisely putting the major focus on tightening up the experience instead of introducing new features. Don't worry though, there are some new features in the build. Sadly, there is one major bug too.

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Microsoft and Lenovo have teamed up to expand Cortana's usefulness on the Chinese maker's Windows 10 PCs, giving users the ability to call up the personal assistant to search files stored on popular cloud storage lockers.

Considering that each of the major cloud storage services has its fair share of supporters, it is a smart play to give customers the option to use their favorite locker with Cortana. It enhances the user experience and, at the same time, sets Microsoft up to gain more Cortana supporters.

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While shipments of Android tablets and iPads are falling, Windows slates are slowly gaining traction, making progress in the consumer and enterprise markets. In the first quarter of the year, Windows saw shipments rise by 11 percent year-over-year, which is no small feat. So, obviously, we can expect to see more and more Windows tablets hitting store shelves in the coming period.

The latest Windows tablet to join the pack is Lenovo's new business-oriented ThinkPad 10. It comes with a powerful x86 processor, which allows it to run the full-fledged version of Windows -- Windows 10 nonetheless -- and well-known programs such as Office. And Lenovo is making available dedicated accessories for it, which can turn it into a small laptop replacement. Here is what you need to know about it.

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Windows 10 will soon be unleashed upon consumers around the globe. So far, based on the previews, it is a damn good operating system. Fundamentally, the user interface is beautiful and should make more sense to users compared to Windows 8. While some bugs still persist, Microsoft should be able to firm everything up by the summer.

Unfortunately, there is still one glaring issue that remains -- the Windows Store is full of garbage. It is so overrun with fake apps and knockoffs, that it can be hard to find the legitimate offerings. While Microsoft has promised to clean it up in the past, the desired results never came to fruition. Today, however, the company is promising to take out the trash once again. Will this time be different?

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Consuming media -- music and movies -- is one of my favorite hobbies. While this used to happen with VHS, DVD and CD, I have transitioned entirely to using streaming and downloaded files. The majority of my consumption happens on Windows, where I use a USB DAC to get the best audio performance.

Today, Dolby announces that Microsoft has selected its technologies to be featured in Windows 10. This means consumers should benefit from an improved audio experience.

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The newly announced Windows 10 Phone Companion App will let you link your Android or iOS devices to Windows 10, but that’s not all. It will also give users of those rival mobile operating systems access to Cortana. I’ve used both Siri and Cortana, and I much prefer Microsoft’s virtual assistant over Apple’s. Having access to both (or Cortana and Google Now, in the case of Android), is great news for consumers.

To make use of Cortana you’ll need to have Windows 10 installed on a PC, and the Cortana app for iOS or Android. These isn’t available yet, but Windows Insiders will be able to try out the Phone Companion app in a future Windows 10 Insider Preview Build which is set to arrive in the coming weeks.

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Windows 10 will run on a range of compatible devices, including PCs, hybrids, tablets, phones, Xbox One, HoloLens, and IoT hardware. Microsoft might be striving for ubiquity, but it knows when it comes to mobile, that the vast majority of people will continue to use Android or iOS phones and tablets.

Announced today, Microsoft’s Phone Companion for Windows 10 App, will let those users access content from whatever device they choose, and also give them access to Cortana, Microsoft’s virtual assistant.

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If you like the idea of trying out the next version of Windows before it is officially launched, Microsoft has made the Windows 10 Technical Preview available for everyone to use. There are various ways to get the preview installed on your computer, but since the release of build 9926, it is possible to upgrade your current Windows 7 or Windows 8 installation to Windows 10 using Windows Update.

This is a much simpler option than downloading the ISO image, but it is an upgrade route that almost encourages people to install the preview build on their everyday computer -- don’t forget that this is not a finished product! We've already looked at how to install Windows 10 in a virtual machine, but if you have a spare machine running Windows 7 or 8, using it as a test bed for Windows 10 just got a whole lot easier.

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The latest Windows 10 build that you can officially get your hands on was released less than a week ago. It comes with some interesting improvements and new features, which should keep Insiders happy for a while.

But, if you are among those who are already looking for something newer to test, there's some good news for you. A new Windows 10 build, version 10125, has leaked online; and we already know what's new -- get ready for some nice changes.

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When Microsoft released the latest Windows 10 build earlier in the week, there was one big known issue which will have put some people off updating. Windows Insiders on systems with AMD GPUs were warned that the new build could lead to stability issues, and problems with Windows Edge (or Spartan as it’s still branded in the current build).

Microsoft did say, however, that AMD was working on new drivers, and the good news is the problem appears to have been fixed.

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There are risks involved with running any early versions of programs. They’re not finished, sometimes they are far from finished, and could be riddled with bugs. You might not encounter any problems, or then again you might. You take your chances. If you’re a Windows Insider, you get to try Windows 10, in the knowledge you might encounter issues with the OS. If you’re in the Fast ring, that’s even more likely.

The latest build being rolled out to Insiders now being a good case in point. Build 10122 has a known issue with AMD GPUs which causes Microsoft Edge (or rather Spartan, as it's still branded in this build) to crash frequently. Microsoft could have held this back until a fix was available, but Windows Insiders voted for it to be released, and so here it is. When the next new build arrives on the Slow ring, this issue should have been fixed (AMD is working on new drivers), so if you have a PC with an AMD GPU you may wish to skip this build, avoid using Edge, or try the OS in a virtual environment, using VirtualBox. So that’s the main problem with the new build, but what about changes and improvements?

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