Articles about Windows 10

To drive consumers' interest in Windows 10 from the get-go, Microsoft announced earlier this year that its upcoming operating system will be available as a free upgrade to Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1 users. This surprising move is expected to have a major impact on the immediate consumer adoption, as well as convince developers to embrace Windows 10 early on.

What is interesting is that, while it is publicly touted as a free upgrade, formally Microsoft is calling it a "marketing and promotional activity". And it certainly seems to fit the bill.

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If you want to install Windows from scratch, you have two choices -- you can install the OS from a CD/DVD or from a USB flash drive. The latter is the better option, especially as optical drives are becoming something of a rarity these days.

The process of creating a bootable USB flash drive for Windows 7, 8.1 or 10, is quick and easy. Here’s how to do it.

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Ah, Solitaire. It’s the card game that has killed many hours of productivity in offices across the world -- and caused many employees to be very quick on the minimize button -- and it’s coming back with Windows 10.

As you’re doubtless aware if you upgraded to Windows 8, with its latest desktop OS, Microsoft decided to ditch a lot of things, including all those dinky little games which came pre-installed in the Start menu -- Solitaire, Minesweeper and Hearts. (The latter was always our favorite -- despite the fact that the computer players clearly, and we mean blatantly, cheated and played using knowledge of the cards you held rather than any true AI skill as such).

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Acer held a massive press conference today in Manhattan to unveil its new product lineup. BetaNews was there, live, at 4 World Trade Center. The views from the 60-something-th floor were magnificent, but even more awe-inspiring to a tech nerd like me, were the Acer products.

Acer is one of my favorite manufacturers because it focuses on value. Not only are the company's computers beautiful and powerful, but affordable too. While the company kept its focus on the affordable segment with Windows, Chromebooks and Android products, it also introduced its new Predator gaming computers. The star of the show? A small gaming-tablet running Google's mobile OS.

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The new Start menu included in the latest build of Windows 10 -- available to Windows Insiders on the Fast ring -- is a marked improvement over previous versions. It’s resizable, and customizable. It’s also, like the build itself, rather buggy. It’s a bit like a fair-weather friend -- sometimes it’s there for me, other times it’s nowhere to be seen. Hopefully the issues with the menu will be sorted shortly.

If you’re running the new build, or planning to, then it’s worth customizing the Start menu to suit your tastes. There’s quite a lot you can do.

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I’ve been playing around with the latest build of Windows 10 Technical Preview that was released yesterday, and I have to say I'm liking what I'm seeing so far.

I have been critical of previous Windows 10 releases, opining that the OS wasn’t going to be what I was hoping for, and calling the previous build, 10049, dull, boring and bland. Fortunately, with Build 10061 Microsoft addresses a lot of my concerns and you can now see the operating system’s true potential. Here’s what I like about the new build.

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While Windows 8 was a very polarizing operating system, Windows 10 is much less so. In fact, many users testing the operating system under the Technical Preview program find it to be wonderful. Quite frankly, I think when the dust settles, it will be the best version of Windows ever.

Today, Microsoft releases yet another Windows 10 build under the preview program -- 10061. While the foundation and style is very much the same, there are some new features and apps to be found. Unfortunately, this release also has some significant bugs. Still, if you are committed to the preview program, you should not hesitate to jump head-first into 10061.

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It's not unknown for technology companies to run bounty programs that reward bug hunters for unearthing problems with software. Discover a security vulnerability and you could be in line for a nice cash bonus. Microsoft is one firm that runs such a program, and today the Microsoft Bounty Program is being expanded -- with a particular focus on Azure and Project Spartan.

Microsoft has already been asking for feedback about Windows 10 Technical Preview, but this is the first time a financial reward has been offered for pointing out security issues with any of its components. The maximum pay-out has been increased to $15,000 USD, so there's more incentive than ever to seek out problems and report them to Microsoft.

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Microsoft has launched a question and answer section for Windows Holographic and the HoloLens headset, sent in an email to Windows 10 'Insiders' currently testing the new updates to the operating system.

The FAQ answers ten of the most popular questions on HoloLens, before Microsoft’s annual BUILD conference on April 29th to May 1st. Amongst the answers, Microsoft details that HoloLens will be able to run Windows 10 universal apps.

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What do we want? Windows 10! When do we want it? Probably sooner than the development cycle permits! With Windows 10, Microsoft has painted itself to be a benevolent god, ready to bestow gifts from the future on those willing to put up with the 'quirks' of the preview testing process. But the fact that something is free, does not mean that people are not going to complain -- far from it, in fact.

Aside from complaints about the features of Windows 10 itself, one thing that Windows Insiders (an 'exclusive' club has to have a name, after all) cite as a major bugbear is the speed at which new builds are pumped out. Despite the existence of a fast ring, builds are still trickling out painfully slowly. The new 'all-ears' Microsoft listens to its customers. As such the latest email from Gabe Aul promising -- yet again -- that "we're going to send out builds more frequently" comes as little surprise, but is pressure from the Windows 10 fanboys causing Microsoft to rush, and what effect will this have on the final product?

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There were a few raised eyebrows when Microsoft announced it was planning a summer release for Windows 10, its next operating system. Most people assumed the tech giant was anticipating a late summer release -- September possibly -- but now it seems we might be seeing the new OS much earlier than anyone could have predicted.

According to AMD, and as reported by The Verge, Windows 10 will launch in late July. Which seems like an incredibly optimistic target.

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Advertising is unavoidable online. "Ah... but I have AdBlock Plus installed!" I hear you cry. It doesn't matter. You may not see advertising, but it still affects your online experience; this is particularly true if you are BuzzFeed reader. I'm not in the habit of criticizing others in the trade -- and I realize that I'm opening myself up for attack here -- but BuzzFeed is a site filled largely with listicles (lovely words) and churnalism (ditto), headlines sucking up to Google left, right and center.

But for all of the coffee-break-filling articles it pumps out each day, it is the articles that have been deleted that have generated more interest recently. About a week ago one BuzzFeed writer resigned after an article she wrote that was critical of Dove soap ads was pulled. BuzzFeed conducted a review, and this weekend details of the findings came out. It transpires that this is not the first time posts have been deleted because of a conflict of interest between editorial and advertising. BuzzFeed may not be a particularly influential site, but it's worrying nonetheless.

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Microsoft comes under fire quite often for seeming to favor Android and iOS over its own mobile platforms. Apple and Google's mobile operating system have been first in line for all manner of Microsoft apps and services, and it was much the same story with the mobile versions of Office.

Today Microsoft is taking steps to allay the concerns of Windows Phone users -- you have not been forgotten! Specifically, the company says that the preview version of Office Universal apps will, or at least should, be made available for Windows 10 for phones by the end of the month.

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To compete in the low-end smartphone market, Windows Phone vendors have opted for the sensible approach of prioritizing cost over features. As a result, there are plenty of affordable options to choose from that can be had for much less than $100 off-contract. The downside is that the low-end Windows Phones that more demanding consumers might want to buy are few and far between.

Those smartphones may cost more -- much more compared to an entry-level Microsoft-branded offering like Lumia 435 -- but they are also much more enjoyable, and better equipped for long-term usage. And the new Lumia 540 Dual SIM that Microsoft just unveiled more than fits the bill.

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Build 10056 of Windows 10 Technical Preview -- which leaked online in the last few days -- has a hidden dark theme. If you have grabbed a copy of this particular build, you'll have noticed that there are a few tweaks here and there such as a resizable Start menu and a redesigned system clock.

But if you're happy to tinker with the registry, you can unlock a whole new look for the operating system, taking Windows 10 to the dark side. It brings to the desktop version of Windows 10 a theme option reminiscent of Windows Phone. Pull on your registry editing pants... we're going in.

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