Windows 10 for free. Is it worth it?
blittled
Posts: 681
http://gizmodo.com/windows-10-is-a-free-upgrade-for-the-first-year-1680771504
Hopefully I won't start a flame war
. It looks like if you have Windows 7 or 8 you can upgrade to Windows 10 for the first year for free. I fervently hated the Windows 8 beta I tried so I decided to never upgrade from 7 to (h)8. I have been testing Windows 10 beta in a virtual machine and it actually seems tolerable. Is this going to be another flop for MS or will keep their record of every other version being good?
Hopefully I won't start a flame war
. It looks like if you have Windows 7 or 8 you can upgrade to Windows 10 for the first year for free. I fervently hated the Windows 8 beta I tried so I decided to never upgrade from 7 to (h)8. I have been testing Windows 10 beta in a virtual machine and it actually seems tolerable. Is this going to be another flop for MS or will keep their record of every other version being good?
Comments
Back in the day, even up to Windows XP, you paid your money and got your OS. You could be running that same OS for a long time. As we know XP is still in use way past it's supported life time. I have no idea how that works with Windows 7 or 8 or 9 or whatever.
I could be wrong but what seems to be on offer here is to trash your old OS, that you could keep forever, and replace it with one that expires after a year and then requires rent payments forever to keep up with whatever comes next, or just continue using it at all.
Thus converting customers from purchasers of a product into rent payers forever.
Do correct me if I'm wrong.
Luckily we have other options now a days.
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10
I wonder if, with Windows 8 and 10, they've fixed the loophole where you could basically use Windows 7 free forever?
I think the deal is that you have one year to upgrade for free. Then they will keep it updated for free for the life of it.
I've never upgraded any of my Windows system with a newer version. I just ran them with the installed Windows OS until they died. I did recently put Linux on a machine that had Windows Vista, but that was after the disk died, and I replaced it with a new one.
EDIT: I still have a Windows XP system at work. It was my main work computer until Microsoft dropped support for XP last year, and the IT department no longer supports it. I still keep the XP system around because it has a lot of programs that I didn't want to re-install on my Windows 7 system. I don't seen any reason for going to Windows 10 until I get a new computer.
Ah, that's different. If I'd been stupid enough to "upgrade" to Windows 8 then I would take them up on their offer. If they realty wanted to do the right thing, Windows XP would be eligible also.
That would keep millions happy.
Another thing - does anybody know if it's true that Windows 10 will only run on new hardware? My GF's old laptop running Vista has a broken harddisk, the disk can be replaced but not the OS. We can still buy Windows 7 in the shop (Windows 8 is not an option), but then we may be stuck.
-Tor
These days, my new Asus ZenFone5 with Android has turned into a nightmare. I am struggling to shut off the default options that are barraging me with invasive social media. (I just wanted to replace my old clamshell phone.) Still trying to figure out how to make the new phone secure and private.
Linux forever, where I have control over my own life.
This is what MS says;
This is what MS says;
Of course, I was also happy with Vista. The 2005 Compaq desktop I'm using now came with XP and a Vista upgrade. RAM maxed out at 2GB. Later I put Win8 on a second HD. No major problems other than a WD HD that slowly went bad. Didn't lose any data.
I also have a fairly new 6GB Toshiba laptop with Win8 but this old Compaq is my main workhorse.
You have my condolences...
What I don't like about this 'offer' is this: Is that the warranty period?
I expect my computers to be supported for the 'useful lifetime'...
(My Mac Mini, first Intel Gen died just before Xmas... And until then, it still received OS patches. I believe they still patch stuff for PPC versions, too)
I guess the free upgrade is kinda tempting, but I'm not sure I'll take advantage of it.
Between the Linux box and my iMac, there is very little in the M$ world I need.
Amanda
Your Android trouble: Go to settings, apps, all, then scroll until you find the non-removable bloatware (on my device it's things like Picasa Uploader, MyCloud, MyBitCast, Google+, Google Search, Gmail, Zinio, some Facebook stuff.. you get it). Then select each of them. Stop them if running. Then select 'deactivate'. All of the deactivated apps will from now on be at the end of that apps list (not following the alphabethical order), and won't start up anymore. You can't remove them, but they will not bother you and not use any RAM.
W9GFO: Thanks for clarifying that.
Gadgetman: Oh, you spotted a cunning use of words.. that's the loophole right there, I suspect.
-Tor
Thanks... I am making progress. But I was extremely disappointed with what Asus provided for a so-called user's manual. It just wanted to encourage the user to load up on all and everything.
I won't likely go back to Windows ever. And people should beware when Android claims Linux affiliation. It tends to attempt to train the user to do what it desires.
Just today, I finally discovered how to remove all the APPS that loaded on in the beginning. Still removing clutter of messages and such is a bit tedious. I want to take my phone calls off for the sake of privacy and have to do that one at time, rather that just clear all.
The language in the menus system is not at all clear. It seems to indicate that if I remove the Gmail from my Andriod, it may also close my Gmail account entirely.
When I changed over my old SIM card to the new ZenFone, my students insisted I load up LINE to communicate with the class about attendence and time changes. Sadly, LINE took all the phone numbers in my SIM card and contacted them. There were several lonely Taiwanese ladies that I only exchanged phone numbers out of politeness. Suddenly, I had all of them thinking that I was finally interested in dating. That has been a nightmare and it may take years for me to forgive Android.
Frankly we have reached a peak with social networking where people are beginning to fear identity theft and being stalked via their cellular phones. The recent Paris incident had CNN reporting that all the Paris police should stay off of social media and turn off their cellular phones for their own safety. Not exactly good press for leading edge technology.
I am not sure what Windows 10 is up to. Buying a 64bit quad machine bundled with only Vista in Chinese and 32bits left me shifting over to Linux. At the time, MS wanted me to pay over $1400 in software upgrades to get 64bit Vista, dual languages, and MS Office. I must admit, Vista display is very pretty compared to Linux... but that I can live without.
Windows 7 is installed on my notebook, but I never use it. It seems to be one of MS's better products and allows me to program BasicStamps. So it stays installed in a dual boot just for legacy Parallax software.
Will Windows 10 compile PBASIC? I dunno.
OT
Yes, "There is a sucker born every minute". I have to agree.
But he was instrumental in starting Bridgeport Hospital, where I was born.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridgeport_Hospital
Wonder if that has a change in the time line.
Seems P.T. stepped in to take the credit.
"There is a sucker born every minute"
Looks very tempting. Backing up data first, then I'll check it out.
Not that I expect anything bad to happen when upgrading Windows of course
C'mon, what could go wro#%$#%$&^%*&^(*&(*&(*&KNKJHKJFGEJHGJHEQVFJHVFJHHGJgjgfjhgrjhegrjhewgfjh cjbwekjkdfklrwhfkhrwtkhrektgreterergerger
It seems faster to load programs. Propeller tool running fine. All my favourite programs seem to be working fine too.
Took about 2 hours to download and then another 45 mins or so to install. There are some comments on the web about installing an ISO image (maybe that is old information), but I just clicked a "download and install" button and apart from one manual restart, it was all automatic from there on.
All very easy.
Oops, I see you've already answered that as 5) No.
Control Panel/System, it says it is "Windows 10 Pro Technical Preview"
When I boot the computer it gives me an option to boot into this or to rollback.
Dr. Acula. I hope you did make an image backup. I don't trust the rollbacks so going to Windows 10 Technical Review may be a one way street.
The tendency of commercial consumer OSes is to stair-step you in to up-grading one thing, then having to buy something else to upgrade further. I guess if you have deep pockets, that's okay. I just never enjoyed having deep pockets.
Overall, the world has gone from having brand loyality based on a reputation for excellence to brand loyality being based on corraling the customer to buy a keystone product (such as a computer with a free installed OS) and giving them no futher choice about buying products outside the franchise.
Since I hate to be pushed around, I use Linux. It is not so much about open-source idealism as it is about the fact that free open-source OSes and software are creation of people that respect other people and belive in fair play.
Sound like a great way to waste some time if I really cared.
Loopy, you're too harsh on Mr. Gates, he can make potable water out of poop now.....that's almost as good as turning water into wine, no?
http://money.cnn.com/2015/01/07/technology/innovationnation/gates-poop-water/index.html