Anyone here changed from Windows 7 to Windows 10? If so, are you happy or unhappy? Why?

I presently run Win 7, Home Premium. Constantly getting bombarded by pop ups, etc. to upgrade for free.

I don't necessarily believe "newer" is "better". FWIW

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gone

I have been getting those annoying prompts too. And they really bog down the startup of my computer. Annoying...

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-Roger

From what I understand if you signed up to be notified when Windows 10 was available (or bought a new computer with a free upgrade to 10) somehow you allowed MS to download Windows 10 to your computer..so it's in there..you would have to let it update.. I looked into my downloaded items and sure enough..there it is....waiting. I am afraid to even touch anything there cause I may make a MISTAKE. I am happy with what I have on this thing and the 2 laptops we have now

I like 10, but I'm kind of a nerd. The usual rule of thumb for operating systems is if what you have is working for you there's no reason to change until you get a new computer.

Windows 7 is a solid OS preferred by many over 8 or 10. I made the mistake of upgrading my then Windows 7 computer to Window 8 when they offered the $29 (I think it was) upgrade. It was VERY different, and I did not like it much until I found Classic Shell which gave me back the start menu and took away the "modern" interface. Then when the free 10 upgrade came out I went with that. Windows 10 gives you a choice of having a start menu without any addon software.

I've liked 10 from the beginning. I recently came to like it even more when my son's motherboard on his computer died, and I had to replace it. Normally that would entail reinstalling the operating system and spending hours installing all the updates . . . BUT Windows 10 automagically reconfigured itself for the new hardware without needing to be reinstalled. I did have to reactivate it, but that's easy with the product key.

I'm a self-employed computer tech. I set up new windows 10 computers every week. On new computers, I love Windows 10. But not on existing Win 7 machines. My general guideline is if you are running Windows 7 and it's running and printing fine, to NOT do the update. I didn't on my own 7 machines. Don't fix what ain't broke. The benefits of 10 do not outweigh the risk and learning curve requirement unless you get someone like me to make the Windows 10 start menu resemble what you are used to, make sure that your printer and scanner software works like it used to and fix the locked-down sharing so that it can network to your other computers (if you were doing it before). Hardware driver support like audio over HDMI, USB3.0 and Bluetooth is also a crapshoot whether or not it works on the other side. Older printers is also a crapshoot.

But if you are running 8 or 8.1 you DO need to update.

To get rid of the Win 10 notification, you need to uninstall the Windows update that is responsible: KB3035583 (you can upgrade later if you change your mind by downloading and running the "Windows 10 Media Creation Tool" found easily at Microsoft)

To remove the icon and the nag notifications here's how to remove the KB3035583 update:

1. Start Button/All Programs/Windows Update
2. (left side) Change Settings
3. Dropdown: select "Never Check For Updates", click OK
4. (bottom left) click Installed Updates and let list load
5. In search box upper right type KB3035583, wait a bit and this single update will show.
6. Right-click the update entry and click Uninstall. Let it uninstall and reboot when prompted. When the computer starts up, the Win10 notification icon should be gone.
7. Go to same place: Start Button/All Programs/Windows Update and click Check for Updates.
8. Windows will offer the update again and we need to hide it. KN3035583 will be in Important or Optional updates. Right-click it and choose "Hide Update". With this done, the update won't be offered again, thus installed manually or automatically.
9. Go back to Change Settings (left side) and put the update type on what you are comfortable with. I do not do Automatic, I set mine "Check but let me decide" and then I do my updates manually.
10. Click OK

That's it.

I just got a new PC with Win10 and like it so far. Once configured how you like, it's not all that different from 7, you've just got to do some reading online to figure out how to tweak it. It was also the easiest and fastest new configuration I've ever done. From unboxing to up and running fully customized was only 2-3 hours. Every other OS I have experience with was more like 1-2 days before all the updates and such were done.

Like tcon said, though, I won't be installing 10 on the older PC with Win7.

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SWHF #448

Thank you for posting that "how-to".

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-Roger

I am used to (and very happy with) 8.1 on a desktop. I'm interested in 10, because of possibly better security, on my laptop.

So, I'd appreciate some elaboration on your caution to not upgrade to 10 from 7?

My sentiments exactly...

Microsoft has a penchant for making huge alterations that can't be reversed and then when questions or complaints roll in, their response is {basically} something that rhymes with "Luck to You".

At work, we were using an older version of MS Office. One included app was MS Picture Manager. I used that a lot as a cheap easy way to edit graphics. Well, when the latest and greatest MS Office became available, our IT guys went ape crazy to get it. Guess what? MS has eliminated Picture Manager. I e-mailed then called MS to find out how to get this app back. I had really become dependent on it! See paragraph two for the response I got from MS.

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You're shy a few manners.

Was running win 8.1 and did the free upgrade to 10.0 and had nothing but trouble afterwards. Finally got to the point that computer would not start up. Cost me 209.39 to get it fixed so it works correctly now. Won't do that again!

Like Tcon posted.
Don't do it unless you have to.
Just look at how many OS's MS has had that were junk in the last 20+ years!

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Only difference Fool/Mule-ears

I have a friend who repairs computers and he loves it when people do up grades, it keeps him busy, if you want windows 10 buy a new computer.

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Don

I've upgraded my 3 machines to 10. Have yet to have a single issue. It is the cleanest update I've ever seen.

Going from 7 to 10, the learning curve is not steep. There are some significant differences, but they're all easy to pick up.

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Freedom isn't free.

Win 10 is hardly a jump from 8.1. Win 10 is 8.1 with improvements. It's a much bigger jump from Win 7 to 10 and requires a lot of learning not only the different operation, but also how to CONTROL what you want it to do and NOT do.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

I'll get 10 when I get new computers. My son's laptop has Win 10 and he can have it. My desktop and laptop will need replacing soon (I hope not to soon) and I'll move to Win 10 then. It will take time for the undesirable features of Win 10 to be understood by more features, like the built in spyware.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

Think of how many versions of Windows people 'upgraded' to that ended up being disappointing. MS is better than they used to be about that, thank goodness.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

First law of Windows products - If it works do not dare fix it. I will run 7 as long as I possibly can.

Downloaded 10 a month or so ago. Takes a little getting used to, but no real heartburn.

Win 10 is needed on new computers, to enable cutting edge hardware that requires it. No real benefit on older hardware, and there is a learning curve. Make sure your programs and peripherals (printer, etc.) have Win.10 drivers. Back up everything.

For now, I'm sticking with Win 7. Got enough "stuff" on my plate without asking for more work.

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gone

My concerns with upgrades from Win 7 are slowdowns, application and hardware driver issues that were not there before. I've seen plenty. People have tried to roll back the upgrade after encountering problems, making things worse and that's when I get called. There is a risk and knowing what I know, the risk just isn't worth it - especially with a 6 year-old computer that might be replaced within in the next 2-3 years.

Hardware issues I have seen have been with graphics cards where HDMI w/audio was configured and worked properly before the upgrade and after it doesn't. There are almost always driver issues where someone has an add-on PCIe USB3.0 card and after the upgrade, the 3.0 speeds aren't there and upon startup the USB speed warning comes up.

Older printers can have issues which may require buying a new printer.

Some people like to use their computer to play DVD or Blu-Ray movies. What has worked great with Windows 7 for years won't work after going to Win 10. MS took DVD playing away from Windows 10's Windows Media Player and it's hit and miss with 3rd party applications.

Speed is an issue. Many computers running Windows 7 that I encounter are simply not equipped to run Win 10 without setbacks in responsiveness. My wife's Win 7 HP laptop for example. It was having glitchy issues and needed a reinstall. I reinstalled Windows 7 64-bit activated it and did a clean Win 10 upgrade where that option is not saving programs and apps. Just to see if it was better.

It performed terribly even after I forced the Win 10 updates to make sure that stuff wasn't swirling around. It was due to the hardware that just wasn't up to the task. Windows 10 really needs a dual core processor (or better) that runs at above 2GHz. Her laptop had a Celeron 900 Penryn which is a dual core but with one of the cores deactivated. Actual speed was 1.2GHz. Worked fine with 64-bit 7 but did not like 64-bit 10.

Conversely, I have an ACER 11.6" netbook with Celeron 1007U processor and it took the clean upgrade fine. But that processor is an actual dual core with 1.5GHz for each core.

So there are different situations with Win 10 upgrades and in person, I take each individual one in consideration when offering a specific recommendation. But my general recommendation is to not go from a trouble-free Win 7 installation to Win 10 because of the things that need to be considered.

I have a really stupid older Windows 7 netbook. Bought my wife a middling Windows 8.0 laptop for her use.

I hated 8. To the point where I refused to touch my wife's laptop.

7 worked fine on my netbook, but I did the upgrade to 10 once enough people reported it was safe. Upgrade was smooth as could be, but I've experienced gradual and substantial slowing of the machine since. I don't know whether this is the fault of the upgrade (I've turned off a lot of the start-up BS for which I have no need - how dumb does Microsoft think the average user is, anyhow?) or the fact that the web is just a more complex place with more complex stuff than my old netbook's sad little processor (it's several times dumber than my two-year-old phone, for instance) can handle.

My wife's laptop, we upgraded to 10 as well. I'm now willing to use it - 10 is so much nicer than 8.0. But there is certain software she uses (for reviewing court transcripts) that hasn't had a 10-upgrade yet: she wound up being frustrated for weeks and then spending an hour on the phone with the software maker to get it working.

I see why bazillions of people are willing to give up their freedom and go with the Apple Collective - it's generally less of a PITA. On the other hand, I also see why a lot of people just say, "If I'm going to have to hassle with MS products this much, I'll just use my brain a little more and go Linux." Because I'm just about to the point where I want to go to the second camp.

My lazy wife just jumped to the first, though.

Anyhow, glad to hear skrazo reached the decision he did: it's what I'd do if I had it to do over, knowing what I know now.

I did the upgrade because I was

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Now go make God proud...

I got 7 on my desktop and in a netbook,will avoid 10 as long as possible. I'm good with computers but not an expert. What I miss is XP,I don't like 'libraries' that just copy from 'c' drive. I miss being able to create folders in the 'tree'.

I upgraded my eight year old computer to Win 10 and I like it - seems to be much faster. I didn't like Edge, however, and decided to use Firefox instead.

If windows 10 attempts to install on your system, can't you just refuse the user license agreement? Seems that would stop it from installing.

It won't install without your direct approval however the 3GB program and installer might be downloaded to a hidden directory.

If you look for "GWX Control Panel" on the web you will be able to download a very nice piece of freeware that allows you to modify how MS downloads "updates". This way you can stop the MS message for Windows 10 and stop it downloading. Just keep Win 7. Dave_n

I just got a new laptop about a month ago and it came with Windows 10. I was leery of it from all the bad things I'd read and heard but it's actually pretty good. Fastest computer I've ever seen. Still learning my way around but it isn't bad at all.

One thing i know is that it is not compatible with some computers depending upon it's age of brand it might be a bad idea. But my new Toshiba Satellite was designed for it and I like it. Before you get it check and MAKE sure that our computer is compatible.

Some new stuff on it that I still haven't tried yet but one of them I'm leavin' along for sure. Drop Box. Some of my friends have gotte3n their pics all mess up with that so I'm leavin' it alone.

Good Luck

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Real men love cats!

I'm running Windows 7 and it works just fine.
Both of my sons are IT guys and they both say DON'T!

Upgraded a 7 and an 8 to 10. Pretty much a non-event. Didn't care for windows 8. 10 is easy to use. Haven't had to call for help.

Wife and I have gone over the the "Apple Collective". Maybe the next OS X will be called The Borg.

Really, I never had that much trouble with Windows but being a pretty heavy user I was willing to spend a bit of time to learn my way around.

Friend of mine has Win10. I liked the voice recognition in Win10 that Apple has yet to get going in OS X like Siri in IOS. But when you start searching for something the layouts, menus and names have changed. We have a good Win7 PC. I considered Win10 but we just don't use it enough to invest the time to educate ourselves on it, although I'm sure in a week or so we'd probably get along fine. Don't know why MS thinks they need to reinvent the wheel. I think we've gone through four or more OS X changes since 2009. The layout pretty much looks the same.

Unless there's something in Win10 that you really want or need, might as well stick with Win7.

I had a perfectly good printer but went for an MS OS upgrade (awhile ago, don't remember all the details). The printer promptly quit working.

MS said "you need new printer drivers, contact the manufacturer." Did so and got a lecture from a guy with a heavy Indian accent. Over the phone he told me "That printer is obsolete and you must buy a new one!" He wanted to sell me one then and there.

I thanked him but told him I would rather do without a printer than buy one from a company that doesn't support their products and then I hung up. We did without a printer for a couple of years until my wife insisted we get one. So of course I made sure to buy one from a different maker.

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You're shy a few manners.

The reason people don't want to upgrade is it's new. People hate change. Even though the new thing is better or faster, they don't want it because it's not familiar.

Apple products work for people because it requires them to do it Apple's way. Because of this, new upgrades don't seem different. As long as you are willing to conform to Apple's way of doing things, you'll love Apple and it will be a great computer.

There are two complaints about Win10; it won't run some programs and it uses different terminology or layouts. The first is the price of progress. The second is a localized issue to the individual.

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Freedom isn't free.

Nope, and I'm sticking with it long after the EOL date.

Then again, I was a Win98SE holdout until I reluctantly embraced XP.

I have an old Canon printer. There are no Windows 10 drivers. It does print just fine using the older Win 8 driver, but the little program that pops up showing how much ink is left and so on doesn't work with 10. Canon said they had no plans to issue updated drivers for obsolete printers. They still like selling you ink, though.

Recently I needed ink for the printer. Instead I found a new Canon on sale for less than the price of ink refills. So I got my ink and a new printer for less than I was going to pay for the refills for the old one. This one does have Windows 10 drivers.

Over the years I've used HP, Epson, and Canon inkjet printers. I like Canon the best. They just seem to be more reliable and the print heads don't clog as easily as the others. The Epsons in particular were really bad about clogged print heads. HP was a little better, but Canons just never clog even if it sits for weeks without printing anything.

Drifting . . . yes, I am.

In the cases where people have called me about their older printers no longer working correctly after the Windows 10 upgrade, the easy, cost effective solution was to trash the old printer and get a new one for - yes... LESS than what replacement ink would have been for the old printer. It's a win-win. Be sure to uninstall the old printer first through Add/Remove Programs and restart computer.

BTW... I've seen people have very good experiences with Canon printers. My own printing needs are meager and I like inexpensive HP ink jet printers that use single tricolor cartridges and a single black where the print heads are built into the cartridges which I set for black only grayscale as default.

Printers that have the individual 4 colors riding in an attached carrier that has a long-term print head underneath are susceptible to clogs because the print head is non-replaceable. Well.. it actually is replaceable but not feasible to do so considering the expense and time that takes place once you arrive at the diagnosis that the print head needs to be replaced.

I think the general fear and dread of installing a different version of Windows is because of Microsoft's past history of delivering nightmares masquerading as new and improved operating systems.

As I was reading through this thread about folks who installed Win10 to then find out that the software and printers they relied on would no longer work, I am curious if the word "new" was how they characterized this? I'm thinking that perhaps a series of four letters words are more likely.

Yes, people keep talking about this mythological "nightmare", but it's not true; at least not in my experience. I've loaded all the updates and never had an issue when it comes to functionality. From 3.1 through 7 and now 10 have all worked perfectly for me. The previous editions all made upgrading a little work intensive. Before 10 they all required a complete rework of icons and file structure. Win 10 installs and leaves the environment intact. I didn't have to change anything. All my software kept working because I've kept up on updating that stuff too.

Yeah, I'm not dropping this one on Microsoft. I've read this stuff too and these programs are usually so old that they should be updated anyway. We had a program at work where we tried to keep a Windows 3.1 machine running just because it was written in 1995. When the computer died last year, we wrote a new program that is much better. Should have been done years ago.

Also, I agree with tcon on the printer issue. A new inkjet is only a little more than the replacement ink. So, not really an issue there either.

If you have a problem with ink drying out or clogging heads, switch to a laser. The toner in a laser will never clog or dry out because it's dry to begin with. And, you get 2,500 pages per toner cartridge. Yes, they are $85/toner, but considering the amount they can print, they are much less expensive than ink jet printers to run.

A color laser printer can be had for less than $200 and if you catch a sale they can be had for less than $150. A coworker got one on black Friday for $120.

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Freedom isn't free.

Despite your personal experience, MS operating systems like ME and Vista are widely regarded as among the biggest blunders in tech history. Horrible. Fortunately I skipped those, did you? Win8 was so poorly received by desktop users that 10 has already nearly gained equal market share at 10% compared to 8 at 13%. Of course 7 still dominates with 55% and even XP still hangs at 11%. Windows users overwhelmingly clinging to old tech that works isn't a big misunderstanding or myth, IMO. The fear and reluctance to install a new Windows OS is quite real and deserved... In contrast, El Capitan was released the end of Sept. A mere 60 days later 38% of all Macs had upgraded. And that's considered a bit slow.

For those of you thinking about a new printer because the cost is close to that of ink refills for your old printer, be aware that the ink cartridges supplied with new printers are only partially filled.

Printer manufacturers usually sell printers at or below cost because they make their money on the refills.

I upgraded from windows 7 to 10. I'm not much of a computer guy, but it was hassle free, and 10 seems to work great.

I guess you missed where I said I had upgraded through all the versions of Windows without incident. See, I'm guessing you skipped those because you were told they sucked. They didn't and, again, I had no trouble with any of them. I didn't like ME, because it didn't add any real functionality over 97.

Yes, but you're missing the reason why. It's because the GUI was so dramatically different, people couldn't get used to it. I agree, it was a blunder. They spent so much time making it touch screen friendly, they forgot that most don't have or use a touch screen. The only difference between 8 and 8.1 is the GUI.

Again, these systems worked fine, they were just unfamiliar. This is indeed why Apple is so popular. By only allowing things to work their way, people are already used to the interface. It's a brilliant marketing strategy and I applaud them for taking advantage of people's unwillingness to change.

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Freedom isn't free.

I wasn't missing the reason why Win8 was widely rejected by desktop users. The notion that something works fine when the general public finds it a challenge to work with is silly as is blaming the public for Microsoft developing a product that the public doesn't want. Microsoft should take a lesson from car manufacturers. While engine and brake technology has dramatically changed.... gas pedal stays on right, brake on left.

Apple users generally love new stuff, and they embrace new OS X versions as the numbers reflect. The difference is that Apple understands that they are developing products for people to use and improve and make easier their daily lives, and the seamless compatibility among all Apple products makes change smooth. Not something to make them lost and agonize over doing the same tasks as before, or rearranging deck chairs in the name of change as Microsoft often does.

Here's an example. OS X Yosemite came with the ability to answer your iPhone while at your Mac. After downloading Yosemite, my iPhone that was ringing on the other end of the house started showing on my Mac desktop in my office. Small tab showing who was calling and if I wanted to answer or not. Click. I'm talking to my wife. Super convenient. Also make outbound calls and can use my iPhone address book which automatically syncs with my Mac. None of this required any setup or agonizing over configurations, it just worked. Now I don't know if Win10 has this ability to answer and receive calls via an Android or all other phones (universal compatibility and freedom so many PC users speak of) but how many would even be capable of setting this up with their PC? How many would even know that such an option existed? See... I think there's a good case to be made that Apple users not only embrace change with new and improved products but actually use them more than average Joe PC users who often celebrate just getting back to being able to do what they were doing before the "change".

Not to say that everyone always enjoys Apple's updates. Many have complained about changes in iTunes, iPhoto and other things. But it' not the general Rubik's cube hair-pulling event that MS is so good at developing.

For those who prefer a Win7 style start menu with their 8, 8.1 or 10, try a program called "Classic Shell" from classicshell.net.

Installs easily. After installing, click your new Start button and this one time, the configuration settings page comes up. From the three style options, choose Windows 7 style. Then click the Basic Settings tab to change ONE THING: In the middle of the list, find Show Recent or Frequent Programs. I like to set this to "Don't Show".

Close the window and click your new Start button. The right side should look very familiar with the links to your personal data directories, Control Panel, This PC (formally called Computer or My Computer), but the left side is empty aside from the shortcut to Windows 10's regular Start Menu. To put your own shortcuts on the left side, find them in the All Programs list (link at bottom). Right-click on the desired program, choose "Pin To Start Menu (Classic Shell)". Build your left side list this way that doesn't change or rotate depending on what you used last. You can move them around in the list by left-clicking, holding and dragging.

In the All Programs list, MS has changed the location of a few things. Shortcuts to useful (to me) programs like Notepad, StickyNotes, Internet Explorer 11 are under Windows Accessories. Want a calculator in the list? Click your new Start button and in the search window at the bottom, type calc. One of the results will be Windows Calculator (the grey one). Again.... right-click and choose Pin to Start Menu (Classic Shell).

Also note that the right-click options also have "Send To -> Desktop (Create Shortcut)" if you like certain shortcuts on your Desktop and also "Pin To Taskbar" if you want a particular shortcut on your Taskbar.

Another thing I'll mention about the Taskbar.... you can change Cortana's text window into an icon to save room down there. You can also hide the Task View icon. These configuration changes come up in a menu when you right-click an open area on the Taskbar and changes made here are easily reversed.

Below is my wife's Win10 desktop with Classic Shell menu: