Windows 10 pro release date free

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Windows Microsoft announces start date – free upgrade possible There is an official release date for Windows Microsoft has announced that the company’s next operating system will launch on July 29th. Currently, a select few Windows users already have access to Windows The ninth stable build of Windows 10, version , codenamed ” 19H2 “, was released to the public on November 12, after being on the Insider Release Preview branch since August 26, [65] Unlike previous updates, this one was released as a minor service update without major new replace.meted Reading Time: 9 mins. On the General tab, click Change and select Windows Explorer for the program you would like to use to open ISO files and select Apply. Right-click the ISO file and select Mount. Double-click the ISO file to view the files within. Double-click replace.me to start Windows 10 setup. More download options.
 
 

 

Windows 10 pro release date free. What Is Windows 10?

 

Windows apps share code across platforms, have responsive designs that adapt to the needs of the device and available inputs, can synchronize data between Windows 10 devices including notifications, credentials, and allowing cross-platform multiplayer for games , and are distributed through the Microsoft Store rebranded from Windows Store since September The ARM version of Windows 10 allows running applications for x86 processors through bit software emulation.

On Windows 10, Microsoft Store serves as a unified storefront for apps, video content, and eBooks. Desktop software distributed through Windows Store is packaged using the App-V system to allow sandboxing. A new iteration of the Start menu is used on the Windows 10 desktop, with a list of places and other options on the left side, and tiles representing applications on the right.

The menu can be resized, and expanded into a full-screen display, which is the default option in Tablet mode. When a window is snapped to one side of the screen, Task View appears and the user is prompted to choose a second window to fill the unused side of the screen called “Snap Assist”. Charms have been removed; their functionality in universal apps is accessed from an App commands menu on their title bar.

It is accessed by clicking an icon in the notification area, or dragging from the right of the screen. Notifications can be synced between multiple devices. Windows 10 is designed to adapt its user interface based on the type of device being used and available input methods.

It offers two separate user interface modes: a user interface optimized for mouse and keyboard, and a “Tablet mode” designed for touchscreens. Users can toggle between these two modes at any time, and Windows can prompt or automatically switch when certain events occur, such as disabling Tablet mode on a tablet if a keyboard or mouse is plugged in, or when a 2-in-1 PC is switched to its laptop state. In Tablet mode, programs default to a maximized view, and the taskbar contains a back button and hides buttons for opened or pinned programs by default; Task View is used instead to switch between programs.

The full screen Start menu is used in this mode, similarly to Windows 8, but scrolls vertically instead of horizontally. Windows 10 incorporates multi-factor authentication technology based upon standards developed by the FIDO Alliance. Devices with supported cameras requiring infrared illumination, such as Intel RealSense allow users to log in with iris or face recognition , similarly to Kinect.

Devices with supported readers allow users to log in through fingerprint recognition. Support was also added for palm-vein scanning through a partnership with Fujitsu in February In , researchers demonstrated that Windows Hello could be bypassed on fully-updated Windows 10 version with a color printout of a person’s picture taken with an IR camera.

However, a PIN is not a simpler password. While passwords are transmitted to domain controllers , PINs are not. They are tied to one device, and if compromised, only one device is affected. As such, the authentication token transmitted to the server is harder to crack. In addition, whereas weak passwords may be broken via rainbow tables , TPM causes the much-simpler Windows PINs to be resilient to brute-force attacks.

When Windows 10 was first introduced, multi-factor authentication was provided by two components: Windows Hello and Passport not to be confused with the Passport platform of Later, Passport was merged into Windows Hello. Device Guard is designed to protect against zero-day exploits , and runs inside a hypervisor so that its operation remains separated from the operating system itself. Other features such as word wrap and transparency were also added. These functions can be disabled to revert to the legacy console if needed.

The Anniversary Update added Windows Subsystem for Linux WSL , which allows the installation of a user space environment from a supported Linux distribution that runs natively on Windows.

The subsystem translates Linux system calls to those of the Windows NT kernel only claims full system call compatibility as of WSL 2, included in a later Windows update. The environment can execute the Bash shell and bit command-line programs WSL 2 also supports bit Linux programs and graphics, assuming supporting software installed, [88] and GPUs support for other uses [89]. Windows applications cannot be executed from the Linux environment, and vice versa.

To reduce the storage footprint of the operating system, Windows 10 automatically compresses system files. The system can reduce the storage footprint of Windows by approximately 1. The level of compression used is dependent on a performance assessment performed during installations or by OEMs , which tests how much compression can be used without harming operating system performance.

Furthermore, the Refresh and Reset functions use runtime system files instead, making a separate recovery partition redundant, allowing patches and updates to remain installed following the operation, and further reducing the amount of space required for Windows 10 by up to 12 GB.

Windows 10 introduces Microsoft Edge , a new default web browser. It initially featured a new standards -compliant rendering engine derived from Trident , and also includes annotation tools and integration with other Microsoft platforms present within Windows Every Windows 10 version from 20H2, which was released on October 20, , will come with the new version of the browser preinstalled.

Windows 10 incorporates a universal search box located alongside the Start and Task View buttons, which can be hidden or condensed into a single button. Many of its features are a direct carryover from Windows Phone, including integration with Bing , setting reminders, a Notebook feature for managing personal information, as well as searching for files, playing music, launching applications and setting reminders or sending emails.

Microsoft Family Safety is replaced by Microsoft Family, a parental controls system that applies across Windows platforms and Microsoft online services. Users can create a designated family, and monitor and restrict the actions of users designated as children, such as access to websites, enforcing age ratings on Microsoft Store purchases, and other restrictions.

The service can also send weekly e-mail reports to parents detailing a child’s computer usage. Credentials are stored in an encrypted form on Microsoft servers and sent to the devices of the selected contacts. Passwords are not viewable by the guest user, and the guest user is not allowed to access other computers or devices on the network. Wi-Fi Sense is not usable on Universal calling and messaging apps for Windows 10 are built in as of the November update: Messaging, Skype Video, and Phone.

These offer built-in alternatives to the Skype download and sync with Windows 10 Mobile. Windows 10 provides greater integration with the Xbox ecosystem. Xbox SmartGlass is succeeded by the Xbox Console Companion formerly the Xbox app , which allows users to browse their game library including both PC and Xbox console games , and Game DVR is also available using a keyboard shortcut , allowing users to save the last 30 seconds of gameplay as a video that can be shared to Xbox Live, OneDrive, or elsewhere.

Windows 10 adds native game recording and screenshot capture ability using the newly introduced Game Bar. Users can also have the OS continuously record gameplay in the background, which then allows the user to save the last few moments of gameplay to the storage device.

Windows 10 adds three new default typefaces compared to Windows 8, but removes dozens of others. The removed typefaces are available in supplemental packs and may be added manually over a non-metered internet connection.

Windows 10 is available in five main editions for personal computing devices; the Home and Pro editions of which are sold at retail in most countries, and as pre-loaded software on new computers.

Home is aimed at home users, while Pro is aimed at power users and small businesses. Each edition of Windows 10 includes all of the capabilities and features of the edition below it, and add additional features oriented towards their market segments; for example, Pro adds additional networking and security features such as BitLocker , Device Guard, Windows Update for Business, and the ability to join a domain.

Enterprise and Education, the other editions, contain additional features aimed towards business environments, and are only available through volume licensing. As part of Microsoft’s unification strategies, Windows products that are based on Windows 10’s common platform but meant for specialized platforms are marketed as editions of the operating system, rather than as separate product lines. An updated version of Microsoft’s Windows Phone operating system for smartphones, and also tablets, was branded as Windows 10 Mobile.

On May 2, , Microsoft unveiled Windows 10 S referred to in leaks as Windows 10 Cloud , a feature-limited edition of Windows 10 which was designed primarily for devices in the education market competing, in particular, with Chrome OS netbooks , such as the Surface Laptop that Microsoft also unveiled at this time.

The OS restricts software installation to applications obtained from Microsoft Store; the device may be upgraded to Windows 10 Pro for a fee to enable unrestricted software installation. As a time-limited promotion, Microsoft stated that this upgrade would be free on the Surface Laptop until March 31, A public beta program for Windows 10 known as the Windows Insider Program began with the first publicly available preview release on October 1, Insider preview builds are aimed towards enthusiasts and enterprise users for the testing and evaluation of updates and new features.

On July 29, , Microsoft officially announced that Windows 10 would be released for retail purchase as a free upgrade from earlier versions of Windows. In comparison to previous Windows releases, which had a longer turnover between the release to manufacturing RTM and general release to allow for testing by vendors and in some cases, the development of “upgrade kits” to prepare systems for installation of the new version , an HP executive explained that because it knew Microsoft targeted the operating system for a release, the company was able to optimize its then-current and upcoming products for Windows 10 in advance of its release, negating the need for such a milestone.

The general availability build of Windows 10, numbered , was first released to Windows Insider channels for pre-launch testing on July 15, , prior to its formal release. Windows 10 is distributed digitally through the “Media Creation Tool”, which is functionally identical to the Windows 8 online installer, and can also be used to generate an ISO image or USB install media.

Changing between architectures e. Windows 10 was available in countries and languages upon its launch, and as part of efforts to “re-engage” with users in China, Microsoft also announced that it would partner with Qihoo and Tencent to help promote and distribute Windows 10 in China, and that Chinese PC maker Lenovo would provide assistance at its service centers and retail outlets for helping users upgrade to Windows Windows RT devices cannot be upgraded to Windows During its first year of availability, [] upgrade licenses for Windows 10 could be obtained at no charge for devices with a genuine license for an eligible edition of Windows 7 or 8.

This offer did not apply to Enterprise editions, as customers under an active Software Assurance SA contract with upgrade rights are entitled to obtain Windows 10 Enterprise under their existing terms. All users running non-genuine copies of Windows, and those without an existing Windows 7 or 8 license, were ineligible for this promotion; although upgrades from a non-genuine version were possible, they result in a non-genuine copy of On the general availability build of Windows 10 the original release , to activate and generate the “digital entitlement” for Windows 10, the operating system must have first been installed as an in-place upgrade.

During the free upgrade, a genuineticket. Once installed, the operating system can be reinstalled on that particular system via normal means without a product key, and the system’s license will automatically be detected via online activation – in essence, the Microsoft Product Activation Server will remember the system’s motherboard and give it the green light for product re-activation. Since the release of the Fall Creators Update version , Microsoft decided to release multi-edition installation media, to alleviate installation and product activation issues users experienced because of accidentally installing the wrong edition of Windows The Windows Insider Preview version of Windows 10 automatically updated itself to the generally released version as part of the version progression and continues to be updated to new beta builds, as it had throughout the testing process.

Microsoft explicitly stated that Windows Insider was not a valid upgrade path for those running a version of Windows that is ineligible for the upgrade offer; although, if it was not installed with a license carried over from an in-place upgrade to 10 Insider Preview from Windows 7 or 8, the Insider Preview does remain activated as long as the user does not exit the Windows Insider program.

The offer was promoted and delivered via the “Get Windows 10” application also known as GWX , which was automatically installed via Windows Update ahead of Windows 10’s release, and activated on systems deemed eligible for the upgrade offer.

Via a notification area icon, users could access an application that advertised Windows 10 and the free upgrade offer, check device compatibility, and “reserve” an automatic download of the operating system upon its release. Microsoft said that those who reserved Windows 10 would be able to install it through GWX in a phased rollout process. The operating system could alternatively be downloaded at any time using a separate “Media Creation Tool” setup program, that allows for the creation of DVD or USB installation media.

In May , Microsoft announced that the free upgrade offer would be extended to users of assistive technologies ; however, Microsoft did not implement any means of certifying eligibility for this offer, which some outlets thereby promoted as being a loophole to fraudulently obtain a free Windows 10 upgrade. Microsoft said that the loophole is not intended to be used in this manner. However, another loophole was found that allowed Windows 7 and 8.

No word from Microsoft was given whether it will be closed [] and some outlets have continued to promote it as a free method of upgrading from the now-unsupported Windows 7. During upgrades, Windows 10 licenses are not tied directly to a product key. Instead, the license status of the system’s current installation of Windows is migrated, and a “Digital license” known as “Digital entitlement” in version or earlier is generated during the activation process, which is bound to the hardware information collected during the process.

If Windows 10 is reinstalled cleanly and there have not been any significant hardware changes since installation such as a motherboard change , the online activation process will automatically recognize the system’s digital entitlement if no product key is entered during installations.

However, unique product keys are still distributed within retail copies of Windows As with previous non-volume-licensed variants of Windows, significant hardware changes will invalidate the digital entitlement, and require Windows to be re-activated. Unlike previous versions of Windows, Windows Update does not allow the selective installation of updates, and all updates including patches, feature updates, and driver software are downloaded and installed automatically.

Users can only choose whether their system will reboot automatically to install updates when the system is inactive, or be notified to schedule a reboot.

Version allows wired Ethernet networks to be designated as metered, but Windows may still download certain updates while connected to a metered network. In version , by installing the August security update and later versions, driver and non-security updates pushed via Windows Update that are considered optional are no longer automatically downloaded and installed in their devices.

Updates can cause compatibility or other problems; a Microsoft troubleshooter program allows bad updates to be uninstalled. Under the Windows end-user license agreement , users consent to the automatic installation of all updates, features and drivers provided by the service, and implicitly consent “without any additional notice” to the possibility of features being modified or removed. Windows Update can also use a peer-to-peer system for distributing updates; by default, users’ bandwidth is used to distribute previously downloaded updates to other users, in combination with Microsoft servers.

Users can instead choose to only use peer-to-peer updates within their local area network. The original release of Windows 10 receives mainstream support for five years after its original release, followed by five years of extended support, but this is subject to conditions.

Microsoft stated that these devices would no longer receive feature updates, but would still receive security updates through January The following table collects current status of the aforementioned updating and support of different branches of Windows Windows 10 is often described by Microsoft as being a “service”, as it receives regular “feature updates” that contain new features and other updates and fixes. For example, version was released in September the ninth month of This was changed with the 20H2 release where “MM” represents the half of the year in which the update was released, for example H1 for the first half and H2 for the second half.

The pace at which feature updates are received by devices is dependent on which release channel is used. Each build of Windows 10 is supported for 18 months after its original release. Once a stable build is certified by Microsoft and its partners as being suitable for broad deployment, the build is then released on the “Semi-Annual Channel” formerly “Current Branch for Business”, or “CBB” , which is supported by the Pro and Enterprise editions of Windows The Windows Insider branches receive unstable builds as they are released; it is divided into two channels, “Dev” which receives new builds immediately after their release , and “Beta” whose releases are slightly delayed from their “Dev” release.

For this reason, it excludes Cortana, Microsoft Store, and all bundled Universal Windows Platform apps including but not limited to Microsoft Edge, hence these builds ship only with Internet Explorer as browser. In July , Microsoft announced changes in the terminology for Windows branches as part of its effort to unify the update cadence with that of Office ProPlus and Windows Server In February , Microsoft announced changes again in delivering updates in beginning of release of version : a single SAC will be released and SAC-T will be retired, and users are no longer able to switch to different channels.

Instead, these updates can be deferred from 30 to 90 days, or depending how the device was configured to deferred the updates. Feature updates prior to version are distributed solely as an in-place upgrade installation, requiring the download of a complete operating system package approximately 3. Unlike previous builds, version is designed primarily as an update rollup version of , focusing primarily on minor feature additions and enhancements.

For upgrades to from , a new delivery method is used where its changes were delivered as part of the monthly cumulative update, but are left in a dormant state until the update “enablement” patch is installed. The full upgrade process is still used for those using builds prior to In May , Microsoft unveiled Fluent Design System previously codenamed “Project Neon” , a revamp of Microsoft Design Language 2 that will include guidelines for the designs and interactions used within software designed for all Windows 10 devices and platforms.

The new design language will include the more prominent use of motion, depth, and translucency effects. Microsoft stated that the implementation of this design language would be performed over time, and it had already started to implement elements of it in Creators Update and Fall Creators Update. On December 7, , Microsoft announced that, as part of a partnership with Qualcomm, it planned to introduce support for running Win32 software on ARM architecture with a bit x86 processor emulator, in Terry Myerson stated that this move would enable the production of Qualcomm Snapdragon -based Windows devices with cellular connectivity and improved power efficiency over Intel-compatible devices, and still capable of running the majority of existing Windows software unlike the previous Windows RT , which was restricted to Windows Store apps.

Microsoft is initially targeting this project towards laptops. In August , Microsoft began testing changes to its handling of the user interface on convertible devices—downplaying the existing “Tablet Mode” option in favor of presenting the normal desktop with optimizations for touch when a keyboard is not present, such as increasing the space between taskbar buttons and displaying the virtual keyboard when text fields are selected.

In April , the ability to run Linux applications using a graphical user interface , such as Audacity , directly in Windows, was introduced as a preview.

The basic hardware requirements to install Windows 10 were initially the same as those for Windows 8. As of the May update, the minimum disk space requirement has been increased to 32 GB. In addition, on new installations, Windows permanently reserves up to 7 GB of disk space in order to ensure proper installation of future feature updates.

The bit variants require a CPU that supports certain instructions. Some pre-built devices may be described as “certified” by Microsoft. Unlike Windows 8, OEMs are no longer required to make Secure Boot settings user-configurable, meaning that devices may optionally be locked to run only Microsoft-signed operating systems. Windows 10 version and later do not support Intel Clover Trail system-on-chips, per Microsoft’s stated policy of only providing updates for devices during their OEM support period.

Starting with Windows 10 version , Microsoft will require new OEM devices to use bit processors, and will therefore cease the distribution of x86 bit variants of Windows 10 via OEM channels. The bit variants of Windows 10 will remain available via non-OEM channels, and Microsoft will continue to “[provide] feature and security updates on these devices”. The maximum amount of RAM that Windows 10 can support varies depending on the product edition and the processor architecture.

Windows 10 supports up to two physical processors. Critics characterized the initial release of Windows 10 as being rushed, citing the incomplete state of some of the operating system’s bundled software, such as the Edge web browser, as well as the stability of the operating system itself on launch. The Edge browser was praised for its performance, although it was not in a feature-complete state at launch.

While considering them a “great idea in principle”, concerns were shown for Microsoft’s focus on the universal app ecosystem:. It’s by no means certain that developers are going to flock to Windows 10 from iOS and Android simply because they can convert their apps easily. It may well become a no-brainer for them, but at the moment a conscious decision is still required. Engadget was similarly positive, noting that the upgrade process was painless and that Windows 10’s user interface had balanced aspects of Windows 8 with those of previous versions with a more mature aesthetic.

Cortana’s always-on voice detection was considered to be its “true strength”, also citing its query capabilities and personalization features, but noting that it was not as pre-emptive as Google Now. Windows 10’s stock applications were praised for being improved over their Windows 8 counterparts, and for supporting windowed modes.

The Xbox app was also praised for its Xbox One streaming functionality, although recommending its use over a wired network because of inconsistent quality over Wi-Fi. In conclusion, it was argued that “Windows 10 delivers the most refined desktop experience ever from Microsoft, and yet it’s so much more than that. It’s also a decent tablet OS, and it’s ready for a world filled with hybrid devices.

And, barring another baffling screwup, it looks like a significant step forward for mobile. Heck, it makes the Xbox One a more useful machine. Ars Technica panned the new Tablet mode interface for removing the charms and app switching, making the Start button harder to use by requiring users to reach for the button on the bottom-left rather than at the center of the screen when swiping with a thumb, and for making application switching less instantaneous through the use of Task View.

Microsoft Edge was praised for being “tremendously promising”, and “a much better browser than Internet Explorer ever was”, but criticized it for its lack of functionality on-launch.

In conclusion, contrasting Windows 8 as being a “reliable” platform albeit consisting of unfinished concepts, Windows 10 was considered “the best Windows yet”, and was praised for having a better overall concept in its ability to be “comfortable and effective” across a wide array of form factors, but that it was buggier than previous versions of Windows were on-launch. Critics have noted that Windows 10 heavily emphasizes freemium services, and contains various advertising facilities.

Some outlets have considered these to be a hidden “cost” of the free upgrade offer. Up to August , Windows 10 usage was increasing, with it then plateauing , [] while eventually in , it became more popular than Windows 7 [] [] though Windows 7 was still more used in some countries in Asia and Africa in As of March [update] , the operating system is running on over a billion devices, reaching the goal set by Microsoft two years after the initial deadline.

Twenty-four hours after it was released, Microsoft announced that over 14 million devices were running Windows According to StatCounter, Windows 10 overtook Windows 8. For one week in late November , Windows 10 overtook first rank from Windows 7 in the United States, before losing it again.

In mid-January , Windows 10 had a slightly higher global market share than Windows 7, [] with it noticeably more popular on weekends, [] while popularity varies widely by region, e. Windows 10 was then still behind in Africa [] and far ahead in some other regions e. Windows 10 Home is permanently set to download all updates automatically, including cumulative updates, security patches, and drivers, and users cannot individually select updates to install or not.

Concerns were raised that because of these changes, users would be unable to skip the automatic installation of updates that are faulty or cause issues with certain system configurations—although build upgrades will also be subject to public beta testing via Windows Insider program.

An example of such a situation occurred prior to the general release of the operating system, when an Nvidia graphics card driver that was automatically pushed to Windows 10 users via Windows Update caused issues that prevented the use of certain functions, or prevented their system from booting at all. Criticism was also directed towards Microsoft’s decision to no longer provide specific details on the contents of cumulative updates for Windows Some users reported that during the installation of the November upgrade, some applications particularly utility programs such as CPU-Z and Speccy were automatically uninstalled during the upgrade process, and some default programs were reset to Microsoft-specified defaults such as Photos app, and Microsoft Edge for PDF viewing , both without warning.

Further issues were discovered upon the launch of the Anniversary Update “Redstone” , including a bug that caused some devices to freeze but addressed by cumulative update KB, released on August 31, , [] [] and that fundamental changes to how Windows handles webcams had caused many to stop working. A Gartner analyst felt that Windows 10 Pro was becoming increasingly inappropriate for use in enterprise environments because of support policy changes by Microsoft, including consumer-oriented upgrade lifecycle length, and only offering extended support for individual builds to Enterprise and Education editions of Windows Critics have acknowledged that Microsoft’s update and testing practices had been affecting the overall quality of Windows In particular, it was pointed out that Microsoft’s internal testing departments had been prominently affected by a major round of layoffs undertaken by the company in Microsoft relies primarily on user testing and bug reports via the Windows Insider program which may not always be of sufficient quality to identify a bug , as well as correspondence with OEMs and other stakeholders.

In the wake of the known folder redirection data loss bug in the version , it was pointed out that bug reports describing the issue had been present on the Feedback Hub app for several months prior to the public release. Following the incident, Microsoft updated Feedback Hub so that users may specify the severity of a particular bug report. When announcing the resumption of ‘s rollout, Microsoft stated that it planned to be more transparent in its handling of update quality in the future, through a series of blog posts that will detail its testing process and the planned development of a “dashboard” that will indicate the rollout progress of future updates.

Microsoft was criticized for the tactics that it used to promote its free upgrade campaign for Windows 10, including adware -like behaviors, [] using deceptive user interfaces to coax users into installing the operating system, [] [] [] [] downloading installation files without user consent, [] [] and making it difficult for users to suppress the advertising and notifications if they did not wish to upgrade to In September , it was reported that Microsoft was triggering automatic downloads of Windows 10 installation files on all compatible Windows 7 or 8.

Microsoft officially confirmed the change, claiming it was “an industry practice that reduces the time for installation and ensures device readiness. Other critics argued that Microsoft should not have triggered any downloading of Windows 10 installation files without user consent.

In October , Windows 10 began to appear as an “Optional” update on the Windows Update interface, but pre-selected for installation on some systems. A Microsoft spokesperson said that this was a mistake, and that the download would no longer be pre-selected by default.

In March , some users also alleged that their Windows 7 and 8. It was concluded that these users may have unknowingly clicked the “Accept” prompt without full knowledge that this would begin the upgrade. On January 21, , Microsoft was sued in small claims court by a user whose computer had attempted to upgrade to Windows 10 without her consent shortly after the release of the operating system.

The upgrade failed, and her computer was left in a broken state thereafter, which disrupted the ability to run her travel agency. However, in May , Microsoft dropped the appeal and chose to pay the damages. Shortly after the suit was reported on by the Seattle Times , Microsoft confirmed it was updating the GWX software once again to add more explicit options for opting out of a free Windows 10 upgrade; [] [] [] the final notification was a full-screen pop-up window notifying users of the impending end of the free upgrade offer, and contained “Remind me later”, “Do not notify me again” and “Notify me three more times” as options.

In March , Microsoft announced that it would display notifications informing users on Windows 7 devices of the upcoming end of extended support for the platform, and direct users to a website urging them to upgrade to Windows 10 or purchase new hardware. This dialog will be similar to the previous Windows 10 upgrade prompts, but will not explicitly mention Windows Privacy advocates and other critics have expressed concern regarding Windows 10’s privacy policies and its collection and use of customer data.

Users can opt out from most of this data collection, [] [] but telemetry data for error reporting and usage is also sent to Microsoft, and this cannot be disabled on non-Enterprise editions of Windows Rock Paper Shotgun writer Alec Meer argued that Microsoft’s intent for this data collection lacked transparency, stating that “there is no world in which 45 pages of policy documents and opt-out settings split across 13 different settings screens and an external website constitutes ‘real transparency’.

The Russian government had passed a federal law requiring all online services to store the data of Russian users on servers within the country by September or be blocked.

But Microsoft is held to a different standard than other companies”. The Microsoft Services agreement reads that the company’s online services may automatically “download software updates or configuration changes, including those that prevent you from accessing the Services, playing counterfeit games, or using unauthorized hardware peripheral devices. In September , Microsoft hid the option to create a local account during a fresh installation if a PC is connected to the internet.

This move was criticized by users who did not want to use an online Microsoft account. In late-July , Windows Defender began to classify modifications of the hosts file that block Microsoft telemetry servers as being a severe security risk.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. This is the latest accepted revision , reviewed on 10 June This article is about the operating system for personal computers. For the related now discontinued operating system for mobile devices, see Windows 10 Mobile. Not to be confused with Windows 1. This article may be too long to read and navigate comfortably. Its current readable prose size is 69 kilobytes. Please consider splitting content into sub-articles, condensing it, or adding subheadings.

Please discuss this issue on the article’s talk page. October Closed-source source-available through the Shared Source Initiative Some components free and open-source [1] [2] [3] [4]. List of languages.

For the Windows versions produced from to , see Windows 9x. For the Windows version following Windows 8, see Windows 8. Main article: Features new to Windows See also: List of features removed in Windows Main article: List of typefaces included with Microsoft Windows. Main article: Windows 10 editions. See also: Windows Insider. Main article: Windows 10 version history.

Main article: Criticism of Windows This section duplicates the scope of other articles , specifically Criticism of Windows Please discuss this issue on the talk page and edit it to conform with Wikipedia’s Manual of Style by replacing the section with a link and a summary of the repeated material or by spinning off the repeated text into an article in its own right.

June Windows PC market share of Windows statistics Windows Business and economics portal. Retrieved August 31, Microsoft Support. Windows Insider Blog. June 2, Retrieved June 13, NET Core 3. NET Foundation. June 5, Ars Technica. December 5, Microsoft Update Catalog. October 16, Archived from the original on October 23, Windows Evaluations.

Retrieved November 27, Retrieved June 27, June 1, Retrieved June 1, CBS Interactive. Retrieved May 14, Retrieved September 10, PC World. March 16, StatCounter Global Stats. Retrieved June 15, Retrieved April 1, Retrieved December 10, Retrieved July 30, January 6, Retrieved May 2, Houston Chronicle. Hearst Corporation. Archived from the original on July 22, The Verge. Vox Media. Retrieved May 26, Retrieved April 22, Retrieved April 7, Retrieved September 30, The Start menu is coming back to Windows”.

Archived from the original on February 3, Retrieved March 31, The Slate Group. Seattle Times. Seattle Times Network. Archived from the original on September 30, Retrieved November 5, Ziff Davis. February 2, September 30, The Guardian.

Thomson Reuters. Business Insider. January 21, Retrieved January 24, PC Magazine. Ziff Davis Media. Conde Nast. Purch Inc. April 30, Archived from the original on March 2, Retrieved June 16, Archived from the original on April 9, Retrieved July 25, Retrieved July 17, Retrieved July 23, The New York Times.

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PC Pro. July 29, April 23, Retrieved July 16, March 20, Microsoft says Hello to palm-vein biometrics”. Retrieved February 10, March 17, Retrieved March 17, Retrieved July 18, Microsoft Docs. Retrieved October 30, The Windows 10 October Update version has been indefinitely shelved while Microsoft investigates the issue, which reportedly affects Windows 10 Enterprise, IoT and Windows Server products as well as Microsoft’s desktop software.

Dona Sarkar, who leads Microsoft’s Windows Insider program, advised any affected users to get in touch with Microsoft’s support department, stating that “they have the tools to get you back to a good state”. The company’s support page for the issue also advises any impacted users to “minimize [their] use of the affected device”.

Sarkar’s Tweet led some to believe that Microsoft has cooked up a special tool to recover users’ data, but this does not appear to be the case. Affected users who have called the support line have reported that Microsoft’s support agents are relying on established all-purpose data recovery techniques like System Restore points and NTFS File Recovery.

Microsoft has not specified what’s causing the issue, and has not indicated when the update will be made available for users to install again but has promised to “provide an update when we resume rolling out the Windows 10 October Update to customers”.

Just two days after the general release of the Windows 10 October update and users are already reporting serious issues with the software.

Apparently, those who were quick off the mark to upgrade their machines have been plagued with incompatibility issues between the platform and Intel Display Audio drivers specifically those running the Users were reporting that their machines were freezing during set up and files and apps kept disappearing into the ether.

There didn’t seem to be any consistency with which files and apps were disappearing at the time of writing. Other issues surfacing on social media included reduced battery life too. One person who upgraded said their battery life was dramatically reduced and they were forced to charge their machines much more frequently than before the upgrade. Microsoft has now prevented those affected by the flaw from downloading the update, although as is always the case with bodged Microsoft upgrades, those that still want to go ahead can override the block and install regardless.

Intel suggested customers with the affected Skylake chips upgrade the drivers to version Microsoft is taking a phased approach to rolling out its October Update to Windows 10 devices, but users who can’t wait can manually download the update for themselves from today.

Although the company recommends users wait until it is offered to their devices, ‘advanced users’ are welcome to begin downloading the latest update by checking for updates in System Settings, and starting the download themselves. Devices are then subject to a compatibility check, with Microsoft’s using tools to detect any potential issues, and blocking the installation process until these are resolved. Cable also recommended customers use Windows Analytics to guide any phased approach IT administrators take to updating Windows 10 across their organisations.

An infamously disruptive download and installation process is also set to benefit from a raft of changes. For instance, Windows 10 can now understand to a much better extent when a device is not in use, and can perform updates during quiet periods in order to reduce the scope for disruption. The device can also wake from ‘sleep’ to perform updates when plugged in overnight and not on battery mode, and silence any audio so as not to wake up users.

Windows 10 users were left complaining over high memory usage and installation problems after Microsoft accidentally released an encrypted version of Windows However, users were quick report problems downloading and installing the OS. Other issues were excessive memory usage and some users reported green screens of death.

Clients get the keys along with the bits so unclear what problem is being solved here,” he added. A tweet from the Windows Insider team said that when they released the build “we unintentionally released it as encrypted”. We have begun re-publishing Build as unencrypted. We continuing to investigate reports of high memory usage and will monitor to see if the re-published build resolves these issues. The new preview version of the operating system changes the look of the sign-in screen as part of Microsoft’s Fluent Design System.

It is a bid by the firm to help users focus more on signing in. Microsoft Apps on Android gets rebranded as Your Phone Companion app in this latest build, if you can download it! Microsoft is changing its support cycle for businesses running Windows 10, after responding to feedback. Currently, two major Window 10 updates are sent out each year and businesses have 18 months before they need to move from one to another more recent update.

This is part of Microsoft’s “Windows as a service” push, and it’s designed to ensure Windows 10 gets new features instead of the previous three-year cycle for Windows releases. However, some businesses have said the updates came to fast and that IT departments needed more time and flexibility to the updates. But we recognize that it takes time to both upgrade devices and operationalize new update processes. The new updates will have cloud-based analytics tools to make modern desktop deployment even easier, a program to ensure app compatibility for upgrades and updates of Windows and Office and servicing and support changes to give you additional deployment flexibility.

We’d love to hear your thoughts and look forward to seeing you and discussing in more detail in the keynotes and sessions at Ignite in a few weeks! Microsoft has revealed its Windows 10 Redstone 5 update will be landing in October and will officially be called the Windows 10 October Update. The company hasn’t revealed which specific date the update will appear on, but said it will arrive to users in a staggered roll-out to make sure those able to handle it better get it first.

This particular update will introduce a range of goodies including a cloud clipboard so you can copy and paste text and other components between devices seamlessly, a revamped file explorer that will surface ‘hidden’ files and improvements to Microsoft Edge.

If you’re a gamer, there are also Xbox Game Bar enhancements and an updated snipping tool for taking screenshots. According to Microsoft, million people around the world are using Windows 10, although this doesn’t seem to take into account any new users because Microsoft’s figures have stayed pretty static for six months.

Now the Redstone 5 update is ready to go, Microsoft engineers can push on with the next update – known as 19H1 – and prep that ready for launch. Apparently, it’s already being tested, with it due to distribute to testers in March next year, with a release date of April.

Microsoft is working on a new security feature for Windows 10 Enterprise that will allow network administrators to run untrusted applications in a secure environment. The new desktop feature, dubbed ‘InPrivate Desktop’, was revealed in a response to a feedback challenge, known as ‘quests’, through the Windows Insider Feedback Hub , seen by Bleeping Computer.

Aimed at bolstering Windows 10’s security outlay, the tool will allow IT administrators to execute untrusted apps without risking permanent modifications to their system in a virtual machine-style environment. Little else is known about InPrivate Desktop, including when the tool will launch. The company has even yet to confirm its existence.

IT Pro has approached Microsoft for comment. Microsoft is putting together a desktop-as-a-service DaaS offering that will support Windows 10 devices, that it’s reportedly calling the “Microsoft Managed Desktop”.

The service will provide customers with the ability to lease a Windows 10 device, automatically provisioned for them, with the operating system regularly updated, for a single monthly fee, according to Petri.

A key difference between Microsoft’s version of desktop-as-a-service from what many companies already offer under that term is the Windows 10 updating component. Currently, Windows is updated twice a year and can sometimes cause issues with software compatibility and, as a fix, Microsoft is looking to offer the DaaS plan.

According to Peri, Microsoft posted several new positions that suggested Redmond is looking to launch a managed desktop service. The job description states that Microsoft Managed Desktop is a new, per-user subscription service that enables customers with devices that can take advantage of the latest productivity tools and technologies in a secure, monitored, and supported IT environment. There has been no official confirmation from Microsoft, but it is expected that it could introduce this service on the Surface devices initially, before slowly rolling it out across all other business devices, including desktop PCs.

It is believed that this could be a great option for users wanting stable operating systems without bugs and software incompatibility issues. Microsoft has reopened an early access programme for Windows Insiders, meaning those who register for the scheme can gain access to the company’s latest OS feature updates before anyone else, even early-stage testers.

The company’s Skip Ahead programme opened temporarily yesterday, but it isn’t open for long – once the vacant slots fill up, it will close once more. WindowsInsiders can now choose to “skip ahead” to the next feature update of Windows 10,” Microsoft wrote on Twitter. Although the Skip Ahead scheme already existed, the Microsoft announced a few weeks ago it planned to revamp its existing system and anyone who had already signed up would need to re-apply.

However, all is not lost for those who pre-registered; those who had applied would get first dibs on the new scheme by hearing about it first in the Fast Ring. Microsoft has revealed details of its first update to Notepad for the first time in years, following the announcement the company has updated Windows Console and added the Linux command line to Windows Microsoft says it has received requests from users to display line and column numbers when word-wrap is enabled.

This is now possible, with the status bar visible by default – but you can turn it off in the settings if you don’t want it on display all the time. The new features will appear in the Redstone 5 Windows 10 update, which includes a bunch of other improvements for Microsoft Edge, remote desktop, and Windows sign-in, due to land later this year.

The build, , replaces previous build and comes with a range of new features. Microsoft said in a new blog post that there are improvements to its Edge browser with per-site media autoplay controls that allow users to control autoplay permissions on a per-site basis under the “Website permission” section of the Website Identification pane. The firm has also added a new dictionary function so users can look up definitions for keywords when reading a page or document.

There are improved toolbar options for Edge’s PDF Reader, which will now show text descriptions for the icons to make them easily understandable. Notepad will now remember previously entered values and the state of checkboxes and automatically populate them the next time users open the find dialog.

The new build of Windows 10 enables users of Azure Active Directory and Active Directory and Windows Hello to use biometrics to authenticate to a remote desktop session. It has also introduced web sign-in to Windows 10 as a new way of signing into a Windows PC. That’s in addition to faster sign-in to a Windows 10 shared PC that will help users that share computers to access their accounts more quickly.

The software giant has also enhanced its Windows Defender Application Guard, introducing a new user interface inside Windows Security in this release. The tech giant has used AI to monitor characteristics of Windows devices that had the fewest issues when updating their operating systems for the Fall Creators Update, but said it “substantially expanded” the scale of its machine learning model to help teach the system to identify the best devices to update first with the April Update version This approach has enabled the company to spot issues during deployments of the latest update, and rapidly respond with a fix.

Data from the AI model is used to indicate whether a device is infected and prevents it from being updated, allowing for a thorough check. Once the issue is solved, the update is sent out again. Microsoft said this allows it to fix updates to customers without them needing to take action. It also lets Microsoft see when the update itself is buggy, which is exactly what happened when Microsoft paused the April Update rollout after noticing the update was causing PCs to suffer the ‘blue screen of death’, or reboot problems, within 24 hours of it occurring.

Avast immediately released a fix to prevent this issue from further occurring, enabling us to continue to safely roll out the April Update to those devices. Version is now fully available for all devices, Microsoft said, and it is offering businesses “the same targeted approach” to understand which devices to update first when enterprises perform their semi-annual update. As a result of its AI model, Microsoft claims the April Update to be the fastest version of Windows 10 to reach million devices, hitting the milestone in half the time of the Fall Creators Update.

Earlier data showed that the quality of the April update is exceeding earlier versions of Windows 10 in both reliability and performance. Microsoft’s internal customer support teams are also seeing a continued reduction in call and online support requests for Windows 10 with the April update. This has resulted in the update being broadly released automatically to all compatible devices running Windows 10 worldwide, Microsoft said. Microsoft should compensate Windows 10 users who still experience issues first flagged to it in , according to Which?

More than half of 1, Which? It has demanded that Microsoft improve the visibility of its free support services, and Microsoft is meeting with the consumer rights publication to discuss how it can fix Windows 10 issues for free. A Microsoft spokesperson told Which?

The vendor is also under pressure from Which? The survey came before the April Update, and with Windows 10, users must stay current with updates to continue to receive security patches – even if an update could break their computer.

Consequently, Which? Microsoft is pushing more and more of its user base to adopt Windows 10, having yesterday revealed plans to withdraw technical support for community forums around Windows 7, 8.

Microsoft has released its Windows 10 Insider Build for members of the Windows Insider program, ushering in a suite of tweaks for the ever-evolving operating system. The Microsoft Edge browser, which comes built into Windows 10, has been given a nip and a with it gaining the Web Authentication API Preview, which allows users to log into websites using Windows Hello and other authentication techniques.

For people who like using Windows 10 Remote Server Administration Tools, the new Insider build means they’ll no longer need to download it first and can instead install it through the Manage Optional Features’ segment of WIndows 10 settings. To tackle any privacy concerns, the latest Insider build will now display a screen after users upgrade to it that provides a one-stop-shop for people to setup the various new options WIndows 10 has gained over time and review the devices it can connect to.

A whole host of fixes and improvements have also been made to WIndows 10, including bugs that caused crashes when using the Cortana virtual assistant and some apps missing in the pinned’ and recent items’ in the Windows 10 taskbar. Many of these tweaks will eventually make their way out of the Insider program and into the standard version of WIndows 10, either through a series of small updates or one major update. Problems discussed on a Microsoft blog explain it could crash machines and force them to enter a UEFI screen after rebooting.

The company explained it was working closely with OEMs and directly with Intel to rectify the issues, but blocking them from receiving the update seems to be the best short-term solution at present. If it’s too late and the update has broken your computer already, you can roll back your machine to the previous version of Windows 10 Windows 10, version instead.

To do this, you must hold down F8 while starting up your computer and restore from a previous version of the operating system. Last week, it was revealed the update could also cause black screen issues for other machines. Experts think KB is the problem, which too can be fixed by restoring from an older version of the OS. The Windows 10 April update is breaking some critical PC features, including the microphone, speakers, mice and other peripherals and web browsers of Windows machines.

And when we say breaking, it means those features won’t work at all, rather than just being glitchy. The revelations were discussed on German website WindowsUnited , which has come to the conclusion that the problems may be caused by unsupported drivers. It listed some of the problems included speaker settings being reset without the user giving permission, the mouse failing to respond properly, with some users saying there was some lag after installing the update and the Alt-Tab shortcut not working.

Other Windows 10 users said they were receiving notifications saying that some of the new features were restricted to the Windows Insider Program users, despite not registering for the scheme. It’s not just third-party apps and services on the blink either.

Edge seems to be causing issues, with context menus missing from the taskbar for some people and microcode updates missing. As is the case with most major updates, it’s probably a good idea to wait until the bugs are fixed before installing it on your computer and risk breaking it.

Microsoft’s April update to its Windows 10 operating system has now been released, over a week after it was initially slated to appear.

The first of a biannual set of updates, the patch brings a host of new additions to the platform, including a feature called ‘Timeline’. This search tool allows you to look back through 30 days’ worth of searches, documents, files and folders to find the information you need.

For example, if you performed an internet search two weeks ago and need to re-look at the information, you can do so. If you need to refer to changes made in a document last week, you can use Timeline to roll back to when you made the changes. As long as you were signed into your Microsoft account at the time and are using Microsoft Edge or Office , you can use timeline on your iOS or Android phone when you get back to your Windows 10 PC.

The second major addition is Focus Assist. Designed to boost productivity, it stops you being distracted by things like social media, email notifications, breaking news stories and more, blocking anything unrelated to the task at hand from going through.

You can turn on Focus Assist when you need to concentrate or at set times through the day and when you’ve finished, you’ll receive all your notifications in one place. If you’re waiting on an important phone call or email to come through, you can now allow them to filter through, so you don’t miss anything important when you’re head down.

Microsoft Edge has also experienced a few new updates. You can mute tabs if they’re playing sound, expand windows showing things like PDFs, books and other viewing material to full screen with a click and autofill shopping forms. There’s also a new Dictation mode for those who would rather talk to their PC than type.

Windows 10 will now allow you to read out what you’d like to note down and it’ll convert your thoughts into text. Other, less hyped, features launched in the April Update include the ability to send content to nearby Windows 10 devices, send a webpage across Edge devices for example from your PC to your iOS device if that’s your chosen browser and an update to the Cortana voice assistant so you can control smart home equipment from your PC.

A simplified version of Windows 10, codenamed Windows 10 Lean, was spotted in last week’s Redstone 5 preview build. Though Microsoft made no official announcement, Twitter user Lucan posted his discovery on Twitter , also noting that a comparison of Windows 10 Pro and Lean reveals 50, missing files. Backed by screenshots of the preview, Lucan also believes that Windows 10 Lean will still be able to both run Universal Windows Programs and traditional Win32 applications.

Microsoft has reduced the size of this Windows update by 2GB, appearing to cut older features it thinks a low-end device doesn’t need: Internet Explorer, Registry Editor, Windows Media Player and desktop wallpaper. It seems to be geared towards tablets and laptops with 16GB of storage – a suggestion supported by The Verge ‘s own sources – to make sure they can receive updates, since these devices are usually still operating with the Windows version they came with due to a lack of space.

Lucan said sources told him Microsoft is still working out the kinks of Windows 10 Lean. Microsoft missed its deadline to release its Spring Creators Update to Windows 10 users last week, after discovering a ‘blocking bug’ the weekend before it was set to go live.

But what Microsoft didn’t say at the time is that this bug would have caused millions of Windows 10 PCs to suffer the dreaded Blue Screen of Death BSOD had it gone ahead with the release of build As a result, Microsoft has taken the unusual step of releasing a new preview of Windows 10 to its Insiders ring — build – that it hopes has solved the issue, which appears to have been spotted by an Insider.

Build is likely to be the last version before the Spring Creators Update is released, according to The Verge. That means the update — which still doesn’t have an official name – should be available for download soon, but as always, Microsoft will likely release it in waves, so it could be some time before you can update your system.

The latter is more likely to be the truth, according to reports, with Microsoft halting the launch of version due to a ‘blocking bug’ that means the code didn’t pass the company’s stringent testing process. A blocking bug isn’t a specific issue, according to Windows Central , which first reported the alleged issue; it’s just a general problem that’s serious enough to affect a lot of users or can cause significant issues if it were to be installed on devices.

The issue was reportedly uncovered over the weekend, so it’s likely Microsoft is already working on a patch. Only being discovered this weekend did mean the update missed the Patch Tuesday rollout, which is when the company usually reveals its new iterations, so we may have to wait a few weeks until it’s ready to go again.

Once the patch has been implemented and tested, only then will Microsoft be happy to release the update into the wild and users will start to be alerted that it’s ready to be downloaded and installed. Although it’s perhaps not time to party just yet as, in usual Microsoft style, it’s likely the update will roll out in stages. The rumoured launch date was revealed last month, in an end of life document for Windows 10 that revealed support for build The long-awaited Windows 10 Spring Creators update looks to introduce a fair few features that are focused on boosting productivity.

Near Share allows you to collaborate with others in a similar way to Apple’s AirDrop. You can share all types of content with others via Bluetooth, including contacts, files, and even URLs, straight from the Edge browser. Windows 10 will now look very different too, with Microsoft’s Fluent Design System.

It’s more modern than the previous iteration of Windows 10, bringing it closer to Mac OS in many ways. Timeline allows you to open any of the apps, files, and folders you had open last time you used your computer and carry on where you left off, even if you closed them down. A few apps will be supported from the outset, including Office. From a security point of view, the Spring Creators Update will introduce Windows Defender Application Guard that attempts to block malware gaining access to your network via the Edge browser.

It users container-based isolation to stop any threats infecting the entire network. Once it’s been formally announced the Windows 10 Spring Creators update is available to download, you can use the Update Assistant tool to see if it’s available to you. Just head to the Windows 10 Update Assistant , select “Update now”. If the build is ready for your device, it will start downloading and install, then your computer will restart a few times before you’re up and running.

Microsoft has been caught foisting Windows 10’s Edge browser on users, even if they have another option set as their default browser.

As part of a new feature in the latest Windows 10 Insider Preview build for users in the Skip Ahead ring, when users click any link within the Windows Mail app – which is the default email client that comes preinstalled on Windows 10 – it will automatically open in Microsoft Edge, regardless of whether or not it’s the system default. Microsoft announced the change as part of a blog post , claiming that Edge “provides the best, most secure and consistent experience on Windows 10 and across your devices,” adding: “As always, we look forward to feedback from our WIP community.

This is not the first time that the company has engaged in aggressive promotional tactics in order to increase the adoption of its browser. When users enter ‘Chrome download’ or similar terms into Edge’s search bar which uses Bing as the default search engine they are greeted with a large banner at the top of their search results extolling the virtues of Edge and reminding them that it’s already installed on their PC. Users trying to switch their PC’s default browser from Edge to an alternative via the settings menu are greeted with a similar message.

Microsoft has landed itself in hot water over its behaviour regarding Windows’ built-in browsers in the past – the European Commission started investigating Microsoft for anti-competitive practices almost a decade ago over concerns that bundling Internet Explorer with Windows was an abuse of the company’s monopoly over the PC industry. Windows Insiders are already using Microsoft’s Feedback Hub to complain vociferously about the change, accusing Microsoft of limiting their freedom of choice and locking them into its own apps.

The news of a July release came as little surprise to Microsoft watchers, as the company had stated the release would come in summer , and AMD’s CEO Lisa Su tipped the world off to a July launch thanks to a slip of the tongue during an earnings call in April that year. The RTM build was delivered to OEM partners to image new devices on 15 July, and another build is being delivered to retailers to upgrade unsold devices currently running Windows 8. The first end users to get the finished version of the product were the five million Windows 10 Insiders using the operating system in a preview.

Following that, Redmond began offering the upgrade to Windows 7, 8 and 8. One year after the initial launch of Windows 10, Microsoft rolled out the Anniversary Update, which introduced useful tweaks but was a little light on new features. You can read our full review of the Windows 10 Anniversary Update here.

System requirements for Windows 10 can be found here. Windows 10 Home is the standard edition of Windows for consumer PCs, tablets and hybrids such as the Surface 3 and upcoming Surface Pro 4. Windows 10 Mobile, which had until now been known as Windows 10 for Phones, “is designed to deliver the best user experience on It has many of the same features as Windows 10 Home, although Continuum is only available on large mobile devices.

Windows 10 Pro is aimed at small businesses and includes all the features of Windows 10 Home plus device and app management, data protection services, and support for remote and mobile working. Microsoft is doing everything it can to ensure that Windows 10 retains its core market of enterprise users.

One of the major shake-ups that Windows 10 has brought to the standard Windows formula is the system of regular, incremental updates, rather than large periodic overhauls although there are occasionally larger feature updates, like Anniversary Update. However, a constant series of rolling upgrades can be a huge headache for IT departments. In order to combat this, Microsoft has introduced Update for Business, which allows IT managers to fine-tune which devices and systems in their company receive Windows updates at which time.

The tool, which was announced at Microsoft’s Ignite conference in early May, allows the specification of maintenance windows in business environments, which can be used to designate when and when not to apply updates.

This ensures that systems will be available at critical times and that machines can be unobtrusively kept up to date. Microsoft has also addressed potential compatibility queries, stating that the new tools will fully integrate with existing management software like System Center and Enterprise Mobility Suite. Project A2 pronounced A-squared , a mobile-centric product that aims to speed up business adoption of Windows 10, has been developed by VMWare.

In early September , Dell agreed to sell the Surface Pro range alongside its own tablet offerings, as Microsoft pushes the Windows running device at the enterprise, while other agreements with Avanade, HP and Accenture under a Surface Enterprise Initiative will push more Windows 10 devices to business users. Windows 10 Anniversary Update was released on 2 August , just a few days after the operating system’s first birthday. It features a number of tweaks and new features, such as Windows Ink and updates for Cortana and the Edge browser – you can read our full review here.

The Anniversary Update was originally uncovered by Brad Sams of Neowin in April , at which time it was going under the codename “Redstone”, apparently in reference to the precious stone that features in Minecraft – the block-based game acquired by Microsoft in The August Anniversary Update was thought to be the first of two “Redstone” updates that would happen in , with the second one arriving in October.

However, rumour soon spread that the launch of the autumn update had been pushed back to spring This has seemingly been confirmed by Microsoft technology evangelist Nathan Mercer in a blog post , in which he promises two major feature updates next year, giving businesses time to adapt to the new OS and the features released in August before additional changes are made. Having caused a great deal of upset by ditching the iconic Start menu with Windows 8, Microsoft has apparently realised it is best not to mess with a classic and reinstated it for Windows It is not an exact replica of the venerable Start menu that ran from Windows 95 to Windows 7, though.

While the location of the button and search function both remain, Microsoft has also incorporated an element of the Windows 8 Start page into the new menu, bringing Live Tiles into the interface. The Live Tiles appear alongside the traditional menu when a user clicks on the Start button. They are set to feature Skype, Weather, Mail and Store by default, but can be added to, swapped or even removed completely as desired.

The background can also be customised, as can which system applications appear in the traditional section of the menu. For those who actually preferred the Windows 8 Start screen interface, that is also available to launch from the Start menu.

Cortana is Microsoft’s answer to Apple’s virtual assistant, Siri. Now, with Windows 10, she has been incorporated into the desktop both as a search function within the OS and in the new browser. A full review of Cortana can be found at our sister site, Alphr. After 10 years as the default Windows browser, Internet Explorer has finally been retired, to be replaced by the new Microsoft Edge. However, in the end, Microsoft said it had opted for a name starting with “E” because of user familiarity with the “e” icon from Internet Explorer, meaning they would know at a glance what the icon in the taskbar represented.

In feel and design, Edge is much more similar to Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox than its predecessor. Indeed, it has a level of interoperability previously unseen in a Windows browser and can use Firefox and Chrome extensions natively, a feature that was introduced int eh Anniversary Update.

Other additions include the ability to annotate web pages and consult Cortana, not just for search, but also richer features like restaurant reviews or maps to a venue. She is also able to customise the information she presents based on data gathered about the user’s interests over time. Finally, there is the new tab layout, which will present suggested apps to download from the Windows Store, based on user interest and behaviour.

It will offer varying degrees of detail ranging from plain icons through to headlines from media apps, and will also show news from regularly visited or subscribed sites, as well as a Bing search toolbar positioned at the very top. Continuum is a new feature in Windows 10 designed to make the experience of using a hybrid device, such as the Dell XPS or Lenovo Yoga ranges, smoother.

When docked or undocked from a keyboard, a pop-up will appear asking if the user wants to switch to or exit the full-screen “tablet mode”. This, once again, seems to be a response to criticism arising from Windows 8, where users complained the interface seemed more optimised for touch and was difficult to navigate using a keyboard and mouse. Another new feature with Windows 10 is multiple desktops. While Windows has supported virtual desktops for some time, it was not natively accessible to users, who had to turn to third-party software.

Now, however, it is available as an inbuilt feature through the Task View interface, which lets users add, remove and move between virtual desktops.

Users can also move apps between desktops although currently there is no drag and drop option. Instead, they have to right-click, select “move to” from the pop-up menu and then select the desktop they want the app to go to, or alternatively use the keyboard shortcuts listed in this blog post. Microsoft has overhauled the Windows Store for Windows 10 to improve the experience for both customers and app developers alike by removing clutter and making it easier to search for and discover apps.

An integral part of the Windows 10 Store is Universal Apps. As the name would suggest, these are apps that work on all devices from the smallest Windows 10 compatible phone to the gigantic Surface Hub. The idea of Universal Apps is to appeal to both developers and consumers. For developers, it provides a single platform on which to create their app once and deploy it across multiple platforms.

From a user standpoint, it means a smoother experience across all devices and, as everything is managed in the cloud, the app will be up to date no matter which device it is being used on, Microsoft has claimed.

Additionally, users only have to buy the app once for it to work on all devices, rather than one for the phone and one for the PC. At Mobile World Congress , Stephen Elop, who was then executive VP of Microsoft’s Devices and Services division, told delegates: “It is our hope that our cross-platform initiatives deliver not only across our platforms but those of others.

Additionally, while not falling within the universal apps bracket, Microsoft announced developers will be able to port iOS and Android apps to Windows 10 , not just emulate them. Microsoft has, however, reduced the number of devices any given app can be used on.

Rather than the 81 installs allowed with Windows 8. As pointed out by Neowin: “While 10 devices do seem like a lot, if you consider that phones and even your Xbox could be counted towards your usage, it does feel a lot more restricted than simply thinking you have 10 PCs in your home”. It could also cause problems for users who upgrade or refresh their PCs over the course of the 10 years Windows 10 will be supported and possibly beyond. Microsoft has said that Windows 10 should be compatible with all devices currently running Windows 8.

While those using computers that run Windows 7 should theoretically be able to upgrade straight to Windows 10, some older computers have struggled to run the new OS, with one such case even resulting in a courtroom battle in June Microsofts outline of compatibility specifications can be found here.

Windows Holographic is a special variant of Windows 10 that allows any Windows universal app to run on a standalone augmented reality AR device in a context-aware way.

This means it takes into account information coming from the AR unit’s additional sensors, such as depth camera or gyroscope when rendering display information. As a matter of fact, I hope that in the not-the-so-distant future there will be many such devices. This has not happened yet, but in the meantime, it has been announced that Windows 10 will offer native support for two VR headsets – Oculus Rift from Facebook and Vive from Valve – as well as Valve’s Steam VR libraries.

Solid details on how this will work have been scant, and it is not quite Kipman’s vision of dozens of holographic computers, but it does show there is interest in Windows 10’s AR and VR capabilities from big-name third-party suppliers. While HoloLens itself has been pitched at least in part as an entertainment device, it also has practical business uses, particularly for those working in the fields of design, engineering and construction.

Nadella has made it clear that enterprise applications like these are one of HoloLens’ top priorities. As part of the device’s “five-year journey” , developers and commercial partners will be among the first to receive HoloLens units, with consumer applications coming as the technology evolves. Microsoft has doubled down on security in its latest OS, with features like Windows Hello, which relies on biometric scanning for authentication, and Microsoft passport.

At the launch of Windows 10, Microsoft promised “plenty of exciting new Windows 10 devices to choose from which will support Windows Hello”, and devices already equipped with a fingerprint scanner will also work with the technology. This isn’t just a consumer feature or gimmick either, as, according to Microsoft: “Windows Hello offers enterprise-grade security that will meet the requirements of organisations with some of the strictest requirements and regulations. Those with a Kinect v2 can set it up to log into Windows 10 by simply downloading the preview version of the Kinect for Windows driver and changing a registry setting.

Full instructions can be found on Channel 9. Other apps are also updating to include support for Windows Hello, with iHeartRadio finally releasing a Windows 10 Mobile version of its music app. The system allows IT managers, software developers and website authors to provide what Microsoft claims is a “more secure way of letting [users] sign-in to Once authenticated with ‘Passport’, you will be able to instantly access a growing set of websites and services across a range of industries – favourite commerce sites, email and social networking services, financial institutions, business networks and more,” he added.

While Passport was a separate service at the launch of Windows 10, as of 2 August , it is now simply part of Hello. In early August , Microsoft came under fire over privacy issues in the newly released OS. Reports claim some of the default settings are a tad intrusive – some have claimed Microsoft is spying on users – as they pass information back to the tech giant or share sensitive data with other users.

In particular, users are unhappy about behavioural targeting in ads embedded in Windows As with many settings likely to irk users, they can be turned off, but many felt that was not good enough and called on Microsoft to be more transparent about the implications of the default settings and, perhaps more importantly, how to disable them.

Windows 10 users also faced security issues of a different nature as scam emails started to surface purporting to offer a free upgrade when, in fact, they contain ransomware. Said ransomware does what it says on the tin, locking all the machine’s data and holding it hostage until payment is made for its release.

Elsewhere, torrent trackers started banning Windows 10 from their communities in late August because of fears the OS will report people’s illegal download histories to anti-piracy authorities. A clause in Microsoft’s Service Agreement read that Windows 10 “may automatically check your version of the software and download software updates or configuration changes, including those that prevent you from accessing the services, playing counterfeit games, or using unauthorized hardware peripheral devices”.

But while this condition covers a multitude of Microsoft products, torrent hosts are not taking any chances, with reports of some banning the OS for fears it will share user data with authorities.

One torrent tracker, iTS, announced its ban of Windows 10 on Reddit , claiming the OS sends users’ local disk content to a server belonging to anti-piracy outfit MarkMonitor. Windows 10 was available as a free upgrade for the first year after its launch, but now users must pay a licensing fee.

Windows 10 Enterprise, including its E3 and E5 variants, Education and Mobile Enterprise are available through resellers and partners. Windows 10 is, in the words of Microsoft, the last version of Windows. While this doesn’t mean there will be no new Windows releases at all, the new strategy will see Microsoft drop the massive overhauls traditionally seen between releases. Instead, the company will move to a more Apple-style focus on incremental iterations of and improvements to the existing OS.

Speaking at the company’s inaugural Ignite conference in May , Microsoft development executive Jerry Nixon gave the rather tortuous explanation that: “Right now we’re releasing Windows 10, and because Windows 10 is the last version of Windows, we’re all still working on Windows If you want to get the new operating system as soon as possible, check out our sister site Expert Reviews and their guide on how to clean install Windows Microsoft claims the preview should work on any system that comfortably runs Windows 8.

Windows 7 users should check the specifications of their machine against the published Windows 10 requirements before upgrading. The details were provided in an end of life document for Windows 10 iterations, which highlighted Microsoft would terminate support for the Spring Creators update in October , which is the standard month grace period Microsoft offers. The company will probably extend this by six months later down the line as it has done with past updates, but that’s not really anything to write home about.

However, there is a disclaimer in the Microsoft Developer blog post that unveiled the release dates, saying they could be subject to change – although we’d say with a roll-out so close, it’s unlikely Microsoft would be late on this particular launch. Although the blog post didn’t unveil any more insights about the features we can expect to see in the next Windows 10 update, it’s likely to stick to the more creative users if the Fall Creators update and Creators update are anything to go by.

The same blog post also highlights that end of support is fast approaching for build Support for the first Redstone version of Windows 10, build As with Threshold, LTSB customers have a longer grace period, with support for that track ending in The update means developers can build apps on the platform using its Microsoft Artificial Intelligence AI to create more immersive experiences for customers. Microsoft has assured developers its machine learning platform will offer low latency, so even those applications that require the processing of large files such as video can happen in real time.

It can achieve lower operational costs when used alongside Microsoft’s Cloud AI platform and offers cloud flexibility – developers can choose to perform the AI tasks on either device or using the cloud. A new Skyloft environment has been added to the Cliff House environment, while haptic feedback on Motion Controllers for SteamVR will make games more immersive. Users are able to take Mixed Reality photos by tapping the Windows button on the controller, followed by the trigger button, making it much simpler to take snaps.

Microsoft will replace Windows 10 S with a dedicated ‘S Mode’ for other Windows 10 operating systems in , rather than continuing it as an OS in its own right.

IT admins can lock down the standard Home, Enterprise, and Pro versions of its platform using S Mode, cutting out the ability to download apps from outside the Microsoft Store. Users will also be able to buy hardware with the cut-down S Mode installed rather than having to buy devices with the full version of Windows 10 preinstalled. Next year 10S will be a “mode” of existing versions, not a distinct version. That tweet prompted a number of questions from customers, including whether rumours were true that users would be forced to pay to unlock their new devices from the S Mode in favour of a full version.

Redmond later clarified its position in a blog post , admitting that it could have been clearer on its plans for Windows 10 S, adding that it would be simplifying the process with the next Windows 10 update. For those customers who decide they want to then upgrade from the S Mode to a full version of Windows 10, they can do so free of charge, regardless of whether they’re running Home or Pro versions, according to the post.

Albuquerque resident Frank Dickman claims a forced Windows 10 upgrade resulted in his laptop becoming unresponsive, and is now seeking damages from both Microsoft and CEO Satya Nadella – or a fresh copy of Windows 7. The upgrade deleted the cached, or backup, version of Windows 7.

Dickman said he wants to downgrade his machine from Windows 10 to 7, but as the files have been deleted, he’s unable to source a legitimate version of the software. The complaint, which has been archived by Bleeping Computer , argues that the forced upgrade of Dickman’s machine constituted a breach of his 14th Amendment Civil Rights, and that Microsoft should provide a replacement software code or face damages.

It’s unclear whether Dickman’s case is likely to go any further, particularly given the amount he has demand from Microsoft. It seems that Microsoft may have accidentally let those slip, as a limitations sheet appeared online last Thursday only to be taken down by Microsoft over the weekend. Fortunately, thanks to the wonders of archive. Although some of the limitations were already known, the document detailed a more restrictive experience than customers may have been expecting.

We knew that ARM machines would only be able to use bit apps, not bit ones, but it also appears that the Hypervisor platform isn’t supported, meaning that it will be impossible to run Hyper-V virtual environments.

What’s more, applications that assume that all ARM-based devices are running the mobile version of Windows 10 may not work correctly and will likely display the incorrect orientation, suggesting some tweaks will be needed when developing applications. The document also suggests that tools which modify the appearance of Windows 10, such as extensions and cloud storage apps, won’t be supported unless they’re native to the operating system. Customised elements, such as an icon or additional options in a right-click menu, are likely to fail on ARM-machines, and “if the failure is not handled gracefully, the app itself may not work at all”, according to the document.

While the ARM-based Windows experience is going to be more restrictive than you’d expect, most bit applications should run using Microsoft’s emulator, and if the all-day battery holds up, it might be worth the trade-off for users. The tech giant confirmed that starting this summer the premium security feature of Windows 10 will also be available on Microsoft’s older models. Microsoft said they are constructing a behavioural based EDR solution which will provide security teams with insights into how their endpoints are threatened.

This will be a welcome relief for many companies who have not upgraded their systems from Windows 7 – which is expiring essentially in – to Windows 10, which has been a firm desire on the part of Microsoft.

This, however, is a recognition that Windows 7 despite its age remains a profitable source for the tech company – and indeed it has a higher market share than Windows Microsoft has explained that though the ATP Support can run alongside third-party systems – other antivirus systems – they are better together with the Windows Defender Antivirus.

Defender ATP works differently to Windows Defender, which is embedded in older models, in that it works as a post-breach investigation detects threats that have bypassed other defences and allows users to investigate breaches and explore suggested responses. In its latest Insider Preview update Build for PC , the tech giant has given users the option to unlock the security-focused Windows feature through an Authenticator App you can install on your phone.

All you need to do is set up Windows Hello with the app, and you won’t see Password as a sign-in option anymore anywhere in the platform’s interface. With Windows 10 S you don’t have to! Their post said that users will be able to go through the out-of-box experience, set up Windows Hello and access all their usual apps and services, all without ever having to enter a password.

The feature isn’t available through normal versions of Windows just yet, but the update might just pave the way for future widespread rollouts. Microsoft is reportedly due to drop Windows 10 S as a separate operating system less than a year after its launch.