Articles about Windows 10 Technical Preview

It has been a few weeks since Microsoft released the Windows 10 Technical Preview Build 9926, and Windows Insiders are now champing at the bit for the next version. Mobile users have been kept happy with the release of Windows 10 Technical Preview for Phones, but desktop and laptop users now have some more snippets to whet their appetites.

Over the weekend, screenshots from a couple of new builds were leaked online by the renowned Wzor. First of all we were treated to a glimpse of build 10014, and shortly afterwards images of Windows 10 Professional Technical Preview Build 10022 appeared. Another revelation is a set of release note relating to build 10014. So what do we have to look forward to?

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Some of the features that have made Windows Phone special, differentiating it from its rivals, are slowly being stripped away. The latest victim is Rooms, which Microsoft has announced it will no longer be supporting starting next month. What a shame.

The software giant says that, as a result, users of Windows Phone 8 and Windows Phone 8.1 will be unable to chat with their Room contacts, create new rooms, add or remove members, or change permissions. And, if they upgrade to Windows 10 Technical Preview, their beloved rooms will be gone forever.

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The chances are that you have tried out Windows 10 on your computer already and now -- at long last -- you have the opportunity to try it out on your Windows Phone. Windows Insiders can now grab the first public build of Microsoft's latest mobile operating system and try it out for themselves.

Windows Insiders have been eager to see what Microsoft has done with Windows Phone, and earlier today Gabe Aul cryptically hinted at when the first build would be released. Now it has gone live. As with all preview builds, this is far from a completed product, and there are a few caveats to bear in mind.

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A couple of weeks ago we learned a little about what to expect from Office for Windows 10. Today Microsoft has made the universal apps for Office for Windows 10 available for download. In order to grab yourself the preview software, you need to be running Windows 10 Technical Preview build 9926 as the apps are being made available through the new Windows Store Beta.

For now, the Word, Excel and PowerPoint apps that make up Office for Windows 10 are available for PCs, laptops and tablets running Windows 10 Technical Preview, but this will open up in due course to phones as well.

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There aren't many people who don’t like the sound of "free", and this was one of the keywords taken away from Microsoft's Windows 10 event earlier in the month. As build 9926 was unleashed on eager upgraders, Microsoft revealed that it will be free to upgrade to Windows 10 in the first year.

At least this is the case for the average consumer; it's something of a different story for enterprise customers. Microsoft has confirmed that Windows 7 Enterprise and Windows 8/8.1 Enterprise are not versions that will be eligible for a free upgrade -- this is the personification of Windows as a service.

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We're gradually moving towards the official release of Windows 10, but in the meantime we have the Technical Preview to work with -- Build 9926 specifically. As we're only at the preview stage, it is to be expected that there will be a few issues here and there.

The good news is that Microsoft is working on fixing these problems, not just for the eventual RTM release of Windows 10, but also the preview builds. Surface Pro 2 and Surface Pro 3 owners complained about problems with stability when watching videos, and this has been addressed with a driver update.

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Microsoft released Build 9926 of the Windows 10 Technical Preview on Friday, and so far we’re liking what we see. There are a few issues with it, naturally, but it’s definitely a giant leap in the right direction (for the most part anyway).

There are several hidden features available, but not activated, in this new build, which are well worth exploring and so we’ve put together this handy guide explaining how to get them all working.

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Windows 10 has been something of a tease so far. There have been hints that it could be a good operating system, protestations that it will be great, but a series of preview builds that have been a little uninspiring. With the release of build 9926, it appears that Microsoft is starting to deliver on its promises. From this release we can see that Windows 10 is actually starting to take shape.

Microsoft is clearly pleased with the progress that has been made because it has simplified the process of upgrading from Windows 7 and Windows 8 -- Windows Update can be used to install the Technical Preview. It might not quite be ready for prime time just yet, but I'm cautiously optimistic even though I've been far from impressed with previous builds. Oh, and before you ask, there's no sign of Spartan just yet. So… what's new and what's improved? Let's take a look.

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Yesterday, Microsoft took a lot of people by surprise by releasing Windows 10 Technical Preview build 9926 rather earlier than expected. Here at BetaNews we've installed the latest build on various machines -- virtual and real -- having battled with downloads, and now it's time for testing.

We'll be taking a look at this latest build in more depth in future articles, but before we do, it is probably worth pointing out some of the known problems. From playing with build 9926 just briefly it's easy to see that it's a marked improvement on previous releases, but Microsoft has helpfully forewarned users of issues they might encounter.

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Microsoft told us a lot about Windows 10 yesterday (it's free!), as well as the future direction of some other interesting projects such as HoloLens and the Spartan browser. We did get a brief glimpse at the touch-friendly versions of Office apps for Windows 10, but today Microsoft also reveals more about the next desktop release -- Office 2016.

In keeping with Microsoft's latest vision, the focus with Office moving forward is "mobile-first, cloud-first". We'll be able to try out Office for Windows 10 very soon as the universal apps are due for release for Windows 10 Technical Preview very soon, and the final version will be pre-installed -- for free -- on phones and small tablets. Some of this we knew yesterday, but talk of Office 2016 is new!

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Microsoft has sent out emails to people signed up for the Windows Insider program, informing them that changes are on the way to terms and conditions. These changes will affect anyone who is using Windows 10 Technical Preview which is due for a new build very soon.

There have already been several public preview builds of the next version of Windows, and it is widely expected that the next big update will be unveiled in under a week's time on January 21. "The next chapter" of the Windows 10 story is due -- possibly including a Windows Phone 10 preview -- and it seems that new terms and conditions are needed.

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There's something of an air of excitement surrounding the release of the next version of Windows. The various builds of Windows 10 Technical Preview have delighted, frustrated, aroused, and annoyed in just about equal measure. Whichever side of the fence you fall on, one thing is certain about Windows 10 -- even months before its launch it has got people talking.

There's not long to wait until we get our hands on the next build, but now attention is shifting away from the desktop to mobile devices. There has long been talk of Windows 10 merging mobile and desktop platforms, and the launch of a new Windows Phone app shows that the time could be coming when Windows Insiders see their first glimpse of Windows 10 for phones.

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We've seen several builds of the Windows 10 Technical Preview -- some official, some less so -- and there's another big build due in January. If you're interested in Windows 10, it's likely that you have already jumped onto the preview builds and have been updated as and when new versions are released. But as we get closer to the actual launch, the publicly released builds are going to start to get more exciting.

In January users of existing preview builds will be able to upgrade automatically, or there's the option of downloading an ISO. But Microsoft hasn’t forgotten users of Windows 8, and the company has released a tool that makes it possible to grab January's Windows 10 Technical Preview build through Windows Update.

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Microsoft's Gabe Aul has given an insight into how the Windows 10 Technical Preview has been received by testers. In a blog post, Aul reveals that there are more than 1.5 million registered Windows Insiders testing out preview builds, and that nearly a third of this number -- around 450,000 -- are using it on a daily basis.

So far there have only been three official preview builds: build 9841, build 9860, and build 9879. There have also been a few unofficial leaks including, 9888 complete with a limited preview of Cortana and more recently build 9901. Microsoft does not shy away from acknowledging the existence of these leaks, but it's not clear if they have been included in the usage figures.

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