Articles about Windows 10

Microsoft has not been exactly clear on how long Windows 10 users will receive free upgrades, saying only that its upcoming operating system will be kept "current for the supported lifetime of the device -- at no additional charge". However, since the "supported lifetime of the device" has not been defined, consumers are still left wondering what it could mean with just a couple of weeks to go before Windows 10's official debut.

You can see many threads (like this one) on Microsoft's Answers forums asking for clarification on what the supported lifetime of the device actually means, but not even MVPs seem to have a definitive answer yet, offering their own estimates in response. However, a PowerPoint presentation buried on Microsoft's site finally sheds some light on the matter.

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Microsoft announced yesterday that it is slashing 7,800 jobs, mostly from the phone-hardware business it picked up from Nokia. As a result, the software giant is writing off $7.6 billion, which is actually more than the $7.2 billion it paid Nokia in the first place. But, more importantly, the move signifies that Windows Phone, its smartphone operating system, is now being put on the slower release cycle.

Microsoft is scaling back. The software giant is losing money instead of making anything big off its phone division. In the five years of its existence, Windows Phone is yet to get past three percent market share. And that’s finally a reality check to its ambitions.

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Eric Ligman, Microsoft Director of Worldwide Partner Experience is once again giving away a large collection of useful eBooks covering widely used products including Windows 8 and 8.1, Windows 7, OneNote, Skype, Office 2013, Office 365, Azure, and Lync 2013. Since his last mega giveaway, Eric has added a bunch of new topics including Windows 10.

Ligman is not a new, or an unknown name in the field. He has been writing guides for years now and has written close to 500 of those so far. His eBooks are very popular among tech enthusiasts, and business people, as well as regular home users who just want to get their work done.

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What do you do if you need to encourage developers to produce more apps for your platform? Make it much, much simpler of course. This is the problem Microsoft has faced for some time now, and in a bid to address the issue it hopes Project Westminster is the answer. With the launch of Windows 10 looming, there's never been a better time to be seen addressing the so-called app-gap.

We learned a little about Project Westminster at Build 2015 earlier in the year -- it basically makes it easy to convert existing web apps into Universal Windows Apps that can run on phones, tablets, and computers. Microsoft is also pushing other projects -- Astoria, Islandwood, and Centennial -- for converting Android and iOS apps, as well as traditional Windows applications into universal apps. Is it enough?

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Windows 10 is about to arrive and with it comes a host of new features, like Cortana. There's also Wi-Fi Sense which is designed to allow a Windows Phone to connect automatically to any open network it knows about, and even accept the terms of use automatically. It's a nod towards convenience, and that's something Microsoft needs in its Windows 8x replacement.

Security firm AVG, makers of very good anti-virus software, both free and paid, see the inherent problems with this, and there are several.

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Builds of the desktop version of Windows 10 have been released at an accelerated pace in recent weeks, but Windows 10 Mobile users have had far fewer updates to install. A couple of weeks ago, build 10149 was made available to Insiders on the Fast Ring and today it makes its way to the Slow Ring.

Build 10149 has been deemed stable enough to make its way to a larger audience. New features to look forward to include Microsoft Edge, Cortana improvements, updated apps, and plenty of bug fixes.

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Windows 10 Build 10162 was released to Fast ring Insiders five days ago, the third new build to appear in a week. A day later, and Microsoft released ISOs of it, so anyone could install the new version, although there was still no official release to Slow ring Insiders.

Thankfully, Microsoft has deemed the latest build to be stable enough for all, and finally pushed out the update to those Insiders who prefer to receive stable builds.

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With just over three weeks until the launch of Windows 10, preview builds are still popping out left, right, and center -- some more official than others. Microsoft is beavering away on the final build which will start to roll out on 29 July, and it seems that the RTM version could be signed off as early as this week.

Build tracking site BuildFeed shows that Windows 10 Build 10176 from the th1 branch (a reference to threshold, Windows 10's codename) is now being tested as a release candidate. With a full build string of 10.0.10176.16384.th1.150705-0552, the appearance of this version ties in neatly with a rumor that RTM might be reached this week -- perhaps as early as Thursday.

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With Windows 10 set to debut at the end of the month, Microsoft is busy making the final tweaks to its new operating system before it gets into consumers' hands. Just last week Insiders received three new builds, seemingly close to the finished product. Behind closed doors, Microsoft is actively working on fine-tuning the experience further.

We got word of Windows 10 build 10163 late last week, when its release notes leaked online. There are lots of bug fixes and known issues listed, as one might expect from a non-final release, and no new major features. And now we have some leaked screenshots to go along with the release notes.

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Microsoft has been busy over the last seven days, pumping out no fewer than three new builds of Windows 10 to Insiders. Hot on the heels of build 10158 came build 10159, followed swiftly by build 10162.

As these are previews, problems are to be expected, and some users are having trouble activating their copies of the operating system. Despite the fact Microsoft is giving away Windows 10 free of charge, activation is still required and it seems the company has a few kinks to iron out before launch day on July 29. So what's the deal?

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When Microsoft bought Minecraft-maker Mojang for a boatload of money, many people -- myself included -- were perplexed by the move. Don't get me wrong, it is a wildly popular game which has much value, but it didn't seem to fit with the company's goals. HoloLens, however, made the world collectively understand the Minecraft purchase and vision.

Today, on this United States Independence Day, Microsoft makes a huge announcement regarding the blocky game. Timed to coincide with the July 29th new operating system launch, comes Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition Beta. Holy macaroni, the 29th will be like Christmas in July!

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Microsoft has been very busy this week rolling out three new builds to Windows Insiders on the Fast ring. However, Slow ring Insiders haven’t had much to get excited about.

Well, today that changes as Microsoft has released ISOs for the latest build, 10162. The Slow ring release of the build hasn’t happened yet, but it’s safe to say it will be pushed out shortly, possibly later today.

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It's not long since Microsoft revealed the various editions of Windows 10 that will be available. We're now in the launch month and the preview builds are rolling out thick and fast to Windows Insiders. But when the big day rolls out, which version should you opt for?

If you're upgrading from Windows 7 or Windows 8, it's a fairly simple process that can be taken care of by Windows Update. For those who have decided to make the upgrade, Microsoft will automatically migrate you to the equivalent version of Windows 10. But if you're running the Home version of Windows, what are you missing out on? Is it worth thinking about going Pro? Microsoft has a handy guide to help you decide.

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Good lord Microsoft, do you never let your developers sleep? I think that Red Bull is probably a huge portion of the Windows 10 budget. Yes, once again, we have another Windows 10 Insider Preview release.

After Fast Ring users were treated to Build 10158 and 10159 earlier this week, Microsoft is today seeding 10162. Excited? Us too!

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In a new blog post, Windows chief Terry Myerson has detailed how Microsoft will be rolling out Windows 10 to the world.

The process begins with Microsoft giving a build of the new OS to its OEM partners. If you thought getting the OS ready for a July 29 launch was going to be tight, bear in mind OEMs will have the OS quite a bit before then. After that, retailers around the world will get their copies in order to upgrade customer devices. And then Windows Insiders will get their copies, starting on July 29. Yes, Myerson says "starting" on that date. There’s no guarantee you’ll get the OS at the end of the month.

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