Some time ago, when Windows 10 was officially launched, many users began an active discussion about whether to switch to it. Despite the fact that the new operating system does not yet offer any amazing innovations, it also has interesting characteristics that attract people. So, the Windows 10 desktop has improved navigation for mouse control, as well as a new browser, face recognition and additional menu items. All this looks like significant improvements compared to the presented functionality of Win7 and Win8.
Speaking about whether to upgrade to Windows 10, you need to consider some of its features. As follows from user reviews, it can have several significant roughnesses, despite all the external attractiveness. Therefore, first you need to weigh the pros and cons well.
Current Privacy Issues
Of course, users can reasonably argue that Microsoft must have access to all types of data in order to provide high-level services. Some applications should be able to look inside your email and calendar for example. All this, in fact, suggests compromising between privacy and gaining new opportunities. For some, this can be important.
Microsoft does not comment on the information it collects from users in Win10. At the same time, Windows 8 has an advertising service that is guided by the preferences of users. All this suggests that you should personally consider privacy issues for yourself and decide whether you are ready to share your personal data. Remember that as soon as you receive a key for Windows 10 (license key), your data will be transferred to the company's website.
However, if you use Google search, Gmail, or have a free Google Drive account, or use Chrome services all the time, you should be well aware of all these issues. Microsoft acts similarly to Google, and if these circumstances do not seem to you an obstacle, then why not?
OneDrive Work
This problem will be relevant for you only if you use OneDrive in Windows 8.1, and if you store a lot of information in OneDrive. Those who use this service on Windows 7 (and Windows 8) will not notice any differences with Win10. But if you are used to seeing all the files in the Windows 8.1 operating system in File Explorer, you will be shocked for a while.
Windows 10 (64 and 32 - both versions) gives you the right to choose the OneDrive folders that you want to display in File Explorer. After you have made this choice, the remaining folders will not be available there, or will be able to be opened in a completely different place in Win10. The only way to see which files you have fully saved on OneDrive is to visit the service’s website.
This can lead to difficult situations. For example, if you accidentally created a folder in File Explorer, which duplicates the same name in OneDrive by its name, the information may be lost. It can also lead to a situation where you cannot find the file that you really need. This all creates a huge mess. Microsoft promises that it will solve this problem in the near future.
Missing Media Center and DVD player
It's no secret that many users expect to run Windows Media Center on a new PC with Windows 10. Unfortunately, this will not happen. When you try to update the system, the Win10 installer will not support the update. Thus, activation of Windows 10 will stop the operation of this service. If you try to install WMC on a device with a new operating system, the download will not be carried out correctly. Even if you install Win10 on a computer with Win7, which has WMC installed, and then roll back to the "seven" (which you can do within 30 days), the service does not return.
Of course, Microsoft wants you to use the Xbox. However, there are a huge number of options besides this. For example, you can successfully use Roku with Plex Media Server. To record television programs, each cable company has interactive television available today, and some new inventions (Apple TV, for example) are already visible on the horizon.
If you are thinking about how to install Windows 10, you should also consider that it does not have the built-in ability to play DVDs. This is a very significant drawback, because some supported applications are still only available on disks and are provided free of charge.
There are not many universal applications
If you find yourself impressed by the advertising of wonderful universal applications - programs that run on Windows 10, then you will be very disappointed. And this applies not only to software for a stationary computer or laptop, but also services for smartphones and tablets. Therefore, be sure to consider this when deciding whether to upgrade to Windows 10.
The Windows Store is still, by and large, in a half empty state, and offers only a ton of failed applications in abundance. The reason may be that the developers are trying to promote only individual projects, making them popular around the world. According to experts, Microsoft's plans are constantly changing, but the future of universal applications remains not very clear. Even Office for Windows 10 cannot boast advanced features to date.
Someday this store may come close to the competition that other developers give out. But at the moment, the company is losing a lot, and licensed Windows 10 is poorly justified.
Key applications, including mail and Edge, are not ready yet
Some of the key Windows 10 applications simply do not work as expected. Mail, for example, does not have a very convenient configuration. All notifications are displayed only in the upper left corner and remain “hanging” there forever. In addition, there is no consolidated inbox. This means that if you have several accounts, you must independently switch from folder to folder with incoming messages. For some users this can be very inconvenient.
The new browser, Edge, also has several flaws. Today it does not have any extensions. For example, there is no AdBlocker, because of which it is impossible to block ads, and annoying ads appear on every page. Moreover, there is no LastPass, which can greatly slow down the user's work. Changes in the search engine settings are also noticeable and not too convenient. Moving tabs to and from the desktop does not work, and you cannot pin them.
We have already said about the deplorable state of the supplied universal applications for Windows 10. For example, Microsoft provides the Skype Universal service. Its appearance and functionality is very significantly different from the version used by Google, and not for the better. Office for Windows 10 also does not constitute anything special - similar free applications for Android and Linux may seem more convenient.
Modified Touch Control
If you use Windows 8.1 and run it primarily as a shell for a touch device, you might not like this offer from Windows 10.
Firstly, the menu on the left side has been greatly changed, which excludes the preservation of any settings there. The Start menu is displayed in a strictly established order and cannot be changed and configured by the user. The Windows 10 desktop looks very unusual and seems confusing at first glance.
Universal applications are displayed in such a way that the taskbar is constantly located at the bottom, while the window bar is available at the top. When working in full screen mode, the browser does not support any of the old commands. In addition, you cannot scroll through running applications. What are the applications themselves? The service for working with text documents on the iPad is much better than that offered in Windows 10.
Before installing Windows 10 on a device with a touch screen on version 8.1, try the new OS in test mode. If you are satisfied with such an update, then you can safely make this choice.
Setup program not finalized
If you continue to receive notifications that your updates are not quite ready, this is not surprising and has an explainable reason. To see this in Win7 or Win8.1, right-click on the Windows update icon in the system tray and select "Check Update Status". Microsoft received a lot of requests to upgrade to version 10. Contrary to what might be expected, these requests are not instantly satisfied, and this is due to their huge number.
Instead, the installer examines your system and, based on the detected hardware and software, assigns the request a serial number. Specialists who manage updates prioritize the requests of users whose capabilities are greater (and whose machines are more powerful). The more systems you upgrade, the smaller the queue will become, and the more likely your system will be at the top of the list. Therefore, the key for Windows 10 (license key) can be obtained very soon.
However, you can update the system manually by downloading updates and installing the operating system. If you wait until your turn comes up, you can spend a lot of time. In the case of independent actions, the activation of Windows 10 will happen very quickly.
Forced Updates
This is another weak point of the new operating system. Whether you like it or not, all Windows services that are located on the update server (for example, WSUS or WUB) will receive all the patches used in accordance with the Microsoft timeline. Even if you do not use these applications and features and do not need them at all, downloading updates will still occur every time you connect to the network. This must be taken into account when deciding whether to upgrade to Windows 10.
On the one hand, this happens in the background and does not interfere with work. On the other hand, cumulative Updates can cause problems with reboot cycles. A suggestion to restart the computer appears regularly so that new files are fully downloaded. If this is not done, failures begin to occur. The next time you turn on the device, the installation program stops in the middle of the process, an error message flashes, rolls back and restarts. This phenomenon can be repeated several times in a row. The only solution to this problem is to edit the registry. This circumstance caused a widespread question about how to remove Windows 10 shortly after installation.
As experts predict, Microsoft will provide users with some kind of tool to stop this kind of endless cycle. But today there are no announcements about when it will be released.
There is no way to restore applications
If you use Windows 7, and this system is correctly configured and works correctly on your device, and at the same time you have stopped using Internet Explorer, you really should seriously think about whether to upgrade to Windows 10.
Only a few programs downloaded in the "seven" will work in version 10. This is due mainly to the fact that new applications are oriented to run on touch screens, and have significant differences in management. By the way, if you previously switched from the seventh version to 8.1 and continued to use the keyboard and mouse, there should not have been any problems with the interface. Windows 10 is changed radically, and reinstalling most of the applications cannot be avoided. Moreover, the rollback to the reverse state does not occur in full, and if you want to return everything to its original state, you will have to learn how to remove Windows 10.
Many unresolved issues
As follows from user reviews, there are too many unresolved issues affecting the new shell. For example, there is still no confirmation of how the equipment inspection sequence looks.
So, when updating “genuine” Win7 or Win8.1 to version 10, when the update starts, Microsoft, apparently, writes the hardware identifier. At this point, you can install any version of Windows, and your license will be confirmed. That is, you can legally download not only the “top ten”, but another version of the “seven” or “eight”. Previously, nothing was known about this, and official confirmation has not been received from the developers so far. However, a test Windows 10 (free version) is available, which will work for a short time without activation.
But no one can tell how Microsoft will recover from a very bad update. It is not known whether the developer will begin to document their patches again. And most importantly, it is not known how much effort will be directed towards the establishment and improvement of the supplied universal applications.
The most disruptive, of course, are privacy issues. Experts note that even with all the security settings, Windows 10 (including the Russian version) still sends some data to Microsoft Mothership. The most interesting thing is that Microsoft has not officially announced what data it collects. However, the licensing agreement suggests that the company can do almost nothing with the data received.
Thus, two of the most significant shortcomings in Windows 10 (64 and 32) can be distinguished: forced update and violation of privacy. Whether it will deter from using the new OS is up to everyone individually. In any case, you should not rush. As follows from the reviews of experts, a huge number of users unwittingly put enough pressure on Microsoft, forcing it to do its updates better.