Anyone running the Windows 10 Technical Preview?

[Hokiefyd]

I have it on two machines, a desktop with a 2.4 GHz dual core AMD with 2 GB RAM and a laptop with a 1.7 GHz single core Celeron M with 2 GB RAM. So far, it seems stable. It installed with VERY little fuss (I did a clean install on both). I had it wipe the drive, set up its partition, and away it went. No problems with drivers on the laptop, but I had it check for hardware and for driver updates. It doesn't see any of the hardware (wireless card, video card, etc) on the desktop, but I told it (mistakenly) to not check for hardware/driver updates, so I think changing that option will fix that issue.

I'd describe performance on the laptop as slow to middling, but I've got it on its OEM 5,400 rpm hard drive, and it's no slower than Windows 7 was on this drive. I still have 7 on the SSD that I swapped out in order to try 10. I have a lot of files on Microsoft's OneDrive and, like with 8, OneDrive intergration with Windows 10 is seamless.

10's Start Menu is a blend of old and new. Gone is the Windows 7-like menu you got with Start8, but it's okay. Individual applications are on the left, and you can have tiles on the right. You can expand it to full screen, or leave it at sort of a 1/4 screen size. Here's a pretty good write-up outlining some of 10's Start Menu customization options: https://4sysops.com/archives/configuring-the-windows-10-start-menu/

Overall, I think the OS looks pretty good. It automagically sync'd the theme from my Windows 8 desktop at home and the very small list of bookmarks we have in IE11, since I signed in with my Microsoft ID. That's promising...it looks like IE finally has a solid bookmark/tab sync to compete with Google Chrome. All of the "Modern" apps run windowed, which I appreciate (I'm on the latest build, 9926). And as with 8, I love the expanded Task Manager, which has very nice performance reporting abilities.

I look forward to using it on the desktop at home, where the machine is not quite as limited as the laptop in terms of its hardware (better video card, better hard drive, faster processor, etc).

Does anyone know if folks participating in Technical Preview/Evaluation software get the software for free when it is introduced? Can one upgrade the Technical Preview to the full version when it expires? I ask because they say that Windows 7 and 8 users will get free upgrades to 10, but the desktop on which I have this (on its own HDD) is still running XP. It'd obviously be nice to be able to have all of my PCs on the same version of Windows.

 

[razel]

I do remember with Vista or 7 that those who provided feedback or found a bug during the tech preview were rewarded a final copy. I heard nothing with Win8 or Win10, however they didn't say anything during the preview phase for Vista or 7 for obvious reasons.

I surprised Win10 installed on the Core M. That Core M sounds like a 2005 era Intel. I couldn't get Win8 to install on my Pentium 4. It's processor was too old. I'll have to try Win10 on it.

 

[CarbonSteel]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Does anyone know if folks participating in Technical Preview/Evaluation software get the software for free when it is introduced?

I have it set to run on two of my machines as well. I have Windows 8, then 8.1 running Start8 and it is smoking fast so I expect Windows 10 will be as well.

I read that Windows 10 will be free for Windows 7 and 8 users with one caveat--the Windows 10 update will be available for free for one year from the date that Windows 10 is commercially available. Works for me

 

[Hokiefyd]

Yeah, I think we bought it in 2006. It's a Compaq Presario C300. It's been a real workhorse, and I've done a ton of different things with it. It came with XP MCE, I put Vista on it (it was when computers that could run Vista but didn't have it pre-installed could get a free upgrade certificate), I put 7 on it, I put various flavors of Linux on it, and now I'm previewing 10 on it.

CPU-Z reports the CPU as an Intel Celeron M 430 "Yonah". It was sold before the "Core" series came out. It runs at 1.73 GHz, and has 32 KB of L1 Cache and 1 MB of L2 Cache. It's a pretty simple little processor, and has Intel 945 Express graphics on board.

It runs 10 pretty well. It's actually sped up some now that ALL of the various updates and configs have been completed with the install.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: 2010_FX4
I read that Windows 10 will be free for Windows 7 and 8 users with one caveat--the Windows 10 update will be available for free for one year from the date that Windows 10 is commercially available. Works for me

Yeah, our main desktop (8.1) and our laptop (7) look to be covered. It's our third desktop (XP) that I'm hoping to get on version 10 also, because I don't have a license of 7 to install on it. If I can turn the Technical Preview into a full copy of 10, then I'll be real happy...

 

[demarpaint]

I like the idea that it works on older machines. I'm looking forward to trying it on two Win 7 laptops I have. The free deal was the hook for me.

 

[Hokiefyd]

What are your laptop's specs? The system requirements is impressively spartan, though I'm sure performance is not very good in the basement...

Originally Posted By: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/preview-faq-system-requirements-pc


Basically, if your PC can run Windows 8.1, you’re good to go. If you're not sure, don't worry—Windows will check your system to make sure it can install the preview.

Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster

RAM: 1 gigabyte (GB) (32-bit) or 2 GB (64-bit)

Free hard disk space: 16 GB

Graphics card: Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver

A Microsoft account and Internet access



I didn't upgrade any installation on my computers; I used separate HDDs in both and downloaded the 32-bit ISO file and made a bootable DVD and installed from that.

 

[Pontual]

I'm using 10 for 6 months now (Dells and Lenovos). The built has changed about 5 times. I'm on 9926 now. It works fine, most of the times, except GChrome after the computer restart from a sleep (It reads fine but I can't write in the boxes unless I restart the OS (old lenovo). I did feedback of this issue but at the last update, the problem came back.

 

[Cardenio327]

When it first came out I did a couple of dual boot installations with Windows 7 on a Toshiba netbook [Atom N455] and a HP netbook [Atom N450].

Much faster than Windows 7 on both machines. I was able to install Avast AV on both of them, and it was still faster. Recognized all hardware on both machines, even the external monitor I run on the HP which W7 wasn't thrilled about.

I didn't mind W10; but my wife hated it.

About two months later I formatted over top of W10 and installed Manjaro dual booting with W7 on both machines and never looked back.

My conclusion: As fast and low-spec-hardware-compatible as W7 should have been, and as easy to use as W8 should have been, with a generous sprinkling of worthless ugly smartphone apps making it as awkward as a Playskool computer.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
What are your laptop's specs? The system requirements is impressively spartan, though I'm sure performance is not very good in the basement...

Originally Posted By: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/preview-faq-system-requirements-pc


Basically, if your PC can run Windows 8.1, you’re good to go. If you're not sure, don't worry—Windows will check your system to make sure it can install the preview.

Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster

RAM: 1 gigabyte (GB) (32-bit) or 2 GB (64-bit)

Free hard disk space: 16 GB

Graphics card: Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver

A Microsoft account and Internet access



I didn't upgrade any installation on my computers; I used separate HDDs in both and downloaded the 32-bit ISO file and made a bootable DVD and installed from that.


Both my Laptops easily can handle it from those listed specs. I'm really surprised at the requirements. I'm looking forward to giving it a shot.

I'll give it a try on a Core i7 machine with 8 GB of Ram first, after its out to the general population for a few months.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Windows 10 runs like a rocketship on this older desktop at home. AMD 2.3 GHz "Brisbane" processor, 2 GB of generic RAM...the computer's so old, the power supply has only one SATA power cable (which goes to the HDD), so it's got an IDE DVD drive, with that grey data ribbon.

VERY impressed with this OS on this computer. I'd say that it's at least as fast as XP. It'll throttle the Brisbane from as low as 1 GHz up to the full 2.3 GHz. Kind of cool how wide of a range it can use.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
No problems with drivers on the laptop, but I had it check for hardware and for driver updates. It doesn't see any of the hardware (wireless card, video card, etc) on the desktop, but I told it (mistakenly) to not check for hardware/driver updates, so I think changing that option will fix that issue.


I couldn't find any way to change this behavior after the OS is in place on the desktop computer, but I popped my trusty DLink wi-fi stick into the machine and Windows immediately recognized it and had drivers for it. Then Windows update found the built-in wireless card and the monitor. It never did find the video adapter, which is an older integrated nVidia GeForce 6100. I went on nVidia's site for that and had it scan the machine for hardware and suggest the drivers to install. That went off without a hitch and it didn't even require a restart...once the drivers were installed, Windows immediately loaded them and my resolution popped into this particular monitor's native 1440x900.

Very impressed with Windows 10 so far. I'm still on the fence about the "flat" interface (vs. 7's Aero Glass). But the mechanics of Windows 10, the stuff under the hood, seems really solid. This is an old computer (from the early Vista days) that has no business running this fast on a brand new fully loaded OS.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Does anyone know if folks participating in Technical Preview/Evaluation software get the software for free when it is introduced?


I found an apparent answer today, while reading a "Windows 10 Installs Automatically" article:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonkelly/2015/02/02/windows-10-automatic-install/2/

Quote:
Microsoft has also confirmed all Technical Previews of Windows 10 will automatically upgrade to the full consumer release version without any loss of data.


We previously knew that anyone with Windows 7 or 8/8.1 would have a free upgrade to Windows 10. But anyone who had Vista or XP or an older version of Windows would presumably have to upgrade first to 7 or 8/8.1, then to 10. It appears, reading this, that those users could simply install the (free) Windows 10 Technical Preview, especially if it's not a critical or daily use computer, and that Technical Preview will automatically upgrade to a full version.

 

[rjundi]

I am going to try it in virtualBox. I only have 8GB of ram so hoping 4gb/i7 will suffice(virtualBox takes what you allocate and does not share).

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: rjundi
I am going to try it in virtualBox. I only have 8GB of ram so hoping 4gb/i7 will suffice(virtualBox takes what you allocate and does not share).


Depending on what you're doing, even 4 GB/i7 is twice what you'll really need. I'm typing this from a 2 GB/AMD Athlon 2.3 GHz running build 10061. It runs like a champ, although I will say that Project Spartan is pretty slow. Chrome and IE11 are very snappy.

 

[TxHeat]

I admit I'm at a loss as to actually who and what will receive a free upgrade to Windows 10 when it's released.

However, there is a link where one can actually sign up to receive....something, I believe an email that it's available. So I don't know how helpful it will actually be in qualifying you for the upgrade.

Windows 10 Sign Up.

That the Technical Preview will upgraded, "Microsoft has also confirmed all Technical Previews of Windows 10 will automatically upgrade to the full consumer release version without any loss of data", is surprising to me as well, since they had said from the beginning of the TPs that it would NOT, so they admonished users to NOT use it on a work machine.

By the way, that quote was taken from the Forbes article you linked to Hokiefyd.

I have become more skeptical of Windows 10 as time has gone by and am not sure I want to upgrade to it right away.

It sort of smells, to me, of Microsoft's latest attempt at a subscription model. Incorporate "Windows As a Service", (subscription), with Office 365, (subscription), and they've got a steady monthly income from billions of people.

I've been running the Technical Preview since the first one was available and I can find no major fault with it.

But, I don't like the intrusiveness of "Cortana", or the attempt to force all the Microsoft "Apps" on us, i.e., Onedrive, MSN, Bing, Cortana, Spartan etc.

I'm aware that we can use a local sign in, at least for now, and either uninstall or at least turn off many of these "features", but I guess I'm just not comfortable with the direction.

It's going to be "Free" seems a bit odd to me. Bill Gates himself led the charge 30 years ago against giving software away. Now, their flagship product is "Free".

Sometimes when something seems "Too good to be true", it is.

Hope I'm wrong!

 

[sleddriver]

Interesting thread here Hokiefyd! I've got an old mid-2000 Dell LT sitting around doing nothing. I'm curious if W10 will install? I found the dwnld site and didn't need to sign up. So tonight, I'll get the iso and try it tomorrow.

On this DT (Dell Dim 6550? maybe?), I'm still running Wxp on a 3.2GHz P4, but with a MUCH newer video card. I paid $0 for it as either the HD or PS was Toes Up, so it was given to me.

This will be an interesting experiment....

Not sure of the specs on the Dell LT mentioned above. I'll have to find it first!

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: bornconfuzd
I admit I'm at a loss as to actually who and what will receive a free upgrade to Windows 10 when it's released.

However, there is a link where one can actually sign up to receive....something, I believe an email that it's available. So I don't know how helpful it will actually be in qualifying you for the upgrade.

Windows 10 Sign Up.

That the Technical Preview will upgraded, "Microsoft has also confirmed all Technical Previews of Windows 10 will automatically upgrade to the full consumer release version without any loss of data", is surprising to me as well, since they had said from the beginning of the TPs that it would NOT, so they admonished users to NOT use it on a work machine.

By the way, that quote was taken from the Forbes article you linked to Hokiefyd.

I have become more skeptical of Windows 10 as time has gone by and am not sure I want to upgrade to it right away.

It sort of smells, to me, of Microsoft's latest attempt at a subscription model. Incorporate "Windows As a Service", (subscription), with Office 365, (subscription), and they've got a steady monthly income from billions of people.

I've been running the Technical Preview since the first one was available and I can find no major fault with it.

But, I don't like the intrusiveness of "Cortana", or the attempt to force all the Microsoft "Apps" on us, i.e., Onedrive, MSN, Bing, Cortana, Spartan etc.

I'm aware that we can use a local sign in, at least for now, and either uninstall or at least turn off many of these "features", but I guess I'm just not comfortable with the direction.

It's going to be "Free" seems a bit odd to me. Bill Gates himself led the charge 30 years ago against giving software away. Now, their flagship product is "Free".

Sometimes when something seems "Too good to be true", it is.

Hope I'm wrong!



Interesting. I'm trying to understand this, please let me know if this is correct. If you have Win 7, 8, or 8.1 you can get Win 10 free during the first year after it is released.

Here's where I'm confused. If you download the trial version, and install it on a machine that had Win XP, Linux, etc. and decide to keep it you will be upgraded free once it is released?

Thanks!

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: demarpaint
If you download the trial version, and install it on a machine that had Win XP, Linux, etc. and decide to keep it you will be upgraded free once it is released?


If by "trial version", you mean "technical preview", then yes, that's my understanding (based in the Forbes.com article I posted above a few days ago).

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
If you download the trial version, and install it on a machine that had Win XP, Linux, etc. and decide to keep it you will be upgraded free once it is released?


If by "trial version", you mean "technical preview", then yes, that's my understanding (based in the Forbes.com article I posted above a few days ago).


Thanks, I was referring to the "technical preview", I might try it on an old tower I have here.