windows 10

Windows 10 is a free upgrade to Windows 7 and 8 users until July 29, 2016; if you own Windows 7 or 8 Pro (or higher), then you can receive Windows 10 Pro for free. Conversely, if you own Windows 7 or 8 Home ( or anything less than Pro ) then you ... will by default receive Windows 10 Home as your free upgrade. With that said, Windows 10 Home users can also upgrade to Windows 10 Pro for a $99 fee. So, is the upgrade from Hone to Pro worth it? Here are some of the differences and whether they may be worth paying for. Fewer Forced Updates In Pro Edition Every feature in Windows 10 Home is part of ... (view more)

Microsoft has confirmed it has downloaded Windows 10 to some Windows 7 and 8.1 computers without express permission. The download comes through the Windows Update process and takes up space, but doesn't install the new system unless the user chooses ... to do so manually. The issue came to light when some users noticed that their hard drives had less free space than expected, then dug down into hidden files and folders to discover data related to Windows 10. In theory the Windows 10 installation file should only be 3GB, but some users have reported a 6GB file. The situation has been the ... (view more)

Microsoft plans to show off a range of new Windows 10 devices on October 6. A $20,000 wall-mounted giant tablet may be the most eye-catching of the rumored products. The official release about the event in New York City contains no details other ... than the fact that "[Microsoft has] some exciting news to share about Windows 10 devices." However, the most plausible theory is that the company plans to unveil or update information on a wide variety of non-traditional computing devices, with the idea being to promote Windows 10 as a versatile system. Surface To Come In Diverse Sizes The ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Bill S. writes: " Dear Dennis, I just upgraded to Windows 10. Every time I boot my computer, I receive an error message that says 'Windows Command Processor has stopped working'. There are at least 3 of these notifications ... whenever I sign into Windows 10, and they only happen after I login. I have searched high and low to try and figure out why I keep receiving this error message but I'm completely stumped. Can you help? " My response: This is a good question. When I first upgraded to Windows 10, I also received the error message that 'Windows Command Processor has stopped ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Sam P. writes: " Dear Dennis, I just upgraded to Windows 10 and I can't stand using the Edge browser. Before I upgraded to Windows 10, I was using Windows 7 with Internet Explorer 11 (IE11). I had Internet Explorer 11 set up with ... a few of my favorite add-ons, which are not compatible with Edge. Do you know if there is any way for me to use Internet Explorer 11 as my default browser in Windows 10? I've tried using the Settings App to make IE 11 as default, but it doesn't seem to work. " My response: When you upgraded to Windows 10, and if you agreed to use the "recommended ... (view more)

Windows 10 has hit a five percent market share for desktop PCs. However, closer analysis suggests the boost from giving Windows 10 away free of charge may have already passed. The five percent figure comes from a company called Net Market Share, ... which combines visitor data from around 40,000 websites. The statistics refers solely on visits from desktop PCs, a category that also includes laptops as well, but not tablet computers. Windows 10 Adoption Far Ahead Of Windows 7 The figure gives several insights into the success of Windows 10. First, Windows 10 has reached the five percent mark ... (view more)

Some media outlets have accused Microsoft of building creepy keylogger spyware into Windows 10. That's a somewhat overblown interpretation, but some users may want to take the option to turn off the relevant setting. Traditionally references to " ... keyloggers " are about unauthorized programs installed on computers, often without the owner's knowledge and often through trickery. Such programs are designed to track everything the user types, then relay the data over the Internet to criminals who then look for passwords, credit card numbers, and bank account information. In this ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Kelly R. writes: " Dear Dennis, I've been using Windows 10 and so far so good. I took your advice and installed Classic Shell, which I think is a superior Start Menu than the default Windows 10 Start Menu. Everything has been ... great for the last few weeks, but suddenly all of my icons on the desktop have disappeared! At the same time, my browser window won't minimize or maximize - it only moves left or right. I have no idea what's going on but I'd really like to have my icons back on the desktop! I am going bananas! Can you help? " My response: ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Stacie M. writes: " Dear Dennis, I upgraded to Windows 10 over the weekend, but unfortunately many of my programs appear to be incompatible. For example, a program either gives me an error and immediately exits, or it runs but ... doesn't work properly. If I would have known that my programs won't work with Windows 10, I don't think I would have upgraded. Is there anything I can do to make my programs compatible with Windows 10? " My response: When I first upgraded to Windows 10, many of my favorite programs wouldn't work properly, either - similar to what you describe. For ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader 'Lorraine' writes: " Dear Dennis, Not too long ago I reserved my copy of Windows 10, but then I canceled it a few days later. I have followed your guide on how to cancel Windows 10 reservation , but now every two days or so I get ... an incredibly annoying pop-up window asking me to start the Windows 10 upgrade, or postpone for a later time (which is usually 2-3 days later). When I click on Windows Update I keep seeing a message stating 'Your upgrade to Windows 10 is ready' - and I can't download any other updates. It's almost as if Microsoft is keeping my computer hostage! I ... (view more)