# The Windows 10 free upgrade thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 1, 2015, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-windows-10-free-upgrade-thread/721329 "2015-06-01T13:02:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-windows-10-free-upgrade-thread/721329/41 "2015-06-02T02:54:41Z")
I already use VLC for media playback, so losing Media Center won’t bother me - I bet there are lots who are the same which is why it’s going away. I have the icon at home and work. I’ll probably do home and expect no issues, but my home PC has the simplest setup possible with no networking or external stuff like printers to worry about. The work PC is a whole other potential mess that I don’t intend to mess with. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-windows-10-free-upgrade-thread/721329/42 "2015-06-02T04:39:49Z")
> [@cmkeller](#): > > Merneith: > > DVD playing, Solitaire/Minesweeper/Freecell come to mind immediately. These were available in 7 and did not come with 8. If installing 10 will take these things away from me, then no thanks, Microsoft. > > On top of that, I’ll have to see if I like the interface. I know it won’t be as bad as 8, but I’m uncertain just how well they’ve swung back in the other direction, since they clearly want to push their phone and tablet offerings. Microsoft just wanted you to get a separate DVD player, of which there are plenty. (VLC and Media Player Classic are both free and open source) And those games, at least, were available in the Windows Store, though I’m not sure why they didn’t just include them to get people using the new apps. You do lose Windows XP mode, but there is something called VMLite out there there that will let you continue using it–though it’s unclear if you can easily bring over your previous installation. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-windows-10-free-upgrade-thread/721329/43 "2015-06-02T04:44:42Z")
I plan on updating, but currently internet for my desktop is on a pay-per-byte basis - that one will get updated in August, when it’s back on a reasonable data plan. The laptop was already 8.1 - win10 can be set to “desktop mode” too, I expect, can you guys confirm? I just don’t like having icons bigger than my hand 😛 and removed 90% of the “free programs” (no, I don’t need a weather program, I have windows of the glass-and-wood kind). ETA: OK, I looked at the FAQ in the notification itself and “the start menu is back” is one of the items. Good! Looks like us luddites made enough noise it was heard in Seattle 😃 ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-windows-10-free-upgrade-thread/721329/44 "2015-06-02T04:44:48Z")
> [@sevenwood](#): > > I’m an independent consultant working out of my home. My PC currently runs Windows 7 Pro 64-bit, under which I have installed and run Microsoft’s virtual machine and their virtual Windows XP mode. The latter is because I support several old programs (which were built with equally old compilers) in that mode that won’t (re-)build under Windows 7 because their compilers will only install under Windows XP. I am definitely going to wait until someone confirms that their copy of Windows XP mode remains intact after this Windows 10 upgrade before trying it. > > On the other hand, maybe after I really, truly, seriously-folks-I-mean-it-this-time retire and there’s been plenty of time for everyone to replace me I’ll go ahead with the Windows 10 upgrade just so that I can honestly say “hey, I wish that I could help you there, but…” > > …or maybe I’ll just set this PC aside and just play with my tablet and smartphone after I retire… With your use case, you’d probably be best off installing a different virtual machine with Windows XP. I seriously doubt Microsoft will be bringing Virtual XP over, since they made a big deal about how the license only was for Windows 7. Plus, since you are just testing programs, you probably could get by in XP without a license at all. Just keep resetting before activation. Microsoft expressly recommends this for that use case, having put out special virtual disks for this purpose. ---
**Author:** ![Recusant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@Recusant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Recusant)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-windows-10-free-upgrade-thread/721329/45 "2015-06-02T04:49:10Z")
> [@Merneith](#): > > I don’t have a cite but I am reasonably certain that this won’t be an option. I should add, I expect that the activation number for each upgrade copy will be unique and partially based on the machine’s existing unique activation number. So it’s not like the old days, where you just download once and then take the disc around to all the machines needing updated. I expect that you’ll have to download on each machine. But that won’t work- what about performing a fresh installation on a new machine? Would you have to reinstall the old OS and then upgrade it? That seems nonsensical. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-windows-10-free-upgrade-thread/721329/46 "2015-06-02T04:50:43Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > (I debated a while on where to put this thread… mup-simms seems right, I guess.) > > So today a little tray icon showed up on my system and it turns out to be the invite from Microsoft to request a Windows 10 upgrade when it’s available. Some time in the next 1-1,000 days my system will automagically DL WinX and ask me to press the button to install it. > > … > > Anyone else on the invite/notification/waiting list and going to jump to the spot marked X? When I accepted the invitation, they told me it would be downloaded to my computer on July 27. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-windows-10-free-upgrade-thread/721329/47 "2015-06-02T08:06:33Z")
> [@Recusant](#): > > But that won’t work- what about performing a fresh installation on a new machine? Would you have to reinstall the old OS and then upgrade it? That seems nonsensical. From a licensing standpoint, fresh installs on new machines should have their own, new, copy of Windows. This is free offer is for upgrades to existing installations. The rescue media you can create will let you reinstall or refresh your current installation so you shouldn’t have to go back and install the pre-exisiting OS. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-windows-10-free-upgrade-thread/721329/48 "2015-06-02T08:16:50Z")
> [@cmkeller](#): > > Merneith: > > DVD playing, Solitaire/Minesweeper/Freecell come to mind immediately. These were available in 7 and did not come with 8. If installing 10 will take these things away from me, then no thanks, Microsoft. Win 8 has these. You just download them from the store. It only takes a minute. You can also get Mahjong & Sudoku, and something else, I forget. Win 10 will have versions of this, also, a preinstalled version of Candy Crush, if you’re into that. Dropping the DVD player was a licensing thing, but again, you just download one. Nowadays, quite a lot of computers don’t even have a DVD drive, so paying for the DVD codec as part of the basic DVD license doesn’t make sense. Ditto for Blu-ray. Here’s an article about the changes, what’s missing, and how to get replacements. > **[6 Features Disappearing in Windows 10 (and How to Replace Them)](https://www.pcmag.com/news/6-features-disappearing-in-windows-10-and-how-to-replace-them)** > > Many of your old Windows favorites will NOT be joining you in Windows 10. Here's what you can do about it. > [@](#): > > On top of that, I’ll have to see if I like the interface. I know it won’t be as bad as 8, but I’m uncertain just how well they’ve swung back in the other direction, since they clearly want to push their phone and tablet offerings. I don’t know, man. I’ve always been baffled by people who can’t cope with Windows 8. I was baffled by the Vista hate, too, and that wasn’t nearly as big a deal. Sometimes, your cheese just moves. Adapt or die. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-windows-10-free-upgrade-thread/721329/49 "2015-06-02T08:23:11Z")
Sorry for the triple post. It’s too early for this. Here’s an article with more info on the upgrade/fresh install situation. It’s got lots of useful info about the new upgrade. > **[A Few More Answers About Windows 10 Upgrades](https://www.thurrott.com/windows/windows-10/3898/a-few-more-answers-about-windows-10-upgrades)** > > Here are some more answers about how the Windows 10 upgrade will work, especially for people who want to perform a clean install of the operating system. > [@](#): > > But what if you want to do a “real” clean install? > > Microsoft tells me that it will be possible to do so. And that a key part of this process is that it will save a product key tied to the previously upgraded PC or device in Windows Store. This is how Windows 10 will later know that the install is allowed: It’s “one of the benefits of the new delivery system,” a Microsoft representative told me. > > This suggests that Windows 10 install media will be made available to upgraders, much as Microsoft today makes Windows 8.1 install media available for download. But I haven’t yet confirmed that this is the case, but I will do so. That sounds like maybe there will be an option to download an iso version to use on a flash drive or disc? I’m not sure. It won’t be the dvd option that people want but it will make clean updates possible, maybe. Also of note: People who don’t accept the free update or who drag their feet after the year, or just want a retail copy - the price after the year upgrade is done will be $200. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-windows-10-free-upgrade-thread/721329/50 "2015-06-02T08:46:13Z")
> [@RiCu](#): > > Absolutely not. > > Bought a Lenovo machine running Windows 8. Windows 8.1 came out about 2 months later and automatically upgraded, but only then announced that there were no 8.1 compatible drivers available for the wireless card. > > No roll back available, so I had to back all my stuff up and perform a full rebuild. It’s taken me ages to get it so that I can download Windows updates but not the 8.1 files. > > No, I’ll be leaving my laptop alone. And I’ll not buy another MS device. We’re already a largely Apple household and this is the end of MS for me. I am not aware of any changes that should have made the Windows 8 driver not work on Windows 8.1. I have to wonder what happened. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-windows-10-free-upgrade-thread/721329/51 "2015-06-02T08:55:35Z")
Me, I have no intention of downgrading to a new version of Windows. (yes-- every change I have ever made to my computer is a _down_grade. It prevents me from doing what I know how to do, makes me spend several days learning new ways to do the same stuff, and has forced me to spend $1000 buying new professional software\*) So my question is for all you geeks who love Win 10:\*\* What does it actually do?\*\*(for the average person like me). So far, people are saying things like "I installed it, and gee whiz, my computer still works just like it used to!!! Isn’t that awesome!!! I don’t want an awesome experience. I just want to browse the Web like I’ve been doing for 15 years, reading news sites, the Dope, and youtube videos. (\*I don’t like to bring work home from the office, but sometimes there is no choice. So I had an old, student version of my company’s software that works well enough to let me do simple things at home. Then Windows changes, and my software no longer works. New software= thousands of dollars expense for me. ) ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-windows-10-free-upgrade-thread/721329/52 "2015-06-02T12:08:54Z")
BigT: > [@](#): > > Microsoft just wanted you to get a separate DVD player, of which there are plenty. (VLC and Media Player Classic are both free and open source) And those games, at least, were available in the Windows Store, though I’m not sure why they didn’t just include them to get people using the new apps. Yes, I’ve heard that you can get these things in Windows 8 by going out of your way to visit the Microsoft App Store, and hey, if while you’re looking for the stuff you came to get, maybe you’ll see other stuff any buy it too! I hate that kind of marketing. Someone needs to remind Microsoft what the “UP” in “Upgrade” is supposed to mean. Maybe these games are minor things when it comes to operating system importance, but they’ve been included - out of the box - with every version of Windows from at least 3.0 and up, and to take it away just to use as a draw to the App Store is NOT a step “up”. And certainly if I already have it (because I’m starting from Windows 7), I’d like to be assured that upgrading won’t take it away from me. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-windows-10-free-upgrade-thread/721329/53 "2015-06-02T12:15:20Z")
Merneith: > [@](#): > > I don’t know, man. I’ve always been baffled by people who can’t cope with Windows 8. There’s a different between “like the old one better” and “can’t cope with.” If I have the one I like, why should I push myself to “cope with” a new one that I like less? There’s a lot that’s very convenient in Win7 that’s missing in the Win8 UI, and a lot that’s annoying about the Win8 UI that I don’t have to deal with in Win7. I could learn to “cope”, or…I could just keep what works for me. New fashion isn’t inherently a good thing. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-windows-10-free-upgrade-thread/721329/54 "2015-06-02T12:28:58Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > So my question is for all you geeks who love Win 10:\*\* What does it actually do?\*\*(for the average person like me). It is faster booting, leaner and more stable than Windows 7, definitely more so than Vista or XP. It has some nice little features that people who avoided Win8 will not have seen yet. The file copy dialog is very nice (not just visually, it handles overwrites/collisions in a way that is very useful, especially with photos, where it gives you thumbnails so you can tell whether it’s duplication of filename and/or content) It has a Start menu. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-windows-10-free-upgrade-thread/721329/55 "2015-06-02T12:30:35Z")
> [@cmkeller](#): > > There’s a lot that’s very convenient in Win7 that’s missing in the Win8 UI There’s the missing Start menu. What else? ---
**Author:** ![sevenwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@sevenwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sevenwood)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-windows-10-free-upgrade-thread/721329/56 "2015-06-02T13:35:07Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I seriously doubt Microsoft will be bringing Virtual XP over… Plus, since you are just testing programs Sorry for being unclear in my original post. I’m not testing these old programs, I’m maintaining them. When they break, I fix them, and the compilers I need to do so either don’t run under Windows 7 or conflict with other compilers that I’ve got installed on it for other programs. Given that Virtual XP mode apparently won’t be supported under Windows 10 I guess I’ll have to defer performing this free upgrade as long as there’s any chance that I’ll have to work on those old programs again. No big deal - I’m used to being behind the curve these days. (Yeah, I’m confident that with enough testing and tweaking I could find workarounds for this particular problem. But it would be effort that nobody would be paying me to take, and it appears to be too much effort for the benefit involved.) ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-windows-10-free-upgrade-thread/721329/57 "2015-06-02T13:57:04Z")
> [@Merneith](#): > > I was about to say I don’t have that button, but hey - suddenly I do! “Why do we even have that lever?” ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-windows-10-free-upgrade-thread/721329/58 "2015-06-02T14:26:56Z")
Mangetout: > [@](#): > > There’s the missing Start menu. What else? The ability to nest folders of applications rather than having to look through “All Apps”. The ability to have multiple open apps visible at the same time Tool tray for ready display of date/time, connection status, battery life (on laptop), volume, etc The ability to navigate the right-hand side of the screen without an unwanted panel popping up and intercepting your clicks The ability to customize your desktop background with an image of your choosing rather than it being filled with big rectangular app icons I’m sure I can think of more, but the above should be sufficient for our purposes. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-windows-10-free-upgrade-thread/721329/59 "2015-06-02T15:10:13Z")
Uhm… my win8.1 laptop has all those. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-windows-10-free-upgrade-thread/721329/60 "2015-06-02T15:20:30Z")
While Win 8 had some problems - the whole UI issue, to start with - the problems ranted about in an awful lot of the complaint threads seem to be PEBCAK in nature. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-windows-10-free-upgrade-thread/721329.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-windows-10-free-upgrade-thread/721329.md?page=4)