Last week’s e-mail reached out to our readership regarding the free upgrade to Windows 10 that Microsoft is offering until July 29. Thanks to those who responded.
The consensus is there is no consensus. But the response provided by Victoria Zaccaria of SMH Electronics and our My Pinnacle Network-Bourne group does share a little insight for those pondering the upgrade:
“It is very different. The interface is somewhat confusing and difficult to manage or configure. Some things that were two clicks to find now may take you five or more to do the same task (kind of like a normal Windows user trying Apple for the first time).
Now speaking with people who are using it, they have told me that once you get used to it, it’s fine. You can load a program called Classic Shell. This loads a Windows 7 overlay onto your Windows 10 to make it more user-friendly.
Most software does seem to work. Windows 10 wants you to use Microsoft Edge as the new browser (no toolbars, no words, and difficult to use). And not compatible with everyone’s websites.Windows 10 does have Internet Explorer 11, which is compatible with most websites. Cortana, the search feature, sends demographic and search results back to Microsoft for targeting you with ads and info. You can “turn this off” but it is on by default.
If you have older printers/scanners and want to continue to use them, make sure there are drives available before you upgrade. Not all hardware is compatible.
You can go back, but some stuff will get corrupted in the go back process. If the computer had scheduled tasks, these will all be corrupted and need to be re-generated.
According to reports, approximately 25 percent of businesses have adopted Windows 10. Now, it’s up to you!”
Thanks, Victoria.
Any non-IT folks tried it? We would love to hear from you, too!