Windows 10

[Manoverboard]

Just select ' Delete Cookies / History on Exit ' so they have less to snoop on / post adverts about.

[Kendhni]

Thanks Ken, but I've already got Win 7 on order. For me, the tiles etc in 8/10 are a step too far - more style over substance; "hey, look what we can do, therefore this is what you will have". It wouldn't be so bad if they gave users the choice. Also, there was a ruling a couple of years ago that, when installing, Microsoft had to give you the choice of which browser to use. That wasn't given. I will run with 7 for as long as possible, then when I am absolutely forced to change will go either Apple or Ubuntu.

In both Win8 and Win 10 you do have a choice over a traditional desktop and the tiles. With Win 8 you needed to download an app but with Windows 10 the traditional windows 7 style desktop is the default ... with a start button providing the traditional start menu .. it is virtually identical to Win 7. It is possible though that upgrading from Win8 means the tile interface has been set as default. The tiling interface is likely to become more prevalent over the next few years (similar to android and iOS) because of the way software is being designed ... using a technique known as 'mobile first'. That is why you are starting to see so many websites that look like big blocks ontop of each other e.g. hubic.com

I don;t know what state your screen is in but at the bottom right there should be a notifications icon ... click this and deselect the tile saying 'Tablet mode' (otherwise known as Metro interface) ... you can also disable tablet mode in settings and get it to boot to the Win10 desktop.

The WIn10 start menu button contains tiles but you can disable these as well from settings ... I actually quite like the tiles in the start menu with most of the other functionality that used to be there available by right clicking the start button ... including the ability to open an 'elevated' command prompt.

[Silver_Shiney]

Thank you for your very helpful comments, gentlemen. The main thing for me, though, is full functionality with Outlook 2003, where I have a lot of subfolders for stuff I need to keep - and I hate the ribbon bars of later versions of Office - and, as I mentioned, I've already ordered a copy of Win 7.

[Silver_Shiney]

A couple of things to try ... do you have a password on your account?
At the search type in 'netplwiz' which should show the 'User Accounts' dialog. and make sure that the 'Users must enter a password ...' checkbox is selected.
From the start menu select 'settings' -> accounts -> sign-in options and ensure the 'Require sign-in' is not set to 'never'

Just for the sake of something to do, I've had a look at this. We've never had a password on our accounts and, frankly, don't want to start (I know, I know, what happens if the machine gets nicked!). It looks like, to enable a login for the Lady C, I'll be forced to have a password, which I'm not prepared to do. I tell the computer what I want, not the other way round.

[Kendhni]

A couple of things to try ... do you have a password on your account?
At the search type in 'netplwiz' which should show the 'User Accounts' dialog. and make sure that the 'Users must enter a password ...' checkbox is selected.
From the start menu select 'settings' -> accounts -> sign-in options and ensure the 'Require sign-in' is not set to 'never'

Just for the sake of something to do, I've had a look at this. We've never had a password on our accounts and, frankly, don't want to start (I know, I know, what happens if the machine gets nicked!). It looks like, to enable a login for the Lady C, I'll be forced to have a password, which I'm not prepared to do. I tell the computer what I want, not the other way round.

Maybe not. The netplwiz might still work ... if it takes you to the log on screen you just click the button to login without entering a password.

Also you could try right-clicking the start button and select 'shut down' -> 'sign out' ... I can't test it at the minute but this might take you to the logged out screen which lists the users at the bottom left

[Silver_Shiney]

Nah, it insists on me entering a password before allowing me to access any functions in that part of set up.

Thanks anyway

[Peter D]

Just a thought. If you are using Microsoft Outlook 2013 and are having problems sending e-mails. This appears after doing the free Windows 10 upgrade.

When you try to send out emails from Outlook you will get the following error message in the send receive dialog:

8x800ccc13 cannot connect to the network verify your network connection or modem

It appears that this only happens with POP mailboxes sending through SMTP protocol

To fix the “8x800ccc13 cannot connect to the network verify your network connection or modem” outlook error you will need to run the command

sfc/scannow

This will need to be done in an administrative command prompt. If you do not know how to do this follow the following steps:

In the search box type cmd

Then press hold down Ctrl + Shift Keys and press Enter on your Keyboard

Yes to make changes

You should now be at the Command Prompt

Type in sfc /scannow

Hit enter

Once the scan runs test and finishes, click the X top right to exit. You will now be able to send emails again from outlook 2013.

[towny44]

Shiney, just going back to your tile and programme list problem, there is a button at the very bottom of the start menu labelled "all apps", if you press this you get a comprehensive alpha listing of all the applications on your pc, and this works in both tablet mode and non tablet mode.
I am beginning to warm to Win 10, at least until the next gremlin appears, but there is lots of help available on-line, and on this forum as well.

[Silver_Shiney]

Many thanks, Towny, but our database provider has also told me not to install Win 10 as it is not compatible with the software we use in the office. They've been working on it, but having the release date brought forward by MS has somewhat thrown them.

[brillo]

Had windows 10 for a couple of weeks now without to many problems once I learnt my way around.
I thought that I had lost a number of picture files but I was not to worried as they were backed up on an external drive, a couple of days later one of the missing pictures cam up on my screensaver so I did a search for the file in my stuff, I found all the missing files in c drive users, my wifes name pictures.

[Silver_Shiney]

Well, I've now pulled the plug on Windows 10 and upgraded the desktop from 8.1 to 7 Pro. This has given an interesting and frustrating problem, though. I have 7 Home on the laptop, which runs Outlook 2003 without any trouble whatsoever. However, after installing on the desktop, while Word, Excel and PowerPoint seem to run okay, Outlook crashes immediately. Looks like I'll just have to access emails online from now on and keep the ones on the laptop as archive

[Manoverboard]

I've stuck with W7 / 64 so far ... seems v10 is still a step too far

[gravy1955]

I've just upgraded to Windows 10 from Windows 7 using the free update and it seems fine. My laptop still seems_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ to work ok. No it really does

[Not so ancient mariner]

Having read the lengthy correspondence on this subject, I'm left wondering - is all the (potential) hassle worth it? Opinions anyone?

[barney]

Ok here is my twopeneth

I upgraded to 10 about three weeks ago and have had no issues or problems at all (so far)

I backed up everything on the external hard drive and saved important docs to CD & flashdrive beforehand so belt & braces.

This is my business so a lot of thought given before I took the plunge, but so far so good.

It would add that it is a relatively new computer and was running on windows 7 (downgraded from 8)

[Mervyn and Trish]

I've got the upgrade sitting waiting to be installed. I'm currently running 8.1, which I know most people hate but I've got used to. Importantly when I moved to a new PC with 8.1 from my old XP I spent a lot of time and money upgrading all my old software which no longer worked.

My dilemma is this. I know that 10 will be supported longer than 8.1. I know I can upgrade for nothing at the moment but will have to pay if I leave it until 8.1 falls of the cyber cliff.

My concern is will all the 8.1 compatible software work on 10 or is this another ruse to make me spend more money and time on other stuff to get the free upgrade?

The biggest nightmare when I changed before was that my old home finance software, Quicken, no longer worked, and a new version was not available in the UK, so I changed to Moneydance, which works well, but I had to manually input or tweak a lot of the data. I really don't want to do that again.

[Silver_Shiney]

Probably a Redmond Valley ruse, Merv. I've just upgraded my Win 10 desktop to Win 7 Pro and find that some of the software that runs happily on Win 7 Home doesn't work. Like you, I've spent a lot of time and money and am not prepared to do it again. The desktop will be going on ebay at the end of the week. When Win 7 Home becomes a serious security risk and I no longer need to work from home, I'm switching to Ubuntu for web-related stuff, with a secondary partition for 7 Home (or maybe even XP), without a web connection, for the fun stuff.

[Keechy]

Upgraded to W10 this week. No problems at all so far. In an earlier post, I said that the manufacturer of my video editing program had told me categorically that it wouldn't work with W10 so I waited until I'd completed my latest cruise video. After the upgrade, guess what? It works just the same as before. (It was after all the sales department who answered my query. ) I'm quite happy with W10 and most programs work with very little difference from W7.

[Stephen]

I've got the upgrade sitting waiting to be installed. I'm currently running 8.1, which I know most people hate but I've got used to. Importantly when I moved to a new PC with 8.1 from my old XP I spent a lot of time and money upgrading all my old software which no longer worked.

My dilemma is this. I know that 10 will be supported longer than 8.1. I know I can upgrade for nothing at the moment but will have to pay if I leave it until 8.1 falls of the cyber cliff.

My concern is will all the 8.1 compatible software work on 10 or is this another ruse to make me spend more money and time on other stuff to get the free upgrade?

The biggest nightmare when I changed before was that my old home finance software, Quicken, no longer worked, and a new version was not available in the UK, so I changed to Moneydance, which works well, but I had to manually input or tweak a lot of the data. I really don't want to do that again.

All you can do Merv is try it and if anything doesn't work revert back to 7 within the time scale. At least you will know either way.

I personally could get on with 10 and went back to 7.

[Mervyn and Trish]

I've got 8.1 at moment. I talked to computer nerd mate last night and he says that 10 is the same underneath. Just the interface that's changed. So all 8.1 compatible software should work. But he also advised leaving installing 10 till the last minute before the free upgrade runs out and all the bugs have been sorted by the early adopters. He says although 10 has already downloaded it will conitnue to update with fixes and patches even before it's installed.

[Silver_Shiney]

I've got 8.1 at moment. I talked to computer nerd mate last night and he says that 10 is the same underneath. Just the interface that's changed. So all 8.1 compatible softwareshould work. But he also advised leaving installing 10 till the last minute before the free upgrade runs out and all the bugs have been sorted by the early adopters. He says although 10 has already downloaded it will conitnue to update with fixes and patches even before it's installed.

"should" being the operative word. Some of the stuff I run and will not do without is okay in Win 7 Home but not Pro and Win 8+ won't touch it. Some of the software does not have more up to date versions, some do but I'm not prepared to buy them again.

Sorry, but I'm waiting until my requirements have changed so that I don't need the existing software anymore and then I'm switching to another platform altogether.

[Mervyn and Trish]

You're right about the should, but from what he said the underlying architecture changed after 7, so it's stuff that works on 8 and 8.1 that should be okay. Certainly when I had to go from XP to 8.1 I was told that stuff I'd got on XP was okay up to 7 but not beyond. The bigger worry is that my mate also reckons Microsoft want to move to a subscription only basis for the operating system as they are doing for Office, so you'll have to pay up every year. There are already some programmes from other developers which are subscription only and force you to store work on their cloud, with no option for local storage, so if you cancel the subscription you also lose all your data!

[barney]

I've seen The Terminator

I know how it all ends

[Silver_Shiney]

All the more reason to move to Ubuntu, or at least away from Microsoft, Merv

[Mervyn and Trish]

Trouble is I've used Ubuntu and don't like it.