Microsoft hopes everybody will immediately switch to Windows 10. Because people buying new PCs automatically already receive Windows 10 preinstalled on their PC, Microsoft is targeting people using Windows 7.
Why Windows 7 owners will like Windows 10
Windows 7 owners will rejoice at Windows 10, with many folks calling the new operating system “What Windows 7 should have been.” Windows 10 certainly isn’t perfect, but it’s a welcome relief for Windows 7 owners. Here’s why:
- Easy upgrade path: As a perk for suffering through Win 7, you can upgrade to Windows 10 simply by slipping in a Windows 10 Upgrade DVD. Your programs, printer, and nearly everything else that worked with Windows 7 work fine with Windows 10. Windows XP owners face a dirty chore: They must erase their hard drives and install Windows 10 from scratch.
- No more nag screens: Easily the most loudly cursed feature of Windows 7, User Account Control (UAC) perpetually popped up messages asking if you’re sure you want to do something. Windows 10 comes with a toned-down version that merely warns you if something drastic might happen. You can even adjust UAC’s warning level to match your comfort level, from paranoid to relaxed.
- Streamlined controls: Windows 7 demanded many keystrokes and clicks to accomplish what Windows 10 does in a few. In Windows 10, for example, trying to turn off a PC brought up two shortcut icons and an arrow that fetches a seven-option menu. Windows 10’s single-click “Shut Down” key does what most folks want: Saves work, closes programs, and turns off the PC.
- Better backup: In an effort to simplify backing up your PC, Windows 7 made backup copies of everything, even if you wanted to back up only a few files or folders. Windows 10, by contrast, lets you back up everything, but it also offers an option for selecting only a few things to back up.
- Runs better on laptops: Vista’s sloth-like performance upset many laptop owners. Many new netbooks — ultralight laptops built for on-theroad Internet access and word processing — couldn’t even run Windows 7, forcing Microsoft to extend the Windows XP expiration deadline twice.
Why Windows XP owners should switch to Windows 10
Microsoft releases a new version of Windows every few years. If you bought your PC between 2001 and 2006, you’ve probably grown accustomed to the mechanics of Windows XP. That leaves the nagging question, why bother upgrading to Windows 10 when Windows XP works just fine?
Microsoft hopes the following improvements in Windows 10 will push your hand toward your credit card:
- DVD burning: More than five years after DVD burners hit the market, Windows can finally take advantage of them without third-party software. Windows 10 can copy files and movies to DVDs as well as to CDs. Its DVD Maker program gathers your vacation photos and burns a slick slide show onto a DVD, ready for passing out to every yoga retreat attendee.
- Easier file searches: Windows XP really drags its feet when searching for files. Searching for a filename takes several minutes on a crowded hard drive, and if you’re searching your files for a particular word or phrase, you’re in for a long weekend. Windows 10, by contrast, spends its idle time fine-tuning an index of every word on your hard drive. Type a word from a file’s name or contents into the Start menu’s Search box, and Windows 10 quickly finds the goods.
- New Browser: Windows 10’s new Microsoft Edge lets you surf the Web more easily and securely. It has the old standbys — tabbed browsing, RSS feeds, and a filter alerting you to potential fraudulent Web sites — and other new features.
- Movie and TV Player: This entertainment center not only plays DVDs and music but also lets you watch TV on your PC and even record shows onto your hard drive for later viewing. Recording TV shows requires a PC with a TV Tuner in your PC
- Taskbar: Microsoft spent some time building on Windows 7’s three-dimensional look. The new taskbar in Windows 10 adds pop-up thumbnails, shown in Figure 1, that help you find a lost window. Or, right-click a taskbar icon to see more information about it — your recent history of browsed Web sites, for example, is shown in Figure 2.
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| Figure 1 |
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| Figure 2 |
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