Friday, July 31, 2015

Installing Windows 10

This will take you to the easy way to update to Windows 10 without waiting.

or
www.groovypost.com/howto/create-windows-10-bootable-usb-flash-drive/

In other words, to make this simple, just  search and find the Microsoft Windows 10 download page, click to download for 32 or 64 bit, click on the downloaded file, and sit back to follow instructions.  That is it.   Then download to make a DVD also.

Windows 10 worked very well indeed on the seven low cost computers I updated, from phone to tablet to laptop to tower.   I liked it.   If you are an old hand at Windows, it is an essential upgrade, all upside.  Go for it!

Windows is a jack-of-all-trades, and Windows 10 is faster, easier, and safer.  The same system runs on all devices, now including older computers and tablets. Windows 10 worked best on my Winbook 10, less well on my Dell tower, but much better than Windows 7.

To get familiar with it, the easiest way is to tap or click on each icon going across the bottom of the desktop page from left to right to see what they do.

Windows is also the most capable, universal, and configurable of all systems, BUT thus also necessarily carries a lot of baggage and can require extensive support to run well.   For example, you will want to set up security patches for regular updating,  and, when happy with W10, clean up leftover system files for a big boost in system memory, especially for computers with SSD drives (which, incidentally, ran faster on W10 than those with hard drives), and make a WINDOWS 10 RECOVERY DRIVE WITH SYSTEM IMAGE.  Avoid Disk Image.

There are better choices if you are not comfortable with Windows. There are friendlier phones, tablets, laptops, and desktops without the baggage and with other benefits.

If you need help a lot, an Apple iPad or Mac is a better choice.   A Nexus 7 tablet is a marvelous $149 choice.   An HP 14" Chromebook laptop.

I use Windows when nothing else will do, such as for Calibre, the ultimate ebook reader and ebook access tool, (though most of the time Kindle will do). (Calibre also is accessible on MacBook and Linux for those who use these systems.)

But when I just want to get things done fast, I use anything else.    I use a Chromebook for when I need a large screen and fast browsing, otherwise a smartphone.   Both can be cheap, but you do need a cloudprint printer such as the Brother MFC J775DW which will print your back up CD above.

(I note that my Dell Inspiron 560 tower turned out not to be configured
by Dell for Windows 10, so that although it ran Windows 10 well, it crashed on Dell local backup.)  A fix is in the works.   Alternatively use  the Windows 10 Recovery Drive you made above. And have ready those original Dell backups you made when your tower was new---I had to reinstall to factory and re-install Windows 10.

Tap or Click to read more here...    And here...

I took the opportunity to check out my tower via Dell online support and scrub the hard drive before reinstalling, something everyone should do now and then anyway to keep running well..   If not prepared to do such things, best to stay away from Windows.   As for me, Windows 10 saved my old tower from oblivion and gave it new life.  Glad to have it back.

Windows is finally back in the saddle again.