The Windows 10 thread

[unixman_again]

Windows 10: The best hidden features, tips, and tricks | ExtremeTech As a Linux user, there are two that really stand out for me

• "Command Prompt is finally gaining the ability to paste with Ctrl-V (previously, you had to right click > paste)" - I've been able to do that in bash for years. No mention of being able to copy from the cmd prompt, and we still have to use the shortcut keys. On Linux, I can highlight text, move mouse, click left/right together and it will paste in.
  
• "Windows Key-Ctrl-D creates a new virtual desktop" - does this mean M$ finally supports multiple desktops? - I've been using that feature on Linux for years.
  

The boss says we will be going W10 then it is released (as a replacement for W7).

[localzuk]

I reckon a heck of a lot of businesses will be skipping the 8.x generation of Windows and going for 10. So long as they implement good management tools anyway.

[JRowley]

Windows 10: The best hidden features, tips, and tricks | ExtremeTech As a Linux user, there are two that really stand out for me

• "Command Prompt is finally gaining the ability to paste with Ctrl-V (previously, you had to right click > paste)" - I've been able to do that in bash for years. No mention of being able to copy from the cmd prompt, and we still have to use the shortcut keys. On Linux, I can highlight text, move mouse, click left/right together and it will paste in.
  
• "Windows Key-Ctrl-D creates a new virtual desktop" - does this mean M$ finally supports multiple desktops? - I've been using that feature on Linux for years.
  

The boss says we will be going W10 then it is released (as a replacement for W7).

 

You can copy paste from the command prompt with Ctrl+C, and do a bunch of shortcuts for selecting text, that was confirmed in the launch presentation.

 

Windows 10 is the operating system we will most likely be using to replace Windows 7 at some stage. Though given they are planning on switching to an OSX style of releases I guess the real question is which release of Windows 10 you will be using.

Edited October 8, 2014 by JRowley

[sonofsanta]

The boss says we will be going W10 then it is released (as a replacement for W7).

 

You must have misheard him. I'm sure he said "when SP1 is released for it and all the launch wrinkles are ironed out".

 

Although to be fair, Win7 was in good enough shape long before SP1, but I'd still always wait at least 6 months to a year for someone else to do the guinea pigging for me.

[mrbios]

You must have misheard him. I'm sure he said "when SP1 is released for it and all the launch wrinkles are ironed out".

 

Although to be fair, Win7 was in good enough shape long before SP1, but I'd still always wait at least 6 months to a year for someone else to do the guinea pigging for me.

 

That's pretty much the approach i'll be taking, soon as it's released officially i'll spend months testing it and every piece of software we have on it, profiles etc and probably spend a fair amount of time hashing out issues with people on here. Did exactly the same thing for windows 7....if i remember rightly windows 7 was available to MSVL customers in october time? and i deployed it the following summer having spent the entire 7-8 months testing things. Went surprisingly well, and feeling quite confident windows 10 will be just as successful.

[LeMarchand]

Good news for those people than can cope with new interfaces: you can have the "Modern" style Start Screen if you like.

[LeMarchand]

Hmmm... seem to have a problem using any "Modern" apps with a local log on - has anyone else got this? It does mean I can't use the Feedback app!

[sted]

seems ok just logged into my enterprise vm as my test user (cba firing up server as well so its domain10\fred local user (wel not assigned an ms account anyway) and camera (first app i found) loaded fine. Store complains but thats cos its using a temporary profile and it has no internet access i dont believe, photos also seems ok

[LeMarchand]

Cheers. I'm now remembering that the Win 8 "Modern" apps were a bit flakey at this site, but I never looked too hard into it as we don't use 'em.

 

Will try at one of my other sites later in the week.

[LeMarchand]

Been pleasantly surprised by the smooth application of most group policies - except IE proxy .

[JRowley]

Been pleasantly surprised by the smooth application of most group policies - except IE proxy .

 

Are your polices set up to support IE 9/10/11?

[LeMarchand]

Are your polices set up to support IE 9/10/11?

 

Yep - recently managed to set up RSAT so I could hack out the old legacy parts of the policies.

 

As it turns out, it was an error from when we set up a new server over the holidays - so AFAICT all gps are applying correctly so far.

[ellsandell]

Build updated.

 

We’re rolling out our first new build to the Windows Insider Program

 

[h=3]New build:[/h]As a matter of fact, we’re rolling out a new build today – Build 9860!

 

[h=3]Getting Started:[/h]

• The latest build will come to you automatically via the magic of Windows Update. For most of you this means in the middle of the night (as long as your PC is plugged in and either on or sleeping) it will be downloaded and installed for you. Note that Windows Update will not automatically download the new build over metered networks.
  
• Can’t wait? You can go to PC Settings, Update and recovery, Preview builds and click the Check Now button to go get it now.
  

http://az648995.vo.msecnd.net/win/2014/10/Preview-1024x920.jpg

 

• The download will range between 2GB and 2.74GB depending on CPU architecture and language.
  
• Once the build is downloaded, your PC will begin the installation and reboot. This reboot will be longer than normal but don’t worry.
  
• When you log in for the first time after installing the new build, you’ll go through those colorful “installing your apps” screens again. This is because your account is being provisioned again. When it’s done it will be your same familiar system with all of your stuff.
  
• Once you are logged back in after installing the new build, your system will take some time to catch back up and you may see extra activity or things that don’t quite work right – for example the search index will need time to rebuild and OneDrive will need to sync. This should stabilize within the first couple hours of use.
  

 

[h=3]Some known problems:[/h]Before talking about the new things, I will remind you that you are using a work in progress. As Joe said in his last post, we’re sharing things with you even though there are rough edges. This is the part of building Windows that you usually don’t get to see, since we work hard to smooth these out before it typically gets to you. There are likely many small bugs that you’ll encounter, but these are a few of the big ones that we think you should be aware of right away:

 

• In some places the UI design has gone “backwards” temporarily while we’re working on the final experiences. For example in this build we know that it’s harder to join a Wi-Fi network. We’ll make changes to fix that later.
  
• Another example of some UI “roughness” is sometimes Internet Explorer glyphs look garbled and items on the Start menu might disappear. Not everyone will see this, it depends on your display driver. We have a fix for this one coming soon.
  
• Some machines may wake up and not go back to sleep properly.
  
• Microsoft Solitaire and Mahjong games are broken in some cases and won’t launch.
  
• When using 2 external monitors over Display Link, you may get a blue screen when you undock. This does not appear to be an issue when using just 1 external monitor. A fix for this one is in the works too.
  

 

[h=3]Here’s what’s new:[/h]Most of the changes in this build will be invisible to you, but we’ve made nearly 7,000 improvements and fixes to the product between 9841 and 9860. Many of those fixes were based on problem reports that you submitted in the Community forum or through the Windows Feedback app. Thanks! We also have a few visible changes that you’ll notice.

 

• Action Center for Windows PCs. As we shared when we announced Windows 10 in September, we aren’t limiting our view to one specific device type. We are looking across our entire product family to look at ways to bring great experiences to our customers across different devices. So with this build, we’re bringing “Action Center” from Windows Phone over to the PC as the place where you can see and follow up on all actionable items. This build is focused ONLY on enabling basic notifications – quick actions and cleaner UI will come later. You’ll see notifications from the system and apps – from new emails and invites to IMs, Facebook posts and more – all in one place, so you don’t miss a thing. Click on the new Action Center icon in the notification area of your taskbar to check it out.
  

http://az648995.vo.msecnd.net/win/2014/10/ACDesktopFull.png

 

• Move apps easily from one monitor to another. When you’re working on multiple monitors, use WIN+SHIFT+ to move the active app to another monitor. You can find a list of new keyboard shortcuts for navigating and managing your multiple desktops here in this blog post.
  

 

• Animation for switching desktops. One of the pieces of feedback that you gave us was that it was hard to know when you were switching desktops. We addressed your feedback by adding an animation to make it clear that you are switching. Check it out by creating some new desktops and moving between them.
  

[gshaw]

Much better communication from Microsoft on these preview builds compared to the previous OS. It's refreshing to see them being open about design changes and responding to feedback, in stark contrast to the "we know best, you're all wrong" attitude that made such a mess of the initial release of Windows 8.

[sted]

i think someone said this already but a percentage bar would be good atm my prime vm is just sat there saying yeah im downloading with no indication how much time/data is left

[JRowley]

It's fairly clear that the interface isn't completed, the shadow of the clicked "Install" button remains behind the "Download Now" label. I'm sure it will be fixed at some stage, not that it really matters as it's a technical preview so that 'feature' won't make it to the RC anyway.

 

Also navigating away and back again resets the interface when it's still downloading in the background.

[Dos_Box]

i think someone said this already but a percentage bar would be good atm my prime vm is just sat there saying yeah im downloading with no indication how much time/data is left

 

Yup. It's 'spinny-thing' heaven here atm

[sted]

yey its just changed to install now only 2 other vms and probably a server vm to update if i can be bothered atm

[JRowley]

yey its just changed to install now only 2 other vms and probably a server vm to update if i can be bothered atm

 

There isn't a server edition to my knowledge, I had a look and couldn't find anywhere to trigger the update if there is one, it's not available through Windows Update either.

[LeMarchand]

Took ages to download, a fair while before it rebooted, then another age to apply. At least it seems to have retained all my user data apart from my lock screen!

[Arthur]

Microsoft introduced new trackpad gestures in Windows 8, but the company is expanding them further with the upcoming release of Windows 10. In a keynote speech at TechEd Europe today, Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore demonstrated new trackpad features that will soon be available to Windows 10 testers. "In the past touch pads on Windows have really been done very differently because OEMs do them," explained Belfiore. Microsoft introduced precision trackpads with the help of Intel in Windows 8 to improve the hardware situation, and now the focus is on gestures in software. "With Windows 10 we’re adding support for power users in a touch pad, where multiple finger gestures — which all of you power users learn — can make you really efficient."

 

The new gestures include a three finger swipe down action to minimize all active Windows and three finger swipe up to bring them back. An interesting addition is the ability to use a three finger swipe up gesture to activate the new Task View feature of Windows 10. Not only does Task View look like OS X’s Mission Control (Exposé) feature, the three finger swipe up is the same gesture. Microsoft is also borrowing the three finger swipe left and right to activate switching between apps, something Apple uses to move between fullscreen Mac applications.

 

Microsoft is also improving window snapping on multiple monitors. Belfiore demonstrated a new Windows 10 build (9865) with the ability to snap windows side-by-side on multiple monitors, something power users have been calling for. The feature works by hovering apps in the center of the monitor split, and then slowly dragging them in the direction of the transparent snap window that appears. Microsoft is planning to bring both features to an upcoming Windows 10 Technical Preview build, and Belfiore notes that the company is "really focusing on smoothing out the power user experience" overall in Windows 10. (Source)

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=ZHg6JL5sdaI

 

Since OEMs of Windows laptops are incapable of creating decent touchpads, Microsoft should have dealt with this years ago!

[JRowley]

I'm not really a laptop user, so the most exciting part for me is being able to snap properly on a multi-monitor setup.

 

Finally!!

[Arthur]

The forthcoming Windows Image and Configuration Designer program looks good!

 

[Arthur]

Microsoft confirms that Windows 10 kernel will be 10.0

 

Developers preparing for Windows 10 should note that the Windows NT value in the UA string will change from 6.4 to 10.0 with the new release. If you have code that depends on the version number, we advise that you update to allow for the new value.

[Arthur]

Microsoft makes a nod to subscriptions for Windows 10 « Ars Technica

 

Even as it has cut the price of Windows—offering it for free on phones and small screen tablets, plus there's a Bing edition for everything else—Microsoft is still working on ways to monetize its platform. Chief Operating Officer Kevin Turner was speaking to investors last week, and GeekWire reported that profits are still the goal.

 

Asked if the plan was to make Windows a loss leader to draw people into the Microsoft ecosystem, Turner said that the company had "not had any conversations" on this. He reiterated this when asked if the company was going to start losing money on Windows, saying "that's not any conversations that we've had... we've got to monetize it differently."

 

Turner didn't say what specifically Microsoft intended to do, revealing only that the plans will be revealed "through the course of summer and spring." However, he did give an indication of one thought that the company had: "finding new ways to monetize the lifetime of that customer on those [zero cost Windows license] devices."

 

The implication, then, is that Microsoft is looking at generating some kind of on-going revenue from Windows users to replace the initial purchase. Previous rumors have already pointed toward the creation of Windows subscriptions, and Turner's answer also points at some kind of subscription system.