[1511, nu] Windows 10 1511 expiry, have I got this right?

[Arthur]

That means Windows 7 will be supported for 11 years and Windows 10 only 2/3 years at a time. Microsoft need a bit of a reality check I'm afraid.

Microsoft are simply doing what their competitors are doing. The days of long OS release and support cycles are well and truly over.

 

• Apple releases new versions of iOS and macOS every year and only supports the last three major releases.
  
• Google releases new versions of Android every year although most Android devices only receive two years' worth of updates (if you're lucky).
  
• Chrome OS devices are supported for 6.5 years and updated on a six week cycle (!!!).
  

I don't see an issue with the timeframe, although I agree that they should make the update process quicker and easier. This is one area where they should copy Google.

[Geoff]

I think if you want to do things as you did with Win7, etc then you need to be using LTSB versions of Win10 (Can you guys on Edu licensing even get it?). Microsoft says not to use it for standard desktops but that's a lot of nonsense. It works just fine.

 

However I agree with @Blue_Cookeh that if you can then get SCCM and use Win10 Current Branch for Business to manage it and control your roll outs. I suppose smaller schools could manage manually, but over 50 - 100 PCs I don't think it would scale. Besides, you get a pretty graph in your SCCM Win10 servicing so you don't forget when stuff goes out of date.

 

Edited May 26, 2017 by Geoff

[mullet_man]

So the question is, how are you guys performing upgrades? Last time I tried 1507 > 1511 it took nearly 2 hours for one device! It's actually quicker/cleaner to re-image the device in my experience, unless Microsoft have improved the process?

 

Am using the default operating system upgrade task sequence in SCCM. Tested a few 1511 to 1607 which wasn't great as it reenabled bitlocker before it finished doing to the upgrade.

 

Also tested 1511 and 1607 to 1703 and they've mostly gone smoothly. Bitlocker issue has been fixed. Am finding it takes about an hour with our laptops although I've never actually timed one to know the exact time.

[mullet_man]

My current thinking is to reimage. You're right, it quicker and less painful process. 1511 -> 1607 was a drag too.

 

For student devices am going to reimage them, but Staff devices will be updated using sccm task sequence. Although am trying to best come up with a way to deploy it out for all staff with laptops and for them to find a specific time to sit and wait an hour or so for their laptops to be upgraded.

 

Anyway else rolled out OS upgrades to the staff in the wild? Staff hate restarting to finish windows updates so for them to do a whole OS update will be fun.

[free780]

I've tried to use the maintenance scheduler to wake the PC out of hours both for feature updates and Windows updates. Laptops are difficult. I'm about 50% there in my environment. Annoyingly the default profile has not migrated properly so I'm having to push out a powershell command for the language settings.

[Blue_Cookeh]

For student devices am going to reimage them, but Staff devices will be updated using sccm task sequence. Although am trying to best come up with a way to deploy it out for all staff with laptops and for them to find a specific time to sit and wait an hour or so for their laptops to be upgraded.

 

Anyway else rolled out OS upgrades to the staff in the wild? Staff hate restarting to finish windows updates so for them to do a whole OS update will be fun.

 

Set your Task Sequence deployment up with a deadline in ~4 weeks time, and allow staff to keep deferring it up to the deadline. Send an e-mail out saying "blah blah your machine will be receiving an update in the next 4 weeks that will take up to one hour to install, you will be able to defer it up to X time on X date at which point you'll be forcefully upgraded blah blah"

[AlanD]

I'm afraid it doesn't - Windows 10 (any version) is infinitely better than Windows 7 SP1.

 

Hang on a minute. Yes - it has some nice/welcome features....faster boot time, better hibernation/sleep and turbo control. And yes - Edge seems to work well as Chrome. Not sure they make it infinitely better though.

 

It also comes with a load bloatware - including Cortana, APP store, Virtual desktops, Better gaming with DirectX 12. Not sure these have much or anything to offer educational use - and I don't make use of them at home either.

 

Yes native support for NVMe can be useful - but they could have added that and some of these other things to Windows 7 - probably for a lot less than they invested in bringing tiles to Windows 10.

[Asgard]

With our 1511 build we used Audit Mode to strip everything out.

 

Looking at 1703 from today and was debating if we should just repeat this or go a different path.

 

We ran a test OU and uses WSUS to in place upgrade and all the crapola returned... naughty Microsoft