Some time back I offered advice suggestions regarding ©Microsoft Windows 10.  With the time drawing near for expiration of your FREE copy of the new operating system I thought it relevant to revisit.  Perhaps our advice can help you in your decision making.

To refresh.  Last year (July 2015) Microsoft released Windows 10.   Of course a number of ‘patches’ and ‘fixes’ have been released to work out miscellaneous feature functions since that time to present the current working version.  If you’re wondering about the different versions of Windows and support, I’ve extracted from the public ©Microsoft site and shared with you below Windows operating systems ‘life cycles’.

Client OS                           Latest update/service pack                 End of mainstream support                      End of extended support 

Windows XP      Service Pack 3                 April 14, 2009                        April 8, 2014 

Windows Vista   Service Pack 2                 April 10, 2012                        April 11, 2017 

Windows 7 *       Service Pack 1                 January 13, 2015                   January 14, 2020 

Windows 8          Windows 8.1                     January 9, 2018                     January 10, 2023 

Windows 10        N/A                                   October 13, 2020                   October 14, 2025 

As many of you know, they’ve been pressing hard for users to upgrade to this new version by presenting it FREE for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users until July 29, 2016.

The Windows 10 push has been a 2 pronged approach.  First, there was the continuous ‘would you like to download’, then once you gave in and/or accepted that, “would you like to install” became prominent in your ‘pop-up’ windows.  Initially, the download was ‘optional’ in Windows Updates.  Recently Microsoft changed this to AUTOMATICALLY download, so now the second notice “would you like to install” is most prominent.  Some users like this, some are frustrated that they feel it’s being pressed upon them.  This said, remember, you can always decline the install and even install a fix to stop prompting.

The problems we’ve been assisting with most of late is this install is slipping through users activities and they find themselves either at the ‘continue install’ or they’ve already installed (not necessarily by desired choice).  At this stage, we advise based on user operations, requirements, and preference and assist in reversing to the systems previous operating system or providing an introduction so users are comfortable with the new version.

The real gist of sharing this time is presenting our updated view as well on our most asked question; “should I or shouldn’t I upgrade?”  At this time here’s our position.  Basically I see it as 2 items; (1) Are all your programs/applications and devices (printers, scanners, etc.) compatible?   (2) Do you want the change and are willing to learn the new layout?

As always, some users love the new changes when they upgrade, others hate them, and we ALL learn to live with them!  You have to figure out which of these areas you fall under.  In the meantime, enjoy the features and tools both personally and professionally your computer operations can bring to you.

NOTE:  Our sharing of information within articles includes suggestions and tips. USE AND/OR APPLY AT YOUR OWN RISK.  If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our offices for professional service/guidance.

Until next time, don’t forget your backups!  For more information, contact Harv Oliver, HANDS-ON Consultations, (805) 524-5278, www.hocsupport.com