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Urthman

Windows 10: "It wouldn't be right to call it Windows 9."

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I thought the reason it was A: and B: was that before hard disks were ubiquitous you needed two floppy drives if you wanted to copy anything that wouldn't fit into memory to another disk.

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Turns out my SD card reader error was actually the initial signs of a failing SD card, not the device or Wintendows.

 

Woops!

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Haha, man. I can't search the Windows Store for OSC controllers because the search only knows how to search from the start of a word. Like, I know there's one called MetroOSC, which I can find by typing 'Metroo', but not 'OSC'. It's 1995 all over again.

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Windows 10 is slowly driving me insane. There are small things here and there that just stop working as intended and I can't figure out exactly why. Like yesterday when I was at my friend's place, I suddenly stopped being able to save things to my documents folder (unless I individually ran everything as administrator), but now I can again. Dragon Age: Origins stopped being able to save, though I haven't looked too closely into this issue just yet. At one point I couldn't load my ubuntu iso in vmware player, but now I can again.

 

I don't know if any of these problems are actually Windows 10-specific. I haven't encountered any of that while I was on Windows 7 though. 

 

Oh and starting up Freecell takes ages since I have to log in and sync my save from the cloud...

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uhhh.... help?

 

bAqexJO.png

 

 

Why in the fuckhell would this happen? Absolutely, 100% sure that this was not occurring in Windows 7.

 

 

 

 

e: I'm guessing the answer is right in front of me, that it's the 32 bit version of windows. Why would that have installed, when I downloaded the 64 bit media driver software?

 

Do I have to install this fucking thing AGAIN? This is fucking clownshoes.

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Who wants to play "Guess how many times Badfinger installed Windows and downloaded the Windows Media Creation Tool tonight"?

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Question for anyone who upgraded then did a clean install: Is your new install activated yet?  How long did it take for that to happen?

 

Yep, worked right away once I had the right version installed. It was confirmed that a few weeks ago there was an issue with the authentication servers working, though.

 

Who wants to play "Guess how many times Badfinger installed Windows and downloaded the Windows Media Creation Tool tonight"?

 

So the answer is at least 6 and at least 2 respectively. Apparently, if you choose the dual install media creation - there is an option to download the 32 bit version, the 64 bit version, and a joint 32/64 - it just... installs the 32 bit version? There's no option to choose. However, once you're in a 32 bit environment you can't download the 64 bit creation tool. I was extremely tired and frustrated, so it's totally possible that you can download the 32 bit TOOL for the 64 bit VERSION but it didn't even occur to me to check. So I ended up doing what all the tech support said I should do last week, which was reinstall Windows 7, because I was sure that was a 64 bit environment. This was after I had done a clean install (again) of Win 10 from my media to check that I didn't screw up (again) and just missed the option to get the 64 bit version, because I am 100% sure I at least included the option to install it. It installed the 32 bit version.

 

So I installed Windows 7. My key is a good, but I was so resistant to reinstalling it the other week because I know it won't activate. Don't ask me how this works, but I can call tech support and they go "oh ok" and give me a new key. So I couldn't upgrade - I had to do a clean install. BUT! I forgot Win 7 didn't have drivers for my ethernet port. My plan was - get back into the 64 bit environment, download a fresh copy of the 64 bit media creation tool that was 64 bit only, install that. Except I stupidly don't have my motherboard driver cd, it's at my dad's house when I stored stuff there. So I REINSTALLED Windows 10 even though I knew it would be 32 bit. Downloaded my motherboard drivers to my usb drive. Reinstalled windows 7. Tried to do the media upgrade - didn't work because win 7 wasn't activated, as above. Downloaded the 64 bit creation tool for the 64 bit version. Apparently, I didn't? Because I did a fresh install of windows 10, and it was STILL the 32 bit version. So I installed windows 7 AGAIN, installed drivers, formatted my usb drive, downloaded and installed the media creation tool AGAIN, and installed Windows 10 AGAIN. It's the 64 bit version, which I verified right before I posted the above message at 4am.

 

Why do I care about Windows 10, again? How is this supposed to be an easier, friendlier version of Windows? The Home vs Pro angriness debacle was my fault, although no one was able to help me debunk it on the Microsoft end. This was decidedly NOT my fault, at least in the sense that why would I assume a tool that says it is for the 32 and 64 bit versions ALWAYS install the 32 bit version? Maybe I'm dumb for thinking I should get the broadest available platform to cover my bases.

 

Maybe I'm dumb.

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Honestly why are they even producing 32-bit versions at this point?!  It seems pointless to me.

 

Because your grandparents have a 32 bit processor in their computer and they are going to ask you if the "upgrade" button is a virus.

 

 

So, wall of text lessons learned: download only the version of windows you need, and download ONLY the architecture you need. Don't get the complete package, because it'll invariably screw up.

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I'm so sorry Badfinger, you've had a horrible time of it. I guess I should thank my lucky stars I had a 99% painless upgrade from 7 to 10. The only thing I had to do was upgrade my trackpad drivers and wrangle a buttload of privacy settings.

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Well, I'm admittedly stubborn about these kinds of things. For instance, I could have gone to bed and then gotten up today and figured out if the 32 bit client would let you install 64 bit Windows, instead of formatting and installing 5 times. I could have seen that I'd accidentally installed Home instead of Pro. I could have noticed the 32 bit install literally a week ago and just dealt with it then. There are extenuating circumstances - why in the world did it do the 32 bit install instead of the 64? But I have done just about the hardest run through all the Windows Install variables I can think of being available.

 

I was thinking about how I'd brought it on myself for not being patient, but then I remembered I totally did the normal upgrade path and then it straight bricked my computer.

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Because your grandparents have a 32 bit processor in their computer and they are going to ask you if the "upgrade" button is a virus.

 

 

So, wall of text lessons learned: download only the version of windows you need, and download ONLY the architecture you need. Don't get the complete package, because it'll invariably screw up.

 

My grandparents are dead ;)

Seriously though, I understand the argument but it's very frustrating.  My parents are retired and in their mid-late 60s and they are still VERY tech-literate, to the point where my mother only had to ask whether she could update her laptop straight to Windows 10 from 7 on her laptop and then without prompting upgraded her own laptop and desktop.  They're not PhD's or anything, but they understand the need to stay current.  I don't understand why more people don't take it upon themselves to be educated about technology like that!  It's an integral part of modern life.

 

On a similar but different subject it's interesting to me how this whole process has gone down for Windows as opposed to how it goes on Macs.  I don't own a Mac but I have been aware of several Mac OS updates and I feel like they've always gone with much less fanfare, almost as if they are better at smoothing out the upgrade process.  Is that just because I am not part of the process that it seems easier to me?  Or is it because since there are (seemingly) so many more windows machines that they've had more problems keeping up?  Or is it simply because I was too young/naive to realize the problems last time around!

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My grandparents are dead ;)

Seriously though, I understand the argument but it's very frustrating.  My parents are retired and in their mid-late 60s and they are still VERY tech-literate, to the point where my mother only had to ask whether she could update her laptop straight to Windows 10 from 7 on her laptop and then without prompting upgraded her own laptop and desktop.  They're not PhD's or anything, but they understand the need to stay current.  I don't understand why more people don't take it upon themselves to be educated about technology like that!  It's an integral part of modern life.

 

On a similar but different subject it's interesting to me how this whole process has gone down for Windows as opposed to how it goes on Macs.  I don't own a Mac but I have been aware of several Mac OS updates and I feel like they've always gone with much less fanfare, almost as if they are better at smoothing out the upgrade process.  Is that just because I am not part of the process that it seems easier to me?  Or is it because since there are (seemingly) so many more windows machines that they've had more problems keeping up?  Or is it simply because I was too young/naive to realize the problems last time around!

 

My dad's 65. He'll have no trouble upgrading his machine when he gets rolled in. If he has to do it for someone else, he's totally going to ask questions. It's just the nature of the beast. I know basic shit about computer hardware and software, but I never change my own oil for the car.

 

I think it's a combination.

 

1) OS X has been out since 2001. They've been doing this soft upgrade path for over a decade now, so the time when they first started it is a distant memory. At this point it pops up and if you want it you pay $20 and it's like updating apps in the App Store. That's Microsoft's vision for Windows 10 as I understand it, but they need to do the painful migration first.

 

2) Windows XP has more than twice the market share of computers running OS X, and it's the 4th most popular version of Windows. It feels like everyone has a Mac Book, but Windows dominates the computing OS market. Source: everyone's favorite, Wikipedia.

 

3) Macs aren't configurable. I mean, you can buy the one with the bigger screen or more RAM, but you can't build a Mac. You buy an Apple computer and it comes with the Apple OS and the Apple App Store and you get your Mountains Lion right through it. They control every level, which means there aren't weird configuration quirks because you're running two GTX 260s in SLI on a 16:10 screen and have 4 hard drives.

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That's pretty much what I figured.  I knew the OS X had been doing it for a while, and that if Windows wants to get the same thing going it's going to take a while.  

I also totally get it when it comes to configurations, when people start the whole Mac vs PC thing I always just stop them and say that if you want stability, go for a Mac.  If you want freedom (which comes with responsibility) for for PC.  I had a couple quirky things go down when I upgraded, and I'm still sorting some things out, for instance sometimes when I boot I get a blank screen for several minutes, and I read online that some people are experiencing some weirdness like this because they have a GPU in addition to the integrated graphics card on their mobo, which would make sense since that's what I have.  I'm sure that it will all get sorted out, but you have to give a little leeway since they have to account for all of these possibilities!  

However as others have said I'm very lucky, I had very little trouble upgrading despite my weird build.

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Just to clarify, the last two (and presumably future?) OS X upgrades have been free.

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Windows 10 finally decided I was allowed to try again yesterday and it worked this time, I guess either my old HDD or Windows install were too old and messed up before.

A couple of useful links for dealing with the possibly unwanted aspects of Win 10.

Simple method to turn off data collection, etc: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2015/08/27/windows-10-spyware/

How to remove built-in apps: http://www.howtogeek.com/224798/how-to-uninstall-windows-10s-built-in-apps-and-how-to-reinstall-them/

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Hah, I can't get Office to install links in the Start menu or anywhere else. It can't open Office files by double clicking, only through "Open with..." I could pull some shortcuts to the taskbar, but nothing to the start menu.

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That upgrade option doesn't ever expire, does it?

 

I'm still stting things out since I don't have any backup workstations at the moment and would pretty much be screwed if something I rely on working... doesn't.

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That upgrade option doesn't ever expire, does it?

 

I'm still stting things out since I don't have any backup workstations at the moment and would pretty much be screwed if something I rely on working... doesn't.

 

It's good for a year. So next... July? July.

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*sigh* For someone who has Windows 8 on a tablet, the tablet mode in this seems inexplicably poor. It never seems to kick up the on-screen keyboard when I need it (login for instance,) even when set to always be in tablet mode. The built in video app is light years behind the Windows 8 one (yes, I know I can download a different app, but so far I haven't found one that has an interface that works well with touch.) And it doesn't seem to sleep properly so it drains the battery in my bag. Normally, I'd just blame manufacturer's drivers for it, but it's a frickin Surface Pro, so either way it's Microsoft's fault.

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My clean install of 10 still hasn't activated yet, but as of today it's started telling me to connect to the internet to activate Windows.  I'm obviously connected (I'm typing this post on that computer right now) but it can't seem to tell?  I don't know if this is better or worse.

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*sigh* For someone who has Windows 8 on a tablet, the tablet mode in this seems inexplicably poor. It never seems to kick up the on-screen keyboard when I need it (login for instance,) even when set to always be in tablet mode. The built in video app is light years behind the Windows 8 one (yes, I know I can download a different app, but so far I haven't found one that has an interface that works well with touch.) And it doesn't seem to sleep properly so it drains the battery in my bag. Normally, I'd just blame manufacturer's drivers for it, but it's a frickin Surface Pro, so either way it's Microsoft's fault.

Ah, maybe it's a good thing my wife can't access this update still on her Samsung Ativ 7. She already had installed an exe to make the keyboard pop up more often but this sounds like a step backward.

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