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Microsoft's "Windows Insider" fast track is living up to its name, with build 10162 released yesterday, making it three builds in four days since 10158 appeared on 29 June. One difference this time round is that you can download the ISO image in one of 22 languages. The download page is headed "April update" at the time of writing, but expand the downloads and you find build 10162. The ISO image enables testing of clean installs, and suggests that this may qualify as a "slow" preview; the more stable builds which are made available to all testers. This is also...

An overwhelming 96 percent IT professionals said they’re interested in Windows 10, with 60 percent stating that their IT department has already evaluated a preview version, according to a survey conducted by Spiceworks. The survey of over 500 IT professionals said that nearly all respondents expressed at least some interest in Windows 10 – (96 percent), to be exact. "But based on their patterns of adoption for OSes in general, it’s fair to say that being interested doesn’t necessarily mean they’re booking flights, at least not right away. When we asked IT pros why they typically start using a new...

A Windows 10 feature, Wi-Fi Sense, smells like a security risk: it shares access to password-protected Wi-Fi networks with the user's contacts. So giving a wireless password to one person grants access to everyone who knows them. That includes their Outlook.com (nee Hotmail) contacts, Skype contacts and, with an opt-in, their Facebook friends. There is method in the Microsoft madness – it saves having to shout across the office or house “what’s the Wi-Fi password?” – but ease of use has to be tamed with security. If you wander close to a wireless network, and your friend knows the password,...

Microsoft backtracks blog post containing apparent "Free" Windows 10 upgrade promise for all preview testers Microsoft has been forced to quietly edit a misleading blog post that seemed to suggest that anyone could get their mitts on Windows 10 for free – if they first installed a test version of Redmond's upcoming operating system for PCs. The only caveat appeared to be that folk had to use a Microsoft Account (MSA) that's connected to the firm's Windows Insider program. Microsoft had said that a freebie upgrade would then be applied for anyone who has installed its latest Windows 10 preview...

Sunday, June 21, 2015: Windows 10 is the current hot topic of discussion among techies. Microsoft has already made it clear that Windows 10 upgrade will be absolutely free. The free upgrade will move you to the same edition of Windows that you are currently using. For example, if you are upgrading from Windows 7 Home Premium, you will be upgraded to Windows 10 Home. However, you will have to pay to upgrade from Windows 10 Home to Windows 10 Pro. here is a large base of users who are using unlicensed version of Windows. Some users are still running...

This PC gets a free Windows 10 upgrade, no questions asked In the always confusing world of Microsoft licensing, there are two sets of rules.One is written down in license agreements, drafted by Microsoft's large legal team, with separate terms for PC makers and end users. These combined terms are extremely specific about the rights and responsibilities of every party to the license agreement. They are aimed primarily at Microsoft's commercial customers and its PC-building partners, who account for more than 98 percent of all revenue from Windows desktop licenses.The other set of rules is unwritten, for the most part....

[NOTE: This one is for the techies, especially those evaluating Windows 10 Previews] Microsoft has released Build 10136 of Windows 10 Mobile, part of the “One Windows” wave set to be released later this year. Windows 10 for PCs is due on 29 July, but the phone version is likely to follow later. It's just as well, since this build still does not feel release-ready, though progress from the last build is dramatic and the operating system now looks better and works more smoothly. The main deficiencies are with performance overall, and bugs in specific apps. Performance is inconsistent; on...

Microsoft listened to you. More than anything else, that's why Windows 10 won't be another Windows 8 or Vista. In conversations with CNNMoney, top decision makers at Dell, Hewlett-Packard and Toshiba noted that Microsoft requested their input throughout the process of creating Windows 10. They said Microsoft listened to their feedback -- and, vicariously, PC customers' feedback -- and made a better operating system as a result. Responding to customer demands. The PC makers said that process was vastly improved from the way that Microsoft (MSFT, Tech30) conducted its business ahead of the Windows 8 launch. They said Windows 8...

Microsoft has released ISO disc images of the latest Technical Preview build of Windows 10, but not because they think every tester should install it. Rather, it's because a bug is preventing even some of the more aggressive testers from receiving it through Windows Update. The release, known as Build 10130, was released to the Windows Insider program's Fast release ring on May 29 - Fast ring testers get the buggiest copy whereas Slow ring signups get cleaner, but later, code. Anyone who configured their Windows 10 box to receive builds before they're thoroughly tested should have received it via...

Microsoft currently offers OEMs a low-cost version of Windows 8.1 called Windows 8.1 with Bing. The OS is like the proper version of Windows 8.1 but the OEM cannot change the default search engine and it is less expensive to licenses as well; the OS is designed for entry level machines. The reason Microsoft has this SKU is so that it can have products at the low end of the market with prices that are competitive to Google's Chromebooks. Because Windows licensing fees are overhead to the purchase price, they can be restrictive to the floor the price of Windows...

ollowing the exciting news that Windows will be free for everyone currently on Windows 7 or 8.1, providing they upgrade within the first year, users should also be aware of a few features that will no longer work with Windows 10 after that upgrade. The features that will no longer work are taken from the official specifications page on Microsoft's Windows website, and reproduced below. The good news is that in some cases alternatives are available. If you have Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Ultimate, Windows 8 Pro with Media Center, or Windows 8.1 Pro with...

Microsoft has a grand plan to get its next operating system, Windows 10, running on 1 billion devices in three years -- by giving it away for free. Well, sort of. The software, which Microsoft announced Monday will begin rolling out July 29, is a free upgrade for all Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 PC and tablet users. For computers, those two versions power 74.1 percent of all PCs, according to NetMarketShare. For everyone else, it's the same pricing as Windows 8, the company confirmed to CNET on Monday. A copy of Windows 10 Home will run $119, while Windows...

Microsoft's next generation of its operating system, Windows 10, is due to be released next month. The company said PCs and tablets running the software would go on sale on 29 July, at which point the OS would also be offered as a free download to existing users. The roll-out of the product for smartphones, Xbox games consoles and other kit will follow later. One expert said the release could prove critical to the Microsoft's fortunes. Windows 8 - the current iteration - has had a troubled life, with many deciding not to update to its touch-centric user interface. The...

This is apparently a graphic used by Microsoft to tout their forthcoming OS upgrade, "Windows 10." It's seems the braintrust in Microsoft's marketing department are a little weak on 20th century history, otherwise they'd have realized the phrase "One product family. One platform. One Store." sounds like is was ripped from the pages of a political propaganda manual. Yes, the fools in Redmond have -- I give them the benefit of the doubt for now -- unwittingly paraphrased one of the most notorious political catchphrases of all time: Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Führer – "One People, One Empire,...

Smoother and more stable, but Start menu and tablet issues remain Microsoft has released a new build of Windows 10, named 10122, which includes an effort to fix file association hijacking, where a newly installed application becomes the default for opening documents with a particular extension, such as PDF, docx, jpg or MP3. In Windows 10, neither desktop nor Universal (UAP) apps will be able to show a dialog prompting the user to change default file associations. Instead, users get a prompt when they next open a document of a type handled by a newly installed app. The prompt defaults...

Microsoft Corporation’s (NASDAQ:MSFT) Windows 10, is possibly the last version of Windows the company will ever make. Tech enthusiasts are looking forward to use Windows 10 so much so that analysts expect that 410 million PCs will be running Windows 10 within the first 18 months of its release. Windows 10 is expected to release for PCs “this summer” possibly in late July, with a mobile version of the operating system to come shortly after it. According to Net Applications, an analytics vendor, more than 75% of all PCs currently running Windows 8 or 8.1 will switch to Windows 10...

Think you'll be getting a free upgrade to Windows 10 from your pirated copy of Windows 7 or Windows 8.1? Not so fast. For months, rumors have been swirling that suggested Microsoft was so eager to get its entire customer base onto Windows 10 that it will extend its free upgrade offer even to those who obtained their copies of Windows by, um, questionable means. Well, it seems that may not be true after all. Or not entirely true. Or something. Microsoft operating systems exec veep Terry Myerson weighed in on Friday to clarify the software giant's position on "Non-Genuine"...

Love the new MacBook's svelte design, but not a fan of OS X 10.10 Yosemite? There's good news: According to a new test, Windows 10 apparently runs more smoothly on the new MacBook. Alex King, a computer science student studying at Tufts University, spent a month with the new 12-inch MacBook and provided some insightful new details about running the beta version of Windows 10 on it. See also: 5 things Apple didn't say about the new MacBook King installed Windows 10 using Boot Camp, meaning his new MacBook boots natively into Windows 10, as opposed to being emulated in...

Microsoft's upcoming operating system Windows 10 will ship in three consumer editions and three Enterprise and education editions. The three consumer editions Home, Mobile and Pro are designed for the demands of end-users, professionals and small businesses. Windows 10 Home is the equivalent of the Windows 8 edition, a basic edition of Windows 10 that will most likely ship with the majority of devices the operating system comes pre-installed on. Microsoft notes that the edition will ship with Microsoft Edge, the new web browser, Cortana, the personal assistant, Continuum, a tablet-friendly mode for touch-devices, Windows Hello, a biometric authentication service...

Microsoft's big sales pitch with Windows 10 is that it's one platform, with one consistent experience and one app store to get your software from. But when it comes to buying the actual product, there will be seven different versions, Microsoft says in a blog post. Here they are: Windows 10 Home, which is the most basic PC version. Windows 10 Pro, which has touch features and is meant to work on two-in-one devices like laptop/tablet combinations, as well as some additional features to control how software updates get installed — important in the workplace. Windows 10 Enterprise,, which will...