Windows 10 - free upgrade to those with PC using Windows 7 or 8

[PatNY]

Originally Posted by theducks

I use the Windows Tweak Tool to Show the drive letter AFTER the volume name in Explorer.

My pen drives have meaningful volume labels:
Red
White
Blue
Yellow
Because that is their Color.

Eject Red, Pull the Red one

What a great idea! I'm going to start doing this for my flash drives as I often have trouble identifying the correct device to eject from my computer. I'll probably keep labeling them with the size so it'll be something like this -- Red16gb or Green32gb. Thanks for such a handy tip.

--Pat

[kacir]

Originally Posted by PatNY

Just bring up your Notification Center window, click on "Customize," go to the "GWX" icon and from the drop down menu select "Hide icon and notifications" and you won't see anything related to Windows 10 ...

... until the next [re]start of Windows.
I am not leaving my computer at work running all night.

I am not leaving my computer running at home, when I am not using it, either, but I do not use windows there at home.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by PatNY

What a great idea! I'm going to start doing this for my flash drives as I often have trouble identifying the correct device to eject from my computer. I'll probably keep labeling them with the size so it'll be something like this -- Red16gb or Green32gb. Thanks for such a handy tip.

--Pat

Your evolution, too.

[WillAdams]

Would someone tell me why in this day of USB and Firewire and Lightning and so forth we still have drive letters?

Getting rid of them is one thing which would make me want to upgrade to Windows 10.

I found them tedious and annoying back in the days of CP/M....

[PatNY]

Originally Posted by kacir

... until the next [re]start of Windows.
I am not leaving my computer at work running all night.

I am not leaving my computer running at home, when I am not using it, either, but I do not use windows there at home.

Yes, it's not persistent. But here are TWO methods to hide the icon and make it stick if you really want to without having to uninstall the update:

http://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/6...s-7-8-1-a.html

I would not uninstall the update file if you're interested in getting W10 as it might interfere with your ability to download it.

Frankly, I find the icon very unobtrusive. I hardly know it's there. I keep it showing because it reminds me to check up on the progress of W10 and any issues it may have before I take the plunge.

--Patt

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by PatNY

I've finally had a chance to read through part of this thread (maybe 20 pages) and there is a lot of helpful information. But two things to note:

First, a few people mentioned having to go through hoops and uninstall updates just to get rid of the Windows 10 icon/message in the notification area. There is no need to do that. Just bring up your Notification Center window, click on "Customize," go to the "GWX" icon and from the drop down menu select "Hide icon and notifications" and you won't see anything related to Windows 10.

You're completely missing the point.

That Windows 10 icon represents a Windows 10 service running nonstop, slowing down your computer. The first rule of fixing chronically slow computers is pruning the useless startup services.

(And as kacir says, the systray has an alarming tendency to reset itself at odd times.)

Second, someone mentioned having to pay for the privilege of playing DVDs in Windows 10. You will never have to pay for a separate program to play them. Just download the free VLC media player which plays DVDs fine. It always has. I've used it for many years for BOTH a variety of video files as well as DVDs.

--Pat

Windows Media Center appears to offer certain niche features, which a certain niche group of people will miss, that VLC does not -- and there doesn't seem to be a good replacement for it.
Playing DVDs has absolutely nothing to do with it.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by WillAdams

Would someone tell me why in this day of USB and Firewire and Lightning and so forth we still have drive letters?

Getting rid of them is one thing which would make me want to upgrade to Windows 10.

I found them tedious and annoying back in the days of CP/M....

I don't know, but that seems to be a taboo topic here. We received an official moderator warning about sticking to the thread topic the last time that topic came up...

[PatNY]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

You're completely missing the point.

That Windows 10 icon represents a Windows 10 service running nonstop, slowing down your computer. The first rule of fixing chronically slow computers is pruning the useless startup services.

(And as kacir says, the systray has an alarming tendency to reset itself at odd times.)

Are you sure it's a separate service? I don't think it is. I think it's part of Windows Update which runs all the time anyway. It's just a separate notification of Windows Update. Regardless, I could find no separate service associated with W10 consuming any significant resources in my Task Manager. Additionally, I just posted a link to TWO methods to disable the notification permanently without having to uninstall the update.

Windows Media Center appears to offer certain niche features, which a certain niche group of people will miss, that VLC does not -- and there doesn't seem to be a good replacement for it.
Playing DVDs has absolutely nothing to do with it.

That is incorrect. Someone in a previous post in this thread did make a big issue of having to pay for the privilege of playing DVDs in later versions of Windows including W10 via a third-party app or codec. You do not have to if you download the free VLC. My post had nothing to do with WMC per se.

--Pat

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by PatNY

Are you sure it's a separate service? I don't think it is. I think it's part of Windows Update which runs all the time anyway. It's just a separate notification of Windows Update. Regardless, I could find no separate service associated with W10 consuming any significant resources in my Task Manager. Additionally, I just posted a link to TWO methods to disable the notification permanently without having to uninstall the update.

Windows 10 will install through Windows Update. The Get Windows 10 systray icon comes from the Get Windows 10 advertisement service. Hence why it can be disabled. So yes, they are separate.

I didn't notice your other post, we cross-posted.
Do note that your link really describes three options, one of which is triggered via a REG file or manually.

You can hide the icon from the systray.
You can block the service at startup.
You can uninstall the files.

Keep in mind that you should be able to manually install Windows 10 even without reserving a copy, and Windows Update will likely offer the upgrade after reserving it, even if you subsequently uninstall GWX.


Granted the service doesn't consume "significant resources"... once again, that isn't the point. These things add up, and why waste even one cycle that is totally unnecessary?

That is incorrect. Someone in a previous post in this thread did make a big issue of having to pay for the privilege of playing DVDs in later versions of Windows including W10 via a third-party app or codec. You do not have to if you download the free VLC. My post had nothing to do with WMC per se.

--Pat

I know it was mentioned. I am having a hard time finding anyone who was actually bothered...
Unlike the removal of WMC, which did bother people.

[murg]

Originally Posted by WillAdams

Would someone tell me why in this day of USB and Firewire and Lightning and so forth we still have drive letters?

Getting rid of them is one thing which would make me want to upgrade to Windows 10.

I found them tedious and annoying back in the days of CP/M....

There are some very good reasons for the retention of the drive letters:

• People are used to them. Very used to them.
• They are a lot easier to use than to try to remember the \\server\share or drive name.
• Using drive letters for mapped drives helps with security in enterprise environments. I had one project were we removed the ability of users to use UNC paths in an app so that we could control where the output files went.
• Drive letters are embedded at the lowest levels of Windows. All over the place. The same sort of embedation that limits full path names to 256 chars (or whatever too short value it is).

[PatNY]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Windows 10 will install through Windows Update. The Get Windows 10 systray icon comes from the Get Windows 10 advertisement service. Hence why it can be disabled. So yes, they are separate ...

Granted the service doesn't consume "significant resources"... once again, that isn't the point. These things add up, and why waste even one cycle that is totally unnecessary?

As I said, regardless whether they are separate services, the resources consumed by GWX are so insignificant as to be negligible. Stopping GWX is going to save you 0% CPU and <1mb memory, according to my system. So keeping it enabled is not going to waste "even one cycle" (when inactive, which is most of the time) and won't be"slowing down your computer" (as you put it).

I didn't notice your other post, we cross-posted.
Do note that your link really describes three options, one of which is triggered via a REG file or manually.

You can hide the icon from the systray.
You can block the service at startup.
You can uninstall the files.

No, there are only 2 options on that link if, as I said, you want the solution to be permanent (persistent) and you don't want to uninstall the update. Since I was only talking about methods which don't involve that uninstall, the third method you listed is automatically excluded.

Keep in mind that you should be able to manually install Windows 10 even without reserving a copy, and Windows Update will likely offer the upgrade after reserving it, even if you subsequently uninstall GWX.

Sure, if you want to do everything manually and IF you remember to do it. I'm not too sure the update will appear if you uninstall GWX. Regardless, since there is really no hit on resources or performance keeping GWX installed and active, I would recommend most people who plan to upgrade keep it -- and not disable it. Or at the very least keep it, even if you want to disable the notifications.

I've also seen a few reports where people uninstalled the update, hid it, and then when they went back into Windows Update to get it back, couldn't find it.

I know it was mentioned. I am having a hard time finding anyone who was actually bothered...
Unlike the removal of WMC, which did bother people.

I didn't say anyone was "bothered" by the situation. I said someone made a "big issue" of it, which is not necessarily the same thing. Though "big issue" might be a slight overstatement, there were at least 3 posts in this thread (813, 819, and 834) warning about the lack of native DVD support in W8.1/10 and the possible need to have to pay to get that back. I would characterize the 3 posts as at least significant discussion.

The point I was making is this -- the misconception about the possible need to pay for DVD support in W10 was never corrected in any of those 3 posts, and those upgrading to W10 will not have to pay one extra cent if they want it. My post had nothing to do with WMC per se or any other multimedia functions.

--Pat

[cvkemp]

Just updated to the latest preview build of windows 10 it is really starting to look and work great. Still a few issues I have noticed and I am not really all that happen with edge but I have to say it is fast.
Windows 10 seems much faster than windows 8.1 to me also.

[PatNY]

Originally Posted by cvkemp

Just updated to the latest preview build of windows 10 it is really starting to look and work great. Still a few issues I have noticed and I am not really all that happen with edge but I have to say it is fast.
Windows 10 seems much faster than windows 8.1 to me also.

The speedup is good to know, although W8.1 is so much faster already than WXP which I was stuck on -- stubbornly by choice -- for the longest time.

Question: I see they've married the metro tiles menu with the old-style start menu. Is there also the option to not show the tiles for the modern apps and instead list those apps by name only? That's what Classic Shell does with its hybrid menu, which I am currently using on W8.1.

--Pat

[cvkemp]

Originally Posted by PatNY

The speedup is good to know, although W8.1 is so much faster already than WXP which I was stuck on -- stubbornly by choice -- for the longest time.

Question: I see they've married the metro tiles menu with the old-style start menu. Is there also the option to not show the tiles for the modern apps and instead list those apps by name only? That's what Classic Shell does with its hybrid menu, which I am currently using on W8.1.

--Pat

Not that I have figured out how to yet.

[Ripplinger]

Originally Posted by PatNY

Question: I see they've married the metro tiles menu with the old-style start menu. Is there also the option to not show the tiles for the modern apps and instead list those apps by name only? That's what Classic Shell does with its hybrid menu, which I am currently using on W8.1.

--Pat

Classic Shell has a beta out now that works with Windows 10. I hate the new menus and having the ability to set up my own is a must before I consider upgrading to 10.