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

[AnotherCat]

Originally Posted by kennyc

No, Windows Media Center was much more than a DVD player...

Yes, that is why I stated "The promised DVD player app (called Windows DVD Player) to replace that in Media Center"

I did not claim it replaced everything, just the player (I have mentioned some of those in my last post, I am, as a Media Center user, aware of the others ).

[kennyc]

As I said.

[AnotherCat]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

And I hear it's a forced update and restart tonight, so you know what that means.

Save your work, folks!

It will not force a restart if one has "Notify to schedule a restart selected" as we have here. It works, this morning there were just notifications to restart (that is whenever convenient) to install the already downloaded updates.

So no need to save ones work for the "forced update reason", but I do suggest that one would be silly for a number of other reasons not to save before leaving a PC unattended .

[AnotherCat]

Originally Posted by kennyc

As I said.

Frankly I am not sure what you are saying now?

It is common and well traversed knowledge that Windows Media Center is lost with all its functionality, but it was recent news that Microsoft said they were going to provide a DVD playing solution to replace Media Center's DVD playing functionality, and it is today's news that that DVD player has been delivered.

What part of that do you disagree with?

[kennyc]

Bye-Bye.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by kennyc

No, Windows Media Center was much more than a DVD player.
I've got a million dvd players. What I don't have now is an off the air DVR with channel guide and ability to watch live and record tv using my networked DTV receiver/interface.

Which is why my Laptop will stay W7.
My Pinnacle HD stick


Another thing I lost was access to my Networked MFC document scan function

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by theducks

Which is why my Laptop will stay W7.
My Pinnacle HD stick


Another thing I lost was access to my Networked MFC document scan function

Yep, my dedicated DVR/TV laptop is staying as is for now, but I will be trying out some alternatives under Win 10. I'll keep you posted and please do the same if you do any testing/looking. I'll probably try Kodi again but it was a pain to try and get working with my dual HDHomerun tuner.

there are these to check out: http://www.howtogeek.com/132462/5-al...-on-windows-8/

[theducks]

Originally Posted by kennyc

Yep, my dedicated DVR/TV laptop is staying as is for now, but I will be trying out some alternatives under Win 10. I'll keep you posted and please do the same if you do any testing/looking. I'll probably try Kodi again but it was a pain to try and get working with my dual HDHomerun tuner.

there are these to check out: http://www.howtogeek.com/132462/5-al...-on-windows-8/

Well w10 dvd player opens but does not recognize there is a disc (unprotected DVD
Installed VLC x64

[AnotherCat]

Originally Posted by theducks

Well w10 dvd player opens but does not recognize there is a disc...

How long did you wait for the disc to be recognised as, if I recall correctly, first time it is run it and a disc loaded it takes a while to set itself up.

I cannot test this myself now as it is loaded on the machines eligible for the free upgrade and run on all of them to ensure working (which it is).

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by theducks

Which is why my Laptop will stay W7.
My Pinnacle HD stick

And why our Media Center PC will stay Windows 8.1. Playing Dvd's and Blurays is done using PowerDVD anyway, but the watching/recording cable TV is done using Media Center...

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by Turtle91

So, if I understand correctly, you want to have only those programs you use regularly showing on the start bar/menu and you want to get to the rarely used apps within a few "drill-down" clicks. You don't mind having a list of folders always showing up - regardless of how often you click on them - but you don't want tiles taking up space that you may have to scroll over??

The Start Menu already lists those programs you use most often for quick clicking on the far left and you can group tiles of regularly used, but less often, programs on the variable-sized tiles area for easy access. I have an "Office" group... I have resized (small) the less-used apps (publisher, one-note, etc)within that group so they take 1/4 the space but are still quickly available without searching. (See example below)

If you rarely want access....and don't want it sitting there staring at you...taunting you with "why don't you love me anymore" eyes...then unpin it and then use the "All Apps" selection on the start menu... That groups ALL apps/folders in alphabetical order. You can easily find your lonely app from there.

-or-

Just start typing the name on the start button. Just like Win8's auto search on the start screen (which was well received even if the start screen wasn't) it will automatically list all those possible items relating to your search within fractions of a second. That is a MUCH faster way of getting to the under-appreciated apps/docs/links on your computer than trying to drill-down.

IMO the ability to organize your programs is much better than on XP/7/Vista it is just slightly different in presentation. Of course, it also requires people to learn new tricks...

If new versions of software did everything exactly the same as the old version, no one would ever upgrade.


Quick example of my Start Menu

Spoiler:

(cropped, not full screen)

That takes way too much screen. I disliked the full-screen start menu of Windows 8.1, why should I like it now in Windows 10?

The applications that are pinned on my taskbar are the ones that are always open if I have my computer on (think browser). That's one or two at most. Those I don't have pinned on my start menu (using Windows 7).

Then I have a few applications pinned on my start menu, those I'll start once in a while, not once a year, but at least not every day (for instance the snipping tool). About 4 or 5 applications. Then there are those applications which I'll start by double clicking or right clicking on a file (text editor). Those I don't want to see on my start menu. And finally there are those applications that I might start really seldom. Those will show up on the "last started applications" list.

And I don't need those live tiles, I find them too "in your face". I prefer a lean layout.

I thought I could get it in Windows 10, by not putting any live tiles on the start menu. But then you cannot pin anything. And that "All programs" thing is way too bulky. I can see more entries in my leaner version of the start menu in Windows 7.

Which is weird, as I really do like the overall look of Windows 10, which is very clean. But that start menu is just ... not so... No idea how to describe it in English...

[HarryT]

You may wish to install the "Classic Start Menu" program. It may give you what you're looking for.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by HarryT

You may wish to install the "Classic Start Menu" program. It may give you what you're looking for.

Yes, I have it installed, but I shouldn't have (but that's my opinion).

(actually, I have made two virtual machines, I installed it on one, not the other, trying to see if I can get used that new start menu...)

[fjtorres]

What I did was strip out all the tiles and shrink it to the minimum Win95-ish style.
I then adjusted the single column height to show only the apps I use frequently enough to want there. Early on it offered recently run apps but I kept unpinning them until Cortana got the message.

Now, that is on my convertible tablet.

On my desktop I will probably go with either the new Start Menu or Classic Menu because there I will be wanting fast access to a dozen or more apps. Plus I have a bigger display and can tolerate a bigger menu.

All I ever need of Windows is the ability to choose. Win10 gives me that.

[kennyc]

Update went fine on my desktop, but the laptop has tried a few times without success...maybe download problems due to bandwidth...who knows, it says it will retry...