Windows 10

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An icon appeared on my taskbar for "Get Windows 10" Does this mean I have to upgrade?

You aren't required to upgrade, but the offer is free (that might change in the future), and is reportedly the best version of Windows since Windows XP.

My only fear is that it might reboot my laptop, and I have lots of paid games.

I got this too.

Should I worry to back up all of my files and folders into external hard drive for the update changeover?

I don't have it on my desktop... because I didn't download the update. I don't let Windows update itself without asking me what to install first, Micro$oft has a tendency to break things with its updates.

I believe the update won't be released until July 29. If you click on the icon, it will prompt you for an e-mail address. You will be e-mailed when the upgrade is available. I am working under the assumption that the e-mail will contain a link or something.

I know it sounds decadent, but I've got several computers. My plan is to upgrade one of them, the least important one, to test how it goes. Then I'll upgrade another. Eventually I'll upgrade my computers at work, which I cannot afford to have downtime if something goes wrong. All of my computers, expect one, are home built. I have a mixture of Windows 7 Pro, Window 8.1, and Windows 8.1 Pro. I also have some that are not eligible for the upgrade, Vista, and XP.

What if those of us that can upgrade without fear of losing everything perform the upgrade and report back our experiences? Would that be helpful?

When you click the icon, a screen pops up. It says

How this free upgrade works

Then there are three steps listed.

1) Reserve - Reserve your FREE upgrade to Windows 10 now. It will download* once available, and you can cancel your reservation at any time.
2) Install - You'll get a notification after Windows 10 is downloaded to your device. Install it right away or pick a time that's good for you.
3) Enjoy - After it's installed, Windows 10 is all yours!

*Yes, free. This limited time upgrade offer is for a full version of Windows 10, not a trial, 3 GB download required; internet service fees may apply.


Then there is a Windows 8 style button that says Reserve your free upgrade.

When you click the button, you will get a screen that prompts for your e-mail address, and a button for submitting the request.
There is also an option to to skip the e-mail, but I don't know what happens if you click that. I've never clicked it.

I posted this because I know how nervous one can be about clicking things that just show up.

I'll be trying it out ASAP on my lesser machine as it's a touchscreen and the Intel WiFi Direct support could not possibly be worse than it already is in 7 & 8.1. With any luck it's just native in 10, the thing is though, I need to verify that I can still leave the UEFI bootloader firmly in the 'OFF' setting in this Dell XPS 18's weird BIOS. I know Microsoft had their grubby little mitts all over the hardware hooks and I want me some Touchscreen Linux. Perhaps I'll actually bite first on my i7 laptop... To think I worked for these people and I still have no idea just how much of my money they're willing to waste.

_________________
"Standing on a well-chilled cinder, we see the fading of the suns, and try to recall the vanished brilliance of the origin of the worlds."
-Georges Lemaitre
"I fly through hyperspace, in my green computer interface"
-Gem Tos

Moved to Computers, Math, Science and Technology.

I actually have the preview version on my Mac mini right now, running under parallels. It, like Yosemite, is nothing to write home about. At least it's not the mark of the beast like windows 8 (barf)

Does it require simulated UEFI secure boot [ON] in Paralells?

_________________
"Standing on a well-chilled cinder, we see the fading of the suns, and try to recall the vanished brilliance of the origin of the worlds."
-Georges Lemaitre
"I fly through hyperspace, in my green computer interface"
-Gem Tos

Watch out, Windows 10 (and 8 and 8.1) removed Windows Media Center; I use it to record Live TV, I find it better than the software supplied by my TV Tuner Card (Hauppaugge [sp?]/WinTV).

I am in the process of trying to figure out XBMC/Kodi, turns out it needs another piece of software to work with the TV Tuner (one being NextPVR ???). Doesn't help that the computer with the tuner is the one my son games on.

I have the same situation.

I won't touch it for a simple reason...you can't undo it.

There's no way to know how your existing setup will work with Windows 10. If you just got the laptop, you might be fine, but I'd not do it with mine now that it's just as I want it and runs fine.

Seems I'm the only early adopter here. My laptop has been running Windows 10 for a few weeks (formerly Windows 7 on the same machine). So far 10 is loads better than 7. All programs and files transition over with no issues. It installs in a very similar manner to a service pack, in that it may take a while, and is a hefty download, but overall there are more positives than downsides.

A few key changes:
- Windows updates are now automatically installed, however I have yet to require any reboots, which is super nice. Seems they took the Linux approach with this one, which I'm a fan of.
- Windows updates can also be downloaded from another computer on the same network that has already downloaded it. This means that if your house has (for example) five computers, only one needs to download any given update, and the rest will simply transfer it across the network to install it. This is huge for those on limited data plans and/or slow connection speeds.
- App store now pre-installed as with later Windows versions
- Internet Explorer has been phased out in favor of Project Spartan (which I've heard will be called Windows Edge). Haven't figured out yet how it compares to IE.
- New "notifications" icon in the tray area (bottom-right), that shows previous notifications that you may or may not have missed. Seems to be similar to Android's pull-down menu in that quick options are also there (rotation lock, WiFi, Airplane mode, etc.)
- New keyboard icon to bring up an on-screen keyboard.
- Start menu now mixes pre-Windows 8 look with post-Windows 7 "tiles".
- Start menu also does not support embedded folders anymore. Instead, opening up one folder displays individual items, even in child folders. So if you have "Games > Steam > Portal" and "Games > Puzzle > Pingus", opening the base Games folder will show both Portal and Pingus. I have found this makes it harder to find my programs, and am considering installing Classic Shell to correct the issue.
- Calendar looks far different than before. Takes up more screen space when expanded, but looks cleaner and more modern.

Keep in mind that Microsoft has stated that Windows 10 will be the last OS they make, and the free upgrade period won't last forever. That factored into my decision also.

If anyone wants to see screenshots, let me know and I'll gladly take them.