Microsoft Windows 10 Home (64-Bit) - Windows

I have been in the tech field for over 2 decades. I always wait to upgrade to a new version of ANY software or OS until it's been field tested by actual people who have purchased and used it. I must say that Windows 10 has been a much needed upgrade for all of the Windows versions. I have used Windows 7 Professional for several years and was reluctant to take a risk and upgrade to Windows 10. However, after buying a laptop (Dell) with the OEM version of Windows 10 installed, I was sold. To begin, Windows Edge is amazing. It's so much more streamlined and faster than the old "tried and true" Internet Explorer. Pages load up very quickly and the interface is intuitive - it's very easy to customize your preferences for online experiences. It took a little getting used to the new desktop. I'm glad to see that Microsoft listened to those who complained about Windows 8 not having the option to use a start button that all of us are so accustomed to using over the years. It's nice to have those blocks for quick access to frequent programs, but I still prefer the startup list. Windows 10 (both home and pro versions) is extremely stable. I have not had any experience with BSOD (Blue Screen of Death) or hangups. For those who have complained that their systems crashed or lost performance after upgrades, I strongly advise that before deciding to upgrade to Windows 10, look up the minimum requirements. It is also imperative that you get any updated drivers for 3rd party equipment BEFORE starting the upgrade. Though I had no problem with the desktop PC that I built (all components were popular, standard devices), I was sure to get all updated drivers and burned them to a CD just in case. I would also suggest that unless you really need remote desktop (I use it all the time), don't bother to spend the extra $$$ for the Pro version. There are subtle differences between the two versions, but the remote desktop feature is the biggest one. I also encourage people to ALWAYS (no matter what OS is used) upgrade computers to the maximum RAM that the motherboard will support and have redundant backup devices (such as WD Mybooks) because, as reliable as hard and digital drives are today, they can and do fail from time to time. I have worked on so many computers where people have not backed up their photos, documents, and music only to lose countless hours and dollars invested. Windows 10 includes Cortana, a digital assistant that helps find things on the internet by either typing or voice activation. Honestly, I can't comment on how accurate Cortana is because I've rarely used it. The operating system itself is very stable, quick and reliable. Though Windows 7 will be supported until January 4, 2020, I would recommend the upgrade to Win10 especially if you intend to keep your current PC beyond that date. CAVEAT: If you have a PC running WinXP, it will most likely NOT be robust enough to upgrade to Windows 10. Upgrades from Windows 8.1 should go very smoothly as it is essentially the same operating system with a few improvements. Upgrading from Win7...I strongly advise upgrading RAM and getting latest drivers. My upgrade went so smoothly, I thought, "Something HAS to go wrong". I've been using Win10 for the past 6 months and have put it through a lot of real-world challenges and it's come through like a champ. Last but not least, if you can spring for a new touch-screen laptop, you will take advantage of many new features in Win10, not to mention you can lose the track pad or mouse. In conclusion, Win10 (IMHO) is the most stable and user-friendly operating systems that Microsoft has developed over the years. If you are careful with upgrading (most RAM and newest drivers) you will find an OS that is a joy to work with.

I specifically wanted a retail version of this product because I am upgrading an old system and transferring my current SSD to a new motherboard. If you look around you will find that OEM licenses will not do this - they are locked the motherboard they are activated on. This product description does not make clear which version of the product it is, so I chatted with Best Buy customer support to confirm it was the retail product. The item came in the mail today and it isn't. This should be of concern for everyone who builds their own system at this point given that Microsoft claims this will be the last version of windows ever and that they will simply be rolling updates from here on out. When you build your new machine, this license will not transfer. I would've rated this product as a 5/5 if the description was clear and if the customer service had given me accurate information - then it would've been my fault. But it wasn't. So, this product gets a 2/5 for being the wrong thing. Now I have to go to the store and exchange. What a waste of my time.

This "operating system" Microsoft is pushing out on us is far from being merely an operating system. It is a completely open, sharing system. Wide open. It would NOT run my Cannon MFP MP-240 any more, which is why I upgraded, so I could print at home on this device that I LOVE! Plus, the next day after upgrading, My stuff from my Samsung ATIV Smart PC starts showing up on my Win 10 desktop! NO. NOT what I want to have happening, no way! Now I am scared silly that my Samsung ATIV with only 64 GB of RAM drive space will get filled up and crash because of this WIN 10 system on my Desktop pushing stuff down to my little Samsung and it will crash and destroy THAT computer too! This is a total disaster on the part of Microsoft! I am returning my Windows 10 64 bit disk for a Windows 8.1 64 bit disk and never looking back. DO NOT DO IT PEOPLE. Really. Seriously; unless you WANT all of your stuff everywhere on all of your devices, yeah, even your Android phone. Nope, think LONG and hard before "upgrading". This is NOT just an operating system upgrade being foisted off on you by Microsoft. Microsoft may just yet convert me to MacIntosh and I was a Windows BETA user. Yeah, I helped to test Windows before Windows 1 even really came out for general release on the first IBM PC 1 personal computers for general sale.

The OS itself is very nice, my main complaint is that it has an automatic update feature that is not easily disabled. The reason i am posting this is due to severe frustration, from one instance of their updating system. I left for a business trip Monday morning, and started my computer to render a video that would take about 72 hours. Windows 10 decided to update and restart Monday at noon... I will not be home until Friday night and must restart the rendering process when i return home. I was hoping to use my computer for others things but now it will be tied up this whole weekend for rendering my project that is due this upcoming Monday. I have found you can disable the automatic updates through a series of workarounds and will be doing that ASAP as to avoid this type of extreme frustration again. That or i may change to Linux for use while i am away to make sure it continues to do what it should be doing not just sitting at a logon screen.

I bought this thinking this was the retail version of the operating system. The product details page does not mention that this is an OEM version. The difference between OEM and retail versions is the OEM version will bind to the motherboard of the computer that it is activated on. This means if you upgrade your computer and buy a new motherboard, the OEM product key will not work. You'll have to make the purchase once again. The retail version can be transferred between computers, although it can only be active on one computer. That said, the Windows 10 OS itself is very good and highly recommended.

They still have not changed the item description to state this is the OEM version. Retail costs much more. You can't move your operating system to another computer with OEM. Not worth the lower price - get the retail version or you'll probably regret it later. Otherwise I like Windows 10 more than I thought I would. Hardware installation seems to just work (like Linux) for once without constantly hunting drivers and updates. Only irritating thing is forced updates. This has caused a few headaches when things like the Start menu mysteriously stop working. A fix is usually easy though.

I converted to using Apple computers since the time Windows 8 was released. I just bought the Windows 10 Pro license in order to see if there had been some improvement in the Microsoft world. I suppose it is better than Windows 8 but that is a really low benchmark. For starters the activation key did not work. I had to call Microsoft and eventually they activated my license. During the call they asked that I write an endless sequence of numbers that according to them I might need in the future. What if I did not transcribed one of the digits correctly? Who knows. Then I tried to run some of the software that I have now running on Windows 7. No luck. Apparently it needs to run under Windows 7 emulation, which I have tried to no avail. I will stick to my Mac Book Pro.

Well, Windows 10 is a faster OS. BUT.....it has typical Microsoft issues. They just can't seem to get it right anymore. I built a $1000 gaming rig. It ran windows 7 flawlessly. I upgraded?? to Windows 10. I started having issues with the upgrade. So like a moron I purchased a fresh copy. I'm having the same issues. It wasn't the upgrade/download. Windows 10 has compatibility issues somewhere. System locks up on wake(after sleep/hibernation). All the forums I've been on point to Microsoft. I have Windows 10 on 2 other systems and it's fine. So a big thumbs done for this product based on Microsoft's inability to fix issues.