Windows 10

Edge is very very new. It is a modern browser with limited legacy support. But it is feature incomplete - no plugins yet for example. I use it as my default browser but occasionally I have to go to IE 11 (click the dots and choose open in IE) . I suspect that it will be somewhat different in a year or so.

The Windows reliability monitor shows that my system stability ran at 10 (the highest score) the entire time I was using Windows 10. While using Windows 8.1 the score is typically around 7, yet my user perception is quite the opposite. Likely points to the associated software support as suggested by Bananahead, or maybe system stability is not a very meaningful measure in this case.

Nah that number is just the version number...you'll run an 11 in the next version.

Next version? You should tell Microsoft......

I'm sure Microsoft knows, typically if one person has the problem...100,000 others also have it.  Sometimes it amazes me how some small nitpick I have silently disappears.  I always think giggle knowing someone else must have complained.

OK, I thought the issue was just SMTP with my mail client.  It isn't

The issue is MUCH deeper than that

The instability in SMTP is just the first symptom.  If I then restart my PC it relays all the windows and icons on my desktop.  There has to be a major structural flaw in Windows 7 for both those effects to occur as linked actions.

It also repeatedly asks for re-installation of the printer driver that is has now 'successfully' installed three times and 'unsuccessfully' installed eight times.

So, apparently for some hardware and software Windows 10 is UNSTABLE.

P.S. my hardware is very stable, running cool <48°C and actually running ECC RAM (and if Windows 10 can't cope with that it's fundamentally flawed - it shouldn't even know about it)

There is NO EXCUSE for the OS rearranging a user's desktop when <Auto arrange icons> isn't activated, this is a major design flaw.

In fact I now consider Windows 10 to be the second worst Windows release (after ME), even 3.11 was more stable than this pile.

Icon arrangement isn't a major feature, so it can't be a major design flaw...most likely its just some user preference that isn't being saved or restored properly.   Pretty low down the list really...I'd say security, networking, graphics, storage, automated updates...etc...are more important areas.   I really stopped having problems with Windows when I quite building my own machines and standardized on Dell XPS desktops in my house...things are fairly good among all the members of the family.  Dell works the hardest at compatibility and stability with Windows.

My wife and one of my sons always seems to get lots of viruses and malware though...I hate giving them admin, but its that or I have to do everything for them.  For this I try to wipe and reinstall all the machines once per year.  Now that I've trained them to keep their stuff in the standard locations I can flatten and pave their machines pretty quickly.

I've noticed a couple things like that as well where, specific settings aren't saved...also some nit picks with edge.  I'm so glad I don't work in Windows anymore...printing was always a huge problem...one of the most difficult ones is printers and printing.  More people ask me about their printers when they find out I work at msft than anything else.  I tell them all the same thing, good luck...

What I like most about Win10 is linking my Hotmail password with my corporate password...and having One drive on both at the same time.  Also I like that my settings follow my email account around...very nice.

75 million Win10 installs in 4 weeks.

OK now second attempt at posting this due to yet another application crash.

Never had anything like these problems with 2000, Vista or 7 (I avoided XP as far as possible as it's UI is fundamentally incompatible with dyslexia).

On investigation, the problem is the update system, for both the printer and the icon rearrangement - in the latter case, it was due to Windows 10 installing a 'better' graphics driver for the ATI FirePro card.  Except that without any possibility to prevent it doing so it installed a 'beta test' driver - NOT CLEVER.

It's also repeatedly trying to install an incorrect USB driver.  No wonder my system is unstable.

I've found that so many people are having problems with compulsory installs of inappropriate drivers that Microsoft have finally relented and created a downloadable tool to control this.  For them to think that they always know better than the user is sheer arrogance.

I feel your pain, Huge, having struggled with every install of Windows since 3.0 (missed out Win8)! But on this occasion I must say that this install of Win10 has been one of the easiest ones, even the Creative X-Fi & Silex Print Server drivers have gone in easily, and they've always been a PITA. And my graphics/FPS hungry games are running well - even daughter 2 (the hardcore gamer in the family) is impressed.

I'm still not convinced by the "Fisher-Price" start screen, but Stardock cures all that and gets me back to the Win7 Start Menu, and one has to be careful during installation to disable all those "helpfull" privacy intrusions that MS would like me to agree to (no, I don't want region targeted adverts or whatever, thank you), but apart from that, it has been remarkably stable. 

Very good; perhaps Fischer Price also designed both the update system and the driver system.  If you run a games oriented style of PC as an enhanced X-Box with additional capabilities, then it'll probably be fine.

The consistent thing that stands out for me is that with previous releases I've not had problems, where as with this one...  So where does the problem lie, with the person (who hasn't changed), the hardware (which hasn't changed) or the OS which has changed!

If you need to do anything out of the ordinary (such as running a 10bit graphics adapter for photography) then it seems you are expected to have to pay the upgrade to Win 10 Pro so you can use the Group Policy Editor and similar tools to manually make up for deficiencies in the 'Home' version.

Hi Huge, sorry to interrupt on a different topic. I was intrigued by your comments that my Qute and Nap may not drive my B&W 683 s2 speakers properly and that a SU may be better suited . .

I have acquired a Super and largely speaking there isn't much of a difference between the two;  could this be because I am listening to my music at this stage primarily through Spotify? 

Thanks 

The amps ability to drive a speaker load is not really connected with using Spotify.

But having tried all the lossless services thru a number of sources, my system & others Linn, Cyrus & Sonos streamers, I'm not impressed with any – for various reasons. None are as good as NAS or USB loaded red book CD files, and far away from the better quality 24 bit & especially DSD. Spotify is not doing anything any favours to enable you to differentiate a good or bad or stressed out amp.

Generally liking Windows 10, with one major gripe.  It doesn't come with a DVD player.  I know you can install VLC etc, but why for crikey's sake isn't one built in?  Is there some kind of licensing issue?

Yes, I believe it's a licensing issue.

Windows 8 and 8.1 didn't either...its a cheap add-on you can buy.  Microsoft knew it would eventually give away its OS...so it started to make it cheaper.  One way was to cut some things that in the future didn't make as much sense...the DVD player.

Note that most of the top notebooks don't have a DVD player...its a spinning thing that breaks...and not necessary to carry media anymore...you stream it!

Well, I had a 'merry' little time last night.   

SWMBO had done the Windows 10 upgrade on Toshiba laptop a few days ago.  She'd been complaining about it being very slow since then, and last night, her laptop wouldn't even boot.  Kept just showing the screen where you can boot into the BIOS, and then after a LONG time eventually just leaving a black screen with a cursor pointer.   Various attempts by yours truly had the same result, and half the time I wasn't even presented with the screen to let me into the BIOS.

Did a bit of research, and this appears to be a known problem.   Downloaded Windows 10 (not the upgrade) from the Microsoft sight on my Mac, burnt a DVD from the downloaded IOS file, and did a clean install of Windows 10 on her laptop.  Took over an hour to install it (so much for the quick install mentioned here)

Eventually got it working, but I'll have to have another go at it some time today, because for some reason it appears to have loaded the American keyboard layout, even though I selected the UK version when installing.

Not impressed.  I think Microsoft have basically issued a beta rather than a completed product.  Still awaiting my upgrade version for bootcamp (leaving iMac running in bootcamp when I go to bed).  Doesn't inspire me with any confidence as to what will happen when I eventually receive it and try to do the upgrade.

SWMBO (predictably) is now saying it's my fault that she's got to reinstall her passwords etc for Amazon, Facebook, email ... (sigh)

--------------------------------

You can customize your keyboard for a specific language or format by changing the keyboard layout. The layout controls which characters appear on the screen when you press the keys on your keyboard. Some input languages have several keyboard layouts; others have only one. For example, you can change your keyboard layout from the English QWERTY format to the English Dvorak format. After you change the layout, the characters on your screen might not correspond to the characters on your keyboard keys.

Before you can change the keyboard layout, you must add the input language and keyboard layout that you want to Windows. For more information, see Add or change an input language.

Show all

To change the keyboard layout

To change the keyboard layout on the Welcome screen

Everything been working OK since I upgraded from W7 to W2010, until yesterday, when for the first time since the upgrade I wanted to copy a downloaded music file from my PC to the external drive!  My PC refuses to even see the LaCie drive, which is connected by Devolo plus.  The streamer still sees and plays tracks stored on the LaCie, so I know the drive is working.  There is however an ethernet cable directly between the LaCie and the ND5XS.  I've tried plugging the LaCie directly in to the PC and still it doesn't recognise it.  Anyone any ideas please?  It worked perfectly OK previously.

Shut down the PC, your tablet, the NAS, the ND5 XS and the router

Restart the router

...wait until it's fully restarted

Restart the NAS

...wait until it's fully restarted

Restart the ND5 XS

...wait until it's fully restarted

Restart the PC and the tablet

...wait until 15 minutes AFTER they're fully restarted

Try accessing the NAS.

If you don't have a switch (you don't mention one) buy one.

 Have you got the PC set to "Turn On Network Discovery"

Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Advanced sharing settings

Thanks, Huge, I'll try your suggestion later when I can turn everything off.  Yes, I do have a switch, and that is visible to the PC

Hi Mike, thanks - I've checked the network discovery and the settings are OK

Thanks, but I already know how to change the keyboard layout.  The annoying thing is that in spite of specifying UK English QWERTY layout when setting up Windows 10 for SWMBO, it has defaulted to having a keyboard layout the same as my Mac.  i.e. @ and " keys transposed compared to the normal UK PC layout.  Perhaps this is a new 'feature' and the American company expects everybody in the UK to buy a new PC with an American keyboard layout?

Yes sir, sounds like it - We are and will be forced to be under the new Imperial American influence 

Sorry, should have inserted a 'tongue in cheek' emoji. (is there such an Emoji?)

I've just booted up her laptop (while she catches up on her soaps!) and changed the keyboard layout to what she is used to, following which I gave her my weekly lecture on making sure she unchecks load extra software type boxes etc (Google toolbar, ask.com etc) when visiting various websites.  I don't really expect her to take any notice - after all, I've been telling her the same thing for the last 5 years!