Ultimate Systems Blog
Here are the best 15 things you need to know about the new changes in Windows 10 in no particular order and why you should seriously considering to upgrade your PC to Windows 10.
1. Windows 10 Free for mobile devices
Until now the cheapest way to buy a Windows license was to buy a computer with a pre-installed OEM Windows license. For Windows 10 Microsoft have confirmed that new devices with screens smaller than 9″ will qualify for a free Windows 10 license! This means that a small tablet with Windows 10 will be much cheaper than before.
2. Upgrading from XP and Vista to Windows 10
Windows 10 is also designed to work on older/slower computers which means that you can upgrade your old PC from XP or Vista to Windows 10 without any problems, except that it will not be free and you will have to pay a license and you will have to make a clean install.
3. The first Windows 10 update is already scheduled for October
Microsoft have already planned an update for Windows 10 in October, with a list of features which didn’t make in time for launch.
4. Windows 10 Hello, Goodbye passwords
Windows 10 comes with a new technology, called Hello which can identify you biometrically (for example using a fingerprint reader or iris scanner). Also a technology called Passport will allow you to automatically login to websites or other apps.
5. Compressed system files
The Windows system files can take 20 GB of disk space or more. Windows 10 will automatically compress these files to save space and dynamically expand them at run-time to help the OS fit in lower-end computers or mobile devices. But of course this will also slow down it’s operation even more.
6. Finally a better command prompt window
The new command prompt in Windows 10 allows you to resize the command-prompt window and also use copy / paste normally as in any other Windows application. You can even adjust the window opacity if you don’t like the black command-prompt window.
7. The Start Menu is back!
In Windows 8 Microsoft have removed the classic Start Menu and many users complained about that, so in Windows 10 Microsoft have re-introduced the Start Menu as the default launcher for laptops and desktop computers. The new Start Menu is a combination of the old Start Menu and Windows Live Tiles and the good news is that the new Start Menu also can be resized at your wish and an uninstall link is available for each installed app so you don’t need to go in control panel in order to uninstall an application.
8. No more Internet Explorer, now Microsoft Edge will be the new browser
Internet Explorer was replaced with a completely new browser called Microsoft Edge (former project codename Spartan). The new browser is much faster and have many new features including the standard GPU acceleration which was previously available in Internet Explorer (this feature is not available in Google Chrome). The new browser also have a new security which will not allow hackers anymore to hack into your browser just like in the old Internet Explorer. Microsoft is even offering a $15,000 reward as a “bug bounty” to the users who manage to expose a security vulnerability in Microsoft Edge.
9. Less System Requirements
The new Windows 10 System Requirements are much lower than before, now it only requires a minimum of 1GB RAM for the 32-bit Windows 10 and 2GB RAM for the 64-bit Windows 10 , only 16GB of storage and a resolution of 800×600 pixels minimum.
10. Universal Apps
The new Microsoft Universal apps lets developers to design apps that work on Windows desktop and mobile without any modification. Microsoft even have created a new SDK which will allow developers to import Android and iOS apps and convert them to Windows without too much work.
11. Desktop Improvements
New Settings app will replace the old complex Control Panel with much organized settings and easier to use. The notification center will keep all your notifications in a single place instead of the taskbar notifications. Updated network settings and a new look for Windows taskbar with many new features will also make your life easier.
12. Windows Defender comes integrated
You will no longer need an antivirus as the new Windows Defender will be part of Windows and with much less performance drag than other antivirus and antispyware will make your PC faster and you will not have to pay money every year for an antivirus which also slows down your PC by as much as 50%.
13. DirectX 12, WDDM 2 and Codecs
Windows 10 also comes with a full updated new version DirectX 12 and Windows Device Driver Model 2 which will allow developers to create new games and apps with lower CPU load. Also there will be a complete list of Audio-Video Codecs included in Windows 10 which will help audiophiles and video enthusiasts and they no longer have to find third-party codecs in order to play/record videos or high quality audio.
14. Free future updates for Windows 10
Microsoft is claiming that once you have purchased the upgrade or the retail version of Windows 10 you will get future lifetime upgrades for free! We will have to wait and see this happen, but until now this is good news.
15. Xbox app and Xbox Live service
The new Xbox app in Windows 10 allows you to stream games on your PC from you Xbox, cross device multiplayer, see what your friends are playing or let them see what you are playing and more. Xbox Live also gives you access to the greatest gaming community in the world, no matter where you are.
