Windows 10 is great - but it's not been without its clangers and scandals. Jonathan Parkyn delivers our verdict on every one
On the surface, Windows 10 feels like a return to Windows 7. But underneath the comfortingly familiar Desktop and Start menu lurk a number of radical changes - not all of which have been well received.
We've had a lot of good things to say about Windows 10, but since (and even before) its release, Microsoft’s new operating system (OS) has found itself mired in controversy.
We know from your letters that you have strong feelings about some of them. Now it’s time to tell you what we think.
Aggressive upgrade nagging
Anyone still using Windows 7 or 8.1 will be familiar with the Windows 10 nag screen that pops up when you boot your PC. If you thought that was annoying, you won’t be happy to hear that Microsoft’s persuasion techniques are about to reach a whole new level.
According to a recent blog post by Microsoft’s Terry’ Myerson (www.snipca.com/18845), Windows 7 and 8.1 users can expect to find Windows 10 re-categorised as a ‘Recommended Update’ at some point in early 2016. Basically, this means if you’ve set Windows 7 or 8.1 to install updates automatically, you could suddenly find Windows 10 installing itself - whether you want it or not.
OUR VERDICT
It’s in Microsoft's interests to have everyone running Windows 10, but the company is assuming that it’s in our best interests too - and that’s a very patronising stance.
Windows 10 is a great OS, but there are plenty of users who are happy with Windows 7 and 8.1 - and even Windows 8 - so we think the company’s bullying tactics are completely out of order.
Compulsory updates
As you’ll know, Windows 10 has snatched away your control over Windows Updates. In Windows 7 and 8/8.1 you could configure updates (timing, program exclusions and so on), but in Windows 10 you have a 'take it or leave it’ scenario: switch off Windows Update entirely, or give it full reign, letting it install whatever it wants, whenever it wants.
The first option isn’t even really an option. Switching off Windows Update means you never get security patches, leaving you wide open to malware. So you’ve really only got one choice: keep Windows Update switched on and accept what you're given.
The first significant update (following numerous incremental patches and tweaks) came in November. Predictably, it unleashed a whole new set of problems, including a serious glitch that results in the upgrade getting stuck at the 44 per cent mark.
OUR VERDICT
We find it unacceptable that Microsoft doesn’t tell you anything about what’s in an update. That makes us feel insecure - what will it do? What if my PC can’t handle it? Moreover, automatic updates should at least work. Microsoft must address its apparent strategy of releasing unfinished updates that may contain glitches.
Users of the Professional, Enterprise and Education editions of Windows 10 can defer updates until bugs are ironed out, but most of us are Home users - and we should have the same option.
Downloading Windows 10 without your permission
Many Windows 7 and 8.1 users - including those who never reserved the Windows upgrade - have suddenly found massive Windows 10 installation files sitting on their PC’s hard drive. This is because Microsoft smuggled these files in without asking. And when we say massive we mean up to 6GB of storage space and bandwidth. Thankfully, there are ways of uninstalling these files.
There have been cases, however, in which the unwanted Windows 10 download has quietly attempted to install itself, sometimes several times. To see if your PC has been affected, open Windows Update, click ‘View update history’’ and see if there are any ‘Upgrade to Windows 10’ updates listed as Failed.
In a recent report (www.snipca.com/18846), a Microsoft representative stated that automatic installation attempts are caused by a bug which the company claims has been corrected. However, a Windows 7 PC we tested for this feature still showed that the optional Windows 10 upgrade was automatically selected for installation in Windows Update.
OUR VERDICT
Microsoft’s intention - to make the upgrade Windows 10 process quicker and simpler - appears to be benign. And the failed installation bug (assuming it genuinely is a bug), is an unfortunate by-product of an ill-conceived strategy.
But the initial assumption on Microsoft’s part that no one will mind massive files being downloaded to their PCs without their consent is arrogant and misjudged. What if you don't actually want to upgrade? And what about people who are on capped or metered broadband connections? That 6GB could push you over your monthly data allowance and cost you money as well as hard-drive space.
Is Windows 10 spying on you?
On its launch, many critics slammed Windows 10 for its blatant disregard for users’ privacy. Left to its default settings, the new OS and its apps will happily gather all manner of personal data, including your current location and virtually anything you type on your keyboard.
In most cases it’s possible to opt out of tracking and other background data-gathering aspects of Windows 10 via the Privacy section of the Settings app. But even if you disable all the data-collection settings you can find, it won’t stop the OS from collecting all information about you.
Microsoft’s Corporate VP Joe Belfiore admitted in a recent interview (www.snipca.com/18847) that Windows 10 includes enforced data-collection elements that users can’t opt out of. He claims these are strictly limited to your PC’s performance and how you use it, and “are not personal information or are not related to privacy".
OUR VERDICT
Data collection is nothing new. Windows users have shared basic performance information with Microsoft for years via the Customer Experience Improvement Program, though it’s possible to opt out of this (this page about the scheme in Office is particularly useful: www.snipca.com/18905). Meanwhile, smartphones, tablets and online services, such as Google, routinely collect information about us and our activities (see our ‘Who’s selling your data?’).
But Windows 10 ramps things up by several notches compared with previous versions of the OS, and we’re not happy that so many data-collection settings are enabled by default. But there is an argument that protecting our privacy is, to a large degree, our own responsibility. If you’re worried about your privacy in Windows 10, then we’d encourage you to follow our previous advice on opting out via Settings. You may also want to read Microsoft's Windows 10 privacy FAQ (www.snipca.com/18848).
Nagging users not to leave Edge
A recently leaked preview build of Windows 10 (Build 10568) displayed 'nag’ screens that attempted to dissuade users from changing their default web browser from Edge (which we don’t like much) to Chrome or Eirefox (which we do) or any number of lesser-known, but faster browsers that are perfectly suited to tablets. The nag to ‘Give Edge a shot’ smacks of an admission of defeat, and is accompanied by a hard-sell of reasons to stick with the browser.
OUR VERDICT
The "please like Edge... please" nag (OK, we’re paraphrasing) is pathetic, frankly. What may seem pathetic today could become more heavy-handed tomorrow. We wouldn’t be surprised to find Microsoft making it harder to avoid having Edge as your default browser in Windows 10.
Aside from being dictatorial, Microsoft’s behaviour may turn out to be legally dubious. After all. it wasn’t long ago (2009) that Microsoft was taken to court by the European Commission and fined nearly £400 million for exactly this type of anti-eompetitive practice. You can find many more examples of Microsoft’s legally questionable practices on this Wikipedia page: www.snipca.com/18907.
Start menu adverts
The big November update brought fresh new features to Windows 10 - though not all were welcome. Among the most annoying is the inclusion of adverts (Microsoft prefers to call them ‘suggestions') in the Start menu.
You can get rid of them - though probably not permanently - by right-clicking the advert and selecting ‘Turn off all suggestions’. In the window that opens, click the slider next to ‘Occasionally show suggestions in Start’ to switch this feature off.
Cortana and Edge also make money through advertising, which may explain why Microsoft is so desperate for you not to switch to another browser.
OUR VERDICT
Adverts are part and parcel of our lives these days, especially online, where they basically subsidise free services. But that doesn’t always make them OK. Your Start menu is your Start menu, configured and customised to suit you. To find it littered with adverts for silly games feels intrusive, especially if you’re used to hiding adverts online by using ad-blockers such as Adblock Plus (https://adblockplus.org).
The sudden return of adverts on your computer, especially in your Start menu, can actually feel scary, because unexpected content is often a sign of malware. Microsoft’s adverts are safe but disconcerting.
This is likely to be just the start of the invasion of adverts on your Desktop, in your Taskbar and elsewhere in the OS. “Free" is never really free, after all.
Hidden costs
As if it’s not enough that Microsoft takes a 30 per cent cut of all apps sold in the Windows Store, all Windows 10’s default Microsoft apps - Groove Music, Films & TV and so on - nudge you to buy or rent music, films and other content. Meanwhile, many of Microsoft’s free apps - such as Word Mobile and Solitaire (now Microsoft Solitaire Collection, www.snipca.com/18909) - attempt to push you towards coughing up for premium versions or ongoing subscriptions.
Even simple DVD playback can cost you dear in Windows 10. If you’ve upgraded from Windows 7 Professional, Ultimate or Home Premium, you can get Windows DVD Player free “for a limited time" (www.snipca.com/18968). If you upgraded from any other version (including Windows 7 Home), the app will set you back £11.59 (www.snipca.com/18969). We strongly suggest you switch to the excellent free media player suite VLC instead (www.videolan.org/vlc).
OUR VERDICT
These hard-sell tactics are just plain rude. Worse, they’re sneaky and potentially extortionate. Inexperienced users might easily be swayed by entreaties to cough up cash to remove adverts. Many users with less confidence see Microsoft as the voice of authority, and will do whatever it tells them.