Recommended Posts

If i have windows 8 pro will it upgrade to windows 10 pro? Don't like the sound of auto upgrade i can't control.

 

Yes, as others said... you can upgrade Pro for free as long as you have pro/ultimate edition of Windows 7 or 8. Make sure to do so before July 29, 2016. Or the free offer is invalid after that date.

 

uh heck no to mandatory updates, at least in the pro version you can still pick..... I do so much software testing with development that I have to be able to apply updates one at a time.. I can't imagine how much stuff could break with mandatory updates if an update breaks your code...

 

WMC yeah it should of died off a while ago...

 

DVD playback, honestly when was the last time you watched a DVD on your system?

 

CD/DVD Recording (not on the list but just a point), when was the last time you recoded a CD/DVD?

 

Floppy Drive - this one speaks for its self....

 

I have blu-ray on my laptop, I could watch wherever I go in case I don't have internet access to the movie streaming.

 

DVD/CD.... I can burn stuff onto them at home or elsewhere.  Some people have RV ... so they can backup to DVD before do something else as precaution. So they can fix PC in RV since they might not have internet access wherever they are at.

 

I don't care about floppy since they are too small to backup huge data to.

Windows Media Center. - Time to let go.

 

DVD playback. Now, this is a HUGE loss. What the **** are they thinking here?

 

Desktop gadgets. - No loss here. Do people still use these?

 

Preinstalled games. - Meh.

 

Floppy drive support. - Lol.

 

Windows Live Essentials (Windows Essentials). - Meh.

 

Windows Updates. - Eh.

 

 

So the biggest drop is DVD playback.

Home edition only. Nothing will change for power users.

Some of us have multiple devices, so some devices will have the Home editions on them. :/

Knowing that there may be a broken update coming on... This is a must have setting

Exactly! It's an odd decision to not allow people to control updates on all editions.

Yep,

That's the straw that breaks my back!

To most, it's not a big thing, but I DON'T allow automatic anything except my AV!!

I have 7 Windows 7 computers of all different varities, Pro, Home and Ultimate and whether my version is custom for anything does not matter!

Besdies,

IMO, Windows 10 blows chunks almost as bad as Windows 8/8.1! :x

I'll hang with Windows 7 until 2020 with no problems. :)

Windows 8 isn't bad, and I'm sure Windows 10 won't be neither. Though the changes to Windows Update do sucks.  

Boot loops have been in testing for awhile. They'll RTM along with Win 10 :)

That's one of the things I'm afraid of happening. :/

I reckon there will be a backlash over the home edition, of not allowing users to stop updates happening or deferring them. Maybe Microsoft thinks those who aren't techy own windows 7 home or windows 8 core, i just hope there is an option to allow updates to be done at a later date and not immediately.

Why do so many of you still want to micro manage your updates? It makes no sense to me!

I've let Windows Update run on all my machines for over 3 years now and have had not a single problem

 

But if you want to do that, you still have the option with the PRO version, Home is for everybody else

 

It makes perfect sense.

 

Updates / Driver updates are only as good as the developer that is making them.

 

Considering there are a lot of 3rd party devs which have their drivers rolled out via WU, it can results to unforeseen issues with hardware.

Windows Media Center. - Time to let go.

 

DVD playback. No loss here, do people still use these?

 

Desktop gadgets. - No loss here. Do people still use these?

 

Preinstalled games. - Meh.

 

Floppy drive support. - Lol.

 

Windows Live Essentials (Windows Essentials). - Meh.

 

Windows Updates. - Eh.

 

Fixed :D

How can they have no included application for DVD playback? That's absurd, they should also be including Bluray playback.

 

Wonder if a list of cool features from Windows Phone being put to death will be made?

The reason behind the no DVD/Blu-Ray playback is due to licensing fees, thats why MS dropped the price of their OS after windows 7, I remember it cost me $349 for the full version of XP and Windows 8 was $150 less for Pro

It makes perfect sense.

 

Updates / Driver updates are only as good as the developer that is making them.

 

Considering there are a lot of 3rd party devs which have their drivers rolled out via WU, it can results to unforeseen issues with hardware.

I am 99.99% certain that drivers will not be automatically downloaded without a way to turn that off, in any version of 10.

Does this mean they will automatically installed or you will get told there are updates available. 

Probably the latter.

 

"made available" does not mean automatically installed.  

"made available" does not mean automatically installed.  

 

automatically could mean that you got the update automatically installed if you choose it automatic. For example, Windows will install the updates automatically while you are asleep.

 

Otherwise you can turn it off if you don't want automatic.. so you download/install them by clicking install button (but you can not choose what you want in the Home edition.)

I am 99.99% certain that drivers will not be automatically downloaded without a way to turn that off, in any version of 10.

Probably the latter.

 

"made available" does not mean automatically installed.  

 

Yes with the recent build there has been a change in this behavior. Before it used to just force certain drivers to reinstall /even if removed.

I just wish in the builds they had a way to cherry pick which updates you want to install. I hate having to use the metro version of Windows update since it does not let you deselect stuff. I find it pointless for it do updates when its about to install a whole new build that could potentially have the update in it.

There are some things I don't know about how their going to handle with the new automatic Windows Update.

 

For instance, let's say it does the update but there is a problem. This happened to me a couple of weeks ago. I chose to roll back. After I did this my machine was fine. The problem is, then it starts asking if you want to install the flawed update again. It will be interesting how they handle this. :unsure:

I don't understand everyone here thinking DVDs aren't relevant anymore. People used VHS for a good 25+ years before it started to wind down in popularity. DVD's only started outnumbering VHS with rental sales in 2003 and its still the dominant form of home video worldwide (99.5% of countries) today. I see my DVD collection everyday because it's right here near the computer.

I just wish in the builds they had a way to cherry pick which updates you want to install. I hate having to use the metro version of Windows update since it does not let you deselect stuff. I find it pointless for it do updates when its about to install a whole new build that could potentially have the update in it.

Indeed. Same with the malicious software removal tool. Why is MSRT checked by default if the user is already running Defender? Why download updates for IE 10 and have IE 11 offered up and checked simultaneously? Why download a gazillion pre-SP1 updates for Windows 7 when SP1 is going to get offered up right after? Same with office.

 

Windows Update is a serious bandwidth/time hog that's long overdue for an optimization.

I don't understand everyone here thinking DVDs aren't relevant anymore. People used VHS for a good 25+ years before it started to wind down in popularity. DVD's only started outnumbering VHS with rental sales in 2003 and its still the dominant form of home video worldwide (99.5% of countries) today. I see my DVD collection everyday because it's right here near the computer.

Just use VLC. Its not that big of a deal...

I don't understand everyone here thinking DVDs aren't relevant anymore. People used VHS for a good 25+ years before it started to wind down in popularity. DVD's only started outnumbering VHS with rental sales in 2003 and its still the dominant form of home video worldwide (99.5% of countries) today. I see my DVD collection everyday because it's right here near the computer.

Back then we didn't all own USB drives and NASes with more storage space than a literal mountain of VHS tapes (that cost less than a modest shelf full of VHS tapes/DVDs).

1 other person? Try all the 7 home premium OEM users. AKA just about any consumer running Windows 7 that want's to upgrade.

The 7 HP users will get 10 Home, but can upgrade to 10 Pro for a nominal fee (not the full price of 10 Pro) - what you are REALLY upset about is that it's not free.

 

My mom is in a similar pickle - she has 8.1 Core on her AIO, but can either stick with 10 Home (free for her) or pay a nominal fee and go with 10 Pro or Enterprise (both support Hyper-V, and her AIO is driven by a current-generation i3); however, Hyper-V (and most of the Pro/Enterprise feature set) fits her usage as much as a third arm would.

 

Alternatively, all those 7 HP users can join the Insider Program and get 10130 (either Pro or Enterprise) NOW, and thus be guaranteed of getting the apropos (for them) Pro or Enterprise GA on July 29th.  (There IS more than one way of skinning the meow, folks.)

 

The Insider Program is still adding people - and won't be going away - even after GA.

Back then we didn't all own USB drives and NASes with more storage space than a literal mountain of VHS tapes (that cost less than a modest shelf full of VHS tapes/DVDs).

And, for performance reasons, the only DVDs I buy these days are pre-burned studio movies or programs/applications - otherwise, I prefer using USB sticks for file-transfer/OS installs.  (I've used USB sticks to load Windows initially on both notebooks, and for clean installs on those same notebooks, that is what I STILL use; number of DVDs I used throughout the entire Windows Insider program - none.  And that is despite my desktop - and both notebooks - including DVD burners; in fact, both notebooks support LightScribe AND DL DVDs - an advantage of being HP notebooks.)

I have 8.1 Core, came on my laptop, and can't afford to upgrade to pro. So it looks like I'm screwed. I'd rather have pro any day of the week. :(

You could opt in to the insider program, download the iso, and clean install the pro version. Then when it RTMs you will get the pro final.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Posts

    • Go for a Echo Dot or Pop instead. These Echo shows just advertise to you.
    • NetSpeedTray 1.3.3 by Razvan Serea NetSpeedTray is a lightweight, open-source Windows network monitor that shows live upload and download speeds directly on the Taskbar. Designed for efficiency, it quietly sits in the system tray, conserving CPU and battery with dynamic updates. It blends seamlessly with Windows 10/11, adapts to light/dark themes, and auto-positions to avoid overlaps. Features include accurate interface detection, customizable display, optional mini-graph, color coding, granular font and unit control, detailed per-interface history graphs, safe data management, and easy CSV export—bringing the network monitoring Windows forgot. NetSpeedTray key features: Lightweight & Efficient Runs quietly in your system tray without consuming resources. Features a "Dynamic Update Rate" that lowers refresh frequency when the network is idle to save CPU and battery life. Native Look & Feel Blends seamlessly with Windows 10/11 UI. Smart detection for light and dark taskbar themes ensures text is always visible. Intelligent & Adaptive Positioning Automatically finds empty space next to your system tray and shifts to make room for new icons, preventing overlaps. Seamless OS Integration Behaves like a native Windows component. Hides instantly with auto-hiding taskbar Hides when a fullscreen app is active Smart Network Monitoring Accurate by Default: Auto mode identifies your main internet connection and ignores noise from VPNs or virtual adapters. Easy Interface Selection: Switch effortlessly between Auto, All, or Selected network interfaces via intuitive radio buttons. Total Visual Customization Free Move Mode: Unlock and place the widget anywhere on your screen. Optional Mini-Graph: Real-time graph of recent network activity with adjustable opacity. Color Coding: Customize colors and speed thresholds to quickly see network status. Granular Display Control Text & Font: Adjust font family, size, weight, and alignment. Units: Automatic (B/s, KB/s, MB/s) or fixed Mbps display. Precision: Set decimal places and always show them for uniform appearance. Detailed & Intelligent History Graph Smart Scale: Logarithmic scale shows low-level traffic and large spikes clearly. Per-Interface Filtering: View speed history for specific adapters (Wi-Fi, Ethernet, VPN). Safe & Efficient Data Management: Adjustable retention, automatic cleanup, optimized database. Easy Data Export: Export raw data to .csv or save high-quality graphs for reports. NetSpeedTray v1.3.3: The Updater Fix A stabilization release that repairs a critical regression in v1.3.2: the app shipped without OpenSSL, which silently broke every HTTPS request — including the built-in update checker (the "Could not check for updates" error many of you hit). This release restores it, hardens the build so it can't happen again, and fixes a startup crash plus four other reported bugs. Changes: Fixed update checking — Resolved a critical issue that prevented the app from checking for updates ("Could not check for updates"). Fixed startup crash with Auto-Cycling — The app no longer crashes on launch after enabling Cycle display mode. Fixed incorrect network speeds on 10GbE adapters — Multi-gigabit network cards now display speeds correctly instead of being stuck at 0. Improved color coding — Default color is shown when idle, and color/threshold changes now apply immediately without restarting. Fullscreen visibility fix — The widget now correctly stays visible over fullscreen apps when Keep Visible is enabled. Improved AMD Ryzen temperature detection — More reliable CPU temperature monitoring for Ryzen processors. Cleaner upgrades — Installer now removes outdated application files during upgrades, preventing DLL/version conflicts while preserving user settings. Improved stability — Fixed potential DLL loading issues by excluding critical OpenSSL and NumPy components from UPX compression. Better settings window — Scrollbars removed and layout improved for a cleaner experience. Localization improvements — Updated translations and completed missing UI text across all supported languages. More reliable releases — Added regression tests covering recent critical fixes, bringing the test suite to 196 passing tests. [full release notes] Download: NetSpeedTray 1.3.3 | 87.9 MB (Open Source) Download: NetSpeedTray Portable | 101.0 MB View: NetSpeedTray Home Page | Screenshot Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • Why Delta Chat is the best decentralized messenger you have probably never tried by Paul Hill There is no shortage of messaging apps out there; we have WhatsApp, Messenger, and Telegram, just to name a few. While Meta has taken steps to incorporate encryption into Messenger and WhatsApp, they still leave a lot to be desired. If you are in the market for a messaging app that promotes security, privacy, and optional anonymity, you'll want to read what I have to say about Delta Chat. For those not familiar with Delta Chat, rather than relying on centralized servers as you do with Facebook Messenger, it relies on email. Essentially, it is a chat interface that feels like a messaging app, but secretly in the background, it is firing off emails. In the past, you used to have to sign in with your email account. When you sent messages to people, it would just be sending encrypted messages to their inbox, which their Delta Chat client would decrypt. When I first learned about Delta Chat, it required users to sign in with an email account, but I was pleasantly surprised upon trying it in 2026 that this is no longer a requirement, or the preferred method was to use the app. Recently, I’ve tried UAD-ng on my old Nokia 3.4 to disable most of the Google apps because the bootloader is locked, and this is the next best option. While finding replacement apps in F-Droid, I came across Delta Chat again, and it has undergone quite a big change since I last used it, with its new chatmail relays, which no longer require you to sign in to your own email account, providing anonymity, and they offer greater security. Android and Desktop Delta Chat apps. Not only does it run on my de-googled phone, but it also works on desktop computers and iOS, making it truly ubiquitous. For me, Delta Chat is a wonderful alternative messenger because it gives you more control. It supports switching between different profiles, which you can set up super quickly; you don’t register a username, you don’t register a password. The only thing you do have is a random string email address on a chatmail relay (which you don’t have to memorize). To maintain access to your profile, you just need to add a second device to your account via QR code or make a backup of your account, which you can restore later. Fail to do these, your account is gone - as it should be if you don’t want to leave accounts that could get hacked later on. My decision to block Google stuff on my Nokia was done for practical reasons; the device sucked when it launched, and it sucks even more now. The nice thing about F-Droid and the apps within is that they’re usually lightweight, free of bloat, and work well on that device. What was inconvenient for me was that it was hard to send messages from that device, say if I wanted to copy a code over to my main phone or send family members a link from that device. That’s when I decided to look at the available chat apps and saw Delta Chat. Another nice thing about Delta Chat is its notifications. Some messaging apps rely on Google’s ecosystem for notification transport on Android; however, with Delta Chat, it can use Google’s solutions if you have Play Services or MicroG installed. Otherwise, it is able to keep a background connection to the chatmail relay server so that you can get notified when you receive a message. As free software, the code of Delta Chat is open for all who want to take it and build upon it. In the future, if the developers of Delta Chat make a catastrophically bad decision and take the app in an undesirable direction, users can take the code and fork the project. This contrasts with closed-source apps from corporations that can take their products in any direction they like. By relying on free software instead of closed-source programs, you actually control your computing. I’ve spoken at length about how running this type of software is like owning your own home rather than renting it. The same applies here; if you use Delta Chat, you don’t need to worry about it going away in the future. Whether it is Telegram, WhatsApp, or Messenger, you are required to register a username and password to use these services. A major flaw in this design is that anyone can try various passwords and potentially break into your account with your complete chat history intact. Sure, there is encryption in Messenger, where you need a second PIN and two-factor authentication in Telegram, but breaches happen all the time. Unlike before, when you used to sign in to your email account to send and receive messages, the primary way to do it now is to create an account on a chatmail relay. The resulting email address is a random string followed by the name of the relay you pick. This means you can start and begin adding contacts Without a username and password, you either need to ensure you have a backup or at least one device running your Delta Chat profile. The primary way to log in on another device is to go to the settings and add a second device. Then, you’ll just scan a QR code with your new device, and it’ll log in to your account and sync all your chat history and contacts. To end users, Delta Chat just looks like any instant messenger; however, it is really sending your messages as encrypted emails to your contact. This is pretty cool from a censorship perspective, as it makes the service more difficult to block. Previously, the main way to use the app was by logging in with email, but nowadays, it’s recommended that you use chatmail relays. Chatmail relays temporarily hold messages in case your device is offline. They are cheap, simple servers that don’t store data as group states. Other information, like your name and avatar, only exists on your device and the devices of those you share your contact information with. The relays are also decentralized and operated by various groups and individuals. It is even possible to set up your own chatmail relay, but most people will want to use one hosted elsewhere. To keep your messages secure, Delta Chat uses a secure subset of the OpenPGP standard that gives you automatic end-to-end encryption. It also uses Secure-Join to exchange encryption setup information through QR-code scanning or invite links. Autocrypt is also used to automatically establish end-to-end encryption between contacts and all members of group chat, but sometime this year Autocrypt v2 will be rolled out, bringing post-quantum resistant encryption and forward secrecy. The Delta Chat FAQ is an interesting read that explains many more details about the app. Credit: Pexels Delta Chat is unique among messaging apps because it is built on email, a technology that’s decades old and isn’t going anywhere soon. What’s more is that email is not centralized either, so it’s far more difficult for any authoritarian regime to disrupt the Delta Chat app. I haven’t spoken too much about features yet, so I will do that now. Delta Chat allows you to do one-on-one chats, group chats, and create channels. It also supports file sharing and making audio and video calls when chatting one-to-one, but it’s not available for group chats right now. At the time of writing, the calling functionality is disabled and can be enabled in Settings > Advanced > Debug Calls. I have used the video calling feature, and the quality is excellent. It works over WebRTC, another open standard. The app also lets you send voice notes, enables disappearing messages, and has its own app ecosystem. I did try playing chess one time there, but it was a bit spotty; though, we did manage to complete the game with a victory for me. To add people to Delta Chat, you can either give them your Delta Chat link or your QR code to scan. These are the only ways to add users, so you won't have any spam bots bothering you. If the people you want to chat with don't have the app yet, just send them your link, and it will take them to a webpage where they can install the app and then add you. It's really quick for them to install it and get started, which is nice. Credit: Microsoft. The Majorana 2 quantum chip unveiled in 2026. I do not think quantum computers are too far out now, and I do hope that Delta Chat is able to push out Autocrypt v2 sooner, rather than later, so bad actors do not attempt to collect encrypted communications and then decrypt them in the future using quantum computers. By getting people’s messages post-quantum-safe now, users won’t have to worry when quantum computers start cracking legacy encryption. Overall, I would recommend this app to people who are already past WhatsApp and Messenger and have perhaps begun using apps like Telegram or Session. It shares a lot of characteristics with these apps and goes a lot further than Telegram in terms of security. By being based on email, it is also resistant to censorship, and the lack of a username and password makes you anonymous (if you want to be) and safe from brute force password cracking attempts. Let me know in the comments if you’ve tried Delta Chat recently. Do you think it's a good bulwark against governments that are tightening their grip on the internet?
  • Recent Achievements

    • One Year In
      bernmeister earned a badge
      One Year In
    • Week One Done
      Scoobystu earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Week One Done
      tuben earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • First Post
      OffsetAbs earned a badge
      First Post
    • Reacting Well
      OffsetAbs earned a badge
      Reacting Well
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      474
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      220
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      156
    4. 4
      Steven P.
      73
    5. 5
      FloatingFatMan
      71
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!