Windows Technical Preview  

1031 members have voted

  1. 1. On a scale of 1-5, 1 being worst, 5 being best. What do you think of Windows 10 from the leaks so far?

    • 5.Great, best OS ever
      156
    • 4. Pretty Good, needs a lot of minor tweaks
      409
    • 3. OK, Needs a few major improvements, some minor ones
      168
    • 2. Fine, Needs a lot of major improvements
      79
    • 1.Poor, Needs too many improvements, all hope is lost, never going to use it
      41
  2. 2. Based on the recent leaks by Neowin and Winfuture.de, my next OS upgrade will be?

    • Windows 10
      720
    • Windows 8
      20
    • Windows 7
      48
    • Sticking with XP
      3
    • OSX Yosemite
      35
    • Linux
      24
    • Sticking with OSX Mavericks
      3
  3. 3. Should Microsoft give away Windows 10 for free?

    • Yes for Windows 8.1 Users
      305
    • Yes for Windows 7 and above users
      227
    • Yes for Vista and above users
      31
    • Yes for XP and above users
      27
    • Yes for all Windows users
      192
    • No
      71


Recommended Posts

Sadly it seems that the reinvented search ("search hero") UI in Windows 8.1 has been phased out as well. Admittedly I have not used the feature very often, but I do love that it was optimized for touch

post-483058-0-15922400-1426815559.png

  • Like 2

Here's an idea, use a DOUBLE swipe to open taskbar, as I will rarely use the taskbar in touch mode.

  • Like 2

I have a little UI issues in 32bit browsers like Chrome 41 or Firefox 37. Top of the browsers (tabs) are a few pixels cropped in maximized mode.

In fact they are cropped from every side, but on top it's more visible.
Surprisingly x64 Firefox 37 has no such problem. I do not have x64 Chrome to compare.
 

WIn 10 build 10041.

  • Like 1

Replacing app bar gesture with taskbar show/hide was a huge mistake, still hope it'll change.

 

I mean, apart from making it a terrible nuisance for tablet users exclusively (mouse and keyboard have quick ways to get that app bar) what is actually gained with this stupid idea? Every Windows 8 device has a Windows button to get that start screen/menu, therefore you don't need to see taskbar to use it. Left edge swipe brings detailed taskview which further eliminates any need to see the taskbar (which is displayed anyways when using taskview). Therefore we get this completely useless gesture instead of one that is so much needed for touch users. And it doesn't even work if taskbar is not on the bottom anyways.

In other words, the wheel that was squeaking got too MUCH grease.

Basically, the expert mousers wanted their playground (Windows) all to themselves. (Notice that I specifically referred to the "expert" pointing device users - I'm NOT one, and never claimed to be one - and I liked things the way they were with even 8 (which lacked a Start menu altogether).

Why are you guys going on about the app bar when it's clearly gone now? There is no more app bar, look at all the new apps, the universal ones from MS, no app bar. Everything will now have either a left or right side menu fly out.

 

 

As far as the taskbar goes, expect to see tablets without a start button, I mean look at what they did on the phone, no physical buttons and you get software keys, it's the same idea. Nothings really changed except for the apps that have now ditched the app bar, it never did get used right anyway, and now that you can have them be windowed and freely resized, the app bar is a limitation that had to go.

  • Like 1

I have a little UI issues in 32bit browsers like Chrome 41 or Firefox 37. Top of the browsers (tabs) are a few pixels cropped in maximized mode.

In fact they are cropped from every side, but on top it's more visible.

Surprisingly x64 Firefox 37 has no such problem. I do not have x64 Chrome to compare.

WIn 10 build 10041.

I've got the exact same issue here. At first I thought it was a problem inherited by the update process, but then I realised it wasn't as soon as I spot it again after doing a clean installation of build 10041.

Why are you guys going on about the app bar when it's clearly gone now? There is no more app bar, look at all the new apps, the universal ones from MS, no app bar. Everything will now have either a left or right side menu fly out.

 

 

As far as the taskbar goes, expect to see tablets without a start button, I mean look at what they did on the phone, no physical buttons and you get software keys, it's the same idea. Nothings really changed except for the apps that have now ditched the app bar, it never did get used right anyway, and now that you can have them be windowed and freely resized, the app bar is a limitation that had to go.

I understand that, but what about all the rest of the apps that do still have app bars and probably not going to change that anytime soon? Even Skype has it and taunts by suggesting the gesture that no longer works. It's not gone and even by Windows 10 release most of the apps probably still won't change, that's why the app bar option still exist in menu. Even if they came up with this gesture change for the sole purpose of forcing developers to redo their apps, that's a very disgusting way of doing things.

I understand that, but what about all the rest of the apps that do still have app bars and probably not going to change that anytime soon? Even Skype has it and taunts by suggesting the gesture that no longer works. It's not gone and even by Windows 10 release most of the apps probably still won't change, that's why the app bar option still exist in menu. Even if they came up with this gesture change for the sole purpose of forcing developers to redo their apps, that's a very disgusting way of doing things.

You kind of answered your own question, they've moved those commands to the left side menu for now until developers redo their apps. The thing is that they'll want to redo them anyways, making them universal apps and have UIs that better work on desktop and tablet/phone.

 

he fact is the app bar hasn't worked out well, it's limited in a few ways, space being one of them. If you want to push for more complicated apps in the store then the app bar falls apart, it fills up quick. The best way is to use the left and right sides with also using true right click menus. You can also use the ribbon type element with a top fly out, or bottom one to. Either way you get more room to work with which is a plus.

I have a little UI issues in 32bit browsers like Chrome 41 or Firefox 37. Top of the browsers (tabs) are a few pixels cropped in maximized mode.

In fact they are cropped from every side, but on top it's more visible.

Surprisingly x64 Firefox 37 has no such problem. I do not have x64 Chrome to compare.

 

WIn 10 build 10041.

Yea, noticed that myself. Also if you drag the window slowly down, the top line gets "distorted" and broken. Fixes itself when you let go of the bar.

Half of the actions in settings still opens up old control panel dialogs. :/

I wonder if getting rid of Control Panel means getting rid of the dialogs as well. 

OEMs may not be required to provide an option to disable the Secure Boot feature in Windows 10.

http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/03/windows-10-to-make-the-secure-boot-alt-os-lock-out-a-reality/

I build my own desktop PCs - therefore, this issue only applies to portables in my case.

Further, unless a decent Linux distribution supports ALL the features of a notebook that I would purchase (which DOES include touch), it becomes irrelevant even on portable PCs.

Are we getting tiles for the desktop? That's all I want to know. I saw a news article on it and it seemed like they might but haven't decided but has anyone heard anything recent? I saw this in the comments on an article and wondered if this was from GDC or something. http://i.imgur.com/wGijMWC.jpg You can see tiles on the mockups on the bottom.

Are we getting tiles for the desktop? That's all I want to know. I saw a news article on it and it seemed like they might but haven't decided but has anyone heard anything recent? I saw this in the comments on an article and wondered if this was from GDC or something. http://i.imgur.com/wGijMWC.jpg You can see tiles on the mockups on the bottom.

 

I hope they have something planned.  It would be nice if they enabled Modern app Taskbar icons to be 'small tiles' so that they could show as much live information as a pinned IE site - something that's been a functionality gap since 8.1.

I wonder if getting rid of Control Panel means getting rid of the dialogs as well. 

 

I hope so because some if not most are the same since Windows 9x, it's time for them to change.

  • Like 2

and the change will come as well as MS decide we need [ and we do ] it .

They did start the change with Windows Vista and more so with 7, they started to add things into the main control panel window instead of having dialog boxes but they stopped short.

 

Now with control panel on the way out it should happen in time.

I really like the new modernized preview tabs. Hope this comes over to Spartan.

 

attachicon.gifTabs.png

I think I see a bug that title is a complete work of fiction

The current AMD display drivers being installed via Windows Update are extremely buggy in most cases and cause freezes, hangs, crashes and blue screens in multiple games on numerous systems, desktops and laptops both. R9 290X, R9 270X, Radeon 7660D, Radeon 8660D, R7 250, and more. (Over 20 systems I've personally tested). The last stable ones were released in January 2015 or November 2014 (depending on which GPU we're talking about). There are numerous reports of this in the Feedback app and yet it is not listed as a known issue officially and no workaround or fix has been promised or released yet. I am not at all a MS hater. I mostly like Windows 10 and what MS has been doing lately, but... the AMD driver thing is causing me major grief. I've reported these issues to AMD as well btw.  I am hopeful that MS and AMD can work together to fix this for their mutual users/customers asap. :)  Or at least pull the awful buggy video drivers from Windows Update until fixed. 

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Posts

    • It's a local account with the ability to reset a password at a very base level. I really don't get the issue that gets whipped up around it But you do you
    • Save 74% on this Complete 2026 CompTIA Certification Training Bundle by Steven Parker Today on offer via our Online Courses section of the Neowin Deals store, you can save 74% on the Complete 2026 CompTIA Certification Training Bundle. This comprehensive 2026 CompTIA training bundle is created for aspiring IT professionals who want a faster, clearer way to earn multiple industry-recognized certifications while building practical, job-ready skills. Designed around real-world expectations, the curriculum guides you from foundational IT concepts to hands-on technical mastery across A+, Network+, Security+, Cloud+, Server+, and Pentest+ domains. You'll develop the confidence to troubleshoot systems, secure networks, manage cloud and on-prem environments, and tackle complex technical challenges with a methodical approach that employers value. By focusing on practical application and exam-aligned content, this bundle helps you stand out in the job market, prove your capabilities, and prepare for roles such as IT technician, network specialist, cybersecurity analyst, and system administrator with clarity and confidence. Certificate of Completion only. You will not receive official CompTIA certificates upon completion of each course. It's only designed to help you prepare for the covered certification exams. You need to take and pass the exams to get certified. Courses included in this bundle A Plus Certification - CompTIA A+ 220-1202 Training Master hardware, software, networking, and security essentials Covers the full Core 1 & Core 2 scope with inclusive materials that reflect real-world IT work CompTIA Cloud+ (CV0-004) Comprehensive pathway to mastering essential cloud concepts & acing the certification exam Practical skills in cloud architecture, security, and DevOps CompTIA Network+ (N10-009) Training Course Design, configure, manage & secure modern networks Covers OSI & DoD models, IP addressing, subnetting, routing technologies, VLANs, wireless networking, structured cabling, and robust disaster recovery planning CompTIA Server+ (SK0-005) Master server management, administration, and security Practical skills for server hardware installation, disaster recovery & enhancing data security CompTIA Pentest+ Course (PT0-003) Gain demonstrable capabilities in penetration testing, security testing & risk assessment Hands-on pentest labs online and real-world deliverables CompTIA Security+ Certification Course (SY0-071) Essential skills in security concepts, threats & risk management Compliance considerations & authentication mechanisms, with a practical lens to implement them in real-world networks CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst CySA+ (CS0-004) Hands-on experience in threat modeling, vulnerability assessment & incident response Effective security measures that protect networks & data Tangible outcomes you'll achieve Validated hands-on skills across operating systems, networks, cloud, and security Confidence to pass multiple certification exams on or before your target dates A versatile toolkit for diagnosing, securing, and optimizing IT environments Ability to communicate technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders Who is this course for Aspiring IT technicians and support professionals who want a clear, practical pathway to multiple industry‑recognized CompTIA certifications IT learners looking to build real‑world skills in hardware, networking, cloud, security, servers, and penetration testing Those aiming to qualify for roles like help desk technician, junior network engineer, system administrator, security analyst, or cloud administrator by earning key certificates efficiently About Vision Training Systems Since 2012 and more than 100,000 students, Vision Training Systems has been delivering expertly crafted online IT training courses to help you earn industry-recognized certifications like CompTIA A+, Network+, Security+, Cisco CCNA, Project Management, CEH V13, Microsoft Azure, AWS, and more. Plus dive into the world of AI, IT Leadership, and core soft skills needed to excel in an IT Career. Whether you’re launching your IT career or looking to grow into a senior role, our flexible, on-demand platform empowers you with the skills and certifications employers demand. Good to know Length of access: lifetime Redemption deadline: redeem your code within 30 days of purchase Access options: desktop or mobile Maximum number of device(s): 1 Available to BOTH new and existing users Certificate of Completion ONLY Experience level required: all levels Closed captioning NOT available NOT downloadable for offline viewing Here's the deal The Complete 2026 CompTIA Certification Training Bundle normally costs $199, but you can pick it up for just $40, that's a saving of $159. For terms, specs and license info, click the link below. Deal Price $40.00 with code SAVE20 (was $199) Although priced in U.S. dollars, this deal is available for digital purchase worldwide. Support queries If you have queries or need support for any of the Neowin Deals, please use the contact form here. Neowin Deals are managed and sold by StackCommerce who represent Neowin on an affiliate basis. Why we post these deals We post these because we earn commission on each sale so as not to rely solely on advertising, which many of our readers block. It all helps toward paying staff reporters, servers and hosting costs. So for those that keep moaning and complaining, be thankful we're still online for you to even do that. Other ways to support Neowin Whitelist Neowin by not blocking our ads Create a free member account to see fewer ads Make a donation to support our day to day running costs Subscribe to Neowin - for $14 a year, or $28 a year for an ad-free experience Disclosure: Neowin benefits from revenue of each sale made through our branded deals site powered by StackCommerce.
    • AMD RX 9070 GRE AI, Blender benchmarks vs 9070 XT, 7800XT, Nvidia RTX 5070, 4070 by Sayan Sen Earlier this week, we shared the first part of our review of AMD's new RX 9070 GRE. It was about the gaming performance of the GPU, and we gave it an 8 out of 10. As a follow-up, similar to how we did with the 9070 XT and non-XT, we are doing a dedicated productivity review for the RX 9070 GRE as well, where we compare it against the 9070 XT, 9070, 7800 XT, as well as Nvidia's 5070 and 4070. This will include AI, rendering, compute, and more benchmarks. AI performance, especially, is a very important metric in today's world, and AMD also promised big improvements thanks to its underlying architectural improvements. We will be pitching it against the data we already have for the RX 9070, and RX 9070 XT, but also the Nvidia 5070 FE, MSI GeForce RTX 4070 VENTUS 2X 12G, and Gigabyte Radeon RX 7800 XT GAMING OC 16G as they are in a similar price class, but also because we do not have a comparable 5060 Ti card lying around here that we can compare it against. Before we get underway, this is a collaboration between Sayan Sen and Steven Parker, who lent me his test bed. Also, there was no editorial input from AMD. First up, the specs of the RX 9070, 9070 XT, and 9070 GRE, which were given to us by AMD: Radeon RX 9070 GRE Radeon RX 9070 Radeon RX 9070 XT Boost Clock: Game Clock: up to 2.79GHz up to 2.20GHz up to 2.52GHz up to 2.07GHz up to 2.97GHz up to 2.40GHz Stream Processors 3,072 (48 CU) 3,584 (56 CU) 4,096 (64 CU) Ray Accelerator 48 56 64 AI Accelerator 96 112 128 ROPs 96 128 Texture Mapping Units 192 224 256 Memory 12 GB GDDR6, 18Gbps Clock, 192-bit Bus 432 GB/s 16 GB GDDR6, 20Gbps Clock, 256-bit Bus Effective Memory Bandwidth: 640 GB/s Infinity Cache 48 MB (3rd Gen) 64 MB (3rd Gen) Card Bus PCI-E 5.0 X16 Output 2x HDMI 2.1b 2x DisplayPort 2.1a Power consumption 220W 304W Recommended PSU 650W 750W Slot width 2x 3x Price (SEP) $549 $599 As you can see from the specs above, it is less than the standard RX 9070 in every way that counts, except for slightly higher Boost and Game clock speed. Design Moving on, the RX 9070 GRE we were given is an XFX Swift triple-fan, dual-slot design with two 8-pin connectors. At 30cm (self-measured), it will fit in most systems easily. There is no RGB either. The AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE by XFX from all angles. Test system Our test system consists of the following: Lian Li O11 Dynamic Mini V2 Flow (Amazon|Newegg) ASUS Z890 ProArt Creator WiFi (Amazon|Newegg) Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus (Amazon|Newegg) Thermal Grizzly KryoSheet - 44x37 (Amazon|Newegg) 2x 16GB G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB (7200 MT/s in XMP) (Amazon|Newegg) Sabrent Rocket4 Plus 2TB SSD (Amazon) Windows 11 25H2 (Build 26200.8246) AMD shared a press driver based on the recently released Adrenaline 26.5.2 that we were required to use. We now move on to our benchmarks. First up, we have Geekbench AI running on ONNX. For some reason, the 9070 GRE does exceptionally well here in both half-precision (FP16) and single-precision (FP32). It manages to beat the RTX 5070 and RX 9070 non-XT, and is only behind the 9070 XT. Since Geekbench runs in short bursts instead of continuously hammering the graphics card, it seems the GRE's faster boost clocks are helping here. Next up, we move to the UL Procyon AI test suite, starting with the image generation benchmark. We chose the Stable Diffusion XL FP16 test since it is the most intense workload available on Procyon. The Nvidia cards do very well here, as even the 4070 out-muscles AMD's best fairy easily. The positive thing about the GRE is that it gets quite close to the 9070 non-XT in this test; this indicates that the VRAM does not play a very big role here, as SD XL relies on float16 (FP16). So this is something to keep in mind again. If you wish to work with float32 AI workloads, graphics cards with larger than 12 GB buffers would likely emerge as victors. Regardless, the gains are still massive on AMD's 9000 series compared to the 7000 series. Following image generation, we move to the text generation benchmark. This is one test where the 9070 GRE struggled, quite a lot. It seems that the 12 GB VRAM and lower memory bandwidth of the new Radeon 9070 GRE are hurting it quite a bit; the split is massive, especially in a test like Llama2, which packs 13 billion parameters. As such, in all the tests, the 9070 GRE is the slowest of the lot. Next, we tried Blender, and here the AMD GPUs were beaten by Nvidia. Rendering is something the Green team has always had a lead over the Red side, and it has not changed so far. On the positive side, though, the 9070 GRE shows significantly better results than the 7800 XT, which means AMD is on the right path. Catching up to Nvidia, though, will require a lot more effort. And we hope HIP and ROCm can keep improving. Wrapping up AI testing, we measured OpenCL throughput in the Geekbench compute benchmark. The RX 9070 GRE alongside the 9070 did not fare well here at all, even falling behind the 7800 XT. Interestingly, even the RTX 5070 could not beat the 4070 on OpenCL, so perhaps this suggests that OpenCL optimization may not have been a priority for either AMD or Nvidia in the modern era. Conclusion We reached the end of our productivity performance review of the 9070 GRE, and we have to say it's a mixed bag. Unlike the 9070 and 9070 XT, the GRE excels in some areas while losing ground fairly easily in others. Similar to how it happened in gaming, any time the card's memory subsystem gets hammered, it tends to fall behind the others. This was the case with text generation, wherein we saw the VRAM sometimes hit its maximum available 12 GB of usage with larger model sizes. So what do we make of the RX 9070 as a productivity hardware? It can certainly be used, but you have to know it has its limitations. For those looking for a GPU that can deal with more, AMD recently unveiled the Radeon AI PRO R9700, which is essentially a 32 GB refresh of the 9070 XT with some additional workstation-based optimizations. On a similar note, the new Ryzen AI Halo platform is something you can consider if you want to set up a local AI processing station. Considering everything, we rate AMD's Radeon RX 9070 GRE a 7.5 out of 10 for its productivity performance. Price is less of a factor for those looking at productivity cases compared to those considering the GPU for gaming, and as such, we felt it did quite decently on many occasions and can be handy if you need a 12 GB GPU and, for some reason, don't want to get Nvidia. Purchase links: RX 9070 / XT / GRE (Amazon US) As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
    • Does anyone here know if these updates are integrated into the UUP dump isos?
  • Recent Achievements

    • Proficient
      Eric Biran went up a rank
      Proficient
    • Dedicated
      Conjor earned a badge
      Dedicated
    • Week One Done
      Windows Guy earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Dedicated
      Mark Spruce earned a badge
      Dedicated
    • Collaborator
      conkir earned a badge
      Collaborator
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      479
    2. 2
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      244
    3. 3
      Steven P.
      72
    4. 4
      +Edouard
      66
    5. 5
      Skyfrog
      65
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!