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  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
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    • 3. OK, Needs a few major improvements, some minor ones
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    • 2. Fine, Needs a lot of major improvements
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    • 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
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    • Windows 8
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    • Sticking with XP
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    • OSX Yosemite
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    • Linux
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    • Sticking with OSX Mavericks
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  3. 3. Should Microsoft give away Windows 10 for free?

    • Yes for Windows 8.1 Users
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    • Yes for Windows 7 and above users
      227
    • Yes for Vista and above users
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    • Yes for XP and above users
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    • Yes for all Windows users
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    • No
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Recommended Posts

I doubt it will be any worse than Windows 8x.  10074 has been, at least on my end, the most stable yet and everything is coming together.  Just need to add the other features to the start menu (folders, jump lists, etc.) and it'll be golden.  Modern UI applications are growing on me with their current iteration.  

 

Looking good so far.

 

And the drivers are improving along with it, despite some obvious issues.  That's probably the biggest pain point people are still dealing with.

 

I don't know if it'll be perfect at launch, but it's very good now.

MS probably doesn't support or unlock theming the OS because of the issues it could raise with help support.  If people can go in and change things too much then it'd be hard to help them over the phone with some issue if you're both looking for two different things.

 

A bit more window theme options and I'm happy, that's all it needs, the taskbar and start menu options are fine at this point.

Windows 8.1 Enterprise is now available, and included in it is a brand new feature called Start screen control. For those not familiar with this new feature, it is designed to allow IT pros to configure the layout of the Start screen for a group of users, preventing those users from making changes to that layout.

So how exactly does this work? First, you need to configure an appropriate layout for the group of users. For example, maybe you want the Start screen to only include Office, Internet Explorer, and the Desktop icon, so you arrange the layout like so:

https://blogs.windows.com/itpro/2013/10/31/a-new-windows-8-1-enterprise-feature-start-screen-control/

Anyone who deployed this will find all their hard work undone in windows 10, A big **** you to everyone who went ahead and deployed it. Its becoming increasingly obvious that this isn't going to be fixed for RTM (N)

MS probably doesn't support or unlock theming the OS because of the issues it could raise with help support.  If people can go in and change things too much then it'd be hard to help them over the phone with some issue if you're both looking for two different things.

 

A bit more window theme options and I'm happy, that's all it needs, the taskbar and start menu options are fine at this point.

And also, viruses could manipulate the theme to make the computer unuseable. It shouldn't be enabled by default, if een included. Power users will know to use UXStyle, and power users are really the only ones who will use them.

Yeah I always quote and meant to, my mistake. I was talking about the bar for open windows and running apps. They do need to change the highlight method. It has always been fine up until this build. Your expectation of people to limit their color schemes is ludicrous. I was using a purplish space type wallpaper and the bar was very dark purple and nearly impossible to see. MS is not stupid enough to expect users to use certain wallpapers to make the underline visible I would hope.

 

To be fair, compared with the classic theme, Aero in Win7 sometimes also made it difficult to see whether a window was selected or not from the taskbar button, depending on the colors chosen.  It is definitely annoying, no matter the theme.

Anyone else having this problem?:

 

The File Explorer window opens in a different location on the screen every time I open it.

No other window does this. They all open in the same screen location as the previous time they were opened.

 

This has been the case since the last few builds.

 

I have sent feedback on this, as it is really annoying.

Anyone else having this problem?:

 

The File Explorer window opens in a different location on the screen every time I open it.

No other window does this. They all open in the same screen location as the previous time they were opened.

 

This has been the case since the last few builds.

 

I have sent feedback on this, as it is really annoying.

 

I hadn't noticed that but it does the same here. Moves down to the right slightly each time. I did the same with a few other windows and they retain there previous positions.

Windows has always opened a second File Explorer window slightly down and right when one is already open. It usually saves the position of the last one closed for the next window open position. I'm guessing it is just a simple error along those lines.

Yep, I wouldn't have noticed if you hadn't mentioned it. It appears that the window is offset to the right and down each time, correct?

 

Correct.

Windows has always opened a second File Explorer window slightly down and right when one is already open. It usually saves the position of the last one closed for the next window open position. I'm guessing it is just a simple error along those lines.

 

Could be.

I don't have any open windows at all, though, and it still does this.

I think it is a bug in that it does it when there is not a prior File Explorer window open. It is only supposed to shift if a window is already open, so they don't cover each other completely.

Have you tried doing a clean install?

 

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/preview-iso-update-1504

 

Maybe there is an old crufty driver causing problems?

Sometimes, an old crufty driver is the only one that will work - Big Pavilion - the larger-screened of my two notebooks, is a case in point.  It requires NVidia Forceware 175, which is a legacy driver which dates back to Vista SP1. (Using the basic driver results in BSODs with DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION errors in 10074 Pro.)

MS probably doesn't support or unlock theming the OS because of the issues it could raise with help support.  If people can go in and change things too much then it'd be hard to help them over the phone with some issue if you're both looking for two different things.

 

A bit more window theme options and I'm happy, that's all it needs, the taskbar and start menu options are fine at this point.

 

It's also the fact that you can't change everything, and there isn't a SINGLE theme that doesn't have minor to major bugs and nags that you just have to live with. The windows theme engine just isn't really made to be themed and change themes. 

 

the more themes change the more bugs and nags you have to deal with. 

https://blogs.windows.com/itpro/2013/10/31/a-new-windows-8-1-enterprise-feature-start-screen-control/

Anyone who deployed this will find all their hard work undone in windows 10, A big **** you to everyone who went ahead and deployed it. Its becoming increasingly obvious that this isn't going to be fixed for RTM (N)

 

Of course it's "undone". first it's a brand new OS, secondly the whole start menu is replaced with brand new code, and since the new one uses XAML, I'm pretty sure they can redo their custom setup or will be able to in the final version. probably easier and with more options than before. 

 

this is why system admins are hired, they're supposed to work, not just sit around. 

Anyone else having this problem?:

 

The File Explorer window opens in a different location on the screen every time I open it.

No other window does this. They all open in the same screen location as the previous time they were opened.

 

This has been the case since the last few builds.

 

I have sent feedback on this, as it is really annoying.

 

This is how multiple instance programs have always worked. every new instance opens a little down and to the right of the last window that was opened until it gets far enough down that it starts and the top left again. 

 

nothing new about this. and you will find that all windows that can be opened in multiple instances will do this 

 

This is how multiple instance programs have always worked. every new instance opens a little down and to the right of the last window that was opened until it gets far enough down that it starts and the top left again. 

 

nothing new about this. and you will find that all windows that can be opened in multiple instances will do this 

 

I understand that.

 

My point is, it does not do that in any version of Windows except the TP.

 

If I open a single instance of Explorer, and then close it, it should re-open in the same position as before, shouldn't it?

That was how it worked in previous versions of Windows.

I just installed b. 10074 today on a spare hdd. So far it looks good, ive just had a few issues:

 

* Edge freezes for a few seconds sometimes.

* The start menu refuses to open sometimes

* text on start menu is clipped by a few pixels

* When windows updates installed by graphics driver, by screen when black. I let it sit, ate dinner, came back and hit the reset button. So far so good after that.

 

 

What they need to do:

* Theme polish: icons, more wallpapers, tray icons (network, sound, clock) should have dark theme

* Bug fixes

 

 

Other than that, it seems pretty stable and fast.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Posts

    • 007 First Light review: Satisfying spy adventure that James Bond needed by Pulasthi Ariyasinghe I have fond memories of classic James Bond games from the Electronic Arts era. Using high-tech gadgets, sneaking into parties, and dispatching bad guys were wildly exciting activities for my younger self. In recent years, Bond games have entirely disappeared, alongside the super spy genre. Fast forward to 2020, imagine my surprise when IO Interactive announced it had secured the Bond IP to make a game. Considering the studio’s Hitman history, this project is one I keenly kept an eye on. Six years later, 007 First Light is finally here, and after spending time inside this globe-trotting adventure, I can safely say that my excitement for this developer’s take on this universe was not unfounded. IO has taken lessons it has learned from Hitman and combined them with what I would expect from a directed cinematic experience like James Bond. I have refrained from mentioning major plot points to save you from story spoilers in this review. This is an original story that doesn’t tie into any movies, so there isn’t an expectation of knowing the backstory or the decades of movies either. Bond, James Bond When 007 First Light begins, Bond is just Bond. There isn’t a spy angle, fancy gadgets, or even a secret mission. The introductory mission is framed to show how James Bond handled himself and how he does not care about the odds when it comes to saving lives. It’s a gorgeous level as well, showing off an island scattered with cliffs in the middle of a storm. Looking back, this is probably the best-looking level in the game, with IO showing off all its abilities with its custom engine, Glacier. But my favorite ended up being the follow-up to this level. Once the United Kingdom's foreign intelligence agency, MI6, recruits our daring youngster into its super-spy “00” program, training begins. However, instead of treading through the same tutorial missions where the game teaches you to run and jump and drive, IO opted for a montage, and it’s amazing. The scenes cut between Bond practicing and improving his marksmanship, parkour, hand-to-hand combat, and driving as weeks go by in his training. What impressed me here was the lack of any loading screens or stutters as scenes instantly switched to different locations entirely, as if I was watching a movie. This creativity is a trend I noticed in most levels, where there is some sort of gameplay or choreography mechanic being introduced to keep things interesting. Soon, the rest of the cast is introduced, bringing other agents that our favorite secret agent will be working with, the scientists and engineers that build MI6’s spy gadgets, as well as higher-ranking officers that either appreciate or (at best) tolerate Bond’s rebellious attitude. It’s a tight cast, all with incredibly good voice acting and personalities that quickly grew on me. The casting for Bond himself is also an excellent one. From showing his iconic soft spot for women to the condescending smiles that get a rise out of enemies, I had no issues getting immersed into this universe as this new face of James Bond. The missions take place in a wide range of locations as MI6 sends Bond to tackle dangers that are growing everywhere from the UK to Africa. These aren’t unrelated adventures where MI6 is sending secret agents, which is an angle I would love to see in another game, but a part of a bigger conspiracy affecting the entire world. Some of the twists and turns were all too predictable, and the character that Lenny Kravitz played made me cringe a little too much. But all in all, I enjoyed the campaign’s storyline that sets the stage for this new agent joining the illustrious “00” program. Plenty of Possibilities The third-person style of IO Interactive fits this role quite well. Bond is presented as a master at hand-to-hand combat as well as firearms, while also having a knack for being stealthy when required. Most sections of missions have a lot of freedom. This means I could beat up every goon and security guard on the way to an objective, slip past them without sounding a single alarm, or do a mix of both. My sessions usually end up with the third option because I tend to be impatient about waiting for a patrol to move. Drawing from its Hitman genes, the developer almost always gives multiple routes for going through missions. Levels can be massive, sometimes sporting hundreds of NPCs going their own ways and having conversations. If my objective is to break into a security room on the third floor, I could look around for roof access, eavesdrop on conversations to find out where someone lost a key, create a distraction and pickpocket a guard for a keycard, sneak in through the vents, or simply kick down the offending door. I enjoyed the variety on offer, especially because the same solutions didn’t usually show up in different missions. Before heading out into a secret MI6 escapade, the gadget specialist of the branch walks Bond through the organization's latest and greatest achievements. This can be cool little devices like a laser built into the watch, a phone that fires poison darts, or a camera that emits a powerful shockwave. The choice of what can be taken into the mission is up to the player. I could usually find fresh routes or get out of tough situations with a punch or two, so I never had the feeling of missing out by not choosing the right equipment. It’s still a fun practice. Choosing the armaments before a mission enhanced the super spy feeling quite a bit. As I mentioned, stealth comes in as a very viable option for most of the missions, letting Bond sneak past foes or knock them out silently. While it is satisfying to clear entire areas of goons and walk away without any alarms, the way of accomplishing this could have been done better. Bond can lure enemies, sneak up and knock them out, or use a gadget to disorient them before dealing a nasty blow. Bodies cannot be moved or hidden afterward either. It’s a very simple system, which I wish were more exciting to pull off. Perhaps more stealth-orientated gadgets, distraction options, or multi-takedowns could have helped here, I think. Getting caught while attempting to be in stealth does not mean a game over. Other than getting into a fist fight, an interesting twist of 007 First Light is the bluffing option. While an enemy is confused as to what you are doing in a restricted location, Bond has the option to improvise and persuade them that you are exactly where you’re supposed to be. These are fun little dynamic interactions with unique dialog depending on the mission and location, giving a few extra moments for Bond to go past suspicious guards smoothly. It’s the first time I’ve witnessed this system in a game, and I hope to see more. License to Kill Bond isn’t just dealing with security guards or civilians. From time to time, entire gangs of gun-toting mercenaries show up in levels looking to take down our protagonist. It is then that License to Kill mode is activated for Bond, letting him use firearms with no restrictions. I was surprised by just how tight gunplay is in 007 First Light. The weapons feel powerful and satisfying to fire, with single bullets capable of taking down an enemy with a headshot. Ammo is scarce, and enemies don’t drop weapons with full magazines most of the time. This forces a hectic kind of gameplay where I am always advancing towards enemies to take their weapons after they are downed. Things like shooting legs to immobilize, aiming at the hands to make their weapon go flying, blowing up nearby fire extinguishers for cover, and using gadgets to halt a goon in their tracks while I reload, make up enjoyable levels. I had to hold back my disappointment when the enemy count in these action sequences dropped to zero and I had to go non-lethal again. Speaking of action sequences, First Light isn’t just offering sandbox levels to complete at the player’s own leisure either. Each level comes with specific linear and directed scenes to move the story forward and put Bond in tight situations. These usually end up with high-octane chases or driving sections, offering the chance to witness chaining explosions, hails of gunfire, and scripted parkour scenes that remind me of Mission Impossible movies more than Bond. Elements like seeing James Bond jump out of a plane without a parachute or drive through buildings in London inside a trash truck were fantastic and always left me at a high point when finishing a mission. The classic James Bond theme is sprinkled in here too, which only happens a handful of times in the game, but at just the right moments. Visuals and Performance Compared to Unreal Engine 5 games we are seeing nowadays, 007 First Light isn’t flexing a huge amount of realism when it comes to graphics. The models, textures, and effects all feel a little dated, with the starting mission that I mentioned being the most visually striking. However, the complete lack of stutters, the hundreds of NPCs that can be on screen without a single hitch, massive sandbox levels, and smooth transitions between them all play a part in making this an immensely immersive and complex experience. The in-engine cutscenes are gorgeous as well, offering an upgraded visual style and model detail over the gameplay sections. Animations are one aspect that jumps out at me about any new game, and First Light has nailed what a third-person action game should feel like. Walking, sneaking, and running all have a heaviness to them that I appreciate. Whenever Bond moves past a wall or a ledge, his arms reach out to lightly hold those structures until he moves away. NPCs actually react to my character and move out of the way. Even during melee combat or takedown animations, the fists impacting a body or a head hitting a wall all have that same weight. Even the more frivolous animations, like catching a gun in midair or chucking an empty one at a goon (yes, you can do that), are satisfying to pull off. Of course, the in-engine cutscene animations are remarkably well done too, with facial animations and the upgraded model details improving my engagement with the characters. I have an AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT 16GB paired with an eight-core Ryzen 7 3700X and 32GB of RAM, with the game running at 1440p resolution. Deciding to completely max out all the graphics options gave me a range of frame rates between 60 and 100 depending on the scene and level. While I did try to enable AMD FSR, which bumped up the frame rates by a good 20% at Quality mode, IO Interactive’s implementation of the technology wasn’t that great. Every corner and edge in levels began shimmering, and I was also seeing smearing issues in fast-moving sections. The title seemingly uses the older generation FSR 3.1 and not the machine learning-assisted FSR 4, leading to these artifacts. Unfortunately, there isn't a way to manually upgrade this right now either. I opted to turn off the upscaling and play the game in native 1440p to avoid problems. I would say the FPS range I was getting was an acceptable one for a single-player action game for my setup. I do wish there were an FOV slider option in the settings. While the camera is far enough back for my tastes in most situations in this third-person adventure, at times the perspective is far too close. When trying to look around quickly and spot targets, I realized I was getting a slight headache at times due to the use of an almost over-the-shoulder close-up camera. Conclusion Being James Bond in 007 First Light is a treat. Traveling around the world chasing conspiracies, using high-tech gadgets disguised as everyday accessories, and improvising on the spot to fool foes all give a fantastic feeling of being a super spy. For an origin story, IO Interactive has done a great job at introducing the character and his motives for doing what he does. The satisfying combat animation and fantastic voice acting are definitely high points, with the License to Kill moments being my favorite. Not being able to move bodies and the simplistic stealth of mechanics does hurt its presentation a little. The NPC logic and intelligence is easy to manipulate and trick, repeating the same actions over and over again if I keep making distractions. The lack of an FOV slider was also a pain (quite literally) at times, and the FSR implementation is quite poor. These are things I hope the studio will improve upon with updates. Even with its faults, IO Interactive and James Bond are a match made in heaven. The studio knows how to make a main character that oozes charm and competency while also leaning heavily into its Hitman experience to make gigantic levels with what looks like hundreds of NPCs roaming around. Being an origin story, IO’s Bond has a way to go before he becomes the highly effective agent we see in the movie world. I am hoping the studio will continue this series alongside its Hitman ventures going forward, just so we get to experience the journey for longer. 007 First Light is available on PC (Steam, Epic Games Store, and Xbox PC), Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5 for $69.99. This review was conducted on the PC version of the game provided by IO Interactive.
    • [Price Drop] PDF Expert for Mac v3 is still half off by Steven Parker Today's highlighted deal comes via our Apps + Software section of the Neowin Deals store, where for only a limited time you can save 42% on PDF Expert One-Time Purchase. PDFs remain the best way to transmit documents, but editing them isn't possible with standard Mac software. PDF Expert changes that, allowing you to edit PDF text, images, links, and outlines quickly and easily. Typo in a contract? Easy fix. Need to rework a complete section of a document? No problem. PDF Expert provides a series of essential functions that will transform the way you work with documents on your Mac. It recognizes text and OCR, makes edits, and fills out forms. And with the “Enhance” feature powered by AI, it will fix distortions, remove shadows and improve contrast so that even difficult-to-read documents look great. EDIT Change the text. Easily fix typos, update numbers, or add entire paragraphs Insert images. Update logos in a contract or add a new graph to a report Add links. Enrich your PDFs by linking to other pages or external websites ANNOTATE Highlight the important. Make the most valuable content stand out at a glance Comment on PDFs. Add text to PDFs, insert pop-up notes & write your thoughts in the margins Add stamps. Review documents with our set of stamps or create custom stamps for any workflow ORGANIZE Merge PDFs. Combine multiple files into one PDF document Manage pages. Add, delete, rearrange, or rotate PDF pages with ease Split PDFs. Extract pages from PDFs & save them as separate files CONVERT Convert to PDF. Turn JPG, PNG, Word, PPT, and Excel to PDF PDF to Word. Convert PDFs into editable Word documents PDF to image. Turn PDFs into JPG or PNG images PDF to Excel. Convert PDFs into Excel spreadsheets PDF to PPT. Save PDFs as PowerPoint presentations PDF to text. Convert PDFs into editable TXT files FILL OUT Fill out PDF forms. Easily fill out PDF forms by just clicking on them Sign documents. Add your signature to a PDF in a few clicks. Let customers sign documents with handy one-time signatures Redact PDFs. Blackout or erase confidential information from your documents RECOGNIZE TEXT OCR text in PDF. Recognize the text, so you can search, highlight & copy it Enhance scans. Fix distortions, remove shadows & improve contrast Crop & split pages. Split double-page scans into separate pages & remove undesired margins Good to know: Length of access: Lifetime Redemption deadline: redeem your code within 30 days of purchase Access options: Mac Max number of device(s): Unlimited usage on personal macOS devices Version: PDF Expert 3 for Mac (macOS) Updates: Get continuous support and bug fixes. Additional new features may come at an extra cost. PDF Expert One-Time Purchase normally costs $139.99, but you can pick it up for just $69.97 for a limited time, that represents a saving of $70 (50% off). For a full description, specs, and license info, click the link below. Deal Price One time cost now only $69.97 (was $139.99) 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. 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. 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.
    • Indeed - drives me mad - usually because Refresh is hidden in the full menu.
    • Firefox has had rounded corners for many years. I take it you're not a fan of modern browsers?
    • The problem is in the fundamentals of how businesses are allowed to operate and the change should happen in the basics and certain consumer friendly and moral practices should be enforced by law. This would fix so many things, not just this ages old default browser issue which is a tiny drop in the backut that includes a flood of privacy and other issues.
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