Windows 10 Managed Upgrade
Windows 10 is out and this is what you need to know
Windows 10 is free for one year to eligible clients. The deadline to get a copy free is July 29th 2016.
10 Reasons to Upgrade to Windows 10
Who are eligible clients
- Hardware is compatible
- Windows Versions 7, 8 and 8.1
- Genuine non pirated copies that are activated
- Windows 7, 8, 8.1 Enterprise is Excluded
- Windows RT/RT8.1 is Excluded
- Active Software Assurance Customers with volume licensing have a different upgrade path
If your computer is currently running Windows XP or Vista you can not make use of the free offer. You can purchase Windows 10 but we advise buying new hardware with Windows 10 included. Windows 10 compatibility is based on computers that came with Windows 7 and Windows 8. Performance will be a issue on very old hardware.
Why a managed upgrade with ComputerWorks
The software is free (for a limited period of time) so that instantly is a value of over $250 per machine (For Windows 10 Pro). But not all upgrades are smooth and it can go wrong. ComputerWorks will attempt to correct or fix any problems that arise from the upgrade. Important disclaimer, some software is not compatible and if the company that created the software does not update, it might not be possible to fix that. If anything goes terribly wrong during the upgrade process we can restore the PC to exactly the way it was before the upgrade. After the upgrade is complete if the client is unhappy with Windows 10 we can revert back to the way it was before the upgrade. Windows 10 has a assessment tool for compatibility. Its mostly effective but not perfect. We can never know for sure if a computer will be 100% compatible until after a upgrade is complete. Clients that choose to upgrade on their own and run into problems can call us to try and correct those problems.
Should you upgrade?
Yes, because this is the long term future. Microsoft is providing this as a free upgrade for one year because it is a platform change. Microsoft wants all users on it. Software being developed for Windows 10 using special components unique to Windows 10 will not be compatible with previous versions of Windows. While currently most software developers are creating software that is compatible with previous versions of Windows, some are choosing to only focus on Windows 10 development excluding compatibility with Windows 7 and 8. Additionally this is the Last Windows version with all future releases being updates to Windows 10. Microsoft does not have on the road map a Windows 11. This is it. Lastly Windows 7 main stream support ended in 2015. In 2020 updates and patches for Windows 7 will end as it has for Windows XP.
Privacy Concerns
The media has picked up stories about privacy issues with Microsoft. This is mostly to do with the wording in the license agreements. This is also a very big area that is misunderstood from the public. Traditionally the operating system license agreement didn’t include wording such as “We may automatically check your version of the software and download software updates of configurations changes, including those that prevent you from accessing the Services, playing counterfeit games, or using unauthorized hardware peripheral devices” or the issue of sending data to Microsoft and disclosing access required to microphones. It sounds scary but this is taken out of context. Windows 10 includes a lot of online services such as BING, OneDrive, Outlook, Skype and Xbox. Additionally new services like Cortana which allows you to talk to your computer to make your computer do things. So that part about counterfeit games for example applies to the Xbox component of Windows 10. Not the entire operating system as a whole. And the accessing of the mic and sending data to Microsoft is a feature of how Cortana works. It takes your voice sample, sends it to Microsoft to process and then returns the instructions back to the computer. So when you apply all the alarming elements in the license agreement to the different online services that now make up Windows 10 you get a clear picture that many of these issues are specific to areas that make use of online services, and function. Windows 10 does not spy on what you do as a general rule. Most of the wording have been used in individual agreements to each of those services for years and are not new. Its just new that its included in the Operating system agreement.
Contact Us:
For general information or to talk to one of our specialists you can call our office at 604-552-4008 any time between 8am to 5pm Monday to Friday. Out side of these hours you can leave a message and some one will reach out to you during our business hours. You can also send us an email to info@computerworks.ca. Please include your full name, your company and a phone number to reach you at. We try our best to reply promptly during our business hours.