Win10 Downloads have started today (7/28)

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 28 Jul 2015 6:12 am

Microsoft has started downloading (but not activating/installing) the Win10 upgrade today.

Users on computer forums are reporting they have the download on both Win 7 and Win 8.1 systems.

My Win 8.1 system has the download. I'm not upgrading my Win 7 system so it does not have it.

To determine if you have the upgrade folder, look at your Operating System drive (usually the "C drive"). If you see a "$Windows.~BT" folder with todays date, that is the Win10 install files.

Pete Nicholls · Post by **Pete Nicholls** » 28 Jul 2015 7:05 am

yep, got them on mine too Jack dated today at 8:20am

Wiz Feinberg · Post by **Wiz Feinberg** » 28 Jul 2015 3:59 pm

If you have Nvidia video hardware, please delay your upgrade to Windows 10! A very recent forced Windows 10 update borked computers with this hardware.

Dave Potter · Post by **Dave Potter** » 28 Jul 2015 6:02 pm

Glad to have you guys who are on top of this.

My video hardware is Nvidia.

Thanks for the heads-up.

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 29 Jul 2015 2:26 am

FWIW, The system I have Win 10 V10240 (the RTM version) has an older NVIDIA GTS450OC video card and there are no problems.

The system is a triple boot, Win 7/8.1./10 and no problems with the latest NVIDIA version on any OS.

Dave Potter · Post by **Dave Potter** » 29 Jul 2015 4:55 am

Jack Stoner wrote:FWIW, The system I have Win 10 V10240 (the RTM version) has an older NVIDIA GTS450OC video card and there are no problems.

I just finished reading some of the forum discussions on this, and the problem seems to be mainly with multi-monitor set-ups, SLI set-ups, etc. But a common theme in the discussions is strong criticism of MS's new forced update policy, and specifically, forcing updates to third-party software, drivers, etc.

I agree with them. Security and vulnerability updates, and general fixes to the OS itself are one thing; forcing users to accept driver updates to their third-party hardware, which they may or may not want for whatever reasons, is inappropriate, and beyond MS's legitimate concern.

I've decided not to install Windows 10 at all until MS revises their forced update policy and accepts the reality that they've gone too far.

Wiz Feinberg · Post by **Wiz Feinberg** » 29 Jul 2015 8:36 am

I have uninstalled KB3035583 (an update which creates the Get Windows 10 nag icon) and changed my Windows Update settings to check for and notify me, rather than automatically download and install.

Later on, I will probably buy a full install copy of Windows 10 and dual boot into it when I want to play with it. Right now, this is my primary production computer for everything I do related to web development, email (POP3) and spam filter development, business card, document, flyer and spreadsheet printing and numerous other tasks with which I am happy the way things look and work under Windows 7.

I share b0b's issue with the Windows display changes. I rely upon the almost see-through Glass titlebars to locate various open browsers and folder windows and shortcut icons on the desktop. I use Windows Gadgets on a daily basis.

DG Whitley · Post by **DG Whitley** » 29 Jul 2015 11:19 am

Thanks for the warning Wiz, but I have a Radeon HD 5870 so maybe I'm OK.

I have had a vendor or two email me and tell me not to upgrade. I'm sorry, but it's not like Microsoft was sneaking this upgrade by anybody, this has been in the news for months, along with beta versions to test galore.

I may understand companies with complex software still having issues, but this simpler stuff I have, IMHO somebody dropped the ball and they want me to delay because of their issues. Happily, this is software I can get along without, so maybe less clutter on the HD.

My 2 cents, YMMV.

Dave Potter · Post by **Dave Potter** » 29 Jul 2015 12:02 pm

DG Whitley wrote:I'm sorry, but it's not like Microsoft was sneaking this upgrade by anybody, this has been in the news for months, along with beta versions to test galore.

I'm unsure if, by "this upgrade", you're referring to the Windows 10 OS itself, or the new forced update policy. But the issue is that by forcing users to accept pushed updates from Microsoft without any way to prevent them, Microsoft has to get them right, the first time. These forced updates are breaking some users' PCs, even to the point that attempting to recover using legitimate 3rd-party drive images have failed. That's unacceptable. I'm outta' this Win10 goat-rope till Microsoft does the right thing.

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 29 Jul 2015 12:04 pm

At this point in time, I am afraid up upgrading. Too many negative reports so far.

Dave Potter · Post by **Dave Potter** » 29 Jul 2015 12:28 pm

Richard Sinkler wrote:At this point in time, I am afraid up upgrading. Too many negative reports so far.

Yep. I've already followed Wiz's lead and uninstalled the Win10 nag update. MS is going to have a big problem on their hands if they keep forcing stuff on people that breaks their computers.

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 29 Jul 2015 3:22 pm

What is the "nag"?

Dave Potter · Post by **Dave Potter** » 29 Jul 2015 4:21 pm

Richard Sinkler wrote:What is the "nag"?

It's the "Get Windows 10 icon" that shows up in the tray - square white icon divided into 4 sections.

It appears once you've installed Windows Update KB3035583.

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 29 Jul 2015 4:38 pm

I have it, but I haven't installed the update yet. It has downloaded to my computer though. Is there a time limit on doing the actual installation? I wouldn't put it past Microsoft to have it contact MS to check the date and bomb out the installation if it is too far after a certain date.

Dave Potter · Post by **Dave Potter** » 29 Jul 2015 4:59 pm

Richard Sinkler wrote:I have it, but I haven't installed the update yet. It has downloaded to my computer though. Is there a time limit on doing the actual installation? I wouldn't put it past Microsoft to have it contact MS to check the date and bomb out the installation if it is too far after a certain date.

I don't know the answer to those questions. I don't see it on my PC yet, and as I posted, I've killed the process by deleting the update that makes it happen.

If mine had already downloaded, I think at this point, I'd just delete the download and the KB update that invites it, and wait till Microsoft gets their head straight.

Wiz Feinberg · Post by **Wiz Feinberg** » 29 Jul 2015 7:36 pm

Richard Sinkler wrote:I have it, but I haven't installed the update yet. It has downloaded to my computer though. Is there a time limit on doing the actual installation? I wouldn't put it past Microsoft to have it contact MS to check the date and bomb out the installation if it is too far after a certain date.

You have until July, 2016 to decide to accept the free upgrade. After that, if you don't allow it, the Oompa-loompas will come and confiscate your PC, leaving only a chocolate scribbled note, stating: "all you computer are belong to us!"

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 29 Jul 2015 7:46 pm

That's OK. I'm having trouble with that computer right now. It locked up and I had to do a hard shutdown. Now it only comes up to a black screen. This has happened before and fixed itself. We'll see if it comes up tomorrow.

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 30 Jul 2015 2:14 am

S..t! My Roland gear now will not install in Win 10. Originally, in an early Win 10 Preview version (must have been more 8.1 than 10) my recording interface unit was working. However, now with the "final" version (10240) it will not install.

Seems this is a problem with several (maybe all) Roland gear. I have two recording interface units, a Roland Studio-Capture and a Roland Octa-Capture and a Roloand Edirol PCR-500 MIDI keyboard. They all install and work properly in Win 8.1 (with Win 8.1 drivers from Roland). But they now fail in Win10 with Code 28.

Its not a major issue for me as I have Win 7 installed (dual boot with Win 10) and it works fine in Win 7 and I'm keeping the Win 7 install.

I'm not the only one, its been reported on the Cakewalk Sonar forum too.

Dave Potter · Post by **Dave Potter** » 30 Jul 2015 3:09 am

Wiz Feinberg wrote:You have until July, 2016 to decide to accept the free upgrade. After that, if you don't allow it, the Oompa-loompas will come and confiscate your PC, leaving only a chocolate scribbled note, stating: "all you computer are belong to us!"

Funny - I needed a laugh. And with Microsoft's nifty "take this update and love it" policy now, the "Oompa-loompas" might not be too much of a stretch.

I was initially optimistic that MS has been at this long enough to know how to get it right, and that optimism is gone now. Win10 is not ready for prime time, and I'm going to sit this one out.

Jon Light · Post by **Jon Light** » 30 Jul 2015 3:28 am

Confusion.

I installed a recommended update Tues.---KB2952664

Now I no longer have the 'nag' in my taskbar. It is gone.
I am definitely still Win7. When I go to Windows Update in Control Panel it still has the box telling me "Windows 10 upgrade reserved. We'll let you know....."
But the nag no longer lives on the taskbar.

Confusion.

Joe Glavey · Post by **Joe Glavey** » 30 Jul 2015 5:59 am

I have decided to stay with Win 7. Is it safe to delete the $Windows.~BT folder and all of it's files?

Wiz Feinberg · Post by **Wiz Feinberg** » 30 Jul 2015 10:05 am

Joe Glavey wrote:I have decided to stay with Win 7. Is it safe to delete the $Windows.~BT folder and all of it's files?

Yes, and uninstall KB3035583, which gets rid of the Get Windows 10 nag icon.

Dave Potter · Post by **Dave Potter** » 30 Jul 2015 12:15 pm

Wiz Feinberg wrote:Yes, and uninstall KB3035583, which gets rid of the Get Windows 10 nag icon.

....and then be ready for it to come back as a "new Windows update" - at least, it did on my PC. I declined to re-install it, and "hid" it.

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 31 Jul 2015 2:23 am

Well I upgraded the Win 8.1 install, on a dual boot Win 7/Win 8.1, to Win 10 last evening. So far, except for the Roland driver issues, it seems to have went well. My desktop appears with everything I had in Win 8.1. No crashes. I won't have too much time to mess with it today, but will tomorrow.

But, as I already have Win 10 (the release version 10240) from the Insider program on a separate PC (that has an NVIDIA Video Card) I had a couple of weeks to work with it.

The hardware on the system upgraded is:
ASRock Z77 Professional Motherboard
i7 3770 CPU
16 GB RAM
AMD Radeon HD7770 Video Card
Conventional LCD Monitor(not touch screen)
Samsung 850 EVO SSD drive

Charlie McDonald · Post by **Charlie McDonald** » 31 Jul 2015 6:24 am

I received my invitation today.
From some of Jack's reports concerining I'm not encourged.
I don't think it will be much different from 8.1.

How hard is it to make it a dual boot in case I want to give 10 the boot?
Do I make a partition in the hard drive?
I have a fresh drive image, still unsullied.

Don't want to lose my bass.