Microsoft Windows 10: What is it?

 Windows 10 (Microsoft Windows 10)

Operating systems for laptops, tablets, embedded systems, and devices with internet access include Windows 10 from Microsoft.

In July 2015, Microsoft unveiled Windows 10 as a successor to Windows 8. Instead of submitting a brand-new, comprehensive operating system as a replacement, Microsoft has stated that it will continually update Windows 10.

Anyone adopting Windows 10 can natively update older PCs from Windows 7 or 8 to Windows 10, without the need for re-imaging or invasive, time-consuming system wipes and upgrade procedures. IT personnel or end users can upgrade from a prior version of Windows 10 by running the Windows 10 OS installer, which moves all programs and settings from the old OS to Windows 10. Organizations and customers have a variety of options for patching and updating Windows 10. To manually start a Windows 10 upgrade, IT staff or users can utilize the Windows Update Assistant. Alternatively, they can wait for Windows Update to automatically offer an upgrade when it is scheduled to run.

Windows 10 has built-in features that let corporate IT departments protect and manage devices running the operating system using mobile device management (MDM) software. Additionally, businesses have access to established desktop management tools like Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager.

A version of Microsoft's operating system called Windows 10 Mobile was created especially for mobile devices.

Windows 10 attributes

In Windows 8, Microsoft switched the Start Menu for Live Tiles, but in Windows 10, the classic Start Menu is back. However, a panel on the right side of the Start Menu still allows users to access Live Tiles and the touch-friendly Metro design.

On devices that support both, Microsoft Windows 10 Continuum enables users to switch between touchscreen and keyboard interfaces. The interface is automatically adjusted by Continuum when a keyboard is present.

Users may concurrently search the web and all local resources using Windows 10's integrated search capability.

With Windows 10, Microsoft Edge replaced Internet Explorer as the default web browser. Edge comes with features like Web Notes, which lets users annotate webpages, and Reading See, which lets users view particular websites without distracting advertising. The browser is directly integrated with Cortana, Microsoft's built-in digital assistant that is also part of Windows 10.

Both text and voice input are supported by Cortana, which works seamlessly with the Bing search engine. To tailor the OS experience to best meet users' requirements, it monitors and analyzes location services, communication history, email and text messages, speech and input customization, services and apps, and browsing and searches history. With the use of Group Policy settings, IT professionals may disable Cortana and some of its functionalities.

Security in Windows 10

Smartcards and tokens are examples of multifactor authentication technologies that are included in Microsoft Windows 10. Additionally, Windows Hello added biometric authentication to the operating system, enabling users to sign in using their fingerprint, iris, or face recognition.

Along with virtualization-based security capabilities like Isolated User Mode, Windows Defender Device Guard, and Windows Defender Credential Guard, the operating system also has them. To lessen the impact of any assaults, these Windows 10 features maintain the isolation of data, programs, and user credentials.

Additionally, Windows 10 has increased BitLocker encryption capabilities to safeguard user data while it travels between PCs, storage devices, emails, and cloud services.

Windows 10 hardware specifications

• For a PC or 2-in-1 device, the minimum hardware requirements for Windows 10 are:
• Processor: A system-on-a-chip (SoC) running at 1 GHz or faster (SoC)
• RAM: 32-bit requires 1 GB, 64-bit requires 2 GB.
• 16 GB for 32-bit OS on the hard drive For a 64-bit OS, 20 GB
• Graphics card: Windows Display Driver Model 1.0 and DirectX 9 or later

A smartphone must have a Trusted Platform Module, Unified Extensible Firmware Interface, 1 GB RAM, 8 GB flash storage, 32 bits of color per pixel, and a 720p screen resolution to run Windows 10 Mobile. A Qualcomm Snapdragon SoC is also necessary for smartphones.

Upgrades to Windows 10

There are two ways for IT professionals and end users to upgrade from Windows 7 or 8.1 to Windows 10. The Get Windows 10 program may be installed and used as one option. The alternative is to update to Windows 10 using an image file with a specific set of settings and programs.

Microsoft only formally supports a clean install of Windows 10 when moving from Windows XP, when nothing is carried over. Because XP is such an outdated operating system, application and device compatibility issues may arise while upgrading the OS.

The Assessment and Planning Toolkit from Microsoft may be used to assess how prepared current Windows versions and systems are for an upgrade.

Updates for Windows 10

When and how Windows 10 devices receive updates are determined by four licensing structures known as branches.

Only participants in the Microsoft Insiders Program have access to the Insider Preview Branch. With the help of this branch, IT pros may obtain the most recent Windows 10 upgrades before the general public can, giving them more time to test the newest features and assess compatibility.

Any Windows 10 device that is online and has Windows Update turned on receives updates immediately thanks to Current Branch, which is built for consumer electronics.

For Windows 10's Professional, Enterprise, and Education versions, there is a business-oriented option called Current Branch for Business. It has eight months to implement the most recent upgrade after four months of previewing it. The eight-month deadline for updating IT must be met to maintain Microsoft support.

It has the most influence over the Long Term Servicing Branch (LTSB), which is oriented toward systems that cannot afford downtime for routine upgrades, such as emergency room gadgets and automated teller machines. Every two to three years, the LTSB provides full OS updates to IT. The upgrade may be postponed by IT for up to 10 years. If IT does not upgrade in ten years, Microsoft support is lost.

Security and stability upgrades, which close security gaps, guard against threats, and ensure the OS keeps running properly, continue to be released regularly regardless of whatever update branch a company employs.

History and reception of Windows 10

Although Windows 8 provided a new touch-enabled, gesture-driven user interface similar to those on smartphones and tablets, it did not work well on conventional desktop and laptop PCs, especially in business environments. Microsoft made an effort to fix this problem as well as other issues with Windows 8, such as the dearth of features geared at businesses, in Windows 10.

Microsoft released a technical preview of Windows 10 to a restricted set of people known as Windows Insiders the following month after the operating system was first unveiled in September 2014. In July 2015, Microsoft made Windows 10 generally available. Because of its more conventional interface, which mimics Windows 7's desktop-friendly design, consumers and IT professionals believe Windows 10 to be significantly more enterprise-friendly than Windows 8. The operating system also gained popularity thanks to enhanced efficiency over previous iterations of Windows, as well as efficient search features and the incorporation of Cortana.

The taskbar and Start Menu had some cosmetic changes as part of the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, which was released in August 2016. Additionally, it provided users with access to Cortana on the lock screen and offered browser extensions for Edge.

Microsoft introduced the Windows 10 Creators Update in April 2017, which improved the speed of the face recognition feature in Windows Hello and let users store tabs in Microsoft Edge to see at a later time.

To defend against zero-day attacks, Windows Defender Exploit Guard was added with the October 2017 release of the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update. The upgrade also made it possible for users and IT to switch background running programs to an energy-efficient mode, extending battery life and enhancing performance.

Microsoft started experimenting with various virtual keyboard and desktop layouts for convertible device user interfaces in August 2019, moving away from the "Tablet Mode" option.

issues with privacy in Windows 10

Microsoft gathers a variety of data from Windows 10 users, such as contact lists, passwords, user names, IP addresses, information on security settings and crashes, as well as information on website visits and IP addresses.

The data that Microsoft obtains can be restricted by IT and users. The amount of telemetry data that Windows 10 transmits back to Microsoft is controlled by three settings: Basic, Full, and Enhanced. The default setting, enhanced, sends the most data back, but users or IT may choose either of the other two alternatives with ease. Users of Windows 10 Enterprise and Education can also disable telemetry data.

However, Microsoft anonymizes all the data and does not really read the content of users' chats. According to the company's privacy policy, data collecting is done to enhance efficiency and the user experience.

Disabling data sharing through privacy settings is another method that IT specialists and end users may restrict data collection. Group Policy settings can be used by IT to restrict the information that leaves devices.

What distinguishes Windows 10 from earlier releases?

The previous version of Windows, Windows 8, was criticized by many consumers for being complicated and challenging to use. As a result, Windows 10 has an outdated appearance and feel. However, it has several updates and new features.

Start menu

Windows 10 has brought back the more conventional Start menu, in contrast to Windows 8, which launches apps from the Start screen. Additionally, it has been improved to make it simpler to locate crucial apps.

Microsoft Edge

The goal of this new browser is to improve the Web experience for Windows users. It has many new features, is quicker, and is more secure. Although Microsoft Edge is designed to take the role of Internet Explorer as your primary web browser, you may still use another one if you'd like.

Cortana

You may converse with this virtual assistant via your computer's microphone, just like you can with Siri and Google Now. Cortana can provide simple services like reminding you to take out the trash, provide answers to inquiries like What's the weather like today, and much more.

Task view and many desktops

You can transfer some of your windows to a virtual desktop to get them out of the way rather than having everything open on the same desktop. Additionally, managing all of your open windows is made simple with the new Task view function.

Movement Center

In comparison to earlier Windows releases, the new Action Center is much different. It has been enhanced, for instance, to provide access to commonly used options like Wi-Fi connectivity and tablet mode. You may view significant alerts there as well, so if your computer gets an update, you'll be notified of it here.

tablet format

Windows 10 clearly distinguishes between desktops and tablets, in contrast to Windows 8. When utilizing a keyboard and mouse with Windows 10, the desktop mode is the default setting. You can switch to tablet mode whenever you want if your PC also includes a touchscreen. Tablet users can choose to return to desktop mode at any time.

Upgrade to Windows 10 is recommended.

As you can see, Windows 10 resembles earlier releases far more than Windows 8 does. Additionally, it is quicker and more secure, and Microsoft will continue to maintain it for several more years. You may upgrade to Windows 10 by buying it from Microsoft here 

if your machine is presently running Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 and fulfills the system requirements. 

We suggest updating your PC to Windows 10 if you can for all of these reasons. How to accomplish this will be covered in our course on upgrading to Windows 10.