These are the things Microsoft needs to improve in Windows 10
I have used Windows 10 in one form or another ever since Microsoft released the first public preview build of the operating system.
While I like it more than Windows 8, it feels like an incomplete operating system in several regards as if Microsoft rushed the operating system to get it out in time for the Holiday season.
Windows 10 has some glaring issues with privacy probably the one overshadowing everything else. We have talked about privacy in length here on Ghacks and while things are definitely worse than in previous versions of Windows, most of them can be fixed with privacy tools.
This article is not about privacy but about features or programs that feel incomplete or disappoint because of a lack of functionality.
Microsoft Edge
Microsoft's Internet Explorer replacement lacks many options and features that have been part of mainstream browsers for a long time that it is difficult to list them all in a single article.
It lacks customization options, settings in general, management options to control things like cookies on the system, or tools to display information about sites you visit.
And that does not even take into accounts features such as extensions that were not the strong suite of Internet Explorer.
Microsoft is working on Edge and one of the things that the company will release soon is extensions support. It is still too early to tell how this will look like and how well it will work though.
Windows Apps and Store
If you run Windows apps regularly on your system then you have probably experienced crashes, slow downs and other issues related to apps already.
We have covered this before in Microsoft needs to fix Windows Store and the universal app platform already.
The whole universal apps system seems highly unstable at this point in time. Two of the apps crashed constantly of the ten or so applications I reviewed today for this week's best of Windows apps article over on Betanews so that I gave up on them and did not mention them in the article.
Windows Store offers similar functionality as Google Play by displaying curated lists on the frontpage and in categories which reduces a user's ability to discover apps greatly.
The problem that Windows Store has is one of size (availability of premium apps) when compared to other big stores out there plus it is largely ignored by desktop users who have often access to better choices in form of programs or web applications.
The Start Menu
The start menu is an improvement over Windows 8's Start Screen, at least on the desktop. As a desktop user however, I find it lacking in many regards.
First, these tiles don't make a whole lot of sense on the desktop regardless of whether they are live tiles or static tiles.
I don't need big squares in the start menu as I can move and click precisely where I want using the mouse.
I can see the advantage on mobile devices where you use your finger to activate these but on the desktop, they are not useful in my opinion.
Live tiles are fairly useless on the desktop as you need to open the start menu first to see them at all. Even then, you are probably not opening the start menu to find out what's new in the Pictures application or News, as there are better ways to do so. Plus, you would have to keep the start menu open if you want to get a constant stream of updates.
The start menu lacks customization options apart from that. Why is the All Apps link above the "power" options link? Why cannot I resize the start menu to my liking (there is a limit that you cannot go beyond)? Why cannot I reorder items?
Settings and Control Panel
Two tools to manage settings of the operating system. This is just confusing and will get even weirder once Microsoft decides to move more Control Panel tools to Settings.
There should only be one central tool to manage core System settings. I never found the Control Panel to be very appealing and would not mind using Settings completely, but Microsoft should make up its mind and stick with that decision.
Search is broken
Search in Windows 10 fails to work at times for some users. It is unclear why and how, only that it is an issue that is affecting more than just a handful of users. While there is a fix for the issue, it is only temporary and needs to be applied whenever search fails.
Since searching is essential, it is quite the problematic bug.
Now You: What's your take on Windows 10's overall state?
What mental age of reader are you targeting with the first sentence? 10?
Why not write an article on how to *avoid* upgrading from W10 to W11. Analogous to those like me who avoided upgrading from 7 to 10 for as long as possible.
If your paymaster Microsoft permits it, of course.
5. Rufus
6. Ventoy
PS. I hate reading these “SEO optimized” articles.
I used Rufus to create an installer for a 6th gen intel i5 that had MBR. It upgraded using Setup. No issues except for Win 11 always prompting me to replace my local account. Still using Win 10 Pro on all my other PCs to avoid the bullying.
bit pointless to upgrade for the sake of upgrading as you never know when you’ll get locked out because ms might suddenly not provide updates to unsupported systems.
ps…. time travelling?
written. Jan 15, 2023
Updated • Jan 13, 2023
This happens when you schedule a post in WordPress and update it before setting the publication date.
Anyone willing to downgrade to this awful OS must like inflicting themselves with harm.
I have become convinced now that anybody who has no qualms with using Windows 11/10 must fit into one of the following brackets:
1) Too young to remember a time before W10 and W11 (doesn’t know better)
2) Wants to play the latest games on their PC above anything else (or deeply needs some software which already dropped W7 support)
3) Doesn’t know too much about how computers work, worried that they’d be absolutely lost and in trouble without the “”latest security””
4) Microsoft apologist that tries to justify that the latest “features” and “changes” are actually a good thing, that improve Windows
5) Uses their computer to do a bare minimum of like 3 different things, browse web, check emails, etc, so really doesn’t fuss
Obviously that doesn’t cover everyone, there’s also the category that:
6) Actually liked W7 more than 10, and held out as long as possible before switching, begrudgingly uses 10 now
Have I missed any group off this list?
You have missed in this group just about any professional user that uses business software like CAD programs or ERP Programs which are 99% of all professional users from this list.
Linux doesn’t help anyone who is not a linux kid and apple is just a fancy facebook machine.
Microsoft has removed KB5029351 update
only from windows update though
KB5029351 is still available from the ms update catalog site
1. This update is labaled as PREVIEW if it causes issues to unintelligent people, then they shouldn’t have allowed Preview updates ot install.
2. I have installed it in a 11 years old computer, and no problems at all.
3. Making a big drama over a bluescreen for an updated labeled as preview is ridiculous.
This is probably another BS internet drama where people ran programs and scripts that modified the registry until they broke Windows, just for removing stuff that they weren’t even using just for the sake of it.
Maybe people should stop playing geeks and actually either use Windows 10 or Windows 11, but don’t try to modify things just for the sake of it.
Sometimes removing or stopping things (like defender is a perfect example) only need intelligence, not scripts or 3rd party programs that might mess with windows.
Windows 11 was a pointless release, it was just created because some of the Windows team wanted to boost sales with some sort of new and improved Windows 10. Instead, Microsoft cannot support one version well let alone two.
Windows 11 is the worst ugly shame by Microsoft ever. They should release with every new W11 version a complete free version of Starallback inside just to make this sh** OS functionally again.
motherboard maker MSI has recently released a statement regarding the “unsupported processor” blue screen error for their boards using Intel 600/700 series chipsets & to avoid the KB5029351 Win11 update:
https://www.msi.com/news/detail/MSI-On–UNSUPPORTED-PROCESSOR–Error-Message-of-Windows-11-Update-KB5029351-Preview-142215
check out the following recent articles:
Neowin – Microsoft puts little blame on its Windows update after UNSUPPORTED PROCESSOR BSOD bug:
https://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-puts-little-blame-on-its-windows-update-after-unsupported-processor-bsod-bug/
BleepingComputer – Microsoft blames ‘unsupported processor’ blue screens on OEM vendors:
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/microsoft-blames-unsupported-processor-blue-screens-on-oem-vendors/
While there may be changes or updates to the Windows 10 Store for Business and Education in the future, it is premature to conclude that it will be discontinued based solely on rumors.
My advice, I left win 15 years ago. Now I’m a happy linux user (linuxmint) but there is Centos, Fedora, Ubuntu depending on your needs.
motherboard maker MSI has recently released new BIOS/firmware updates for their Intel 600 & 700 series motherboards to fix the “UNSUPPORTED_PROCESSOR” problem (Sept. 6):
https://www.msi.com/news/detail/Updated-BIOS-fixes-Error-Message–UNSUPPORTED-PROCESSOR–caused-BSOD-on-MSI-s-Intel-700-and-600-Series-Motherboards-142277
I try to disable the Diagnostics Tracking Service (Connected Devices Platform User Services) but it wont let me disable it, any help will be greatly appreciated.
Tank you for your help