Windows 10

Microsoft are moving to an Apple style OS platform, all be it with a disconnect from hardware that Apple don't have.

The issue is they need to move people off a myriad of various other license structures they have flip flopped between over the last decade. The OS wont be free, which is why we have this complicated upgrade situation at the moment. Give it a few years and it will be OK. Windows will just be "Windows" in the same way OSX is pretty version agnostic.
 
Despite all this lovely information, I would appreciate it is anyone can help me.

I am about to purchase a new small (11.6") Asus laptop which comes with the 'Bing' version of Windows 8, the activation code for which is already 'built-in' to the BIOS.

What I would like to do if to remove the hard drive, (before running anything at all) which will be immediately replaced with an SSD running a version of Linux, so I will have no need for Windows.

I would then like to install the 'new' hard drive into a Compal QAL30 laptop, which has a 'normal' BIOS and then to activate Windows on that, with an upgrade to Windows 10 either now or later... it doesn't really matter which.

However as I won't have an activation code I don't think I will be able to activate Windows anyway, although I suppose I could immediately create some 'recovery' files on a USB drive.

Presumably if I installed Windows 8 in the new Asus laptop first it would tell me what the activation code was, but if it is tied to the hardware in that machine, that probably wouldn't really help... even if I did install the Windows 10 preview, or apply for a later 'free' upgrade'... or would it?

Any ideas folk, as I don't really want to 'waste' a new and unused copy of Windows.

Thanks! :)
 
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You are purchasing a device with Windows pre installed. It is non transferable both legally and technically (even more so with the 'with Bing' version which is even more restrictive than standard OEM).

That Windows Licence only works on that laptop using the key in that UEFI BIOS.

On a related note, the 'with Bing' license is a stroke of genuius by Microsoft, or at least it would be if there wasn't the massive lack of apps for small touch devices.
 
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MagicBoy said:
Is that a thinly veiled insult?

I'll refer to you Steve Jobs making lots of sense nine years ago :
Click to expand...

fundamentally windows have different versions for different users. so why does a 5 year old need an enterprise version of W10 that supports advanced network administration and virtualisation when all the 5 year old wants to do is to run a few pre-school app and doodle some funny pictures...

Windows different versions makes sense. also it make sense in terms of selling hardware. bundle cheap basic OS with cheap laptop/desktops, the poorest can afford modern computing and get with the digital age.

do you think someone on or below min wage will be able to afford any version of mac??? how many people in the world can afford a new mac? without windows, probably more than 2/3 of the current world population which has access to the web won't be able to get online.

So seriously think about what Apple really stands for...just because Job is a snob and thinks everyone should conform to his ideology doesn't mean it is right.
 
Skeeter said:
You are purchasing a device with Windows pre installed. It is non transferable both legally and technically (even more so with the 'with Bing' version which is even more restrictive than standard OEM).

That Windows Licence only works on that laptop using the key in that UEFI BIOS.

On a related note, the 'with Bing' license is a stroke of genuius by Microsoft, or at least it would be if there wasn't the massive lack of apps for small touch devices.
Click to expand...

Thanks Skeeter... I was rather afraid that would be the case! :(

Will just have to hope that I can pick up a cheap copy of Windows 8, or wait and see if they offer an 'introductory offer' on Windows 10.

I just wish that I wasn't virtually 'forced' to pay for a Windows 8 license which I will never use... even though I guess the cost to the vendor was virtually nothing anyway!
 
pc-guy said:
fundamentally windows have different versions for different users. so why does a 5 year old need an enterprise version of W10 that supports advanced network administration and virtualisation when all the 5 year old wants to do is to run a few pre-school app and doodle some funny pictures...

Windows different versions makes sense. also it make sense in terms of selling hardware. bundle cheap basic OS with cheap laptop/desktops, the poorest can afford modern computing and get with the digital age.

do you think someone on or below min wage will be able to afford any version of mac??? how many people in the world can afford a new mac? without windows, probably more than 2/3 of the current world population which has access to the web won't be able to get online.

So seriously think about what Apple really stands for...just because Job is a snob and thinks everyone should conform to his ideology doesn't mean it is right.
Click to expand...

You are missing the point. Apple offered the single fully featured OS at the one low price. To compare - Vista Ultimate was $399 at the time.

Im purposely ignoring your Apple/Mac rant, it's completely out of context for the point I was making. If you want a fanboi flame war go have it somewhere else.
 
MagicBoy said:
Apple offered the single fully featured OS at the one low price
Click to expand...

Apple software and hardware are dependent. You can't buy OSX without buying a Mac, can you? So the cost of the OS is in the price of the device.

Microsoft are now doing the same, with the OEM Licensing and with Bing, except its cheaper. Can you get a Mac OSX touchscreen device for £50?
 
MagicBoy said:
You are missing the point. Apple offered the single fully featured OS at the one low price. To compare - Vista Ultimate was $399 at the time.

Im purposely ignoring your Apple/Mac rant, it's completely out of context for the point I was making. If you want a fanboi flame war go have it somewhere else.
Click to expand...

you lost the plot or something. since when is apple cheap? their OS was not cheap when compared with basic windows vista or XP at the time as I am sure 90% of mac users did not use all "the features". actually come to think of it what features that made Mac OS comparable to the Pro/Ultimate Windows? I believe mac OS only came in 1 variety, i.e. not the home/pro/business/ultimate but simply called basic. and they charged you effectively windows pro rate...so you were getting conned there already.

as per above post, you can't buy mac os and run on other hardware so you are effectively buying into apple's rip off hardware as well if you really like the software...
 
Mr Krugga said:
I've got a Samsung NP355V5C-A0EUK, with AMD A8-4500M and 6GB RAM, that I use as my spare notebook. The unit seems to run Windows 8 that it came with it just fine, however, if I do a fresh install of Windows 10, the operating system appears to have quite high latency and any action on it seems to be delayed. I made sure to install the most recent stable chipset + GPU drivers on it.

I have recently installed Windows 7 on it to make sure it's not hardware related, and that OS seems to be flying on it. Any idea what might be causing Windows 10 to run slow on my laptop?
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I have an NP355V5C S01UK (4600m, 8GB, 256 SSD + 1TB in optical caddy), noticed some odd behaviour on W10 preview. It's definitely slower in booting and general use than W7 and 8/8.1. Even opening the calculator all is grinding, so much so that using Google for basic stuff is actually quicker. Also, the AR3012 Bluetooth is only semi supported, which is very annoying (one build my mouse works, next it doesn't)
 
pc-guy said:
you lost the plot or something. since when is apple cheap? their OS was not cheap when compared with basic windows vista or XP at the time as I am sure 90% of mac users did not use all "the features". actually come to think of it what features that made Mac OS comparable to the Pro/Ultimate Windows? I believe mac OS only came in 1 variety, i.e. not the home/pro/business/ultimate but simply called basic. and they charged you effectively windows pro rate...so you were getting conned there already.

as per above post, you can't buy mac os and run on other hardware so you are effectively buying into apple's rip off hardware as well if you really like the software...
Click to expand...

It was just Mac OS X or Mac OS X Server.

It used to be $129 for Mac OS X then it eventually became $89 until eventually $30 for a release or two until free. I remember paying £75 to £85 for Leopard. I think Lion was the last paid version.

https://www.wikivs.com/wiki/Apple_Mac_OS_X_vs_Microsoft_Windows

http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2007/10/21/wye-wyg-windows-vista-vs-mac-os-x-leopard/

Oh, no. Mountain Lion was the last paid version.
 
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Skeeter said:
Apple software and hardware are dependent. You can't buy OSX without buying a Mac, can you? So the cost of the OS is in the price of the device.

Microsoft are now doing the same, with the OEM Licensing and with Bing, except its cheaper. Can you get a Mac OSX touchscreen device for £50?
Click to expand...

Where did I mention OS bundled with hardware or £50 tablets? The comparison was for the OS only - Leopard costing $129 for the single version vs $399 for the range topping Vista Ultimate back in 2007.

pc-guy said:
you lost the plot or something. since when is apple cheap? their OS was not cheap when compared with basic windows vista or XP at the time as I am sure 90% of mac users did not use all "the features". actually come to think of it what features that made Mac OS comparable to the Pro/Ultimate Windows? I believe mac OS only came in 1 variety, i.e. not the home/pro/business/ultimate but simply called basic. and they charged you effectively windows pro rate...so you were getting conned there already.

as per above post, you can't buy mac os and run on other hardware so you are effectively buying into apple's rip off hardware as well if you really like the software...
Click to expand...

You lost the plot? If you want a anti-Apple fanboi flame war go somewhere else.

The single version of leopard could be joined to a corporate network, had drive encryption, remote desktop capabilities, DVD playback and authoring. The list goes on and on. All features that MS held back for Vista Business and Ultimate.
 
Other than the desktops, MS have a few toes in the water with the Surface and Lumia ranges.

Closest thing I've seen to a Microsoft PC was a Viglen/Microsoft co-branded machine that PC World sold in the late 90s. Came stuffed with home/SOHO software and lots of MS peripherals.
 
I ended up having to wipe and clean install Windows 10 10130 last night after attempting the upgrade over 10074. After the upgrade I had all sorts of peculiar issues. One of the worst was when gaming. Games that were loading in either froze or were acting like they had no graphics card installed, but a bunch of other games were ok. I suspect this has a lot to do with the games not working being older and using DX9. I was also getting random freezes when using Windows, and downloading stuff from the web (the standalone 10130 .iso for example) would cause my PC to freeze for about a minute or so whilst the download started. I know it's a test version so I'm not too annoyed at having to reinstall, it didn't take long and it's all on a separate drive so it's no big deal, but I do hope MS sort out their update mechanism so that things like this don't happen in the future. If their entire new model for Windows is to be designed to work in this way, they had better get the update procedure bang on otherwise people are going to be having loads of issues after release.
 
CHokKA said:
I ended up having to wipe and clean install Windows 10 10130 last night after attempting the upgrade over 10074. After the upgrade I had all sorts of peculiar issues. One of the worst was when gaming. Games that were loading in either froze or were acting like they had no graphics card installed, but a bunch of other games were ok. I suspect this has a lot to do with the games not working being older and using DX9. I was also getting random freezes when using Windows, and downloading stuff from the web (the standalone 10130 .iso for example) would cause my PC to freeze for about a minute or so whilst the download started. I know it's a test version so I'm not too annoyed at having to reinstall, it didn't take long and it's all on a separate drive so it's no big deal, but I do hope MS sort out their update mechanism so that things like this don't happen in the future. If their entire new model for Windows is to be designed to work in this way, they had better get the update procedure bang on otherwise people are going to be having loads of issues after release.
Click to expand...

It's going to be a cat and mouse game once again. Driver Updates, Software Updates, Updates, Updates, Updates - et al.
 
MagicBoy said:
Where did I mention OS bundled with hardware or £50 tablets? The comparison was for the OS only - Leopard costing $129 for the single version vs $399 for the range topping Vista Ultimate back in 2007.l.
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Last time I checked we werent in 2007...

Having a rant about the cost of Windows now based on how much a 4 generation old version was sold for 8 years ago is a bit... odd.

But anyway, my point is OSX isnt free. You are paying for a license it as part of paying for a device, and then get upgrades for free. For most people this is how Windows 10 and beyond will work, but in the case of 'with Bing', the Windows license is litterally free, hence how manufactures can produce incredibly cheap small laptops and tablets.

What is currently the cheapest way to get OSX, coming from a starting point of nothing? £399 for a Mac Mini (without display/peripherals) or £999 for a Mac Pro, isnt it (at RRP prices)?

OSX updates are free, Windows 10 updates are free, they are now on a par with each other. But the price point for entry into each platform is significantly different. Windows is (can be) considerably cheaper.
 
The biggest issue that MS have vs Apple is that Apple know what hardware their OS is targetted for. MS have millions of combinations of hardware, so unless they start reducing the cost for certified drivers, and push for compulsory driver signing, the theory behind the updates is sound, but in practice people are going to run into issues.
 
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