The release of Windows 10 seems to be a happy marriage between Windows 7 and 8. It takes some of the best features from each version and combines them together. The Windows 7 “Start” menu has returned, replacing the entirely separate “Start screen” from Windows 8. However, you now have the ability to hold live tiles, as well as regular program shortcuts, which you can rearrange and customize as you could with the Start screen in Windows 8. Windows also intelligently presents you the apps used most frequently, along with an “All apps” button to see everything you have installed.
Another new addition is Microsoft’s Edge. This browser was built from the ground up for a new, fast web surfing experience in Windows 10. It has a clean interface and loads web pages quickly. It definitely an upgrade from Internet Explorer, and if IE is your personal choice of browser, you’ll definitely want to give this one a try. Unfortunately, Edge is still lacking a few features that the more established browsers have, such as support for add-ons/extensions, but those features will most likely be added in the future.
To play devil’s advocate, why shouldn’t you transition to Windows 10 quite yet? One reason would be application and driver support. Though Windows 10 is supposed to be pretty good about backwards compatibility (being able to run apps and drivers meant for previous versions of Windows), there is always the possibility that it won’t play nicely with things that weren’t designed specifically for this operating system. So if you’re still hanging onto Office 2003 or still have that old printer that uses a parallel port, you may want to hold off on Windows 10 until you’re able to upgrade your software and peripherals.
So, is the Windows 10 upgrade right for your PC? Based on my experience I would say “yes” in many cases. However, each computer and user has its own case and must be approached that way. Overall, Windows 10 is a good refinement and mixture of the last two previous operating systems with a smooth upgrade process.