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5 ways
Windows
10 fixes
annoyances
in
predecessor
By ANICK
JESDANUN
AP
Technology
Writer
NEW YORK
- It
took me
just a
weekend
to get
comfortable
with
Microsoft's
new
Windows
10
operating
system,
something
I never
did with
its
predecessor,
Windows
8, even
after
nearly
three
years.
With
Wednesday's
update,
Windows
no
longer
feels
jarring,
as
though
I'm
using
two
different
computers
at once.
Best
part:
This
update
is free.
Windows
8 was
Microsoft's
way of
modernizing
personal
computers,
as
smartphones
and
tablets
grew
more
popular.
But it
came
across
as
trying
to shove
a square
peg into
a round
hole. It
steered
people
toward
tablet-like
touch
commands,
even on
desktops
and
laptops
that had
keyboards
and
mouse
controls.
Apps
that
weren't
designed
for
touch -
including
Microsoft's
Office -
got
shoved
into the
basement,
known as
desktop
mode.
Desktop
mode and
tablet/touch
mode
were
like
feuding
siblings,
each
seeking
to
dominate
in a
high-stakes
tug of
war.
With
Windows
10,
everyone
gets
along.
There
are
still
separate
desktop
and
tablet
modes,
but you
largely
stick
with one
or the
other
depending
on
whether
you have
a
keyboard.
(Microsoft
skipped
Windows
9, by
the way,
as
though
to
distance
itself
from
Windows
8 and
its
criticisms.)
Although
there
are a
few
reasons
to hold
off
upgrading,
which
I'll
explain
below,
Windows
10 is
better
than
Windows
8 in
many
ways:
---
WINDOWS
APPS
OPEN AS
WINDOWS
Apps for
Windows
8 were
designed
to take
up the
full
screen,
just
like
tablets.
Although
you
could
split
the
screen,
apps
could be
placed
only
side by
side,
not top
to
bottom,
as you'd
probably
want
when
having
email
and
streaming
video
open at
once.
With Mac
computers
and
previous
versions
of
Windows,
you can
resize
windows
however
you
like.
With
Windows
8, that
was
limited
to apps
that
hadn't
been
adapted
for
touch -
the ones
kept in
the
basement,
segregated
from the
newer
apps.
Windows
10
restores
resizing
for all
apps,
touch or
not. It
sounds
cosmetic,
but it
makes a
big
difference
in
fitting
in with
your
workflow.
---
SINGLE
START
SCREEN
With
Windows
8, the
corner
start
button
in
desktop
mode got
you to a
full-screen,
graphical
start
page in
tablet
mode.
You had
to
return
to the
desktop
mode to
run an
older
app,
even
though
you were
sent to
tablet
mode to
launch
it.
With
Windows
10, the
start
button
functions
the way
it did
with
Windows
7 and
earlier.
The
graphical
start
page
from
Windows
8 is
embedded
in that
start
button,
so that
it feels
modern
without
making
you
chuck
old
habits.
You can
still
get a
full-screen
start
page,
but it's
not
forced
on you.
---
SINGLE
BROWSER
Internet
Explorer
is gone,
replaced
by Edge.
You get
some
functional
improvements,
such as
a
virtual
marker
to draw
arrows
or
circle
an entry
on a Web
page to
share
over
email,
Facebook
and
other
means.
Even
better,
you no
longer
have
separate
browsers
for
desktop
and
tablet
modes.
With
Windows
8, when
you
opened a
website
in
desktop
mode, it
didn't
show up
in
tablet
mode.
You had
to open
it
again.
With
Windows
10, it's
a
unified
browser,
so you
pick up
where
you
leave
off if
you
switch
modes.
Some
websites,
including
those
from
Google,
aren't
as
smooth
on Edge
as they
are on
other
browsers,
but the
problem
might be
limited
to
Microsoft's
Surface
tablets.
The
sites
work
better
on an HP
laptop
upgraded
to
Windows
10. You
can
still
get
Windows
10 on
Surface
and
install
a
different
browser,
such as
Google's
Chrome.
---
BORROWING
FROM
PHONES
While
Windows
8 tried
too hard
to adopt
features
from
mobile
devices,
Windows
10
brings
two
features
that
make
sense.
- An
Action
Center
offers
quick
access
to
settings
such as
Wi-Fi,
brightness
and
"quiet
hours" -
a way to
suspend
notifications
and
sounds
if, say,
you're
giving a
presentation.
-
Cortana,
the
voice
assistant
akin to
Google
Now and
Apple's
Siri,
comes to
Windows
PCs.
Because
you
might
feel
awkward
talking
to your
computer,
you have
the
option
of
typing
in
commands,
such as
"Remind
me to
get
milk."
Cortana
is
integrated
with the
Edge
browser,
too.
Right-click
to ask
Cortana
to
define a
word or
provide
a
restaurant's
hours of
operation.
A
Cortana
window
temporarily
slides
over
with
that
nugget
of
information
so you
don't
clutter
your
browser
with
opened
tabs.
---
LAPTOPS
WORK ON
THE GO
As
Microsoft
shifts
its
focus to
online
services,
it has
been
steering
users to
store
files on
its
OneDrive
online
storage
service.
As with
Dropbox
and
Google
Drive,
OneDrive
typically
keeps
copies
of all
your
files on
your
computer
so you
have
them
while
offline.
Any
changes
you make
sync
with the
service
once
you're
back
online.
That
changed
with
Windows
8.
Copies
were
grabbed
from the
Internet
only
when you
needed
them,
which
meant
files
weren't
always
available
when
using
laptops
on the
go, away
from
Wi-Fi.
Windows
10
restores
the
approach
of
keeping
copies
of
everything,
unless
you
limit
that
because
you're
low on
storage.
---
SHOULD
YOU
UPGRADE?
I've
been
using a
pre-release
version
of
Windows
10 for a
month
without
major
problems.
As with
any
upgrades,
make
sure
your
favorite
apps and
accessories
will
work, as
it might
take
time for
outside
developers
and
manufacturers
to catch
up.
Microsoft's
Get
Windows
10 app
will
check
for
known
problems.
Back up
your PC
first.
If
you're
using a
low-end
"Home"
version
of
Windows,
Microsoft
will
turn on
future
updates
automatically
once you
get
Windows
10. That
is
normally
a good
thing,
especially
as
Microsoft
plans to
add
features
regularly,
rather
than
wait for
the next
major
release.
But
automatic
updates
might
surprise
you with
incompatible
apps and
accessories.
You
might
want to
wait a
few
months
to see
whether
these
automatic
updates
cause
any
meltdowns
for
others.
In
addition,
Windows
7 users
who use
Windows
Media
Center
or have
DVD
players
might
need to
find
replacement
software
first.
The free
Windows
10 offer
is good
for a
year, so
there's
no rush.
The case
is
easier
for
those
using
Windows
8,
including
the Home
version.
The
experience
is much
better,
making
any
potential
upgrade
hassles
worth
it.
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