Windows 7 holdouts: Why diehard users refuse to move to Windows 10 - singletonbectinced

Rejoice, Windows fans. Windows 10 is at long last here and information technology's chock full of rococo spic-and-span features like Cortana, Task Look at, windowed modern UI apps, and the return of the Start computer menu. But despite the excitement—and the freed ascent for Windows 7 and 8.1 users—not everyone is willing to make the jump to Microsoft's latest and greatest operating system.

Last week, we asked for input from anyone who was provision to go on the Windows 10 ascent. Afterward culling through with a ton of email, website and Facebook comments, atomic number 3 fountainhead as an acrobatic thread happening Sevenforums.com, we talked to some Windows 7 and 8.1 users WHO won't equal joining the Windows 10 party.

Why? For some, the move to Windows 10 would mean losing key functionality or bequest software.

For others, it comes down to the old axiom of "if IT ain't broke, don't fix it." Microsoft is no longer delivering feature updates to Windows 7, merely testament continue to support the OS with security patches until 2022. Windows 8.1 mainstream support ends in 2022.

Only with Windows 10, there is something that goes much deeper than a druthers for older systems versus the look and feel of the new OS. Umpteen users simply Don River't trust Microsoft's new-sprung way of life of doing business, or are wary of what the switch to Windows 10 means. For example, thither are concerns about the recently observed strained updates for family users, and fears of a potential difference subscription good example for Windows.

Read on to discover why everyday users like you and me are deciding to skip the Windows 10 upgrade party, honorable from their have mouths.

Information technology's small the way it is

If you ask me—and a mete out of other PCWorld writers—Windows 10 is a great OS and well worth the upgrade. But just as we saw with Windows XP users last year, there's a cell of Windows 7 and 8.1 users World Health Organization don't see the need to move on. Why mess with something that's stable and working perfectly, afterwards completely?

"I work fraught clock time and want the dwelling house IT world to be as trouble free as possible," says Dan Yurman, a project manager based in Ohio. "I Doctor of Osteopathy not want my Osmium experience to comprise a high wire act. The OS should live dull, unexciting, and just do the job of making sure the hardware can talk to the applications and vice versa." Yurman's plan is to bring Windows 10 into his life as the three PCs in his location need to be replaced. He had originally hoped to move single laptop to Windows 10, only the current upgrade snafu circumferent Nvidia GeForce drivers has him reasoning twice.

"Windows 7 is simply beautiful. I love to look at it every day, and I know where everything is in Windows 7," says Paul Citro, a subroutine library specialiser from Florida. "Windows 7 meets my needs. I date no reason to stop victimisation it."

It's non just Windows 7, either. Close to citizenry are sticking with Windows 8.1 despite the advantages of windowed mod UI apps and the recall of the Start menu. Ironically, Start menu replacements such equally Classic Shell and Start8 are often cited away these folks as the reasonableness for transient on the upgrade. Matt James, a Boreal Golden State-based down midsection schoolteacher and individual-described hardcore gamer sums up the sentiments of Windows 8.1 holdouts: "I love Windows 8.1 now that I added a program that returns my Start menu and got rid of of the Underground dust. It now works like Windows 7 and has the good things that are part of Windows 8."

The death of the HTPC

Much of people out there are non inclined to resign happening Windows 7 because of Windows Media Focus on—Microsoft's entertainment PC software program. Microsoft released an updated edition of WMC with Windows 7, but only kept the old interpretation for Windows 8 and 8.1. Then in May, Microsoft gave WMC its marching papers, saying the aging software package would non be compatible with Windows 10.

"Windows Media Center is vital to my nursing home house experience on my foursome TV-attached PCs," says Gayle Snedecor, a chemical engineer based in Houston, Texas. "They all cooperatively show all I ask them to on four network attached ATSC tuners and four satellite boxes, and then share what they've recorded to the otherwise ones. I can watercourse Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, etc. through add-ins. I consume screensavers of all my family photos, and have my 30,000 tune library immediately available on either one. I have got memory access to all my movies through with ripped DVDs and Windows Home Server."

Eric Dunn of Stafford, Virginia offers a similar countersink-up.

"I use up [WMC] with a half-dozen tuner card and a cable card from my provider of choice," He says. "I potty past teem directly (even locked programs, care HBO) to any Xbox in my house. I effectively get four HD set pinch boxes in my house without having to pay the $15-$20 for each of them. I derriere flesh out how more than I want to commemorate by only adding external terabyte drives to my located up. That doesn't even get into the portability of the shows, the ability to get add-ons that will edit out commercials if you like, how you can modify the fast forward/instant rewind multiplication, you said it intelligent WMC is in transcription shows you may have uncomprehensible at the next opportunity."

Nearly 25 percent of people we talked to via email cited WMC as the biggest reason not to act on to Windows 10. That likely doesn't reflect WMC's popularity happening a global or even national scale, but among the enthusiast community WMC is clearly a big deal.

Further recital: Here's what Windows 10 won't change: Windows 8's plans to tie you to Microsoft services

The PC is non a phone

Let's make up honest: Whole-screen modern UI apps on Windows 8 and 8.1 right never worked happening keyboard-and-mouse PCs. Microsoft improves that in Windows 10 away bringing spinal column the Start menu and allowing apps from the Windows Memory boar to run for in a regular desktop windowpane.

Nevertheless, some users just don't want to see the Bodoni font UI at all. "Live tiles are a deal orca for Maine," says Mike Winkler, an generator and security measures technology specialist. "They are non only a bad feature, they are actively harmful to my PC feel for."

Mark Hachman

Windows 10's Start carte mixes the Windows 7 feel with Windows 8's live tiles.

Winkler says his most "mission critical" piece of equipment is a Windows 7 desktop with a multi-ride herd on set-up, and he doesn't want the built-in distractions that live tiles offer. "Microsoft is making the alarming mistake of thinking we want to use our laptops, workstations, and tablets for the same things," atomic number 2 said.

"It just doesn't feel like one unified, flowing experience," Hawaii Island-based computer technician and DJ Grover Inks said. "Wherefore couldn't they have just improved the stability of Windows 7 and started adding things like the app store and recently features but kept IT tactile sensation like one system?"

Nigh those updates…

Different previous versions of Windows that always had a "finished" gold version, Microsoft is moving to a more iterative unconscious process, where feature updates and tweaks are continually rolled out.

Only that works only if as many PCs Eastern Samoa possible stay current with the latest updates. Thereto end Microsoft is doing something truly new by limiting the ability of home users to decide when and how they update their machines. Windows Pro users can delay updates for capable eight months, but home users are stuck with all but-immediate updates.

Many people hate this theme, particularly with Microsoft's history of bad updates that bork your system—let alone the rule of user control. "I'm not conflicting to any updates to any apps/OS's just one matter I do demand is that I control when and what those products update to," Richard Foulkes, a retiree from Mesquite, Nevada told us.

"I don't want Microsoft to military unit things on Pine Tree State that I might not desire," says William Dancosse, a retiree in Vernon, Connecticut. "There has to atomic number 4 millions of others who feel the homophonic way."

Windows 10 Home users can't opt out of Windows Updates, but leastwise they can select when to schedule a reboot for their systems.

Some users fear Microsoft's unscheduled updates could hit them right in the pocketbook. "I have a bunch of rural customers on satellite that won't upgrade unless Windows updates can be regular to download between midnight and 5 A.M. when their information allowance isn't striking," Florida-settled John Warren, told us on Facebook. "Even out with Windows 7 you have to cut auto-updates and schedule a book to run hand-operated checks during off-peak hours."

Robert the Bruce Crellin, who spends a lot of time traveling the res publica in his RV, offers a similar story. "We have a 10 gigabyte per calendar month data be after split between 2 laptops and two smart phones. If I can't curb what Microsoft pushes tabu to us, I could acquire stuck with old charges. Unless they back sour automatic updates, I have no interest in Windows 10."

Concerns that Windows 10 will putting to death data caps may pass in the coming months, as multitude get more active meter with the new OS. Windows 10 users on a metered connection tail end choose when to download updates. For some connections, Windows 10 will mechanically detect when it's metered, only you fanny also manually go down your Badger State-Fi connection as a data-capped connection.

The misunderstanding about how updates process should be blamed squarely on Microsoft, which hasn't been equally forthcoming equally it should be with minor but strategic details like this.

Broke communication isn't particular for Microsoft's Windows 10 push. Take the society's reluctance to comment on how long we force out expect to see Windows updates on individualistic machines. Until last week, the company only said that updates will roll for the supported lifetime of your device. The truth is more time-honoured.

Subscriptions?

That failure to communicate International Relations and Security Network't just galling, it results in comments like those from Joan Mitchell, a former paysheet clerk living in the southern U.S. World Health Organization sees a subscription model looming for Windows 10, quasi to what Microsoft offers with Function 365 for home and business enterprise. "The only advantage I see to having the subscription model [for Windows 10] is so that Microsoft can bilk more money out of their users," Mitchell said via email. "There is nobelium way I will ever pay a monthly fee to habit any software."

"I have it off they say information technology's not going away to chance, but IT would be an easy step to make this a subscription OS," PCWorld reader Carl Forster commented.

If I were the betting type, I'd wager beautiful strongly that Microsoft won't turn Windows 10 into a subscription model—at least for current users. Nevertheless, the construct of "Windows as a serve" has many people wary of Microsoft's intentions.

Should you switch?

If you're happening the fence about upgrading, this article whitethorn have positive you not to join the Windows 10 revolution. But let's take a step back for a second. As we said in our go over of Windows 10, this new OS is "a sizeable melioration over both of Microsoft's prior operating systems."

At that place's a lot to passion about Windows 10. Task View and the virtual desktops are a great addition for anyone without a multi-monitor set-ascending. Cortana doesn't quite a have the smarts of Google Straight off but buttocks still delight; the revamped Process Center is a welcome upgrade from preceding versions in Windows; and DirectX 12 has the potential to revolutionize Personal computer gaming.

That said, it always pays to proceed slow when upgrading to a refreshing operating arrangement. You'll lack to make fated your computer maker has computer hardware drivers ready to go for Windows 10, and you should check for any known upgrade issues for your device model. All of the information you indigence should be happening your twist manufacturer's website.

Beyond those hardware basics, we'll leave you with a handy checklist of questions for Windows 7 users pondering an upgrade, emended from a place by Sevenforums user Layback Bear.

• What testament Windows 10 do that Windows 7 won't do?
• What options does Windows 10 have that Windows 7 doesn't undergo?
• Do you want or need those added options?
• What user control answer you lose with Windows 10 (such as forced Windows Updates), and are you hunky-dory with that?
• Forget that you can download a free elevate for the future year. Would you bribe Windows 10 to upgrade your system?

On the far side answering those, run down PCWorld's "The Windows 10 upgrade: Who should Doctor of Osteopathy it, who could wait" for more honest, direct advice.

Source: https://www.pcworld.com/article/422718/windows-7-holdouts-why-diehard-users-refuse-to-move-to-windows-10.html

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