Microsoft’s long-awaited Windows 10 operating system went live on July 29th, 2015.  The OS purports to be a combination of the simplicity and ruggedness of Windows 7 with the better performance and features of Windows 8–with a whole lot of other new cool added stuff.

We’ve tested Windows 10 internally for many months and it’s good – in fact, it’s really good – on par with some of Apple’s best OS X releases.  But as with any new release there are a number of things to consider before taking the plunge:

Major benefits of Windows 10 compared to Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1

If you’re already running Windows 8/8.1, you will see these new major features:

• The Start Menu is back!
• Cortana is new and integrated with the OS and Edge web browser
• New Edge browser to replace Internet Explorer – it’s much faster and cleaner
• New core Modern apps for Weather, News, Sports, Finance, Mail, Calendar, etc. (The Weather and Mail apps are particularly great!)
• Virtual desktops/Task view is super handy
• Action Center gathers lots of computer settings and notifications in one spot (finally!)
• Better performance especially on older/limited hardware (to support inexpensive tablets)
• Very tight integration with Microsoft’s Cloud services (such as Office365)
• And a bunch of other really cool stuff especially around gaming and interfacing with mobile devices…

If you’re running Windows 7 you will notice all of the above and these features:

• Modern app support
• BitLocker drive encryption support in all versions by default
• Better performance
• Much, much faster bootup time

Should you Upgrade to Windows 10?

If your computer is supported directly by BDPNetworks:

• Don’t.
• We’ll upgrade your company’s computers in time to Windows 10 after we’ve worked with your management team and have cleared a number of compatibility and cost hurdles.
• We’ve blocked the casual ability for you to upgrade for the time being.
• It’s more important that you can continue working uninterrupted than throwing untested software on your network.
• Contact us with questions: [email protected]

If you’re upgrading a stand-alone computer that’s mainly used at home for non-work purposes:

1. Wait about a month for everyone else to iron the bugs out.
2. If the computer was purchased within the past 3-4 years, you’re probably OK to go.

Always be sure to:

• Make a full backup of your system before starting the upgrade process
• Have your original installation media (for operating system *and* applications) handy along with your license keys before upgrading
• Don’t upgrade until you are absolutely sure any of your software that you financially depend on is compatible with Windows 10!  Call the software vendor.

If you’re not particularly tech-savvy or your computer is pushing the four-year-old mark, it’s probably wiser to just purchase a new computer.

If you’re upgrading a computer used for work that is not managed by BDPNetworks:

1. Wait several months for everyone else to iron out the bugs.
2. Contact the software vendors of every piece of software that you financially depend on to confirm Windows 10 compatibility.
3. Make a full backup of your system before staring the upgrade process.
4. Have your original installation media (for operating system and applications) handy along with your license keys before upgrading