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Windows 10 editions - Wikipedia
The Interactive Service Detection service, introduced in Windows Vista to combat shatter attacks , is removed in HomeGroup, a home network sharing feature first introduced in Windows 7, is removed.
The Games Explorer, first seen in Windows Vista, has been removed. Launching the command "shell:games" will prompt an error. Language control in the Control Panel has been removed and moved to the Settings app. The Hologram app has been replaced by the Mixed Reality Viewer.
Main article: Windows 10 editions. Windows 10 is available in five main editions for personal computing devices, of which the Home and Pro versions are sold at retail in most countries, and as pre-loaded software on new computers. Home is aimed at home users, while Pro is aimed at small businesses. Each edition of Windows 10 includes all of the capabilities and features of the edition below it, and add additional features oriented towards their market segments; for example, Pro adds additional networking and security features such as BitLocker , Device Guard, Windows Update for Business, and the ability to join a domain.
The remaining editions, Enterprise and Education , contain additional features aimed towards business environments, and are only available through volume licensing. As part of Microsoft's unification strategies, Windows products that are based on Windows 10's common platform but meant for specialized platforms are marketed as editions of the operating system, rather than as separate product lines.
An updated version of Microsoft's Windows Phone operating system for smartphones, and also tablets, was branded as Windows 10 Mobile. On May 2, , Microsoft unveiled Windows 10 S referred to in leaks as Windows 10 Cloud , a feature-limited version of Windows 10 which was designed primarily for devices in the education market competing, in particular, with Chrome OS netbooks , such as the Surface Laptop that Microsoft also unveiled at this time.
The OS restricts software installation to applications obtained from Microsoft Store; the device may be upgraded to Windows 10 Pro for a fee to enable unrestricted software installation. As a time-limited promotion, Microsoft stated that this upgrade would be free on the Surface Laptop until March 31, See also: Windows Insider.
A public beta program for Windows 10 known as the Windows Insider Program began with the first publicly available preview release on October 1, Insider preview builds are aimed towards enthusiasts and enterprise users for the testing and evaluation of updates and new features. Microsoft promoted that Windows 10 would become generally available GA on July 29, In comparison to previous Windows releases, which had a longer turnover between the release to manufacturing RTM and general release to allow for testing by vendors and in some cases, the development of "upgrade kits" to prepare systems for installation of the new version , an HP Inc.
The general availability build of Windows 10, numbered , was first released on July 15, to Windows Insider channels for pre-launch testing prior to its formal release.
Changing between architectures e. Windows 10 was available in countries and languages upon its launch, and as part of efforts to "re-engage" with users in China, Microsoft also announced that it would partner with Qihoo and Tencent to help promote and distribute Windows 10 in China, and that Chinese PC maker Lenovo would provide assistance at its service centers and retail outlets for helping users upgrade to Windows Windows RT devices cannot be upgraded to Windows During its first year of availability ended on July 29, , [ ] upgrade licenses for Windows 10 could be obtained at no charge for devices with a genuine license for an eligible edition of Windows 7 or 8.
This offer did not apply to Enterprise editions, as customers under an active Software Assurance SA contract with upgrade rights are entitled to obtain Windows 10 Enterprise under their existing terms. All users running non-genuine copies of Windows, and those without an existing Windows 7 or 8 license, were ineligible for this promotion; although upgrades from a non-genuine version were possible, they result in a non-genuine copy of On the general availability build of Windows 10 Version , to activate and generate the "digital entitlement" for Windows 10, the operating system must have first been installed as an in-place upgrade.
During the free upgrade, a genuineticket. Once installed, the operating system can be reinstalled on that particular system via normal means without a product key, and the system's license will automatically be detected via online activation - in essence, the Microsoft Product Activation Server will remember the system's motherboard and give it the green light for product re-activation.
Since the release of Windows 10 version , Microsoft decided to release multi-edition installation media, to alleviate installation and product activation issues users experienced due to accidentally installing the wrong Edition of Windows The Windows Insider Preview version of Windows 10 automatically updated itself to the generally released version as part of the version progression and continues to be updated to new beta builds, as it had throughout the testing process.
Microsoft explicitly stated that Windows Insider was not a valid upgrade path for those running a version of Windows that is ineligible for the upgrade offer; although, if it was not installed with a license carried over from an in-place upgrade to 10 Insider Preview from Windows 7 or 8, the Insider Preview does remain activated as long as the user does not exit the Windows Insider program.
The offer was promoted and delivered via the "Get Windows 10" application "GWX" , which was automatically installed via Windows Update ahead of Windows 10's release, and activated on systems deemed eligible for the upgrade offer.
Via a notification area icon, users could access an application that advertised Windows 10 and the free upgrade offer, check device compatibility, and "reserve" an automatic download of the operating system upon its release. Microsoft said that those who reserved Windows 10 would be able to install it through GWX in a phased rollout process. The operating system could alternatively be downloaded at any time using a separate "Media Creation Tool" setup program similar to Windows 8's setup program , that allows for the creation of DVD or USB installation media.
Microsoft announced in May that the free upgrade offer would be extended to users of assistive technologies ; however, Microsoft did not implement any means of certifying eligibility for this offer, which some outlets thereby promoted as being a loophole to fraudulently obtain a free Windows 10 upgrade.
Microsoft said that the loophole is not intended to be used in this manner. During upgrades, Windows 10 licenses are not tied directly to a product key. Instead, the license status of the system's current installation of Windows is migrated, and a "Digital license" also known as "Digital entitlement" in version or earlier is generated during the activation process, which is bound to the hardware information collected during the process.
If Windows 10 is reinstalled cleanly and there have not been any significant hardware changes since installation such as a motherboard change , the online activation process will automatically recognize the system's digital entitlement if no product key is entered during installations.
However, unique product keys are still distributed within retail copies of Windows As with previous non-volume-licensed versions of Windows, significant hardware changes will invalidate the digital entitlement, and require Windows to be re-activated. Main article: Windows 10 version history. Unlike previous versions of Windows, Windows Update does not allow the selective installation of updates, and all updates including patches, feature updates, and driver software are downloaded and installed automatically.
Users can only choose whether their system will reboot automatically to install updates when the system is inactive, or be notified to schedule a reboot. Redstone 2 allows wired Ethernet networks to be designated as metered, but Windows may still download certain updates while connected to a metered network.
Windows Update can also use a peer to peer system for distributing updates; by default, users' bandwidth is used to distribute previously downloaded updates to other users, in combination with Microsoft servers. Users can instead choose to only use peer-to-peer updates within their local area network.
The original RTM release of Windows 10 "Windows 10, released in July " receives mainstream support for five years after its original release, followed by five years of extended support, but this is subject to conditions. Microsoft stated that these devices would no longer receive feature updates, but would still receive security updates through January Windows 10 is often described by Microsoft as being a "service", as it receives regular feature updates that contain new features and other changes.
The pace at which feature updates are received by devices is dependent on which release channel is used. Each build of Windows 10 is supported for 18 months after its original release. Once a stable build is certified by Microsoft and its partners as being suitable for broad deployment, the build is then released on the "Semi-Annual Channel" formerly "Current Branch for Business", or "CBB" , which is supported by the Pro and Enterprise editions of Windows The Windows Insider branches receive unstable builds as they are released; it is divided into two channels, "Fast" which receives new builds immediately after their release , and "Slow" whose releases are slightly delayed from their "Fast" release.
For this reason, it excludes Cortana, Microsoft Store, and all bundled Universal Windows Platform apps including but not limited to Microsoft Edge, hence these builds ship only with Internet Explorer as browser. For example, version was released in September the ninth month of In July , Microsoft announced changes in the terminology for Windows branches, as part of its effort to unify the update cadence with that of Office ProPlus and Windows Server In February , Microsoft announced changes again in delivering updates in beginning the next feature update: a single SAC will be released and SAC-T will be retired, and users are no longer able to switch to different channels.
Instead, these updates can be deferred from 30, 60 or 90 days, or depending how the device was configured to deferred the updates. WIPB Beta software. Windows Server Update Services. The second stable build of Windows 10 is called version Its build number is It was codenamed " Threshold 2 " TH2 during development. This version is installed by the November Update , which began to be distributed via Windows Update on November 12, It contains various improvements to the operating system, its user interface, bundled services, as well as the introduction of Skype-based universal messaging apps, and the Windows Store for Business and Windows Update for Business features.
On November 21, , the November Update was temporarily pulled from public distribution. The third stable build of Windows 10 is called version It was codenamed " Redstone 1 " RS1 during development. This version is installed by the Anniversary Update , which was released on August 2, , a little over one year after the first stable release of Windows While both were originally to be released in , the second was moved into so that it would be released in concert with that year's wave of Microsoft first-party devices.
The Anniversary Update introduces new features such as the Windows Ink platform, which eases the ability to add stylus input support to Universal Windows Platform apps and provides a new "Ink Workspace" area with links to pen-oriented apps and features, [ ] [ ] enhancements to Cortana's proactive functionality, [ ] a dark user interface theme mode, a new version of Skype designed to work with the Universal Windows Platform, improvements to Universal Windows Platform intended for video games, [ ] and offline scanning using Windows Defender.
On new installations of Windows 10 on systems with secure boot enabled, all kernel mode drivers issued after July 29, , must be digitally signed with an Extended Validation Certificate issued by Microsoft.
The fourth stable build of Windows 10 is called version It was codenamed " Redstone 2 " RS2 during development. This version is installed by the Creators Update , which Microsoft announced on October 26, It supports a new virtual reality workspace designed for use with headsets; Microsoft announced that several OEMs planned to release VR headsets designed for use with the Creators Update.
Windows 10's privacy settings have more detailed explanations of data that the operating system may collect.
Additionally, the "enhanced" level of telemetry collection was removed. The fifth stable build of Windows 10 is called version It was codenamed " Redstone 3 " RS3 during development. This version is installed by the Fall Creators Update , which was released on October 17, Notifications involving these contacts appear above their respective pictures, and users can communicate with the contact via either Skype , e-mail, or text messaging integrating with Android and Windows 10 Mobile devices.
Support for additional services, including Xbox, Skype for Business , and third-party integration, are to be added in the future. Files can also be dragged directly to the contact's picture to share them. It also introduces a new security feature known as "controlled folder access", which can restrict the applications allowed to access specific folders. This feature is designed mainly to defend against file-encrypting ransomware.
The sixth stable build of Windows 10 is called version It was codenamed " Redstone 4 " RS4 during development. This version is installed by the April Update , which was released as a manual download on April 30, , with a broad rollout coming on May 8, The most significant feature of this build is Timeline, which is displayed within Task View.
It allows users to view a list of recently-used documents and websites from supported applications "activities". When users consent to Microsoft data collection via Microsoft Graph , activities can also be synchronized from supported Android and iOS devices.
The seventh stable build of Windows 10 is called version It was codenamed " Redstone 5 " RS5 during development. This version is installed by the October Update , which was released on October 2, On October 6, , the build was pulled by Microsoft following isolated reports of the update process deleting files from user directories.
Microsoft resumed the rollout of on November 13, for a small percentage of users. In May , Microsoft unveiled Fluent Design System previously codenamed "Project Neon" , a revamp of Microsoft Design Language 2 that will include guidelines for the designs and interactions used within software designed for all Windows 10 devices and platforms. The new design language will include the more prominent use of motion, depth, and translucency effects. Microsoft stated that the implementation of this design language would be performed over time, and it had already started to implement elements of it in Creators Update and Fall Creators Update.
On December 7, , Microsoft announced that as part of a partnership with Qualcomm, it planned to introduce support for running Win32 software on ARM architecture with a bit x86 processor emulator, in Terry Myerson stated that this move would enable the production of Qualcomm Snapdragon -based Windows devices with cellular connectivity and improved power efficiency over Intel-compatible devices, and still capable of running the majority of existing Windows software unlike the previous Windows RT , which was restricted to Windows Store apps.
Microsoft is initially targeting this project towards laptops. WDDM 1. The basic hardware requirements to install Windows 10 are the same as for Windows 8. The bit versions require a CPU that supports certain instructions. Some pre-built devices may be described as "certified" by Microsoft. Unlike Windows 8, OEMs are no longer required to make Secure Boot settings user-configurable, meaning that devices may optionally be locked to run only Microsoft-signed operating systems.
Windows 10 Creators Update and later does not support Intel Clover Trail system-on-chips, per Microsoft's stated policy of only providing updates for devices during their OEM support period. As of the May update, all Windows 10 devices must have at least 32 GB of storage. Beginning with this update, 7 GB is also permanently reserved for Windows Update purposes. Main article: Criticism of Windows Critics characterized the initial release of Windows 10 in July as being rushed, citing the incomplete state of some of the operating system's bundled software such as the Edge web browser , as well as the stability of the operating system itself on launch.
The Microsoft Edge web browser was praised for its performance, although it was not in a feature-complete state at launch. While considering them a "great idea in principle", concerns were shown for Microsoft's focus on the universal app ecosystem, noting that "It's by no means certain that developers are going to flock to Windows 10 from iOS and Android simply because they can convert their apps easily.
It may well become a no-brainer for them, but at the moment a conscious decision is still required. Engadget was similarly positive, noting that the upgrade process was painless and that Windows 10's user interface had balanced aspects of Windows 8 with those of previous versions with a more mature aesthetic.
Cortana's always-on voice detection was considered to be its "true strength", also citing its query capabilities and personalization features, but noting that it was not as pre-emptive as Google Now. Windows 10's stock applications were praised for being improved over their Windows 8 counterparts, and for supporting windowed modes.
The Xbox app was also praised for its Xbox One streaming functionality, although recommending its use over a wired network due to inconsistent quality over Wi-Fi. In conclusion, it was argued that "Windows 10 delivers the most refined desktop experience ever from Microsoft, and yet it's so much more than that.
It's also a decent tablet OS, and it's ready for a world filled with hybrid devices. And, barring another baffling screwup, it looks like a significant step forward for mobile. Heck, it makes the Xbox One a more useful machine.
Ars Technica panned the new Tablet mode interface for removing the charms and app switching, making the Start button harder to use by requiring users to reach for the button on the bottom-left rather than at the center of the screen when swiping with a thumb, and for making application switching less instantaneous through the use of Task View.
Microsoft Edge was praised for being "tremendously promising", and "a much better browser than Internet Explorer ever was", but criticized it for its lack of functionality on-launch.
In conclusion, contrasting Windows 8 as being a "reliable" platform albeit consisting of unfinished concepts, Windows 10 was considered "the best Windows yet" and was praised for having a better overall concept in its ability to be "comfortable and effective" across a wide array of form factors, but that it was buggier than previous versions of Windows were on-launch.
Critics have noted that Windows 10 heavily emphasizes freemium services, and contains various advertising facilities. Some outlets have considered these to be a hidden "cost" of the free upgrade offer.
Up to August , Windows 10 usage was increasing, with it then plateauing , [ ] while eventually in , it became more popular than Windows 7 [ ] [ ] though in Windows 7 is still more used in Africa and countries elsewhere, e. As of March , the operating system is running on more than million devices [ ]. Twenty-four hours after it was released, Microsoft announced that more than 14 million devices were running Windows According to StatCounter, Windows 10 overtook Windows 8.
For one week, late in November , Windows 10 overtook first rank from Windows 7 in the United States, before losing it again. In middle of January , Windows 10 had a slightly higher global market share than Windows 7, [ ] with it noticeably more popular on weekends, [ ] while popularity varies widely by region, e.
Windows 10 is still behind in Africa [ ] and far ahead in some other regions e. Windows 10 Home is permanently set to download all updates automatically, including cumulative updates, security patches, and drivers, and users cannot individually select updates to install or not.
Concerns were raised that due to these changes, users would be unable to skip the automatic installation of updates that are faulty or cause issues with certain system configurations—although build upgrades will also be subject to public beta testing via Windows Insider program. An example of such a situation occurred just prior to the general release of the operating system, when an Nvidia graphics card driver that was automatically pushed to Windows 10 users via Windows Update caused issues that prevented the use of certain functions, or prevented their system from booting at all.
Criticism was also directed towards Microsoft's decision to no longer provide specific details on the contents of cumulative updates for Windows Some users reported that during the installation of the November upgrade, some applications particularly utility programs such as CPU-Z and Speccy were automatically uninstalled during the upgrade process, and some default programs were reset to Microsoft-specified defaults such as Photos app, and Microsoft Edge for PDF viewing , both without warning.
Further issues were discovered upon the launch of the Anniversary Update "Redstone" , including a bug that caused some devices to freeze but addressed by cumulative update KB, released on August 31, , [ ] [ ] and that fundamental changes to how Windows handles webcams had caused many to stop working. A Gartner analyst felt that Windows 10 Pro was becoming increasingly inappropriate for use in enterprise environments due to support policy changes by Microsoft, including consumer-oriented upgrade lifecycle length, and only offering extended support for individual builds to Enterprise and Education editions of Windows Critics have acknowledged that Microsoft's update and testing practices had been affecting the overall quality of Windows In particular, it was pointed out that Microsoft's internal testing departments had been prominently affected by a major round of layoffs undertaken by the company in Microsoft relies primarily on user testing and bug reports via the Windows Insider program which may not always be of sufficient quality to identify a bug , as well as correspondence with OEMs and other stakeholders.
In the wake of the known folder redirection data loss bug in the version , it was pointed out that bug reports describing the issue had been present on the Feedback Hub app for several months prior to the public release. Following the incident, Microsoft updated Feedback Hub so that users may specify the severity of a particular bug report. When announcing the resumption of 's rollout, Microsoft stated that it planned to be more transparent in its handling of update quality in the future, through a series of blog posts that will detail its testing process and the planned development of a "dashboard" that will indicate the rollout progress of future updates.
Microsoft was criticized for the tactics that it used to promote its free upgrade campaign for Windows 10, including adware -like behaviours, [ ] using deceptive user interfaces to coax users into installing the operating system, [12 ] [13 ] [14 ] [15 ] downloading installation files without user consent, [ ] [ ] and making it difficult for users to suppress the advertising and notifications if they did not wish to upgrade to In September , it was reported that Microsoft was triggering automatic downloads of the Windows 10 installation files on all compatible Windows 7 or 8.
Microsoft officially confirmed the change, claiming it was "an industry practice that reduces the time for installation and ensures device readiness. Other critics argued that Microsoft should not have triggered any downloading of Windows 10 installation files without user consent. In October , Windows 10 began to appear as an "Optional" update in the Windows Update interface, but pre-selected for installation on some systems.
A Microsoft spokesperson said that this was a mistake, and that the download would no longer be pre-selected by default. In March , some users also alleged that their Windows 7 and 8. It was concluded that these users may have unknowingly clicked the "Accept" prompt without full knowledge that this would begin the upgrade. On January 21, , Microsoft was sued in small claims court by a user whose computer, shortly after the release of the OS, had attempted to upgrade to Windows 10 without her consent.
The upgrade failed, and her computer was left in a broken state thereafter, which disrupted the ability to run her travel agency. Microsoft Support. Retrieved February 5, Archived from the original on December 31, Windows Hardware Development. May 11, Retrieved 2 September December Archived from the original on May 11, Microsoft Windows.
Components History Timeline Criticism. Windows 1. Windows 95 Windows 98 Windows Me. Embedded Compact CE 5. Phone 7 Phone 8 Phone 8. Cairo Nashville Neptune Odyssey. List of versions Comparison Category. Categories : Microsoft Windows Operating system comparisons. Hidden categories: Pages using the EasyTimeline extension Articles with short description Short description is different from Wikidata All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from November Namespaces Article Talk.
Views Read Edit View history. Help Learn to edit Community portal Recent changes Upload file. Download as PDF Printable version. Janus 3. Windows 3. Unsupported [1].
IA , IA , x Windows Server Windows Server R2. Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs. Windows Home Server. Windows Home Server IA , x , ARMv7. Original Release. IA , x , x86 , ARMv7. Desktop, Workstation, Multi-touch, IoT. November Update. Anniversary Update. Creators Update. Fall Creators Update. April Update. October Update. May Update. Windows Embedded Compact 7.
Standard, POSReady. Windows Pocket PC Windows Phone 7. ARM [ citation needed ]. MS-DOS 7. Partial OSR 2.
Windows Update. Windows 98 Second Edition. Yes except on CDFS volumes. Yes if the Ion USB update is installed. Windows Update if Internet Explorer 5 or later is installed. Yes 3. Yes USB 2. Yes 7.
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