New Features of Windows 10 That is Worth the Wait

Windows is up for another big upgrade. Microsoft has finally developed a solution for all the frustrations and confusions brought about by Windows 8. From a big comeback of the Start Menu to new multitasking tools. Here's a sneak peek of what you can look forward to in Windows 10, which will be rolled out by mid-2015.

1. Start Menu is Here to Stay

Microsoft has finally brought back the most sought-for Start Menu. What's new with this feature is that when you click on the traditional Start button, you'll be seeing two panels side by side -- the left panel showing the pinned, recently, and most used apps. There's also a power button at the top for the Hibernate, Standby, and Shutdown options, as well as an all apps option like with Windows 7. While the right panel features a selection of live tiles, which you can customize, resize, and re-organize according to your preference.

2. Universal Search in Start Menu

The Search tool, found at the bottom of the Start Menu, has also been improved. It now not only searches your programs and files, similar to how it does in Windows 7, but it also looks up related results from the Internet. What's good about this is that you won't have to open up a browser in order to find a particular Wikipedia entry. However, there's no accurate information as to what other sources the Universal Search will get from.

3. Multiple Desktops

This feature is similar to Apple's Spaces feature on Mac OS X, which assists you in managing multiple open windows and apps. So instead of having multiple windows open on top of each other on your desktop screen, you have the option to set up a whole other virtual desktop for those programs to occupy in. Set up one specifically for home and leave your other apps like Netflix and Amazon open, and create another desktop for work in which you keep programs such as Word, Excel, and Internet Explorer open.

4. Task View Multitasking

With Windows 10, there's a new way to keep track of your open apps. You can either hit the new Task View button on the taskbar or swipe in from the left edge of the screen to pull up a one-page view of all your open apps and files. It's somehow similar to the Alt-Tab key combination, but this provides a convenient way for touch-oriented users to get an overview of what programs are running.

5. Enhanced Start Screen

Back in Windows 8, the Start Screen is the touch-optimized page for all the live tiles and apps in which the OS became famous for. Now, the improved Start screen comes with a persistent taskbar and a list of programs and folders on its left panel. This gives Windows 10 users to have easy and quick access to common locations such as My Documents or PC Settings straight from the home screen, and it also allows an easy way to find a particular app with the help of the All Apps option at the bottom.

6. Smoother Snap View Feature

Microsoft has also improved that Snap View multitasking feature, which allows you to dock windows to the four corners of your screen. If you could split your display between up to four apps at a time previously, the number of apps you could have side-by-side was dependent on your screen size's resolution.

There's no definite information as to whether this quadrant snap view is dependent on your resolution, but this improved way of docking your apps will surely boost your productivity. The system will even suggest what other open apps you can use to fill up available space, if there's any.

The Risk of Keeping Windows XP Beyond the End of Service Date

There are quite a number of operating systems in use today. Some use the Linux system, a portion uses Mac systems, and the vast majority uses Windows as their system of choice. Of the entire Windows version available, Windows XP was unrivalled. It was the operating system widely perceived as the best of it all. It was user-friendly and convenient when installing any program; this is because many programs and software were developed with XP as its platform. In fact, because it was so user-friendly that many are still going to use it even after its end of service date. If you don’t scrutinize the previous statement, you might think that it's not such a bad idea keeping this operating system for your computer. After all, if it ain’t broke, why fix it, right? This is the catch though, if it’s broke - no one’s going to bother helping you with it. No one…The end of service encompasses cease of support and development for Windows XP and all its programs and features. No more security updates onwards, and because of this, Microsoft cannot and will not address any vulnerability on your computer that might come henceforth. This is a cause of concern as hackers will eventually find ways to wreak havoc on your system and will leave you helpless with the situation. And when you do call Microsoft for tech support, you might get the most condescendingly polite tree-word-reply --”Told you so.”

Also, since Windows XP will be phased out, software developers will not use XP as their platform in creating a program or software. Imagine not being able to install the latest version of Call of Duty merely because of stubbornness. If one really doesn’t like the idea of migrating to the latest Windows version, the price is really this steep. And how about certain drivers of the devices installed on the computer? If the device installed goes haywire, where will you get the drivers to fix them considering that the manufacturer will not develop and provide the latest drivers for the device? Generic drivers might be available but it’s not guaranteed to work.

At the end of the day, many felt “iffy” with the decision of Microsoft. Some even felt “screwed” with what they have done, but it would be more ludicrous to not follow suit. Migrating to another operating system would cost, would take time, and would take much work; but it is something that needs to be done. Conventional wisdom would entail all to follow and turn the other cheek while those having the idiosyncrasy to defy would soon find out the bad choice they have made - after they are in a hole of a computer-related and operating system issue they have brought upon themselves.

Written and contributed by: Cherielyn Banac - Supportrix Tech Support Engineer