Is it worth upgrading to Win10 from Win8.1?

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Morro

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Jul 8, 2012
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The topic title should already make it clear what I want to ask, but I will ask none the less. :)

Today I used Internet Explorer and immediately I got a pop-up that advised me to download the file GetWindows10-MSN.exe so that I could upgrade to Windows 10. Now because I have the Homepage of IE set to the official Microsoft website ( Address below. ) I thought it to be save to download that file, and it was. ( 360 TSE - MBAM and Virustotal gave no warning what so ever. )

My IE Homepage: Microsoft – Official Home Page

Now of course I have not installed it because I know very little about Windows 10 at the moment. So one of my questions is ... is it worth upgrading from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10. ( Yeah I know it looks like a obvious choice does it, but still. :) )

An other question is ... if I decide to upgrade to Windows 10 will I keep everything I have on my Desktop, or would I loose everything on both my SSD ( On which I have Windows 8.1. ) and my HDD. Yeah I know DVD are cheap, but if I where to loose everything then I will first need to buy a big pack next week.
 
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Axelrod Sven

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Feb 11, 2016
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You have about 30 days to switch back if you don't like it, which is a good thing.

Firstly - You may lose your data due to unforeseen errors. It's a rare occurrence, but you don't want to be a statistic.

Secondly - In a lighter vein, Windows 10 is the biggest Junkware in the world. Be careful when you try to remove Potentially Unwanted Programs, Windows 10 doesn't get removed.

Thirdly - Are you aware that Microsoft wants Windows 10 to aggressively collect as much data about you as possible? This is no different from what Google and others do, obviously, but the exploits and their data collection policies are alarming. If you're privacy conscious, you may want to tweak a few settings during the installation. If you're paranoid about a company's data collection policies - Use a Guide to reduce privacy risk.

It also depends on what kind of computer you have, really. Is it a touchscreen? Are most of your important software Windows 10 compatible?

Everyone on here can give you great advice - better than mine, frankly. They'll list all the pros and cons more accurately, but it really depends on how you feel about using it. Are you comfortable with it? Do you like the smoothness and the interface and the settings? You have to decide it yourself within a month. Nobody can decide better than you yourself, no matter what we say, really.

Like it or hate it, Windows 10 is a good product despite its many exploits, bugs, data policies and flaws.
 

DaveM

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Feb 12, 2016
62
Keep an image of your current system and just see how it goes. If worse comes to worse, use your image and go right back to where you had it. The privacy issues are something you're just going to have to decide on your own. You can listen to the people saying how terrible it is and NSA this and CIA that, or you can listen to the people telling you that it's no worse than having a Gmail or Facebook account. But in the end it's your call alone. Even if an opinion is full of facts, it's still an opinion. You know what they say about opinions.
 
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Vasudev

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Nov 8, 2014
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Definitely w10 is worth the upgrade;
Pros:
  1. it is lighter and more responsive
  2. Windows Defender has more security features built in than MSE.
  3. More future proof even if you're upgrading to new PC.
  4. Always up to date to reduce risk of vulnerabilities
  5. Better battery life
Cons:
  1. Telemetry: telemetry services can be opted out selectively or disabled by turning off collection & telemetry service in services.msc
 

DaveM

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Feb 12, 2016
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I could be wrong, but I believe the ability to completely disable telemetry is limited to Pro versions and above. But there are still tools available both through Windows itself and outside to tone all that down. Like others have said, you can always change your mind.
 
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Vasudev

Level 33
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Nov 8, 2014
2,224
Even w8.1 can spy on your PC, but on w10 you can control what gets shared and what's not shared, yeah its restricted to Pro and Education version. BTW, I'm using Pro version.
 

ifacedown

Level 18
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Jan 31, 2014
888
Definitely w10 is worth the upgrade;
Pros:
  1. it is lighter and more responsive
  2. More future proof even if you're upgrading to new PC.

In my experience, Windows 8.1 is much lighter and responsive. Windows 10 has so many processes running in the background. Or maybe just because I have a weak CPU.

Future proof, yeah. But not now. Maybe a year later, when it becomes more stable and compatible.
 

Sana

Level 5
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Dec 30, 2015
211
Plus, also depends on the hardware you have. If you have new hardware, then Windows 10 has a better chance of utilising most of its features. And same for old hardware, Windows 8.1 might run better (with better / stable releases / driver updates etc).
 
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D

Deleted member 178

Worth it. Win10 is the most secured and stable OS Microsoft ever made.

Firstly - You may lose your data due to unforeseen errors. It's a rare occurrence, but you don't want to be a statistic.

It is why doing a system backup backup beforehand is a good practice, as you should do for any OS; Win10 is not especially faulty.

Secondly - In a lighter vein, Windows 10 is the biggest Junkware in the world. Be careful when you try to remove Potentially Unwanted Programs, Windows 10 doesn't get removed.

This is a matter of taste, for me the biggest Junkware was Win7 , i cant list how many BSODs i had with it. With Win10 i had none.

Thirdly - Are you aware that Microsoft wants Windows 10 to aggressively collect as much data about you as possible? This is no different from what Google and others do, obviously, but the exploits and their data collection policies are alarming. If you're privacy conscious, you may want to tweak a few settings during the installation. If you're paranoid about a company's data collection policies - Use a Guide to reduce privacy risk.

Microsoft always collected datas, as Google, your internet Provider, and every software you use, every websites you go, etc... You don't want anything spying on you, don't use internet.

It also depends on what kind of computer you have, really. Is it a touchscreen? Are most of your important software Windows 10 compatible?

this is the most important point , but if your machine was compatible with Win8.1, it should be for Win10.

but it really depends on how you feel about using it. Are you comfortable with it? Do you like the smoothness and the interface and the settings? You have to decide it yourself within a month. Nobody can decide better than you yourself, no matter what we say, really.

Like it or hate it, Windows 10 is a good product despite its many exploits, bugs, data policies and flaws.

That the main point , try it and give yourself the answer , because at the end YOU are the user.

You have many topic here about upgrading to Win10,find and read them to have an idea about it.
 

yashiscool

Level 2
Verified
Jan 10, 2013
55
Totally concur with Umbra's response. In addition, just ensure that your hardware is all compatible with Windows 10 i.e. you need to ensure that you have Windows 10 compatible drivers before upgrade.

In my case, I had to buy a new graphic card as the one I was using was very old and not supported any longer.


Worth it. Win10 is the most secured and stable OS Microsoft ever made.



It is why doing a system backup backup beforehand is a good practice, as you should do for any OS; Win10 is not especially faulty.



This is a matter of taste, for me the biggest Junkware was Win7 , i cant list how many BSODs i had with it. With Win10 i had none.



Microsoft always collected datas, as Google, your internet Provider, and every software you use, every websites you go, etc... You don't want anything spying on you, don't use internet.



this is the most important point , but if your machine was compatible with Win8.1, it should be for Win10.



That the main point , try it and give yourself the answer , because at the end YOU are the user.

You have many topic here about upgrading to Win10,find and read them to have an idea about it.
 

ifacedown

Level 18
Verified
Jan 31, 2014
888
Well then, my assumption is right. I have an old hardware from 2011 which makes my netbook weak for Windows 10. :)
 
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Morro

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Jul 8, 2012
792
Thank you every one, seems it could be worth upgrading.

But I will first study up on Windows 10, see if all my hardware would work under Windows 10. For the moment I guess the Hardware should work, my Desktop is just over a year old, but that is no 100% certain for now. And at times I make system backups so once( Or if I upgrade? ) that should be a safe guard.

Also being able to downgrade back to Windows 8.1 within a month ( Axelrod Sven mentions this. ) is nice should I not like Win10 once I try the upgrade.
 

Rob Crombie

New Member
Mar 2, 2016
2
If you were asking about W7 ==> W10, I probably would give a different answer
But you will do the world a favor if you get rid of W8
Create an image of your W8 (and verify/validate it), and then remove the drive.
Place a 2nd drive into the PC, and restore the image into that 2nd drive.
Upgrade the 2nd drive to W10

"Now who could argue with that" (Blazing Saddles - Bum mumbling incoherently in the church),
Rob
 

frogboy

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Jun 9, 2013
6,720
Thank you every one, seems it could be worth upgrading.

But I will first study up on Windows 10, see if all my hardware would work under Windows 10. For the moment I guess the Hardware should work, my Desktop is just over a year old, but that is no 100% certain for now. And at times I make system backups so once( Or if I upgrade? ) that should be a safe guard.

Also being able to downgrade back to Windows 8.1 within a month ( Axelrod Sven mentions this. ) is nice should I not like Win10 once I try the upgrade.
This will help you determine if your machine is suitable for Windows 10. Win10 Wizard - Digital Care

I have found doing a clean install to be the best way.
 
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Rishi

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Dec 3, 2015
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done

Level 5
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Mar 19, 2015
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Well then, my assumption is right. I have an old hardware from 2011 which makes my netbook weak for Windows 10. :)
Not sure about that I've seen new computers with I5 that are very slow with windows 10.
 
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McLovin

Level 76
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Malware Hunter
Apr 17, 2011
9,222
I didn't have Windows 8. I went straight from Windows 7 to 10 and I'm loving it. Everything is so simple to use and also how everything is setup compared to Windows 7 is so much better. I'm not sure but I think you have till May? till you can upgrade to Windows 10 for free, not sure but can someone confirm this?
 
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