Windows 10

Ok, so I know I'm really late on this one, I've been trying to get round to installing Windows 10 for a while now and only eventually did it this week, I have to be honest though, the wait was totally worth it. Windows 10 is actually kind of impressive so far. Admittedly there are a few features missing, at the minute I can't test out the store because it doesn't seem to have been set up yet, and Cortana isn't available in the UK for Windows 10 yet, but other than that it does work really well. You have an (almost) standard start menu back, and the start screen has been totally eradicated. There are metro apps incorporated into the start menu, you'll see what I mean further down. Basically though, all of the best features from Windows 7 and Windows 8 have been amalgamated and Windows 10 is the beautiful child they have created. In all honesty, Windows 10 and Windows 8 should have been the other way round, and then people may have been more receptive of the way Windows 8 worked, alas Microsoft got it all wrong, but this is definitely a step in the right direction!
So here's a quick look at the install process, and a glance at some Windows 10 features that I'm getting to grips with so far!

Ok, so starting with the installation, at first it looks pretty much the same as Windows 8.

Then it starts to look a little more like the Windows Vista/Windows 7 setup. You choose what partition you would like the installation to go on, and you have the five tick thingys (how very technical) like you get in earlier installations, which is handy because you can once again actually see the process your computer is going through, rather than the "setting a few things up" that you get in Windows 7.

Once you get past this, you kind of go back into Windows 8 territory, with setting up devices, signing into your Microsoft account and then the setting a few things up screen. Obviously the second screen shot here is only if you're using the technical preview, so once Windows 10 is actually released you won't see it.

 After this you're into Windows 10. At first glance the desktop looks very similar to that of Windows 8. Unfortunately, from some points of view, the only thing Microsoft haven't put back in is the old Windows logo, so the start menu icon still has the slightly more modern square look to it. You'll notice on the taskbar there is a search bar, this is because there's no charms bar anymore, so you can just type your search straight into that box. I'll run through some of the other icons a little further down.

Ok, so this is what the start menu looks like. As you can see, on the right you have the more standard looking start menu, or as standard as they could get it looking without completely abandoning the modernness of Windows 8, and on the left are the metro apps. These tiles are entirely customisable, you can pin tiles, remove them, resize them. On the right you have the All Apps button at the bottom, which acts in the same way as the All Programs button in Windows 7 and Vista, and you still see the metro tiles part when you click that, so they stay exactly where they are (unless you rearrange them of course.) I genuinely think that if Microsoft had gone for this approach for Windows 8, then the whole metro tile start screen would probably have been much better received, but unfortunately they threw us all in at the deep end!

So one of the other cool new additions on the taskbar (highlighted with the red square and arrow) is the ability to have multiple desktops open at once. This basically means replicating your main desktop on all of them, but you could have one desktop with a particular app open on it, and then another desktop with three or four apps open. You can also use this button to flick between pages that you have open, although lets be honest it's easier just to click the icon on the task bar!

The action centre has been revamped and is now a notifications bar. Again highlighted with the red square and arrow, once you click on that icon you'll get a bar at the side showing messages about your computer. This will also show notifications for any apps you have installed, for example Facebook, Skype or Twitter. This is definitely a lot better than the notifications system in Windows 8, where if you, for example received a Facebook message, the notification would pop up in the screen and then disappear after a minute or so. Maybe it's just laziness but I like my notifications to stay in the notifications bar!

All of the apps or programs you open will now be opened in windows rather than taking over your entire screen, there is still a control panel and a settings option, though I've noticed you can only find Windows update when you open the settings, it's no longer in the control panel. 

One feature I particularly like is the fact that you can choose when you want your PC/laptop to restart after installing updates, or Windows will schedule a time when you are not using your PC, which means Windows will no longer restart, or prompt you to restart, while you are working on something.

Obviously there is still a long way to go, and Microsoft are still working on a few things. At the minute it seems that the only compatible anti-viruses are Norton 360 and Windows Defender. Microsoft are adamant that Windows Defender is adequate. I would personally rather install Avast! but that isn't compatible yet, obviously because this is still only the technical preview! 

I'm off to do a little more breaking and fiddling and I'll be back soon with my findings!

Excitement!

So tonight I'm going to be installing Windows 10 on a virtual machine on my laptop! Once it's all done I'll do a post about where you can get and install it, and then as I get used to using it I'll update you all!

Hiiiii *waves*

Hey everyone, so I've been a little neglectful lately and I feel bad for that. I promise this will be rectified! I need to get back on top of watching TV and reading and then I'll be able to blog successfully again. I've recently started reading a couple of new comics, namely Rasputin and Rumble, both of which have had pretty good issue ones. When my first months worth of comics come through at the end of the month I'll also be getting a comic through called Graveyard Shift, about a vampire detective, which I am totally looking forward to.

I have recently been to see a couple of films that I can tell you about though!
The first one is the Oscar-nominated Birdman. Now maybe I am just not intelligent enough for this film, but I really didn't enjoy it. I mean the premise was cool and it was beautifully shot. Michael Keaton and Edward Norton acted really well, and even Emma Stone did an ok job, but I just did not enjoy the film at all! It was very slow and nothing really seemed to happen, it was almost like watching a documentary. I really was thoroughly disappointed, but like I said, maybe I was just too stupid! Have to be fair to the film though, it had a couple of pretty funny moments!

The second film I went to see was Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death, and oh my god did I regret seeing that! It was jumpy and very "hide behind a pillow" scary, like seriously. I spent such an unholy amount of time cowering away from the screen watching that film. It's been a long time since a film scared me like that though so it was really nice in a way! I was just glad to get home and get a good night's sleep! Seriously, if you like jumpy, scary films like that I totally recommend you go and see it, and if you're thinking about seeing Birdman, see Woman in Black instead, trust me you'll thank me for it!

So, next month The Walking Dead returns from it's midseason break, and having seen the trailer I have to be honest I am looking forward to it, even if I haven't fully forgiven Kirkman for killing Beth! Also hopefully at some point in March The Following will be back on TV. That's a show I really love, so I will be happy to see it back, then it's Game of Thrones back in April (so much YAY) and Hannibal back in the summer. The wait for Hannibal is seriously killing me!
Sleepy Hollow is also back soon hopefully, and I've got a lot of catching up to do with Gotham, but I will get there and I will get up to date!

Right now I'm off to play with Windows 10, and there will be a post coming up about that soon too!

Until then. peace outt!