OK, now you can upgrade to Windows 10

Those who don’t want to deal with all the bugs associated with a new O/S release usually wait until a “point” release, e.g. Windows 7.1.

Looks like we have the equivalent of the 10.1 release and even Microsoft acknowledges it.

Microsoft’s message to businesses is that if they were following the traditional policy of waiting for the first Service Pack or major update to Windows before deploying it, this is it: time to take the plunge.

So if you’ve been waiting to upgrade. Now is the time!

Source: Windows 10 November Update: features, fixes, and enterprise readiness | Ars Technica

Should you upgrade to Windows 10? Wait until 10.1

It’s certainly tempting, isn’t it? Windows is “giving away” a free upgrade to Windows 10.  What do to?

I’ve lived by the “Wait for the point upgrade” (wftpu) advice for years and I’m going to continue following it.

What wftpu means is simply this: all new O/S releases have bugs. Let others work through them and wait for the manufacturer to put those fixes into a point release”  (e.g. Windows 10.1) and then invest your time and effort to making the switch.

So though I do get tempted to upgrade, I’m going to patiently wait for 10.1, and then hopefully the free upgrade will still be available.

Credit to Microsoft for making it easier for us to hold off:

We understand you care deeply about what happens with your device. This is why – regardless of your upgrade path – you can choose to upgrade or decline the offer.

Source: Making it Easier to Upgrade to Windows 10 | Windows Experience Blog

Xbox inches closer being your DVR

As a once-avid user of Windows Media Center to record TV, it was pretty clear to me that the Xbox could make a great DVR.  This latest move is indicative of where they are going.

Microsoft is adding recording and playback capability to live, over-the-air TV. You still have to purchase some hardware and an antenna to receive the broadcasts, but the Xbox provides the program guide and recording software.

Of course the next logical question is, “When will Xbox allow me to record cable TV shows, like a TiVo?”.

One can only speculate. They certainly could have rolled out that feature now, so there is clearly a strategy behind their moves.

Time will tell.

Xbox One owners will soon be able to use their game console to record and play back live television from free, over-the-air broadcasts, Microsoft announced

Source: Microsoft unveils Xbox One DVR features, enabling recording and playback of free over-the-air TV – GeekWire

Force a Windows Update and patch a “serious security hole” ASAP 

Looks like there’s a serious security hole in Windows that is based on a type of font. Presumably, this goes undetected by anti-virus software and can be activated by opening up a Word document.

Don’t wait. Go to Windows Update right now and force a “Check for Updates”, then install the patches.

More details:

The software giant said in an advisory Monday that the vulnerability, if exploited, could “allow remote code execution if a user opens a specially crafted document or visits an untrusted webpage that contains embedded OpenType fonts.”

Source: Microsoft releases emergency patch for all versions of Windows | ZDNet

PC on a stick for $130

I’m going to have to try this. Just plug this stick into an HDMI port of any modern monitor/TV, bring your bluetooth keyboard & mouse, and you’re up and running. Combine this with a cloud-based service platform like Google Apps or Microsoft Office/365 and you are up and running for next to nothing.

Lenovo’s new HDMI dongle is basically a PC in stick, and though we’ve seen this type of devices before, the Ideacenter Stick’s price might make it quite attractive. The device starts at $139 and comes with the following specs:Intel Baytrail Z3735F CPUUp to 2GB of RAMUp to 32GB of storageSpeakersWiFI 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.01 x HDMI, 1x Micro USB 2.0, SD card readerWindows 8.1 with Bing

Source: Lenovo unveils the Ideacenter Stick 300: a $130 PC on a stick running Windows

Don’t jump into the free Windows 10 upgrade

Ask any Windows veteran and they will tell you to hold off until the “.1” release of any new O/S.  Unless you’ve got a fire under you, hold off on installing the free upgrade until the equivalent of Windows 10.1 gets released, if you can.

…you should probably wait until the last minute to make the upgrade because of numerous problems everyone has found with Windows 10

Source: The Best Strategy for Windows 10: Wait | John C. Dvorak | PCMag.com

Did you get your Windows 10 Free Upgrade notification today?

This morning I saw an interesting desktop notification for the first time:

desktopNotification

After opening it, was somewhat surprised to see that Microsoft determined I was ready for the free Windows 10 upgrade.

windows10

 

Very smart marketing. Got to admit that I’m intrigued. So I started the upgrade process. I’m a little nervous as I really can’t afford to “break” anything but right now, I’m proceeding with the download.

 

 

Confirmed: Media Center is Dead – Long Live Media Center on Xbox!

 

If you’ve been frustrated by the lack of Windows Media Center support on either the Xbox One or Windows 10, there is a solution apparently on the horizon and that is that the Xbox will be natively supporting something like it. Let’s hope we can still DVR our favorite shows. I was a big fan/user of Windows Media Center as a better, faster, cheaper DVR.

It’s true: Microsoft’s Gabe Aul confirmed this week that Media Center will not move forward to Windows 10.

Source: Confirmed: Media Center is Dead – Thurrott.com