Tuesday 13 October 2015

Windows 10 upgrade from 8.1 experience

Availability

My last post was July 2015 and stated that Windows 10 upgrade was ready to go on my PC.
This was a little premature as my intention was to run my first upgrade on my wife's Windows 7 Pro laptop which had little that couldn't be easily rebuilt. Windows 10 was indeed ready to go on my Windows 8.1 laptop but didn't arrive on the Windows 7 till several weeks later.
It should be available on all PCs by now but if you don't often switch on for any length of time and don't take updates it may not announce itself.
If your current software is from a dodgy source you may find you cannot upgrade.

Windows 10 and me

I have been using the Windows 10 Technical Preview for months before and after the public release so already know that I like it. It is stable, quicker to load and seems to have successfully combined the best of Windows 7 and 8.1 to deliver a good product. For Windows 7 users the Start Menu is back though with a significant refresh. Just accept that 'programs' are now 'apps' and you should be fine.
I completed the upgrade from Windows 7 Pro to Windows 10 on my wife's laptop a few weeks ago with no hitches. I will be publishing a post on that experience soon and that will have more in the way of pictures to support the text.

Upgrade from Windows 8.1





Issues to Be Aware of Before Upgrading


Catastrophic Failure

A bit like the consultant before you go into surgery, I feel duty bound to say that, whilst incredibly unlikely, every time a PC is changed it presents a risk of system failure. The upgrade does not change your stored data, photos, documents, music etc so even if the OS upgrade gets seriously screwed they should be recoverable.
I did create a system image backup^ before running the Upgrade but it's all down to choice and risk management.
^ see notes later on How to Create a System Image

Functionality

There are few of issues I am aware of with Windows 10 which may affect your feelings over proceeding but so far, I have found 100% compatibility with my existing hardware and programs.
  • DVD Codex - Gone! Probably the most complained of item. Windows 10 does not provide inbuilt codex to be able to play DVD. However, unless you purchased your PC as a 'bare bones' with just an operating system or you have wiped your original build and rebuilt from scratch you are likely to have bought a retail package which contains the necessary items. In my case, my Toshiba laptop came with Toshiba Video Player which comes with it's own codex so still work perfectly well after the upgrade.
  • Windows Media Player (WMP) - Disabled Functions! Also complained of a lot, WMP actually ceased to be distributed in 2012 and I believe is absent from a new Windows 10 build. However, when upgrading a Windows 7 or 8.1 installation in which WMP was present it appears to be retained but have functions disabled. The Rip CD button is now greyed and no longer works on the 2 PCs I have upgraded so far. I haven't tried it but articles suggest that 'Burn' is also disabled.
  • Windows Media Centre - Gone? I did not use WMC so have not looked into this but lots of articles say it has gone and this fits in with the WMP approach after withdrawal in 2012.
  • Desktop Gadgets - Gone! but there are many 3rd party alternatives and Active Tiles on the new start menu work well to show current weather, news etc if that's what you like.
  • Solitaire & Minesweeper - Gone! These addictive time wasters but great entertainers are no longer part of the OS delivery. Microsoft Windows Store apparently has versions and there are lots of 3rd party alternatives.
  • Floppy Disk Drive (FDD) Support - Gone! But I doubt many of you are still trying to use them.
  • Default Web Browser - Microsoft Edge does not support Add-ons Internet Explorer (IE) is replaced by Microsoft Edge as default browser; a new crisp clean browser but for increased security it does not support Add-ons. Many people use Add-ons, for example, I am very reliant on a password management utility. This is not a problem as long as you know that Internet Explorer is still available, it's just hidden away*. Also, other browsers such as Chrome, Firefox and Safari still work.
  • Pre Windows7 Compatibility Not Guaranteed -  If you have some obscure old programs or hardware that you are dependent upon then I recommend researching their compatibility with Windows 10 before upgrading.
  • Charms Menu - Gone! I'm afraid that if you got used to and liked the Windows 8/8.1 Charms menu it has gone. Back to navigation via Start button and taskbar as per Windows 7 and earlier.
*See note later about locating Internet Explorer


Personal Settings

As yet I have found no settings changed other than I did have to reset the Desktop Background (Wallpaper in old speak) which had one of my own pictures mapped. 

Recent file lists, homepages, favourites, history, and taskbar quick start icons have all been retained for each user.


Choose Your Time and Connection Type

I suggest you consider the following before deciding when to run the Upgrade
  • Don't start if you are not sure that you can do without the PC long enough to complete all steps.
  • Upgrade Duration - I kept the screen in sight whilst doing other things and was able to respond with manual input when required. On this machine it took 3h 10m for the main upgrade then a further 15m per user account plus some checking; 5h 30m end to end but this will be extended further if you are unable to respond when prompted. (Long periods require no intervention - see log)
  • Cable vs Wireless - There is significant file downloading involved and this will be faster if the PC is connected to the switch / router / hub by an Ethernet Cable rather than using Wifi. (My timings were using cable)
  • Broadband Data Allowance - depending on your contract and particularly if you are upgrading several PCs you may want to check your remaining Data and if you are close to a threshold postpone. The OS download alone is almost 3GBytes.
  • I suggest you definitely DO NOT use a mobile phone Wifi hot spot, tethering, as this is a great deal of data for mobile Internet and may not be good for your health when you bill arrives.
  • Power - make sure the PC is plugged into the mains and is receiving power.
  • If you haven't had Windows Update on Auto or the PC hasn't been regularly used I suggest running Windows Update before upgrading though I have no evidence of it being a problem.

Upgrade Log and Timing

This is actual timing recorded during my upgrade with all user interventions carried out immediately. Any delays before responding to a request will add to the end to end time.
  • Italicised text indicates on screen activity not involving any user actions
  • Bold text indicates a user action required
  • message text in "" is not necessary precise wording 
  • [ ] button
  • hh:mm format - elapsed time
     
START
00:00
Login using a user account with admin rights
Click Get Windows 10 icon on taskbar





Click [OK, Let's Continue]
"Checking for updates"
00:12
"Downloading Windows 10" (2.9GB)
00:23
"Preparing for installation"
01:01
"Great, we'll get the upgrade started"
Click [Accept]
"Upgrade ready for install"
01:04
"Starting the upgrade now"
"Restarting" (PC reboots)
"Configuring Updates for Windows 10, Do Not Turn Off"
01:26
"Restarting" (PC reboots)
01:27
"Upgrading Windows"
01:55
"25%"
(PC reboots)
02:21
"75%"
(PC reboots)
02:51
"Hello there, Welcome Back"
Login (same admin user)
"Get going fast"
Click [express settings]
    or - if you want to make changes to standard settings select 'custom'.
           The following is what I chose to do but largely as for research.
           Most people nowadays have tablets with far more open personal detail available to apps.
           If you want to use Cortana (like Siri on Apple) Windows needs access to location, contacts etc.
          Click [custom] at bottom left
            turn off use of advertising ID
            turn off location
          Click [Next]
          Click [Next]
            let me close default apps
          Click [Next]
02:56
Normal Windows 10 Welcome screen
Login (same admin user)
"Setting things up"
"This won't take long"
"Taking care of a few things"
"It's taking a bit longer than usual, but it should be ready soon"
03:04
"Let's start"
Desktop loaded but 'clocking'
03:10
Windows Desktop loaded and responding

Initial Upgrade COMPLETE
FINISH

Follow Up Actions


Multiple User setup

We have completed the Upgrade on an admin user account but you may have multiple user accounts.
To complete everything, each user account needs to be logged into.

User #1 Complete Upgrade

START
hh:mm - elapsed time
00:00
Restart the PC
Black Screen for 1.5 minutes
00:02
(clocking - unresponsive)
00:03
Login as next user
(clocking - unresponsive)
a series of messages appear on screen as the setup works through
  "Hi, we're setting a few things"
  "This won't take long"
  etc.
00:09
"Let's start"
(clocking - unresponsive)
00:10
Several synchronisations running e.g. dropbox
Windows Desktop loaded and responding
FINISH
reboot and repeat for each user account

Recovery of Background (Wallpaper)

Click Start button
Click Settings
Click Personalisation
Select and shape the fit of Background using Background; Choose your picture and Choose a fit
When done with selection simple close with X at top right of window

Locate and add Internet Explorer to taskbar

Click Start button
Click All apps
scroll down to
Click Windows Accessories
Click to expand Windows Accessories
Right-Click Internet Explorer
Select Pin to taskbar


How to Create a System Image

In order to create a Windows 8 system image, the step-by-step instructions given below should be followed:

These instructions assume a USB external hard drive with sufficient space is connected. It is however possible to create a stack of DVDs.

Log on to a Windows 8.1 computer with the administrator account.
Click the Desktop tile from the Start screen to go to the desktop.
Once on the desktop screen, hover the mouse to the top right corner to open Charms menu.
From the displayed options, click Settings.
From the Settings pane, click Control Panel.
On the Control Panel window, click System and Security category.
On the System and Security window, click File History from the right pane.
From the left pane of the File History window, click System Image Backup option at the bottom.
On the first Create a system image window, select On a hard disk radio button (USB drive).
Once selected, click Next.
On the second Create a system image window, click to select all drives required to be backed up. (I chose not include the E:/data disk but included all other volumes)
Once selected, click Next.
On the Confirm your backup settings page, click Start backup to initiate the backup process.
Wait until the Windows 8.1 system image is created. (example C: with 140GB used took 1.5hrs)
At backup completed satisfactorily click Close


- END -

1 comment:

  1. Hi Ged - tested the original !0 upgrade on an ASUS lappy (8.1) in July - had to back it out as the networking failed - probably fixed by now. Recently upgraded Win7 64bit on my main PC (as this is multi-boot) was not overly concerned. Aoart from one piece of hardware (MS Office Keyboard - IMHO the best keyboard MS sold) no longer functioning as designed - (Win 8 drivers were also late) - no issues except the multi-boot appeared to fail - msconfig showed that the boot delay was set to 0 seconds - hence only default service [WIN 10] was bootable. MB

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