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Harry - I have mentioned before, but with 8.1 it was a 15 second mod to get it to boot straight to desktop - anyway, I hope you took note of post 164 above! :-)

I regularly back up my PC and laptop. All data stored on USB stick, so I didn't create a restore point for this particular update. My laptop is porn free, so no worries on that score!
Seems that you can still access the apps page by left clicking the 'Start' button.....not that I will be doing that much. I wonder if 10 is very different from 8.1. Much of the old system is still available, just less intrusive......though 'Edge' does replace IE.

As mentioned somewhere above, there is now no 'Windows update' option within the Control Panel, so it seems they will automatically load.

Harry, if you look at the link in post 152 and search for "automatic" - the 'thinking' is explained.

Windows 10 bugs emerge
by Brooke Crothers Aug. 6, 2015

Windows 10 is a potentially great upgrade – that’s not quite great yet.

The news Microsoft operating system is an essential redesign. That alone makes it worth the upgrade, as I wrote last week. This week, however, I’m offering a reality check.

After a week of constant use, I’ve found it to be buggy compared to Windows 8.1. While not surprising for a new operating system, the point is that some less-adventurous consumers may want to wait to upgrade.

Related: Windows 10 review: The two-minute version

Windows 10 users have been documenting their challenges with the new Microsoft OS using the hashtag #Windows10Fail.

I won’t go into the entire litany of problems (some of them are minor) but below are the standouts. Note that Microsoft issued a big “cumulative” update for Windows 10 on Wednesday to address a variety of issues. That update may, or may not, address some of the issues below. Time will tell.

The Start Menu: Occasionally buggy

The return of the Start Menu is the single most important change for many consumers. But it’s not quite stable yet. About once a day it’s not accessible for me. It either crashes outright or is very slow to respond.

Edge Browser: Needs work

The new Edge browser is fast -- when it's firing on all cylinders. But at times it stops responding. And at other times has trouble running some websites. (Gmail, for example, doesn't always behave itself on Edge). Again, not surprising for a spanking-new browser. There is an option to revert to Explorer, which may solve some issues: click on the three dots in the upper right-hand corner of Edge and select “Open with Internet Explorer.” My guess is that Edge will improve rapidly in the coming weeks and months as Microsoft issues updates. Let me add that I noted last week that Windows 10 felt faster (snappier) overall compared to Windows 8.1. A lot of that had to do with the fact that I switched to Edge. The problem is -- that snappiness did not persist because of the reasons cited above.

Applications don’t carry over

There’s a reason many businesses wait years to upgrade. Proprietary business applications don’t always work on a new Windows operating system. I’m using a new HP business laptop with a suite of security and business applications. Some of those applications behave differently under Windows 10. In at least one case, a security application caused a time-consuming (read: hours) snafu for me.

Windows 10 freezes

This is a hard one to call because it’s never clear if it’s Microsoft’s fault, the PC maker’s fault, a third-party software provider's fault – or all of the above. I’ve found that general freeze-ups on Windows 10 are more common compared to Windows 8.1. A typical example is when I leave the PC idle for an hour or two and come back: sometimes I’m forced to restart Windows 10 because it’s unresponsive. The root cause can be Windows device drivers (software that controls a hardware component) or bugs lurking in Microsoft code. But, again, it’s never easy to assign blame in these cases.

Firefox doesn’t like Windows 10

The Firefox browser does not perform as well on Windows 10. And Mozilla, the organization that develops Firefox, isn’t pleased. CEO Chris Beard has written an open letter to Microsoft: 'Don't roll back the clock on choice and control'.

Cortana is a work in progress

Cortana is a sophisticated digital personal assistant that understands spoken commands. Because voice recognition is difficult even under the best of conditions, it’s not surprising that Cortana is hit-or-miss. I’ll be charitable and say don’t expect too much from Cortana. Simple commands usually work but tasks like creating and composing (dictating) emails is more problematic.

Finally, note that the stability of Windows 10 can vary dramatically depending on the PC brand and age of the PC. In my case, I’m using a new PC designed for Windows 10 so my experience doesn’t necessarily apply to everyone.

Related: Stop Windows 10 spying dead in its tracks with one free app

I asked Microsoft to respond to some of the “bugginess.” Here's what a Microsoft spokesperson said: “While the vast majority of our customers will be able to seamlessly upgrade, some app or device incompatibilities may exist and will decrease over time. If for some reason you run into an issue, Answer Desk offers one-on-one support from Microsoft.”

An interesting read - particularly the last link.

BTW you should go to the bottom of the the link article to read comments on nospy10.

Harry/anyone have you any personal updates yet - speed, storage etc.

Google, Samsung to issue monthly Android security fixes

Could we fly from London to New York in an hour?

Personal updates......??????? Many parts of my body are showing signs of wear, but not yet in need of updating!

If you mean updates on my particular machine, then I have no idea as it doesn't offer the option of managing the updates.

Harry :-)

I meant on your experience so far on W10 as I assume you have been using it in anger for the couple of days?

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Farmer builds own broadband network

And in writing, should you be interested enough to want to make some notes....

Farmer builds own broadband network

August 17 2015 at 10:34am
By Daily Mail
iol scitech may 14 internet cable

REUTERS
Living on a farm nestled in a remote area of Salisbury Plain, Richard Guy had battled for years with unbearably slow internet signal.

But the 60-year-old farmer decided enough was enough and resolved to take on telecoms giant BT and find an alternative source.

Guy noticed that his mobile phone’s 4G signal was significantly faster than the broadband link provided by BT to his home, but he needed to find a way to route the signal to his farmhouse.

So the savvy father-of-two built his own makeshift wooden telephone mast, on which he set up a 4G adaptor inside a toolbox. He then connected this to his home via a system of wires – and he was soon enjoying ‘perfect’ internet access at super-fast speeds.

The father of two said: ‘It’s a big problem for people in rural areas. The Government told us that the Olympics would bring fast broadband to everyone in Britain.

‘Well, the Olympics were some time ago now. The world assumes that everyone is online, but the 5 percent who can’t connect are just dismissed. So I decided to take matters into my own hands. We only had a 1 Mbps [megabits per second] speed, which means everything is far too slow. Now I run at 69 Mbps, it runs everything perfectly.’

The average speed households across the country enjoy is around 25 Mbps.

Guy added: ‘When I spoke to the fibre-optic people [who provide wires to transmit an internet connection], they were very intrigued.

‘They said “you’re going to do what? Put it in a box up a pole, are you crazy?” They normally deal with people like Google and IBM.’

Guy, who has worked in IT since the 1980s, had found that the strongest 4G signal was on farmland miles away from his house. He fitted a 4G dongle inside a waterproof toolbox two thirds of the way up a pair of wooden poles.

The adaptor, which is powered by a 12V battery topped up by two small solar panels, then converts the internet signal into a form that allows it to run along relatively cheap fibre-optic cables, costing £1 per metre, to his home.

Guy and his wife Gilly, who is also 60, have now started a company called Agri-Broadband
, which aims to get super-fast internet connections to Britain’s most rural homes.

‘I think at the start Gilly didn’t think it would work,’ Guy said. ‘But she’s very supportive and helps with all sides of the business.

‘I just love seeing the expression on someone’s face when you show them it’s possible that they, having been left out in the middle of nowhere, can get serious broadband. But I turn up in a dirty Range Rover and this old geezer gets out and people think “he’s not going to solve this”. I think they’re expecting some young techie, but then it works and they’re amazed.’

The farmer uses Ofcom’s mobile network website to determine where the best signals can be found in rural areas, usually within small valleys and hills.

Guy said his next customer, who will have a specialist trench dug on his farm in the Cotswolds in September, has a connection of just 0.4 Mbps, adding: ‘He’s trying to run a business on that, so he’s delighted.’ – Daily Mail

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