Windows 10: What are the consequences?

From Understanding The Windows 10Timeline (As of 11/21/17)

Among the biggest drivers setting the pace of Windows 10 upgrades are the new Windows 10 Feature Updates.

Microsoft releases two feature updates a year, one in March and one in September.

Since feature updates contain an entire copy of the OS, they are also used by customers to install Windows 10 on existing devices running Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, and on new devices where no operating system is installed.

While this has the benefit of effectively providing a new OS with each feature update, you will need to manage multiple gold OS builds as a consequence, or elongate the build process with layering of feature updates.

I guess that's why these updates are so large.
But what exactly gets changed with these updates?
Are there modifications to my existing registry customizations? (Yes!)
Are there compatibility problems? (Yes!)
Should we pray for the best before each update? (Yes!)

Are we screwed if an update converts a working computer into a brick? (Some here would say YES.)
Is it time to get a Mac? (Likewise.)

:)

 

Apps not closing, still running in background

Thanks for the response. I am not looking for a "close all" function. Sometimes I intentionally want to leave an app running. In windows phone 8.1, I could exit and close th app by merely selecting the arrow/back button, I am looking for that same functionality.
When I'm in an app, I want to be able to exit directly from there and not have it continuing in the background.

 

Apps not closing, still running in background

I just got my Lumia 950 phone. On my prior Windows phone, when I pressed the arrow/back button on the bottom left screen, I would exit the app. On Windows 10 phone, I've been doing that and I just realized I'm not exiting the apps. I had intentionally not
exited an app (because it had my boarding pass). Instead of back button, I pressed the middle window button. Later when I went back to call up my airline app, I pressed the arrow/back button and held it. Similar to my old windows phone, it showed me all the
apps that were open. SURPRISE! unlike my previous phone, no app had been closing. Right now, I can't seem to find a "one click" way to exit an app. The only way is after I've done a few things, I hold the back button and click the "X" on each of the open items.

Can someone tell me how to exit an app with one click or swipe so that it is not still running, i.e. when I press the back button I will not see it? I'm sure this is something simple. I search the instructions that came with the phone and looked in the
forum but haven't found the answer.

thanks in advance the assist.

 

Windows isn't alone in this. A more trivial(?) example is that of apps on an an Android 6 smart phone that are supposed to be able to use the fingerprint sensor. Consider banking apps that are stated to use the fingerprint sensor. In my experience, most of them don't even detect I've got one.

I had two apps that worked - then I updated them. Guess what? No fingerprint sensor any more. Conclusion: for travelling I'm using my Win 7 starter netbook with Roboform- that works. (One key Roboform feature isn't available on their smart phone implementation).

Be prepared for the worst. If you anticipate the worst, you may not be disappointed.

What should you do?
Backup up, use disk imaging.

At each feature upgrade, note the settings you have to redo, and the programs that become unusable or need their license reapplying.

Then you have a record that may help you next time.

Great for a single user- a nightmare in an organisation with multiple devices.

 

I'd like to comment on those 2 items as a simple computer user.
When a feature update installs I create a system image backup & a USB recovery drive of the in-place version.
Then another system image update just before the next feature update is due.
--- I keep my computer safe & secure and well maintained with a monthly regimen at the end of each month.
--- I also create data backups at least once a week.

On the possibility of bricking a computer, it isn't impossible but unless I can find data that says otherwise, I suspect that isn't going to happen because of the feature update at least 98% (maybe even 99%) of the time.

I bought my first new computer in 1998 with all the bells & whistles thinking I'd be fine. Within 6 weeks it got infected and I had no idea why. Fortunately because of the warranty the hard drive was replaced and I vowed to learn how to maintain my computers like my car.
It took me a while how to do that but as time went on my computers always ran excellently for their expected life cycles and my system has morphed into adjusting to Windows 10 very naturally. from Windows 95, 98>98SE, XP, 7 and now 10. It doesn't mean I never had issues to deal with, but I was able to work on issues as they happened from advice in some computer magazines back in those days and in computer forums on the Internet: in today's world Windows 10 forum is the best.

 

To further bolster what others have said -- regarding your question about being screwed as a result of these major feature Upgrades -- unfortunately, the answer can be YES!

In have machines trashed three times now because of this -- different PCs, different feature Upgrades.

Which is why, like others have mentioned, it is CRITICAL to do full image bakups prior to these Upgrades. With those, you can return your PC to working condition. Without those, you are likely to be "screwed".

Some folks will say "Rubbish -- this has never happened to me!". Well, good for them; but if it happens to you, that is no consolation, now is it!

Personally, I recommend Macrium Reflect for Imaging -- but others may recommend other solutions.

 

I should expand on that as I do suspect that older computers that have been upgraded from 7 or 8 to Windows 10 will reach a point of "bricking" or terrible performance eventually as manufacturers phase out driver updates to support Windows 10 as it progresses.

Here is an issue that isn't limited to AMD for legacy products but the concept is the same for all manufacturers:
--- Going to AMD’s website it appears that there technically isn’t a Win10 driver for some legacy graphics drivers but there is a beta driver
AMD Radeon Software Crimson Edition 16.2.1 Beta for Non GCN Products Release Notes
AMD Radeon Software Crimson Edition 16.2.1 Beta for Non GCN Products Release Notes

--- So that throws out my optimistic comment about "at least 98% (maybe even 99%)"
--- The time has already started in which older computers with Windows 10 will just need to be replaced

 

I have been using Linux for years so I am use to this twice a year complete update thing. I never have a system image because that type of thing is of no interest to me. I do clean installs of Windows and Linux with every new feature update. In other words, I never update a system, I just do clean installs.

 

How can one get advance notice that a major update in March and September is about to happen? The answer might be that advance notice is not needed - just make a disc image at the end of February and end of August.

But what about other unanounced updates? In my case, I use Macrium Reflect (free version) to make a disc image every day, keeping several. I am hoping I am fireproof.

 

This is where having Pro comes in- you have more control of updates and upgrades.

In the 2 or 3 cases I know of, people have had variable success with Home setting updates/upgrades to Notify by means of a registry modification with 1709. E.g. see the relevant Tutorial or use Winaero's free tweaker.