Windows 10: Windows 10 from the ground up

There is hardware that meets the specifications for Windows 10 and there is hardware that doesn't. PERIOD. If a manufacturer wants the Windows 10 certification on their box then they will build the computer with 100% hardware that meets Windows 10 specifications and that's all. Some of that hardware may have also had Windows 8 certification or even Windows 7 certification, but if it meets the Windows 10 specs then it meets the Windows 10 specs. PERIOD.

For the home user, the hardware does not even have to meet the Windows 10 specification in order to run Windows 10. It's just that some features that would be available to Windows 10 won't be available.

I posted a list from Microsoft's website of computers that are Windows 10 certified by Microsoft. Those computer, therefore, were "built from the ground up for Windows 10" because every component and driver in that computer meets Windows 10 specifications. PERIOD. The fact that they previously existed as Windows 8/8.1 certified does not change that.

 

@Vince Massi, I guess I am a little confused. What is it you are trying to ask or find out? I think you are putting too much thought in to this process. If you are planning to replace the two damaged computers, buy the best ones you can get for your budget. Don't worry about what's listed as "built" for which OS.

If you are asking what the minimum hardware specs are to run Windows 10 well, then that is a far different question, but far more useful.

 

Thanks, Deacon. I'm explaining how to buy a good cheap laptop designed for Windows 10. At this point in time, there are no computers specifically designed for 10, so you'll be buying a Windows 8.1 rig that is upgraded to 10. However, the three that I have ran great on 10.

 

I think I see now, however, your guide or explanation is misleading. No one should care if a computer was "designed" for 8.1 or 10. That's nothing more than marketing drivel. A person should care about the hardware specs and their intended purposes for the computer, while considering their budget. You don't need to focus on the OS. You need to focus on the applications (including games) that the system will run. For example, my wife does digital photography. I play games and update a food blog. The software we run is completely different, so we have two computers, a laptop for her and a tower I built for me. The OS didn't factor in to my choices at all. The budget and getting the best hardware for the uses is what mattered.

There's no need to care what OS it is "designed" for, as it's a meaningless label. Get the best hardware you can for your budget.

 

What is the difference between a computer specifically designed for Windows 10 and a computer that is Windows 10 certified by Microsoft? Inquiring minds want to know? Is it the lack of Windows 8 drivers for the hardware? Or is it that it isn't supposed to work with Windows 8 if it was "specifically designed for Windows 10"?

 

A computer designed specifically for Windows 10 would have hardware designed to take advantage of the abilities of the Windows 10 operating system. At this point in time, there is no such computer.

And, for those who came in late:

Several months before Windows 95 came out, Consumer Reports rated computers. They advised you to only buy a new computer with a CPU that could handle the future 95. Machines designed specifically for Windows 3.1 cannot run 95.

During the heyday of Windows 98, I e-mailed a question to Windows magazine: If I installed Windows 3.11 on my Win 98 rig, wouldn't that free up a lot of memory? The editor himself replied, explaining that a rig designed for Windows 98 cannot run 3.11.

Windows Vista debuted as a poorly-designed operating system. But then an off-brand company produced a budget laptop designed for Vista from the ground up, and it ran great. Machines designed for XP could not run Vista well. Years later, it turned out that Vista IS better than XP--but not if you run it on souped-up XP machines.

Upset by 8's lack of a Start Button, some people downgraded their 8 machines to Windows 7. Bad move, as 7 had difficulty with the superior hardware architecture of a machine designed to run Windows 8.

While we're on the subject, there is a version of Linux designed for Windows laptops. Companies would buy unsold machines designed for Windows, install the free Linux OS, and sell them at a low price. My neighbor has one and loves it. She has a free Linux program installed for recording grades. But some of the buttons on the keyboard don't work, and she uses a Win 7 computer for everything else because she can hardly get the Linux laptop to do anything else. PS. She bought it from a guy selling them from the back of a truck.

And last but not least, as of today, May 17, 2016, there are no computers built from the ground up for Windows 10. New computers are designed for 8.1.

 

And that simply is not true. But whatever you want to believe.... I see a salesman in your future getting you to pay that extra $100 for the "designed for Windows 10" little foil square on the computer that means absolutely nothing.

 

This is a great post, but none of it is true. Just read the equipment specs and decide what you need the computer for, forget about what OS you are going to run.

The part about Linux in your story was absolutely hilarious. Of course it is not true, which makes the story that much funnier.

 

Seems like most of here are in agreement about that.

 

I think what Vince is trying to say is that manufacturer's build computers from parts that require drivers for a particular OS. A machine built "from the ground up for Win 10", IMO, would be one that includes Win 10 specific drivers for all the hardware. Not just Win 8.x drivers that still work with Win 10 but drivers written and compiled specifically for Win 10. In that sense, I agree that there are machines designed and built for specific OSes.

As an example, if you buy a machine today that comes with Win 8.1 (or Win 10) and then try to install XP on it, you may not be able to if the manufacturer doesn't provide XP drivers for the hardware. Some of these machines might not even be able to run Win 7.

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Hey BunnyJ, how would a surge protector have kept those lappies from getting drenched? *Wink

 

And those computers are available today. They have a Windows 10 certification label and they have Windows 10 product keys stored in the UEFI firmware.

 

No computer has ever been built from the ground up for one specific version of Windows. We're trying to get you to understand that it is a phrase you don't need to repeat or use any more.

This isn't the days of Windows 3.11 and Windows 95. As we stand right now, there are three desktop versions of Windows, going on the assumption we'll consider 8 and 8.1 a single version. There are some very rare cases of new computers coming out that do not offer driver support for Windows 7, but it is very rare. Computers are built today to take advantage of whatever OS you feel like installing. That is why drivers vary from one version of Windows to the other for many performance related hardware. For example, Nvidia drivers for the same graphics card are different for the version of Windows you want to run. Each is optimized to take advantage of that OS.

I'm really not sure how to make it any more simple. A computer isn't designed from the ground up for an OS. The drivers associated with that OS are what make the OS and the hardware speak to each other in the most efficient way. That's why it is important to keep drivers up to date. They are the link between OS and hardware.

 

I was trying to say that above, you did a better job here. For the cost
involved, which is minimal why not 8gigs RAM?

Coupled with an SSD and decent processor your set.

Years ago hardware was behind software, now a days its not real expensive
to get a top line system for little money.

By going well over the minimum you do secure a future proof system at least for
a while.

 

Buying a Cheap Windows 10 Laptop Part 3

Okay, you've decided to buy a cheap laptop. Where do you start?

As with any computer purchase, decide what you want to do. If you want to play high-tech games, get a desktop. Technically, a Chromebook isn't a laptop, but it does everything that a cheap laptop does except use the Windows Store. If you're sure that you will only do things online, don't eliminate Chromebooks.

I had two cheap laptops, with inferior chips and 2 gigs of RAM that went online, streamed movies and cartoons, and played Windows Store games with no problems. However, you will have a hard time finding a Windows 10 laptop with less than 4 gigs of RAM. In light of future upgrades, that's probably a good idea.

CNET rated their best budget laptops and came out to around $250 US. I noted that neither of my two cheap laptops met their standards and yet ran fine.

If you find one you like, write down the specs and price and GO HOME! On the web, the manufacturer will give you a glowing review, so try to find reviews from someone else. Check the operating system at the store and on the web. The machine is probably designed for 8.1. If it is designed for 8, remember that I upgraded two cheap 8 laptops to 8.1 and then 10 with no problems. It's okay if they installed 10 at the factory--just remember that it is still an 8.1 machine.

 

I still say you are overthinking a the concept, making it more complicated than it needs to be. You decide on a purpose and a budget. Obviously, if you want a gaming laptop, $250 isn't going to work, so it needs to be realistic. Then you go find the best deal you can find for that budget. Simple as that. No need to write up a guide or write a missive on the subject.

You are getting hung up on individual specifics. Just get the best you can for your budget.