Windows 10

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What is Windows 10?

Windows 10 is a personal computer operating system developed and released by Microsoft as part of the Windows NT family of operating systems.

It was officially unveiled in September 2014 following a brief demo at Build 2014.

Windows 10 release date

The first version of the operating system entered a public beta testing process in October 2014, leading up to its consumer release on July 29, 2015.

Minimum requirements for Windows 10

For modern computers, Windows 10 pose no real issues in regard to requirements. The operating system works fine on various machines, such as laptops, desktops, tablets and so on.

• RAM: 1 GB for 32-bit or 2 GB for 64-bit
• Processor: 1 GHz or faster processor or SoC
• Hard disk space: 16 GB for 32-bit OS 20 GB for 64-bit OS
• Graphics card: DirectX 9 or later with WDDM 1.0 driver

Hardware Limitations for Windows 10

Windows 10 Home supports up to 128GB of RAM on x64 versions. Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise support up to 512 GB on the x64 platform.

The 32-bit versions of Windows 10 support up to 4 GB of RAM.

Windows 10 supports 2 physical CPUs. The number of logical processors depends on the processor architecture. 32-bit versions of Windows 10 support a maximum of 32 cores, and 64-bit versions support 256 cores.

Windows 10 editions

The first two from the list below are the main editions used by the public:

• Windows 10 Pro
• Windows 10 Home
• Windows 10 Mobile
• Windows 10 Enterprise
• Windows 10 Enterprise Mobile
• Windows 10 Education

Additionally, all versions include both 32-bit and 64-bit editions. However, starting with Windows 10 version 2004, the OS was no longer supported for the 32-bit version.

Windows 10 new features

Windows 10 has introduced the universal apps developed on the UWP.

These apps can be designed to run across multiple Microsoft product families without the need to be re-written for each device —‌ including PCs, tablets, smartphones, embedded systems, Xbox One, Surface Hub , and Mixed Reality.

The first release of Windows 10 also introduces the following new features:

• A virtual desktop system
• A window and desktop management feature called Task View
• New Start Menu with more space for Windows Apps
• The Microsoft Edge web browser
• Support for fingerprint and face recognition login
• New security features for enterprise environments
• DirectX 12 and WDDM 2.0 to improve the operating system’s graphics capabilities for games
• Microsoft introduced Cortana

How do you upgrade to Windows 10?

The Windows 10 free upgrade through the Get Windows 10 (GWX) app, ended on July 29, 2016.

Although, users with assistive technologies could still upgrade for free after that date. Another possibility was to take advantage of the loophole.

Note: The accessibility upgrade offer expired on December 31, 2017.

Upgrade to Windows 10 is now available through purchase the license either on a device or as a full version of the software.

A new concept of updates for Windows 10

There were many rumors around after Windows 8 came up and everyone believed in the obvious assumption that Windows 9 will come after Windows 8.

The tech giant had its own reasoning for leaping to Windows 10, including the fact that this is such a big upgrade to deserve more than one number.

In another sense, Windows 10 is the unofficial heir of Windows 7, having more similarities with the latter than to Windows 8. Microsoft decided to return to that interface, considered more intuitive to many users.

Also, with Windows 10, Microsoft modified the way in which Windows is updated. Instead of bigger and fewer updates, the tech giant opted for a more continuous flow of new features and fixes to keep the operating system up to date.

From the Anniversary Update, Microsoft started to release a new version once every month in Spring and Fall.

The initial release was named Windows 10 version 1507, and from that Microsoft released seven updates:

The version number stands for the year and month of the release (approximately). For Example, Windows version 1607 was released in July 2016.

Patch Tuesday updates, and what they mean for Windows 10

Besides the major feature updates, Microsoft continuously updates Windows 10 with a series of monthly updates called the Patch Tuesday updates.

These get their namesake from the fact that they are always released on the second Tuesday of every month. Of course, they shouldn’t be taken lightly because of their namesake, since they bring important fixes, new features, and much-needed security improvements to the Windows 10 OS.

As a rule of thumb, these updates can be installed just like any other typical updates, and they can be also be uninstalled as well.

As an example, you can get Patch Tuesday updates through the following methods:

• Most common methods used by home users
  • Via the Windows Update menu
  • One-by-one via the Windows Update Catalog
• Most common methods used by companies for multiple PCs:
  • Using the Windows Server Update Service (WSUS)
  • En-masse via Group Policies

For more information on how to get these monthly updates, you should check out this guide that our experts have written.

Of course, keeping your OS is extremely important, and certain steps need to be taken in order to ensure a perfect update process, especially in larger companies over multiple PC networks.

Failing to update as soon as possible will leave you exposed to hackers and vulnerabilities, especially in the following days, such as Exploit Wednesday and Uninstall Thursday.

Since these updates are released monthly, they have added up to quite an amount. For those of you interested in a detailed history of Windows 10’s update history, check out this in-depth article.

Few tips on how to use your Windows 10 PC efficiently

Windows 10 incorporated several programs that help your computer run smoothly. However, there are third-party software that can provide a better Windows experience.

The first and most important aspect is security. We recommend the best antivirus solutions for Windows 10.

Also, check out these 7 of the best PC repair and optimizer software to keep your computer clean and efficient.

Privacy is also extremely important, therefore, we recommend 10+ best VPN software clients for Windows 10.

Documentation of Operating Systems and Developers

Windows 10 — Operating System

Windows 10

Windows 10 has been developed under the project name «Threshold» as successor of Windows 8.1. During development, the operating system was called Windows 9 but dropped by Microsoft for no official reason. This is the last Windows version according to Microsoft. This means that the major version number 10 will be kept, independent from the number of updates in future.

Microsoft offers a free upgrade from Windows 7 SP1 and Windows 8.1 within the first year since the release. The upgrade is performed after confirmation of the user. All of the necessary files for the upgrade have been downloaded through the automatic update before. You can install the operating system later on the same computer and the license will be activated automatically. Otherwise you can activate Windows 10 during the setup with a valid Windows 7 or Windows 8 license code.

Microsoft is forcing the registration with an online Microsoft account but you can still use a local user account. Many features will be limited or not useable without online activation, for example Cortana, OneDrive, OneNote and the AppStore. The operating system transmits many telemetry data to Microsoft. The transfer of data can be configured in privacy settings in control panel but not deactivated completely.

The minimum requirements for the computer are moderat. A processor with 1 GHz, 1 GByte (32-bit) and 2 GByte (64-bit) main memory are sufficient. The free disk space on the hard disk should be at least 16 GByte (32-Bit) and 20 GByte (64-Bit). The graphic card should support DirectX 9 with WDDM 1.0 drivers at a resolution of at least 800 x 600 pixel. The driver model is the same and drivers for the most common hardware are included.

The operating system has been designed for various different computers. Windows 10 is suitable for server, desktop computer, notebooks, tablets and Windows-Phones. The development of Apps has been simplified for use on computers and mobile devices. Microsoft offers Windows versions for different fields of application:

— Windows 10 Home
— Windows 10 Pro
— Windows 10 Enterprise
— Windows 10 Education
— Windows 10 Mobile
— Windows 10 Mobile Enterprise
— Windows 10 IoT Core
— Windows Server 2016
— Windows 10 for XBOX One

Windows 10 updates are delivered continuously on availability. A fixed weekly patch day become dispensable therefore. The point of time for updates can be configured in different rings but not disabled completely. The available rings to configure the update behaviour depends on the Windows version.

— Ring 1, «Fast»: Receive pre-releases of new functions
— Ring 2, «Slow»: Receive pre-releases of new functions delayed
— Ring 3, «Standard»: Receive new functions at final release
— Ring 4 and Ring 5: Receive new functions delayed (Pro-, Enterprise- und Education Version)
— Ring 6, «Long Term Servicing Branch»: Receive only security updates automatically, new functions after release by the administrator (Windows 10 Enterprise only)

Windows Hello is able to identify the user by biometric characteristics. This can be done with the face, iris and fingerprint. The authentification data is stored on the local computer only according to microsoft. Requirement for Windows Hello is special hardware, for example a camera with infrared light for the face and iris identification.

The new browser Edge with the new HTML rendering-engine is the successor of Microsoft Internet Explorer. Internet Explorer 11 is still included for compatibility but the further development has been discontinued.

Yusuf Mehdi, Corporate Vice President of the Windows and Devices Group, spoke on the Microsoft Ignite 2016 event, 26th September 2016 about the success of Windows 10. 18 months after the launch, the operating system is used on over 400 million active devices each month.

How to Find Windows 10 Computer Specifications & Systems Requirements

Here’s an overview of how to find computer specification requirements, versions, and languages available for Windows 10.

Table of Contents

System requirements for installing Windows 10

These are the basic requirements for installing Windows 10 on a PC. If your device does not meet these requirements, you may not have the great experience intended with Windows 10 and might want to consider purchasing a new PC.

RAM: 1 gigabyte (GB) for 32-bit or 2 GB for 64-bit

Hard drive size:

32GB or larger hard disk

Note: See below under “More information on hard drive space to install or update Windows 10” for more details.

Compatible with DirectX 9 or later with WDDM 1.0 driver

Display: 800×600 Internet Connection:

Internet connectivity is necessary to perform updates and to download and take advantage of some features. Windows 10 Pro in S mode, Windows 10 Pro Education in S mode, Windows 10 Education in S mode, and Windows 10 Enterprise in S mode require an internet connection during the initial device setup (Out of Box Experience or OOBE), as well as either a Microsoft account (MSA) or Azure Activity Directory (AAD) account. Switching a device out of Windows 10 in S mode also requires internet connectivity. Learn more about S mode here.

There may be additional requirements over time for updates, as well as requirements to turn on specific features within the OS.

Keeping Windows 10 up-to-date

Windows 10 is designed to deliver updates for the supported lifetime of the device. Two types of updates may be provided: quality updates and feature updates. Quality updates include both security and non-security updates and are typically targeted to be released once a month. Feature updates also include security and non-security fixes as well as new features to Windows 10 and are typically provided twice a year. Ensuring that your device receives these updates and is kept up-to-date is important for your device security. Windows 10 periodically checks for updates so you don’t have to. When an update is available—and sufficient free disk space is available on your device—it will be automatically installed. So that Windows 10 continues to stay updated, it’s important to ensure your device has sufficient free space. See additional applicable details in the following notes.

Important notes about updates:

• A device might not be able to receive updates if the device hardware is incompatible, if it lacks current drivers or sufficient available hard drive space, or if it’s otherwise outside of the Original Equipment Manufacturer’s (“OEM”) support period. Visit the Windows Lifecycle Fact Sheet or the Lifecycle FAQ for Windows products to learn more about the servicing timeline for each feature update.
  • Some of the disk space needed for installing updates is only temporarily required. Typically, ten days after installing an update, a disk cleanup will be automatically performed to delete copies of the older, unneeded Windows files and free up space again.
• Not all features in an update will work on all devices.
• An internet connection is required to perform updates and Internet access (ISP) fees might apply.
• If you need assistance installing an update, Windows 10 Update Assistant may be able to help.

More information on hard drive space requirements to install or update Windows 10

The size of the Windows operating system that comes with your device and the amount of space needed to download and install Windows updates, are highly variable as they depend on a variety of factors. Visit here to learn why. The factors that impact the amount of free hard drive space needed to take an update include: the versions of Windows previously installed on the machine, the amount of disk space available to reuse from Windows files, such as the virtual memory pagefile or hibernation file, which applications are installed on your device and how those applications store data. Starting with the May 2019 Update, the system requirements for hard drive size for clean installs of Windows 10 as well as new PCs changed to a minimum of 32GB. The 32GB or larger drive requirement is set to leave space for users to install apps and to keep data on the device. Installing Windows or updating from a previous version of Windows on devices with less than 32GB storage will continue to work if the device has enough free space available. When updating, Windows will attempt to automatically free up enough hard drive space and guide you through freeing up even more if the automatic cleanup is not sufficient. You can also take steps to free up space on your own. For more information, see Free up space to install the latest Windows 10 update or visit the related FAQ.

Feature-specific requirements for Windows 10

In addition to the requirements above that are needed to run Windows, some features have additional requirements. In some cases, features included with updated versions of Windows 10 will be best experienced with newer processors. For specific hardware support please refer to your Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM). Below are some additional details regarding requirements for key features:

• BitLocker Drive Encryption (available with Windows 10 Pro or Windows 10 Enterprise only) requires a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 1.2 or higher and Trusted Computing Group (TCG)-compliant BIOS or UEFI. BitLocker can be used on devices without TPM, but you will need to save a startup key on a removable device such as a USB flash drive. TPM 2.0 and InstantGo support is required when you want to automatically encrypt the local drive when joining a device to Azure Active Directory (AAD). Check with your PC manufacturer to confirm if your device supports the correct TPM version and InstantGo for the scenario you want to enable.
• BitLocker To Go requires a USB flash drive (available in Windows 10 Pro and Windows 10 Enterprise only).
• Client Hyper-V requires a 64-bit system with second level address translation (SLAT) capabilities and additional 2 GB of RAM (available in Windows 10 Pro and Windows 10 Enterprise only).
• Cortana is only currently available on Windows 10 for the United States, United Kingdom, China, France, Italy, Germany, Brazil, Mexico, Japan, Canada, Spain, Australia and India.
• Microsoft account is required for some features.
• Miracast requires a display adapter which supports Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) 1.3, and a Wi-Fi adapter that supports Wi-Fi Direct.
• Movies & TV application is not available in all regions. For the most up-to-date list of regions, please go to the Movies & TV information page.
• Secure boot requires firmware that supports UEFI v2.3.1 Errata B and has the Microsoft Windows Certification Authority in the UEFI signature database.
• Skype is available only in select countries and regions. Calling to select countries and regions only. Excludes special, premium and non-geographic numbers. For details, visit the Office FAQ page.
• Snap: The number of applications that can be snapped will depend upon the minimum resolution for the application with a limit of two applications in Tablet mode and four applications in Desktop mode.
• Speech recognition will vary by device microphone. For a better speech experience, you will need a:
  • High fidelity microphone array
  • Hardware driver with microphone array geometry exposed
• Tablet mode is available on tablets and 2-in-1s with GPIO indicators or those that have a laptop and slate indicator will be able to be configured to enter «tablet mode» automatically.
• Touch: To use touch, you need a tablet or a monitor that supports multi-touch.
• Two-factor authentication requires the use of a PIN, Biometric (finger print reader or illuminated infrared camera), or a phone with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth capabilities.
• Windows Hello requires a camera configured for near infrared (IR) imaging or fingerprint reader for biometric authentication. Devices without biometric sensors can use Windows Hello with a PIN or a portable Microsoft compatible security key.
• Xbox application requires an Xbox Live account, which is not available in all regions. For the most up-to-date list of regions, please go to Xbox Live Countries and Regions website.
• Wi-Fi Direct Printing requires a Wi-Fi adapter that supports Wi-Fi Direct and a device that supports Wi-Fi Direct Printing.