What you need to know about Windows 10

on 07 July 2015

Posted in: News and insights, Development

The long awaited Windows 10 is due to be released on 29th July. Since we are IT recruitment specialists, we couldn’t wait until then and managed to get our hands on a pre-release version to see if it matches up to the hype.

Microsoft’s latest incarnation is a hybrid operating system. It tries to update the brilliance & stability achieved in Windows 7 whilst trying to forget the mess that was Windows 8.

Microsoft’s plan to convert the world to their brand new operating system was apparent when they announced Windows 10 will be a free upgrade for the first year of launch.

According to many experts the shift from conventional PCs or laptops to smart phones and tablets is changing the way we do business forever. Microsoft is tapping into this market by providing an easier overall Windows experience. Windows 10 will be one platform that can be used on mobiles, tablets as well as PCs. Microsoft understand the world is no longer filled with box huggers, instead many of us live and breathe on the cloud using mobiles and tablets in order to access emails, documents or catch-up on demand services.

As with any upgrade, acceptance is driven by familiarity. Windows 10 has done a good job in allowing its history do the talking by keeping its main features such as the desktop, taskbar and the long-awaited return of the start menu — loved by many over the past decade only to have it taken away from us in Windows 8.

However, not all of Windows 8’s features have vanished. Microsoft has opted for a ‘best of both’ approach combing the classic start menu with customisable tiles displaying weather, news, maps and much more.

The typical Windows customer already owns either an iPhone or android device so will have been accustomed to the voice activation feature of Apple’s Siri and Google voice which allows you to do pretty much anything by talking to your phone. Voice activation has most commonly been used to type out emails by command or booking meetings on the go. Microsoft’s response to this is Cortana.

Cortana is like a personal assistant built into Windows 10. What makes this feature unique is upon clicking on Cortana it will immediately give you a dropdown menu highlighting many of your interests including sports results or the latest fashion news or what’s on in your local cinema tonight. One feature I found useful was Cortana informing me that I had to leave for an appointment 10 minutes prior to me really leaving due to Cortana noticing increased traffic on my appointment route setup earlier that day.

It is widely accepted in the techie world that Internet Explorer is a terrible web browser and its primary purpose is to download another web browser! Jokes aside, Microsoft has finally said goodbye to “Internet Explorer cannot display this webpage” and hello to Microsoft Edge, a new, modern, fast-looking interface built with strong security. Microsoft Edge brings with it three new features I feel will not only help the world but help the recruitment industry as a whole.

We all know how messy our desks can get with sheets of paper and sticky notes all over the monitor screens. With Edge you can incorporate this feature into the web browser allowing you to create notes or comments using the inbuilt pen tool to create free-hand notes on webpages. Once noted you can then share these web pages with colleagues or send them as attachments. Notes can be added by typed text, finger touch or a stylus.

Many of you will understand how difficult it is to read webpages online filled with adverts wanting you to purchase something, distracting you from researching a webpage or scanning a Linkedin profile. Microsoft Edge has a reading mode built into the browser allowing to you view these webpages in a more comfortable fashion removing distraction and allowing you to focus on the content.

One last appealing feature of Microsoft Edge is the use of Cortana built into the browser. It can assist with copying parts of webpages into documents or into an email. Cortana can also pick out contact information immediately when visiting many websites.

Finally, I can’t talk about Windows 10 without mentioning apps. Apps were brought into Windows 8 to allow users a new way of accessing 3rd party applications. About 190,000 apps are currently available in the Windows store from games to Facebook, LinkedIn and many more. One application set for an upgrade is the up and coming Office 2016 designed for the mobile and cloud enthusiasts. Little is known about Office 2016, it is looking unlikely that its new features will be mind-blowing.

Although it’s difficult to predict the future, I can see Microsoft coming out of the abyss of Windows 8 to a growing future with Windows 10. In the last few years Microsoft has learned that simplicity and familiarity is key and providing the user with worthwhile free upgrades can improve brand loyalty.

Everything You Need to Know About Windows 10

Microsoft released its latest version of Windows this week, and we dove in headfirst. If you missed any of the news, here’s a roundup of everything you need to know, from us and our friends at Gizmodo .

Be sure to check out our Windows 10 tag for even more Windows 10 launch goodness.

The Best New Features of Windows 10

Today’s the day that Windows 10 finally arrives! While the rollout will come in waves , we’ve been running the Insider Preview for months. Here are some of the best features you can look forward to when ( or if ) you decide to upgrade.

Should I Upgrade to Windows 10?

Windows 10 is finally here. You’ve seen some of its best new features , even heard what it’s like to use every day. But you might be wondering if you should upgrade. For some, it’s free, a great update, and a foregone conclusion. For others it’s better to wait, or think about other options. Let’s see where you fall.

The Best Windows 10 Features You Probably Haven’t Heard About

Windows 10 has arrived. Whether you’re jumping the line or still trying to decide if you should upgrade , chances are you’ve heard about some of the best new features of Windows 10 . Here are some of the really awesome ones you might not have heard about.

Find Out If You Get a Free Upgrade to Windows 10 with This Flowchart

There’s been a lot of confusion about who gets free upgrades to Windows 10 on July 29th , but this flowchart should make it nice and simple to determine if you do.

Microsoft Isn’t Giving Away Windows 10 Licenses to Beta Users After All

Over the weekend, we reported that Microsoft planned to give away free Windows 10 licenses to those

How to Skip the Line and Upgrade to Windows 10 Now

If you’ve reserved a copy of Windows 10 but haven’t gotten the upgrade prompt yet, here’s a secret: you can skip the line and upgrade right now.

How to Do a Clean Install of Windows 10

Windows 10 is finally here, and your computer will automatically prompt you to upgrade. But if you’d rather start fresh, you can do a clean install—you just need to follow a few steps in the right order.

How to Tweak Windows 10 and Fix Its Minor Annoyances

Windows 10 resolves a lot of the annoyances left over from Windows 8, but it also comes with a few of its own—little as most of them may be. Here’s how to tweak a few of the OS’s new features and fix its little quirks.

Check These 5 Settings After Installing Windows 10

You’ve taken the plunge and got Microsoft’s brand new operating system up and running on your machine—now what? Before you start familiarizing yourself with the ins and outs of the software, take a tour around these five settings and make sure Windows 10 is working the way you want.

The Ultimate Guide to Windows 10 Keyboard Shortcuts

If you want to give the impression that you’ve been using Windows 10 for years, learning a few keyboard shortcuts is the best way to go about it—you can navigate around the interface, get apps in position, trigger events, change settings and more with a couple of taps on your keyboard. Here are the shortcuts we’ve been finding most useful.

Windows 10: The Gizmodo Review

Windows 10 defies review.

Ask an Expert: All About Windows 10

Windows 10 arrived this week, and the free update is rolling out to millions of users with a wide variety of new features and tweaks that improve on the operating system. But no doubt many of you still have questions, and we have a representative from Microsoft here to answer them.

What you need to know about Windows 10!

Today Microsoft unveiled Windows 10. Yes they are skipping the number 9 and going straight to 10. Windows 10 it suppose to represent “first step of a whole new generation of Windows. Windows 10 unlocks new experiences for customers to work, play and connect. Windows 10 embodies what our customers (both consumers and enterprises) demand and what we will deliver” says Terry Mason on his Windows Blog post.

Windows 10 is design to run across an array of devices of all shapes, sizes and input methods. The interface won’t be the same on every device but it will tailor to the device to provide the best experience possible. There are several cool features coming but here are a few worth noting.

Windows 10 Start Menu

Start Menu – The start menu is back and now has a customizable space for your favorite apps and Live tiles. This should make Windows 7 users very happy and many users overall who really missed the start menu.

Windows 10 Task View

New task view button: There’s a new task-view button on the taskbar that lets you switch between apps, files and desktops. This should make multitasking a better experience in Windows.

Windows 10 Multiple Desktops

Multiple Desktops: Microsoft will now natively support multiple desktops. You can create different desktops for different projects, themes, games, etc. This is a feature I’ve been waiting for them to build in since Windows 7. Beforehand if you wanted to get this type of functionality in Windows you had to use 3rd party software.

Those are just a few of the many new features listed for Windows 10. Microsoft is also creating a Windows Insider Program that people can sign up for tomorrow to get access to the latest betas and previews of Microsoft technology. It will start off the technical preview of Windows 10.

Windows 10 is another big step for Microsoft as it changes to accommodate a new computing world. I’m looking forward to grabbing this build tomorrow and I have the link below for others that are interested.

What You Need to Know about the New Windows 10 Exams

MCSA: Window 10 certification retires next month. If you’re worried about validating your Windows knowledge via certification, don’t worry. Two new Windows exams have rolled out — and if you pass both, you’ll earn a new certification.

Microsoft 365 Certified: Modern Desktop Administrator Associate is replacing MCSA: Windows 10. To earn this new role-based certification, you have to pass two exams: MD-100 and MD-101. Both exams focus extensively on Windows 10, validating the skills needed to deploy, manage, and maintain Windows.

Obviously, quite a bit has changed when it comes to Windows 10 certification. To make sense of it, we took a look at what learners should know about the new Windows 10 MD exams.

A New Era of Windows

By now, you probably heard Windows 10 will be the «last version» of Windows we’re ever going to see. Microsoft has stood firm in their claim that there will be no Windows 11 or Windows 12, and so on.

Related training from CBT Nuggets

Of course, this led us to immediately arrive at two conclusions. First, Microsoft will need to add new features and functionality to Windows 10 with the Windows Update process. So far, they have had two major updates per year: One in the spring and one in the fall.

Your exact version of Windows is now communicated via a version number. For example, if you are running Windows 10 Version 1809, your latest major update to Windows occurred around September 2018. This was the Fall Update to Windows 10 in that year.

The second major conclusion we arrived at was the fact that every couple of years, Microsoft will need to release new Windows 10 certification exams. After all, they are still adding, removing, and fixing features in Windows 10, even though the overall name of the client Operating System will remain «Windows 10.»

The «Old» Windows 10 Exams and Certification

To get a better understanding of the new Windows MD exams, let’s take a quick look at the MCSA: Windows 10 certification exams: 70-697 and 70-698. Please keep in mind that the MCSA: Windows 10 certification is scheduled to retire April 30, 2019. However, the exams themselves have different retiring dates.

• Exam 70-698 – Installing and Configuring Windows 10 (Retires March 31, 2019)
• • This exam consists of the following major topics:
    • Installing requirements and installation methods
    • Device and driver configuration
    • Post-installation configuration
    • Enterprise environment installations
    • Configuration of networking, storage, and data access
    • Application implementations
    • Remote management
    • Monitoring and management tools
    • Authorization and authentication
    • System and data recovery
• Exam 70-697 – Configuring Windows Devices (Retires April 30, 2019)
• • This exam includes the following topics:
    • Authentication and authorization
    • Hyper-V
    • Mobility
    • Security
    • Microsoft 365
    • Networking
    • Remote access
    • Application management
    • Update management
    • System and file recovery

A quick glance at the MCSA: Windows 10 certification and its exams raises some eyebrows. Does it make sense for you to be certified in Windows 10? Or does it make more sense for your certification to validate that you can adequately support modern desktop operating systems?

If you examine the exam content between the two exams you will see many areas of overlap. For example, both exams focus heavily on remote management. Remote management is certainly a critical topic in this domain. But does it really need to be covered twice in two different exams?

The New Windows 10 Exams and Certification

Passing both the MD-100 and MD-101 exams earns you Microsoft 365 Certified: Modern Desktop Administrator Associate certification. This role-based cert validates the knowledge and skills need to perform common desktop admin skills.

Microsoft clearly strived to map the new certification to common tasks and roles performed by Windows 10 admins. They also made a more concentrated effort to have each exam cover unique material.

Here’s a look at the core topics covered on each of the new exams:

• Exam MD-100: Windows 10
• • Deploying Windows 10
  • Post-installation configuration
  • Manage devices and data
  • Networking
  • System maintenance

• Exam MD-101: Managing Modern Desktops
  • Deployment with Windows 10 Autopilot
  • Upgrading to Windows 10
  • Group policies and profile management
  • Windows Intune
  • Device security
  • Application deployment and updates
  • Mobile Application Management

Notice how these exams are much more precise and efficient in their scope than the 70-697 and 698 exams. For instance, Windows 10 in the Enterprise (including Active Directory) is not the major focus. This content is much more appropriate in the Server Certification category.

There is much less overlap in the two exams and a much greater focus on the topics that matter to us as Windows 10 support engineers or power users.

Get Ahead of the Training Curve

Because the MD exams are not far removed from beta, there aren’t a lot of training resources available, yet. However, CBT Nuggets can help you get a jumpstart on the new Windows 10 exams.

Trainer Anthony Sequeira is creating training that provides the skills you need to leverage Windows 10 — as well as pass the new exams. Here’s a list of our Windows 10 training that’s live. Keep an eye out for more training this year.

You’ll notice the latter two training courses map to specific skills covered on the MD-100 exams.

Anthony’s Windows 10 training comes with virtual labs designed to help learners master Windows 10 admin skills in a hands-on environment. You’ll be able to hone your skills without messing around in a live environment. Go from a Windows newbie to a support-level admin with increased confidence.

Final Thoughts

Microsoft still is king of the desktop OS, owning nearly 75 percent of the market share. Keeping your skills current and up-to-date with Windows 10 is a must if you work in desktop admin. One of the first steps is making sure you understand all the changes to Windows 10 certification and exams.

Good luck upgrading your Windows admin skills!

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