Windows 10 announced, as well as developer preview

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Snowflake

#1278345 7-Apr-2015 14:25

lapimate: Task View

Has anyone had a chance to evaluate Windows 10 Pro Technical Preview “Task View” (aka by Microsoft: “Virtual Desktops”)? Seem rather clumsy to me and essentially cosmetic since they do not allow truly independent operation of each desktop and so not genuinely useful to organise and process different projects or types of work.

I was hoping “Task View” might be something of practical value, similar perhaps to Linux workspaces which enable one to set up individual desktops for each project or task type (eg Perpetual Motion Machine development; Image Processing), open up application instances separately on each desktop and then switch between desktops at a flick, leaving any application windows and associated files open - so a bit like virtual machines. Microsoft say “Task View” allows virtual desktops but unfortunately they seem a pale shadow of Linux workspaces and do not justify being referred to as “Virtual Desktops”. If one opens up (say) Notebook on one Windows 10 “Task View” desktop then moves to another desktop and tries to open another instance of Notebook the current desktop simply flicks back to the desktop environment where one first opened Notebook.

So has anyone found ways to put “Task View” to good use?

Task view and Multiple Desktops are features that have been evolving several times over the course of the Windows 10 build out. There are, no doubt, more changes coming.

In build 10041 (one of the public builds) you can choose scope the ALT-TAB to be within the specific desktop, or act across all desktops. You can do a similar thing with the taskbar buttons. I've been able to open up separate instances of apps in each of the desktops and have them be scoped only within the desktop.

Look for "Multitasking" settings app and confirm what you have set there:

Multitasking settings

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sidefx

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#1278391 7-Apr-2015 14:40

As per @Regs post above, most apps work pretty much exactly as I would expect on multiple desktops for me, including notepad - i.e. separate instances. It may be application dependent though, as sublime text has the issue raised by the @lapimate - i.e. clicking it in the start menu or taskbar in the second desktop flips back to the first desktop. Atom,Brackets,chrome,powershell,etc,etc seem fine along with most other apps I tried, so it seems to be the exception rather than the rule.

EDIT: Lol, seems Project Spartan has the same issue - clicking it in second desktop with it open in first flips back to first desktop. I imagine this (and the sublime text) behaviour is a bug somewhere, so will see if there's anything in the feedback app about it.

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lapimate

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#1278528 7-Apr-2015 17:10

Task View and Multiple Desktops

Regs & Sidefx: Thank you. From your advice & remarks, I now believe I must have been initiating the tasks on the separate desktops in ways which did not create proper separate instances for each desktop. Certainly (Build 10041) I can initiate eg Notepad direct from the Start Menu in a “second” desktop and it does not flick back to the “first” desktop where I had previously initiated Notepad. Outlook 2010 seems to be another satisfactory example. So, goodoh, that means Task View will be very helpful for me.

Sidefx: Several years ago there was a particular Windows application which required an application-specific switch to be set (/MULTIPLEINSTANCES) if one wanted to run separate but simultaneous instances of the application for different projects in the same Windows session. Maybe Sublime Text (and Project Spartan) has a similar implicit issue.

nzkiwiman

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#1279015 8-Apr-2015 13:42

Well, I am out of the Technical Preview.
While I didn't really have any issues in build 10041 once I managed to get my networking sorted, my ability to do a few standard things had got harder since the previous build (and harder than Win 8.1 and a LOT harder than Win 7). Reading the known issues fir build 10049 scared the hell out of me so last night I deleted my Win10 TP install and went to Windows 7 again.

I'll keep an eye on new build release notes and maybe will tackle another attempt
However the complainer in me thinks that if I was expecting Win10 to be Win7 with better support for some things, I am going to be very wrong

timmmay

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#1279076 8-Apr-2015 15:11

I'm still on build 9xxx, not sure the exact number, but it works well for everything I need to do. Do people on that release get new features via windows update or do you have to reinstall?

sidefx

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#1279091 8-Apr-2015 15:26

timmmay: I'm still on build 9xxx, not sure the exact number, but it works well for everything I need to do. Do people on that release get new features via windows update or do you have to reinstall?

I had to change a couple of things in the registry to get it to pick up the new builds. I think based on this thread:

http://goo.gl/eLnxDo

EDIT: shortened URL

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timmmay

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#1279115 8-Apr-2015 15:55

sidefx:
timmmay: I'm still on build 9xxx, not sure the exact number, but it works well for everything I need to do. Do people on that release get new features via windows update or do you have to reinstall?

I had to change a couple of things in the registry to get it to pick up the new builds. I think based on this thread:

http://goo.gl/eLnxDo

EDIT: shortened URL

That links to a windows update page that says "you must visit this page in IE". It says it when you visit in IE too. Genius. Guess I'd have to use the registry method.

Do I want the latest build? I assume it will just upgrade me, it won't be like a full reinstall? 9926 is very stable for me.

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#1279131 8-Apr-2015 16:26

timmmay:
Do I want the latest build? I assume it will just upgrade me, it won't be like a full reinstall? 9926 is very stable for me.

Yes, I think all the upgrades have been just that - upgrades. Most of the issues I've noticed are specifically with the excel\word previews and project spartan. The OS itself seems very stable to me on 10049. And I like pretty much all of the UI refinements though I can't recall what they all are, lol.

There was a wee bit of pain upgrading though, I can't recall if it was from 9xxx-10xxx or 10041-10049, but:

* I had to uninstall and reinstall the mail\calendar\people apps (they seem to come as a bundle) and then reenter all account details into the mail app
* It forgot all my saved wifi passwords\keys so I had to reenter them all each time I reconnected to wifi at work\home\etc

If you're happy with what you currently have maybe just stick with it. None of my Windows 10 upgrades have been 100% issue free, but they were all relatively minor issues that I got around with a bit of googling.

"I was born not knowing and have had only a little time to change that here and there." | Octopus Energy | Sharesies
- Richard Feynman

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Snowflake

#1279224 8-Apr-2015 19:49

need to register with the Windows Insider program to get updates. http://insider.windows.com
may also need a registry fix, as suggested. there is a windows update that can reset the 'flighting' settings (preview build settings): http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/insider/forum/insider_wintp-insider_update/windows-update-does-not-find-build-10041/7223f419-a468-45ce-9ba5-fdcee1317c92?page=1&tm=1426777875899

re updates, right now (subject to change):
If you choose 'fast' track, you'll end up on 10049
If you choose 'slow' track, you'll end up on 10041

saved wifi passwords - I have onedrive syncing these between my windows phone and all my windows pc's. never have to re-enter them again :-)

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mdav056

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#1279268 8-Apr-2015 20:18

I set up a new MS account when I installed the technical preview on an old laptop, not really wanting onedrive to synch all the stuff (30 gb) I already have on it -- and maybe lose it (odd things do happen with onedrive occasionally). I'm on the slow track for a similar reason, but I do like what I see already -- really very straightforward skill transfer from 8.1 (and I may be the only person in the known universe that likes 8.1!). The only thing that I'm having trouble with is RoboForm, and the search box (hey, Cortana, why doesn't the search box work even with text input? Awkward silence.)

gml

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#1279285 8-Apr-2015 21:09

I've had trouble deleting folders on W10, despite being empty it kept saying "folder not empty". ReFS mirrored storage space, error was "0x80070091 directory not empty". I found the most bizarre solution this evening - prepend the directory name with an exclamation. Do that, hit refresh, and they're deleted. Found here.

Very, very strange.

Regs

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#1279351 8-Apr-2015 22:16

mdav056: I set up a new MS account when I installed the technical preview on an old laptop, not really wanting onedrive to synch all the stuff (30 gb) I already have on it -- and maybe lose it (odd things do happen with onedrive occasionally). I'm on the slow track for a similar reason, but I do like what I see already -- really very straightforward skill transfer from 8.1 (and I may be the only person in the known universe that likes 8.1!).

i hear a lot of people saying 'i must be the only one who likes 8.1'. there are clearly a lot of you, but the negative perception in the tech press hasn't helped... hopefully Windows 10 will correct that!

you can also use onedrive to sync start menu, favourites, wifi settings, passwords, etc, completely separately to syncing your files. They are two different apps/processes.

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semigeek

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#1281598 12-Apr-2015 19:55

Does anyone know why I can't update to 10049 on Fast? I have tried about 4 times now, it downloads the update, and then tries to install, but 9 hours or so later it still hasn't completed. Trying to install on a Compaq C700 laptop. 10041 works fine. Sometimes 10049 update will blue screen at about 30% installation as well, though it takes hours to even get to 30%.
Any solutions to the problem would be great.

mattwnz

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#1281646 12-Apr-2015 22:01

Regs:
mdav056: I set up a new MS account when I installed the technical preview on an old laptop, not really wanting onedrive to synch all the stuff (30 gb) I already have on it -- and maybe lose it (odd things do happen with onedrive occasionally). I'm on the slow track for a similar reason, but I do like what I see already -- really very straightforward skill transfer from 8.1 (and I may be the only person in the known universe that likes 8.1!).

i hear a lot of people saying 'i must be the only one who likes 8.1'. there are clearly a lot of you, but the negative perception in the tech press hasn't helped... hopefully Windows 10 will correct that!

you can also use onedrive to sync start menu, favourites, wifi settings, passwords, etc, completely separately to syncing your files. They are two different apps/processes.

It wasn't just perception or the media. Windows 8 is a dog, at the best a work in progress, but was to slow at evolving. Everything I criticized it for when it came out looks to be fixed in windows 10. I have been using ubuntu recently and some of the similarities with Windows 10 and Ubuntu are uncanny

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#1281650 12-Apr-2015 22:32

mattwnz:
Regs:
mdav056: I set up a new MS account when I installed the technical preview on an old laptop, not really wanting onedrive to synch all the stuff (30 gb) I already have on it -- and maybe lose it (odd things do happen with onedrive occasionally). I'm on the slow track for a similar reason, but I do like what I see already -- really very straightforward skill transfer from 8.1 (and I may be the only person in the known universe that likes 8.1!).

i hear a lot of people saying 'i must be the only one who likes 8.1'. there are clearly a lot of you, but the negative perception in the tech press hasn't helped... hopefully Windows 10 will correct that!

you can also use onedrive to sync start menu, favourites, wifi settings, passwords, etc, completely separately to syncing your files. They are two different apps/processes.

It wasn't just perception or the media. Windows 8 is a dog, at the best a work in progress, but was to slow at evolving. Everything I criticized it for when it came out looks to be fixed in windows 10. I have been using ubuntu recently and some of the similarities with Windows 10 and Ubuntu are uncanny

I was going to write a reply to Regs as well, but in the end decided I couldn't be bothered, but I 100% agree with you, and to boot, Microsoft's arrogant approach to it, did them no favours either. Windows 8.1 is an OK OS (perhaps even good). W10 looks to be what we and a LOT of others told MS quite clearly, people would want 8 to be. Windows 8 was a terrible OS, probably their worst ever (and Yes I have used every single version of Windows and supported them as well). W10 still has things in places that make little sense, and it still often takes more clicks to achieve something in W10 that was less clicks and easier to find in W7 or even WXP. MS like Apple, could have taken ownership of their issue and improved the situation with an apology along the lines of "we tried to be different too hard, and we realize we didn't get it right, we are sorry, and will do better next time", but instead years after the original release of W8, MS still make comments like this one, despite having pretty much (begrudgingly it would seem) followed the will of the people who buy their software and restored the functionality that was missing or seemed obvious to a lot of us.

Of course there are people who liked W8. It wasn't without some redeeming features, but the vast majority of people didn't like it, or they would have left it the way it was and made more changes.

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