How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Windows 10

A common reason for home computer service is the installation of a new operating system. Computers last a very long time these days, and some PC users started out with Windows XP and ended up on Windows 10, with all the steps in between.

In the bad old says when everything inside your desktop either broke down or was made obsolete every couple of years, you’d always end up with a new operating system when you bought a new computer. Nowadays you can count on your desktop computer to hang in there for a decade, and you’ll have to upgrade your OS or your friends will point and laugh at your Windows Vista desktop, and wonder if you’re still on AOL, too.

The rollout of Windows 10 this year made the decision to upgrade the OS in your computer pretty easy. If you have a qualifying version of Windows operating system from Windows 7 on up, Microsoft will give you a free upgrade to Windows 10. Where I’m from, free is an excellent price to pay for a brand new operating system that isn’t named Linux.

And so begins our story of How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Windows 10, and why you should, too.

Don’t Fall for the FUD

There was a lot of FUD in tech news about Windows 10. “FUD” stands for Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt. Windows 10 was going to spy on you and send your passwords to Bill Gates. Windows 10 would lock up your computer with every update. Microsoft would make you use Bing. Windows 10 would paint your house a funny color. The FUD varied according to the publication, but they all said Windows 10 was scary.

No, it’s not. Over 110 million people have downloaded Windows 10 already, with millions more being added every day. You could certainly find people who had problems and questions, but unless you wear a tin foil hat, Windows 10 is fine. If you’ve been waiting a little while before changing over to Windows 10, with or without the help of a home computer service, I can tell you that with a few tweaks of the Start Menu, you’ll have that new operating system purring like a cat.

Exhibit A in the FUD sweepstakes was the Internet rumor that Microsoft was trying to trick you into accepting a free download,  but it would expire in a year and then you’d have to pay. That turned out to be nonsense. Microsoft did limit the free upgrade offer to one year, but once you have Windows 10 installed, it’s permanent. They’ll update it for free for as long as you own the computer. There is an expiration date of July of 2016, but that’s just when the free offer for existing Microsoft customers goes away. If you accept the free offer before then, it’s permanent.

Windows 10 Is Not SaaS

Another common rumor was that Microsoft was selling Windows 10 as a Software-as-a-Service product. That’s not the case, either. You can purchase subscriptions to many of Microsoft’s software products, like Office, but it’s not the only way to purchase what you want. If you want to purchase Windows 10 outright, they’ll be glad to sell it to you.

The License Plate Stays With the Car, the OS Stays With the PC

If you live in California, your license plate stays with the car, even if you sell it to a new owner. Windows 10 is like that. If you bring your PC in for computer repair in Los Angeles, and decide to trade it in for a new one, the operating system stays with the computer.  It’s registered to the computer, and it stays with the computer as long as it’s still “on the road.”

Continuity Got Better, not Worse

When you bring a desktop into a computer repair shop and the person behind the counter mentions it’s older than he or she is, maybe it will finally be time for a new PC. The good news is that the new one will have the same version of Windows that you have in the old one if you upgrade to Windows 10 now. Microsoft will update Windows 10 continuously, so it won’t become obsolete every few years. Your new computer will act just like the old one, only faster and with fewer dust bunnies in the exhaust port.

That’s an improvement from past years when you’d finally retire an old XP desktop and be suddenly faced with a steep learning curve with newer operating systems. There were plenty of requests for home computer service when people first got a look at Windows 8, and the loss of the familiar start screen in favor of a series of icons drove some people to the Apple side of town.

Use a Home Computer Service, or Install it Yourself

Windows 10 is the last version of the operating system that Microsoft plans on releasing. That means you’ll be able to move seamlessly from an old Windows computer to a new one without having to figure out how to find what you want all over again. Tech websites will have to find something new to complain about, however. Me? I learned to stop worrying and love Windows 10. I bet you will, too.