There are also clearer privacy options at setup. Security: The Windows Defender Security has been updated, there's now a Device Health Advisor, and you can log in and out with a mobile phone.
Creators Update continues with Microsoft's strategy of offering the operating system as a service, meaning it's continually updated via the cloud. The updates are free if you already have a Windows 1. Last summer's Anniversary Update added digital ink support, lock- screen Cortana and music controls, better security, and improvements to the interface and Edge web browser. Many of the updates were prompted by vast amounts of user feedback. Next in line is Fall Creators Update, announced this past May at Microsoft's Build 2. As its name implies, Fall Creators Update will build on the original Creators Update, adding the My People unified communication feature, which didn't make it into Creators Update. The Fall Creators will also update the OS's interface with a gorgeous new Fluent Design System, and introduce the Timeline, Pick Up Where You Left Off, and cloud Clipboard features, which will work between Windows and non- Windows mobile operating systems.
For more on the upcoming features, read Windows 1. Fall Creators Update: 7 Things to Check Out.
Because of the software- as- a- service approach, new features occasionally show up in between the major updates. For example, some of the Fluent Design elements are already showing up in some Windows stock apps, including Photos, Calculator, and Groove Music, in which window borders now have translucence and buttons and menus respond to mouse hover with lighting changes. Windows Is Back on Track. Even before the Creators Update, Microsoft's flagship software has proven to be a much bigger success than its ill- fated predecessor, Windows 8: Windows 1. By comparison, all versions of Apple's operating system account for less than 8 percent of worldwide computers, according to data from Net.
Market. Share. That said, Windows 7 holdouts still retain nearly 4. The newest Windows still runs the vast majority of the millions of Windows programs in the wild.
Yes, that means it still uses the much- derided Registry to maintain configuration settings, but on today's fast hardware, it's no longer such an issue. And modern Windows Store apps don't come with any Registry baggage. That's partly why Microsoft is coming out with Windows 1. S, which will only run Store apps. In fact, Microsoft recommends against using any third- party registry- optimizing software for Windows 1. How to Get Windows 1. If you're running Windows 1.
Creators Update is a simple matter of running Windows Update, accessible from the Settings app. If you don't see it, you can head to Microsoft's Windows Download page to force the issue, or even download a disc image ISO to create startup media for a clean installation. Microsoft has changed the update interface so that it's less likely to interrupt you while you need the PC. And the latest version can even get you up and running using just your voice and Cortana!
If you didn't move up from Windows 7 or 8 during the year it was a free upgrade, you can still get Windows 1. You can get the software via download or on USB sticks for the same prices as previous Windows versions; that is, $1. Home and $1. 99. 9. Pro. Your data and programs come along for the ride when you update from previous versions, though it's always a good idea to back up before an OS upgrade. Windows 1. 0's minimum system requirements are surprisingly low: a 1. GHz processor, 1.
GB of RAM, and 1. GB of hard drive space. The 6. 4- bit version of Windows 1. RAM requirement to 2. GB and the disk space to 2.
GB. You'll also need a Direct. X 9- capable graphics card and a display with at least 8. You can find out whether your system is up to snuff by reading Can My PC Run Windows 1. Windows 1. 0 is available to most users in just two editions: Home and Pro (with 3.
Pro adds business- y things like network domain joining, Hyper- V virtualization, group policy management, and Bit. Locker encryption. That last one may be of interest to security- conscious personal users, too. Unsurprisingly, if you upgrade from Home levels of Windows 7 or 8, you get Windows 1.
Home, and if you update from the professional versions of 7 or 8, you get Pro. There are, of course, other editions of Windows 1. The latest is Windows 1. S, which, as mentioned, will only run Windows Store apps, which will vastly improve security and performance. That version will be the default on the new Surface Laptop. Enterprise is still an option for large organizations that want bulk licensing deals. Two Education versions target K- 1.
Windows 1. 0 Pro Education and Windows 1. Education. And let's not forget the lightweight edition that powers Internet of Things devices and the Raspberry Pi: Windows 1. Io. T Core. When setting up a Windows 1.
Microsoft account (mac. OS, by comparison, requires an Apple account), but you'll lose many of the OS's best features if you do so.
Many critics have nevertheless called out Microsoft for harvesting usage data by default, so the company has clarified privacy choices at setup. For details, read Windows 1. How to Protect Your Privacy. Interface. Windows 1. Windows users, while managing to incorporate many of the advances of Windows 8—faster startup, tablet capability, better notifications, and an app store.
Its windowing prowess remains unmatched, letting you easily show the desktop and snap windows to the sides and corner quadrants of the screen. Creators Update doesn't change Windows 1. Anniversary subtly did, aside from the new Night Light setting.
This works similarly to Apple products' Night Shift, adjusting the colors displayed away from the blue part of the spectrum, which has been found to interfere with a good night's sleep. When you turn on Night Light in Settings, by default it's enabled from sunset to sunrise, but you can change it to hours you specify, or turn it on immediately. Apple Night Shift only offers the last two options.