Windows 10 Grabs 5.21% Market Share, Passing Windows Vista and Windows 8

An anonymous reader writes: The effects of a free upgrade to Windows 10 are starting to trickle in. Available for just over a month, Windows 10 has now captured more than 5 percent market share, according to the latest figures from Net Applications. In just four weeks, Windows 10 has already been installed on over 75 million PCs. Microsoft is aiming to have 1 billion devices running Windows 10 "in two to three years," though that includes not just PCs, but smartphones, consoles, and other devices as well.

Comments

To be expected

[Dunbal]

They're giving it away free and they pushed a little "install me" button on current Win 7 and Win 8 installs. I'm actually surprised it's not higher. This 5% should be seen as a failure not a success.

Re:To be expected

[The Real Dr John]

They are using their installed base of Windows computers as an advertising base now. Free always means the ad-filled version, and the version that tracks you and sells information about your surfing habits and preferences. I really hope that this is not the end of Windows as a basic, functional, user friendly operating system. It was never a perfect OS, but Windows 7 got many things right. Windows 10 got many, many things wrong.

An interesting take on the UI of Windows from Josh Fruhlinger at IT World, with many of today's must have's in an OS came from Windows 95, including aspects of OS X.

Link: http://www.itworld.com/article...

Re:To be expected

[Barlo_Mung_42]

That install me button pissed me off at first but it's actually brilliant. I normally do the updates for systems around my house but when I went to upgrade my wife's laptop she said "Oh, I did that already. Just clicked the button. It was easy."

She's a smart person but upgrading the OS is normally outside her comfort level. They really did a nice job making the process not just easy but approachable.

Re:To be expected

[MyAlternateID]

I really hope that this is not the end of Windows as a basic, functional, user friendly operating system. It was never a perfect OS, but Windows 7 got many things right. Windows 10 got many, many things wrong.

I sure hope it is the end of Windows as "THE" desktop OS in the minds of so many users. Ideally we'd have at least four or five operating systems in common use with roughly similar market shares and a strong emphasis on cross-platform compatibility for application developers so that jumping ship is as easy as possible. This would also provide a disincentive against all of the phoning-home behavior and other unwanted "features" increasingly common with Windows installations. It would also make malware propagation more difficult because the Windows monoculture just makes it too easy.

Re:To be expected

[MyAlternateID]

Microsoft has gotten a lot right. Now they are missing some important things like a package manager for installing software and centrally managing updates, and the privacy stuff in 10 is a bit scary, but to say they never do anything successful is idiotic.

They sell a pretty decent keyboard.

Re: To be expected

[Urkki]

Make that three, m$ finally pushed me over to kubuntu as a primary OS. I still maintain winblows at work, but I do so from my linux desktop (dual boot, but win 7 is way too slow).

I recently switched to running an Ubuntu variant on my old work laptop (top-of-the line from 2013), and running Windows as VirtualBox guest for stuff like MS Office and Windows development. Works very nice, all you need is enough memory and an SSD and a decent processor.

Re:To be expected

[0123456]

Out in the real world, most people don't play games. They're more likely to be tied to Windows by tax software and the like.

Re:To be expected

[KingMotley]

There was some talk about creating a package manager / Windows Store a decade+ ago, but the idea got squashed pretty quickly for fear of more FTC/EU issues, so we don't have one. They have been taking baby steps into that direction with their Windows Store and universal apps, however, so we will see how that goes. Maybe in 5 years it'll come.

As you know, "But Linux and Macs do the same thing" apparently is no defense, because "they aren't a monopoly wielding power". So you get the shaft and can't have a package manager (or a default browser, or a music player).

Re:To be expected

[rubycodez]

be sure to put in Service Pack 6a or you'll have winsock issues

Re:To be expected

[bondsbw]

This is one of the reasons Microsoft is building up its APPX package model to be compatible with Win32 apps (Project Centennial) in addition to the new universal apps which already use APPX.

The program will run in an virtualized/isolated environment based on App-V that keeps the program's files and registry keys separate from the rest of the system (even though the app thinks it is writing to real disk and registry locations). Install and uninstall works just like with universal apps, and when you uninstall the APPX package the system will clean up all the program's isolated files and registry edits.

Re:To be expected

[phantomfive]

Yes, that is not my ideal.
TBH I think you messed up using Reference Manager. Never put lots of effort into storing your data in a proprietary database, that's a setup for being screwed.

Re: To be expected

[benjymouse]

But not a system default one.

As of Windows 10 (and soon previous versions with Windows Management Framework 5.0) there *is* a default one: OneGet - now just called "package manager". It is controlled through a PowerShell module. It is actually a package manager umbrella, as it can be used for a number of different package managers which can provide "providers" for PM and integrate that way.

Open a PowerShell prompt and type the following to reveal the commands of the PackageManager module

        gcm -mod PackageManagement

(or type gcm -m pack[tab] if you want to save keystrokes - powershell will autocomplete the module name)

To register Chocolatey as a package source (so that you can find packages through Find-Package) type this:

        register-packagesource -Name chocolatey -Provider PSModule -Location http://chocolatey.org/api/v2/

Misleading title - didn't pass Windows 8

[Pulzar]

Windows 8 is at 14%, but split between 8 and 8.1.

I know Window 8 adoption is bad, but it's not *that* bad.

Re:Misleading title - didn't pass Windows 8

[SydShamino]

Following the "every other version of windows is bad" thing, I count Windows 8.1 as the most recent "good", replacing the "bad" Windows 8. That makes Windows 10 another bad version, which so far sounds accurate given the snooping problems.

Of course I used XP until support ended, still use 7, and never used Vista, 8, or 8.1, so my experience is limited.

Re:Misleading title - didn't pass Windows 8

[Luckyo]

If you're sticking to seven, you're missing out on massive privacy invasion, driver installation problems and myriad of other issues. But look on the bright side, it's awesome because it doesn't come with a dedicated anal probe.

I like the new Windows

[fustakrakich]

It always knows where I am, in case I get lost. It calls home, *I've fallen! And I can't get up!* Now, if they could just make it turn off a car's turn signal.

Only because it is free.

[Lumpy]

It would not have even a 5th of the uptake if it was not 100% free right now. Hell even illegitimate windows 7 installs become legitimate with a win10 upgrade applied to them.

Re:Only because it is free.

[Barlo_Mung_42]

That's not the whole story. Lots of OSs are free but don't have 5% market share. It helps that Win10 is a really good OS and is getting solid reviews.

Re:Only because it is free.

[mschwanke97402]

That's not the whole story. Lots of OSs are free but don't have 5% market share. It helps that Win10 is a really good OS and is getting solid reviews.

The OP was right:

Er... that's just NOT GOOD. I understand it's early days but for a FREE (in fact, in-your-fucking-face-you-will-have-this-whether-you-like-it-or-not) upgrade, that's just worrying."

Microsoft has been doing everything short of force upgrading Windows 10 without permission on their Windows 7/8 install base. I never gave them permission but they took advantage of "Automatic Updates" to install the Windows 10 Reservation ADWARE on my computer. I never made a reservation but again, Microsoft abused my trust and downloaded the Windows 10 upgrade bits to my computer anyway. How much longer until they just go ahead and trigger the update and force me to extricate myself from the predicament?

Microsoft have full screen adverts on their web properties exhorting users top get their free upgrade. I've even seen it in Windows Update as a pre-selected Optional Update!

Considering the lengths to which they are going, I'd have expected them to be reporting far higher numbers by now.

I wonder when they will report numbers on how many people have reverted back to 7, 8 or 8.1?

Do they count rollbacks?

[Anonymous Coward]

I ran it for about 2 weeks on a laptop at home used for general browsing, but watching the logs on my firewall were crazy. I couldn't manage to track down all the different *-edge.net domains or other CDN endpoints they were using to relentlessly connect. You basically have to switch to whitelisting. My hosts block file picked up dozens of entries, but after realizing it'd be a never ending cat & mouse game I reverted back to Win7...Unless they stop this crap in a soon to be released patch we'll go back to being a Windows free home when win7 gets bothersome.

Re:Just bought my first Windows 10 box

[waspleg]

Unless you're running Enterprise, it's not disabled and still spying on literally everything, including sending sound from the mic to Microsoft. I was going to list some links but I'm at work and don't have time. A little searching will show you the truth.

The US TLAs would like to thank you for your endorsement of global privacy death.

What I read:

[ledow]

"Windows 2015 Grabs 5.21% Market Share, Passing Windows 2006 and Windows 2012 - majority of people still on Windows 2009 or maybe even Windows 2001".

Er... that's just NOT GOOD. I understand it's early days but for a FREE (in fact, in-your-fucking-face-you-will-have-this-whether-you-like-it-or-not) upgrade, that's just worrying. And nowadays volume licensing offer software assurance, and all kinds of things that make it as cheap to upgrade as to stay where you were.

And, still, it only just beats a 9 and 3 year old operating system and is DWARVED by a 6 year old operating system? It really suggests - as most of us know - that this isn't a forward step at all.

Yeah, early days, but testing etc. versions have been available for over a year. So far, our finance, banking, database and even interactive whiteboard software suppliers have notified us that we're just not supported on the new OS. We haven't even TRIED it properly, and people are already telling us we can't upgrade anyway (why they left it this late to announce that, that's another question entirely).

I work for schools and we're on SA, so we can get Windows 10 for the same price no matter what. I can't find a convincing reason to test it, going purely on what's in our email inbox, when developers have been able to test for a year now. I booted it up in a VM and tested Classic Shell still worked, that was about it.

I've had three members of staff ask me about Windows 10. The first, it broke their software. The second it was a new machine but our software wouldn't install because of the above incompatibilities (I chanced it to shut them up, but it just wouldn't go anyway). The third, it lost all their data (possible user-error but we'll never know now).

The only thing I've done about Windows 10 is block all the updates via WSUS that try to get our users to install it by popups and notifications masquerading as security updates.

Considering its free

[Stan92057]

Considering its free plus free advertising, too wouldn't that be really poor numbers? I'm not getting it free or paid and no i not switching to Linux any distro or apple.

So what

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

I don't give a damn if it grabbed 50% of whatever bullshit metric they claim to be measuring. Win 7 works for me and I'll probably use it until I'm literally forced to upgrade (i.e. lack of drivers, etc).

And then I'll switch to Linux.

Re:Just bought my first Windows 10 box

[TheDarkMaster]

As the waspleg said, the settings to disable telemetry are a placebo, they did not really work unless you are using the Enterprise edition.

Re:So how bad it is really?

[PincushionMan]

That is bad advice, that will not preserve his OEM preinstall key, and he won't be registered with the Windows 10 servers.

1. Back up all of your important data. This is the most important step!
2. Make a Windows 10 USB stick.
3. Upgrade to Windows 10 from the USB stick. You must run the upgrade from within the OEM license Windows 7, 8 or 8.1 while connected to the Internet. If it asks for a CD-KEY, you've got an Enterprise or VL (Volume Licensed) version of Windows, and don't qualify for the free upgrade.
4. Waste about 45 minutes while Windows 10 installs.
5. Account Setup: Don't make a Microsoft account or convert a local account to a MS account, it's unnecessary. Skip or Later is the correct option.
6. Customize Setup: Do this part Turn everything off. You have to scroll on one screen to get every slider
7. Log in, verify on the System control panel that you are activated. MS now has a copy of your computer's fingerprint on record at Redmond.

Optional, but highly recommended for stability and cruft removal:

1. Boot from the Windows 10 USB you just created. Select the OS version you just installed (95% of the time it is 64-bit)
2. Wipe your Disk clean, and install Windows 10 again (You did back up earlier, didn't you?)
3. Do steps 4 - 7 above, 'skip' or 'do it later' for any requests for a CD KEY (you are registered with MS from your upgrade)

Note that the Hardware key is primarily tied to your motherboard + video + network card; if you replace it, you'll be on the hook for Windows 10 if you're out of the 1 year period. Lifetime of the hardware seems to mean lifetime of the motherboard, or three to five hardware swapouts, whichever comes first.

That said, I've triggered the software licensing module when I upgraded the RAM and Video twice each in the same computer (and for a while used the onboard video, which probably counts as a swap as well), due to a bad RAM and a defective Video chip. In any case, my Windows 8.1 Media Center became useless because the Media Center key they'd given out was a time limited key. I worked around it by running my backup disc Windows 7 onto a blank hard drive and updating that to Windows 10 on the Internet, then updating the Windows 8.1 to Windows 10. I had to run the setupprep.exe from within the arch directory of the USB stick to manually force the setup to continue. When it saw Win 10, it activated immediately. Works great now, better that it has in a while.

Re:Just bought my first Windows 10 box

[green is the enemy]

I'm looking for a reliable, verified way to remove all this telemetry. Can anyone confirm if this project delivers what it promises? It supposedly works on windows versions 7-10.

Re:Just bought my first Windows 10 box

[Anonymous Brave Guy]

Unless you're running Enterprise, it's not disabled and still spying on literally everything, including sending sound from the mic to Microsoft. I was going to list some links but I'm at work and don't have time. A little searching will show you the truth.

Perhaps you should do a little searching yourself. Perpetuating this sort of ill-informed FUD really isn't helping.

There are legitimate privacy concerns about Windows 10. There are also reasons for some of the behaviour, and settings that do turn some of the behaviour off. What we need to further this debate is facts, not hyperbole.