Windows 10 (Release)

*Not to be confused with the normal Windows 10 page.*

The logo of Windows 10

### End of Support

9th May 2017 for all SKUs (Pro, Education, Home, Pro for Workstations, Home Pro, Pro Education, Education, Enterprise)14th October 2025 (For IoT and LTSB)

## Advanced

### Family

Windows NT

BG
--

The desktop of Windows 10's original release

## Download

### Beta(s)

Pre-Technical Preview, Technical Preview, Insider Preview, Pre-RTM

Windows 10 is an OS that was released on 29th July 2015 and introduced many new enhacnements, including the return of the Start Menu with many updated applications. Settings (An app that replaced the PC Settings from Windows 8 and 8.1) also has been implemented, too. The OS itself had really good market and was increasing a little bit as fast as Windows 8.1's. It introduced also a new themed Windows Store, with increased market of Win32 apps and UWP apps.

## A look at the UI

The OS itself from Windows 8.1, improved the entire interface, to match a lot more the Metro Design, with introducing a flat dark taskbar, non-boxed taskbar metro icons, metro tray icons, Action Center, the public return of Show Desktop, a smaller Start button, including the implementation of Taskbar search, Cortana and Task View, with Aero elements in the window title bar being changed as well to a more flatter appearance, though removing color customization for them, which will return in the Windows 10 November Update. The Hero Wallpaper, has been also introduced, changing the entire image of the OS after a while with the img1 wallpapers shown in older versions until Windows 8.1.

### Microsoft Edge (IE 11 replacement)

Microsoft Edge, starting with this OS has been implemented (later in 2020 implemented and on older OSes until Windows 7), which was a more modern and fancier version of IE 11, with a new icon, a bit familiar to IE's, except being darker and having no ring with the tail being more aligned to the top and be more bold. Microsoft Edge major updates were happening every month to look much faster, introduce new performance and UX changes etc. Each major update tho updates a lot more recently Microsoft Edge to a newer design.

An example of Microsoft Edge's features are since Windows 10's original release:

* Integration with themes, including integration with the Dark theme.
* A much flatter UI, to represent the one from Windows 10.
* The ability to mark paint points you want to buy, get, or create from a website.
* The ability to rate websites.
* The ability to read books.
* Entire new settings.
* The ability to go home with a new home button.
* Integration with Cortana and Weather. (Only exists in Windows 10 and 11)
* Changed the privacy to something more strict.
* Changed many saving dialogs and strings.
* Integration with Task View. (Only exists in Windows 10 and 11)

## Insider Preview

Also in Insider Preview builds, the watermark of the OS has been reduced in size, in order to see more things easily.

### Technical Preview and development (Insider Program)

During Technical Preview (before), Windows 8.1 was known to get a new major 2nd and 3rd Update in mid and Late 2014, but all of the Update 2 and 3 changes were reverted back to normal in Windows 8.1 and were put in Windows 10 build 9785, with also support of Taskbar search, Notification Center and Windowed applications, with the return of the Start Menu. Build 9780 is also identical to 9780, excpet there are no Battery Saver options in PC Settings and Notification Center was forgotten to be put in this build.

During Technical Preview, Windows 10 was leaked publicly with a much different appearance, saw in builds 97xx, except with a few differences, with build 9841. This build implemeted the Windows DockController, a network icon in the Action Center, the new Welcome to Tech Preview! non-functional shortcut, improvements to the Start Menu, Taskbar (to introduce task search by default and Task View, which now both are pinned into the taskbar), with Aero improvements and flatter icons, with Action Center also being enabled by default, too. Later 98xx builds, implemented an improved windowed metro title bar, interface changes, OOBE and Set-up changes, including the replacement of PC Settings with Settings.

During yet with Technical Preview, Windows 10 build 9901 was released to Windows Previewers (Insiders) in December 2014, which implemented the dark flat taskbar, with an earlier and lighter, including more buggy interface), it also implemented Cortana, it removed the Settings button in the Charms bar, with moving Windows Update from the Control Panel to Settings, intorduced not by default yet the brand new Start Menu XAML design and improvements to the Settings page (New home page). Also again in the taskbar, the Taskbar search icon now is a search box, instead of having a hidden one and UI has been entirely improved to be more reimagined and match Cortana's. Later builds, improved again the Aero interface, introduced new metro icons to the volume icon and Action Center, a reimagined search box, to have colors that match with the taskbar, with a microphone added and lots of application improvements.

Last but not least 1000x until 1006x builds introduce a brand new Start button (to be smaller with transparency), with the reintroduction the show desktop button, an improved touch keyboard icon, a new microphone icon into the taskbar, Task View refinements, User interface older varieties, less color customization, removed charms bar and lots of flatter icons, including a ne Recycle bin icon, with refinements to the Start Menu to have transparency and resemble later builds, with many changes to the dark taskbar.

#### Insider Preview

In Insider Preview builds, Windows 10 started to resemble the RTM a little bit more, with lots of flat and Metro, including Aero improvements, lots of UI changes, OOBE, Cortana, Set-up and other changes, including the implementation of the new Windows Store, with the cancellation and removal of Windows Media Center.

## Leftovers

Windows 10 in its original release had lots of inocnsistency, because of its 1-year release, after development, making the access to go to the Start Screen, including many other places, including the ability to return most of Settings' sections to the Control Panel as applets. These though leftovers are going to be removed in next major updates.

## System Requirements

Windows 10's system requirements aren't that strict, like other OSes, except for Windows Vista and 11.

These are the system requirements from the Windows post:

```
Here's what it takes to upgrade to Windows 10 on your PC or tablet:

```

```
**Latest OS:** Make sure you're running the latest version—either Windows 7 SP1 or Windows 8.1 Update.

```

```
Find out which version you're running.

```

```
Need the latest version? Download Windows 7 SP1 or Windows 8.1 Update.

```

```
**Processor:** 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster processor or SoC

```

```
**RAM:** 1 gigabyte (GB) for 32-bit or 2 GB for 64-bit

```

```
**Hard disk space:** 16 GB for 32-bit OS or 20 GB for 64-bit OS

```

```
**Graphics card:** DirectX 9 or later with WDDM 1.0 driver

```

```
**Display:** 800 x 600

```

```
See more detailed specifications

```

## Criticism

Windows 10 has been criticized during release, since the design was really inconsistent and many people were a lot more getting used from the more detailed design until Windows 8.1 (only remaining with the skeumorphic icons), instead of the more metro and flatter detail found in Windows 10. It has been also criticized for its really strict privacy and buggy Set-up, including Microsoft putting many more tablet features which made lots of fans angry or mad. So many people, during the time installed it, but it was still a good release after all, as it was getting lots more positive reviews than bad (which include all of this criticism). You can find criticism of it back then in YouTube and DeviantArt, including Reddit and Twitter. Windows 8.1 though was still considered the best OS yet, because of being less buggy and more consistent with a little bit more detail than in Windows 10, while some settings from PC Settings were yet in the Control Panel. Many people used Windows 7 until mid 2018, which Windows 10 became the highest desktop marketing OS in the world, beating Windows 7 and Ubuntu in place.

## Adverts

Windows 10 had its own theme of Advertisements, with including to do top "10" things for everything. The normal and first Windows 10 commercial was made in early May of 2015 (not correct, unknown date of it), which was talking all of the new features together, instead seperated in the later Windows 10 commercial in July 2015. Some other advertisements were also made for the fluent design system, for the Windows 10 Fall creators Update and later. Then an ad was made in late 2020 also showcasing the October 2020 Update and another ad that was a bit twisting the Iron design, which was the Your Phone app advertisement in late January 2021.

First Windows 10 commercial.Microsoft Fluent Design SystemIntroducing the Windows 10 October 2020 UpdateYour Phone App for Windows 10
## Gallery

These pictures are taken and inspired by BetaWiki! Make sure to not take entirely the pictures or else just credit or inspire them for your own gallery!

Boot ScreenLog in screenLefted Start Screen (x86)Desktop shown with watermarkStart MenuCortanaWindows Feedback appMicrosoft EdgeSettingsCalculator
## References

1.(1000) The Windows 10 Evolution (TH1 and TH2) - YouTube