Windows 10 steals your bandwidth to send other people updates

Windows Insiders will be the first to receive the update to the new operating system and it’s availability will spread from there.

Microsoft isn’t using Windows 10 to collect and store user data on its servers just for the heck of it. Signing into Windows 10 also generates an advertising ID unique to each user.

Windows 10 is Microsoft’s final throw of the dice in attempting to deliver an operating system that will work across all your devices: home computers, laptops, games consoles, tablets and mobile phones. It adheres to FIDO Alliance specifications, which guarantees a high level of security, and could help to further popularize biometric authentication as a more convenient and secure alternative to traditional password systems. The new OS has received a surprisingly positive response from companies, says Steve Kleynhans, an analyst at researcher Gartner. “Windows 10 is expected to be five times that and will easily be the largest day/week of traffic ever on the Internet”.

Now, Microsoft breezily says, “the familiar Start menu is back”, as though it had been on holiday rather than unceremoniously dumped.

If you have noticed some bugs in the Windows 10 release, expect SR1 to arrive soon. “Set up data usage limit” is one of those settings you’ll see in search that goes absolutely nowhere.

Users can also activate Cortana by saying “Hey Cortana” to their computer, but one reviewer at The Verge noted that he only used that feature to show the functionality to friends and family.

Benedict Evans of the venture capital company Andreessen Horowitz noted in a blog post: “The apps that people want on smartphones are not being written for desktop Windows anyway”.

For some Windows users, it’s starting to feel like Christmas in July, and Microsoft is Santa. You will either need to download the latest driver from Windows Update or from the manufacture’s site. While Microsoft did add the single user interface in Windows 8, it seems to have fixed the problem with the new Windows 10 operating system. The latter are the EU versions that don’t include the Windows media player – so users have a choice of what to install. When HP, Dell, or Samsung sell you a new laptop with Windows 10 pre-loaded, Microsoft gets paid a licence fee.

Ultimately, Microsoft said, more than 5 million people downloaded previews of Windows 10.

Edge replaces Internet Explorer as the built-in web browser, while the smartphone voice assistant known as Cortana will appear on desktop computers for the first time. There will be a 64- and 32-bit ISO, in addition to 64- and 32-bit LTSB ISOs for IT departments that would like to control how and when Microsoft updates are added to Windows 10. Windows Insiders drove it to account for between 6-8% of traffic during peak.

Still a good idea to backup your files beforehand – just in case.

When Windows 10 goes on sale Wednesday, a new courtship begins.

When everything’s finally ready you’ll be presented with a setup screen where you can login with your existing username/password and start setting up your brand new Windows 10 installation. TV ads showcase babies smiling, crawling and playing, with a voice-over by actor Ethan Hawke subtly mentioning Windows 10 features.