Reviewing the Windows 10 Fall Creators update, Microsoft’s revision to a vision: Part I – What to know

an Installation Introduction to The revision of a vision

You may access part 2 here Or skip ahead to the third part on ease of access.

When we began the journey of Windows 10, Windows was a mess. Let’s just face it, plain and simple on the page. The underpinnings of Windows 8 (and 8.1 to be later) gave way to a system which was made of fabrics stitched together with the most loose fibers of threading. You had the classic desktop experience which no doubt comprised the notion of most users at the time, and yet there was no avoiding the new so-called “universal” design sprinkled everywhere across it all. How could the world trust Microsoft again after such a disaster?

Even in that version of Windows 10, the vision of Windows did not exist. The action center was a mess, there existed “another world” when you switched to any store app, and in general people stayed away from any computers which came with this weird monster. Today, you can hardly buy a machine which does not come with 10, and now there are threats of newer Intel processors not coming with support for older operating systems such as Windows 7. This comes with the changing times, as the confidence grows in Windows 10 for many users. Yet here clearly is a subset for whom updates are still unstable and they find the quicker cadence for releases too much or simply out of the realm of what Windows used to be. This is certainly true, as Microsoft has settled into a semi-annual cycle for Windows, far greater than the 3-5 year gap we always had between versions, even besting the records of when we had Windows 2000 Service Pack 4. Microsoft, good job,, you’ve outdone yourself from 17 years ago.

Truth be told, even the big software giant is aware of how painful upgrades can be for some, as they have consistently slowed down the upgrade process for those computers it felt were vulnerable to some showstopper bug. Such was one where plugging in a Kindle caused a complete bluescreen for some, thankfully now solved by the Creators update. The complaints to this regard, in my experience, were loudest in June 2016, after the The anniversary update hit and many were left with unstable systems. 1703, though far more stable, was still rolled cautiously by the Redmond company. They knew that such mistakes must not be made, and it wasn’t only until recent that the finger was lifted off the pulse of the update timer, so that all PCs may receive the past’s blessings to Windows 10. Fortunately for this world, this means less fragmentation, and as this update begins its journey to your household, most machines will at minimum be on the Creators update from earlier this year.

That update laid the foundations for many changes both in the framework core design of Windows and the coming wave of “universal design.” This one is not the universal design of yesteryears. Here, there is a clear emphasis on an experience which is easy to pick up from elsewhere, and a transparency which will be felt across Windows more and more as time passes. Was it ever annoying when you played a video in a Store app but could not control it via the volume control in the system tray? Fear no more, classic desktop user, the 1709 update will solve all that. In these subtle ways, such as a newfound ability of pinning Edge sites to your taskbar and the new my people experience, Windows becomes just a little bit less like a 2-headed beast and more like a beautiful converged sea creature. That’s a better image in your mind, right?

Chances are, you are just getting the Creators update, and if so, that’s OK. There’s a lot to take in, and You may re-read my multi-part review here and learn how it is bringing way more peace to your life in ways which the 1607 summer one did not. Yet 1703 felt so incomplete, and there are at least two or three additions which are now making it in this fall round rather than having done so in March. Understandably, this is not all Microsoft’s fault, and it has caused them to be less assured on specific release dates. It is hard to commit to engineering goals where so many teams and people are in charge and rollout dates can easily slip. Once this two update per year cycle is more established, this may be less of a future challenge.

Thus, think of this update as a companion to what you got in March, one which still makes Windows a little better in appreciative ways. It’s not here to redefine the way Windows works at the core, as the solid foundations of Windows are greater built out than compared to two years ago. It is here to bring some focused features to conclusion, such as the people and gaming experiences; Along with this, I feel as though the update brings much in stability and responsiveness. That is, if you are not running on a bootcamped Apple computer. If you are, beware that for many 2012 and above Apple users, I have received reports of bluescreens and bad drivers. The faster update cycle could pose a difficulty to Apple, who generally updates Bootcamp with each OS release yearly and may not be quick to stay on top of core Windows changes which may impact Mac users to a greater extent. This is an important consideration for some, but the good news is that for most, I have seen greater reports of actual computers working than not, even if from a decade ago. The baseline requirements of Windows are the same as always, and so far only a very minor subset of computers have been dropped by Microsoft – those running older Atom chips in tablet form. If long-lasting hardware support is there for a majority, than perhaps many will be forgiving towards Windows and at least happy to be on the latest security fix and features. So goes the thinking.

How do I install it? Any caveats?

I am so glad you asked. There even might be more good news on the horizon for you depending on the circumstance of your install, and for a large majority upgrading will be as straight forward as ever. People on the Creators update will take the least time with their install, as updates can now be delivered through a new Universal Updating platform which also reduces the size of the download. As pointed out by Microsoft back in March, UUP is a differential update mechanism being used forward for many customers, at least of those running creators update. This is at the time was providing a 35% reduction in download sizes, which could be huge for those users living in rural areas or on the use of mobile broadband.

If you are migrating from an earlier build of Windows, be rest assured that from this point forth you will be using the new approach to receive smaller updates on your system, not to mention the already existing used of delivery optimization whereby multiple Windows 10 computers on your local network will be updating from each other’s smart wisdom of update databases. We will discuss further changes to the update mechanisms of Windows in a later part of this review concerning settings, all in all moves which should paint a more agreeable picture and sound the tunes of Acquiescence for a far greater of users than ever before.

For users without Creators update, or those opting to do manual installs, there are still yet further options.

While I can’t possibly re-detail the update process for those users running versions of Windows prior to 10 in a full and concise way, they may still use the Media Creation tool program to download an appropriate .ISO file for their machine or install Windows an upgrade, just as those users of Windows 10 wanting to either install this release before it appears through Windows update. Keep in mind that Microsoft will no doubt stage this in several month timetables, so it may be pushed to you later than you wish. I suspect that for a majority, this is actually good – you have time to read up on about the update, see if the world hits any major snags which may impact you, and then decide for yourself what to do.

Users who have various assistive technology tools can still take advantage of the upgrade offer and obtain Windows 10 for those machines which you feel may benefit from a new lease on life.

At this point, users of screen readers and magnifiers may benefit from Windows 10 more than ever. With a redesigned magnifier settings panel and newfound abilities of using Narrator even during recovery or pre-installation screens, accessibility is winning more than it ever has in prior Windows versions. This This is important to note and stress as we move forward with even more future access to tools such as the Edge browser, which already has become more acceptable in use on common websites and some web apps. This takes further steps toward maturity with even more improvements to Braille, fulfilling the wishes echoed in the prior review for key input through display keys and configurable cursoring + display translation options. More on the dynamics of this support later, of course.

The upgrade process in brief

To demonstrate just how supplemental this release is to Windows 10, this will also be the shortest section yet to the reviews as a whole, since there is so little to say. No new privacy migration screens, and no matter whether you have used Windows update to perform an in-place install or opted to run from media, your experiences will be the same. This makes my time very easy, as after installing Windows 10 Redstone3 AKA Fall Creators update AKA build 16299, all you be left with is your standard

Getting your PC ready
This might take a few minutes
Don’t turn off your PC,

message, so common as of builds long ago. This should disappear after a few minutes, to leave you with your desktop and perhaps a few new notifications, along with your “welcome to Windows” Edge Window. All is well, and you are ready to enjoy the 5th iteration to Microsoft’s new era in the future.

In the second part of this review, we will examine all of the new features which may impact everyone, such as those in Security, Edge, and Cortana. I decided to break out accessibility in a third part, as this update introduces features such as color filters and many improvements to Narrator both in Braille and interactions, ones I really wanted time to go over and dive in-depth on.