Windows 10

[devonwoody]

Still looking for a new set up and I get the impression that a new pc that’s set for w10 you cannot get a disk, they now come as a download only, am I thinking correctly?

 

[sunnybob]

Thinking about windows 10 is not thinking correctly, no. :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[thetyreman]

windows 7 is good as well, I prefer it over windows 10

 

[nev]

A disk is probably (almost definitely) not supplied with the machine but you can create your own with which to back up/ re-install etc at a later date if required. You can write it to disk or a usb stick.
You can also download a copy from Microsoft at any time (preferable because it should be the most current version) for the same purposes, you will just need a copy of your licence number which would be a stuck on the new machine somewhere.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/hel ... -reinstall

 

[devonwoody]

Thanks all for the info. Any different advice if the machine and windows supplied from a pc maker?

 

[Robbo3]

You can beg, borrow or steal your Windows installation disk (don't take that too literally) - it's the product key (serial number) that's the important bit.

Once Windows 10 is authenticated then the machine has a 'digital entitlement' . That means that as long as there are no significant hardware changes you can, for example , wipe the hard drive, install an older operating system (as long as you have a genuine product key) or Linux. If you want to go back to Windows 10, then all you have to do is wipe the drive & instal it.
Don't forget to back up all your files & documents before wiping the drive or they will be gone. That's where partitioning a hard drive or having a separate drive for your files & documents can be helpful.
If you really need a copy of Windows 10, I'll download the latest version & burn it to a DVD for you.

 

[devonwoody]

Thanks Robbo, I am learning the details with a purchase in mind, there are not many places these days where you can walk into a store to purchase and get the gen. to make a decision and getting the knowledge of the products.
Perhaps I ought to have a magazine subscription.
A local man keeps telling me he can supply a windows 10 pc and I will be able to use my 40"TV for the monitor, went down that route on line with Amazon and returned the pC about 3months ago when that proved not to be the case. (or only at around 800x600 display no good for digital art)

 

[LancsRick]

Any modern machine will output 1080p for your monitor so that's not a problem.

If we're going to do this as a "spec me" discussion then the first question is "why do you need a new one and what does the new one need to do? Oh,and budget!".

 

[devonwoody]

At the present time I am W7 and use a tv monitor which works well. it is 8 years old and there are some problems on pc.

Considering purchase of a W10 and had a delivery but tv would not work and pc was returned so looking to find a system using a 40" tv or 40"monitor..

 

[chiokli]

TVs often don't make for good computer monitors because of the slow refresh rate and pixel density, hence why a 40" TV is relatively cheap compared to a 40" monitor (of which there aren't many). If you had the PC connected with an HDMI lead to the TV, then I'd say it was the graphics card in the PC having issues outputting 1080p. Like LancsRick said, any modern machine of the last 5 years should handle this fine. A driver update of the GPU sorts most issues out.

And yes, Windows 10 is usually purchased as a serial key and you download the OS from Microsoft to a USB stick or burn it to a DVD which the new PC is instructed to boot from in the BIOS menu where it'll self-install and verify with the serial key.

 

[devonwoody]

Thanks Chiokli,
BTW does the usb stick when popped in boot up windows as a new installation like the DVD used to do on an old W7?

 

[finneyb]

John

What I had thought of doing was using a projector onto a wall for the digital art, rather than a monitor.
Anyone any thoughts on this type of projector https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hRyoFiEXYg

Brian

 

[chiokli]

Thanks Chiokli,
BTW does the usb stick when popped in boot up windows as a new installation like the DVD used to do on an old W7?

Yep. It's best to use a formatted USB stick so it won't confuse things with the ISO file you've downloaded. Enter the BIOS menu by hitting F2, F8, F12, DEL, some other button after turning the power on and select USB as Primary Boot option, save and restart. It will boot from the USB and just follow the on screen instructions and do something else for an hour whilst it installs .

 

[LancsRick]

Do you get up north at all woody? This is the sort of thing I do all the time for friends and family so would gladly help you out.

 

[devonwoody]

Thanks ,but 81 and haven’t driven out of town the last twelve months and I remember the lat time I drove to Preston it was over 5 + Hours eac way.

 

[Mark Begbie]

This prompted me to flip my laptop over to see if I had a windows serial number, and my machine doesn't. Found this on the Microsoft site though:
Depending on how you got your copy of Windows 10, you'll need either a 25-character product key or a digital license to activate it. Without one of these, you won't be able to activate your device. The product key or digital license can't be substituted for one another. You can determine if a product key or digital license applies to your device by viewing the table in the What activation method do I need? section below.

A digital license (called a digital entitlement in Windows 10, Version 1511) is a method of activation in Windows 10 that doesn't require you to enter a product key. If you upgraded to Windows 10 for free from an activated copy of Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, you should have a digital license instead of a product key.
A Windows product key is a 25-character code used to activate Windows. It looks like this:

PRODUCT KEY: XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX

During installation, you'll be prompted to enter a product key. If you have a digital license, select the option to continue without entering a product key.

You can beg, borrow or steal your Windows installation disk (don't take that too literally) - it's the product key (serial number) that's the important bit.

Once Windows 10 is authenticated then the machine has a 'digital entitlement' . That means that as long as there are no significant hardware changes you can, for example , wipe the hard drive, install an older operating system (as long as you have a genuine product key) or Linux. If you want to go back to Windows 10, then all you have to do is wipe the drive & instal it.
Don't forget to back up all your files & documents before wiping the drive or they will be gone. That's where partitioning a hard drive or having a separate drive for your files & documents can be helpful.
If you really need a copy of Windows 10, I'll download the latest version & burn it to a DVD for you.

 

[Robbo3]

Don't mix up installation & activation.

If you require a Product Key to allow the installation there are generic keys available from Microsoft. Often the installer allows you to bypass the need to enter the Product Key to allow the installation to continue & you get a period of grace before Windows must be activated which will then require a genuine Product Key.

Once Windows has been activated you more a less have carte blanch to uninstall & reinstall Windows provided that you don't change proscribed hardware. Some hardware changes are allowed such as upgrading the memory or adding extra drives.