pc

Infopackets Reader Jessy R. writes: " Dear Dennis, I reserved my free copy of Windows 10 using the 'Get Windows 10' app in the tray bar, but now I'm not sure if I should go through with the upgrade. I think I might wait a bit to see what the ... response is from the general public before I upgrade to Windows 10. Question: if I cancel my reservation, can I reserve Windows 10 again later? I was about to cancel the reservation the other day but the message box said that I might miss out on the offer to get the free upgrade. What can I do? " My response: If you cancel the ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Patricia C. writes: " Dear Dennis, I have successfully reserved my copy of Windows 10 using the 'get windows 10' app on my desktop. I am having second thoughts about whether or not Windows 10 will install properly, so I'm not sure ... if I should cancel it . I might just wait for the Windows 10 ISO, so I can do a clean install . Question: if I go ahead and let Windows 10 install through Windows Update (which is due July 29), how will it be installed? Will Windows 10 be installed automatically? If the install fails will I be able to get my files back? " My ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Ed H. writes: " Dear Dennis, Regarding Windows 10: do I have to reinstall my programs once Windows 10 is installed, or will everything move over automatically? I'm confused because I read that if I install Windows 10 I will have ... to reinstall programs, but other websites say that I won't have to reinstall any programs. How can I know for sure? " My response: Most users will be doing an 'in-place upgrade' through Windows Update; in that case, most of your programs (including your user data) should automatically move over without any problems. On the ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Larry O. writes: " Dear Dennis, In regard to the free upgrade to Windows 10, I am confused as to which version of Windows 10 I will receive. I currently have Windows 8.1 Pro on my PC; will I get Windows 10 Pro? What is the ... difference between Windows 10 and Windows 10 Pro? " My response: This is a frequently asked question, so I will provide the answer for all PC users with Windows XP to 8. Windows 10 Home vs Pro First and foremost, there are two major consumer versions of Windows 10: Home and Pro. Windows 10 Home is targeted toward casual or "everyday" ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Tim P. writes: " Dear Dennis, How do I cancel my Windows 10 reservation? Also, how can I prevent Windows 10 from downloading onto my system? I see the 'Get Windows 10' icon in my tray bar, which has been there since June 1st. ... Originally I wanted the upgrade to Windows 10, but now I'm not sure it's a good idea because I'm concerned that the upgrade might fail or cause problems. I read on the Internet that the 'get windows 10' icon has to do with Microsoft patch KB3035583, whatever that is. Can you tell me how to remove the Windows 10 ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Tim A. writes: " Dear Dennis, When will the full retail version (OEM) of Windows 10 be available as an .ISO file, so I can burn Windows 10 onto DVD and install it that way? I would much rather install Windows 10 clean using my DVD ... drive than to install it using Windows Update. A colleague of mine says that installing Windows over top of Windows (I.E: doing a Windows 'upgrade') is never a good idea. He says that upgrade installs usually leave left-overs from the previous Windows installation which can interfere with the new Windows 10 install - or worse, cause ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Bob C. writes: " Dear Dennis, Which processor is better: Intel or AMD? The reason I ask is that my laptop is roughly 6 years old and it's time for me to purchase a new one. That said, I can't seem to find the definitive answer as ... to which processor I should get for my next laptop. AMD seems to have cheaper processors, whereas Intel processors are usually always much more expensive. Can you shed light on which processor is better? " My Response: Update 20180620 : I have updated this article to include new information considering AMD's Ryzen line of ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Richard W. writes: " Dear Dennis, I took your advice and purchased Acronis True Image to backup my computer's hard drive (using disk image backups). My question is: how can I be sure the disk image backups are not corrupt and will ... properly restore, if and when I need to do a restore? What is the best way to do a test restore of a disk image backup? " My response: You are not the only person to ask me how to restore a disk image backup -- and it's an excellent question to ask. The simple answer is that you need to run through the entire process of a restore ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Michael E. writes: " Dear Dennis, Do you know if Windows 10 (including Windows 10 Technical Preview) requires Physical Address Extension (PAE) support for the processor? " My response: That's an interesting question. The short ... answer is that yes, Windows 10 requires that your processor supports PAE. The good news is that the PAE feature has been available in most processors since 2003, so if your computer is 12 years old or newer, it's a safe bet that you don't have anything to worry about. Windows 8 and Windows 10 PAE Support In general, Windows 10 ... (view more)

With Windows 10 Technical Preview 2 now available, tech-heads are noticing a common theme: it seems to be a compromise between the 'traditional' format seen in Windows 7 and earlier, and the radical revamp that came with Windows 8. Start Menu ... Returns With a Difference Perhaps the most widely talked about feature -- still -- is the new Start menu. It displays the traditional view of programs on the left, while displaying live tile icons on the right. Users can control how much space the live tiles take up and can even resize it to full-screen mode, effectively replicating the main ... (view more)