I have taken the plunge. Upgrading to Windows 10 and moving the operating system to an SSD disk. Would I recommend it? Yes and no. It depends. Kind of. I will cover the SSD migration in another post.

Before doing something like this, it is worth making sure you have your Windows installation media, or at the very least, a system repair disk.

There are a number of concerns regarding privacy in Windows 10. Some of the settings can be disabled. Some cannot. And in some ways it is like Google, they gather data about you, though at least Google give they stuff away for free. Generally, Microsoft products cost a fortune. Windows 10 as an upgrade though, is indeed free.

The upgrade process worked well for me, despite concerns that it would trash my system, which isn’t in a great state with multiple development environments and database servers install.

And coming from Windows 7, the interface isn’t that much of a culture shock. It retains the Start menu for one thing. And seems a to run a little quicker than Windows 7. It includes some of the Windows 8 tiles which I am undecided on. Lots of system settings have moved around, but there is a reasonable search feature under Settings.

One frustration I did have, is that despite setting the locale to UK English, i.e. not that bastardised form used over the pond, Excel and some other apps were using US format dates and it took a little digging under Regional Settings to convince them of the error of their ways.

Overall, I am impressed so far. Let’s hope that isn’t fatal last words!