Buying instead of the Free Upgrade of Win10

DavidY · 06 Jun 2015

Cliff S said:

Pro extra's
...
- BitLocker Drive Encryption
...
- Group Policy editor
- Windows Update for Business

I think Bitlocker is a good thing for laptop users, especially those who carry them out and about, as it lets you encrypt your files and give protection if was lost or stolen. Windows 8.1 introduced device encryption for the Core version, but only if you have the right hardware (eg. your OS on a non-spinning disk).

If I was a student carrying a laptop to lectures, drive encryption would be valuable to me, and I probably wouldn't be able to afford a Pro Pack (if that's available for Windows 10).

I also sometimes use the group policy editor and suspect I might value the ability to have more control over updates - but 29 July may make things clearer on that front.

alphanumeric · 06 Jun 2015

Having Pro still might not be enough to have control over updates. You may also need access to "Windows Update for Business" to actually have control over what updates are installed automatically. Your updates may have to be done over a corporate network and it may be the IT guy that decides what ones get pushed to PC's. I remember reading something along these lines but can't find that info at the moment. I can't say that it's fact, as I can't find the source at the moment. All I can say is do some searching and reading before you buy Pro just to get that feature.

Voyager 1 · 06 Jun 2015

alphanumeric said:

Having Pro still might not be enough to have control over updates. You may also need access to "Windows Update for Business" to actually have control over what updates are installed automatically. Your updates may have to be done over a corporate network and it may be the IT guy that decides what ones get pushed to PC's. I remember reading something along these lines but can't find that info at the moment. I can't say that it's fact, as I can't find the source at the moment. All I can say is do some searching and reading before you buy Pro just to get that feature.

Thanks for the info :). I'm a home user so I'm guessing that the corporate network aspect wouldn't apply to me but I don't know much about that part of this topic.

I'll definitely research this before I decide next year.

alphanumeric · 06 Jun 2015

Voyager 1 said:

Thanks for the info :). I'm a home user so I'm guessing that the corporate network aspect wouldn't apply to me but I don't know much about that part of this topic.

I'll definitely research this before I decide next year.

The key thing is that, the consumer version of Pro may get forced updates just like the Home version. What I saw was open to interpretation so I could be wrong. Wouldn't be the first time either. Just a heads up, to double check all the ins and outs before you decide to pay more for the Pro version.

Cliff S · 06 Jun 2015

@alphanumeric, was it Wikipedia?

^[93]
Update and support system[edit]

Windows 10 will be serviced in a significantly different manner from previous releases of Windows.^[94] While Microsoft began to distribute a larger number of updates for Windows 8 that added features (such as interface improvements) beyond security patches and bug fixes, Windows 10 will adopt a tiered approach: users receive critical updates, security patches and non-critical updates to the operating system and its functionality as they are released. On Windows 10 Enterprise,^[70] administrators can choose between "Current Branch for Business" (CBB) and long-term support release channels. CBB will receive all updates at the same pace as consumers, but allow administrators to delay non-critical updates to ensure they are suitable for their environment. LTSB versions of Windows 10 are periodic snapshots of Windows 10's CBB branch, and will only receive critical patches over their 10-year support lifecycle. Systems can also be placed one or two versions behind the most recent LTSB version to allow for structured deployments and internal lifecycles.^[81]^[95]^[96] Stella Chernyak explained that "we have businesses [that] may have mission-critical environments where we respect the fact they want to test and stabilize the environment for a long time".^[97]
Windows 10 Home is permanently set to download and install updates automatically. Only Pro and Enterprise editions of Windows 10 may defer updates.^[64]

Update branch	Current Branch (CB)	Current Branch for Business (CBB)	Long-term Servicing Branches (LTSB)
Editions	Windows 10 Education
Windows 10 Enterprise
Windows 10 Home
Windows 10 Pro
Critical updates Security patches and stability updates	Yes	Deferrable for a period of time	Deferrable indefinitely
Non-critical updates Functionality and feature upgrades	Yes	Deferrable for a period of time	Deferrable indefinitely
Preview releases Beta releases through the Windows Insider Program Choice of fast or slow update ring	Optional	Optional or if permitted	No
Update methods	Windows Update	Windows Update Windows Update for Business Windows Server Update Services	Windows Update for Business Windows Server Update Services
Upgrade support	Continuous updating	The three most recent LTSB versions (periodic snapshots of CBB will be released as LTSB versions)
Update support	Lifetime	The three most recent LTSB versions	Five years mainstream + Five years extended (from release date of the LTSB version)

alphanumeric · 06 Jun 2015

It wasn't that, something like that though. Still confusing, for me anyway.

Windows 10 Home is permanently set to download and install updates automatically. Only Pro and Enterprise editions of Windows 10 may defer updates.

IMHO, my take on it is. If your using Windows Home or Pro and update over the Internet through Windows Update, you won't get a choice. If your running Pro or Enterprise and connected to Windows Update for Business, you'll have options. Like I said though, I could be wrong and misunderstood what's there. You'll just have to decide for your self.

Voyager 1 · 06 Jun 2015

alphanumeric & Cliff S

for the WU info.

If it turns out that Win 10 Pro home users have forced WU's, I guess we'll have to live with it.

I've preferred local control over them but that's mainly due to the past year or so of reported problematic Win 7 update incidents.

Cliff S · 06 Jun 2015

The thing is a home user doesn't usually have to prepare a whole bunch of PCs to update at once, and for businesses and companies have to update at a certain time when the least PCs are in use, so deference is important, because of down time. Deferral indefinitely are for important infrastructure that can't be allowed to shut down for any amount of time. Personally, as a private user, I have always installed every update(only with drivers I prefer manufactures to Microsoft) and never had a problem, ever.

Voyager 1 · 06 Jun 2015

Cliff S said:

The thing is a home user doesn't usually have to prepare a whole bunch of PCs to update at once, and for businesses and companies have to update at a certain time when the least PCs are in use, so deference is important, because of down time. Deferral indefinitely are for important infrastructure that can't be allowed to shut down for any amount of time. Personally, as a private user, I have always installed every update(only with drivers I prefer manufactures to Microsoft) and never had a problem, ever.

I've actually had very few issues with WU's with Win 7 for partly the same reason as you mentioned about Driver updates and also reading some of the forum 'net sites when "patch Tuesdays" occur. If I read some things about possible WU issues, I'll look into the specific MS WU info and decide on hiding it or delaying the install and watch for online feedback about it.

I usually install patch Tuesday WU's on the following weekend, preceding the install's with one of my Cloning (or Imaging) processes so that I can roll back the PC fast in the event of encountering problematic WU's.

That also allows me to check around the 'net after the patch Tuesday to see if there have been widespread reports of WU issues encountered with other users.

I have noticed an increase in reported and posted issues with WU's since around last June-August. Perhaps that's a coincidence though but it raised my awareness about checking WU's before installing since that time.

alphanumeric · 06 Jun 2015

The Home versus Pro part just confuses things. Home is permanently set to download and install updates automatically because it can't be configured to do otherwise. No Group Policy Editor for the IT guy to change things. Home just won't work in a corporate environment. Pro can be set to get the updates from the corporate network instead of Windows update by the IT guy. Assuming you have access to that network. That's why I think you need Pro and also access to the Windows Update for Business service to have any say in what updates get installed. Just my 2 cents though.