What I miss in Windows 10 (feature requests)

Below are features that I consider important omissions or stepbacks, which I believe can be rectified or added in the autumn update pack

1. Networks - I can no longer rename or merge networks. As a roaming user I need it quite often. Renaming networks makes it easier to manage them. Merging networks helps maintain common profiles such as default printers or firewall policy.

2. Start Menu - There is no way to pin an application to the "Frequently used" list - a feature that I love about Windows 7. Pinning applications, application jumplists and pinning jumplist items make life so much easier - I have my current stuff at hand, in a single place. Frequent items view of Windows Explorer does not do the trick.

3. Windows Explorer - Quick access view might be a good idea if it wasn't so chaotic (so is my impression of it). the Start at option should include Libraries and there should be a possibility to rearrange root items in the navigation pane (Quick Access, One Drive, This PC, Libraries, Network), either via settings dialog box or by dragging. I am also missing the slider that controlled the size of icons/thumbnails. There is a "layout" setting, but it is not that fine-grained.

4. Windows Update - I've already written about it in another thread. There's very limited control over What, When and How. Although MS provided a few workarounds they do not quite do the trick. There should be a "Power User Mode" added to Settings, which would allow manual triggering of updates (other than by policy) and selecting which packages to install. Windows Defender should continue updating itself independently.

5. Settings - It is a good and common practice to include Apply/Cancel buttons in a settings page/screen/dialog/whatever. It is safer and gives users the ability to think twice before acting. Should be a piece of cake here, I believe.

6. Appearance - Please add controls for window border thickness, window caption colours, font sizes for individual item types. Plus a colour picker where applicable.

The above may seem minor, but they repel me from switching over from 7 to 10. Those and the catastrophically long resume from hibernation.

There is not enough rep in the world to apply to this post which would adequately compensate users for this lost functionality. I hope someone at M$ wakes up and allows this to become a reality.

1. You can change the network name by right clicking the network icon on the taskbar and choosing "Open Network and Sharing Center", on the left click "Change Adapter Settings", right click the network and rename.

Here I changed mine from "Ethernet" to "James Net":



2. Isn't that kind of the purpose of the tile section of the start menu?

3. Icon style can be changed by clicking "View" at the top of Explorer:



4. Agree...

Greywolf said:

There is not enough rep in the world to apply to this post which would adequately compensate users for this lost functionality. I hope someone at M$ wakes up and allows this to become a reality.

Wooow, that was empowering! Rejoice, you've just got one unfaithful converted ;-)

fracking4oil said:

1. You can change the network name by right clicking the network icon on the taskbar and choosing "Open Network and Sharing Center", on the left click "Change Adapter Settings", right click the network and rename.

Yes, I know. But I meant changing connection names, not adapter name.

fracking4oil said:

2. Isn't that kind of the purpose of the tile section of the start menu?

Not exactly. Tiles don't have jumplists and they take up a lot of space.

fracking4oil said:

3. Icon style can be changed by clicking "View" at the top of Explorer:

That's what I meant - there is a setting, but it is rather coarse. The slider was much finer when it came to picture thumbnails. It is almost the same. Almost makes big difference.

poset said:

That's what I meant - there is a setting, but it is rather coarse. The slider was much finer when it came to picture thumbnails. It is almost the same. Almost makes big difference.

You have the same fine control if you hold Ctrl and scroll with the mouse scroll wheel. At the top of the scroll you'll have the fine adjustment you want, at the bottom you go between the presets found in the view section.

Nope, doesn't work for me.

Well, now it does. It required updating the trackpoint driver. However, the new driver keeps resetting mouse wheel lines to 1

I don't like how you can't control how and when icons show in the notifications/system tray area. Control over them is very rudimentary compared to how it was in 8 and 7.

Hate to bust your bubble, folks -- but MILLIONS of Insiders provided feedback to MS month after month after month -- and what did we get? An incomplete version, rushed out the door, that gave in to Metro stuff -- even the Start Menu is half-metro. A junior version of IE that has only a fraction of its features. But hey! It's Metro. Same thing with Settings -- move a bunch of Control Panel stuff into a new window, but make it Metro. Never mind that not all of the CP stuff is there. As long as it's Metro -- that appears to be what mattered to MS.

If you want to make a difference, then join (or remain in) the Insider program. Perhaps now that the "rush to market" frenzy is over, if enough of you voice the same concerns, perhaps MS will listen this time. Or ... maybe not.