What I've observed so far.

Hi

Yesterday I installed Windows 10 in a dual boot configuration with Windows 8.
I turned off both Fast Boot and Secure Boot in the bios first and created a partition on my second hard drive.

I installed from a DVD I created from the .ISO file.
I had no issues with the install and it took a surprisingly short time to do it.

Less the 15 minutes I'd guess, I didn't think to time it.

Once done I had to mess around with it for quite a while before I got a menu at start up that let me select the OS I wanted to boot into. I have another post here where I got some help with that.

I finally got it to work using EasyBCD to set it up, in Windows 10.

Doing it in 8 had no effect, so the booting is controlled by the Windows 10 install which is on a separate hard drive.

I got it to display the black screen with the boot options accessible with the arrow keys that I've had when dual booting in the past.

I rebooted a number of time into both operating systems to be sure everything was working.

I found that the boot times were about the same as for Windows 8, a little faster but I assumed that was because I don't have all my software installed.

My computer was completely unplugged during the night because of a violent thunderstorm, I've been hit by lightning twice, the second time taking out my computer, router, and one of my external drives, so I'm very careful now.

This morning I plugged everything back in and pushed the button.

This time a different boot screen came up, it was a Windows 8 style screen listing the 2 operating systems by name and had a working mouse, so I didn't have to use the arrow keys to select the Windows 10 installation.

When I clicked on the Windows Technical Preview button the screen with the time on it came up (whatever this screen is called I got rid of it in Windows 8 but I don't remember how) instantly.

When I closed it my login screen came up and when I typed in my password the desktop loaded with no delay at all which really surprised me.

After thinking about it, I had left the computer for a couple of minutes while the login screen was up so I assume that it loaded the desktop before I logged in. I will check that next time.

So far I have CCleaneer, Rocket Dock, Defraggler, Google Chrome, Thunderbird and Open Office installed.

I have been able to run Guild Wars 2, and Tomb Raider Underworld from the Windows 8 installs and they run really well, I tested both in 3D Stereo and they ran great.

I'm really impressed, this is such an improvement over Windows 8 that I haven't even been tempted to install Classic Shell and I'm not going to as long as we're doing the beta testing.

I'm going to use it the way it's designed to be.

When I installed Windows 8.1 I had sound issues that I couldn't fix, and had to go back to 8.
I haven't had any issues with the sound so far.

The only thing I've run into is a lack of codecs in Windows Media player to play some types of Mpg videos. I'll have to find a codec pack to install for that.

Otherwise everything is working great, even Internet Explorer which I could never get to work in Windows 8.

I'll install more of my software today, like The Elder Scrolls Online which wouldn't run from my existing install because of missing .dll files.

Since my partition for Windows 10 is only 100 gigabytes I created a folder on another drive names Windows 10 software installs and have created a Programs files folder there that I will install all large software in.

I'll report back on how things are going when I've got more done.

Mike

Hi

Thanks I'll do that.

Mike

Ps. That worked, it seems to play everything now.

Hi

I haven't done the authentication thing, I've tried several times but never received a code in my mail.

I wonder it anyone has been able to get it to work?

It doesn't seem to be a problem not doing it.

Mike

MikeHawthorne said:

Hi

I haven't done the authentication thing, I've tried several times but never received a code in my mail.

I wonder it anyone has been able to get it to work?

It doesn't seem to be a problem not doing it.

Mike

I think it might be only for MS or Hotmail account. There are no other ramifications, it synced with Win 8 settings without it although some settings were not. Login name, password and picture, desktop themes, colors, network passwords, etc synced while permissions, other accounts, UAC settings, did not, had to do it all over again to match my 8.1 system. Only part of Power settings were in tune while other like disk and USB did not. Even without that authentication I'm able to work thru MS account, download Apps, leave comments etc. I don't think it's big problem at all but it's not apparent that during setup and installation is possible to go thru it without authenticating.
Noticed one thing with windows updates. They are set to run automatically without being able to go manual but it didn't show those first two updates as available until I forced Check for Updates, only than it showed as Important, downloade them and installed with no problem. Didn't have time to check what they were for. As far as I remember, Win 8 was behaving like that in the beginning but I don't remember weather it was during Beta, test, RTM, phase or first full installation.

MikeHawthorne said:

Hi

I haven't done the authentication thing, I've tried several times but never received a code in my mail.

I wonder it anyone has been able to get it to work?

It doesn't seem to be a problem not doing it.

Mike

I had no problem with the authenticate code. It was sent to my gmail account, I then copied and pasted it into the verification field.

MikeHawthorne said:

Hi

Yesterday I installed Windows 10 in a dual boot configuration with Windows 8.
I turned off both Fast Boot and Secure Boot in the bios first and created a partition on my second hard drive.

I installed from a DVD I created from the .ISO file.
I had no issues with the install and it took a surprisingly short time to do it.

Less the 15 minutes I'd guess, I didn't think to time it.

Once done I had to mess around with it for quite a while before I got a menu at start up that let me select the OS I wanted to boot into. I have another post here where I got some help with that.

I finally got it to work using EasyBCD to set it up, in Windows 10.

Doing it in 8 had no effect, so the booting is controlled by the Windows 10 install which is on a separate hard drive.

I got it to display the black screen with the boot options accessible with the arrow keys that I've had when dual booting in the past.

I rebooted a number of time into both operating systems to be sure everything was working.

I found that the boot times were about the same as for Windows 8, a little faster but I assumed that was because I don't have all my software installed.

My computer was completely unplugged during the night because of a violent thunderstorm, I've been hit by lightning twice, the second time taking out my computer, router, and one of my external drives, so I'm very careful now.

This morning I plugged everything back in and pushed the button.

This time a different boot screen came up, it was a Windows 8 style screen listing the 2 operating systems by name and had a working mouse, so I didn't have to use the arrow keys to select the Windows 10 installation.

When I clicked on the Windows Technical Preview button the screen with the time on it came up (whatever this screen is called I got rid of it in Windows 8 but I don't remember how) instantly.

When I closed it my login screen came up and when I typed in my password the desktop loaded with no delay at all which really surprised me.

After thinking about it, I had left the computer for a couple of minutes while the login screen was up so I assume that it loaded the desktop before I logged in. I will check that next time.

So far I have CCleaneer, Rocket Dock, Defraggler, Google Chrome, Thunderbird and Open Office installed.

I have been able to run Guild Wars 2, and Tomb Raider Underworld from the Windows 8 installs and they run really well, I tested both in 3D Stereo and they ran great.

I'm really impressed, this is such an improvement over Windows 8 that I haven't even been tempted to install Classic Shell and I'm not going to as long as we're doing the beta testing.

I'm going to use it the way it's designed to be.

When I installed Windows 8.1 I had sound issues that I couldn't fix, and had to go back to 8.
I haven't had any issues with the sound so far.

The only thing I've run into is a lack of codecs in Windows Media player to play some types of Mpg videos. I'll have to find a codec pack to install for that.

Otherwise everything is working great, even Internet Explorer which I could never get to work in Windows 8.

I'll install more of my software today, like The Elder Scrolls Online which wouldn't run from my existing install because of missing .dll files.

Since my partition for Windows 10 is only 100 gigabytes I created a folder on another drive names Windows 10 software installs and have created a Programs files folder there that I will install all large software in.

I'll report back on how things are going when I've got more done.

Mike

Thanks for your insights Mike. What is the desktop background and where did you get it from? It is very nice. I am going to upgrade install my 8.1 on my main PC this evening. I agree with you, this is what 8 should have been had they listened. We can make it better too with feedback. I have never known a first beta to be so stable......Has a few quirks but is not crashing and the lack of drivers for some will soon be updated I am sure of that.