Leo Notenboom helps you evaluate Windows 10 upgrade options.–PC Pitstop.
Should You Upgrade to Windows 10
By Leo Notenboom
In the wake of recent news including the announcement of a release date for Windows 10 – July 29, 2015 – I’ve been getting this question a lot.
Should you upgrade?
Like so many things, it depends.
I’ve discussed it in a couple of places, but I’ll make my canonical recommendations here, and update this article as things change.
Tech Preview: Just Say No
The tech preview is the version of Windows 10 available right now, before the official release date. It’s intended for technical review, media evaluation, and just general all-around exploring and problem identification.
Note that it is not intended for day to day use, particularly not by the average consumer.
If that’s you – stay away from the technical preview. Wait a while, as I’ll outline below.
Even if that’s not you, I still wouldn’t use it for day-to-day work. I don’t. It’s not done, it has known bugs, and things are still changing. While it’s unlikely, you need to treat it as if it could completely corrupt your machine without warning, destroying all your data and requiring a complete reinstall.1
New machines: fear not
If you purchase a new machine after Windows 10 is released, and it comes with Windows 10, don’t panic.
In fact, embrace Windows 10. There’s no reason to avoid it, and every reason to move ahead with it, particularly clean installs delivered on new machines.
