9 Things Skeptics Say About Windows 10
It’s been more than 2 months since Microsoft’s latest operating system version has been released and even in the days and months prior to its release, Microsoft has really been claiming that this emerging Windows OS version is going to be the best one ever! A few days after its formal release date in the 29th of July this year, millions of users have already made the move to this latest Windows edition which is said to be the one that would end the issues in both Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 but what do skeptics say about Windows 10 that you might not know even until now? In this article, we will be having a tour into some of the features that are found in Windows 10 which has become a source of negative comments and reviews by skeptics so if you’ve only known the good things about this latest Windows operating system version but you really feel that there’s something wrong whenever you are using your Windows 10 machine then this tutorial may shed light to the otherwise vague changes and features in Microsoft’s masterpiece which they prefer to brand as the “Best Window Yet”!
1. A Start Menu That Has Been Corrupted
One of the tag lines that were used to brand Windows 10 is “the Start Menu is back”! Many users who really anticipated the return of this dearly loved feature has been quickly convinced to reserve for a FREE Windows 10 Upgrade because of this supposed return of the Start Menu. While it can’t be denied that this feature has really been placed back to its rightful place, many are still disappointed at how Microsoft did things. First of all, they said that the Start Menu is back but a closer look on it in Windows 10 reveals that most of the links that users really prefer to be on this crucial feature are missing. 
For instance, you can’t find a link to your Videos, Music, Pictures or even the Documents library as was the case back in Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7. While they can be added using a tweak which is available from the modern Settings Window, it would still be comfortable especially to novice users if these links are readily available on the Start Menu instead of having them disabled from being displayed by default. Adding to the annoyance are all the flashy tiles that don’t really serve that much use to ordinary Desktop users. As skeptics put it, Microsoft seem to be more concerned in making Windows 10 look flashy on the outside instead of ensuring to make users a lot comfortable by providing useful links and shortcuts that were present in the past. What do you think of the new and improved Start Menu in Windows 10? Does it look like an improved one to you? If you share the same sentiments with all of the other skeptics whom we have gotten this ideas from then please join the movement to flood Microsoft with constructive feedback so they can include changes on this dearly-loved feature on their future updates.
2. Modern Apps are Somewhat Useless
With the advent of the Windows Store which was first introduced in Windows 8. Users have not really cared about all of the games and other apps that are available in it except of course for those who are gaming addicts and the others who want to try something new. But to most users who just want a pure computer without all the other add-ons, just the Desktop programs and what the traditional side of the Windows OS can offer is enough. Microsoft boasts about the number of contents in the Windows Store being doubled upon the release of Windows 10 but even until now, only a little fraction of the millions who upgraded to Windows 10 really take advantage of modern apps. 
But why is this so? Well, most of the built-in modern apps for instance are just redundant features of the stuff that can already be done using a web browser. Modern apps like “News”, “Calendar”, “Calculator”, “Mail” and many others are not really needed especially by users who prefer to view these things on their favorite browser as what they have been doing ever since. This notion held by skeptics has gained an even stronger ground when Microsoft removed the modern app version of Skype and provided only an app that would provide a link for downloading the Desktop version of this program in the Windows Store. Aside from these obvious observations, Microsoft has also been promoting the Desktop version of the office apps and specified that the mobile versions of it are only for smartphones and tablets that run on variants of the Windows mobile operating systems.
3. The “Always White” Theme
Another feature that you might have noticed when you first used Windows 10 are the borders of every Window set as white all over. Yes! This includes every Window that are active on your computer including those of the modern or universal apps as shown on the screenshot below. 
This is not the case back in previous Windows editions like Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 where you can easily choose a color for the Window borders to make things look more personalized. We don’t really know the reason for this move by Microsoft but it appears that they intentionally didn’t provide any other theme that would offer varying Window border colors so as to lessen the load on system resource. This makes Windows 10 a lot faster than all of the other Windows versions released before it but of course, this innovation still gathered plenty of negative feedback especially from users who want a personal touch on their devices. However, this doesn’t mean that it is already impossible to change the color of the Window border in your Windows 10 machine. You can actually still change it if you want with the use of a system tweak but we don’t recommend that you do it especially if you’re not confident enough about what you are going to do.
4. The Untouchable Windows Updates
If you’re already using Windows 10, you would need to say goodbye to configurable Windows Updates because the same feature is now impossible to defer if you are on the basic edition of this newest operating system version called Windows 10 Home. This is really a big draw back when compared to the fully configurable Windows Updates found in all editions of Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1. This feature is one of the hottest topics right now especially among users who are concerned about the big amount of bandwidth that is used up by Windows Updates in Windows 10 and everything has been conceived when Microsoft decided to offer Windows 10 as a service! 
This means that the operating system will not get automatic updates just like Android and iOS but the difference is that, users who are on the basic edition would not be able to defer them and the only option that they have is to set their network connection as metered which will also affect the performance of other apps and programs or upgrade to Windows 10 Professional and pay $99 for it in order to unlock the “Defer updates” option. Now why should this be an area of big concern to you? Well, if your Internet Service Provider (ISP) offers generous bandwidth then you won’t be having problems with all the updates being downloaded and installed to your computer since it won’t cause a sudden decrease in upload and download speeds but if you have an Internet Service Provider (ISP) that implements some strict rule with regards to bandwidth usage and allocation then this Automatic Update is a big problem. Just imagine all of the bandwidth being consumed by large downloads of Windows Updates instead of going to your browsing and surfing activities. It’s like you will be paying only for the Windows Update downloads themselves and less for your personal leisure time. This really is a draw back for Windows 10 especially to those who can’t afford to upgrade to the Professional edition but to Microsoft, it’s a big savings from bandwidth bills and more income from those users who would choose to get Windows 10 Professional by shelling out $99 for the upgrade! Now that’s the greedy side of business being displayed right on our faces!
5. Windows Media Center Removed
Another sad reality that Windows users had to face in Windows 10 is the removal and permanent phasing out of the Windows Media Center. This feature has been enjoyed for many years in Windows versions such as Windows Vista and Windows 7 but started to become less popular in Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 which seems to be the reason for its phasing out in these operating system editions including on the latest one- Windows 10. 
But there surely are users who really loved using it which were surely deeply affected by its complete removal from Windows 10 but there are still alternatives that can be downloaded and installed and if you want to get one, just Google the best ones that are freely available from different download servers all around the Internet.
6. Windows Media Player Removed
Another feature that has been removed in Windows 10 which has also been a source of complaints from skeptics is the removal of the Windows Media Player application in it and having it replaced by a universal app called “Movies & TV”. This is seen as a move that is designed to promote the use of modern/universal apps in this latest Windows OS edition but then again, all of the other moves that somewhat contradicts this notion such as the removal of the modern/universal app version of Skype and having the Desktop version of it promoted speaks loud enough for the former to be noticed. 
The removal of the built-in Media Player in Windows 10 seems to be a bearable problem because of the presence of other alternatives which are mostly better than Windows Media Player itself such as VLC and many others but if you really want a machine that runs fully on Microsoft developed products then the missing WMP may become a problem.
7. More Security and Privacy Risks in Windows 10
Another problem that skeptics are seeing in Windows 10 are the features that seem to expose private data and other personal stuff. Yes! there are some features in this latest Windows operating system version that actually send back information to the mothership and the sad thing about it is that Microsoft isn’t communicating well regarding this issue. One more shocking thing is that these features that exposes private data and undermine security cannot be disabled in both the basic Windows edition called Windows 10 Home and the higher edition known as Windows 10 Professional. It is only the Enterprise edition of Windows 10 that offers the option for disabling these telemetry features capable of sending private information to Microsoft. 
Topics about these features have already started a host of discussions over the Internet and even in mainstream media but it is quite weird that Microsoft is not doing anything but provide vague explanations as to why these features are there. In fact, they are now pushing forward with these changes and including the telemetry service in updates for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 despite criticisms. As of writing this article, the only explanation that Microsoft has provided about the features that skeptics really claim to expose private data and increase security risk is this: “By applying this service, you can add benefits from the latest version of Windows to systems that have not yet upgraded” and we have found this short and vague statement from a patch note on an update. Now that’s a ridiculous take on something that is of big concern to millions of Windows users. Microsoft may be getting tons of benefits from the telemetry data that they are collecting but the average Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 users really has nothing good to take out of this service!
8. The Lack of Patch Notes
Aside from the automatic updates that really eat up much of the bandwidth provided by your Internet Service Provider (ISP), Microsoft also faces some problems with users who are concerned with their security and privacy with regards to the updates themselves lacking enough information that would describe what they really are for. 
The sad thing is that Microsoft has no plans to provide any patch notes to inform users what they are changing by applying the updates that they provide. The company might include these important notes once in a while but only for big changes and updates and another condition is that when they really feel like it. We’ve received information that Microsoft will provide patch notes to Windows 10 Enterprise but that’s basically it! Still no patch notes for Windows 10 Home and Windows 10 Professional users. Windows 10 is being updated by Microsoft on a continuous basis and these updates would contain more than just bugfixes and security patches but also with new features, minor modifications and many more but the sad thing is that Microsoft doesn’t want you to know what is actually being changed so don’t be surprised to see some stuff being moved or other features changing appearance after you apply the latest update on your Windows 10 machine.
9. Mandatory Driver Updates That Cause Problems
If you are upgrading to Windows 10 on an old PC or laptop then you might have encountered problems with drivers. Rather than just letting old drivers work with Windows 10 and provide updates that would make things streamlined with these perfectly working drivers, Microsoft forces old PCs and laptops to get the latest driver version which then causes conflict with the hardware and other problems. 
It’s like a martial law of driver update especially because there’s no way for users to refuse from updating their drivers. If Microsoft thinks that the latest driver is good for your computer then they would really push you to do it even if it can cause the hardware to malfunction. Even if you install your own driver, Windows Update will just repeatedly install its own drivers over the ones that you have loaded to your computer. Microsoft claims that they still have the “Do you want Windows to download driver software” option in Windows 10 but when we tried it, we were startled with the fact that it actually doesn’t work at all and it’s shocking why the company didn’t really care to remove it which just adds confusion among users. The only way to avoid mandatory driver updates is to get a special tool from Microsoft’s official website but you will still get driver updates when a newer version of them are included in Windows Update.
More Issues in Windows 10
These 9 items only constitute a conservative list of all the issues and problems that skeptics see in Windows 10 and as Microsoft continues to develop this latest Windows OS version, let’s also hope that these things would be resolved. However, there are some who are seeing these things as only the start of more issues to come in future updates. In the past, staying current has really been a need but in Windows 10, our general advise is to be more vigilant and don’t haste to install any update if you don’t really know what it contains. Do some research first to avoid any future problems caused by features that can expose private data and drivers that can break your otherwise well-conditioned computer.