Some users are already starting their Windows 10 download

By Brad Jones Published September 24, 2015

Windows 10 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

After months of pre-release testing and conference showcases, tomorrow will bring the long-awaited launch of Windows 10. With the update being offered for free, plenty of users who wouldn’t normally consider themselves early adopters might be tempted to be among the first to install the OS on their system.

Save $20 on Ultimate Help Desk service for Win10 transitions. MSRP $99.99

Recommended Videos

There will undoubtedly be a great deal of people eager to grab Windows 10 when it launches tomorrow — even considering the number of Insider Program members already running a preview build. To cut down on the log jam, Microsoft has begun the process of circulating the files needed to install the OS tomorrow.

If you reserved your free upgrade, you’ll likely start your download today. Indeed, many users have already noticed that their system has begun the process, according to a report from WinBeta. While some have observed bit and pieces of the OS being downloaded, others have reported that the .esd file that contains Windows 10 is already present on their hard drive, ready and waiting for July 29.

The intention here is to spread the weight, in an effort to prevent any major problems from spoiling the party tomorrow. Windows 10 presents such a different approach to an OS upgrade for Microsoft that it’ll be interesting to see just how many people take the company up on their offer. The bargain price of free will be too much for many to pass up, especially in conjunction with the curiosity surrounding a brand new OS.

If you’ve already enrolled to reserve your copy, Windows 10 will downloaded automatically, so don’t worry about having to prompt your system to get in line. However, if you’re looking to get the inside track ahead of the hotly anticipated release of the OS, the Digital Trends guide to prepping for Windows 10 is a good place to start.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Brad is an English-born writer currently splitting his time between Edinburgh and Pennsylvania. You can find him on Twitter…

Computing

Microsoft is fixing my biggest problem with Windows 11 on handhelds

Asus ROG Ally with the Windows lock screen.

We're finally starting to make some progress on the handheld experience of Windows 11. Although Windows 11 handhelds like the ROG Ally X are some of the best handheld gaming PCs you can buy, that's despite their use of Windows, not because of it. Now, the latest Windows 11 Insider preview (build 22631.4387) adds a feature that should make navigating the OS much easier on a handheld -- a keyboard built for gamepads.

Windows has included an onscreen keyboard for years, and updates over the last couple of years have even made it usable with touch inputs. On a handheld, however, there are two problems with the keyboard. You can't invoke it naturally -- you have to bind Windows + Ctrl + O to a hotkey -- and you can't use your controller to navigate it. With the new update, Microsoft is fixing that last point, at the very least.

Computing

Windows 11 is creating an ‘undeletable’ 8.63GB cache

The Surface Pro 11 on a white table in front of a window.

The recent Windows 11 24H2 update is reportedly flawed with a new issue where it creates 8.63GB of undeletable update cache. This cache is made during the update process and seems to remain on the system, despite attempts to remove it using traditional methods like Disk Cleanup, Storage Sense, or even manually deleting system folders like Windows.old.

The issue appears to be linked to checkpoint updates, a new feature in Windows 11 designed to streamline and shrink update sizes by downloading smaller patches rather than full updates.

Computing

Whatever you do, don’t install the Windows 11 September update

Microsoft has warned users in a post on its support blog that the September KB5043145 update, released on Thursday, is causing some Windows 11 PCs to restart multiple times, show the blue screen of death, or even freeze.

The problems in the recent update affect those on the 22H2 or 23H3 version of Windows 11. However, Microsoft said it is investigating the issue and will provide more information when it's available. Microsoft confirmed: "After installing this update, some customers have reported that their device restarts multiple times or becomes unresponsive with blue or green screens. According to the reports, some devices automatically open the Automatic Repair tool after repeated restart attempts. In some cases, BitLocker recovery can also be triggered."