Who would've thought that the push of a button could bring so much happiness?

That's what happened to me when I loaded Windows 10 onto my Dell XPS 13 laptop yesterday. I pushed the Start button (which isn't called the Start button, but is instead the little Windows icon in the lower-left corner), and what did I see? A Start menu! A real Start menu that's useful!

Windows 7-Like

What's equally exciting is what pushing that button didn't do.


It didn't fill my screen with a bunch of Live Tiles, i.e. the little squares representing programs and functionality that are made to be used on a touchscreen device like a tablet. That's what happened in Windows 8. And it's chiefly what made people hate Windows 8.

But now, when you push the Start button, the experience is much more like Windows 7 -- it brings up a useful menu. The menu includes Live Tiles to the right, but also things like the Power button to turn the computer off and on, File Explorer for finding stuff on your hard drive, and other goodies (all of which I'll go into at great length over the coming months.)

For now, however, just know that Windows 10 should give those of you who were (justifiably) afraid of upgrading to Windows 8 new hope.

It took my computer just 49 minutes to upgrade to Windows 10 from Windows 8.1. That's very, very fast. Now, it should be said that I have a high-end, powerful laptop. But even for those with a mid-grade or low-end device, the upgrade shouldn't take as long as previous Windows versions.

The Waiting Game

One other thing to note is that it appears that you may have to wait up to several weeks to get Windows 10, even if you've pre-ordered it. According to Redmond magazine, Microsoft's reporting on a forum page that those who have registered to get a copy of Windows 10 should "watch for your notification in the coming weeks."

If you're not the waiting type, though, Redmond magazine again comes through with a way to force your computer to download and install Windows 10. I can personally testify that this method works, because I used it. Be warned, though: this is for experienced power users, who like to fiddle with Windows settings. If this isn't you, you're better off waiting for the notification from Microsoft (which you'll get automatically) that Windows 10 has been downloaded to your computer and ready for installation.

I've only had Windows 10 a day now, and I can confidently say it changes the game. Combined with all its new functionality, it looks like it could be the operating system we've been waiting for.