By Lincoln Spector
A major operating system upgrade always brings new problems — and a slew of frantic calls to tech-support services.
Queries about a new OS often go well beyond learning a user interface; drivers and applications have to be updated, and no amount of beta testing ensures that everything works.
All this is especially true of the Windows 10 upgrade. Users flocked to the new OS in record numbers. Many waited eagerly for months to try the Win8 replacement; others leaped at the apparent bargain of a free upgrade. And others, who didnt even want Win10, got it anyway, thanks to Microsofts aggressive upgrade policies.
Recently, the large support company RESCUECOM (website) reported that 56 percent of the calls it received in the third quarter were Windows 10 related — and Win10 didnt officially ship until the quarter was nearly a third over.
Curious about the most common Win10 issues, I interviewed RESCUECOM CEO David Milman, via email. Knowing more about possible upgrading traps makes it easier to avoid or fix them.
RESCUECOM is a subscription-based tech-support and repair company for Windows, Macs, tablets, and phones. Subscriptions start at U.S. $30 a month and include both tech calls and house calls (at no extra cost).
Milman wouldnt tell me how many subscribers the company has, but he stated that RESCUECOM has over 6,500 employees and contracted freelancers, which gives you an idea of its size.
Note: Aside from researching and writing this article, I have no connection with RESCUECOM. Ive never used, tested, or reviewed the service. So I cant say whether its better or worse than its competitors.
With the Win10 release, the phones start ringing
Milman noted that RESCUECOM always sees a surge in calls when an operating system gets a major upgrade. But Win10 was unusual; the volume of calls has been about double that of previous Windows releases. Most of the support questions "focused on problems with usability and a desire to revert [to Windows 7 or 8], instead of how to use the new OS," according to Milman.
The upgrade caught many users by surprise; they didnt understanding why their desktop suddenly looked different. According to Milman, "Microsoft was either brilliant or sneaky (the jury is still out) in how it delivered Windows 10, [which] appeared on just about every Windows 7 and Windows 8 (8.1) computer on the planet." (That doesnt include the many corporate systems.)
However, the majority of RESCUECOM callers were better informed. They had actively — perhaps even enthusiastically — updated their systems. But then they discovered that Windows 10 didnt always behave as advertised.
Milman noted that he ran into problems on his own machines and reverted one system back to Win8.1. "One of my two NVIDIA graphics cards was incompatible, and I didnt feel like spending the time to chase down the correct drivers."
(As described in the Aug. 27 Windows Secrets Top Story, "Thirty-day Win10 experiment lasts only a week," I had my own share of Win10 upgrade disasters — most of which have been resolved.)
Drivers drive Win10 upgraders to drink
Hardware failures — mostly due to incompatible drivers — are a common problem with new operating systems. "Some hardware will not [immediately] work with Windows 10," Milman told me. "Some older products may never get windows 10 drivers."
Milman suggests opening Windows Device Manager to find misbehaving drivers. (Right-click the Start icon and select Device Manager from the pop-up list.) Typically, a small yellow warning flag will be attached to the icon for a problematic device.
That is, of course, if you can use your computer at all. Bad video drivers can result in a black screen. For driver issues this severe, try booting into Safe Mode and downloading the correct drivers from the hardware manufacturers site. (Win10 doesnt make it easy to run Safe Mode. For more info, see the Sept. 17 Field Notes, "Lost and found: Windows 10s safe mode.") Open Device Managers again, right-click the failing hardware, and select Update Driver Software.
When a favorite app doesnt survive the upgrade
Most applications that work in Windows 7 and 8 should work in Win10 — but sometimes they dont. And XP-era applications are especially problematic. For in-place upgrades, Microsoft suggests running the system-compatibility checker thats in the Get Windows 10 option menu (see Figure 1)...
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