Windows 10 Enterprise Evaluation
Downloaded Windows 10 Enterprise Evaluation from Technet Evaluation Center (now deprecated – find the Insider Preview instead), straightforward install as a VM on Windows 8.1 Ent running Hyper-V.
Update 12th June 2015
Upgraded my Windows 8.1 Pro System to Windows 10 Insider Preview 10074 – been running it for a couple of months and suffered no compatibility or other issues whatsoever. I’m running an i7 with 32 Gig RAM, multiple monitors and SSDs: runs all our bespoke apps, Office 2013 incuding Visio, AV, Visual Studio and several test Hyper-V machines – it rocks. Full reboot (to logging in and checking 5 VMs running – 12 seconds). My only issue is that I cannot get RSAT installed – looks like the recommended MS update runs, but no ‘Remote Server Administration Tools’ in Add/Remove Components. Not the end of the world as one of my VMs runs Hyena – just an annoyance.
Have to say that so far I’m mightily impressed..!
Added it as a client on my virtual test domain and, considering it’s an evaluation build, so far it’s been rock solid and run everything I’ve thrown at it without major complaint except for Symantec SEPS and McAfee Antivirus – no great surprise there of course, I’m sure updated versions will be available in due course (had same issue with Windows 8 early upgraders). In the meantime it is protected by Windows Defender which I’ve always found to do a pretty good job (always like to have two AV solutions – a production one and a few systems running something else).
There are a host of new features and hints of others to come – I’ll add my thoughts on them here as I play. Microsoft has most certainly been paying attention to it’s critics though, Windows 7 users should be able to adapt with no fuss (although personally I still think Windows 8.1 rocks and didn’t get all the hoohaa).
Particularly like the improvements to application snapping – drag an app to the left, goes half screen and other half displays screen views of apps – when you click one it fills the other half of the screen (never worked properly with 3 monitors previously).