How does the update process work?

A few days ago, Microsoft warned that not everyone will be able to get Windows on August 2, 2016 10 AnniversaryUpdate, since there are a lot of users and the servers may not be able to cope with the load. I took this news with understanding and began to wait for an update. It is worth noting that literally an hour after the announcement that the update had been launched, I still received news in the Update Center that I could update my laptop, which I naturally took advantage of.

I was pleasantly surprised that the update went quite quickly and successfully. None of my programs, none of the files or documents were deleted, even the Lock Screen screen saver and the Desktop theme remained the same. This was very pleasing, since previously we had to reinstall everything again or do synchronization.

For those who have not yet received the update in the Update Center, but really want to get it, I can recommend 2 methods: the familiar Media Creation Tool utility and the new Update Assistant, an interesting utility that appeared just two days ago and you can find it, by visiting the Microsoft support site. There is such a dark blue stripe with a call to join the update. Here is the link: https://support.microsoft.com/uk-ua.

Now my laptop has the new version of Windows 10 numbered 1607 and build 14393.10.

The inscription Registered Trademark, which was not there before, immediately caught my eye.

Start Menu

The first thing I wanted to evaluate was the Start menu. I know from the comments that some users were unhappy with the Start menu in Windows 10, and the tiles were especially annoying.

After the update, Start has changed a little. No tiles were removed, the changes affected the left side of the Start menu. To my surprise, the button All applications For some reason it was deleted. Now all applications are combined with Recently Added and Frequently Used.

Perhaps this innovation will seem convenient and accepted to some, but I clearly did not like it. This series of applications opening in front of you is annoying and confusing. I liked the old version better. Now my avatar is located on the left account, as well as shutdown buttons, options and other buttons selected by you (for me it’s Explorer). Previously, they were signed, but now they just hang icons, and the inscriptions pop up if you hover over them with the mouse. The tiles have not changed at all. That is, they didn’t even think about working on them. But in vain.

One of the disadvantages is the fact that in tablet mode the old tabular layout of all installed applications, which was in Windows 8 and I really didn’t like it.

Options

At the first meeting with Parameters You will definitely notice its new feature - this is a search in the parameters themselves. That is, now you don’t have to once again search for the desired parameter to configure it. Simply write the name you need and go to required section. It is very convenient even for me, a person is very good knowledgeable about the system. A similar function existed in older versions of systems, but in Windows 10 it is more advanced.

I couldn’t pass up such a pleasant opportunity in the section Temporary files remove previous versions of operating programs.

Sometimes they take up a lot of space: mine took up as much as 11 GB. A small thing, but nice.

App dark mode

Someone will say that this is also new to me and perhaps they will be right. Previously, it was also possible to set dark mode for applications by performing certain manipulations with the settings. Now just go to the section Personalization-Colors and you decide for yourself whether to choose light or dark mode. Still, dark mode transforms applications, making them more stylish. It was a little disappointing that Explorer, whose icon also changed a little, was left with only the light mode; I wanted to change that too.

Microsoft Edge: what's new?

Introduced with Windows 10 new Microsoft browser Edge, which was designed to replace the market failure Internet Explorer, clearly did not cope with its task. Yes, the browser is fast, minimalistic, modern, but it is clearly inferior in popularity to its competitors.

I was very interested in how the standard browser from Microsoft has changed? Could it finally become my main browser?

I must say that my expectations were met. Now we can say that Microsoft Edge -modern browser. It appeared, albeit belatedly, the functions and text processing tools I needed. Extension support is one of the major new additions to Microsoft Edge in the Anniversary Update. For now, increase the functionality of the standard Windows browser 10 due to built-in extensions is possible from a rather meager list of them. It includes such extensions as: web service clippers Evernote notes and OneNote Manager LastPass passwords, blockers AdBlock advertising and AdBlock Plus, Microsoft Translator, a tool for working with the Pocket delayed reading web service, Mouse Gestures customizer, a button for sharing images on the Pinterest social network and others. You can easily install them from the Application Store or through the menu of the browser itself. I installed extensions directly through the Microsoft Edge menu. Open a tab Extensions and press Get extensions from the Store.

You are taken to the Store, where all available extensions are located. Just download them, they appear in the browser and install the extension. List installed extensions will be visible every time you open the tab Extensions.

I know that some users got an error when downloading and forced them to reinstall the extension, but the problem still was not solved. There is still a solution to this problem. Walk the path Settings-System-Applications and Features, find the extension and remove it. Then go to the Store again and download the extension again. There will be no loading problems and you will be able to use the extension.

I was also pleased that the option to pin tabs for permanent access to your favorite sites has finally been implemented as an alternative to the bookmarking functionality.

I understand that this function has long been implemented in Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and other browsers, but I have long said that there is no harm in Microsoft copying what is good. To increase the safety of Internet surfing and reduce energy consumption, Microsoft has introduced a mechanism into the new version of the browser that automatically pauses the playback of Flash content that is not an integral part of the page (advertising banners, etc.).

Changes have also been made to Browser Settings. There is now a link to an account and the ability to synchronize with other devices. The most important thing is that now you can independently select the drive or folder where the downloaded files will be saved.

As you can see, the browser has undergone major changes and this is very pleasing. And the fact that there are few extensions doesn’t really bother me; I always use them a little.

New Store interface

The Windows 10 Store has changed noticeably, I would say it has changed pleasantly. Application pages have become more informative, good screenshots applications., I was pleased to see the column about system requirements. The store has become more convenient to use. No need to waste time searching desired application or games. The dark theme suits him very well. I hope it will continue to fill up big amount universal applications and get rid of unnecessary junk.

Taskbar and Action Center

The Taskbar has always had a solid set of capabilities, but now there's another interesting feature - the icons of applications pinned to the taskbar can now display active indicators. For example, the Mail icon will show how many unread messages you have in your mailbox, while the Skype icon will indicate incoming messages and missed calls.

Settings Taskbars finally appeared in Parameters.

Notification Center V Windows 10 was not very useful and was heavily criticized by users. After the update, everything changed dramatically. The first thing that catches your eye is the Center icon, which was previously located in the general group of system tray icons, but has now moved behind the clock and has learned to show the number of notifications. The Notification Center itself has become more informative. It is now possible to group notifications by application, and some of them contain images. Each notification can be expanded to read more text or take an action. For example, a message on Skype can be responded to immediately via a notification. This is very convenient, but so far this innovation is supported by a very small number of programs. Mainly standard applications from Microsoft.

The Anniversary Update also allows you to customize quick actions located at the bottom of the notification center. In particular, in Settings-Notifications & Actions You can change the order of the buttons.

Also add or remove unnecessary quick actions.

But you still won't be able to change the area of ​​the screen in which pop-up notifications will be shown; they will appear in the right corner.

New Skype app

It has always been a mystery to me why there is still no universal Skype application. Why did Microsoft developers treat the once very popular video calling service so negligently and criminally? Do they really not see any more prospects in him?

It must be said that the interface of the Skype application has changed very little in recent years. With the exit Windows updates 10 AnniversaryUpdate has appeared and a new Preliminary Skype version. I can't say that the new version impressed me. Yes, it has undergone changes in the interface and received a dark mode and began to look more modern, and now the “tiled” version is not inferior to the classic one, but it has support for animated emoticons (moji) and bots, and the accessory settings have changed. But for me, this is the same Skype with a lot of problems in operation and freezing during the conversation. I haven't seen any improvement in this regard. And I don’t really believe in the assurances that everything will change in the universal Skype application, which will be released soon.

Windows Ink Workspace

Of course, Windows Ink is a special mode for working with the stylus. Support for handwriting recognition and sketching is also available in previous versions Windows has all this in place for touch devices like the Surface Book and Surface Pro 3 and 4, but to be honest, the experience so far has been relatively limited. But new applications undoubtedly expand these possibilities.

Finding the application turned out to be very easy if you click right click mouse on the taskbar. You will immediately see a special application icon in the tray. You can create notes in it,

draw, something very similar to the Fresh Paint application, make sketches on the screen. I tried using the ruler in the application Cards.

Perhaps the application will find its fans, but for me for now it’s just another interesting toy. Maybe over time I will change my mind.

A small fly in the ointment

I have already written about problems with browser extensions. When I encountered this problem, I almost shouted in the voice of a wolf from a popular cartoon: “Sho, again?” Sometimes I don’t understand Microsoft developers, or rather, I don’t understand what they are trying to achieve. Frankly, I’m tired of finishing them, looking for ways to fix problems and errors. I want to turn on my laptop and enjoy working on it.

Bottom line

The update turned out to be of very high quality. It transformed the system, slightly changed its interface, and dressed it up in modern clothes. Windows 10 is increasingly becoming a system that is maximally focused on each user. There is a lot more to remember in this update, but I want to write in the coming days full review all innovations, tell about all the changes. So far I have a very good impression of the update, because it is without a doubt a step in the right direction. I would like there to be more such steps, and they would always be only positive.

About a year after the release of the final Windows versions 10, Microsoft has prepared a major update for its current OS, which will be released under the name Anniversary. The completion of work on it was preceded by more than two dozen test builds, which is a kind of record. The distribution of this update among users will begin in early August. We have prepared for you great review Windows 10 Anniversary Update with visual illustrations and detailed description all innovations.

Home screens, Start menu, Action Center

The first thing a user will notice after installing the Windows 10 Anniversary Update is the updated lock and welcome screens. The welcome screen now defaults to the lock screen background, and switches between the two triggers a new one visual effect, in which the background is slightly darkened and enlarged, leaving its edges out of sight.

In addition to a visual update, the lockscreen can now display media control buttons, provide access to the Cortana voice assistant, and the lockscreen no longer shows your email address by default.

Seeing slightly updated home screens along with a new transition animation between them, the user is taken to the desktop. Several changes may be immediately noticeable.

Let's start with the Start menu. This is what it looked like before:

And this will happen with the arrival of the anniversary update:

What changed? First, the list of frequently used programs has been combined with a complete list of software that is available on your computer. Previously, to go from the first to the second you had to press the “all applications” button. Now the “frequently used” ones are located at the top, and everything else is available just below.

Secondly, a special vertical panel appeared on the left, where buttons for managing your account, accessing settings and turning off/rebooting the device were moved. Thirdly, up to three recently added applications will now be displayed in the menu instead of one.

Fourthly, the tiles on the right side have been changed and now, unfortunately, they contain noticeably more advertising by default. Finally, the fifth change relates to the display of all applications in tablet mode. This is how it was before:

And this is how it is now:

That is, now the list of available programs is not located modestly on the side, but occupies all the available space. You can switch to displaying the main tiles using the icon marked with the arrow above.

In addition to these five main ones, there are a number of minor changes. For example, scroll bars on both the left and right sides of the menu now disappear as soon as the cursor leaves their area of ​​effect.

Our next stop is the notification center, which Microsoft also did a lot of work on in the anniversary update.

The first thing that catches your eye is the center icon, which was previously located in the general group of system tray icons, but has now moved behind the clock and has learned to show the number of notifications. Was:

The notification center itself has also noticeably changed. This is what the notifications looked like before:

And this is what it looks like after the update:

Notifications have become much more informative, and general form their entire feed is displayed noticeably more pleasantly. In addition, you can now remove notifications by clicking the middle mouse button.

The lower part of the center, containing shortcuts to popular actions, has become a little more customizable: the section dedicated to it in “Options” has been redesigned:

When activating the tablet mode or, for example, the “do not disturb” mode, now, in addition to changing color, the words “enabled” or “disabled” briefly appear on the corresponding buttons for greater clarity:

The updated center should finally learn to fully interact with its counterpart from mobile version OS, provided that you also update it to the latest version. Additionally, notifications can be set priority parameters:

Finally, the notification system now interacts with the Edge web browser, which we'll cover in the next section:

Egde in Windows 10 Anniversary Update

The Edge browser, which replaced Internet Explorer last year, became one of the system components that Microsoft paid the most attention to in the anniversary update. Let us remind you that Edge debuted in Windows 10 and is currently exclusive to the desktop and mobile versions of this OS. The web browser runs on a lightweight and improved version of the Internet Explorer engine and differs from it in a noticeably lighter interface.

On the other hand, easy new browser was, unfortunately, also in terms of the number of available settings, initially not offering the user even several very basic options that are available in any program for web surfing. With the Anniversary Update, Microsoft appears to have closed many of these customization and functionality gaps. However, let's take it in order.

Two new items have appeared in the main menu of the program:

The item “New features and tips” leads to a not yet localized page with a list of innovations. But the “extensions” section is much more interesting, since this is, in fact, the main innovation in the browser.

Extensions created by third-party developers have long been available in competing products and allow you to complement the functionality and individual features of web browsers to your taste. With the arrival of the Anniversary Update, the system of extensions and its own directory for them appear in the Microsoft browser for the first time.

The only thing that confused us is that the extensions are tied to the store Windows Store and without logging into your account, even what is free, you will not be allowed to download.

Edge has very few extensions compared to its competitors. However, the most popular modules among users, like the AdBlock banner cutter, are already here.

This catalog will, of course, expand over time.

However, in addition to extensions, there is something to look at in the updated Edge. For example, the ability, known to users of all alternative browsers, to pin tabs, reducing their size and protecting them from accidental closing:

In the context menu address bar The “paste and search” command is available, which, if not just text, but a link is copied to the clipboard, automatically changes to “paste and go”:

The navigation buttons now have their own context menu, displaying recent browsing history and allowing you to go to any of the pages presented in the menu in one click:

The work of the favorites panel has been significantly improved. There you can now create folders, rename elements and enable display of icons only. All this has never happened before:

In addition, the movement of elements is now accompanied by a new pleasant animation, and the panel itself has become a little lower in height to take up less space from the content being viewed.

Several new Edge features are related to the download mechanism. In addition to the notification center integration mentioned above, Edge no longer starts downloading immediately, but first asks the user what he wants to do with the downloaded file: save to the default folder, save to the selected directory, or not start downloading at all:

In this pop-up panel, by the way, the file size is also displayed. In the settings, you can return the browser to its previous behavior, when it immediately started loading. There, there is finally an option that allows you to set the default download directory:

Edge now warns you if you try to log out without completing one or more downloads:

An interesting option has been added to the settings section responsible for cleaning the browser, allowing you to delete selected elements automatically every time you exit Edge:

The representation of the chosen one has changed noticeably. Previously it looked like this:

It was possible to see the contents of only one directory at a time. Now your favorites are displayed in a hierarchical view, where you can see all the links, as well as folders and subfolders:

In addition, the “sort by name” item has appeared in the context menu of favorites, and the “delete” item is now separated from the others by a separator:

There are quite a lot of implicit changes in Edge. In particular, the procedure for importing data from other browsers has been improved. Edge has learned to detect non-essential flash content on pages, typically advertising banners, and automatically pause it. You can use swipes to move forward and back through pages.

Among the little things, we note the use of drop-down lists in settings, a new icon for the new tab page, as well as items hidden by default in context menus web pages intended for developers.

A number of new options have arrived on the about:flags service page, where various experimental browser parameters are located. However, for the average user there is unlikely to be anything particularly important there.

Options panel

In Windows 10 Anniversary, Microsoft continues to develop the Settings panel, saturating it with more and more various settings. However, the classic control panel still doesn’t work anywhere and a lot of links, including those from “Parameters,” lead specifically to it. In addition to new settings, Windows 10 Settings has received a number of cosmetic improvements.

For example, this is what the first “System” section used to look like:

In Windows 10 Anniversary, some changes have been made to the logic of the Settings panel. What is especially striking is that the names of both new and existing subsections received their own miniature icon on the left for clarity:

The same monochrome icons appeared not only next to subsections, but also on some pages. For example, in the “sign-in options”, next to the name of each of the Windows sign-in methods, a corresponding icon appeared:

Such little things, obviously, according to the developers' plans, will make the options more visual and memorable.

Another change is built-in search. On home page it is now located in the center, and on regular pages it has moved from the right side to the left. But the most important thing here is that the search now does not expand to the entire window by default, as it did before:

Instead, a miniature tooltip is initially shown:

Now let's go over the most important new options. In the “System” -> “Applications and Features” section, please note that for some applications the “advanced options” link has become available:

Click on it and on the page that appears you will come across completely new feature reset individual applications, which debuts specifically in the Anniversary Update:

A new subsection “Status” has appeared in the “Internet”, which clearly displays the status of the network connection and a number of related links to various system applets:

In “Personalization” a subsection “Taskbar” has appeared. If you open the context menu of the taskbar and select “Options” there, you will now be taken to this subsection instead of the old window. There are no new options there; all the previous settings are only grouped in the subsection:

A couple of new switches are available in settings:

In the same “Personalization” section, but now in the “Colors” subsection, an updated color palette has appeared. This is what the previous one looked like:

And here is its version from the Windows 10 Anniversary Update:

The palette, as you can see, has been slightly redesigned, has become more compact, and the selected color is now marked with a “tick” instead of a barely noticeable rectangle.

Here, just below, are new options:

First, the color in the window title can now be customized separately from the color in the Start menu, taskbar, and action center. Previously, the color was adjusted simultaneously for these four elements. Now the color of the windows is set apart from the rest.

Secondly, an interface mode switch has appeared from light (default) style to dark:

However, not everything with this regime is this moment perfect. Let's start with the fact that only universal applications and the control panel change color. Regular applications, Explorer, and with it most context menus throughout the system remain light.

The Edge browser seems to live separately from the main settings: although the dark style is available there, for some reason you have to enable it manually separately. Finally, in some places the bright inscriptions look too contrasting against the black background.

After playing around with the colors, we went to the “Privacy” section: there was a noticeable increase in settings here in many subsections. You can now prevent apps from accessing the Notification Center, the user's location data, and you can also prevent them from controlling other apps.

In “Updates and Security” in the subsection “ Windows Defender"Now you can configure the defender's interaction with the notification center. In addition, there is new offline verification functionality.

Finally, in the same section, but already in the “Windows Update” subsection, it became possible to set the so-called activity period.

During this period, the system will not automatically restart the device, even if it is sure that you are not using it.

It's worth noting that some smaller innovations also made their debut in the Settings panel. To talk about each of them would mean a completely exorbitant increase in this already rather large article.

Other changes in Windows 10 Anniversary Update

Finally, let's take a quick look at those changes that do not affect the Start menu, Action Center, Browser, and Settings panel, that is, they are not related to those elements on which the corporation worked the most.

Let's start with the fact that Microsoft is still quietly working on design. Well, or at least what she puts into this word.

In the Anniversary Update, the User Account Control windows were redrawn. This is what they looked like before:

This is what they are now:

Work continues on icons. Here, for example, is how the Windows Defender icon was redrawn (new version below):

The defender itself, as we wrote above, received some update, which he himself will tell you about upon the first launch:

With built-in programs in the Anniversary Update, things are inconsistent. Microsoft continues to add and remove universal applications from the system. This time, for example, Finance and Sports fell out of favor. It was also not possible to find Phone and Phone Manager. However, it is unlikely that anyone will grieve for them.

Another application that seems to have been removed from the system is Sway, designed to create interactive presentations. One of the Western sites indicated that it was not actually cut out of the system, but was made part of the Photos application, but we still did not understand how to access Sway from it. In addition, the Photos themselves were closed twice during our cursory acquaintance.

Old notes were removed from the system and replaced with a universal version of Sticky Notes.

The main new application in Windows 10 Anniversary Update is the universal version of Skype. Our first acquaintance with her, however, turned out so-so.

After logging into your account, write down Skype program for some reason it immediately started with dark theme design, while the system used light.

Having gone into the settings, it turned out that to change the Skype style from dark to light, you need to restart the program, and you must restart it manually.

When universal Skype was launched again, we saw that its settings were still a bit messy. At best, the user has a dozen options available to him, and the window with them cannot rationally use the space available to him, which is why even this small number of parameters has to be scrolled.

To be honest, when you look at universal apps, at least from Microsoft itself, you can only be surprised at how primitive they are compared to traditional ones. However, perhaps we are mistaken here and someone will correct us in the comments.

But let's get back to the review of the remaining innovations in the Anniversary Update. An auto-hide option is available for the taskbar in tablet mode, the set of emoticons has been redesigned, and system search can now search in OneDrive. Handwriting recognition support is available for 23 additional languages. In the pop-up volume adjustment interface, switching between audio output sources is implemented.

The clock and calendar are now displayed on all monitors when using a multi-monitor configuration. A new combination of Win + Alt + D has been added to call their pop-up interface. The system tray calendar is now integrated with system application Calendar:

Many changes have been made to Cortana. This assistant, surprisingly, still does not support the Russian language, so instead of identifying innovations in detail, we will only mention its main ones. In particular, the ability to search for music has been improved, the tools for creating reminders have been expanded, and the voice assistant has been integrated with the Maps application.

Cortana's capabilities related to interaction between devices have been enhanced, including information about battery usage, the “find my phone” function, and the transfer of map data from one device to another.

Finally, work continues to improve the functionality of virtual desktops. You can now switch between them using four-finger gestures on the touchpad. In addition, you can now pin one window or all windows from one application on all virtual desktops at once:

Conclusion

It would seem that the Anniversary update, released a year later and already the second major package of changes, should bring Windows 10, as they say, to mind, finally making the system “polished” and holistic. However, in practice this is not the case.

In the "ten" two control panels still coexist, voice assistant Cortana, which is one of the flagship innovations of the OS, is still not available in Russian, as well as in many other languages. In heart Windows interface– nothing has changed in the conductor, since the corporation is still preparing for its complete redesign in the future. And this is not to mention all sorts of little things like rudiments from Windows 7 and 8 popping up here and there.

Thus, if you were waiting for a completely ready-made system, polished to the smallest detail, then, as it seems to us, Windows 10 is not yet one. We can congratulate users who have been successfully using the “top ten” since last year: with the arrival of the Anniversary Update, they are turning from alpha testers into beta testers).

A year later, Windows 10 occupies less than a quarter of the desktop OS market

On the other hand, the Anniversary Update makes the Start menu, virtual desktops, and Action Center more usable. Edge will become real for someone workhorse with extensions and basic capabilities that were not there before. The Settings panel continues its evolution, preparing to finally become a single center for system control. The leapfrog with communication applications seems to be ending with the advent of the new Skype.

As a result, the anniversary update is without a doubt a step in the right direction. But in order to win over the majority of Microsoft users to Windows 10, it will clearly require a couple more of at least the same steps.

If you use old version Windows 10 because, once there, it’s time to upgrade to new version. It is clear that in most cases the update software carries a lot useful functions and reworking old ones. Sometimes developers can mess up and newest update may be worse than the previous one, but even if so, everything is fixed quickly, with the help of additional mini-updates. This is about Windows.

In this article I will not talk about the advantages and disadvantages of the Anniversary Update, since the topic here is different and specifically indicated - how to install the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, why shove something unnecessary into the article. Moreover, if you wanted to update the system to a new version, then you already know the pros and cons, and if not, then the Internet is already full of reviews on this topic.

I got a little off topic for two paragraphs, sorry. So, there are several ways to get the latest global update, you can use any one.

Options for upgrading to Windows 10 Anniversary Update

First option– Windows Update Center, you can get to it through Settings (if you press the Win+I keys) and go to the section "Update and Security". I’ll say right away that even after several days after the update is released, you will not immediately see an offer to install the new product on your computer in the update center; this is done in stages, apparently, so as not to load the network, as was the case at the beginning of the release of the top ten.

If you see in the update center that there are no updates, then try clicking on the link below "More details". So, you will go to the official Microsoft website and thereby download from there special utility, which will allow you to download and install the latest global update. If, when you launch the utility, you receive a message that Windows already has the latest version, then this is the case and you don’t need to do anything.

The tool, by the way, is called Media Creation Tool. You can immediately download it from this Microsoft website and then use it.

After installing the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, you can clear up disk space, thereby adding a couple of tens of GB. This can be done through the Disk Cleanup utility. In general, read and you will understand everything.

Option three– . That is, you download an ISO image from the official website latest version Windows 10, transfer it to a USB flash drive and install. But most often this method involves a clean installation of the system. And you can download it using the Media Creation Tool utility.

Option four– using the Windows 10 Upgrade Assistant. This method allows you to upgrade from Windows 7, 8 and 10 to the latest. You can download the utility from here. You need to click the Update Now button.

Problems updating to Windows 10 Anniversary Update 1607

When upgrading to a certain version of the system or from system to system, problems such as blue screens death and other mistakes. Most often, after the update, you can notice problems with the Internet and installing new or old device drivers; problems with the power system of laptops have also been noticed, but this is natural at the software level. I will try to put together a separate link where you can see all the problems and their fixes related to Windows 10.

To somehow limit the occurrence of unpleasant moments, here’s what we can recommend:

• important system data and drivers;
• Remove any antivirus that you installed additionally, for example, some Avast;
• I already talked about creating backup copy, but I will repeat. Save important documents and files to another drive.

For now, that's all I wanted to say. This way you can upgrade to any version of Windows using the methods described above. If you have any questions, ask them in the comments.

And users operating system who do not participate in Windows program Insiders can finally get new features including Windows Ink, a new Start menu, a redesigned Action Center and support for extensions for Microsoft Edge.

The company offers several simple methods to receive the Anniversary Update. Although most users know about them, let’s talk about the available options again.

Method 1 - Using Windows Update

Like others Microsoft updates, the new “Anniversary Update” will be offered to users through the Windows Update service, so Windows 10 computers will be able to receive it automatically.

This means that no user action is required. The update files will be downloaded through Windows Update and installation will pass upon subsequent reboot.

This is a very convenient solution - the user does not need to perform any additional operations. However, there is a downside - Microsoft says that the update will be released in several stages, so it may take some time to roll out. Depending on your luck, you will be able to receive the update earlier or later, but with Windows Update it is impossible to change this.

Go to Settings app > Update & security > Check for updates. If you are one of the lucky ones, the necessary files will be automatically downloaded and the update will be installed upon reboot.

Microsoft has released ISO images that will allow you to speed up the update and perform a clean Windows installation 10.

From the Windows 10 ISO page, you can download a disk image (ISO file) that you can use to install or reinstall Windows 10, or to create installation media using a USB flash drive or DVD.

Method 3 - Using Media Creation Tool

The special Media Creation Tool will help you update the system directly on your PC without creating installation media. To do this, just launch the utilities and select “Update this PC now.” Next follow the instructions:

Using the utility, you can also download an ISO image and create an installation DVD/USB flash drive that will allow you to update one or more computers to version 1607. Use the following instructions:

This method will be very useful for users who do not want to rely on automatic update through Windows Update, but decided to perform the update process themselves. Media Creation Tool will allow you to receive the Anniversary Update on the first day of the update's release, because phased implementation does not apply to this method.

And we were convinced that the new operating system spies on the user using all technically available means. Over the past time, new versions of the “ten” have appeared, the latest of which was 1607 - Anniversary Update (nee Redstone). Has anything changed over the year? It's time to take tests again!

Story

Updates to Windows have been coming out all year, and we'll just go over them briefly. Detailed list You can always find innovations and enthusiastic descriptions on the Microsoft website. We are more interested in those differences that remained in the shadows. Let's find out how things stand now with privacy and whether human rights activists were able to achieve anything from Microsoft.

According to license agreement, the data sent to Microsoft and partner companies includes technical and personal data. The first includes device identifiers, IP address, network settings and the like. For the second - first name, last name, email address, mailing address, information about age, gender, country of residence, language and telephone number. From additional agreements, we learn that passwords, password hints, browser logs, and payment information are also leaked onto Microsoft servers. In addition, user behavior online and offline is analyzed. This is how his preferences, actual residential address, work address and other frequently visited places are determined. Connections are established with other people and organizations (including address book and call log), approximate (according to cellular networks and points Wi-Fi access) and accurate (based on signals from systems satellite navigation) current location, all recorded movements in the past and much more.

INFO

Unfortunately, the behavior of the “ten” is not unique. Now past versions of Windows (7, 8 and 8.1) have learned to spy. The corresponding functions are added to them along with updates.

Last year, Roskomnadzor checked the compliance of this practice of collecting data on Windows users 10 requirements Russian law"About information information technology and on the protection of information." The department's official response states that Microsoft's activities regarding the operation of its new operating system are not subject to this law at all. Users are deemed to consent to the collection of the listed data by accepting the license agreement and associated documents. “This agreement, in accordance with the Civil Code, is public offer. Acceptance of an offer means unconditional acceptance of all its terms,” states Roskomnadzor.

This is how the situation looks de jure, but de facto most people perceive the license agreement as an empty formality. Imagine that your friend bought a new device with Windows 10. It is unlikely that he will return it just because some point from a long legal mantra seems unacceptable to him. You want to quickly click “I Agree” even if your computer suddenly, through an oversight, was unauthorizedly updated to Windows 10. Or the desire was triggered by the desire to get the update for free while they give it, and it doesn’t matter what is written in the agreement. In general, the current practice of voluntarily and compulsorily transferring people to Windows 10 is, in my opinion, more of a public scam than an offer.

Ten innovations in Windows 10

One world. One OS

Under the slogan “One platform for all” (it seems to me or does it smack of something Nazi?) On August 2, 2016, Windows 10 Anniversary Update became available on computers and all kinds of mobile devices, including Microsoft HoloLens, a device that superimposes holographic images onto real objects. With it you can feel augmented without the use of tags, cameras, smartphones and even without connecting to a desktop. This beautiful way promotion of the “ten”, which, according to Microsoft, claims to be a universal digital ecosystem.

“We encourage everyone to upgrade to Windows 10, whether you have a new PC, a five-year-old PC, or the latest Mac computer, because we're building the most reliable, powerful, and fun platform for you,” Terry Myerson, Microsoft executive vice president and head of Windows & Devices, writes in a corporate blog post. Well, at least you can’t argue with how exciting it is. Now we will conduct an extremely exciting test!

Experimental technique

Like last time, we performed a clean installation of Windows 10 Pro (32-bit, v. 1607 build 14393.51) and began to study its behavior. The same programs that were already used for . This is Wireshark sniffer, Fiddler HTTP proxy, monitor network connections TCPView and various auxiliary utilities that do not require installation.

Fiddler installs like a regular application. Wireshark is available as a portable build, but requires the WinPcap library to be installed to run. It works as a link-level driver and allows you to intercept network packets bypassing the protocol stack. Therefore, we left Fiddler and Wireshark for the last part of the experiment. Network traffic was analyzed first with tracking components completely disabled, and then with recommended Windows settings 10.

Passive test

WARNING

The information presented in the article was obtained during our own research. It is provided for informational purposes only. Results may vary on different equipment. Neither the editors nor the author are responsible for any possible harm.

It is curious that still not all tracking functions can be disabled during installation. After that, we additionally blocked access to the camera, microphone, radio modules in the control panel, blocked access to contacts, calendar, call log, e-mail, SMS and MMS, notifications, account information, and were also prohibited from interacting with applications on other devices and receiving information in the background.

Of course, some of these opportunities make it easier using Windows 10 in everyday life, but at this stage we were interested in the purity of the experiment and the very possibility of ensuring confidentiality using standard means. Most of these settings are available at Start → Settings → Update & Security → Advanced Settings → Privacy Options. IN separate tabs Windows Defender, cloud scanning service, and Internet search are disabled.
When installing and launching the operating system for the first time network adapter was disabled. Pure “ten” launched offline, but several system processes began to listen to ports. We will consider this the starting point in our tests.

Having connected to the network, we did not immediately surf the Internet and launch built-in applications. Many of them will try to connect to cloud services, and it would be interesting for us to catch the main spies. Therefore, we will just open one page in Edge (the same privacy statement) and check the operation of the update center. The usual wuapp command no longer works, so in order not to generate unnecessary traffic by clicking on the Start menu, we will open the control panel with the control command. Two updates were immediately found (KB3176495 and KB3176929). We install them, reboot and wait for half an hour in ambush, looking at the animated TCPView window, and then read the logs.

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