Bugs in New Windows 10 Preview Could Test Your Patience
Testing beta software is always fraught with unexpected challenges but the new Windows 10 Technical Preview Build 10061, released last week, might test your patience. If you've already downloaded it, you know what I mean. If you're not on the "fast ring" release cycle of the Windows Insider program and haven't seen it, prepare to roll up your sleeves.
Microsoft gave a heads up to some of the bugs that are always present when we agree to test beta software. None of the problems seems insurmountable. The most obvious issue is if you use Win32 apps, including Microsoft Office, they won't launch from the Start Menu. Microsoft was aware of this when it released the new preview but wanted to showcase the new features and tweaked look.
There's an easy fix for this problem, as Gabe Aul, chief of the Windows Insider program, explained in last week's blog post announcing the release. "We know this one will be a bit painful but there is a bug with this build in which Win32 (desktop) apps won't launch from the Start Menu," he explained. "The workaround is to use search to find and launch these apps and pin them to your taskbar for quick access." Once you do that, launching applications will be fine.
If you liked using Microsoft's new browser, code-named Project Spartan, it'll appear they pulled it from the Technical Preview along with the beta of the new Windows Store. Both are still there -- you just have to find them and "repin them to your Taskbar from All apps on your Start Menu," Aul said.
Despite some of these issues, Microsoft wanted to showcase some of the newest features coming to Windows 10. Among them, according to Aul, are:
Start Menu allows users to resize
- Black theme across Start Menu, TaskBar and Action Center
- Taskbar optimized for tablets. In tablet mode the size of the Start button, Cortana and Task View buttons increases making them optimized for touch
- Boot-to-tablet mode is the default setting for tablets smaller than 10 inches
- Virtual desktops: Users can now create as many as they need
Fixes from previous build include:
- Hyper-V now works
- Visual Studio won't crash when creating Universal Apps
- Project Spartan browser bugs repaired
What's your reaction to the latest Windows 10 build?
Posted by Jeffrey Schwartz on 04/27/2015 at 12:55 PM