Dennis Faas

Infopackets Reader Alice K. writes: " Dear Dennis, I just installed Windows 10 on my PC, and I was disappointed that I now have to sign on with a Microsoft account email address. I would much rather not have to login to Windows 10 with a Microsoft ... account. Is there any way I can login to Windows 10 normally without an email address? " My response: Windows 10 and its services are largely based on the user having an Internet connection and a Microsoft account. For example, OneDrive, which allows users to store files seamlessly on the Internet, requires a Microsoft account in order to ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Sam T. writes: " Dear Dennis, Thanks for your ongoing and excellent articles on Windows 10. I have a question; right now I'm running Windows 7 32-bit, but I want to upgrade to Windows 10 64-bit and still maintain my free license ... for Windows 10. How can I upgrade from Windows 7 32-bit to Windows 10 64-bit? " My response: You can only upgrade to Windows 10 using the same architecture -- for example, from Windows 7 32-bit to Windows 10 32-bit. In other words, you cannot do an in-place upgrade from 32-bit Windows to 64-bit Windows and maintain all your installed ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Paul S. writes: " Dear Dennis, I tried to install Windows 10, but it failed with error code C1900208 (I did it through the 'get windows 10' app). I tried again a few times, and it still gives me error C1900208, 'Installation ... Status: failed'. I checked my Windows Update history for error C1900208, and see that it failed 3 times in a row. I have no idea why this is happening but I'd really like to upgrade to Windows 10. I have Norton 360 and I read that antivirus may be conflicting with the Windows 10 install. Any ideas? " My response: From what I've read online, the Windows ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Sam T. writes: " Dear Dennis, I have clicked on the 'Get Windows 10' app in my tray bar and it still says it's reserved. I read that I can force the upgrade by using entering 'wuauclt.exe /updatenow' in the command prompt -- ... however, I keep getting a message that Windows 10 Upgrade Failed, with error code 80240020. I searched for 'windows 10 upgrade failed 80240020' on Google and have read a number of posts, but I can't seem to figure out how to make this work. I keep getting an access denied error. Can you help? " My response: Many ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Jessy R. writes: " Dear Dennis, I reserved my free copy of Windows 10 using the 'Get Windows 10' app in the tray bar, but now I'm not sure if I should go through with the upgrade. I think I might wait a bit to see what the ... response is from the general public before I upgrade to Windows 10. Question: if I cancel my reservation, can I reserve Windows 10 again later? I was about to cancel the reservation the other day but the message box said that I might miss out on the offer to get the free upgrade. What can I do? " My response: If you cancel the ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Meagan S. writes: " Dear Dennis, Thanks for your coverage on Windows 10. I plan to upgrade to Windows 10 but I prefer to do a clean install, rather than in-place upgrade. I say this because I would much rather start from a clean ... slate, rather than worry that bugs from my previous Windows install might port over onto my new Windows 10 upgrade. So my question is: can I do a clean install of Windows 10 using a Windows 7 or 8 license? If I download the Windows 10 ISO and format my hard drive, how will Microsoft know that I am in fact upgrading to Windows 10, and therefore ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Sam R. writes: " Dear Dennis, Is there an alternative to Adobe Flash? I just read John Lister's article ' Flash Blocked in Firefox over Security Risk ,' and I'm concerned that Flash might download a virus onto my system. I'm also ... concerned that Flash is a major CPU hog which slows down my system. If there is no alternative to Flash, and I block Flash entirely, how can I watch YouTube videos? " My response: Unfortunately there is currently no alternative to Flash on Windows systems that allows you to play Flash content (that I am aware of). There are, however a few ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Patricia C. writes: " Dear Dennis, I have successfully reserved my copy of Windows 10 using the 'get windows 10' app on my desktop. I am having second thoughts about whether or not Windows 10 will install properly, so I'm not sure ... if I should cancel it . I might just wait for the Windows 10 ISO, so I can do a clean install . Question: if I go ahead and let Windows 10 install through Windows Update (which is due July 29), how will it be installed? Will Windows 10 be installed automatically? If the install fails will I be able to get my files back? " My ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Ed H. writes: " Dear Dennis, Regarding Windows 10: do I have to reinstall my programs once Windows 10 is installed, or will everything move over automatically? I'm confused because I read that if I install Windows 10 I will have ... to reinstall programs, but other websites say that I won't have to reinstall any programs. How can I know for sure? " My response: Most users will be doing an 'in-place upgrade' through Windows Update; in that case, most of your programs (including your user data) should automatically move over without any problems. On the ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Susan K. writes: " Dear Dennis, With regard to the free Windows 10 upgrade : will I receive Windows 10 32-bit, or Windows 10 64-bit, or will I have a choice? I ask because I am currently running Windows 8 32-bit and I'd like to ... upgrade to Windows 10 64-bit. A friend of mine told me that the 64-bit Windows is faster. Can you tell me what is the difference between 32-bit and 64-bit Windows 10? " My response: As with all previous versions of Windows, you can only change the operating system architecture (for example: from Windows 7 32-bit to Windows 10 64-bit) if ... (view more)