Windows 10 Installs Automatically On Windows 7 And Windows 8

Microsoft MSFT +2.14% is getting a lot right. Making Windows 10 free, unifying it across desktop and mobile, introducing Xbox streaming, Cortana integration and crazy holographic plans are all bullseyes which have revitalised the company under Satya Nadella. But now it has done one much simpler thing which is set to make Windows 10 the biggest success in Microsoft history.

For now Microsoft is keeping it quiet, but Build 9926 of the Windows 10 Technical Preview released last week can be downloaded and installed via Windows Update on Windows 7 and Windows 8. Yes, this is something so simple and sensible it beggars belief Microsoft hasn’t done it until now.

For now this method comes with a caveat: a small file is needed. Users go to Microsoft’s Technical Preview page and click the ‘Start upgrade now’ button. This downloads the file, you run it and afterwards you will be prompted to restart your PC. On first boot Windows Update will now show ‘Upgrade to Windows 10’ as an option. Say goodbye to burning DVDs, making USB boot drives and fiddling with bios boot order settings.

As expected Microsoft MSFT +2.14% has formally announced the new version of Windows. As no-one expected it will be called ‘Windows 10’ not Windows 9. Why? Because Microsoft claims it represents such a significant leap over Windows 8 that calling it Windows 9 would not do it justice.

I can hear your groans now, but in Microsoft’s defence Windows 10 has some major (and long awaited) improvements.

One OS To Rule Them All

Architecturally the biggest news is that Windows 10 is being designed to run across all device form factors. That means desktops, laptops, tablets, phablets and smartphones.

“Windows 10 will run on the broadest amount of devices. A tailored experience for each device,” said Terry Myerson, Microsoft Executive VP of Operating Systems. “There will be one way to write a universal application, one store, one way for apps to be discovered purchased and updated across all of these devices.”

Microsoft didn’t break down when we might see a Windows 10 smartphone and how that would impact/absorb Windows Phone (or even elaborate on the future for Windows Phone) but it does offer clear insight into Microsoft’s long term road map.

Update: Microsoft has now confirmed ‘Windows 10′ will also be the next major version of Windows Phone. What devices get the upgrade and how Microsoft will handle it remains to be seen.

The Start Menu Is Back

The cat has been out the bag for some time, but Microsoft has finally confirmed the Start Menu will return. The leaks were spot on and it will combine both aspects of the classic Windows 7 start menu with apps from the Metro/Modern UI. Searching within the Start Menu will now perform a web search as well.


Crucially its layout can be customised so apps can be removed or resized and the flexibility and personalisation potential of the Start Menu should win back fans disillusioned about its removal in Windows 8.

Better Touch/Keyboard And Mouse Integration

Microsoft has taken criticism seriously about the jarring nature of moving between touch and the keyboard and mouse elements of Windows 8.

Microsoft is calling the new approach ‘Continuum’ and it is an umbrella term for a better merger between to different input methods. Continuum will be able to automatically switch between modes by detecting on how users interact with their device. It also carries over to design aspects like the new Start Menu, windowed apps within the desktop and so forth.

“We’re trying to be thoughtful about a UI that goes across all devices,” explained Joe Belfiore, Corporate Vice President of the Operating Systems Group at Microsoft.

He admits Continuum remains a work in progress with refinements to things like the Charms Bar (yes it is still there) set to be an ongoing process through the life of the public beta and right up to release

Virtual Desktops

Another leaked feature Microsoft confirmed today was virtual desktops. Microsoft didn’t give the feature an official name at this stage, but it works much like the long used multiple desktops on Linux and Exposé on Mac OS X.

The view can be triggered with a new ‘task view’ button which both allows users to launch a new virtual desktop and jump between them. Interestingly the taskbar can be customised to look different/relevant to each desktop allowing a simple leap from work to home modes, for example.

Microsoft said all open programs in the virtual desktops will continue to run in the background, which makes for some interesting memory management challenges but also greatly increases the potential productivity of Windows as well as de-cluttering the desktop space.

Pricing / Availability

It has been much speculated that Windows 10 may be given away free to upgraders or involve a nominal fee, but Microsoft revealed no information about this in either the presentation or Q&A afterwards.

What we did learn is a technical preview of Windows 10 will be made available to users later this week (Microsoft is stressing it is only for advanced users and developers at this stage) and that an official release would not follow until ‘later in 2015’. This suggests the OS is not as far along as many expected and Microsoft is keen to develop it in conjunction with user feedback.

What Will Still Don’t Know: A Lot

Perhaps what is almost as interesting as what was revealed about Windows 10 is what Microsoft kept to itself.

In addition to no news on pricing, Microsoft also didn’t touch on performance (install size and minimum hardware requirements), Cortana integration (the voice assistant in Windows Phone 8.1), give a solid release time frame or go into any detail on how Windows 10 will handle scaling on high resolution screens – crucial given 4k monitors and super high resolution laptops are quickly gaining momentum.

On the flip side what we did see is a more open Microsoft. A company, perhaps shaken by the decidedly mixed reaction to Windows 8 (however fair or unfair), that is now keen to try and mix the best aspects of Windows 7 and Windows 8 into a more user friendly experience. This means releasing early builds, issuing rapid fire updates and developing in conjunction with ongoing user feedback.

Is choosing the ‘Windows 10’ moniker a step too far though? “It’s a name that resonated best with what we’ll deliver,” explained Myerson.

Many would argue the struggles of Windows Phone and Windows 8 have put Microsoft into a terminal decline, but tonight’s announcement – while thin on details – suggests there is still life in the old dog yet.

Obama Budget Proposal Tackles Small Business, Changes To IRS

The White House formally released The President’s Budget for Fiscal Year 2016 yesterday.

Calling it long is an understatement. My summary is in two parts. Today: small business, funding and IRS (yesterday’s version tackled: individuals, estates and international).

Small Business

The proposal wasn’t all about big business. There’s plenty for small business, too. First, the proposal would expand and permanently extend the expensing limit (good ol’ Section 179) for expensing qualifying depreciable property to $500,000 (indexed for inflation). The President’s proposal would also increase the limitations for deductible new business expenditures and consolidate the provisions for start-up and organizational expenditures. Under the proposal, up to $20,000 of combined new business expenditures could be immediately expensed (reduced by the amount by which the combined new business expenditures exceed $120,000).

10 Rules For Decoding College Financial Aid Award Letters

If you’re a high school student whose family income doesn’t qualify for the 1% club, there’s a very good chance that the most important day of your college application experience won’t be the day you turn in all of your applications or the day you get accepted to your first school. No, if you’re part of the 99%, the crucial day in this drawn out process will when you receive your last “student aid award” letter, allowing you finally to compare the true cost of attending the (hopefully) many schools that were smart enough to accept you.

According to student loan servicer Sallie Mae, nearly two-thirds of families (65%) used grants and scholarships to pay for college in 2013, up from 61% in 2012 and up from only half of families five years ago. What’s more, 49% of parents say they’re not regularly setting aside money to college savings, and 70% of those parents say the reason they’re not saving is because they simply can’t afford to. In other words: more and more families are counting on grants and scholarships (including tuition discounts from the school itself) to pay for college.

13 Habits of Exceptionally Likeable People

Too many people succumb to the mistaken belief that being likeable comes from natural, unteachable traits that belong only to a lucky few—the good looking, the fiercely social, and the incredibly talented. It’s easy to fall prey to this misconception. In reality, being likeable is under your control, and it’s a matter of emotional intelligence (EQ).

In a study conducted at UCLA, subjects rated over 500 adjectives based on their perceived significance to likeability. The top-rated adjectives had nothing to do with being gregarious, intelligent, or attractive (innate characteristics). Instead, the top adjectives were sincerity, transparency, and capacity for understanding (another person).

These adjectives, and others like them, describe people who are skilled in the social side of emotional intelligence. TalentSmart research data from more than a million people shows that people who possess these skills aren’t just highly likeable, they outperform those who don’t by a large margin.

We did some digging to uncover the key behaviors that emotionally intelligent people engage in that make them so likeable. Here are 13 of the best:

They Ask Questions

The biggest mistake people make when it comes to listening is they’re so focused on what they’re going to say next or how what the other person is saying is going to affect them that they fail to hear what’s being said. The words come through loud and clear, but the meaning is lost.

A simple way to avoid this is to ask a lot of questions. People like to know you’re listening, and something as simple as a clarification question shows that not only are you listening, you also care about what they’re saying. You’ll be surprised how much respect and appreciation you gain just by asking questions.


They Put Away Their Phones

Nothing will turn someone off to you like a mid-conversation text message or even a quick glance at your phone. When you commit to a conversation, focus all of your energy on the conversation. You will find that conversations are more enjoyable and effective when you immerse yourself in them.

They Are Genuine

Being genuine and honest is essential to being likeable. No one likes a fake. People gravitate toward those who are genuine because they know they can trust them. It is difficult to like someone when you don’t know who they really are and how they really feel.

Likeable people know who they are. They are confident enough to be comfortable in their own skin. By concentrating on what drives you and makes you happy as an individual, you become a much more interesting person than if you attempt to win people over by making choices that you think will make them like you.

BMW Update Kills Bug In 2.2 Million Cars That Left Doors Wide Open To Hackers

German car manufacturer BMW has issued a security patch over the air to its vehicles, after the emergence of a vulnerability that would have allowed hackers to open doors using just a mobile. BMW, Rolls-Royce and Mini vehicles were all affected as the problem was resident in the Connected Drive service, which allows drivers to control functions like doors and infotainment from their smartphones, according to German driver association ADAC.

ADAC vice president for technology, Thomas Burkhardt, said in a statement that it discovered the vulnerability last year, but didn’t want to warn the public until a fix had been issued by BMW. ADAC said it hadn’t seen any proof the flaw was exploited in the real world, though it had tested attacks successfully “on several vehicles”. More than 2.2 million vehicles were thought to have been affected. Vehicles with a production date later than 9 December 2014 won’t have to worry, however, whilst owners don’t have to do anything; the updates are automatic. They were due to go out to all cars by 31 January.

ADAC didn’t provide much detail on the attack, other than to say it would only take a few minutes for a hacker to execute. According to Reuters, researchers at the association created a fake cell network which it used to trick the BMW vehicles into taking commands from their mobiles. The video below (in German) from ADAC appears to show the attack in action.

BMW seems to have fixed the issue by ensuring interactions between BMW, the driver and the car are done over encrypted traffic, using the SSL standard, which typically guarantees the identity and the sender and receiver of data. Along with Tesla, BMW is one of the more forward-thinking car makers when it comes to digital security. It recently talked up its privacy stance to the FT, saying it refused to hand over car information to those asking for it.


A BMW spokesperson told Forbes over email it had detected the problem on its own. “BMW runs a process of continuous improvement with its products and it is through this testing that an issue was detected on the Connected Drive system subsequently highlighted by the ADAC. However, prior to this notification our systems have since been enhanced, tested and approved,” they said.

“Like all electronic and cyber attacks on a vehicle, whatever form they may take, BMW continuously assesses its level of car security and enhances the level of defence where possible. For obvious security reasons the details of such enhancements are something we will not discuss, suffice to say the issue has been fixed.”

Meanwhile, digital security within cars has become increasingly worrisome to researchers, who’ve pointed to weaknesses in connected vehicle components. In January, Forbes was told a Progressive Insurance dongle used in more than 2 million cars had almost no security mechanisms whatsoever to protect against malicious attacks.

10 Traits Of Great Business Leaders

Whether you’re a freelancer, small-business owner, or full-timer, to climb the ladder, you must know how to lead the pack. Are you destined to be the big boss or be bossed around? To find out, take a look at these 10 characteristics shared by great business leaders:

1. Persistence, Persistence, Persistence

In the 1890s, Henry Ford came up with the Ford Quadricycle, a vehicle made up of a frame mounted on four large bicycle wheels with an ethanol-powered engine. Needless to say, it wasn’t a success. Ford later founded the Ford Motor F +3.81% Company, invented the Model T, and became one of the wealthiest men in the world. Do you try, fail, and pick yourself back up again? Bingo!

2. Thick skin. Rhino-thick.

Walt Disney DIS +1.07%’s editor at the Kansas City Star told him that he had no good ideas and lacked imagination. He could have taken the harsh words to heart and given up the creativity ghost. Instead he went on to become the most successful animator of all time, winning 22 Academy Awards, creating characters like Mickey Mouse, and opening his own theme park. Today, Walt Disney is one of the world’s most ubiquitous household name brands, synonymous with creativity.

3. An Eye for Talent

It takes a village to make amazing things happen. That’s why great leaders surround themselves with other great minds. Steve Jobs was always on the hunt for talent in unique ways, like accepting invitations to lecture at universities so he could scout potential employees. Jobs personally interviewed over 5,000 applicants during his lifetime, managing all the hiring for his team.

4. Can’t Get No Satisfaction

What do Google, Yahoo, and Facebook have in common? All are billion dollar companies that started in dorm rooms. Great business leaders are never satisfied and continually strive to take their business to the next level. As Ingvar Kamprad, the founder of IKEA, said, “The most dangerous poison is the feeling of achievement. The antidote is to every evening think what can be done better tomorrow.”

5. Fearlessness

When Richard Branson was younger, his aunt bet him that he couldn’t learn to swim during their family vacation. After failing to master the skill during the trip, on the drive home, he asked his father to pull over the car. He jumped into a river, swam, and won the bet. Today, Branson, the founder of the Virgin Group, which is made up of over 400 companies, believes in a philosophy of taking risks and stepping out of your comfort zone. “You don’t learn to walk by following rules,” Branson said. “You learn by doing, and by falling over.”

6. Owning Your Mistakes

After Amazon deleted copies of unauthorized versions of Animal Farm and 1984 from users’ Kindles, there was an immediate negative backlash. Not only did Amazon cop to the mistake in an official press statement, CEO Jeff Bezos personally apologized, admitting that the company’s solution to the problem was “stupid, thoughtless, and painfully out of line with our principles.” He also offered, “deep apologies to our customers.”

7. Toughness

If you want to lead in the business world, you’re going to have to stand up for yourself. “When somebody challenges you, fight back. Be brutal, be tough,” advised Donald Trump. Michael Bloomberg agreed, saying at a commencement ceremony that, “In the business world, it’s dog-eat-dog,” and, “you occasionally have to throw some elbows.”

8. Winning Friends and Influencing People

But don’t take the tough act too far. People work better for managers they like. John D. Rockefeller said, “The ability to deal with people is as purchasable as a commodity as sugar or coffee and I will pay more for that ability than for any other thing under the sun.” Mark Cuban put things a little more simply: “People hate dealing with people who are jerks. It’s always easier to be nice than to be a jerk. Don’t be a jerk.”

9. Singular Vision

It all starts with an idea. Howard Schultz envisioned a single brand with coffeehouses across the globe. He turned that dream into a reality and founded Starbucks. “I think if you’re an entrepreneur, you’ve got to dream big, and then dream bigger,” he said. “It’s seeing what other people don’t see and pursuing that vision.”


10. Powerfully Passionate

Above all, a true leader is passionate about whatever venture he or she is undertaking. As Jobs said, “You have to be burning with an idea, or a problem, or a wrong that you want to right. If you’re not passionate enough from the start, you’ll never stick it out.” Oprah Winfrey also had some powerful words on the subject. “Passion is energy,” she said. “Feel the power that comes from doing whatever excites you.”

Let me know what traits you think make a great business leader @MichaKaufman.

Putin Vs. Obama: The World's Most Powerful People 2014

Power has been called many things. Pretty isn’t one of them.

No one would call Vladimir Putin a good guy. In 2014 he strong-armed his way into possession of Crimea and waged an ugly proxy war in neighboring Ukraine, during which an almost certainly Russian-supplied surface-to-air missile downed a civilian jetliner. But as the undisputed, unpredictable and unaccountable head of an energy-rich, nuclear-tipped state, no one would ever call him weak.

So who’s more powerful: the omnipotent head of a feisty former superpower or the handcuffed head of the most dominant country in the world? For the second year running, our votes went with the Russian president as the world’s most powerful person, followed by U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Our annual ranking of the World’s 72 Most Powerful People (one for every 100 million people on the planet) is based on voting by a panel of FORBES editors, who consider things like financial resources, scope and use of power, and the number of people they impact.

This is not a lineup of the most influential or an anointing of the new establishment. It is an evaluation of hard power. We insist the people on our list wield the kind of power that shapes and bends the world, and moves people, markets, armies and minds. All of this, of course, is open to debate, and we welcome it. Join the conversation and leave your comments below.

No. 1: Vladimir Putin

President, Russia

We took some heat last year when we named the Russian President as the most powerful man in the world, but after a year when Putin annexed Crimea, staged a proxy war in the Ukraine and inked a deal to build a more than $70 billion gas pipeline with China (the planet's largest construction project) our choice simply seems prescient. Russia looks more and more like an energy-rich, nuclear-tipped rogue state with an undisputed, unpredictable and unaccountable head unconstrained by world opinion in pursuit of its goals.