Thanks to a bandwidth soaking Internet tsunami today, Windows 10 is now among us. I have it loaded up on my original Surface Pro and its running surprisingly well (so far). From install kick-off to logging in, the process took less than 15 minutes. It took longer to download the 4GB of installation media and shove it to a thumb drive than it took to install Windows 10, thanks to all of you soaking my bandwidth after catching the download links as soon as they went live.
But, no matter. My first impressions of Windows 10 are favorable. There are a few quirks and I'll be providing feedback like a good beta tester. The quirks, so far, are merely changes how Windows 10 operates in certain instances over Windows 8.1. I'm not sure yet if the changes are good, but I'll have to work with it a lot more to tell.
For anyone deciding to take the Windows 10 Technical Preview plunge, today or in the future, there's a growing list of resources you'll want to keep handy. These are resources I'm keeping handy for myself, so I thought they might be valuable to all of you. I'll keep updating the list as more resources are made available.
Here you go…
First Steps
Join the Windows Insider Program (required to get the Windows 10 download): http://insider.windows.com
The main Windows 10 Preview site
General Technical Preview
The Windows 10 Technical Preview download site (non-Enterprise)
Windows Technical Preview Forum (non-Enterprise)
Product Key: NKJFK-GPHP7-G8C3J-P6JXR-HQRJR
Expiration Date: April 15, 2015
Technical Preview for Enterprise
Windows 10 Technical Preview for Enterprise (in the new Microsoft TechNet Evaluation Center)
Windows Technical Preview for Enterprise forum
Windows 10 Technical Preview for Enterprise system requirements
Administrative tools access: Windows key + X
Product key: PBHCJ-Q2NYD-2PX34-T2TD6-233PK
Expiration Date: April 15, 2015
Additional Resources
Sign up for the Windows IT Pro Insider Newsletter
Windows 10 Technical Preview Guide (PDF download)
Windows Technical Preview Install Guide: The Basics
Complete Guide to the Windows Technical Preview
