Microsoft rolls out the official guide for the new OS

Oct 6, 2014 07:54 GMT  ·  By

Windows 10 Preview rolled out last week with a plethora of new features, including a Start menu and multiple desktops, and Microsoft has already offered a detailed blog post and videos to demonstrate some of these improvements.

And still, as is the case with all the other products unveiled by the Redmond-based tech giant, the company also provides adopters with a user guide to detail features included in the release, thus making sure that everyone actually manages to explore all its improvements with ease.

The official Windows 10 Preview user guide is now available for download (PDF viewer required) and comes with quite a lot of details about what's included in this testing version of the operating system, while also providing us with a quick glimpse of the Windows Insider Program that was launched last week.

Basically, experienced users, who are pretty much the only ones who should install the preview version of Windows 10, already know which feature is which in the OS, so this guide shouldn't make too much of a difference.

Designed for feedback

Microsoft says from the very beginning that this preview build of Windows 10 was designed to collect feedback from users and thus get help to improve the operating system based on the suggestions it receives.

Windows 10 Preview thus comes with several feedback forms asking for users' thoughts on features such as the Start menu, live tiles, emails, multiple desktops, and search, and Microsoft expects most of the users to actually take a minute or two and fill in some of them.

The user guide puts the emphasis on feedback and adds that Microsoft “expects the most robust set of feedback we've every had.”

Here are some excerpts from the user guide:

“Tech Preview is the first pre-release build of the next version of Windows. As a key element of our new approach to software development and delivery, this preview is different from previous releases in four key ways: 1. Instead of a full build, this preview is a subset of what’s to come. 2. We’re releasing bits at earlier stages of the development process. 3. With the participation of more users around the world, we’re expecting the most robust set of feedback we’ve ever had. 4. We’re delivering updates in an ongoing cycle of development-feedback-refinement, making development a joint effort between developers and users.”

Windows 10 Preview can be downloaded and installed free of charge by everyone, but it's pretty clear that it remains an unfinished product and certain bugs could still exist.

Needless to say, only those more experienced should give it a try and not on production machines, as the testing build will expire on April 15, 2015.