Windows 10: Biggest Bugs And Annoyances

Windows 10's Biggest Headaches, So Far

It's been 50 days since Windows 10 was released to mostly praise by industry experts and partners. As far as bugs and headaches go, Microsoft wins high marks when it comes to squashing them as soon as they surface. But no one is perfect. As with any new hardware/software release, there are going to be problems.

For Windows 10, most annoyances concern Microsoft's transparency around automatic updates. In the bug department, Windows 10 users are complaining about flickering screens, wayward Wi-Fi and the familiar Blue Screen of Death.

Here is a roundup of Windows 10's most common annoyances and bugs.

Headache: Windows Update Transparency

With Windows 10, Microsoft is taking a new approach to delivering OS updates. With previous OS updates to Windows 8.1 and Windows 7, Microsoft provided more complete details about which OS software updates were being delivered. With Windows 10, IT managers are livid about the lack of transparency and demanding Microsoft offer more detailed knowledge base articles that document the contents of Windows 10 updates.

Since Windows 10's launch, Microsoft has only provided limited descriptions of OS updates offering bug fix descriptions. A September update for Windows 10 offered this for a description: "This update makes improvements to ease the upgrade experience to Windows 10."

On Microsoft's Windows Feature Suggestions site a popular post is: "We need better knowledge base articles for Windows 10 update releases." Such posts have received strong community support.

"Microsoft has managed to release an excellent new version of Windows, yet has managed to shoot themselves three times in the foot," wrote a user named GoneToPlaid. The poster's chief gripe was "the lack of information about Windows 10 updates and the lack of any ability to disable certain updates or control when updates are installed."

Bug: Wi-Fi Woes With Upgraded Systems

Wi-Fi problems are impacting Dell, Hewlett-Packard and Lenovo, according to support pages hosted by each of the PC makers.

Dell users report that some XPS laptops upgraded from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10 are having post-upgrade Wi-Fi problems. The Dell support forum posts say after the upgrade their Wi-Fi went on the fritz. Fixes vary, based on PC model, but most require users to revert back to the previous network adapter driver or update to a new one.

HP support forums offer tips for similar Wi-Fi problems. Those fixes include reinstalling or updating the wireless network adapter driver.

A common Lenovo upgrade error, according to the PC maker, is no Wi-Fi after upgrading to Windows 10. Lenovo's fix includes either editing Windows 10 registry or downloading a Microsoft automatic fix.

Bug: Google Chrome 32-, 64-Bit Browser Blues

Anyone experiencing systemic Chrome browser lockups, crashes and freezes on their new Windows 10 PC aren't alone. Google Chrome browser users have been busy grousing about issues with the Google Chrome browser. Many thought they had the problem licked with an update to the Chrome browser awhile back. But a recent Google Chrome update (v45.0.2454.85 m) has sent the browser back into a tailspin.

While there is no official fix, some are finding a temporary fix by uninstalling the current version of Chrome and then downloading an earlier (crash-free) version of the browser from a site such as FileHippo.

Annoyance: Microsoft Pushing Edge Browser As Default Everything

For those who have upgraded to Windows 10 or have a new PC running the OS, Microsoft's Edge browser is now the default browser, PDF reader and Cortana's window to the Web. To change the default PDF reader to a more fully featured Adobe Reader (or anything else), users must first download their reader of choice from the Windows Store. Next, go to Control Panel->Programs->Default Programs->Set your default Programs.

To change the browser default used with Cortana, users must go to the Start menu and type "default app settings." Then they can scroll down and find Microsoft Edge and change it to the browser of choice.

Bug: Screen Flickering

Another big issue seems to be a flickering Windows 10 computer screen that has been traced to a number of different culprits including Norton Antivirus, iCloud or IDT Audio.

Lenovo has stated it has impacted both notebooks and desktops and can be resolved by disabling the Windows Error Reporting Service. Other flickering fixes include one from Microsoft that suggests users restart in Safe Mode and uninstall either Norton Antivirus, iCloud or IDT Audio and reinstall the programs. Symantec offers a fix tool.

Some iCloud users have posted a fix on Apple's support forums that includes deleting the iCloud Photos folder and creating a new default folder that follows the convention c:\users\yourusername\iCloud Photos. As pointed out in the forum, Windows 10 doesn't give permission to iCloud when the default directory is within the Pictures folder.

Bug: Black And Blue Screens

There is no escaping the Blue Screen Of Death (as users of Microsoft have long described the iconic error code) even with Windows 10. Dell and HP customers are each reporting blue screens when upgrades from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10 hiccup. Dell and HP list the problem among its most frequently sought after support problems with Windows 10.

Dell has an online diagnostics tool especially designed to identify a raft of possible problems with computer hardware or a configuration that may be causing the issue. HP traces many of the related errors to an internal power error and offers simple step-by-step instructions for uninstalling the PC's graphic and network drivers, which HP says is the culprit.

Lenovo reports getting hit with black screen of death. The good news is Lenovo has traced the problem to an incompatible AMD graphics card and driver, according to a Lenovo support page. The bad news is Lenovo reports there is no fix yet for the problem stating: "This is an AMD Microsoft Windows 10 driver issue. A new driver is scheduled to be released to resolve this issue."

Annoyance: Edge Browser Extension A No-Show

Microsoft's Edge browser doesn't support extensions. Extensions are those extremely handy browser add-ons that can do things such as give abrowser extra security/privacy or share adesktop remotely (Chrome Remote Desktop).

When asked, Microsoft has publicly stated that it's planning on adding browser add-on support in an upcoming rev of the browser but gave no time line. Microsoft has said extensions built for competing browsers (Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox) developed using JavaScript and HTML will work with Edge with little or no code changes.

So what's the holdup? Developers of plugins have chimed in, saying that APIs actually change quite a bit between browsers and that developing for Edge will be no walk in the park. While Edge is already an impressive upgrade to Internet Explorer, Windows 10 is feeling a little less fully baked until the browser has a broad selection of extensions.

Bug: Heavy Sleeper

Windows 10 users are also reporting that after their PC goes into sleep mode it's having trouble waking up. Dell, HP, Lenovo and even Surface 3 users have all posted to online support forums desperate for clues to a fix as if on some geeky treasure hunt for answers.

"Exact same problem here," posted one frustrated Acer laptop owner to Reddit. "It is utterly ridiculous. My laptop was working perfect before upgrading it yesterday to W10," posted another user by the name of RazanSSSS on Microsoft's own support forum.

The source of the problems varies by PC manufacturer and ranges from outdated BIOS, bad Power & Sleep settings or outdated graphics driver. Why won't a PC wake from sleep mode? Checking with the PC manufacturer is the best advice. In the interim, users can always type in Cortana "Power & Sleep Settings" and select "Never" for Sleep mode.