What you lose by upgrading to Windows 10

Microsoft has revealed some more details about what you'll lose if you upgrade from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 to the new Windows 10 operating system.

Probably one of the biggest changes is that you'll lose Windows Media Center as this feature has been discontinued in Windows 10. You will also have to say goodbye to the card game Hearts as well as Windows 7's desktop gadgets, and if you still use floppy disks you'll have to install new drivers as these are no longer included by default. DVD playback will require separate playback software (like VLC) but Microsoft promised it will make a DVD playback update available for free later this year.

In addition to the software losses, there are also a number of limitations for some of Windows 10's most exciting features. Cortana will only be available in the US, UK, China, France, Italy, Germany, and Spain at launch, while Windows Hello (which offers support for various biometric passwords) will need an infrared camera for facial recognition, or a supported fingerprint reader. The Xbox Music and Xbox Video streaming apps will also be constrained by the usual, complex web of region-based licenses.

Another important change is that Windows 10 Home will download updates and install them automatically as soon as they're available. To be able to defer updates you will need a Pro or Enterprise edition of Windows 10.