Short Takes Daily: What's going on in the world of Microsoft for Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Today's news: How-tos on importing favorites into Microsoft Edge from other browsers and changing the background image in the latest Windows 10 build. Also, there's a new Surface 3 build out there.

FRESH ON OUR SITES ...

Q. Windows 10 is coming -- should I keep my 32-bit Windows 7 Home SP1 for now? — "Should I upgrade to 64-bit Win7 or Win8 now, then upgrade to Win10 x64 when it’s out and stable? Or should I just keep 32-bit Win7 for now and upgrade to Win10 x32 or x64 sometime in the future? "

(Note: "According to latest data from Netmarketshare, Windows 7 reached a new peak of 60.98% in the worldwide desktop marketshare. It is up 3.2% from the month of May.")

How To: Configure Microsoft Edge to Open Multiple Home Pages in Windows 10 — "In Internet Explorer you can go into Internet Options and manually type in multiple Home pages to open whenever the browser opened. This feature still exists in Microsoft Edge for Windows 10 and configuring it is just a bit different."

How To: Import Internet Favorites into Windows 10's Microsoft Edge from Other Browsers — "In Edge, Microsoft makes it pretty simple to import the web favorites you have collected over time. The process is quick and supports browsers that are properly installed on the device."

How To: Turn the Desktop Background Image On and Off in Windows 10 — "Maybe you want to turn off the background image altogether because it's just too distracting. The location for turning the background image on and off is located in the Ease of Access settings."

First Look: Microsoft Band Golf Integration -- Here's a quick tour of the new pieces delivered in today's Microsoft Health app and Dashboard updates.

The Quietest Virtual Desktop Environment: VDI at the Library — Today's public library is an internet-equipped central square, where everyone comes to use the computers for everything from research to banking to job hunting and social networking. In California, the Orange County Public Library is turning to desktop virtualization to manage the widely varied needs of its citizens. 
 

AND NOW, MICROSOFT NEWS AROUND THE WEB ...

Here's what has changed in Windows 10 build 10159: The log-in screen has been tweaked a little with a centered design and a circular user image. And if you're hadn't set a custom background image, you'll now have the new Windows 10 "hero" image as the default background on the desktop.

Also, Gabe Aul would like to remind you:

If you’re actively downloading 10158 when 10159 is published, you may get an error 0x80246017. If that happens, just reboot your PC, go back to Settings and check again and you should see 10159 offered to you.

Microsoft rolled out a new build option for the Surface Pro 3, with half the storage of the usual Surface (so, just 128 GB)  but a top-of-the-line Intel Core i7 processor. Users can decide if they want to trade power for storage, then shell out $1300 for the machine. 

The official 2015 Microsoft Worldwide Partners Conference app is now available for Windows Phone —  people who are attending WPC 2015 can download the official app for the event on Windows Phone.