In a few weeks, many of you will be getting your hands on the Surface 3 and with Windows 10 being all the rage these days among Windows enthusiasts, we know that some of you will load the beta OS onto your device. So to leave no stone unturned, I did exactly that so you know what to expect when you take the plunge.
First off, if the Surface 3 is going to be your primary driver, stick with Windows 8.1. While Windows 10 is much more stable now than it was back in October, it's still incomplete and should not be used as your primary OS.
Fair warning, I did the upgrade from Windows 8 to 10041 using Microsoft's upgrade tool and the process took over two hours to install. You need to remember that this is a fanless and low power machine, which means any intensive task will take quite a long time as the CPU has no way to cool itself down other than by throttling down if needed. Then, to get to build 10061, it was another 45 minute process to complete that update.
With that being said, once 10061 was on the Surface 3, it did run quite well and there have been no major issues to report so far. That shouldn't be too much of a surprise as the OS runs well on the Pro 3 and considering Microsoft makes the hardware too, driver support is quite good.
One consistent issue I have experienced is that the virtual keyboard has disappeared when typing in my password on the login screen. There is also the issue of having a blue screen (not a BSOD) that requires you to tap the power button to fix after logging on occasion as well.
The Type Cover is fully supported, using the pen works well, the OS is responsive and for the most part, stable too. On occasion a few apps will crash but nothing overly annoying that would make me want to go back to Windows 8.1 at this time.
If you do decide to upgrade to Windows 10, make sure to create a backup USB drive in case things go south. But be warned: while my installation was relatively smooth (except for the long update process), your experience may be different.
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