Windows 10 on a 5 year old Tablet (The HP Slate - Steve Balmer's "iPad killer")

[Damian Montero]

WINDOWS 10 on an HP Slate 2! Steve Balmer's "iPad Killer"

Anyone remember the HP Slate? Steve Balmer (of Microsoft) showed it in CES JUST before the iPad presentation (see pic below) and presented it and Microsoft's real answer to this "iPad" or "iTablet" no one had yet seen. He showed had it could be used as a ebook reader (silly Balmer) and how it was really a computer in your hand. But with Windows 7 it needed a stylus (even though it had a full 5 finger touch screen.

But FINALLY With windows 10. it's the iPad killer everyone really wanted.... (Well back then)

Windows 10 can be installed EASILY on the HP Slate 2 and probably the HP Slate 500.

How? Didn't you get the "we're still validating" message.
YES I DID. THEN I IGNORED IT ;-)

Here are the steps to get your HP Slate 2 (and probably Slate 500 to WINDOWS 10

1) Make sure you have 3 GIGS free (more like more than 7 GIGS) in your hard disk.

2) GO to your control panel (no matter which version of windows you have installed) and make sure you run the "WINDOWS UPDATE" and have it update until there are NO MORE UPDATES (This IS important no matter which version of windows you have running because you need the updates that gives you the little windows 10 logo you have to click on. more on that below)

If you're on windows 8 (not 8.1), UPGRADE to windows 8.1 (this IS required. the updates to windows 10 is from windows 7 or Windows 8.1, NOT 8) and also update until you can update no more.

3) MAKE SURE to click on the windows 10 little flag logo on the bottom right to "reserve your copy" this is REQUIRED (and you can't get to this step without upgrading until you can upgrade no more)

4) Download and RUN the "Windows 10 Download Tool" DIRECTLY from microsoft: microsoft {dot com} /en-us/software-download/windows10

5) Wait a while. I mean a while. I simply started it in the corner at my job (with full wifi access to the internet) and waited. only clicking on NEXT or ACCEPT when I had a break at work) It took all day. You CAN do it over several days leaving your tablet on and making sure in the power management settings are set to NOT go to sleep if it's plugged in.

EVERYTHING WORKS without doing anything after the update
(of course I had all the right drivers working in windows 7 so you have to too)
- Touchscreen works
- Pen works
- Wifi Works
- Bluetooth works
- finger flicks (scrolling by flicking on the page and letting go quickly)
- There is NOTHING in the Device manager that doesn't have a driver.
- Haven't tried the HDMI or usb on the docking station, but without any driver's needed; I would gable it works JUST FINE)

 

[Roderick Aspiras]

I hope the touch experience only gets better.

 

[theefman]

ipad killer with a desktop taskbar, i dont think so.
Sent from my S3

 

[Damian Montero]

Hey! It's easy to look bad and laugh at what people were saying because we know the future they didn't. but remember back then no one had done tablets that didn't suck. and this was the attempt to get it a LITTLE better.

Without everyone trying to make an iPad Killer. then windows 10 wouldn't have come out and we wouldn't get this amazing experience we have now.

I love my surface tablet but can really appreciate that microsoft made a version of their latest software that works with a laptop that's older than my child!

Here's Balmer presenting the HP Slate (He didn't say "iPad killer" but you have to remember. no one knew Apple was going to name their new tablet after a feminine hygiene product)

youtube (dot com) watch?v=En7cdBhlrGU (sorry... ONE DAY I'll be able to post a url)

 

[icebike]

Bumped into this old-ish thread after I converted my slate 500 to windows 10. Too late to help me with the "still validating" message, which I too ignored.

I had this old Slate laying around with nothing to use it for, as it was pretty miserable on Windows 7, but they gave it to me at my job to migrate some apps to a portable device, and after finishing that project, it just ended up sitting around because it was such a dog.

I was astounded how well it runs under Windows 10. I mean its almost totally usable with a little tweaking on the interface to enlarge certain elements like scroll bars and buttons. And its WAY FASTER than it was on windows 7.

I object to the need to create a Microsoft account to use a lot of the features of Windows 10, but I guess can do that since the thing might actually be useful.

That side button that is supposed to launch the keyboard... Anybody got that working? On my Windows Surface, the keyboard usually just appears when I need it but on the Slate I always seem to have to hit the icon to get it to appear.

Docking station works fine. I'm now looking at what stuff I can move to the MicroSD card to save the C drive for stuff I want.
So far, its been a pleasant surprise.