Friday 31 July 2015 10:37 am

Windows 10 launch: 14m devices installed Microsoft’s new operating system in the first 24 hours as users cheer the return of the start menu and Cortana

The owners of 14m devices rushed to install Windows 10 in the first 24 hours after the launch of the latest incarnation of Microsoft’s long-running operating system, the company said today.

Microsoft’s Yusuf Mehdi wrote about the response to the new OS on the Windows blog:

We’re humbled and grateful to see the response to Windows 10. We have seen unprecedented demand for Windows 10, with reviews and customer feedback overwhelmingly positive around the globe.

Microsoft began rolling out Windows 10 yesterday as a free upgrade to anyone using Windows 7 or above. As the new version is cross-platform it runs on phones, tablets – and, of course, traditional desktop computers.

Sales of Windows devices have held stubbornly steady over time, even as Android and iOS-powered devices stormed the market.

So what are users saying after a day with the new system? One of the features announced amid much fanfare was Siri-like "voice assistant" Cortana, dutifully equipped with cheesy jokes several have shared on social media:

christ, cortana pic.twitter.com/lwLMuiABBF

— weeabob (@weeabob) July 30, 2015

Seems more than a few are unhappy that the assistant searches using Microsoft’s much-maligned search engine Bing:

If you're already tired of Bing search results and Cortana in Windows 10, here's how to disable it: http://t.co/RVtZGHAa5h

— Lifehacker (@lifehacker) July 29, 2015

Windows 10 also marks the return of the start menu which Microsoft admitted its customers "know and love” and was missing from Windows 8. The comeback was met with a warm response from reviewers and users alike:

here we go. can't wait to have my #startmenu back#windows10upgrade #windows10 #finally http://t.co/4pQO8HG1Xw pic.twitter.com/DmJWewFSEY

— killergvmmibear (@killrgummibear) July 31, 2015

The biggest question of all, of course, is what happened to Windows 9, after Microsoft took the decision to go straight from version eight to 10. Theories abound, but perhaps it’s best not to question the intricacies behind the illogical naming system that somehow required five versions of Windows between 3.1 to 7?