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Google's new Chromecast (2015) allows you to go where no man has gone before.  Unfortunately, part of this journey is long and twisted especially when using a Windows 10 based tablet like the Microsoft Surface 3 to get Chromecast set up .

With the Chromecast (2015), you can now sneak to the HDMI cable to plug into any open HDMI port of a TV like the Samsung's Smart LED TV shown here.

One of the handy things with the new Chromecast is that you can bend its HDMI cable strap back on itself and the saucer portion of the Chromecast sticks onto the HDMI connector.  This makes things tidier and reduces clutter at the back of your TV.

 

If you had set up the Chromecast (2015) on a different WI-FI network, once you turn the TV you will see that the Chromecast is asking to reconnect to another WI-FI network.

To use Windows 10 on your Surface to join the Chromecast to another WI-FI network, there are quite a few more steps compared to performing the setup on an Android phone.

To first question is how to find the Chromecast application to do the setup since there isn't a Google Play store on Windows.  If you were to open the Windows Store and search for Chromecast, you would come up empty.

Another very logical way to start is to download the Chrome browser directly from Google.

Now unfortunately for Microsoft, Google sees the Surface 3 as a tablet and so asks you to download the mobile App for Android and Apple devices.  Not very helpful for a Windows based tablet.

The Microsoft Windows App Store also has a way for you to download Google itself.  This is a dead end since this Google App comes with various applications but doesn't include Chromecast.

What about going to Google Play to download the Chromecast App?  Unfortunately the Chromecast App will only show which Android phones and devices you can install on, which again is not helpful for the Surface.

The only way to get the Chromecast App for your Windows tablet is to go to http://google.com/chromecast/setup.  Here you can find the fine print which allows you to download the setup utility for your computer.

After running the Chromecast App installer, you need to still go through a few more hoops like downloading and installing .NET.

Finally, after everything is installed, you can open the Chromecast App which proceeds to install the Chrome browser for you.

After the Chrome browser has been installed, the Chromecast App finds the Chromecast device that you are setting up.  To continue with the setup, the Chromecast App then controls your Surface to directly connect to the Chromecast device though WI-FI.

You will need to match the code that you see on your Chromecast App with the code that you see on the TV to continue to connect your Chromecast device to the local WI-FI network.

Once your WI-FI network is setup, you then need to download yet another piece of software- the Cast Extension.

But wait, there's more!  Just when you think you are done, the Chrome browser comes up and you then need to  enable various permissions and allow access through the Windows Firewall before you can finally add the Cast Extension.

After adding the Cast Extension, you will be able to see the Google Cast button on the top right corner of the Chrome browser.  Really!?  All that work just to get a button up?  However, with this simple button, you can now connect to and control your Chromecast device.

For example, you can show your Chrome browser tab directly on the screen that your Chromecast is attached to.  Just select Cast this tab to [Your Chomecast] and you can immediately see the Chrome browser on the screen.

There are also settings available in the Google Cast Extension to change the video resolution of the content being cast.

In addition to mirroring your Chrome browser to your Chromecast, you can also go to You Tube on your Surface but then remotely control your Chromecast to directly stream the content from the Internet.

If you are already casting your Chrome browser to the Chromecast, any videos that you play on YouTube will automatically be played through Chromecast instead of directly on the Surface.

It's nice that Google has enabled Windows based tablets like the Surface to use Chromecast but you certainly need to have the patience of a saint and committed to see the entire setup and installation process through.