Articles about Windows 10

In three short months, Microsoft is ending support for various editions of Windows 10 21H2. This means that not only will there be no more new features or bug fixes, there will also be no more security updates released for the operating system.

Running any version of Windows that is not in receipt of security updates is a bad idea, but as this latest announcement includes numerous Enterprise and Education versions of Windows 10, the impact could be huge.

Continue reading →

March 6 was an important day in the European Union as it marked the date on which the Digital Markets Act (DMA) came into force. The new legislation places numerous requirements on "gatekeepers" (defined as "large digital platforms providing so called core platform services"), and this has already seen Apple roll out a different version of iOS to the EU than to the rest of the world.

The DMA affects a lot of tech firms, including the likes of Google and Microsoft. With the new legislation having come into force, Microsoft has implemented compliance measures, and this includes rolling out DMA compliant versions of Windows 10 and 11 to users in the EU. The company has started this process and has explained what changes and differences this includes.

Continue reading →

Five-hundred-and-eighty-five in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 and 11 on the Microsoft Store and elsewhere in the past seven days.

Microsoft announced that it is retiring the Windows Subsystem for Android next year. The company did not reveal why it made the decision. Rumors suggest that it did not generate the revenue that Microsoft hoped it would to become sustainable.

Continue reading →

Microsoft has released a new update for Windows 10 users in the form of KB5001716. While the company is promoting this as an update that refreshes the UI for Windows Update, there is rather more to it than that.

The release notes point out that after installing this update "you may see a notification informing you that your device is currently running a version of Windows that has reached the end of its support lifecycle ". In other words, expect Windows 11 upgrade nags. Oh, and if the slightly predictable underhand tactics were not enough, the installation of the KB5001716 update is proving problematic for some users, with numerous instances of 0x80070643 errors.

Continue reading →

Five-hundred-and-eighty-four in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 and 11 on the Microsoft Store and elsewhere in the past seven days.

Microsoft will show Windows 11 upgrade prompts to more Windows 10 devices. After pushing another round of prompts to home users, it is now pushing them to domain-joined devices that are not managed.

Continue reading →

Continuing to prove that it has not forgotten about Windows 10, Microsoft has released the KB5034843 update. It not only addresses a number of issues, but also adds new features to the operating system.

The most significant change to be found in this update is the ability to share web links to a number of social platforms directly. There is also the promise that expanded support is on the horizon.

Continue reading →

Windows users are well aware that Microsoft is no stranger to trying to nag them into submission. The company has a history of pestering users to switch to its web browser and to upgrade to the latest version of Windows, and this is a practice that it not only continuing, but expanding.

Microsoft has already been encouraging / nagging (delete as you see fit...) to upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11, and now the company has announced that it is about to take this further. It is described rather euphemistically as "expanding invitations to move to Windows 11 to more people".

Continue reading →

Five-hundred-and-eighty-three in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 and 11 on the Microsoft Store and elsewhere in the past seven days.

If you still run older versions of Windows 11, you may be upgraded automatically and without any say in the matter. It is still a mystery why Microsoft is not revealing the name of the next feature update for Windows 11. It could be the Windows 11 2024 Update.

Continue reading →

Microsoft has fixed a puzzling issue in the latest version of its Edge web browser. Some users reported that Microsoft Edge was importing open tabs from Google Chrome automatically on their devices about two weeks ago.

While Microsoft Edge does have a preference to do so, the users claimed that the preference was set to off on their devices.

Continue reading →

Five-hundred-and-eighty-two in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 and 11 on the Microsoft Store and elsewhere in the past seven days.

Microsoft introduced several upcoming features in developer builds this weeks. From Notepad's AI integration to AI Super Resolution. AI in Notepad may be used to get an "explanation" for the selected text. AI Super Resolution promises improved gaming performance and visuals.

Continue reading →

Five-hundred-and-eighty-one in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 and 11 on the Microsoft Store and elsewhere in the past seven days.

Microsoft is working on introducing sudo in its Windows operating system. Sudo is well explained by Xkcd's iconic Sandwich comic. Microsoft's implementation supports three different modes at the time. You can check out the introductory post at Microsoft's Dev Blog for additional information on the implementation.

Continue reading →

Microsoft PC Manager is available officially now. Microsoft launched the free tool back in 2022 as a preview. The app, developed by Microsoft China, promises to give PCs a performance boost when needed.

Besides that, it includes some useful and some not-so-useful PC management options and tools.

Continue reading →

Playing Android games on your PC is easy enough. You have the option of using third-party emulators such as Bluestacks or NoxPlayer, or you can take advantage of the built-in Windows Subsystem for Android, available on Windows 11.

However, if you wish to flip the script and play Windows games on your Android device, the process is somewhat more complex, but not impossible. To do this, you’ll need Winlator, which has just been updated to version 5, improving compatibility and performance, and resolving various issues.

Continue reading →

Microsoft BitLocker is a full-disk encryption feature included in certain editions of Windows operating systems, designed to enhance the security of data stored on a computer or external drives. It serves as a crucial component of Microsoft's broader approach to data protection and aims to safeguard sensitive information against unauthorized access, particularly in scenarios where devices might be lost, stolen, or otherwise fall into the wrong hands.

BitLocker operates by encrypting the entire contents of a disk drive, including the operating system, system files, and user data. It uses a symmetric encryption algorithm, typically AES (Advanced Encryption Standard), to secure the data. To access the encrypted information, a user must provide a pre-boot authentication password or use additional authentication methods, such as a PIN or a USB key.

Continue reading →

If you’re currently using Windows 10 or Windows 11, but hanker after the days of Windows 7, then there is a very clever, but simple way to transform your newer OS into the older one. This method can be used to turn Windows 8 or above into Windows 7, or Vista.

This process takes a while to complete, but all you have to do is type a command into the Run box and most things will be handled automatically for you, although you can add extra features (such as Windows Media Player 11) if you wish.

Continue reading →