Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson

It has been a very, very long time coming, but Microsoft has finally decided to dole out some 64-bit loving to OneDrive.

The company has announced the availability of a public preview version of the 64-bit OneDrive sync client for Windows. For anyone running the 64-bit version of Window, making the switch makes complete sense thanks to improved performance and better handling of large files. The bad news for now is that there is no 64-bit ARM version available, only one for x64-based systems.

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When Donald Trump was removed from social media networks like Facebook and Twitter, the only real surprise was that it hadn't happened sooner. With the former president apparently planning to create his own social platforms, the story is far from over, and he sems likely to maintain an online presence.

But there is also the question about what to do with Trump's previous online content. One thing is certain – his tweets will not be appearing in the National Archives after Twitter denied NARA permission to resurrect deleted content from the suspended account.

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Microsoft has launched a preview version of its own distribution of Java, making it available for Windows, macOS and Linux. The company has named the release Microsoft Build of OpenJDK, and describes it as its "new way to collaborate and contribute to the Java ecosystem".

The company has made available Microsoft Build of OpenJDK binaries for Java 11, which are based on OpenJDK source code. Microsoft says it is looking to broaden and deepen its support for Java, "one of the most important programming languages used today".

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It seems like it has been a while since there was a new version of PowerToys for Windows 10, but Microsoft has now pushed out a new release in time for Easter.

We've now made it up to PowerToys v0.35.0, and while this is not a major upgrade from the previous version, it is still significant thanks not only to the number of bug fixes and improvements, but also the number of new features. FancyZones, PowerToys Run and Color Picker are among those gaining new options.

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When digital assistants are mentioned, it tends to be Siri, Google Assistant and Alexa that come to mind; it is only for real Microsoft diehards that Cortana features.

So it is little wonder that Microsoft has seen sense and decided to kill off some implementations of its own digital assistant. Cortana will still be found in Windows 10, but mobile users will find that it is no longer available for either iOS or Android.

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In an iOS support document, Apple reveals that it is planning to take steps to recalibrate the batteries of iPhone 11 handsets.

The move by the company comes after an iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max bug led to inaccurate information being given about battery health. With a fix due to rollout later in the spring, Apple is advising people to hold off from taking their handsets in for repair until a software update allows for recalibration.

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For Microsoft, March was marred by a string of problematic Windows 10 updates that caused a series of problems with printing and more. As we reach the end of the month, the company has released an optional patch which it will almost certainly be hoping proves less problematic.

The optional KB5000842 update is available for Windows 10 version 2004, and Windows 10 20H2. This monthly "C" release preview update aims to address a number of issues with the operating systems including problems with dark screens and other monitor glitches, and as well as system crashes associated with OneDrive.

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Microsoft has released a new servicing stack update for Windows 10. The KB5001205 update is available for version 1909 of the operating system, and it addresses an issue with the Secure Boot feature.

The company says that the update fixes an issue that prevented another update installing. It also includes quality improvements to the servicing stack to help with the overall update experience in Windows 10.

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Whatever you use your computer for, the taskbar is something you interact with to some extent every day. It's a component that lies at the heart of Windows 10, and Microsoft is finally making a key change that will be welcomed by many users.

With the release of Windows 10 build 21343 the other day, we have already seen some of the visual changes Microsoft is bringing to Explorer. But in Windows 10 21H2, the company is also freeing the taskbar from the explorer.exe process into its own library. It's a move that means the Sun Valley update for Windows 10 should help to improve stability and eliminate problems with Explorer resulting in taskbar crashes, as is so often the case currently.

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If the recent printing problems caused by a string of Windows 10 updates weren't so disruptive -- and if the poor quality of updates from Microsoft hadn't been an issue for so long -- the situation would almost be funny.

As it is, however, those who have been affected by the bug-riddled updates find themselves extraordinarily frustrated and losing trust in Microsoft's ability to deliver reliable software. With so many updates, patches, bug fixes and workarounds having been released in the last couple of weeks, keeping on top of problems has been difficult. This PowerShell script should get things sorted once and for all.

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Messaging platform Slack yesterday rolled out a new feature called Connect DM that made it possible to send direct messages to anyone using the service -- regardless of whether they are part of the same company or workspace.

We say "made it possible" in the past tense because Slack was very quickly forced into something of an embarrassing partial u-turn. The company somehow failed to notice the potential for such a feature to be abused, and it was down to users and media outlets to point this out. Within hours, a key change was introduced to Connect DM to help eliminate spam and abuse.

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To get the most out of Windows 10, and to avoid being pestered by constant reminders, you need to activate it. This is not always the smooth, trouble-free process it should be, and people often run into problems.

If you have installed the KB4598291 update for Windows 10, you may well have been plagued by activation failure with a 0xc004c003 error. Now Microsoft has provided details of what is going wrong, as well as revealing a workaround.

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Over the years there has been an increasing awareness of -- and backlash against -- the telemetry and data collection Microsoft has crowbarred into Windows 10. A new experiment with its Edge browser shows that the company is keen to make greater use of the information it gathers about its customers.

In the latest Canary build of Microsoft Edge, there is a new setting called "share browsing data with other Windows features". While optional, it is a feature that is likely to be eyed with skepticism.

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Over the weekend we reported that Microsoft had paused the rollout of the out-of-band patch for the ongoing printing problems in Windows 10. The cessation came after reports of installation problems associated with the fix.

Now it appears that the company has re-released the KB5001649 update, but it remains to be seen whether this finally brings to an end the lengthy and embarrassing saga for Microsoft.

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Microsoft's appalling track record with problematic updates for Windows 10 shows absolutely no signs of abating. If the fiasco that came after this month's Patch Tuesday updates is anything to go by, if anything the situation is getting worse.

Over the last week or so, we have reported about printing problems that followed the release of March's updates, and the subsequent string of patches that not only failed to fix things but, in many cases, actually made things worse. Now the fubar'd fix has been deemed so problematic that Microsoft has taken the decision to pull it.

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