Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson

Microsoft reveals fix for Outlook search not working in Windows 11

Outlook 365

Windows 11 has its fair share of problems, and it has also caused problems with other software that people have come to rely on. While it is somewhat understandable when third-party software is affected, the same cannot be said of Microsoft's own software.

The company has acknowledged an issue with Outlook for users who have upgraded to Windows. The problem Sees Outlook failing to return any search results, as well as the error message: "Search performance will be impacted because of a problem with how Outlook search is configured". Now Microsoft has revealed a fix.

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How to check for Windows updates from the context menu in Windows 10 and Windows 11

Check for Updates context menu

The importance of installing the latest patches and fixes for Windows cannot really be overstated. As well as helping to boost security and fix problems, updates can also add new features to Windows.

While there is a lot to be said in favor of enabling automatic updates, there's nothing wrong with performing manual check as well or instead. Unfortunately, Microsoft has hidden the option to check for updates away in the Settings app meaning it is a pain to access. Here's how to add an update check option to the context menu in Windows 11 and Windows 10.

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Microsoft rolls out a new Windows 11 look to Office

Microsoft visual refresh

While there are new features in Windows 11, much what's of the appeal of the latest version of the operating system is the updated look. Microsoft is not limiting itself to using the new look in Widows 11 alone; a similar aesthetic is making its way to other products and Microsoft Office has now been updated.

With the visual update, Microsoft Office gets a Windows 11 makeover, although the same look is also available to Windows 10 users running Office. Microsoft describes it as providing a "simple and more coherent experience"; here's what you need to know, including how to enable or disable it.

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Microsoft releases yet another version of PowerToys to improve FancyZones and more

Microsoft PowerToys

It is mere days since Microsoft released PowerToys v0.51.0 complete with the new Mouse Highlighter utility. Now the company has another update available which offers improvements to the FancyZones and PowerToys Run tools.

PowerToys v0.51.1 is by no means a big release, especially when you look at the huge list of improvements and additions in the previous update, but it remains an important one. The changes introduced in this latest version come, Microsoft says, in response to user feedback, and will be of particular interest to Windows 11 users.

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Microsoft is pestering Chrome downloaders to stick with Edge and its 'added trust'

No Exit sign

It is certainly not unknown for Microsoft to use Windows and other software it produces to promote its own products. In many ways, the likes of Windows 11 serve as an ad platform for the company. Now the Windows-maker has upped its efforts to discourage people from using browsers made by other companies.

If you use Microsoft Edge to download Chrome, you are now likely to see a message extoling the benefits of sticking with Edge. One prompt which is sure to raise a few eyebrows advises would-be Chrome users that Edge runs on the same technology (that is, the Chromium engine) "with the added trust of Microsoft".

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Square's rebranding as Block could signal a move into crypto

Block logo

Having stepped down as CEO of Twitter, Jack Dorsey is not done with change. His other company Square has just announced that it is changing its name to Block -- something it says "differentiates the Square brand, which was built for the Seller business, from the corporate entity".

With the rebranding there will be no organizational changes; Square, Cash App, TIDAL, and TBD54566975 will continue to maintain their respective brands. While a press release expresses some of the thinking behind the change in name, many believe it is also a reference to blockchain, and could signal a move into cryptocurrencies.

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Meta explains why it is taking so long to bring end-to-end encryption to Facebook Messenger and Instagram -- and what it is doing in the meantime

Meta Facebook Instagram WhatsApp logos

Meta recently announced that the protection, privacy and security offered by end-to-end encryption will not be coming to Facebook Messenger or Instagram until some time in 2023. Until then, anyone looking to send secure messages through Meta's platform will have to turn to WhatsApp.

What was not made particularly clear at the time of the announcement, however, is just why there is such a delay. Now Meta has opened up and revealed some of the thinking behind holding back on the roll-out of end-to-end encryption across all of its messaging services.

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Twitter updates privacy policy to ban unauthorized images and videos of people

Twitter logo through a magnifying glass

Twitter has announced an important change to its privacy policy so that the sharing of images and videos of people without consent is now forbidden.

In many ways this is simply a tightening up of existing privacy protections and anti-doxxing policies, giving individuals a route to having media depicting them removed from the platform. The new policy does not apply to everyone, however.

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Microsoft releases PowerToys v0.51.0 with lots of fixes, a new mouse utility... and two exciting teasers

Microsoft PowerToys Mouse Highlighter

The release of a PowerToys update is always exciting, but this is especially true when Microsoft adds new utilities. And with the release of PowerToys v0.51.0, the development team does not disappoint.

We recently told you that the team was busily working away on a new Mouse Highlighter utility, and this has now been officially added to the PowerToys collection. Version v0.51.0 includes a lengthy list of tweaks, fixes and improvements, and there is also the promise of a new tool called Always On Top as well as something intriguingly referred to as "centers of gravity".

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Zoom boosts security with automatic updates for Windows and macOS -- but Linux users miss out

Angled Zoom logo

Many things have come as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the increased usage of video messaging and video conferencing tools is one interesting phenomenon. At the start of coronavirus-related lockdowns and periods of working from home, Zoom rocketed in popularity -- but the service soon found its security practices under close scrutiny and in receipt of strong criticism.

In the intervening month, Zoom did a lot of work to improve not only its images, but also the security of its platform and safety of its users. Continuing this trend, the company has launched a new automatic update feature for the Windows and macOS versions of the Zoom client.

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0patch beats Microsoft to fix serious local privilege escalation vulnerability in Windows

Laptop plaster

Once again, micro-patching firm 0patch has beaten Microsoft to the punch, releasing an unofficial patch for a zero-day vulnerability in Windows.

This time around we're talking about CVE-2021-24084, a local privilege escalation (LPE) zero-day vulnerability in Windows' Mobile Device Management service. The flaw affects Windows 10 version 1809 and later, and Microsoft is yet to release an official patch of its own. Not wanting to leave systems at risk of attack, 0patch stepped in to help out users by offering up a free fix.

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Microsoft fixes problems that took GitHub offline

Microsoft building logo

It may be a holiday weekend for many, but few people would be expecting websites and online services to take time off. Unfortunately, that's precisely what happened with GitHub after an outage left developers unable to access the site.

On Saturday evening going into Sunday, Microsoft started to investigate a series of issues affecting GitHub Actions, API Requests, Codespaces, Git Operations, Issues, GitHub Packages, GitHub Pages, Pull Requests, and Webhooks.

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KB5007205 update for Windows is breaking Microsoft Defender for Endpoint

Microsoft building logo

Microsoft has revealed that a recent update for Windows has been causing problems that could have left systems unprotected and open to attack.

After installing the KB5007205 update, some system administrators have found that Microsoft Defender for Endpoint fails. This makes something of a change from the printer problems that so many updates for Windows have caused in recent times, but there is currently no fix available.

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CronRAT is a new Linux malware set to strike on February 31st

CronRAT

Yes, you did read the headline correctly; security researchers have discovered a stealthy new remote access trojan (RAT) designed to attack Linux systems. Named CronRAT, the malware hides as a scheduled task and is configured to run on a non-existent date – February 31st.

Researchers from Sansec warn that CronRAT "enables server-side Magecart data theft which bypasses browser-based security solutions". This is something that is particularly concerning this Black Friday.

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Microsoft releases KB5007253 update to fix MSI issues and yet more printer problems in Windows

Windows 10 laptop

It is the time of the month that sees Microsoft releasing preview versions of upcoming updates for Windows, and this is precisely what the company has done with the optional KB5007253 Preview cumulative update for Windows 10.

Available for Windows 10 versions 2004, 20H2, 21H1 and 21H2, this update addresses 0x000006e4, 0x0000007c and 0x00000709 errors associated with networking printing. It also includes a fix for the Microsoft Installer (MSI) issue that was causing problems with Kaspersky apps, as well as fixing a laundry list of other problems.

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