Microsoft has eliminated one of the reasons for people to upgrade to Windows 11 later in the year. The company has revealed that DirectStorage -- the storage technology behind Xbox’s Velocity Architecture -- will also be available in Windows 10.

The launch of Windows 11 has already been mired in poor communication in relation to hardware requirements, and it's not clear if the apparent change of heart with DirectStorage in Windows 10 is down to continued weak messaging, or if the company has performed a U-turn based on feedback from disgruntled gamers. Either way, anyone choosing to stick with Windows 10 will benefit from DirectStorage, although it will be a lesser experience than in Windows 11.

It is far from uncommon for software companies to be a little vague when it comes to releases dates. By keeping their cards close to their chest, any delays in launches can be overlooked on the basis that if no release date has been announced, it can't be missed.

And so with Windows 11. When Microsoft announced the upcoming operating system we were simply told that it would be ready in time for the holiday season. However, there have been hints, rumors and suggestions that Windows 11 will launch in October, and this has been further hinted at by documentation from Intel.

Security researchers have shown that it is possible to bypass the biometric security of Windows Hello. Using a fake web, the CyberArk Labs research team was able to fool the facial recognition component of Windows Hello to send infrared images.

Windows Hello requires a camera with RGB and IR sensors, but the security tool actually only uses IR imagery. Using a custom USB device, hackers can manipulate the stream of data that is sent, injecting IR imagery of an authorized user.

The US, UK and other allied nations have accused the Chinese Ministry of State Security of engaging in a global hacking campaign. Included in this was an attack on Microsoft Exchange servers earlier in the year, and other activity that has been described as "irresponsible and destabilizing behavior in cyberspace".

China has been called on to "end this systematic cyber sabotage", and a statement issued by the White House said that "an unprecedented group of allies and partners are joining the United States in exposing and criticizing the PRC’s malicious cyber activities".

Spyware produce by the Israeli surveillance firm NSO Group has been abused by governments to target dissenting journalists, activists, lawyers and more, an investigation by human rights groups and media organizations has found.

The Pegasus spyware was produced with the intention of targeting terrorists and other criminals, but an investigation into a huge data leak shows that it has also be misused by authoritarian governments to gather text message, photos, call logs and more from iPhones and Android handsets. The malware can also be used to acti8vate the microphone of a targeted device to eavesdrop on conversations. Targets includes not only journalists and activists, but also key business figures, members of government, presidents and prime ministers.

With the official release of Windows 11 edging ever closer, it's not just consumers that are readying themselves for the new operating system; hardware manufacturers and software are working hard to ensure Windows 11 compatibility.

To this end, Intel has just released a new graphics driver that adds support for Windows 11. The updated driver also includes support for AutoHDR feature of Windows 11 on 10th generation Intel Core processors with Iris Plus Graphics or higher.

Whether it is because of concern about eye health, or just a general aesthetic preference for more muted colors, dark modes have become prevalent in apps and operating system. Windows is no different in this regard, and with Windows 11 Microsoft is giving dark mode a promotion.

The company has revealed that Windows 11 will have dark mode activated as standard. It will, of course, remain possible to switch to a lighter option, but dark mode will be the default setting out of the box.

Perform a search using Google, and details of your search are saved in your Google account for posterity -- unless, of course, you take action.

If you want to keep a search to yourself, you could use Incognito mode in Chrome and it will not be saved. Or you could manually delete your search history, although this does mean losing potentially useful historic information; the same is true of the auto-delete option for your online activity. But now there is new option to delete the last 15 minutes of search activity -- just enough to cover your tracks when you need to.

After the PrintNightmare fiasco of recent weeks, Microsoft has shared information about another Windows Print Spooler security vulnerability.

The issue is being tracked as CVE-2021-34481, and is described as a "Windows Print Spooler Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability". For the time being, there is no patch available, but Microsoft has offered details of a workaround that mitigates against potential attack -- but it is far from being an ideal solution.

When Microsoft announced Windows 11 recently, it confirmed that Windows 10 users would not be abandoned. And now the company has officially announced Windows 10 21H2, a feature update for those who can't have -- or don't want -- Windows 11.

As development and attention has been focused on Windows 11, it should come as little surprise that there are no major new additions to Window 10 with this update, but it remains an important one. A key new arrival is GPU compute support in the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), and if you're eager to try it out right now, you may be able to do so.

In the design world, Helvetica reigns supreme. The font can be seen everywhere from brand logos and advertising to signage and print, its ubiquity stemming from its incredible versatility.

2019 saw an update to the font in the form of Helvetica Now, and it has been updated once again to create Helvetica Now Variable, the most versatile take on the classic font. Designers can fully express themselves typographically thanks to the fact that the latest iteration offers more than a million new Helvetica styles in one font file.

It has been a while since there was an update to Windows Terminal, but now Microsoft has released two key releases, both with huge changes and additions. On the stable side of things is Windows Terminal v1.9.1942.0, little changed since it was a preview build, but there is far more of note in version 1.10 (or Windows Terminal Preview v1.10.1933.0 for the completists out there).

In addition to the usual swathe of bug fixes, there is a new system of tray icons for quake mode, a new Command Palette drop down menu, various interface changes and much more. Another key change means that anyone running Windows 11 now needs to be using at least version 1.10 of Terminal.

Windows 11 is almost upon us. While the look may not be radically different to Windows 10 -- evolution over revolution is a phrase you'll hear bandied around -- it is still different enough for the changes to be instantly noticeable.

You may be wondering just how and why Microsoft took the design decisions it did with Windows 11. To help sate this curiosity, the Microsoft Design team has given us a fascinating insight into the process and the philosophy that underpins everything.

Yesterday was Patch Tuesday, and as such Microsoft released updates to fix a batch of problems with Windows 10.

There are fixes for security issues as well as other niggles, including addressing the PrintNightmare vulnerability. KB5004237 is available for Windows 10 versions 2004, 20H2 and 21H1, while KB5004245 is just for version 1909.

The accidental revelation of the PrintNightmare security vulnerability in Windows set off a chain of workarounds, third-party patches, official patches and problems with patches. But even after two weeks of back and forth, there are still steps you need to take to ensure that you're fully protected.

Microsoft recently updated its security advisory notice about the vulnerability to include additional details that system administrators should check. A quick visit to the registry is all it takes to ensure complete security.