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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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The printing problems that were caused by a recent update to Windows 10 have rumbled on, and on, and on... and on.

After the initial issue introduced by the Patch Tuesday updates earlier this month, there were complaints about printing problems from users, an acknowledge from Microsoft, a workaround that didn’t really cut the mustard, a fix that didn't help, and then admissions of further printing problems. Now the company has pushed out yet another out-of-band update which it -- and countless Windows 10 users -- will be hoping gets things sorted once and for all.

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We’re nowhere close to being out of the woods just yet, with COVID-19 death rates in the US still averaging around a 1,000 a day, but we're starting to get there at last thanks in part to a robust vaccination program.

However, the after-effects of the pandemic's impact will linger long after the illness subsides. According to new research, a lot of people are losing their jobs as a result of automation. 

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Earlier today, I told someone there was a new Barnes and Noble NOOK. Their response? They had no idea Barnes and Noble was still putting out NOOK devices! Yeah, I can understand that thinking, as who in the heck even buys a NOOK nowadays? I mean, look, hardcore readers usually opt for an e-ink Amazon Kindle. For those wanting a traditional tablet, an iPad still reigns supreme.

So, yeah, with all of that said, there is an all-new NOOK coming next month, but in reality, it is just a 10-inch (technically 10.1-inch) Android tablet made by Lenovo that has the Barnes and Noble bookstore pre-loaded. While that may not sound exciting, let us remember that Lenovo does make great hardware. In the case of this tablet, which weighs less than a pound, it is priced very affordably too. And yes, it has Google Play Store support.

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Years ago, autonomous vehicles were just a concept. Today, they’re much more attainable and already on the road in some places. The industry is developing, though, and 2021 is on track to see countless improvements.

The following five disruptive technologies will improve the autonomous vehicle landscape and bring them even closer to full realization.

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The global enterprise messaging industry accounts for 2 trillion messages annually. Messaging is a great medium for engagement -- it’s instant, and users tend to be much more responsive compared to other media. Also, users tend to utilize messaging apps dozens of times every day. Therefore, brands that do messaging right will see much higher frequency and intensity of engagement than with other media.

Most messages are delivered today using good old-fashioned SMS messaging. However, this sizable enterprise messaging industry is about to change in significant ways. Newer messaging channels are emerging with far greater capabilities -- namely Whatsapp, Rich Communication Service (RCS), Google Business Messages (GBM) and even a new messaging channel launched by Gupshup called Gupshup IP (GIP) Messaging. The common theme across all these channels is that they are all based on data messaging using the Internet Protocol (IP messaging).

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Every crisis presents an opportunity -- a truism never more evident than in Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s latest investment into the UK’s digital landscape.

For years, the UK economy has faced a fundamental problem; we have more need for highly skilled digital professionals and leaders than we have workers to satiate that demand. Recent research from Microsoft found that the vast majority (69 percent) of UK business leaders believe their organization currently has a skills gap, with a significant 44 percent fearing that this will have a negative impact on their success in the next year.

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It’s true. B-list American actor Justin Long is currently being featured in a series of TV spots pitching Intel-based PCs over those from Apple. And just as he did back in the noughties, Long is playing his "oh, shucks, I guess I can’t do that" schtick to perfection, only this time he’s stymied by the Mac’s lack of functionality (like convertible hinges or a touchscreen).

The spots are mildly amusing. However, they ultimately miss the point about what makes Apple products desirable -- namely, the perception of luxury. Apple products long ago transitioned to become "aspirational" goods. A person toting a MacBook Pro or Air is now seen as a making more of a fashion statement than an actual technology choice. Whether or not these people use their devices to get any work done is almost irrelevant. They want to be seen with that sleek, silver Apple device tucked under their arm or poking out of their overpriced handbag.

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

Microsoft's Store for Business and Education will only offer free apps from April 14, 2021 onward.

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We all know we should backup our data to keep it safe in the event of problems, but it's a task that often gets neglected.

To mark World Backup Day on March 31st, AOMEI is giving BetaNews readers the chance to make their backups easier by geting its Backupper Professional Edition software -- worth $29.95 -- completely free.

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Although business IT has seen many changes over the last year, email remains the main vector for carrying out cyberattacks.

In its latest Global Security Report Zix looks at the trends in email attacks over the last year and the impact they have. We spoke to David Wagner, president and CEO of, Zix to find out more.

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So far, the year 2021 hasn’t been particularly good for Linux on the desktop. Windows 10 has matured into a pretty great operating system, and PC sales are up big thanks to the pandemic. Meanwhile, Apple’s transition to ARM for macOS has gone shockingly well. In other words, there haven’t really been any missteps by Apple or Microsoft to help Linux make gains on the desktop front.

The Linux community keeps moving on, however, and despite an overall stagnation, there are still solid operating systems being maintained which use the open source kernel. One of the more popular Linux distro these days is the Arch-based Manjaro, and today, the first release candidate of the upcoming version is made available. Manjaro Linux 21 RC1, code-named “Ornara,” uses kernel 5.10 LTS and can be downloaded immediately with your choice of GNOME 3.38, KDE Plasma 5.21, or Xfce 4.16.

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Following reports that a recent update to Windows 10 was causing blue screens as well as problems with printing, Microsoft issued a new series of updates to address the issues. But it seems that the problems caused by this month's Patch Tuesday updates are actually worse than first thought.

Users with certain brands of printer experienced APC_INDEX_MISMATCH errors and blue screens, but now Microsoft has issued a warning that there may be additional problems with elements missing from print outs, or even entirely blank pages being output.

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The past few months have seen plenty of news surrounding COVID-19 vaccines, from the buzz surrounding roll outs to fears of possible side effects.

As always with a major news event cybercriminals seek to exploit the opportunity it presents. Cloud-native email security company GreatHorn has identified a new pattern of techniques being used to exploit the unease of vulnerable email users by spoofing critical vaccine information.

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