Latest Technology News

Reports are coming in about a strange bug in Windows 11 that results in the Windows 10 taskbar being displayed instead of the updated versions. The same issue was reported by Windows Insiders in the build up to the launch of Windows 11, and it seems that Microsoft has not been able to get things fixed.

In addition to problems with the old taskbar showing up, users are also reporting that the Start menu is not working. Microsoft is yet to acknowledge the problems, but workarounds have been uncovered.

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With Windows 11 now publicly available the time has come for problems to start surfacing. We have already had reports of reduced performance in games as well as File Explorer using large amounts of memory; now AMD has issued a warning that Windows 11 users with certain processors can expect reduced performance.

The chipmaker has provided information about "known performance impacts reported on Windows 11 when running compatible AMD processors on certain applications". Affected processors include Ryzen 3, 5, 7, 9 and Threadripper (plus Pro variants), and the impact means that performance is reduced by as much as 15 percent.

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Windows 11 is officially here, but not all new Windows computers will ship with that version of Microsoft's desktop operating system. Understandably, for a little while at least, some machines will still come with Windows 10... they will have the ability to upgrade to Windows 11, however.

Today, ADATA unveils such a laptop under its XPG gaming brand. Called "XENIA 15 KC," it comes with Windows 10 Home, but you can absolutely install Windows 11 when you want to. This gaming notebook is downright drool-worthy. It is powered by a very modern 8-core Intel Core i7 11800H CPU and super-powerful NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 GPU. The other components are impressive as well, including 32GB of DDR4-3200MHz RAM, a 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD, RGB optical mechanical keyboard, and a 15.6-inch display with 165Hz refresh. It's a beast!

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UK businesses faced a new cyberattack every 47 seconds over the summer as the volume of attempts to breach their systems online increased following an earlier slowdown.

Analysis of commercial internet traffic from business ISP Beaming shows that the attack rate increased by four percent between July and September, having fallen in the second quarter.

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Recent trends such as cloud, open-source software and low-code platforms have led to radical changes in the role of developers.

But what exactly is the effect of these changes and how can development teams prepare for them and take advantage of the opportunities they offer? We spoke to Bob Quillin, chief ecosystem officer at modernization platform vFunction, to find out.

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Although Microsoft would prefer it if people waited to be invited to install Windows 11 on compatible hardware, you can jump the queue now and install it in a number of ways, including by downloading the ISO file, or using the Windows 11 Installation Assistant.

Microsoft has warned against installing Windows 11 on unsupported hardware but -- in the perfect display of the mixed messaging the company seems so adept at delivering when it comes to the new OS -- it’s also revealed the steps you need to take to do exactly that.

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With performance problems, confusing system requirements, high memory usage, and other issues, the launch of Windows 11 has not been as smooth as many people would have hoped. In the build-up to the rollout of the operating system, Microsoft made much of the need for systems to have TPM 2.0 in order to qualify for an upgrade -- but then the company moved the goalposts.

Having previously said that installation on computers without TPM 2.0 would not be possible, Microsoft has since revealed an official workaround that makes it possible to install Windows 11 on incompatible hardware. This is a risk, however, and there is a stark warning that you could cause damage to your PC.

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With Windows 11 now available for more people to download and install, more and more problems are starting to emerge. We've already seen a short list of known issues, and users have already complained of high memory usage by File Explorer.

Another issue that is causing some annoyance is an apparent reduction in gaming performance under Windows 11.  The slowdown is measurable in benchmarks and has been blamed on the Virtualization-Based Security (VBS) and Hypervisor-Protected Code Integrity (HVCI) security features.

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The roll out of Windows 11 started yesterday, and while many people are eager to upgrade as soon as possible, there are plenty of others who want to hold off for a little while. The list of known issues acknowledged by Microsoft may be short, but users who have upgraded to Windows 11 are experiencing other problems.

One such issue sees File Explorer using huge amount of RAM. The problem is being blamed on a memory leak and was initially reported a couple of months ago -- but now more people have access to Windows 11, further reports are coming in confirming the issue.

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The COVID-19 pandemic brought about a rapid shift to home and hybrid working, a change which looks as though it could be here to stay according to new research from video conferencing specialist Poly.

The survey of over 7,000 hybrid workers across seven countries shows that 82 percent of respondents intend to spend at least one day a week working from home in the future, with 54 percent planning to split their time evenly between office and home.

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Today is October 5, which is particularly significant as it is the official Windows 11 release date. This is even more special as Microsoft's latest desktop operating system isn't just good... it's great. Yes, this is probably the best version of Windows ever, and if you are a Windows user, you should absolutely upgrade if your computer is compatible.

Unfortunately, that is a pretty big "if" this time around. You see, Microsoft is quite strict with the system requirements, meaning many computers will not be compatible or officially supported. Even though Windows 10 will continue to be supported for a while, understandably, some users will want to jump ship immediately knowing their PC has no future in Microsoft's eyes. Thankfully, these users have a wonderful alternative to Windows 11 -- Linux!

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The Covid-19 pandemic has meant that for the last 18 months or so, workers across the UK and Europe who previously worked in offices were compelled to work from home instead.

This huge shift to remote working was unprecedented in its speed and scale. It was made possible by technology such as high-speed broadband at home: mobile phones: video conferencing: and online fax services, which together reproduced the capabilities of being in the office.

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Microsoft started to roll out Windows 11 yesterday -- a day earlier than originally stated -- and many users chose to immediately jump on the new OS, installing it via either the Media Creation Tool or the Windows 11 Installation Assistant. The latter is the method I used to painlessly upgrade both my desktop and laptop PCs.

For some users however, the process has been far from painless, with a number of eager upgraders reporting the installation stalling with error code '0x8007007f', despite their having compatible hardware.

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Portable hardware authentication dongles are pretty darn cool -- they can be a great way to secure access to various devices, applications, and services using hardware. Google offers its own Titan security keys, for instance, but the search giant likely isn't the first company that comes to mind for these products. Actually, Yubico is probably the name most associated with authentication dongles.

Believe it or not, Yubico's popular YubiKey devices have not yet been offered with biometric support. Thankfully, this changes today. You see, the all-new YubiKey Bio features a fingerprint reader for an added level of security. Not only must you physically have possession of the YubiKey Bio to use it, but you must prove you are its owner by scanning your finger.

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As cloud-native applications and microservices become more complex, developer teams struggle to make the most out of their infrastructure. Observability can cut through cluttered architectures to connect key engineering decisions to business metrics.

Driven by a constant mission for faster performance, improved efficiency, and enhanced business outcomes, developer tools change rapidly to meet the increased pressures on engineering teams. While these tools move in the direction of progress, the pace of change means that dev teams sometimes miss the forest for the trees, and today, one of the industry’s most widely-deployed tools is also its most misunderstood.

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