Microsoft starts the official rollout of Windows 11 25H2
We have known that the day was coming, and now it has arrived. Smack in the middle of H2, Microsoft has finally made Windows 11 25H2 available – for what it is worth.
While preview builds of Windows 11 25H2 have been available to Windows Insiders for a while, and to seekers more recently. But now the rollout to everyone and anyone is underway. What can you expect from this most recent “feature update” to Windows 11? Not – as even Microsoft admits – very much, really.
OpenAI partners with AARP for new AI training to help older adults spot scams
Artificial intelligence giant OpenAI has begun a multi-year collaboration with AARP and its Older Adults Technology Services (OATS) to expand resources that help older adults understand and use AI.
A video released through the OpenAI Academy demonstrates how ChatGPT can support users in spotting potential scams, with a focus on recognizing common warning signs. A survey by Avast released three months ago found that nearly 60 percent of older adults have fallen for cyber scams.
Microsoft makes Windows 10 ESU completely free... for a year... for some
With just a month to go until the official end of support for Windows 10, Microsoft has been forced to cede ground. The company will now offer a year of ESU (Extended Support Updates) available completely free of charge, no strings attached, for people living in the European Economic Area (EEA).
While free access to the ESU program is available in other parts of the world, it is only available with conditions. In Europe, these conditions no longer apply.
Microsoft releases out-of-band Windows 11 update to fix Office problems
Microsoft has been forced to release an unscheduled update for Windows 11. The newly unleashed KB5068221 update addresses issues with Microsoft Office running in virtualized environments.
For those who have been experiencing the issue, the fact that this update fixes things is reason enough to install it. But Microsoft has also used this update release to share details of a workaround for a SMBv1 share problem.
Windows 11 will let you use video wallpapers – here’s how to do it now
Microsoft is taking a step back in time with Windows 11, introducing a feature not seen since the days of Vista. If you are sick of a static desktop background, you will be pleased to learn that you will soon be able to use a video as your backdrop instead.
This is something Microsoft was first playing with nearly two decades ago, before scrapping it as a bad idea. Now – for reasons unknown – the company feels the time is right to revive the DreamScene feature of Windows Vista in Windows 11.
Microsoft patches terrifyingly serious Entra ID privilege elevation vulnerability
Details have emerged about a now-patched flaw in Microsoft Entra ID which could have been exploited to gain access to any tenant of any company in the world.
Tracked as CVE-2025-55241, the Azure Entra Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 severity rating of 10.0. The security researcher who discovered the flaw said that he had “found the most impactful Entra ID vulnerability that I will probably ever find. This vulnerability could have allowed me to compromise every Entra ID tenant in the world”.
This cool retro mirror puts you inside Microsoft Paint
Of all the things you probably don’t need, but which you'll likely want, a mirror that places you inside the retro stylings of Microsoft Paint has to be right up there. As spotted by Yanko Design, designer RaffySculptures is selling a handcrafted “Paint Mirror” on Etsy.
It blends digital nostalgia with practical design, bringing the classic MS Paint interface into modern homes.
Microsoft is raising US Xbox console prices yet again
Microsoft has announced that the price of Xbox Series S and Series X consoles is due to increase next month. This is the second time this year that the company has raised prices and the jump from the initial launch prices are quite extreme.
A 512GB Xbox Series S console is now a massive 25 percent more expensive than when it first went on sale – up from $300 in 2020, through $380 earlier this year, up to $400. For now, the price changes on impact the US.
With Windows 10 support ending soon, Zorin OS 18 Beta arrives as the ultimate alternative to Windows 11
Want to know a secret? If you don’t like Windows 11, you don’t actually have to use it! I know, shocker right? With Windows 10 support ending on 14 October 2025, millions of PCs will soon be left behind. For users who want to keep their existing desktop or laptop, Linux offers another way forward, and Zorin OS is one of the best Windows alternatives around.
Zorin OS 18 has now entered beta, giving Windows 10 users a chance to try a modern desktop that feels familiar without demanding new hardware or chucking you in at the deep end.
Microsoft reminds Office users about end of support
This October marks the end of support for Windows 10, but the same is true for some version of Office. Microsoft has issued a reminder for anyone still using Office 2016 and Office 2019 that their version of the office suite will receive no more updates after the middle of next month.
Also losing support are Visio 2016, Visio 2019, Project 2016 and Project 2019, with the important date to keep in mind being October 14, 2025. Microsoft has advice for anyone who is working with any of these software titles.
Microsoft is bringing keyboard backlight controls to Settings in Windows 11
Whether you are using Windows 11 on a desktop PC or a laptop, keyboard backlighting can be extraordinarily useful... or a huge annoyance. We are talking about standard lighting up of keys here, not RGB craziness, by the way.
When using a keyboard in the dark or low light, the right amount of backlighting can be a boon. But just what is the correct backlighting level is not only a matter of personal taste, but also something that is extremely circumstantial. Microsoft is about to make it much quicker and easier to adjust lighting levels so you can adapt to ambient lighting changes.
Microsoft is giving Windows 11 users an internet speed test tool
There are plenty of internet speed test tools you can access from your browser, but it looks as though Microsoft is playing with the idea of adding one straight into Windows 11.
If the idea of an internet speed test tool being integrated into Windows 11 interests you, you should perhaps keep your expectation low. Early signs are that this is not an integrated speed tester as such, but a shortcut. Still, it is a useful feature, and making speed testing more accessible is very welcome.
Microsoft starts the 30-day death clock for Windows 10
This will all be over soon, we promise you. But for a little while longer you are going to continue hearing about Windows 10. It is something that has been talked about for so long that it would be easy to start to feel numb to any more mentions of the operating system, but the end of support for Windows 10 has reached an important milestone.
Over the weekend, we hit the point of there being only 30 days left. Never one to miss an opportunity to remind users of Windows 10 about the end of support – or, indeed, to suggest upgrading to Windows 11 – Microsoft issued a reminder about the upcoming end of servicing.
Microsoft is ready to badger Microsoft 365 subscribers to renew via a full screen nag
Microsoft is by no means a stranger to nagging its customers in one way or another – usually with the intention of parting people from their money. In a somewhat unusual move, the company has used the latest preview builds of Windows 11 to introduce a way to pester Microsoft 365 (or “Office” to most of us) subscribers.
A full screen “reminder” – or nag screen – has been added in the Dev and Beta builds of Windows 11 released to Windows Insiders. Microsoft, of course, is talking about it in rather different terms.
Microsoft unbundles Teams from Office 365 to avoid EU fine
Microsoft has managed to avoid a hefty fine or other sanctions after the European Commission accepted the company’s proposal for unbundling Teams from Office 365 and Microsoft 365.
A complaint from Slack a few years ago started the European legal wheels turning as Microsoft was accused of anti-competitive behavior once again. The European Commission agreed that the company had “granti[ed] Teams an undue competitive advantage in terms of distribution”, but now accepts Microsoft’s unbundling proposal.
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