Articles about Microsoft

If you’ve ever thought that Windows 11 is a little lacking in visual polish, you’re not alone. Microsoft’s decision to center the Start menu and taskbar was meant to modernize the look of the OS and reduce mouse travel -- especially for users with ultra-wide or high-resolution displays -- but it’s not exactly what you’d call inspiring.

If you think Windows 11 looks like it’s straight out of 2011, we have a free solution to that problem: Quantum Start Menu.

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Microsoft has been gradually shutting down the various ways people found to install and use Windows 11 without a Microsoft Account. The company has made it all but impossible to install the operating system without creating or signing into an account.

With the most recent preview build of Windows 11, Microsoft nixed a script that could be used to sidestep the requirement -- although it can still be manually applied via the registry. But there is still an easy way to avoid having to use a Microsoft Account.

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We are, slowly but surely, making our way towards the release of PowerToys v1.0.0 -- but in the meantime we have the 0.x.x releases to enjoy. Microsoft has just pushed out PowerToys v.0.9.0, and it is an impressive update this time around.

Just a couple of weeks after we talked about the Command Palette module that was being worked on, this “PowerToys Run on crack” has landed. This is far from being the only change in PowerToys v0.9.0, though. In addition to a raft of bug fixes and tweaks, there are also new features for Peek, New+, and more.

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When talking about AI in general -- including Copilot -- the focus tends to be on the impressive time-saving capabilities and futuristic features. What is often overlooked is the potential for artificial intelligence to improve accessibility.

But this is exactly what Microsoft is doing with the features it has for Copilot+ PCs. And now the company has made many of the Copilot+ experiences available to a wider range of processors, so systems with AMD Ryzen AI 300 series, Intel Core Ultra 200V and Snapdragon X Series chips can feel the benefits. There are huge advances in accessibility to be explored.

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Windows 11 offers a familiar environment for users, but it’s not without its share of frustrations, particularly regarding performance issues and resource consumption on older hardware. Microsoft's updates frequently add new problems while fixing old ones, which is another annoyance.

If you’ve been considering a switch from Windows 11, Nitrux is the perfect alternative. The Debian-based distribution, known for its focus on simplicity and performance, has just been updated to version 3.9.1, codenamed “mk.” This release includes new features and a series of updates and fixes aimed at improving the overall experience for both new and existing users.

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When things go wrong with a Windows 11 device, downtime is not only frustrating but also expensive. In a bid to reduce the time lost to computer issues, Microsoft has launched Quick Machine Recovery, a new automated tool for addressing problems.

The tool is undergoing testing with Windows Insiders on the Beta Channel at the moment, so it probably won’t be long before it is promoted for general availability. Billed as a tool that “automatically detects, diagnoses, and resolves critical issues on your device”, Microsoft is looking to save users and sysadmins from having to delve into the Windows Recovery Environment.

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Billed as a way of increasing transparency, Microsoft has launched a new Windows Roadmap hub which is home to everything you could ever want to know about the new and upcoming features of Windows 11.

The page is designed with different types of Windows 11 users in mind. For anyone signed up for a Windows Insider channel, it’s a handy way to keep track of the rollout and availability of new features. For others, it provides a relatively reliable way to monitor what Microsoft is working on. And for Microsoft, it is a way to gather feedback.

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There is definitely some truth to the old adage that time is money, but it is probably more relatable to say that waiting for things to happen is annoying. And just like the time spent wanting for a bus or train to arrive feels never-ending, when you need to get some work done, slow app start times are frustrating beyond description.

So, Microsoft has decided to do something about it. The company is not looking to speed up all apps, just its own Office apps. In the next few weeks, users of Microsoft Office will be able to use a new Startup Boost task to improve “performance and load-time of experiences" within the office suite.

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Microsoft is, once again, using a Known Issue Rollback (KIR) to resolve a problem caused by yet another dodgy update for Windows. This time around, the issue sees Remote Desktop disconnecting and there is not yet a fix.

Just as with the recently fixed printer problems, the Remote Desktop issues are being caused by the January 2025 Windows preview update, but it is something that seems have been exacerbated by the March 2025 Windows security update.

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Recent updates for Windows 10 and Windows 11 had the peculiar side effect of causing printers to spew out random printouts. The culprits were the updates released back in January, although it took Microsoft a while to concede that there was a problem.

Having acknowledged the issue, Microsoft has finally produced a fix some two months after the problems emerged.

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The next time you sign into your Microsoft account you may well be greeted by a new look. Microsoft has started the roll out of what it is calling a “new sign in experience” as the company uses its Fluent 2 design language to revamp the UI and UX. For better or worse, this is an attempt to create an “unmistakably Microsoft” look and feel.

The changes affect users of Windows, Xbox, Microsoft 365, and more, and Microsoft predicts that the majority of users will see the new look by the end of April. As part of the redesign, users are being given more choice; there is now a dark mode option.

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Security issues in Windows crop up with scary frequency, and most are fixed by Microsoft… eventually. But while the tech giant works out how to patch holes in its buggy operating system, there are -- thankfully -- others who are willing to do the fixing faster.

0patch is a familiar name. It is a firm that, on a subscription basis, provides support and security fixes for versions of Windows that Microsoft has abandoned. It also frequently releases free patches for security issues that Microsoft is yet to fix, and this has just happened again with a fix for a worrying SCF File NTLM hash disclosure 0day vulnerability.

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No operating system is ever really finished, and this is certainly true of Windows 11. As well as the (very welcome) security fixes, Microsoft continues to make endless tweaks, changes and additions to the OS; now the company has just moved to the next big stage of development.

It may seem as though the most recent major update, Windows 11 24H2, has only just been released, but the company is already working away on Windows 11 25H2. What’s more, it’s available to try right now.

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Windows 10 and Windows 11 are functional but a bit unexciting, with limited customization options. If you’ve ever wished you could make Windows look and work better, the good news is that Seelen UI has you covered.

This free tool reimagines what a Windows desktop can be, giving users the power to break free from Microsoft’s frustrating limitations -- and it’s just been updated to offer even more features and improvements.

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Just as you can get versions of Android that are free from Google, including LineageOS and /e/OS, so there are also alternative Windows operating systems not developed by Microsoft.

One of the most best examples of this is ReactOS, an open-source project that aims to provide a free and compatible replacement for Windows, removing all the things you don’t want in Microsoft’s OS, such as spying/telemetry, adverts, and so on.

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