Articles about Microsoft

MINISFORUM is a computer manufacturer that has been gaining many fans lately. Its tiny PCs are looked upon favorably by many consumers that like the diminutive desktop form factor. Not only are its computers well-made and small, but often quite powerful too. These machines can be good servers, retro-gaming machines, office workstations, home theater PCs, and more.

Many MINISFORUM computers are powered by capable Intel processors, but understandably, AMD fans want to get in on the small desktop action too. I am happy to say MINISFORUM does cater to those that prefer AMD. In fact, the company has several AMD-powered options.

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Microsoft is hardly a stranger to making controversial decisions with Windows, and it has previously been accused of taking liberties by using the operating system to advertise its other products and services. Windows 11 may not even been officially released yet, but the company seems to have learned nothing and has started injecting ads into the latest version of its operating system.

The ads themselves -- for Microsoft Teams -- are something that will divide opinion, but that's not really the issue here. Advertisements in Windows will always prove to be divisive and controversial, but the problem this time is that the ads (cum promotional message, cum user advisory, cum tip... call it what you will) caused the taskbar and Start menu to become unresponsive. The issue hit both the Beta and Dev builds that was pushed out just a couple of days ago and raises serious questions about Microsoft ability to deliver a stable build of Windows 11 on time.

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With the latest release of PowerToys, Microsoft has focused primarily on fixing bugs and improving stability, with the promise that updated utilities will be included in next week's experimental version.

But PowerToys v0.45.0 also sees a visual makeover which had been teased recently. The update gives the suite of utilities a modern look that is in keeping with Windows 11. The development team may be slightly biased, but describes this as a "truly spectacular update".

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One of the joys of using Windows -- or, for that matter, macOS or one of the various flavors of Linux -- is personalizing the operating system to your liking. To a large extent his means changing visual elements, but it can also mean showing and hiding various on-screen elements.

With Windows 11, Microsoft has made it harder to customize the taskbar... and we're not just talking about the fact that it can no longer be moved from the bottom of the screen. If you're not a fan of the Task View and Widget buttons, you may wonder how to get rid of them, as it is not immediately apparent. Here's how.

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One of the most interesting features of Windows 11 is the ability to run Android apps, but Windows Insiders have not yet been able to try it out.

When Microsoft announced that Windows 11 will officially launch on October 5, the company informed eager Insiders that an updated store app complete with Android content will be previewed "over the coming months". Interestingly, however, the Windows Subsystem for Android is available for download from the Microsoft Store.

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If you’re a Windows Insider in the Dev Channel, you’re about to start getting less stable, more experimental builds of Windows 11.

Build 22449, released today, follows on from Build 22000.168 released last week. The big leap in version numbers is because this new build is the first to come from the active development branch (RS_PRERELEASE). Future builds will no long match the Windows 11 that is set to roll out to users starting October 5.

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Ahead of a wider roll-out next week, Microsoft has released a preview version of the KB5005101 update for Windows 10 version 21H1, 20H2 and 2004. The biggest fix found in this non-security release addresses problems with USB and Bluetooth headphones, but it also patches numerous other flaws.

KB5005101 also fixes a problem that causes brightness to be reset on standard dynamic range (SDR) content on high-dynamic range (HDR) monitors in certain circumstances, as well as addressing a issue with touch gestures causing freezes.

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It is a couple of weeks since Microsoft almost silently released Windows Server 2022, and now the company has officially announced that the operating system is generally available.

The release comes just over a month before the rollout of Windows 11 begins, and there is a strong focus on security. In particular, there is the addition of encrypted hypertext transfer protocol secure (HTTPS) and AES-256 encryption with support for server message block (SMB) protocol. The latest version of Windows Server also greatly increases hardware support.

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With Windows 11 set to begin rolling out at the Start of October, it was inevitable that Microsoft would take the opportunity to showcase some new hardware for it.

The software giant today announces a new event for the end of this month in which it is expected to take the wraps off a new collection of Surface devices, as well as show off its new operating system in some depth.

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Windows 11 is fast approaching -- Microsoft has just announced it’ll be rolling out from 5 October, and still we know virtually nothing about how much it’ll cost, how it’ll be supplied and whether there will be any cheap standalone deals available.

But one thing we do know: upgrades from Windows 10 will be free. So why risk having to pay big bucks for Windows 11, when you can purchase a copy of Windows 10 for as little as $49.99? Read on to find out what new features are coming, then discover how to get a risk-free Windows 11 upgrade at a price you can afford.

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As of September 1, 2021, Microsoft is making an important privacy change for Microsoft 365 usage analytics -- pseudonymization of user-level information by default.

Microsoft says that this change will help companies to more easily comply with local privacy laws, but it is something that is likely to be welcomed for various other reasons.

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Microsoft has released an updated preview version of Windows Terminal, and while the version number increase may be small, there are a surprising number of changes and additions to be found, including a revamped Settings UI.

With Windows Terminal Preview 1.11, it is now possible to minimize the app to the system tray and there are various updates to pane functionality. New options include the ability to swap panes within a tab, tab splitting via the context menu, and moving a pane to a new or existing tab. But there is plenty more to explore too.

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With the great (and lengthy) Windows 11 rollout set to begin at the start of next month, most of the attention is on that operating system, but Microsoft is still developing Windows 10 and rolling out new Insider builds on a regular basis.

Windows 10 21H2 Build 19044.1202 (KB5005101) is available in the Release Preview Channel now and as with previous recent releases how you’ll get it will depend on a number of things.

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People who are enrolled in the Windows Insider program who have installed Windows 11 on hardware that is not officially supported are being told by Microsoft that they need to switch back to Windows 10.

Windows 11's system requirements have been a source of confusion and frustration, but for those eager to try out the operating system, Microsoft had provided something of a loophole. For a little while now, it has been possible to install Windows 11 preview builds on hardware that does not meet the minimum requirements, but now the company is clamping down and notifying Insiders with incompatible systems to downgrade to Windows 10.

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Windows 11 is a great operating system. It hasn't even left beta status yet, but is absolutely the best desktop operating system Microsoft has ever created. Seriously, folks, it is exceptional. If your computer is compatible with it, and you like Windows 10, you will probably enjoy Windows11 even more -- if you keep an open mind.

You see, the upcoming Windows 11 is likely to be quite polarizing. It features radical changes to the user interface (such as a centered task bar) which I adore, but other users are sure to dislike. Not to mention, the system requirements will leave many still-capable computers unable to upgrade. Even worse, you might be left without updates! These unfortunate computer owners will have to decide whether to continue using Windows 10 or buy a new Windows 11-compatible PC.

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