Microsoft

Microsoft has eliminated one of the reasons for people to upgrade to Windows 11 later in the year. The company has revealed that DirectStorage -- the storage technology behind Xbox’s Velocity Architecture -- will also be available in Windows 10.

The launch of Windows 11 has already been mired in poor communication in relation to hardware requirements, and it's not clear if the apparent change of heart with DirectStorage in Windows 10 is down to continued weak messaging, or if the company has performed a U-turn based on feedback from disgruntled gamers. Either way, anyone choosing to stick with Windows 10 will benefit from DirectStorage, although it will be a lesser experience than in Windows 11.

It is far from uncommon for software companies to be a little vague when it comes to releases dates. By keeping their cards close to their chest, any delays in launches can be overlooked on the basis that if no release date has been announced, it can't be missed.

And so with Windows 11. When Microsoft announced the upcoming operating system we were simply told that it would be ready in time for the holiday season. However, there have been hints, rumors and suggestions that Windows 11 will launch in October, and this has been further hinted at by documentation from Intel.

Security researchers have shown that it is possible to bypass the biometric security of Windows Hello. Using a fake web, the CyberArk Labs research team was able to fool the facial recognition component of Windows Hello to send infrared images.

Windows Hello requires a camera with RGB and IR sensors, but the security tool actually only uses IR imagery. Using a custom USB device, hackers can manipulate the stream of data that is sent, injecting IR imagery of an authorized user.

The US, UK and other allied nations have accused the Chinese Ministry of State Security of engaging in a global hacking campaign. Included in this was an attack on Microsoft Exchange servers earlier in the year, and other activity that has been described as "irresponsible and destabilizing behavior in cyberspace".

China has been called on to "end this systematic cyber sabotage", and a statement issued by the White House said that "an unprecedented group of allies and partners are joining the United States in exposing and criticizing the PRC’s malicious cyber activities".

Whether it is because of concern about eye health, or just a general aesthetic preference for more muted colors, dark modes have become prevalent in apps and operating system. Windows is no different in this regard, and with Windows 11 Microsoft is giving dark mode a promotion.

The company has revealed that Windows 11 will have dark mode activated as standard. It will, of course, remain possible to switch to a lighter option, but dark mode will be the default setting out of the box.

After the PrintNightmare fiasco of recent weeks, Microsoft has shared information about another Windows Print Spooler security vulnerability.

The issue is being tracked as CVE-2021-34481, and is described as a "Windows Print Spooler Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability". For the time being, there is no patch available, but Microsoft has offered details of a workaround that mitigates against potential attack -- but it is far from being an ideal solution.

The excitement surrounding the unveiling of Windows 11 was tempered slightly when the system requirements were revealed and it turned out a large number of Windows 10 systems would be incompatible with the new OS.

Microsoft’s own system compatibility checker proved to be rather useless -- if your PC failed the check it provided no details on why -- leading the software giant to pull it. Thankfully a number of third parties have stepped up to fill the void, the latest one being German software developer Ashampoo.

Following the grand reveal a few weeks ago, Microsoft has been rolling out new Windows 11 preview builds to Insiders in the Dev Channel on a weekly basis.

Today sees the release of Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22000.71 which comes with a number of changes and improvements, including a new widget and updated looks for the context and other right-click menus.

It has been a while since there was an update to Windows Terminal, but now Microsoft has released two key releases, both with huge changes and additions. On the stable side of things is Windows Terminal v1.9.1942.0, little changed since it was a preview build, but there is far more of note in version 1.10 (or Windows Terminal Preview v1.10.1933.0 for the completists out there).

In addition to the usual swathe of bug fixes, there is a new system of tray icons for quake mode, a new Command Palette drop down menu, various interface changes and much more. Another key change means that anyone running Windows 11 now needs to be using at least version 1.10 of Terminal.

When Windows 10 was announced back in 2014, Microsoft caused alarm bells to ring when it said the new operating system would be free "for the first year", and referring to it "as a service". That led to speculation that the software giant would start charging a monthly fee for Windows 10, much as it does for Office with Microsoft 365.

That never came to pass, but today at its Inspire 2021 conference Microsoft takes the wraps off Windows 365, a cloud-based Windows subscription service.

Windows 11 is almost upon us. While the look may not be radically different to Windows 10 -- evolution over revolution is a phrase you'll hear bandied around -- it is still different enough for the changes to be instantly noticeable.

You may be wondering just how and why Microsoft took the design decisions it did with Windows 11. To help sate this curiosity, the Microsoft Design team has given us a fascinating insight into the process and the philosophy that underpins everything.

Yesterday was Patch Tuesday, and as such Microsoft released updates to fix a batch of problems with Windows 10.

There are fixes for security issues as well as other niggles, including addressing the PrintNightmare vulnerability. KB5004237 is available for Windows 10 versions 2004, 20H2 and 21H1, while KB5004245 is just for version 1909.

The accidental revelation of the PrintNightmare security vulnerability in Windows set off a chain of workarounds, third-party patches, official patches and problems with patches. But even after two weeks of back and forth, there are still steps you need to take to ensure that you're fully protected.

Microsoft recently updated its security advisory notice about the vulnerability to include additional details that system administrators should check. A quick visit to the registry is all it takes to ensure complete security.

It's no secret that Microsoft has been showing Linux a lot more love in recent years -- just look to Windows Subsystem for Linux as an example. Nonetheless, it might surprise you to learn that Microsoft has its very own Linux distribution.

A recent blog post by a member of the Microsoft Azure team shares details on the company's Linux distro. In it, Juan Manuel Rey sheds light on the creation, and gives an intriguing insight into it. Called CBL-Mariner the distro is used by Microsoft engineering teams to build its cloud infrastructure and edge products and services.

With the upcoming release of Windows 11, there is a lot of attention focused on certain areas of the operating system -- notably centering of the Start menu, the arrival of widgets, and the visual tweaks that Microsoft has introduced.

But there are also new keyboard shortcuts. These provide easy access to many of the new features of Windows 11 and are a faster way of getting around than using a mouse or trackpad. Not only are there completely new shortcuts to learn, but some key combinations have changed from Windows 10, and have inherited new functions in Windows 11.