Articles about Microsoft

2020 has been an awful year for most people. The coronavirus has torn through our lives, we’ve experienced lockdowns and job losses, the United States is more divided than ever, and let’s not even mention the ongoing shitshow that is the presidential election.

Although it’s not likely to be much better to begin with, 2021 really can’t come soon enough. A redesigned Windows 10 isn’t going to be at the top of most people’s wishlists for the upcoming year, but Windows 21 has got our attention.

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Last month, security researchers at Google's Project Zero released details of a zero-day vulnerability in Windows that was being actively exploited.

Hacklers were taking advantage of a Windows Kernel Cryptography Driver security flaw (CVE-2020-117087) to gain elevated privileges in Windows 7, 8, and 10, as well as Windows Server 2008 and higher. As part of yesterday's Patch Tuesday release, Microsoft has now issued a fix for the vulnerability.

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It is only a month until Windows 10 version 1903 reaches end of service. When December 8 rolls around, any systems running this version of the operating system will no longer receive security updates.

But Microsoft has a solution to ensure that there are not millions of unsecured computers out there -- forcibly upgrading them to a newer, supported version of Windows 10.

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We have written about the micropatching outfit 0patch several times here on BetaNews. Offering "security patching simplified to the extreme" 0patch has previously offered security fixes for problem with Internet Explorer and Windows 7 either before Microsoft has been able to do so, or after the company has stopped offering support for a particular product.

Now 0patch has done it again, announcing that it has "security adopted" Office 2010. This version of Microsoft's iconic office suite is -- as of October -- no longer officially supported, but 0patch says that it will help keep users secured against vulnerabilities with its micropatches.

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If you're running Windows 10 version 20H2 or Windows 10 version 2004, you may well be experiencing problems if you're using a Thunderbolt NVMe SSD. There are also update compatibility holds in place for people trying to upgrade to these versions of Windows 10.

Microsoft has acknowledged an issue that causes such Solid State Disks to generate blue screens in recent versions of Windows 10. People affected by the issue will see an error that reads "DRIVER_VERIFIER_DMA_VIOLATION (e6) An illegal DMA operation was attempted by a driver being verified"; Microsoft says a fix is being worked on.

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Today is just a typical boring Wednesday, with nothing of any note going on in the world, and certainly not in America.

Thankfully then, Microsoft has a new Windows 10 Insider Preview build on hand to brighten the days of those in the Dev Channel.

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Security issues are frequently exposed by Google's Project Zero; just days ago, security researchers revealed details of an actively exploited Windows Kernel Cryptography Driver security flaw.

Now Project Zero has released details of a serious security flaw in another Microsoft venture -- GitHub. The bug relates to GitHub Actions' workflow commands and is described as being high severity. It was discovered back in July but, as per the standard 90-day disclosure period, details are only just now being made public.

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We know that Microsoft is planning to give Windows 10 a makeover in the future, but it’s unlikely that the software giant will really go to town on the design, with the focus of its UI revamp -- codenamed Sun Valley -- being more on tweaking things and expanding on the Fluent Design language currently in use.

While some people are more than happy with how Windows 10 looks, it’s pretty bland when compared to macOS. But what if Apple and Microsoft joined forces to produce a Windows/macOS hybrid?

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The Start menu has evolved hugely since it was first introduced in Windows 95. While many of the changes that have been introduced over the years have been welcomed, this is not the case for everyone.

You might well be using Windows 10, but you may yearn for the Start menu that was to be found in Windows 7. There's no need to hack your system or resort to using virtualization software to run an ancient operating system, you can get a Windows 7-style Start menu in Windows 10 -- you can even customize the Start button. Here's how.

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Many technology pundits have been theorizing and discussing the possibility of Windows eventually becoming a Linux-based operating system. They cite the fact that Microsoft has become less dependent on Windows for revenue, making it silly to dedicate so many resources to it. Not to mention, Microsoft has certainly cozied up to both the Linux and open source communities nowadays.

Do I think Microsoft will make this move one day? Who knows. Years ago I'd say it was crazy, but in 2020, the company's flagship mobile device -- the Surface Duo -- runs the Linux-based Android. For now, Linux-based Windows remains pure conjecture. With that said, I think we can all agree on one thing -- Linux is the future of desktop computing, with Chrome OS leading the sea change.

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Google has shared details of a bug in the Windows Kernel Cryptography Driver (cng.sys) which is currently being exploited in the wild by hackers.

The Project Zero team had already privately shared details of the security flaw with Microsoft a little over a week ago, but now that it is being actively exploited the company has gone public. The zero-day flaw is being tracked as CVE-2020-117087, and it is not likely to be addressed by Microsoft for a couple of weeks.

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If you’re an Insider on the Dev Channel, you can today download a new Windows 10 build. This one is different from previous such releases however, as it comes from a new branch.

Windows 10 Build 20246, like future Dev Channel flights, will now come from the FE_RELEASE branch. That’s not all though. This release also removes various new features.

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Ignite 2020, Microsoft’s largest event of the year, was delivered as a digital experience this year. Aligned with COVID-19 responses across the world, Microsoft used this far-reaching platform as an ideal opportunity to showcase new and upcoming Microsoft technologies, which will directly enable organizations to meet the challenges of a changing world and rebuild for a better future.

Echoing CEO Satya Nadella’s opening keynote remarks focused on Microsoft’s defined emphasis on response, recovery and resilience in the face of the global pandemic, the company stands poised to pave the path forward for true digital transformation. Emphasizing customer engagement and optimized operations to meet the ever-changing landscape of our "new normal," Ignite 2020 highlighted newly updated and improved tools geared toward the new hybrid working normal, ever-increasing virtual landscapes and collaboration for both face-to-face and remote teams as key components to organizations’ success in the immediate future.

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It’s been reported today that Microsoft is planning on giving Windows 10 a fresh coat of paint next year, updating the Start menu, File Explorer, and the Action Center.

There’s no question that Windows 10 is long overdue a decent makeover, but will Microsoft take it far enough?

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Windows 10 is set to undergo a huge redesign next year, with sources saying that the likes of Explorer, the Action Center and the Start menu will be getting big overhauls.

The UI revamp has been codenamed Sun Valley, and it is due for a public release some time in the holiday season 2021. While the Windows 10 October 2020 Update introduced some changes to the Start menu, it is a while since Windows 10 received any significant updates to the user interface. With Sun Valley, however, Microsoft is said to be "reinvigorating" the operating system.

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