Enterprises lagging behind on Windows 10 migration
Windows 7 support comes to an end six months from now, although businesses will be able to pay for Windows 7 Extended Security Updates (ESU) for a further three years -- at a ratcheted cost. Windows Enterprise customers can expect to pay $25 per device for the updates, rising to $100 in the third year. For Windows 7 Professional, the starting figure is $50 per device, rising to $200.
Aware that time is running out, many enterprises have already moved to Windows 10, but a large number remain significantly behind in completing the migration process, according to new findings from endpoint management and security company 1E.
Privacy concerns raised that SmartScreen in Edge shares browsing history with Microsoft
A security researcher has revealed that the SmartScreen feature of Microsoft Edge is sharing full URLs of pages visited with the Windows-maker. Also shared are users' account IDs, raising concerns about privacy-invading tracking of browsing history.
SmartScreen is a security feature that Microsoft uses to identify phishing and malware websites, but the lack of obfuscation or anonymization of URLs shared with the company opens ups the potential for invasions of privacy and the revealing of sensitive information.
Microsoft to pay $26 million to settle claims of violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
Microsoft has come to an agreement with the US Justice Department and the SEC because of employee misconduct in Hungary. The company was to face a probe over violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
In agreeing to pay this money, Microsoft is neither really admitting guilt nor denying the claims made against it, and company President and Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith has written to all employees saying: "There is no room for compromise when it comes to ethical business practices".
Microsoft plows $1 billion into OpenAI partnership
Microsoft is investing $1 billion in a multi-year partnership with OpenAI-- a company co-founded by Elon Musk three years ago.
The partnership will see Microsoft and OpenAI working together to build new Azure AI supercomputing technologies. Microsoft says that it will focus on building a platform to create new AI technologies and deliver on the promise of artificial general intelligence (AGI).
Microsoft releases Windows 10 20H1 Build 18941, but warns the installation may fail or cause your PC to get stuck in a boot loop
Windows Insiders like to be on the cutting edge, trying out new Windows 10 features well before regular users do. For that reason, most Insiders opt to be in the Fast ring, rather than the Slow or Release Preview rings.
It does mean they are more at risk from potential problems of course, but that’s often a risk worth taking. Often, but not always.
Microsoft is ripping SMS Connect from Skype... Again
Microsoft has announced that it is cutting the SMS Connect feature from Skype at the end of August.
The feature -- which makes it possible for Android users to send and receive text messages via Skype on their computers -- has been dropped in the past but made a reappearance last year. But now Microsoft is trying to push people into using the Your Phone app instead.
Microsoft warns thousands that they are victims of state-sponsored hacking
Microsoft has revealed that it has issued warnings to nearly 10,000 people that they are the targets or victims of state-sponsored hacking.
The announcement comes as Microsoft showcases election systems running Microsoft ElectionGuard which not only helps to increase security, but also makes voting more accessible. Microsoft reveals that the vast majority of the state-sponsored attacks targeted enterprise customers, but there were still a significant number of regular consumers affected.
Microsoft releases Windows 10 19H2 Build 18362.10005 to the Slow ring
Windows Insiders on the Fast ring have been receiving weekly Windows 10 builds from the 20H1 branch -- the feature update due out a year from now.
There is another update coming later this year though, and Insiders on the Slow ring are receiving these 19H2 builds as cumulative updates.
German schools ban Microsoft Office 365 because of privacy concerns
The German state of Hesse has banned schools from using Microsoft Office 365 because it fears the software opens up student and teachers' private information to the risk of "potential access by US authorities".
The Hesse Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (HBDI) believes that Office 365 is in contravention of GDPR legislation, and also expressed concerns about the collection of telemetry data by Windows 10.
Microsoft blocks Surface Book 2 owners from upgrading to Windows 10 1903
Having just removed some of the blocks that were preventing people from installing Windows 10 May 2019 Update (Windows 10 version 1903), the company has now introduced a couple more obstacles -- including for its own devices.
One of the new blocks prevents Surface Book 2 owners from installing the update, while another affects systems with Intel 4 series chipset integrated GPUs.
Microsoft backtracks on plans to scrap free software licenses for partners
When Microsoft announced that it was going to start charging its partners for software licenses that had previously been free, there was an understandable backlash.
Now the company has announced that it is putting these plans on hold, and free software licenses will still be available to Microsoft Partners. On the eve of its Inspire conference, Microsoft's Gavriella Schuster revealed that the decision to revoke internal use rights (IURs) has now been reversed.
Microsoft fixes some problems that blocked upgrades to Windows 10 version 1903
Installation rates for Windows 10 May 2019 Update (version 1903) remain low, and this is at least in part because Microsoft has blocked updates for many people because of a series of problems with hardware and software compatibility.
Now installation numbers may start to increase as Microsoft has removed some of these blocks -- although the company warns that it could take a little while for the update to appear to those who were previously unable to install it.
Microsoft Teams is more popular than Slack
Microsoft has shared usage numbers for its group chat tool, Teams. The company has revealed the number of daily and weekly users for the first time, and they reveal that Microsoft Teams has overtaken Slack in popularity.
The number of daily users of Microsoft Teams stands at 13 million, while the weekly figure is 19 million. Considering the service is just two years old, to have surpassed the behemoth that is Slack is an impressive achievement.
Microsoft sneaks telemetry into Windows 7 via security update
Microsoft appears to be at it again, adding telemetry components into its operating system. This time around it is Windows 7 that gets the telemetry treatment, and Microsoft seems to have gone about things in a rather sneaky fashion.
The latest "security-only" update for Windows 7 includes a Compatibility Appraiser element (KB2952664) which performs checks to see whether a system can be updated to Windows 10. Hardly what most people would consider a security-only update. So what's going on?
Microsoft is retiring its 3D model repository Remix 3D
Microsoft has emailed users of Remix3D.com to warn them that the site is to be retired in six months' time.
The site is a repository of free 3D models designed to be used in the likes of Paint3D, PowerPoint and the Windows 10 Photos app. The move is not entirely surprising as the writing has been on the wall for some time -- references to Remix3D were removed from Paint3D some time ago, for instance.
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