Articles about Microsoft

This Windows 98 themed version of Windows 10 looks amazing

Microsoft Windows has evolved a lot over the years, and while there are still plenty of people who prefer Windows 7 over Windows 10, I can’t imagine there’s many users out there who truly hanker for the days of Windows 95 or 98.

But there are people who enjoy customizing Microsoft’s operating system, and a Redditor by the name of WunJZ has given his copy of Windows 10 an impressive Windows 98 makeover.

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Linux-based Windows 12 Lite is '3x faster than Windows 10' and 'immune from ransomware'

Windows 10 users have had a tough time of it lately, with updates causing all manner of problems, as well as the search function stopping working for many people.

If you’re thinking now might be the time to look into an alternative operating system -- perhaps one based on Linux -- but you’re not quite ready to jump ship from Windows, then Windows 12 Lite, discovered by a redditor at their local computer fair, could be the OS you’re looking for.

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Logitech releases Zone Wired Headset

Wireless is always better than wired, right? Whoa. Slow down there. While wireless products are sometimes more convenient, the truth is, many people prefer wired products, such as mice and keyboards. While having wires on your desk may look unsightly, wired products have the benefit of not needing to be charged. Not to mention, for some businesses, it is against company policy to use wireless keyboards and headsets for fear of communications being intercepted. And so, regardless of what the user wants, wired is all that will be permitted.

Logitech's Zone Wireless Headset, for instance, seems like a great product. If you are someone that wears a headset all day, there is no wire to get tangled in while moving about your desk. Not to mention, it looks quite comfortable. If you like the design, but don't want (or aren't allowed) to use a wireless headset, I have great news. There is finally a cabled variant of the headset, simply called "Zone Wired Headset."

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Latest Windows 7 bug prevents users from shutting down or rebooting

Windows 7 power icon

Just after Windows 7 reached the end of support on January 14, a bug emerged that turned desktops black. Having initially said that only people paying for support would get a fix, Microsoft relented and gave everyone a patch. Now another bug has reared its head, preventing Windows 7 users from shutting down or rebooting their computers.

It's not clear what is causing the bug, but affected users see a message that reads "You don't have permission to shut down this computer" when they attempt to shut down or reboot. There's no fix available just yet, but there are workarounds.

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Microsoft uses Start menu ads to promote its Edge browser

Start menu ad for Microsoft Edge

Microsoft recently released the Chromium-based version of its Edge browser, and now the company seems to be on an all-out offensive to promote it.

Ads have started to appear in Windows 10's Start menu suggesting that Firefox users should try Microsoft Edge instead. This is not the first time the Start menu has been used by Microsoft to promote software, and it's a move that is likely to win the company a few enemies.

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Microsoft releases fix for black desktop bug in Windows 7

Windows 7 close up

With its "last" update for Windows 7, Microsoft managed to introduce a strange bug that left some users staring at a black desktop rather than their preferred background image.

With Windows 7 now at the end of its life, Microsoft initially said that only those who were paying for extended support would get a fix for the bug, but ultimately it relented and said everyone could have it. Now the patch has been released as KB4539602.

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Need to edit PDFs? You may well already have the necessary software installed!

PDF icon on laptop

This is not so much news, more of an FYI. Some of you will no doubt roll your eyes and mutter "d'oh, yeah" at the screen, but for anyone who has been looking for a quick and easy way to edit PDF files we have a tip. You may not know that the software you need to edit PDFs could already be sitting on your hard drive.

The humble PDF has become so ubiquitous that there are endless ways to create them from just about any app, and an increasing number of programs support the option to save document in the PDF format. You're probably aware that Microsoft Word can be used to create PDFs, but did you know it can also function as a PDF editor?

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New Keyboard Shortcut Manager PowerToy lets Windows 10 users remap their keyboards

Keyboard Shortcut Manager PowerToy

Microsoft's PowerToys utilities have always proved popular, and the arrival of a Windows 10 version was met with huge excitement. New utilities have been released over the last few months, and now there is news of a new addition: Keyboard Shortcut Manager.

Despite the name, Keyboard Shortcut Manager does much more than give you control over keyboard shortcuts. On top of this, the PowerToy can be used to remap keys -- something that will be welcomed by power users, developers and people switching from macOS or Linux to Windows.

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Best Windows 10 apps this week

Three-hundred-and-seventy-two in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 on the Microsoft Store in the past seven days.

Microsoft will make some classic applications, Notepad, Paint and WordPad in particular, optional in the coming versions of Windows 10. Means: you can uninstall them easily if you want.

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Microsoft releases Windows 10 Build 19559

The last few Insider builds of Windows 10 haven’t been too exciting, with the focus primarily on fixing problems and making minor changes.

Build 19559.1000 for Windows Insiders in the Fast ring is no different, but it does address a number of stability issues.

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Search is down for Windows 10 users [Updated]

If you’ve tried to search for something in Windows 10 this morning you’ll likely have been greeted by an empty search window.

Type something in, and you’ll get no results. Microsoft has yet to acknowledge the issue, but the problem seems to be caused by Bing’s new integration.

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Microsoft products continue to be most targeted by cybercriminals

Windows key

2019 was the third year in a row that Microsoft technology was most affected by vulnerabilities, with eight of the top 10 vulnerabilities identified targeting its products.

This is a key finding of the Recorded Future annual vulnerability report which also shows that for the first time six of the vulnerabilities, all impacting Microsoft, were repeats from the prior year.

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Yet another Windows 10 update is causing problems

Windows key

Problematic updates for Windows 10 have become pretty common these days, and now it has happened again.

Microsoft released the KB4532695 update last week to address problems with Explorer which were introduced by the November 2019 Update. But this update has itself been found to cause issues, with users complaining of BSoDs, audio problems and more.

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Microsoft will let you uninstall Notepad, Paint and WordPad from Windows 10

Paint roller

It is now a couple of weeks since Microsoft released Windows 10 Insider Build 19551 to the Fast ring, and it seemed like a fairly unexciting build.

But the release actually gave us an interesting glimpse into Microsoft's future plans to give users more control over the operating system. Specifically, it will soon be possible for Windows 10 users to uninstall the likes of Notepad, Paint and WordPad.

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Microsoft cancels launch of Surface Hub 2X compute cartridge

Microsoft Surface Hub 2

Microsoft has changed its mind about the future of the Surface Hub 2. The company had previously planned to release a processor upgrade in the form of the Surface Hub 2X compute cartridge, but this no longer appears to be the case.

A leaked webinar shows that Microsoft's plans to release a processor- and GPU-enhancing upgrade cartridge have been put on hold, with the company now planning to release a "major software update" for Surface Hub and Surface Hub 2

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