Microsoft Q&A launches to replace TechNet and MSDN forums
Microsoft launched a preview of Microsoft Q&A, a "global, community-driven platform for timely, high-quality technical answers" this week.
Microsoft Q&A will replace the MDSN and TechNet forums which IT professionals and developers used in the past to ask and answer questions.
Over half of Windows 10 PCs now running the May 2019 Update
Microsoft rolls out two feature updates a year for Windows 10, although this year the second of the updates -- the November 2019 Update -- is actually more of a service pack.
The trouble with this twice-yearly update schedule is most people don’t upgrade to the new version right away. In fact, due to compatibility issues, most people don’t even get offered it for months after its initial rollout. As a result, the majority end up running an older version of Windows 10.
Microsoft releases Windows 10 20H1 Build 19013 with more ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
With October coming to a close it won’t be long until the Windows 10 November 2019 Update -- 19H2 -- starts to roll out to users. That’s more of a service pack than a feature update however.
If you want new features, it’s builds on the 20H1 branch that you’ll likely be more interested in. This week’s new flight, Build 19013, comes with more kaomoji and a welcome update to Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) 2.
Microsoft releases updated PowerToys with new PowerRename tool -- and dark mode!
It has been a couple of months since Microsoft unleashed the first build of the Windows 10 version of PowerToys with the promise of more to come.
Now this day has arrived. Today, Microsoft has released PowerToys v0.12 which includes not only improvements to the existing utilities, but also a brand new tool in the form of PowerRename.
Windows 10 still has problems with the Start menu and search even after the KB4522355 update
The Start menu is at the heart of Windows 10, so any problems with it have serious repercussions. Included in Microsoft's recent batch of bug-riddled updates, however, there have been two -- KB4515384 and KB4524147 -- which have broken the Start menu in various ways.
Last week Microsoft released KB4522355 proclaiming that it fixed issues with both the Start menu and search. Only it didn't fix problems for everyone. Start menu problems remain, and some users are still unable to use the search facility.
Microsoft awarded Pentagon's controversial JEDI contract
Microsoft has beaten Amazon to win the controversial $10 billion Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) cloud contract from the US Department of Defense.
A year ago, Microsoft employees were trying to discourage the company from bidding for the contract over concerns that the technology is develops could "be used for waging war". The DoD confirmation that the "contract will address critical and urgent unmet warfighter requirements for modern cloud infrastructure" will do nothing to calm these fears.
Major leak reveals more about Microsoft Windows 10X
When Microsoft revealed the Surface Laptop 3, Surface Pro 7 and Surface Pro X recently, it also revealed Windows 10X, a version of Windows 10 optimized for dual-screen devices. At the time, details were not extensive, but now a major leak sheds some light on what we can expect to see.
Documentation for Windows 10X (or Santorini OS) has appeared online, revealing that Microsoft will also allow the operating system to be run on more traditional laptops. There are also some intriguing screenshots that give us a glimpse into the future.
Best Windows 10 apps this week
Three-hundred-and-fifty-eight 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 is rolling out a Store update that features a new layout. The update is rolled out over time and features a new set of categories and sections. Apps are now found under Productivity in the Store.
Windows XP 2019 Edition is the operating system Microsoft should be making [repost]
Microsoft launched Windows XP 18 years ago today. Despite support ending for it back in 2014, the OS is still to be found on just under 3 percent of the world's PCs, according to NetMarketShare. Many people still look back fondly on it, and for good reason. It was a huge step up from the gray, bland Windows versions that proceeded it.
Although Microsoft does issue the very occasional update for XP, in the main it's now viewed as a relic from days gone by, and lacking many of the modern features we take for granted in Windows 10. But what if Microsoft updated it? To celebrate the operating system's big 18th birthday, we thought it would be fun to repost this story from a couple of months ago.
Microsoft releases KB4522355 update for Windows 10, fixing Start menu problems and more
Microsoft has released a series of problematic updates in recent months. The company seems to be playing catch-up, pushing out patches for bugs caused by the last update, in turn introducing new problems.
With the newly released KB4522355 update, Microsoft says that it has fixed a number of issues -- including problems with the Start menu, the Cortana Search bar, Tray icons and Microsoft Edge -- that were caused by other recent updates.
New Microsoft Store layout is rolling out
A new Microsoft Store layout featuring a new look and categories is rolling out now.
Windows 10 users who open the Microsoft Store on their devices may see the new layout already. It includes a new set of categories and reorganizes entire sections of the store.
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 teardown reveals that it is partly held together with magnets
Microsoft recently unveiled the Surface Laptop 3 and, true to form, iFixit has taken one into the labs and ripped it to pieces.
The teardown shows that Microsoft has learned a lot, and the laptop is significantly easier to repair than the previous generation. While still a long way from perfect, the Surface Laptop 3 earns itself a huge jump in its repairability -- not least because it is held together in places with magnets.
Microsoft releases Windows 10 20H1 Build 19008
Microsoft is currently expected to begin rolling out the Windows 10 19H2 release -- the November 2019 Update -- on November 12.
In the meantime however, it’s busy working on the follow up, due out next May. The latest flight from the 20H1 branch doesn’t have any new features, but Build 19008 does include a number of useful fixes and improvements. These are:
Microsoft buys cloud migration tool Mover to simplify switching to OneDrive
With a seemingly endless array of cloud storage services to choose from, you may well find that you want to switch allegiances at some point. Jumping from one service to another can be a pain, but with its purchase of Mover, Microsoft has just made it much easier to make the move to OneDrive.
Details of the deal have not been revealed, but Microsoft is keen for people to use the service to migrate from one several supported cloud providers to either OneDrive or SharePoint.
Microsoft teams up with chipmakers to create Secured-core PCs with unhackable firmware
Microsoft is partnering with PC manufacturers and chip-makers on a new initiative designed to make systems with firmware that cannot be hacked.
Called Secured-core PCs, the systems apply the security best practices of isolation and minimal trust to the firmware layer. This helps to protect systems from low-level interference by malicious code.
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