Articles about Microsoft

We're edging ever closer to the release of the Windows 10 Spring Creators Update, due out next month. It's believed we're at the RTM phase now, but Microsoft will still be issuing updates to Insiders.

Today, Build 17133 arrives for those on the Fast ring, and just like in Build 17128, which came out late last week, it’s missing the watermark at the lower right-hand corner of the desktop. Always a sign that we’re nearly ready for the final release.

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A new report from threat intelligence specialist Recorded Future looks at the changing way in which attackers are using vulnerabilities.

In contrast to previous years, most of the criminal exploit kits and phishing campaigns seen in 2017 have favored Microsoft products, rather than the Adobe Flash vulnerabilities which previous research showed as being the most popular.

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Is it cool that there are Linux distributions in the Microsoft Store? Eh, I suppose. While I don't fully trust Microsoft's commitment to both Linux and open source, understandably, some Linux users and administrators have the need to also run Windows 10. And so, from a convenience standpoint, the whole Windows Subsystem for Linux thing is appreciated (we are watching you though, Microsoft!).

Unfortunately, not all Linux distributions are available in the Microsoft Store. This is a problem, as Linux users are very tribal -- a Fedora user, for instance, might be unhappy using Debian. Microsoft hopes to solve this dilemma by making it even easier for distribution maintainers to get their distros into the store. How does the Windows-maker plan to do this? With an all-new GitHub-hosted open source tool called "WSL-DistroLauncher."

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If you’re not sure how to do something with Windows 10, there are plenty of guides to be found on the web.

Today, however, Microsoft is launching a new app called Cortana Show Me which is designed to guide you through Windows 10 settings.

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As we edge ever nearer to the final release of the Windows 10 Spring Creators Update, Microsoft is upping the rate that new builds arrive to Insiders on the Fast ring.

Three days ago saw the arrival of Build 17127, and today, hot on the heels of that, comes Build 17128.

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If you want to know how well Windows 10 is doing in terms of share, you have a number of choices. You can view the figures from StatCounter, which show Windows 10 now ahead of Windows 7, or you can view the figures from NetMarketShare, which show Windows 7 still comfortably in the lead.

You can also look at the figures from Steam, which show the gamer’s perspective, but recently that has been skewed with a large influx of Chinese gamers using Windows 7. Microsoft used to offer its own figures, but stopped updating those in February 2017. However, after a year, it has finally updated its Windows trends page once more, providing an up to date breakdown of Windows market share.

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Microsoft is busy putting the finishing touches to the Windows 10 Spring Creators Update, aka Redstone 4, but it’s already hard at work on the follow up. Redstone 5 will introduce a number of major features including Sets and Cloud Clipboard, but as we discovered a week ago, when Build 17623 rolled out, it could well contain a nasty surprise too.

Microsoft is currently forcing Windows Mail users on the Skip Ahead ring to open links in Edge, even if they prefer to use another browser. Predictably, this proved to be an unpopular move and it will be interesting to see if Microsoft really does listen to Insider feedback and kills this change in a future build.

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Microsoft has revealed details about the upcoming Windows Server 2019. Due for release later in the year, there's a preview available for download right now, giving users the chance to try out the new features, including Linux and Kubernetes support.

Announcing the availability of the build to Windows Insiders, Dona Sarkar said that Microsoft is "pleased to release the first build of the Windows Server 2019 Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) release that contains both the Desktop Experience as well as Server Core in all 18 server languages, as well as the first build of the next Windows Server Semi-Annual Channel release."

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New builds for the Spring Creators Update are coming thick and fast now, as Microsoft edges ever nearer to the release date for the next version of Windows 10.

Today’s new release, Build 17127, fixes a number of issues, but also adds some improvements to Cortana, including a new profile page, and an updated Notebook design for all markets.

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Microsoft rolls out two big feature updates for Windows 10 a year -- one around April-time, and another around October. These introduce new features, a lot of big changes, and improvements across the board.

Due to the size of the updates, the upgrade process takes quite some time, but Microsoft is working to reduce how long you’re "offline" for.

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The next big feature update of Windows 10 -- widely expected to be called the Spring Creators Update -- is due out next month. Microsoft is hard at work putting the finishing touches to it -- another new build arrives today -- but still has time to introduce some new additions.

Microsoft Build 17120 arrived on the Fast ring three days ago, and Microsoft has already deemed it ready for the Slow ring too. This build adds some improvements to the Windows Defender Application Guard (WDAG), its virtualization-based security technology which helps to protect enterprises from advanced attacks that can infiltrate networks and devices via the Internet.

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In addition to releasing a new Windows 10 Redstone 5 build to the Insiders on Skip Ahead, Microsoft today also rolls out a new Spring Creators Update build for Insiders on the Fast ring.

Build 17123 comes just three days after Build 17120, and fixes a number of issues. It also introduces High Efficiency Image File Format (HEIF) for Windows 10 and the Photos app.

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Microsoft is still putting the finishing touches to its next big Windows 10 feature update -- Redstone 4, aka the Spring Creators Update -- due out next month, but in the meantime, work is already well underway on the update to follow that, Redstone 5.

We've already seen the introduction of one big new feature -- Sets in Build 17618 -- and today’s new release, Build 17623, also adds some new features and improvements, as well as one particularly nasty addition.

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Compatibility issues with patches for the Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities saw Microsoft blocking the rollout of security updates to Windows users. The company has just changed its policy for Windows 10 users, but this does not help anyone running Windows 7 or 8.x.

The problem is that updates are blocked for people who have not installed antivirus software known to be fully compatible. When such software is installed, a registry entry is created, and this allows updates to be installed. If you've decided to run the risk of operating without antivirus software installed, this registry won't be created and you won't receive security updates. Unless you hack it, that is.

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Microsoft has launched a bug bounty program that will reward anyone who finds the next Meltdown or Spectre vulnerability. Known as speculative execution side channel vulnerabilities, Microsoft is willing to reward anyone who reports bugs that could cause problems like earlier in the year.

The rewards on offer range from $5,000 up to $250,000 depending on the severity of the vulnerability, and the bounty program runs until the end of 2018. Microsoft says that it will operate under the principles of coordinated vulnerability disclosure.

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