Articles about Microsoft

If you’re thinking of joining the Windows 10 Insider program, or you just want to do a clean install with an up to date version of Windows 10, the good news is Microsoft has released a new ISO image.

The image, for Build 15042, is available to all, and you can download it now. This build rolled out to Insiders on the Fast ring last Friday. It's not the very latest release -- that would be Build 15046, which Microsoft released yesterday -- but it includes a lot of important bug fixes, and some welcome additions to Edge and Cortana.

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According to NetMarketShare, in January, Windows 10 hit a big milestone. The new OS managed to grow by nearly one percentage point, to give it over 25 percent of the market. That’s pretty good going.

However, in February, Windows 10 went back into reverse gear, losing share, and not for the first time.

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Work continues apace on the next big update to Windows 10, and Microsoft has rolled out a new build to the Fast ring a mere four days after the last one.

Build 15046 for PC (no new Mobile build yet) adds some additional functionality and tweaks to the OS, as well as squashing plenty of bugs.

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Gaming can be an expensive business, with games often costing $60. Starting later this spring, however, things are set to get cheaper. Microsoft is about to launch Xbox Game Pass, a $9.99 per month subscription that gives unlimited access to over 100 Xbox One and Xbox 360 games.

Fears that this might just mean access to a substandard set of titles appear to be unfounded -- games such as Halo 5: Guardians, Payday 2, NBA 2K16 and SoulCalibur II are to be found on the list. Microsoft is quick to stress that this is not a streaming service; subscribers will be able to download full games to the console.

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Microsoft has announced that it will discontinue its Skype WiFi service as of March 31. The global retirement of the service is to allow the company to focus on "core Skype features".

Skype WiFi allows for paid Internet access through hotspots around the world, and is something that proved quite popular with travelers looking to minimize data roaming charges. After the cut-off date, Skype WiFi will no longer be available, and the various mobile apps will no longer act as a hotspot finder.

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If you want to keep your computer secure and clutter-free, it's important to keep an eye on what gets installed. This is fairly easy if you're the only person to use your computer, but less so if you share it with kids or other members of your household. To make it easier to lock down Windows 10 Creators Update, you can block the installation of all software that doesn't come from the Windows Store.

Why would you want to do this? Well, blocking non-Windows Store software means blocking traditional programs, and these are the ones that are more liable to be malicious or pose a security threat. Apps that have made it into the Windows Store have -- in theory -- been vetted to some degree, and are less able to wreak havoc. Here's what you need to do.

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While attendees and fans of MWC 2017 were hoping for at least a little news about the Samsung Galaxy S8, Samsung forwent phones completely and instead offered up a pair of tablets: the Galaxy Tab S3, and the Galaxy Book.

The Galaxy Book is the fruit of an "expanded strategic partnership" between Samsung and Microsoft, and is described as a "premium 2-in-1 designed with the mobile enterprise customer in mind". Available in 10.6" and 12" models, there are natural comparisons to draw with both the Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book.

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Not content with publishing details of an unpatched Windows bug, Google has now gone public with a security vulnerability in both Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer. Going under the description of "Type confusion in HandleColumnBreakOnColumnSpanningElement", the bug has the potential to allow an attacker to execute malicious code.

The vulnerability has been assigned the code CVE-2017-0037, and details of the flaw have been published under the terms of Google's Project Zero. Microsoft was notified about the problem 90 days ago, and as the company failed to patch it Google has made the problem public.

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With all of the talk about border walls and immigration in the news lately, something very important sometimes gets forgotten in the discussion -- Mexicans are people. In other words, these folks are just as important as anyone else; they are not statistics. The same goes for everyone regardless of skin color, religion, region, or country. All humans matter.

Microsoft is a company that focuses on all people globally -- its products and initiatives are improving lives all over the world. Today, the Windows-maker announces it will better protect Mexicans and other Latin American people regarding information security. How? Microsoft has opened a new cybersecurity center in Mexico. The company is also working with Mexico's Federal Police to better fight cybercrime.

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This weekend is the Daytona 500. I won't be watching. While I absolutely love cars, Nascar has never been my thing. Race cars going in a circle? Meh. Daytona USA for Sega Saturn is one of my favorite games of all time, however, but I digress.

Even though Nascar isn't for everyone, it is still very popular with many. Not only do people like to watch the event as spectators, but some folks like to gamble on it too. If you are planning to put some money on the race, Microsoft may have some useful information for you. The company's Bing Predicts division is saying Denny Hamlin will win the race. Actually, the Windows-maker has predicted the top 5 positions.

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Like buses, you wait over a week for a new Windows 10 Insider Build… and then two come along at once.

In this case, there are two distinct builds -- Build 15042 for PC, and Build 15043 for Mobile. We’re edging ever close to the release of the Creators Update, and so while a lot of the changes in these releases are about squashing bugs and fixing issues, Microsoft has still managed to introduce some new features.

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If you own a Samsung Galaxy smartphone, and run Windows 10, we’ve got some good news for you.

From April, which is when it’s anticipated that Microsoft will be rolling out the Windows 10 Creators Update, you’ll be able to unlock any Windows 10 device by using your phone… and that’s not all.

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Microsoft is currently working hard on the next big update to Windows 10, which it’s calling the Creators Update. This will be the second release on the Redstone branch (Redstone 1 being the Anniversary Update).

There is yet another release from the Redstone branch planned for later this year, and although Microsoft has yet to name it, work is already underway internally.

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When vulnerabilities are found in Microsoft products, collective breaths are held until the company releases security bulletins. But analysis of security issues by software manufacture Avecto shows that the overwhelming majority of these vulnerabilities can be mitigated against by simply removing administrator right from users.

Avecto CEO Mark Austin and CTO Marco Peretti say that organizations need to address the problem of "over privileged users". The duo say that this would help to avoid the security problems caused by 94 percent of critical vulnerabilities in Microsoft products. The research also found that Windows 10 had the highest proportion of vulnerabilities of any operating system.

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Microsoft is pushing out updates to the Mail and Calendar apps in Windows 10, introducing a number of new features including the Focused Inbox we've already seen in the mobile version of Outlook.

The new features come ahead of "architectural improvements" that will speed up performance, and Microsoft is seen borrowing ideas heavily from Google's Gmail and Calendar tools in a bid to make its own apps more useful and helpful.

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