Articles about Microsoft

If you run into major problems in Windows 10, sometimes the easiest solution is reset the system. You can do this by going to Settings > 'Update & security' and clicking on Recovery. From here, click the 'Get started' button under Reset this PC and pick an option -- you can choose to 'Keep my files', or 'Remove everything' and the tool will reinstall Windows for you, hopefully fixing your problems.

However, there’s a new, even better solution to be found in Windows Defender, called Fresh Start.

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According to NetMarketShare, Windows 10's usage share growth has stalled recently. It lost some share in February, and made only very minor gains in March. The analyst firm’s numbers seem to suggest that Windows 10 has run out of steam.

But that’s usage numbers -- people using Windows regularly on a monthly basis -- which isn’t quite the same as market share. If you want to know just how well Windows 10 is doing in that respect, Microsoft’s Windows Trends page has the figures you want, and they’re currently showing the new OS losing share to Windows 7.

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Security issues with Word documents are nothing new, but they have a tendency to rely on macros -- something which users have learned to become very wary of. But now security firms FireEye and McAfee have discovered a new attack strategy that takes advantage of Windows Object Linking and Embedding (OLE).

The attack can be used to infect even a fully patched computer with malware, and it is believed to be effective in most -- if not all -- versions of Microsoft Word, and Windows 10 offers no protection. The 0day works by using code embedded in a document to pull in malware from a remote server, using various techniques to hide what is going on.

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There are a large number of emulators out there, including a wide range of Xbox and PlayStation emulators. These give gamers the opportunity to play their favorite console games on their PC, but Microsoft has now formally banned such software from the Windows Store.

Emulators have long been the subject of legal wranglings because of concerns about copyright and intellectual property infringements, and now the Windows-maker has put its foot down. The developers of NES emulator NESBox are among those affected by the ban, and point to a recent change in Microsoft's rules for the Window Store -- affecting not only Windows 10, but also Xbox One users.

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Yesterday saw not only the release of the first Redstone 3 build of Windows 10, but also the launch of the Windows Insider Program for Business.

This new program works in much the same way as the existing Windows Insider program, but this time there is a focus on IT professionals and businesses. It will give Microsoft the opportunity to gather more information from big customers, and allow businesses to try out new features ahead of their official launch.

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The majority of Windows 10 users are still waiting to receive the Creators Update, but Microsoft has just released the first update from the Development Branch to Windows Insiders on the Fast ring.

Build 16170 for PC doesn’t have any new features or massive changes to get excited about (no sign of Project Neon or OneDrive On Demand Sync here) but there are plenty of smaller changes, improvements and fixes, as well as a number of known issues to watch out for.

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Like all big new versions of Windows 10, the Creators Update introduces a lot more features and improvements than just the headline additions.

If you’re wondering exactly what changes Microsoft has made to its new OS, we have a (nearly) complete changelog for you to browse.

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Although Microsoft’s official rollout of the Windows 10 Creators Update begins on April 11, you can get it now, if you so desire.

I’ve updated my copy of Windows 10, because I have to. I write about Windows a lot, and so I need to be on the latest version. But if you don’t need to be running the Creators Update, and you’re not desperate for any of the new features or improvements, I’d caution against upgrading, and here’s why.

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According to a recent J.D. Power study (2017 U.S. Tablet Satisfaction), Microsoft's Surface tablets have beaten Apple's iPad in overall customer satisfaction. This is significant, as it is the first time it has ever happened. The Windows-maker had not been able to topple Apple in this regard, so surely there is some champagne-popping going on at Microsoft headquarters.

While high satisfaction is definitely something to be proud of, the study is arguably flawed. Why do I say this? The Surface tablets are an entirely different product class than the iPad. True, they are both "tablets" as they are rectangular and feature touch screens, but Microsoft's offerings are desktop and laptop replacements -- Apple's tablet products are primarily secondary devices. It simply doesn't make sense to compare them.

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Windows 10 Creators Update, a major and feature-packed update for the OS, starts its official rollout on April 11.

New features include a Paint 3D app and new "mixed reality" VR support; Game Mode to boost performance for demanding games, and built-in game broadcasting; and the Windows Defender Security Center gives one-stop access to your key security settings.

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The next addition to the Xbox family is code-named Project Scorpio, and today details about the next-generation console have emerged. Rather unusually, these details have come neither direct from Microsoft nor through a series of leaks.

For reasons best known to Microsoft, the company chose to invite Digital Foundry to its Redmond campus and reveal Project Scorpio details. Due for release later this year (Q4 to be a little more precise), the console is said to be running ahead of schedule, and boasts some impressive specs that will have gamers drooling.

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If you try to perform a clean installation of Windows 10 Creators Update on your Mac with Boot Camp Assistant you'll quickly find that it is not possible. As Microsoft notes, you'll end up with a Stop error with the code 0xc000000f in winload.efi.

Microsoft has not made it clear just why this problem occurs, but it does not mean that you are not able to install Creators Update. If you're eager to get the very latest version of Windows installed on your Mac, here's what you need to do.

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The launch date for Windows 10 Creators Update -- the next big update for Windows 10 -- is April 11, but there's no need to wait until Tuesday to get it. While the automated rollout starts next week, Microsoft has released the update so you can install it manually.

We already knew that Microsoft would be making the update available a week early. With the automatic rollout and update process expected to take months, you may well want to jump the queue and grab what Microsoft is calling the "latest and best version of Windows" right now. Here's how to do just that -- you don’t even need to be part of the Insider program.

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Microsoft has had something of a checkered history when it comes to privacy, particularly with Windows 10. Telemetry concerns have blighted the latest version of the company's operating system for many people, but now it has finally decided to come clean.

Ahead of the release of Windows 10 Creators Update, Microsoft reveals full details of the data it collects about users who opt into providing basic-level telemetry information. The company also provides some details -- but not as much as many would like -- about what is collected when the full level of telemetry is selected. This is Microsoft's attempt to come clean about privacy in Windows 10, but is it too little too late?

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If you have been following the development of Windows 10 with any degree of interest, it can't have escaped your attention that Windows 10 Creators Update is due to roll out next week -- starting on April 11 to be precise. Of course, there's nothing stopping you from grabbing the update right now, but now many people are starting to think about the next stage of Windows 10's future.

The next branch of development is Redstone 3 and Microsoft promises that new builds will start to creep out very soon. Dona Sarkar advises that "you won't see many big noticeable changes or new features in new builds just yet," but that's not to say big changes aren't coming -- such as Project NEON. The focus for now is on OneCore, and Microsoft warns that bugs might be an issue to start with.

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