Articles about Microsoft

Microsoft finally makes Windows 11 23H2 available via the Media Creation Tool

Windows 11 laptop and mobile

There are a number of ways to install Windows 11, including using Microsoft's Media Creation Tool to creation installation media.

While Windows 11 23H2 has been available for a little, now, many people were disappointed that the Media Creation Tool could not be used to download it. Now this changes.

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Get 'Teach Yourself VISUALLY: Excel 365' (worth $18) for FREE

Excel-erate your Excel 365 knowledge with the celebrated Teach Yourself VISUALLY series.

In Teach Yourself VISUALLY: Excel 365, veteran tech educator and writer Paul McFedries delivers a practical, step-by-step guide to using the latest version of the world’s most popular spreadsheet app.

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Best Windows apps this week

Five-hundred-and-sixty-nine in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 and 11 on the Microsoft Store and elsewhere in the past seven days.

Microsoft confirmed that Windows Copilot is coming to Windows 10. The AI promises combines Bing Chat functionality with Windows-specific functions.

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Microsoft will give Europeans the option to remove Edge and Bing from Windows

Windows 11 logo on a laptop

Microsoft is giving users of Windows 10 and Windows 11 living in the European Economic Area (EEA) greater control over their software. The company will soon be making it possible to extricate Microsoft Edge and Bing from the operating system.

This is not really by choice, however. Microsoft is introducing the changes in order to comply with the EEA's Digital Markets Act (DMA). The removal options will be rolling out to Windows 11 users in preview first followed by Windows 10. Microsoft says that both Windows 10 22H2 and Winodws 11 23H2 will be fully compliant by March next year.

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Get 'Mastering Microsoft 365 Defender' (worth $39.99) for FREE

Microsoft 365 Defender is an XDR platform that provides security across multi-platform endpoints, hybrid identities, emails, collaboration tools, and cloud apps. Mastering Microsoft 365 Defender will teach you how to get started and use Microsoft’s suite effectively.

You’ll start with a quick overview of cybersecurity risks that modern organizations face, such as ransomware and APT attacks, how Microsoft is making massive investments in security today, and gain an understanding of how to deploy Microsoft Defender for Endpoint by diving deep into configurations and their architecture.

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Bing Chat is reborn as Copilot as Microsoft continues its AI push with a rebrand

Copilot -- your everyday AI companion

Microsoft has announced a rebranding of Bing Chat and Bing Chat Enterprise to Copilot as part of its "vision to bring Microsoft Copilot to everyone". There is now a lengthy list of products under the Copilot banner, including Microsoft Copilot and Copilot in Windows, but this latest rebrand feels a little odd.

Despite describing Bing as "our leading experience for the web" Microsoft has opted to ditch much of the Bing branding as it embraces Copilot more fully. The company has also revealed that Copilot will become generally available on December 1.

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Microsoft uses Windows 11 update to announce it is killing off Steps Recorder screen recording app

Steps Recorder

Microsoft is slowly but surely trimming the fat away from Windows 11. Over the course of recent months, the company has either removed or announced the future removal of numerous app components, including the Tips and WordPad apps.

Now a new victim has been added to the list. With the release of Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 23590 to the Dev Channel, Microsoft has revealed that screen recording stalwart Steps Recorder is no longer being updated and is lined up for removal further down the line.

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Microsoft releases KB5032190 update bringing an abundance of new features to all Windows 11 users

Windows 11 tiles

It is that time of the month again; Microsoft has released a slew of updates including the KB5032190 update for Windows 11.

As this is a cumulative update that includes security fixes, it is therefore mandatory. But the security patches, while nice, are far from being the highlight. KB5032190 is the update with which Microsoft is giving all Windows 11 users access to the new features of Moment 4, including Taskbar changes and Windows Copilot.

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Microsoft gives admins an extra three years of Extended Security Updates for Windows Server 2012

Microsoft logo

There is some good news for anyone who wants or needs to stick with Windows Server 2012 for a little longer.

Just a month after Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2, and Windows Embedded Server 2012 R2 reached end of support, Microsoft has announced that administrators are able to get three additional years of Extended Security Updates (ESUs).

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Best Windows apps this week

Five-hundred-and-sixty-eight in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 and 11 on the Microsoft Store and elsewhere in the past seven days.

Microsoft announced plans to retire the Tips app on Windows. Three Windows services will also be removed because of security concerns.

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Microsoft celebrates two decades of delivering scheduled Windows updates on Patch Tuesday

Windows Update screen

Patch Tuesday, the second Tuesday of each month when Microsoft releases updates for Windows, has been with us for a long time now. In fact, Microsoft has been using the predictable schedule for releasing patches for no less than 20 years.

The emergence of Patch Tuesday -- a day anticipated for its bug-fixing and dreaded for its bug-introductions -- dates back to the days of Bill Gates and Windows Vista. In celebrating the incredible landmark of two decades of update releases on a reliable timetable, Microsoft has shared some of the history behind it and reiterated the importance of updating the operating system in this way.

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Microsoft to stop giving users Tips for Windows 11

Tips and tricks key on keyboard

Microsoft is far from being a stranger to killing off features in Windows, and this even holds true for the latest version of the operating system, Windows 11. It is usually the case that things that are removed are old, broken, or pose a security risk -- such as recently removed services like WebDAV -- but not always.

The latest victim of Microsoft's deprecation drive is the Tips app that has been used for years to provide users with helpful information and advice about getting the best from Windows.

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Microsoft is killing off three Windows services because of security concerns

Microsoft mirror building logo

It is usually the case that new versions of Windows see the arrival of new features and options, but Microsoft is also known to take things away. This month, Microsoft has taken the decision to deprecate three features and services, including WebDAV, in Windows 10 and Windows 11.

Also for the chop are the Remote Mailslots protocol and the Computer Browser service. The reason for killing off the trio is security, with age meaning that there are now far better options available.

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Best Windows apps this week

Five-hundred-and-sixty-seven in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 and 11 on the Microsoft Store and elsewhere in the past seven days.

The Windows 11 2023 Update is now available. You can install it via Windows Update or download ISO images, if you prefer those.

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Privacy tool DoNotSpy11 updated with Windows 11 23H2 support and the option to disable Windows Copilot

DoNoSpy11

Microsoft is just one of many tech companies that people view with suspicion when it comes to privacy. Over the years, Windows has been infected with all manner of privacy-invading telemetry features and settings -- particularly in the case of Windows 11 -- and there has been a fightback from users and software developers alike.

DoNotSpy11 is a tool that empowers concerned users to protect their privacy by blocking telemetry and disabling features of Windows. Now the software has been updated, and DoNotSpy11 version 1.2.0.0 introduces full support for the latest Windows 11 23H2 and makes it possible to disable the AI-powered Copilot.

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