Microsoft

Microsoft plans to phase out support for Windows 10 soon (unless you pay, of course), leaving users with the option to either upgrade to Windows 11 or wait for the anticipated successor, likely to be Windows 12.

Although Microsoft hasn't officially announced that next-gen operating system yet, it has dropped plenty of hints, and there’s a good chance it will come jam-packed with AI functionality, as that is clearly where the operating system -- and the company -- is headed.

Microsoft caused concern when it released an update to its Edge browser. Despite having decided not to add its AI-powered assistant Copilot to Windows Server 2025 because of complaints from admins, users were upset to find that Copilot suddenly appeared in the list of installed apps for Windows Server 2022.

What's going on? Nothing sinister, insists Microsoft. The company has scrabbled to calm the fears of administrators saying that while a package called "Microsoft chat provider for Copilot in Windows" may well show up, Copilot has not actually been installed and it is not collecting any data.

For anyone who is using Office 2016 or Office 2019, there is just 18 months of support remaining. Microsoft has reminded users about the October 2025 date for end of support and warned that this could leave individuals and organizations exposed to security issues. Also affected are Exchange Server and Skype for Business Server.

Microsoft says that as of mid-October next year it will no longer provide security fixes, bug fixes, or technical support. The advice -- it will not surprise you -- is to upgrade to Microsoft 365 to access the likes of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams.

 Whether it’s the company’s commitment to the cloud, to developing its Office suite or being a lead player in the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution, Microsoft remains the top provider of enterprise workplace tools. Despite no shortage of competition, Microsoft passed Apple earlier this year as the largest company in the world with a market capitalization of more than three trillion dollars.

Over the last few years, much has been made of Microsoft’s investment in AI. It is the lead investor in ChatGPT and has now rolled out Copilot, its own AI offering for the workforce. Copilot is an awesome tool, which leverages and trains publicly available code to provide users with suggestions and solutions to work challenges. Used properly, Copilot offers enhanced productivity and streamlined software development processes to users.

Users of Microsoft Dynamics 365 have larger bills on the horizon. Microsoft has just announced the first price increase in over half a decade, with leaps of between 10 and 16 percent.

As well as pointing to the period of time that has elapsed since the last increase, Microsoft justifies the upcoming hike by stressing how Dynamics 365 has transformed CRM and ERP . New pricing comes into effect in October.

After almost two-and-a-half years, an issue that prevented some people with Intel 11th Gen Core processors from upgrading to Windows 11 has finally been addressed.

Microsoft has quietly announced that compatibility issues with Intel Smart Sound Technology drivers and Windows 11 have been "resolved externally". Until now, there has been a compatibility hold in place for devices with both an Intel 11th Gen Core processor and certain versions of the Intel SST driver, but now this has been lifted, it is possible for owners of such systems to upgrade to Windows 11.

In a move which is likely to be greeted with a hostile reception, Microsoft is continuing its obsession with injecting advertising into Windows. The company is using Windows Insiders signed up for Beta Channel to test the controversial addition of ads in the Windows 11 Start menu.

For now, this is a trial which is limited to beta testers in the US, but even if the most negative feedback is forthcoming, it is hard to imagine that Microsoft will back down and not roll out Start menu ads to all Windows 11 users.

Five-hundred-and-ninety 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 Moment Update 5 for Windows 11 is finally here for most users. It is included in the April 2024 cumulative security update for the operating system.

Just about everyone who has used Windows has at some time complained that it is slow. The sluggish performance of Windows 11 -- in particular the Start menu -- has even been noted by an ex-Microsoft developer who worked on the creation of the operating system.

Software developer Andy Young has bemoaned the "comically bad" performance of the Windows 11 Start Menu despite using what would objectively be considered high-end hardware. He is leading calls for Windows "to be as good as it once was".

Artificial intelligence is just about impossible to avoid, and not content with packing Windows with AI-powered features, Microsoft is doing the same with PowerToys.

Details are currently a little thin on the ground, but the popular collection of utilities is due to gain a new module called Advanced Paste. Microsoft has not yet revealed much about the upcoming tool, but the schedule of events for next month's Build conference includes a session called "PowerToys Advanced Paste with Local AI".

Microsoft, it seems, never learns. Despite having repeatedly riled users by pestering them with ads for its products the company seems intent on continuing to use Windows to badger people.

The latest example of this is a full screen message displayed to Windows 10 users inviting them on a "new journey with Windows". The nag screen serves as a reminder that support for Windows 10 comes to an end in 18 months, but it is also being used to promote Windows 11 -- even on computers that are not able to run the latest version of the operating system.

While Microsoft releases updates for Windows 11 every month, some are more significant with others. The company has taken to releasing 'moment' updates from time to time, and these are where more interesting changes and additions are to be found.

Earlier this week, Microsoft released the eagerly awaited Moment 5 update for Windows 11 when it unleashed the KB5036893 update on April's Patch Tuesday. But just what is included in Moment 5, and is it worth installing? In short, there's a lot to be found in the update and, yes, it is definitely worth installing now. Let's take a look.

Windows 11 Moment 5 is now available to everyone. Microsoft has released the KB5036893 update as part of its monthly update schedule, bringing the new Moment 5 features to all users, not just Windows Insiders.

As well as updating Snap Layouts and Copilot, KB5036893 also includes changes to widgets and injects AI features into Photos and Clipchamp. There are also fixes for a huge number of security issues.

Microsoft has a vision for the look of Windows 11, and it does not want users to deviate from it. This is shown by the fact that the latest version of Windows is by far the least customizable out of the box.

With many people keen to make Windows 11 look like Windows 10, there has been an explosion in the number of third-party tweaking and customization tools; this is something Microsoft is not happy about. With the release of Windows 11 version 24H2 the company is blocking a number of utilities including the popular StartAllBack and ExplorerPatcher.

Microsoft has acknowledged that update released for Windows 10 this year may have resulted in unwanted side effects for some users. Specifically, enterprise users may have found that update released in 2024 have results in an inability to use Microsoft Connected Cache.

This affects how updates for Windows are delivered across networks and means that sysadmin may well have noticed spikes in download traffic as a result. For now, Microsoft has a workaround that those affected can try.