Microsoft's PowerToys collection keeps on going from strength to strength, and there is always great interest in updates as users look forward to exploring what's been added. New releases come fairly swiftly, and today we're given a nice glimpse into the future as one of the developers reveals something currently being worked on.

So what does the crystal ball reveal? There is a new module in the pipeline that will add a new File Actions entry to the Windows 10 and Windows 11 context menu. From here you'll be able to choose from various actions to perform on your selected files, such creating a new folder containing the currently selected file, generating a Checksum, and numerous other options.

Microsoft has been making a lot of changes to Windows 11 recently, including adding AI to the OS in the form of Copilot. Despite all this, persuading users to switch from Windows 10 ahead of its impending End of Life is proving to be something of an uphill battle for the tech giant.

For many people, Microsoft’s best operating system was one of its simplest -- Windows 7. The company stopped supporting that operating system years ago, but if you’re wondering what it would look like if it was still being developed today, we have the answer in the form of the re-imagined Windows 7 2024 Edition.

Windows 11 proved to be a bit of a disappointment for many people, and a lot of Windows 10 users saw no reason to upgrade. This means that there are a large number of users eager for something big and impressive -- and this what it is hoped Windows 12 will be.

Whether you're a Windows 10 hanger-on or a Windows 11 adopter keen for something even newer and shinier, ears are pricked for news about Windows 12. There have been several hints about what the operating system could be like, and even when it might be released, and now there is the first evidence of an increase in pace at Microsoft. The discovery of a new internal development branch at the company suggests that work has acerated on the next version of Windows.

It may be the longest, slowest death of any deprecated piece of software, but Microsoft is inching closer to the complete killing off of the WMI command line utility.

It is now eight years since Microsoft deprecated the Windows Management Instrumentation Command line (WMIC), but the utility was converted into a Feature on Demand in Windows 11 22H2. However, starting now in Insider builds -- and later in the year for release builds -- WMIC will be disabled by default.

Installing updates for Windows 11 has turned into something of a gamble in recent times, but this is never more the case than with the preview version of patches released by Microsoft each month. The latest example of a problematic update is KB5034204.

Released a week ago, the KB5034204 update preview was designed to fix a range of issues plaguing Windows 11 users, including troublesome searches, Bluetooth bugs and problems with zip files. But it has also been found to cause a number of new issues, including rendering Explorer unresponsive, 0x8007000d errors during installation, and more besides.

Sticky notes, both virtual and physical, remain incredibly popular. Since Windows 10, Microsoft has had its own app called, funnily enough, Sticky Notes -- an app that had not been updated in years.

But this is about to change; Microsoft has issued a notice that users should "stay tuned for some of our biggest announcements yet". The company is yet to provide details of just when we can expect to see the updates, and has said outright what it NOT going to be -- but we can take a decent guess at what might be.

When installing Windows from scratch, the process has not really changed much over the years -- and neither has the way the setup experience looks. This means that the installer for Windows 11 looks virtually identical to that of Windows 10, which in turn looked virtually identical to that of Windows 8.

Until now. With the latest release of Windows 11, Microsoft has finally updated the look and feel of the installer. This means not only a cleaner and more consistent aesthetic, but also an improved experience for the "Repair my PC" option.

Microsoft has announced the availability of Windows Server Preview Build 26040, the first preview of what has now been confirmed to be called Windows Server 2025.

The release marks the resumption of the Windows Server Insider builds after a break for the winter. In addition to the revelation of the Windows Server 2025 branding, Microsoft has also added flighting and downloadable in-place upgrades to the Windows Server Insider program which works in the same way as for Windows 11.

While there is some fun to be gained from being part of the Windows Insider program, testing out beta versions of Windows 11 can also be a frustrating experience. While it has always been possible to leave the beta testing program, it was not an easy or particularly intuitive process.

Now Microsoft has greatly simplified the procedure, so it is now much quicker and easier to unenroll a device from the beta program. With a quick flick of a toggle, it is possible to return to the release build of Windows 11 23H2.

Five-hundred-and-seventy-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.

Windows 12 might not be released this year. The latest rumors suggest that Microsoft will release the feature update Windows 11 version 24H2 instead. This update will be a larger update with a focus on AI.

Microsoft has acknowledged an issue affecting some Windows 10 users who have installed the KB5034912 update released in November. The problem means that 0x80073cf2 errors may occur when using the System Preparation Tool (Sysprep.exe).

For now, the company has published details of a somewhat fiddly workaround, but it says that it is working on a proper fix which will be made available "in an upcoming release".

Microsoft has released the KB5034204 update preview for Windows 11 which addresses a series of problems in the operating system. Among the issues that are treated is one that causes some 7-Zip archives to appear empty.

There is also the promise that the update makes video calls more reliable and that some Bluetooth issues have been fixed. Anyone who has been plagued with an unclosable tool tip in the File Explorer Gallery will be pleased to learn that this has been addressed.

It's the time of the month when Microsoft releases its latest preview updates for Windows 10 and 11 and, sure enough, we have the preview version of the KB5034203 update for Windows 10.

This cumulative update addresses a number of issues including problems with printers, and it also lays the groundwork for the arrival of a "richer weather experience" on the lock screen. It is not long since the last problematic update for Windows 10,  and while the KB5034203 update does not (yet) appear to introduce any new issues, some familiar problems persist.

Microsoft Windows might have its issues from time to time, but each iteration is well-designed and easy to use. That isn’t always something that can be said of rival operating systems.

For that reason, some Linux OSes borrow heavily from Windows aesthetics. If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to run a non-Microsoft version of Windows 11, then the answer is Wubuntu.

Anyone holding out buying a new PC because they're waiting for Windows 12 should probably just bite the bullet. While many were hoping -- even expecting -- Microsoft to release Windows 12 in 2024, the latest rumors suggest that it's more likely to be in 2025.

But that's not to say 2024 is a write-off; far from it. Microsoft still has a lot in store for Windows 11 users, and the next big update -- codenamed Hudson Valley -- is thought to be dropping in September. Also known as Windows 11 24H2 ad the Windows 11 2024 Update, this is a major release which will Microsoft continuing to inject AI into the operating system.