Articles about Microsoft

The last update to PowerToys was a hugely significant one, adding two great new utilities in the form of a HOSTS file editor and the File Locksmith tool. Just a week on, it is time for another update.

The newly launched PowerToys v0.64.1 is described as a patch release and it includes a number of updates for several utilities. Among the tools receiving attention are FancyZones, Color Picker and File Locksmith.

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It is the time of the month when Microsoft publishes its Patch Tuesday updates, and as part of this, the company has just released two significant security updates for Windows 11 -- KB5019961 and KB5019980.

Available for Windows 11 21H2 and 22H2 respectively, the KB5019961 and KB5019980 updates not only address key security issues, but also add new features and options, as well as fixing non-security related bugs.

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For Windows users of a certain age, the name PowerToys summons to mind utilities such as TweakUI. In the age of Windows 11, Microsoft saw fit to resurrect and update the much-loved utility collection, and the suite of tools goes from strength to strength as it is developed and updated.

The have been a number of incredible utilities added to PowerToys in recent months, as well as some handy new settings, and you may well have spent some considerable time setting things up to your liking. To save having to do all of that hard work again, here's how to backup and restore your PowerToys settings, and how to transfer settings to another PC.

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If you're someone who has previously been irritated by Microsoft displaying ads in Windows, prepare to roll your eyes, gnash your teeth and howl in anguish. Windows 11 users are finding that the company is now showing advertisements in the Start menu.

As has been the case in the past, Microsoft is using Start menu ads to promote its own products and services -- specifically OneDrive and Microsoft accounts. Unsurprisingly, the reaction from users who have seen the ads has been less than positive.

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Since the release of Window 11 2022 Update, Microsoft has implemented numerous compatibility holds to prevent certain users from upgrading. The latest block is something of a strange one, having been applied to anyone who has previously used the capture feature in the Xbox Game Bar app.

While Microsoft has fixed the issue with the KB5018496 update, this is currently only available in preview and will not get a proper release until later in the month.

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Although Windows 11 has been out for over a year, and we’ve already received the first 'moment' (feature update) for it, Windows 11 2022 Update (22H2), it really isn’t doing as well as it could be, and there is already talk of its successor, Windows 12.

What does Microsoft need to do to make its next OS more appealing? Bringing back some of the features missing from Windows 10 would be a start, but there are plenty of other modern ideas.

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It is finally time for not only a new build of PowerToys, but also for the arrival of a pair of completely new utilities. Microsoft has released PowerToys 0.64.0 complete with two new tools, File Locksmith and a HOSTS file editor -- as well as the option to backup PowerToys settings.

These are both utilities that we learned about relatively recently, and it seems that the PowerToys development team has been busy working to bring them to users as a soon as possible. So, what are the new tools all about?

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We’re back to the Wednesday release schedule for Windows 11 Insiders in the Dev Channel.

Windows 11 Build 25236 comes with a set of handy improvements, as well as some additional known issues to be aware of. There’s also a new tips feature for Windows Search on the taskbar.

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For those who like a glimpse of the future of Windows, the Insider program is the place to be. Microsoft frequently experiments with new features and functionality in preview builds, and the latest releases are no different.

With the release of Windows 11 2022 Update, we have already seen Task Manager receive a much-needed revamp and the latest Insider builds show that a search option is coming to the utility too. But the feature is hidden by default, and you will need to take action to unlock it.

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When Microsoft announced Windows 11 a year ago, it also said it would continue to support Windows 10 until (at least) 2025.

Knowing this, users have largely opted to stay with Windows 10 -- better the devil you know, right? -- and that’s a trend that doesn’t look set to change any time soon.

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For many people, the release of Windows 11 2022 Update transformed Windows 11 into the operating system it should have been when it was first launched. But for others, the first major update to the OS has been a serious headache. The latest group of users to have cause for complaint are those with certain AMD CPUs.

There are numerous reports from people with systems powered by Ryzen 7000 series processor chips that there are worrying performance issues when gaming. This is not the first time there have been game performance problems in Windows 11, and it is just the latest in a seemingly never-ending list of issues that are being discovered.

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Microsoft is warning users of every from Windows 11 down to Windows 7 that this month's security updates -- in particular the KB5018427 update -- could lead to issues joining a domain. The company says that those affected by the problem will see 0xaac (2732) errors.

Despite flagging the matter in the known issues section of Windows release health, Microsoft says that the behavior is intentional. There is, sadly, no proper fix right now, just some advice and workarounds -- but this should change soon.

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Some Windows 11 insider builds for testers in the Dev Channel offer a wealth of new features. Build 25231 doesn’t as such, but Microsoft is using it to increase the rollouts for a few previously announced features.

It’s not all good news though as this build also comes with some additional known issues.

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Want to know a secret? If you don't like Windows 11, then you don't have to use it. Look, in 2022, there are plenty of legitimate alternatives. For instance, you can buy a Mac or a Chromebook. If you want to use your existing computer, however, you can just install a traditional Linux distribution such as Ubuntu.

One of the best Linux-based operating systems for Windows-switchers these days is Zorin OS. This distribution is based on Ubuntu, but improves upon that distro by offering a more user-focused experience -- particularly for current Windows users. Today, Zorin OS 16.2 becomes available, and the newest version of the operating system makes it even easier to ditch Windows 11. You see, with Zorin OS 16.2, you can run Windows programs with ease.

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It is the time of the month that sees Microsoft releasing previews of the updates that will be made available to everyone next patch Tuesday. In line with this, the company has released a preview of the KB5018496 update for Windows 11 2022 Update / Windows 11 22H2.

This is a non-security update, but it includes an impressive number of not only fixes, but also new features for the latest version of Windows 11. It does not, however, address some of the known issues that have been acknowledged recently including problems with slow file copying, and issues with provisioning packages.

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