Articles about Microsoft

Microsoft has released a preview version of the KB5022905 update for Windows 11 which not only fixes a host of bugs, but also adds important new facial recognition functionality.

For now, the update is only available to users running Windows 11 Release Preview, and the KB5022905 update which takes Windows 11 up to build 22000.1639. While there are no security fixes in this update, it addresses a lengthy list of issues.

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Starting at the end of March, Microsoft is going to deliver its first UUP on premises updates to Windows 11 devices.

Available for systems running Windows 11 22H2, UUP (Unified Update Platform) on premises works in conjunction with Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) and Microsoft Configuration Manager. Ultimately, it means smaller updates for clients and faster update delivery, but there will be a hefty download to kick things off.

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Windows 11 Insiders in the Dev Channel today get a new build to play around with. Build 25300 comes with the usual collection of fixes for known issues, as well as some interesting changes and improvements.

Live captions are now available in several more languages, including Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish and other English dialects.

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With Patch Tuesday having rolled around once again, Microsoft has issued its regular batch of releases. We've already talked about the KB5022836 update for Windows 11 21H2, but if you're running Windows 11 22H2, you will need the KB5022845 update instead.

The KB5022845 update takes Windows 11 up to build 22621.1265, and it also includes the changes and improvements that were part of the KB5022360 update preview released last month.

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It is the time of the month when Microsoft releases updates for Windows, and as such the company has released a pair of patches for Windows 11. Specifically, we have two cumulative updates in the form of KB5022845 for Windows 11 22H2 and KB5022836 for Windows 11 21H2.

The KB5022836 update takes Windows 11 up to build 22000.1574, and it also includes the changes and improvements that were part of the KB5019274 update preview released last month.

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Tomorrow, February 14, is Valentine's Day and this is the day Microsoft has chosen to finally break up with Internet Explorer 11.

As we reported towards the end of last year, Microsoft is releasing a software update that will permanently disable Internet Explorer 11 in Windows 10. Rather than being an update for Windows itself, Microsoft is instead pushing out an irreversible update to Microsoft Edge.

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Microsoft only recently updated its Linux-style package manager for Windows, WinGet, adding support for zip files. But at the moment, fans of the tool are reporting that it is not working, with many seeing "InternetOpenUrl() failed" errors.

The problem stems from something of an embarrassing SNAFU for Microsoft. The company appears to have forgotten to renew the SSL certificate for WinGet.

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There is something of a boom in PC peripherals and accessories brightened with RGB lighting. If you're a fan of such adornments, you'll be aware that the software used to control such lighting is very varied. But Microsoft is working on a solution.

Soon, Windows 11 users will be able to use in-OS settings to control RGB lighting, eliminating the need for third-party software. The feature is currently undergoing development and, while it is hidden away in Windows 11 build 25295 on the dev channel, there is a way to enable it right now.

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Microsoft has issued a warning to Windows 10 and Windows 11 users with system Intel GPUs. The company says that people who have installed November's cumulative update for Windows (the KB5019980 update) may experience issues if they also have certain versions of the Intel graphics driver installed.

The problems affect apps and games that make use DirectX or Direct3D to render content, and can cause apphelp.dll errors to appear.

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Microsoft has announced a big shakeup to the support and troubleshooting options that are currently available in Windows 11. The company says that over the course of the next three years, it will be gradually retiring the Microsoft Support Diagnostic Tool (MSDT) and MSDT Troubleshooters currently used by many people to diagnose and fix problems with the operating system.

The ultimate plan is to remove all existing troubleshooters and kill off the MSDT platform using an update for Windows 11. The changes are something that we've heard hints and rumors about previously, but now it has been confirmed. So, what does it mean for Windows users?

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With Microsoft having changed its approach to releasing major updates to Windows 11, users are still familiarizing themselves with the idea of Moments. Moment 1 has already been released, adding tabs to Explorer and more.

We are still waiting for Moment 2 which is due to launch soon, but a new leak shows that Microsoft is already working away on Moment 4. For now, little is known about Moment 4, other than the fact that it is also known as Windows 11 23H2, and is being referred to internally as Sun Valley 3 or SV3.

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Windows 11 Insiders in the Dev Channel today get a new Windows 11 build to play around with. Build 25295 comes with a decent selection of fixes and improvements, but that’s not all.

There’s also a new commercial policy which makes it possible to enable features introduced via servicing that are off by default.

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The recent big tech layoffs have profoundly impacted industries outside of technology because the sector has long been seen as a driving force for innovation and economic growth. The layoff announcements by companies like Google, Microsoft and Amazon have raised concerns about the tech industry's future and the ripple effects throughout the economy.

Below are several major tech companies that have laid off employees as they navigate the challenges of a rapidly changing industry:

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An investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has concluded that Microsoft's proposed $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard could lead to higher prices, fewer choices and less innovation.

The UK regulator has been looking into the planned takeover for a number of months, and has now warned that the merger, "could make Microsoft even stronger in cloud gaming, stifling competition in this growing market". The CMA also says there is a risk of, "weakening the important rivalry between Xbox and PlayStation gaming consoles", ultimately harming gamers who cannot afford expensive consoles.

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Last month, Microsoft ended support for its Windows 7 and 8.1 operating systems officially. Windows 7 was kept alive by the company for business and Enterprise customers for the past three years through an Extended Security Updates program, but that ran out on the same day as support for Windows 8.1 ended.

Google and Microsoft announced that their browsers, Chrome and Edge, would not support both operating systems after support end. Chrome 109 and Edge 109, released in January 2023, are the last supported versions. The next stable versions, scheduled for a release in early February 2023, won’t support Windows 7 or 8.1 anymore.

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