Articles about Microsoft

In a nostalgic trip down memory lane, YouTube channel Nobel Tech has created a video showcasing the evolution of the infamous "This Program is Not Responding" Windows error message over the years.

The video starts with the prompt in Windows 2000 and takes viewers on a journey through time, ending with the message that shows up in the latest version of Microsoft’s operating system, Windows 11.

Continue reading →

This year has seen the addition of a veritable smorgasbord of tools to the PowerToys utility collection -- and the pace shows no sign of slowing. Recent arrivals include Mouse Jump and Paste As Plain Text, and next in line is a handy registry utility.

PowerToys developers are currently working on a new tool called Registry Preview. Designed with power users in mind, this upcoming module will make it possible to preview the effects of importing a .reg file into the registry as well as providing registry editing options.

Continue reading →

In a move that will come as a surprise to just about no one, Microsoft has announced that it is "exploring" the idea of adding advertising to its GPT-4-based Bing Chat.

The company is framing the addition of ads to the AI-powered chat bot as a means of "driving more traffic and value to publishers from the new Bing". Microsoft says that it is seeking to do this by, among other things, "pioneering the future of advertising".

Continue reading →

Microsoft has confirmed an issue with Defender which resulted in users being shown warnings about URLs that were entirely safe. The emails advised admins that "a potentially malicious URL click was detected", with affected users complaining that legitimate URLs, such as Zoom meeting links, were being flagged up as dangerous.

In addition to the false positives, the "View alerts" link included in the warning emails sent out to admins failed to provide any further information that could prove useful.

Continue reading →

Adoption of Windows 11 may well be much slower than Microsoft would have hoped or expected, but this isn't stopping the company forging ahead with its successor. The project is currently dubbed CorePC, but it is being referred to by many as -- naturally -- Windows 12.

What can be expected from Windows 12? Leaks from sources close to the company mean that plans for the next generation of the operating system have been exposed. Predictably, Microsoft is said to be leaning heavily on AI as it looks to modernize Windows. There is also a strong focus on security and faster delivery of updates on the cards.

Continue reading →

Microsoft has released a new cumulative update for Windows 11 22H2 that sees the arrival of Microsoft account notifications in the Start menu. There are also new features and improvements in Microsoft Defender for Endpoint.

The KB5023778 update is a preview of the update that will be released more widely next Patch Tuesday, and as such it is an optional update that you will need to manually install. Installing KB5023778 not only adds Start menu features, but also updates the taskbar search box, adds new functionality and fixes a large number of issues that have been found in Windows 11.

Continue reading →

Microsoft today announced Security Copilot, a new tool designed to bring its next generation AI to cybersecurity.

The software can quickly detect and respond to threats, and also gain a better understanding of the threat landscape. In addition, Microsoft says it "will learn from existing intelligence, correlate threat activity, and make more informed, efficient decisions at machine speed".

Continue reading →

Microsoft has launched a public preview of the new Microsoft Teams app for Windows. The app is the result of a "reimagining of Teams from the ground up", with the focus very much being on performance. It is being heralded as "the new era of Microsoft Teams" and sees the app not only performing better, but also being simplified to improve ease-of-use.

At the same time, the company has also started the rollout of Avatars for Microsoft Teams. The new feature gives users a different way to present themselves in online meetings -- a highly customizable 3D avatar instead of video.

Continue reading →

Very much at the heart of Windows 11, the taskbar has been one of the most controversial and disappointing elements of Windows 11. One of the biggest complaints users have is that it cannot be moved from the bottom of the screen, but there are also many people who are unhappy that it is busy and overpopulated.

We recently learned that Microsoft is going to introduce a new option that will enable users to display seconds in the system tray clock, but now there is good news for anyone who craves a cleaner, more minimalist look.

Continue reading →

The Windows Insider program is one of the best places to gain access to the latest features and options, but there are sometimes some hidden gems that serves as signposts of what's to come. The latest Dev build is a good case in point.

References were spotted in Windows 11 build 23419 to Cloud PC thanks to the arrival of the settingshandlers_cloudpc.dll file. There are even entries in Settings that make it clear that Microsoft is betting big on Cloud PC, but it remains to be seen whether this ends up in Windows 11 or Windows 12.

Continue reading →

Earlier this week we learned about a worrying security and privacy flaw in Windows 11's Snipping Tool screen capture app. The way the software saves cropped screengrabs means that it is possible to "uncrop" images, potentially exposing sensitive information.

Acting quickly to address the problem, Microsoft has fixed the vulnerability with a new update. There is just one problem -- the update is not available to everyone, leaving unknown numbers of users at risk.

Continue reading →

Yesterday, Microsoft released Windows 11 Build 23419 for Insiders in the Dev Channel. Today, it’s the turn of testers in the cutting edge Canary Channel to get a new flight to play around with.

Windows 11 Build 25324 comes with an evolved widgets board that sports a larger canvas (up to three columns), with dedicated sections for widgets and feed content.

Continue reading →

Ordinarily Microsoft uses the less stable Windows Insider channels to try out new Windows 11 features -- something the company reiterated when it launched the ultra-cutting edge Canary channel.

But this week saw the release of a new build of Windows 11 to the Release Preview channel, the channel which is the final stage of testing before a build gets full public release. And this time around, things were a little different because the Release Preview build includes brand new features that have not been seen in other builds -- including notifications for Microsoft accounts in the Start menu.

Continue reading →

Microsoft has announced the availability of a public preview of its new collaborative working app, Loop. The public launch follows a period of private previews with enterprise customers.

Microsoft Loop is available on the web, as well as for iOS and Android, and it allows teams to work together in shared workspaces that integrate neatly with Microsoft 365 apps. The app competes with the likes of Asana and Notion and has been in development for a couple of years. As you might expect, there is a dash of AI thanks to Microsoft 365 Copilot's support for Loop.

Continue reading →

It’s business as usual for Windows 11 Insiders in the Dev Channel as Microsoft today releases a fresh test build for the new operating system.

Windows 11 Build 23419 comes with several new features, including introducing the ability to show seconds in the clock on the system tray. This welcome-sounding addition won't appeal to everyone, however.

Continue reading →