Articles about Microsoft

Although Windows 11 has a lot to recommend it, it does feel rather unfinished, and it’s a situation which isn’t helped by a never-ending stream of problematic updates -- no wonder people are already talking about its potential successor, Windows 12.

But maybe we don’t need to make a full version leap just yet, perhaps the problems with the new OS could be solved with a bit of thought and attention.

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It is no secret that the updates released for Windows 11 have been rather more problematic than updates for previous versions of Windows. Microsoft has managed to earn itself an unenviable reputation for poor quality control, with update after update causing a wide range of issues over the past year and a half.

The problems with updates tend to rear their heads once they have been installed, but there is also an issue that is preventing people from installing updates in the first place. The recently released KB5022303 and KB5022360 updates are among those that fail to install, generating various unhelpful error codes including 0x800f0988 and 0x800f0831.

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Since consigning Internet Explorer to the trash can and adopting the Chromium engine, Microsoft has developed Edge quite rapidly and it has evolved into a browser that does a lot to make up for its predecessor.

And Microsoft is showing no signs of slowing down. The company is currently working away on a revamped version of Edge, code-named Phoenix. In addition to a more Windows 11-like look, there are some new features on the horizon, including the ability to split an Edge window into two tabs -- and you can even try this out in the preview builds of Edge right now to get a taste of what the future holds.

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Updates for Windows 11 have proved to be astonishingly problematic over the last year and a half. Just about every patch and update that has been released has ended up causing new issues that have had to be addressed with yet another update.

Considering the problems caused by Windows Update, it is interesting to see a new option Microsoft is working on at the moment. Hidden in the latest Insider builds of Windows 11 is a new addition to the Recovery tools in the System section of the Settings app: Fix problems using Windows Update.

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Ahead of a full, wider release next month, Microsoft has made available a preview version of the KB5022360 update for Windows 11.

This is a non-security update, but it does include -- in Microsoft's words -- "quality improvements". What this means in practice is that the update addresses a number of Windows 11 problems such as an issue with searchindexer.exe and another with firmware Trusted Platform Modules (TPM). It also introduces a change to the way .NET Framework update previews are installed.

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More than nine months before the end of support for Windows 11 21H2, Microsoft has started to forcibly upgrade users to Windows 11 22H2 -- or the Windows 11 2022 Update as it is also known.

While the upgrades may be unwanted, Microsoft is not being quiet about what it is doing. The company is using a security angle to try to win over those who may be unhappy with what is happening.

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It's an exciting day for Windows 11 Insiders in the Dev Channel as Build 25284 arrives with a selection of handy fixes and a brand new widget for the Messenger app.

Unfortunately, this new build won’t be made available for Arm64 devices due to a known issue that results in devices getting stuck at the OS boot logo.

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It is not all that long ago since Microsoft gave File Explorer something of a revamp with the addition of tabs. Now the company is planning something even bigger, with a dramatically restyled and updated version of the Windows 11 app due for release later this year.

While a precise release date has not yet been revealed, it is likely that the new version of File Explorer will ship as part of either the next Moment update for the operating system, or in Windows 11 23H2. So... what can you look forward to? Better cloud integration, a redesigned toolbar, a new Gallery pane, and a potentially controversial Recommended header.

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Multiple Microsoft 365 services have been hit by an outage that is affecting users around the world. The problems have disrupted access to a large number of services including Microsoft Teams, OneDrive and Outlook.

Microsoft says that it may have found the source of the issues,  but they are yet to be resolved, and no specific details have been revealed. The company is also looking into Azure connectivity problems.

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Microsoft has confirmed an issue in Windows 10 and Windows 11 that can leave the Start menu unresponsive, as well as causing problems with Windows Search and the launching of UWP apps.

The company is continuing to investigate the matter and says that it will provide a fix in a future update. In the meantime, however, Microsoft has provided details of a workaround.

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Back in the day, people often scoffed at the idea of switching to a Linux-based operating system due to a lack of software. While that is still true for some people -- especially business users -- it is less of a concern these days since so many things are done through the web browser. For many consumers, just having the Google Chrome browser on, say, Ubuntu, is more than enough to accomplish all of their wants and needs. Not to mention, there are many quality Linux apps like GIMP and DaVinci Resolve.

But OK, lets say you really want to use a Linux-based operating system, but there's some Windows-only software that you absolutely cannot live without. Thankfully, you may still be able to ditch Windows and upgrade to something like Freespire or MX Linux. How? Thanks to the excellent Wine! This compatibility layer can sometimes enable you to run certain Windows software on Linux. Today, version 8.0 is released, and Microsoft should be very worried.

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The cut-off date for buying the download version of Windows 10 directly from Microsoft has been revealed. Even though the company will be offering support for Windows 10 until late 2025, you have just until the end of this month to purchase a downloadable license.

Microsoft is obviously keen for anyone still running Windows 7 or Windows 8 to make the move to Windows 11, and in cutting off one source of accessing Windows 10, the company is reducing options for users.

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When Microsoft announced that it would release a single feature update per year for its new Windows 11 operating system, one could hear a sigh of relief from many system administrators and also Home users.

The previous strategy of releasing two feature updates per year backfired, as it put a lot of strain on Microsoft but also administrators and users. The gain was not worth talking about usually, as the first feature update of the year did not really include many new features or improvements.

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It does not seem all that long since browser version numbers were single digits, but Microsoft Edge has now reached the 111 milestone -- for Insiders on the Dev channel, at least.

Available for Windows, iOS, Android and Linux (with the macOS edition promised "at a later date"), Microsoft Edge 111.0.1619.2 includes a number of interesting new features and settings. Highlights include a new option to personalize top side in the Sidebar, the ability to hide duplicate entries from History, and new protections against unwanted Start page and search engine changes.

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If you want to be among the first to try out the latest features and options of Window 11, being part of the Windows Insider program is the place to be. But even if you are signed up to the Dev Channel, there are hidden secrets to unearth, and this is true of the latest release.

For anyone who has Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25281 installed, there is a new Volume Mixer. While Microsoft has not made it easy to activate the feature, it is possible. Here's what you need to know.

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