Articles about Microsoft

Microsoft has made numerous missteps with Windows 11, but one that drew a lot of attention was the convoluted method involved in changing the default web browser. But following complaints and criticism, the company has backtracked and dramatically simplified the process.

The change was quietly introduced with the release of the KB5011563 update for Windows 11. This is currently an optional update, but the fact that Microsoft has now made it so much easier to set the default browser to something other than Edge is one very good reason to get it installed right now.

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Microsoft has released a new optional update for Windows 11 in the form of the KB5011563 preview. The update takes Windows 11 up to build 22000.593, and as well as fixing numerous problems with the operating system, it also introduces an important change to the way notifications work.

The KB5011563 update has previously been released to Windows Insiders, but now the preview version is available for anyone who wants it to install ahead of its full release this coming Patch Tuesday. Among the fixes included in this update are a patch for an issue that causes OneDrive to lose focus, and a speed boost for slow start times.

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Google has released an emergency patch for the Windows, macOS and Linux versions of Chrome after the discovery of a zero-day vulnerability that the company says is being actively exploited.

The security fix comes as Microsoft releases a patch of its own for the same vulnerability (CVE-2022-1096) in Edge, its Chromium-based browser. While neither company has given much detail about the problem, Google describes it as being of high severity.

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Four-hundred-eighty-three 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.

Microsoft started to roll out a new search feature on Windows 10 and 11 devices that it calls Search Highlight.

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When we write about PowerToys, it is usually about new releases and the new features that have been added; but not always. For instance, Microsoft has issued a warning that the popular utilities collection may be causing problems for some people, specifically with previewing PDF files in Outlook.

If you have seen an error message that read "This file cannot be previewed because there is no previewer installed for it", Microsoft has a couple of solutions for you. One relates to Adobe Acrobat Reader and the other to PowerToys.

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It’s Wednesday, which typically means a new Windows 11 build for Insiders in the Dev Channel, but today's flight, Build 22581, is being made available for those in the Beta Channel as well, giving those users the opportunity to at last try out new features, such as Live Captions, Start folders, the redesigned Task Manager, and the tablet optimized taskbar.

The fact that both Dev and Beta testers are receiving the same build means that Insiders will now have the rare chance to switch Channels, should they wish to. Dev Channel releases have become much more experimental recently, which won’t suit everyone.

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Microsoft has confirmed reports that it was hacked by the Lapsus$ extortion group, also known as DEV-0537. While admitting that the hackers managed to steal source code, the company is simultaneously trying to downplay the incident.

Lapsus$ shared a 37GB archive online containing partial source code for Cortana and Bing, but Microsoft insists that no customer data was compromised. The company says that "our investigation has found a single account had been compromised, granting limited access."

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With Windows 11 now very much Microsoft's focus, it might come as something of a surprise to find that the company is still adding things to Windows 10 -- but with the release of the KB5011543 update, this is precisely what is happening.

This is a preview of the update that will be officially released on April's Patch Tuesday, and it is designed for Windows 10 20H2, Windows 10 21H1 and Windows 10 21H2. What can you expect in this update? In addition to the arrival of search highlights -- with slightly different looks for enterprise users and ordinary consumers -- there are numerous bug fixes, and changes to the Action Center.

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Microsoft unveiled the newest Xbox controller today and it is both disgusting and disturbing. As part of a promotion for the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog movie sequel, a furry/hairy controller was created in two colors -- red and blue. The colors represent Sonic (blue, duh) and Knuckles (red).

While the controllers look... interesting, they are sure to be very gross. Many gamers eat food while gaming, so you can only imagine all the Doritos and Cheetos dust that will get stuck in the fur. Not to mention, during long gaming sessions, your hands will sweat and cause the controller to get wet and smelly. Hell, this new controller could end up being ground zero for a future pandemic. Gross!

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Microsoft is conducting an investigation after data extortion group Lapsus$ claimed to have hacked the company and stolen data.

In a leaked screenshot, the hackers brag about gaining access to an Azure DevOps repository which is home to source code for all manner of Microsoft projects including Bing and Cortana. Having already hacked the likes of Samsung, NVIDIA and Vodafone, the claims made by Lapsus$ are entirely feasible, but for now Microsoft is saying nothing about what -- if anything -- has been stolen.

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Looking for another reason to be annoyed by Windows 11? Microsoft delivers yet again. It is not very long since the company started A/B testing a watermark on the desktop of people who had installed Windows 11 on unsupported hardware. Now, for reasons best known to Microsoft, the decision appears to have been taken to roll out this irritating banner.

In the latest update pushed to the Release Preview Channel, the watermark is present for everyone running Windows 11 on hardware that doesn’t make the grade. The message has changed slightly, now reading "System requirements not met. Go to Settings to learn more". The good news? You can take steps to hide the watermark if it grates on your nerves

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It may seem like a relic of the past, but Internet Explorer is still doggedly hanging on. But not for much longer. Microsoft has issued a reminder that it is mere months until the desktop app for the browser is retired.

The big day is June 15, and at this point it will be time for Internet Explorer 11 users to move on and pick an alternative. While the death of Internet Explorer has been a very long time coming, the retirement of the app will represent the end of an era.

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Microsoft runs occasional bug bashes for Insiders to help find and eradicate flaws in preview versions of its operating system, and the latest one is live now and will run until March 22.

The software giant didn’t roll out a new build to Dev Channel Insiders on Wednesday this week, as is usually the case, so instead it’s delivering new build 22579 today, along with ISO files for it. There are some new features and improvements to be enjoyed in this flight, including the ability to name your folders on Start, and site suggestions in the Get Started app that you can pin to your taskbar.

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Four-hundred-eighty-two 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.

Microsoft removed the last Windows 11 upgrade block this week; all compatible Windows 10 devices should have received an upgrade offer by now.

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It is a year-and-a-half since Microsoft first talked about bringing the DirectStorage technology used by Xbox Series X to Windows. Now the company has finally released the API for both Windows 10 and Windows 11, promising not only faster load times for PC games, but also more detailed game worlds.

The API enables developers to take full advantage of PCIe 3.0 and PCIe 4.0 speeds. The DirectStorage SDK is available right now, and while it offers Windows 10 support, Microsoft is really pushing Windows 11 as its recommended path for gaming.

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