Microsoft retires Internet Explorer after 27 years -- here's what happens next
Internet Explorer was once the dominant web browser, boasting a 95 percent market share in 2004. The arrival of better and faster browsers like Firefox and Chrome, along with the rise of smartphones, slowly destroyed its ubiquity and from today it is now officially retired and out of support.
While few people will mourn its passing, the browser is still used by many businesses and individuals who simply haven’t bothered to switch from what they know. For those users, Microsoft’s solution will be a predictable one.
Microsoft releases KB5014692 and KB5014699 updates for Windows 10 with important security fixes
It's the time of the month for Microsoft to release updates for Windows, and having done so for Windows 11, the company has also published updates for Windows 10.
There are two security updates to consider here. For users of Windows 10 version 1809, there is the KB5014692 update; for users of Windows 10 versions 20H2, 21H1 and 21H2, there is the KB5014699 update. Both are important security updates that should be installed immediately.
Microsoft releases KB5014697 update for Windows 11 with Spotlight on the desktop, and dozens of bug and security fixes
Microsoft has released a series of new updates for Windows as part of this month's Patch Tuesday, including the KB5014697 update for Windows 11.
The KB5014697 update takes Windows 11 up to build 22000.739, and it includes numerous bug and security fixes. Additionally, it brings Windows spotlight on the desktop to anyone who has not yet received it through previous updates.
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Microsoft releases Windows 11 Build 25136 with File Explorer tabs
Earlier today, Microsoft launched new updates for two Windows 11 apps -- Notepad and Media Centre -- for Insiders in the Dev Channel.
Following that, the company announces a new Windows 11 Insider build which, along with the usual raft of fixes, brings tabs to File Explorer and updates to the Widgets feature.
New updates for Notepad and Media Player arrive for Windows 11
Microsoft has been steadily updating its apps for Windows 11, and today the software giant announces major updates for both Notepad and Windows Media Player.
Both updated apps benefit from improved performance, but there’s more to the new releases than just that.
GitHub is killing off its Atom text editor later this year
Microsoft-owned GitHub plans to sunset its developer-focused text editor Atom. Citing a lack of "significant feature development", GitHub says that Atom will be killed off in December and its projects will be archived.
Atom has been around for more than a decade and has built up a dedicated following, but now its users have just six months to seek out an alternative that they love just as much.
Windows 11 22H2 is complete and you can grab the upcoming feature update right now!
Microsoft is due to release a big update for Windows 11 later this year, known variously as the 22H2 update and Sun Valley 2. While an official release date is yet to be announced, we already know that the feature update is complete and was made available to developers some weeks ago.
We are expecting the official launch to come in the next few months, but you can grab it right now if you're keen to try out new options such as Start menu folders and regain drag-and-drop in the taskbar. The good news is that getting hold of this important build of Windows 11 is incredibly simple -- and there's no need to be a developer.
Microsoft releases public preview of Windows Autopatch
It is only a couple of months since Microsoft first talked about Windows Autopatch, a new service for users of Windows 10 and Windows 11 designed to ensure that software is kept up to date. The company has now released a public preview of the free service.
As well as keeping Windows 10 and Windows 11 updated, Windows Autopatch will also take care of updating firmware, drivers and Microsoft 365 apps. Microsoft says that the launch date for the service is July, so the release of a public preview gives interested users a chance to try it out a few weeks early.
Best Windows apps this week
Four-hundred-ninety-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 released a new build of the 2023 feature update for Windows 11 that it is working on already.
Microsoft releases KB5014023 update to fix crashing apps and slow copying in Windows
Microsoft has once again released a preview of an update for Windows that is due to get a full launch next Patch Tuesday. The KB5014023 update is available for Windows 10 versions 21H1 and 21H2, as well as Windows Server 20H2 and it fixes a number of issues.
Among the problems addressed by the optional update is an issue that caused file copying to be much slower than usual. Other notable changes include a fix for a GPU issue that caused apps to crash, and a fix for a problem that prevented Excel and Outlook from launching.
Microsoft releases Windows 11 Build 25131 but warns of new known issues
Not every Windows 11 Dev Channel build has new features for Insiders to try out. With some releases the focus is more on fixing problems, to make the test version of the OS more stable.
That’s the case with today’s new flight, Build 25131, which fixes quite a few problems, and also highlights two new known issues.
0patch releases free fix for Follina vulnerability in Windows as Microsoft apparently can't be bothered
This week, we have written about the Follina zero-day vulnerability that allows for remote code execution on a victim's computer. Despite having been known about for a number of weeks, Microsoft is still yet to issue a patch for the actively exploited critical security flaw, instead simply offering details of a workaround.
As has been the case in the past, a third party has come to the rescue. Micro-patching firm 0patch has released a free fix for the vulnerability -- for Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 -- which is tracked as CVE-2022-30190 and relates to the Microsoft Windows Support Diagnostic Tool (MSDT) component of Windows.
Microsoft's new Surface Laptop Go 2 is available to pre-order today from $599
Just yesterday, we reported that Microsoft was readying a new Surface Laptop Go, with many of the specs revealed early on a Korean website.
We said that Microsoft was planning to announce the new device "in the coming weeks", but it turns out we don't have to wait anywhere near that long as the software giant today introduces the new Surface Laptop Go 2, with a starting price of $599.
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