Best Windows 10 apps this week
Two-hundred-and-seventy-four in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 on the Windows Store in the past seven days.
Microsoft wants to release the Spring Creators Update for Windows 10 in April. Whether that is going to happen on April's Patch Tuesday or another day is not clear yet.
Microsoft removes AV compatibility requirements for Windows 10 security updates
In the fallout from the revelations about the Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities -- and the ensuing chaos relating to patches for the security problems -- Microsoft blocked security updates for Windows 10 users with antivirus software whose compatibility with patches was not known.
Two months after making this decision, Microsoft has changed course and said that updates can roll out to everyone once again. The company says this is a result of working with antivirus partners and patches should no longer lead to problems in most cases.
Roundup: The best Windows 10 tweaking and customization tools
Unless you're a fan of using a computer that looks and feels the same as everyone else, you probably want to spend some time tweaking Windows so it works the way you want it to. Broadly speaking, tweaks fall into three categories -- those that change appearance, those that boost performance, and those that change the way things work.
Windows 10 does -- through Settings and the Control Panel -- afford you a decent degree of control over how the operating system looks and works, but if you want to get serious about things you have two options: head into the registry, or turn to a dedicated tweaking and customization tool. Now there are endless apps to help make life easier, so here's a roundup of the best Windows 10 tweaking and customization tools.
Windows 10 Spring Creators Update Build 17115 ISO images available now
There are a fair number of new features and improvements to look forward to in the forthcoming Spring Creators Update for Windows 10, most notably the new Timeline feature, Near Share, and Focus Assist.
If you’re thinking of joining the Windows 10 Insider program, or you just want to do a clean install with an up to date version of the Spring Creators Update, the good news is Microsoft has released a new ISO image.
Microsoft releases Windows 10 Spring Creators Update Build 17120 to the Fast ring
The next big feature update of Windows 10 -- widely expected to be called the Spring Creators Update -- is due out next month. Microsoft is hard at work putting the finishing touches to it, but still has time to introduce some new additions.
In Build 17120, Microsoft has added some improvements to the Windows Defender Application Guard (WDAG), its virtualization-based security technology which helps to protect enterprises from advanced attacks that can infiltrate networks and devices via the Internet.
Best Windows 10 apps this week
Microsoft expects users of Windows 10 S mode to stick with it, but switching to Windows 10 Home or Pro will be free
Having confirmed that Windows 10 S is going to become a "mode" in future versions of Windows 10, rather than a standalone product, Microsoft has revealed more about its future plans for the soon-to-be ex-operating system.
While Windows 10 S, in its current form, has been perceived by many as a flop, Joe Belfiore, Corporate Vice President, Windows, says, "we’ve received great feedback from customers and partners on Windows 10 S. Customers love the security, faster boot time, better battery life and consistent performance over time." Although he would say that.
Microsoft releases Windows 10 Redstone 5 Build 17618 for Skip Ahead -- and it includes Sets!
While Microsoft is busy putting the finishing touches to the Windows 10 Spring Update, codenamed Redstone 4, work is well underway on its successor, due around October time.
Windows Insiders who opted to "skip ahead" can try out early Redstone 5 builds, and today Microsoft releases Build 17618 on that branch. Usually at this stage in development there’s nothing much to get excited about, but that’s not the case here.
Warning: Hackers can use Cortana to access a locked Windows 10 PC
Locking your PC is fundamental to preventing others from accessing it when you leave it unattended. But now security researchers have shown that it is possible to use none other than Windows 10's Cortana to bypass a password-protected lock screen.
A pair of Israeli researchers found that it is possible to use voice commands to access a locked computer and install malware.
Microsoft confirms Windows 10 S will become a 'mode' of Windows 10 next year
It was reported last month that Microsoft was planning to transition its education-focused Windows 10 S from a separate operating system into a "mode" in existing versions of Windows 10.
It was a move that surprised no one. Windows 10 S is a locked down version of Windows 10 that can only run UWP apps from the Microsoft Store, and while that makes it more secure, it also significantly limits what can be done with the OS.
Microsoft releases Windows 10 Spring Update (RS4) Build 17115 for the Fast ring, with big privacy changes [Updated]
New builds for the next big feature update of Windows 10 are coming thick and fast. Build 17112 was released last Friday, and today Build 17115 makes its way on to the Fast ring.
Builds rolled out this close to official launch tend to just be about fixing bugs and adding polish, but 17115 actually makes a big change to the privacy screen settings layout.
Kali Linux for Windows 10 now available in Microsoft Store
It still seems unreal, but yes, you can install Linux distributions from the Microsoft Store on Windows 10. This remains shocking for many people (including me), as Microsoft was a longtime enemy of both open source and Linux. Of course, that is no longer true, as the Windows-maker embraces both nowadays.
Today, yet another Linux distribution comes to the Microsoft Store for Windows 10, joining such favorites as SUSE and Ubuntu. While not as popular as those two, Kali Linux is still an important distro, as it focuses on security and penetration testing.
Surprise! Microsoft releases Windows 10 Spring Update Build 17112 for the Fast ring
Three days ago, Microsoft rolled out Build 17110 for Windows 10 Insiders on the Fast ring. It offered a number of improvements, and also came with an unexpected annoyance -- the Microsoft Store was missing for some users.
Today, Microsoft rolls out a surprise new update -- Build 17112. It has a number of fixes, but not for the Store issue unfortunately. It also introduces a couple of new problems.
Best Windows 10 apps this week
Two-hundred-and-seventy-two in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 on the Windows Store in the past seven days.
Microsoft is still working on getting the next feature update for Windows 10 ready for release this month or the next. The company released two new Windows 10 Spring Creators Update builds this week alone.
Microsoft details steps being taken to address Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities
The Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities affected millions of processors around the world, and the "fixes" that followed compounded the problems with reports of the patches bricking AMD PCs, and Ubuntu systems, and causing major slowdowns. Intel even told customers to stop installing the patches due to 'unpredictable' reboot issues.
In a new blog post, Microsoft provides an update on the state of the situation, and has some good news for Windows 1o users.
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