Google: By only patching Windows 10, Microsoft is putting Windows 7 and 8.x users in danger

Angry Windows user

We all know that Microsoft’s focus is on Windows 10. The software giant wants users to upgrade to its new operating system, and has regularly spoken about how that OS keeps users safe.

However, according to Google Project Zero researcher Mateusz Jurczyk, by focusing on patching Windows 10, and not applying the same fixes to Windows 7 and 8.x, Microsoft is actually putting users of those two older operating systems at risk.

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Best Windows 10 apps this week

podcasted

Two-hundred-and-fifty-one 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 released the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update RTM to Insiders this week in preparation of a global release on October 17th, 2017. The company released, or plans to release, Edge for iOS and Android as well.

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Microsoft Edge coming to Android and iOS

microsoft edge android iphone

Microsoft today addresses one of the biggest shortcomings of its Edge browser, announcing its upcoming availability on the two biggest mobile platforms: Android and iOS.

Microsoft says that support for Android and iOS is "one of the most common requests" that it has received from Edge users on Windows 10. By making it available across multiple platforms, the software giant is making its browser a viable option in this space for folks who use a mix of devices.

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Microsoft releases Windows 10 Fall Creators Update RTM to Insiders in the Fast ring

Windows-10 key

With just a couple of weeks to go until the official launch of the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, Microsoft is hard at work squashing the main bugs and polishing the release.

Insiders on the Fast ring have had access to all of the new features and changes in the Fall Creators Update for a while, and it won’t now be long until non-Insiders finally get their hands on the full thing.

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Windows 10 will overtake Windows 7... but when?

Windows runners

Each month, NetMarketShare reports on the state of the desktop operating system market. Its numbers are often interesting, and occasionally initially wrong (this month, for example, they showed a sizeable growth for Linux, before being corrected).

The Windows 10 Fall Creators Update is due to begin rolling out this month (even though over a third of users still don’t have the Creators Update), and Microsoft will be hoping this big new feature release will give its operating system a major boost. But how is Windows 10 doing at the moment, and when will it finally overtake Windows 7?  Read on to find out.

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Microsoft explains why Edge has so few extensions a year down the line

Microsoft Edge

It's now a little more than a year since Microsoft first brought extensions to Edge. After so long you would expect the selection of addons to be overwhelming -- but that's far from being the case. In all, there are only 70-odd Edge extensions available, and Microsoft has been moved to explain why.

In a blog post, the company almost apologetically explains that it is "building a thoughtfully curated ecosystem," citing concern over quality and a fear of diminishing the user experience. What some might describe as "slow," Microsoft refers to as a "purposefully metered approach" to new extensions, and you probably shouldn't expect things to speed up a great deal any time soon.

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Best Windows 10 apps this week

broken

Two-hundred-and-fifty 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.

The Windows 10 Fall Creators Update will be released in a couple of weeks, but a quarter of Windows 10 systems are still not on the Creators Update version of Windows 10.

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Microsoft releases Windows 10 Redstone 4 (Skip Ahead) Build 17004

With new preview builds for the Fall Creators Update focusing purely on fixing stability and performance issues as Microsoft rushes towards its release, it’s the Redstone 4 branch (aka Skip Ahead) where you’ll find new additions beginning to appear.

The latest release for this branch introduces a sizeable number of improvements, as well as a big leap forward in build numbers, jumping from 16362 to 17004.

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Microsoft releases Windows 10 Fall Creators Update Build 16299 to the Fast ring

Windows-10 key

The Windows Insider team have been busy this week at Microsoft Ignite, but that doesn’t mean that development on the forthcoming Fall Creators Update has slowed at all.

With just a matter of weeks to go until the rollout begins, Microsoft has yet another new build available for testers on the Fast ring (not Skip Ahead).

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Over a quarter of Windows 10 systems STILL don't have the Creators Update

Angry laptop

The Windows 10 Fall Creators Update is set to begin its rollout in a matter of weeks, yet over a quarter (27.5 percent) of Windows 10 users still haven’t received the Creators Update.

According to the latest figures from AdDuplex, while the Creators Update found its way on to another 7.5 percent of computers this month to give it a 72.5 percent share, it’s still well short of the 91.2 percent that the Anniversary Update reached before the Creators Update was released. AdDuplex warns that as a result of slow rollouts like this, fragmentation will only increase in the future.

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Microsoft takes the wraps off the next generation of Windows 10 S devices

HP Windows 10 S

Ignite, Microsoft’s annual IT event, is currently underway in Orlando, Florida, and the software giant today revealed a range of new Windows 10 S devices from the likes of HP, Lenovo and Acer.

Windows 10 S is a cut down version of Windows 10 that only runs software from the Microsoft Store. It’s also faster and more secure, and when it launched it was aimed primarily at the education market -- a clear rival for devices running Google’s Chrome OS. Microsoft is now looking to expand Windows 10 S into other markets.

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Maintaining Windows 10 tops list of enterprise security challenges

Windows 10 finger

Keeping Windows up to date with the latest fixes is a major challenge for enterprise IT teams and can leave endpoints vulnerable, according to a new report.

The study from systems management company Adaptiva reveals that 59 percent of companies take up to a month or longer to complete Windows OS updates.

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Microsoft releases Windows 10 Fall Creators Update Build 16296 to the Fast ring

Windows-10 key

Earlier today, Windows Insider chief Dona Sarkar tweeted that things are going to get very busy over the next few days as Microsoft pulls out all the stops to get the Fall Creators Update ready for release in the coming weeks.

True to her word, she announced Build 16291 for Insiders in the Slow ring, followed by two new builds shortly afterwards -- Build 15252 for Mobile, and Build 16296 for PC users on the Fast ring. Skip Ahead users will have to wait until next week for their next build.

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Best Windows 10 apps this week

pdf

Two-hundred-and-forty-nine 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 released several new Windows 10 Fall Creators Update builds to the Insider channel this week.

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OWC releases USB-C Travel Dock for MacBook and Windows 10 laptops

OWC USB-C Travel Dock Photo - in backpack

I recently reviewed the OWC Thunderbolt 3 Dock for Apple MacBook Pro and came away very impressed. This device essentially converts your Apple laptop into a desktop with great results. The problem? It needs to be plugged into a wall for power, and it is not intended to be taken on the go.

Today, OWC announces a product that is meant to be taken with you in your laptop bag. Called "USB-C Travel Dock," it features many of the ports you may need, such as HDMI, USB Type-A, and an SD card reader. It even has a USB-C port for power pass-through, so if you only have one such port, you can charge your laptop while using it too. Best of all, it is quite affordable.

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