Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 14946 for PC and Mobile arrives on the Fast ring, with more new features

Windows-10 key

Microsoft is rolling out Windows 10 Insider Preview builds on a weekly basis now. Last week’s release, Build 14942, introduced several big new features, including the ability to collapse the Apps list in the Start menu, and expanding the default range of After Hours from 12 hours to 18.

Today’s update, Build 14946 for both PC and Mobile, is similarly packed with changes, improvements, and new features.

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How to fix a broken Windows 10 Start menu

Windows 10 fixed

If you’re having problems getting the Windows 10 Start menu to open, or it’s just not working as it should, you’re not alone. Quite a few people have encountered issues following upgrading to the new OS, or updating to a new build.

Rebooting might fix temporary problems, but if it doesn’t we have some more advanced solutions for you to try.

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Microsoft HoloLens coming to Australia, France, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, and UK

hololens-render

While virtual reality can transport a user into a different "world", augmented reality enhances the actual world. In other words, AR arguably has more potential than VR. Quite frankly, actual reality is pretty great already -- do we really need to be transported to a different virtual reality? Our time on the Earth is short -- who has time for make-believe? AR could one day improve our everyday lives.

One of the more intriguing augmented reality solutions comes from Microsoft. Its HoloLens device has sparked the imaginations of many, getting developers -- including NASA -- excited. Unfortunately, the device has not been available to all regions -- it was limited to the USA and Canada. Today this changes, as Microsoft announces that it will be delivering HoloLens to more countries, such as Australia, France, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, and UK.

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GIGABYTE refreshes BRIX compact barebone PCs with 7th Gen Intel Kaby Lake processors

GigabyteBrixKabyLake

Size matters. Well, when it comes to computers, at least. Look, long gone are the days of having dedicated computer rooms where a family shares a single monstrous tower. With so many adults moving back home with their parents, houses and apartments are much more cramped, meaning fewer vacant rooms. True, a laptop can alleviate this, but so can a diminutive desktop. By taking up less space (some can even be VESA mounted to the rear of a monitor), a compact PC can allow a desk or table to serve other purposes than simply being home to a tower.

There are many choices in the compact PC market nowadays, such as the brilliant System76 Meerkat, or the new HP mini computers -- Wave and Slice. If you want a barebones system, however, GIGABYTE's BRIX line is a legit alternative to Intel's own NUC. Today, BRIX gets a refresh with all-new 7th Gen Intel 'Kaby Lake' Processors.

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How to restore the Control Panel shortcut in Windows 10's Win+X menu

Windows-10 key

With Windows 10, Microsoft has encouraged users away from the Control Panel in favour of the newer Settings. This is fine for many things, but there are still times when the Control Panel is needed.

In recent builds of Windows 10, the Control Panel shortcut has vanished from the Win + X menu (which can also be accessed by right clicking the Start button), leaving some people perplexed about how to change certain settings. Thankfully, there is a way to get the shortcut back in the latest Insider builds.

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Windows 10's updated Paint app leaks online

paint-app

While Windows 10 introduced massive changes, some things have remained constant -- such as the bundled Paint app. After years of minor tweaks, Paint is finally in line for a major upgrade.

In recent days, details of the overhauled Paint have appeared online, including introductory videos that show the app will deal with 3D work as well as regular 2D drawing. Now the app has leaked online so you can try it out for yourself.

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Microsoft set to reveal the future for Windows 10 on October 26

Windows 10 invite

Windows 10 is, it’s fair to say, a bit of a divisive product. While it hasn’t alienated users to the same degree Windows 8.x did, it hasn’t been universally embraced in the same way that Windows 7 was either.

Part of the reason for that can be laid squarely at Microsoft's door -- the company’s overly aggressive push to get people to upgrade meant a lot of users were put off before they’d even given the new OS a chance.

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Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 14942 arrives on the Fast ring -- introduces several big changes

Windows-10 key

It’s been a full week since the last Insider Preview build made its way on to the Fast ring, but it’s been worth the wait.

Arriving just in time for the weekend, the latest release, Build 14942, is much more interesting than its predecessor, and introduces some major new features.

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Ockel Sirius A is the world's most versatile mini Windows 10 PC

Ockel Sirus A

If you have a phone running Windows 10 Mobile, you can use it as a mini PC, connecting it to a TV or monitor. However, this functionality -- Continuum for phones -- is only available on certain devices.

If you want a more powerful pocket PC, then Ockel Sirius A is a promising solution. It’s a full Windows 10 PC in a tiny, mobile-sized device that will fit comfortably in your pocket.

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How to uninstall Windows 10's built-in apps

Windows 10 freezing

There are a number of benefits to being a Windows Insider, the primary one being that you gain access to the latest features before anyone else. If you're running build 14936 of Windows 10, there's a new option available that will be of interest to many people -- the ability to remove built-in apps.

It's something that Windows 10 users have been looking for for some time, and it's not quite clear why it has taken Microsoft so long to make the option available. The good news is that it is now possible to remove some of the default apps that you simply do not need; the bad news is that there are still some that remain untouchable.

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Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 14931 for PC arrives on the Slow ring

Windows-10 key

Two weeks ago, Microsoft released Insider Preview Build 14931 to the Fast ring. It wasn’t the most exciting of new builds, as it didn’t offer any new features as such, but focused instead on improvements and fixes.

Today, that build makes its way to the Slow ring. Improvements for PC include:

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Is Microsoft planning to resurrect its dreaded Get Windows 10 nagware? [Update: no, it isn't]

frustrated user

Two weeks ago, Microsoft finally removed its scummy Windows 10 nagware from Windows 7 and 8.1 systems. This came as a major relief to everyone who didn’t want to upgrade to the latest operating system, but who had been forced to weather a storm of increasingly sneaky tactics as the software giant pulled every trick possible to get as many users to upgrade before the free period expired.

With the nagware removed, users were no doubt hoping that would be the end of the matter, but it turns out that might not be the case after all.

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Steam shows Windows 10 usage dropping among gamers too, as Linux and Mac make gains

Bored gamer

September wasn’t a good month for Windows 10. After enjoying uninterrupted meteoric growth since launch, usage share for the new OS actually dropped off last month, according to the latest figures from NetMarketShare announced on Saturday.

That's not the only bad news for Microsoft either. Gamers, who typically prefer to be running the latest operating system, also turned their back on Windows 10 in September.

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WTF? Windows 10 now actually losing market share

Shocked PC user

It was expected, that once Windows 10 stopped being free, upgrades would slow significantly. That turned out not to be the case last month when NetMarketShare’s usage figures showed it, rather surprisingly, to be business as usual. Growth in August was no different from growth in previous months, although I speculated it might have been buoyed by sales of new back to school PCs.

In September though, according to NetMarketShare, Windows 10 didn’t just show slower growth, it actually went into reverse gear and lost usage share. Yes, you read that right.

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Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 14936 for PC and Mobile arrives on the Fast ring

Windows-10 key

The Ignite conference in Atlanta might be keeping many Microsoft employees busy, but it hasn’t stopped developers working on the next big update of Windows 10.

A week after Build 14931 arrived on the Fast ring, Windows Insiders are today being treated to another new update -- Build 14936 for PC and Mobile.

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