Windows 11 is a rather good operating system. In fact, I can confidently say it is the best desktop operating system Microsoft has ever created. Seriously, folks, it is a pleasure to use. If your computer is compatible with it, and you like Windows 10, you should enjoy Windows 11 even more.

With all of that said, Windows 11 can be a bit polarizing. It features radical changes to the user interface (such as a centered task bar) which I adore, but some users may dislike. Not to mention, the system requirements will leave many still-capable computers unable to upgrade without using unofficial hacks. Even worse, computers deemed incompatible could eventually stop getting updates! These unfortunate computer owners will have to decide whether to continue using Windows 10 or buy a new Windows 11-compatible PC.

While Microsoft may have released more than its fair share of problematic updates, it's still a good idea to keep Windows fully updated to help minimize the risk of security issues. But there are plenty of systems out there which are not up to date. Why is this?

It could be that it is not a matter of user error, or even there being a problem with Windows Update itself. Rather the issue could stem from the simple fact that a computer needs to be connected to the internet for an unexpectedly lengthy period of time in order to guarantee reliable update installation. Microsoft has revealed the surprising data surrounding update delivery.

Four-hundred-seventy-five 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.

Windows 11 has reached the broad deployment stage and Microsoft estimates that the full rollout of the operating system is completed before the projected mid-2022 deadline.

Having released a preview of next month's updates for Windows 11, Microsoft has also done the same for Windows 10. With the release of KB5009596, the company has addressed an issue that prevented the Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 (WSL2) localhost relay from starting, as well as fixing a couple of audio problems.

This particular update also sees the addition of a reminder to Internet Explorer 11 users about the browser’s upcoming retirement. One of the more interesting additions that comes with the KB5009596 update is the new feature called Sync Your Settings which has been designed to make it easier to migrate to Windows 11.

It is, of course, no secret that Microsoft would like as many people as possible to use Windows 11. While it may not be realistic for the company to expect all computer users -- or even all Windows users, for that matter -- to install the latest version of the operating system, it can at the very least ensure that it minimizes the number of systems out there running unsupported versions of Windows.

And this is precisely what is happening with machines that currently have Windows 10 2004 installed. Microsoft is automatically (or forcibly, depending on your perspective) upgrading such computers to Windows 10 21H2. And next in the company's sights are people still running Windows 10 20H2.

Four-hundred-seventy-four 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 several out-of-bands patches this week that address VPN connection issues and other issues.

Four-hundred-seventy-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 Windows 11 build this week. It includes a redesigned flyout and other improvements.

Microsoft has acknowledged an issue following the installation of the KB5008212 update. The problem causes email searching in Outlook to break, and no fix is currently available.

To let people know about the issue, and to provide details of a workaround, Microsoft has published a support document entitled "Outlook Search not showing recent emails after Windows update KB5008212".

Four-hundred-seventy-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.

The first big Windows 11 update may come earlier than expected. Microsoft released the first Windows 11 build of the year to the public this week.

Four-hundred-seventy-one 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 confirmed a color issue on certain Windows 11 devices this week, which it plans to fix in late January 2022.

Four-hundred-seventy 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.

The yearly Holiday Sale on the Microsoft Store has started, offering discounts up to 50 percent. The sale ends on January 2, 2022.

There is good news for Windows 10 and Windows 11 users who have noticed high resource usage by Desktop Windows Manager.

Intel has released updated graphics driver which addresses an issue that caused DMW.exe to use more CPU time and RAM than it should. The update means that Intel's DCH drivers have now reached version 30.0.101.1191.

Four-hundred-sixty-nine 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 has blocked other browsers from setting themselves as the default browser on Windows 10 and 11 without user interaction.

Four-hundred-sixty-eight 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.

Google revealed that it plans to launch Google Play Games for Windows in 2022 to bring a selection of Android games to Windows 10 and Windows 11 devices.

If you’re looking for some new high-quality Windows wallpapers, Microsoft has you covered with its new 'Pantone Color of the Year 2022' theme pack which is now available to download for free from the Microsoft Store.

The collection consists of four new variations of the popular Windows bloom wallpaper included with Windows 11.