Articles about Windows 10

Four-hundred-thirty-seven in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 on the Microsoft Store in the past seven days.

Microsoft is still working on getting Adobe Flash components removed from its operating system. The optional update KB4577586 will soon be installed on devices running Windows 8.1 or newer .

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We usually see new Windows 10 builds for the Dev Channel arriving on a Wednesday, but this week the latest Insider build has slipped a day, but it’s worth the wait.

Build 21376 comes with an updated UI font, and other cosmetic tweaks.

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Back in the day, getting a laptop with Linux pre-installed was almost unheard of. For the most part, you had to buy a computer with Windows and then install Linux yourself. This wasn't bad necessarily, but it did mean that the price of the computer usually included a Windows license you maybe didn't want. In other words, Microsoft was profiting off of Linux users -- just because the consumer bought a Windows PC.

In 2021, however, there are many computers to be had with Linux pre-installed -- thanks to pioneers like System76. Of course, nowadays, big companies like Dell and Lenovo are selling Linux machines too. Today, yet another such laptop hits the market -- the Star Labs StarBook Mk V. This 14-inch notebook can be had your choice of several quality Linux distributions pre-installed, such as Linux Mint, Ubuntu, and Manjaro to name a few. And yes, Windows 10 is an option too.

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If you like the idea of the Nintendo Switch, but wish you could play PC games on it, then GDP WIN 3 could well be just what you’re looking for.

The handheld console runs Windows 10 Home and has Switch-like controllers on the left and right hand sides and a 1280 x 720 touchscreen that slides up to reveal to a keyboard underneath. It’s a nice piece of kit, but it comes with something that you might not be so happy about -- a high price tag.

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If you’ve found your system running unexpectedly short of storage space over the past couple of days, then Windows Defender could be to blame.

Some users report that the bug has led to hundreds of thousands and even millions of files being generated by the security software, taking up gigabytes of storage space.

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The software blight and security nightmare that is Flash has all but died. In theory it is dead already, with support for Adobe Flash Player having drawn to an end last year and Microsoft having pushed out an update to carve it out of Windows.

But the company has realized that there are a lot of systems out there that still have the cancerous software installed, and starting next month it will ramp up its effort to kill it off once and for all. This means that more people will be receiving the KB4577586 update.

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Microsoft has included various protective and security tools in Windows 10, and for the most part these are very welcome. But there are times when the operating system is a little over-zealous, and the protection becomes intrusive and restrictive. A good example is the SmartScreen filter which has been designed to safeguard your computer against potentially dangerous software downloaded from the internet.

You'll know when this kicks in as when you try to run or install a particular app, you'll see a message that reads "Windows protected your PC" and the operation is blocked. In some instances you'll be able to easily bypass the block, but this is not always the case. So what can you do? Here's how to get around SmartScreen.

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Drivers are essential to the smooth running of your computer, but they can also be tricky little blighters and the source of all manner of problems -- as anyone who has installed a duff update will attest. Now Microsoft is introducing an important change that will make it much easier to see which hardware is using which drivers.

The change is coming as part of an update to the Device Manager, and it's something that can currently be seen in the preview builds of the operating system. It will probably be included as part of the Windows 10 Sun Valley update that will make its way to users later in the year.

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Microsoft has released a public preview of new APIs for Microsoft Graph that give system administrators, developers and professionals fine-grain control over updates for Windows 10.

The new APIs are powered by the Windows Update for Business deployment service and allow for greater management of update deployment in various environments. Control over the installation of Windows 10 updates is something that administrators and regular users alike have long craved, but it is something that has been made all the more important this year following the release of a seemingly endless string of problematic updates.

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There are many reasons that Windows 10 can freeze leaving you unable to continue with the work you were in the middle of, or play the game you were about to beat. All manner of issues can arise that lead to your computer hanging and requiring you to restart.

But before you reach for that power button, it is worth giving something else a try -- restarting your graphics card drivers. How can you do this if your system is seemingly frozen? There's a keyboard shortcut that can help you out.

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If you've been looking for a way to customize the look of your computer, Microsoft has just released two free Theme Packs for Windows 10.

The Forest Camo and Arctic Camo theme packs have been designed to match special editions of the Microsoft Bluetooth mouse, but they can be downloaded for free regardless of whether you own this device. It's not all that often that you get something for free, so when it happens, grab whatever's on offer!

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File under "color us surprised": the KB5001391 update that Microsoft released for Windows 10 recently has been well-received by users.

Feedback about the update shows that people who have installed KB5001391 are happy not only with the fact that it adds News and Interests to the taskbar, but also that it seems to be stable and problem free. Some users are even finding that their system is performing better after installing this particular update.

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With the release of Windows 10 Build 21370 yesterday, Microsoft gave us a glimpse of the direction in which it is taking the operating system in the coming months. As ever, the Insider build includes a number of enhancements, and chief among the improvements this time are changes to Bluetooth audio.

Perhaps the most exciting change is the arrival of support for Bluetooth AAC, delivering higher quality wireless audio streaming. There's also an important fix for an issue that has plagued people using wireless phones.

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Four-hundred-thirty-six in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 on the Microsoft Store in the past seven days.

The next feature update for Windows 10 is almost here. Microsoft picked a build for the update this week, which is already available for testing.

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The development of PowerToys continues, and this widely appreciated labor of love is gradually gaining more and more utilities. The latest instalment in the tool's story sees Microsoft releasing PowerToys v.0.37.0.

For now, this is primarily a bug fixing and improvement-introducing release, and some important changes have been made to some of the individual utilities. As of this release, PowerToys now requires at least Windows 10 version 1903 (because of future adoption of WinUI 3). While this requirement will not represent much of an issue for many people, the fact that the eagerly anticipated Video Conference Mute is missing is a disappointment.

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