Windows 10 laptop

Microsoft brings taskbar improvements and more to Windows 10 with KB5001391 update

Microsoft has released a new "C" preview update for Windows 10 ahead of May's Patch Tuesday. With the optional KB5001391 update, anyone running Windows 10 2004 and Windows 10 20H2 can get the new News and Interests feature in the taskbar.

While there are no security fixes in this update, it is still well worth installing -- not just because of the new taskbar feature, but also because of the number of performance, stability and other non-security issues it addresses.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
21H1-optional-RP-2

Microsoft preparing the Windows 10 May 2021 Update (21H1) for release

Windows 10 Insiders have been testing out the May 2021 Update for a while now, but it won’t be long before the update gets made available to non-Insiders.

Microsoft’s Brandon LeBlanc says that Build 19043.928 is the final build for the May 2021 Update. It will be firstly offered to Insiders in the Release Preview Channel although they will need to request it.

By Wayne Williams -
Galaxy_Book_Pro_

Samsung launches Galaxy Book Pro Windows 10 laptops with OLED screens and Wi-Fi 6E

Long gone are the days where Apple was the sole manufacturer of elegant laptops. Quite frankly, Apple has become a bit stagnant with its designs. Truth be told, makers of Windows laptops (such as Samsung, HP, and Huawei) have met or exceeded Apple's MacBook looks. Best of all, these Windows notebooks are often much more affordable than Apple's offerings too. Not to mention, they typically have touch screens!

Today, Samsung unveils its newest Windows 10 laptops and not only are they thin and beautiful, but quite powerful too. You see, they are powered by 11th-generation Intel Core processors. There is the Galaxy Book Pro and the Galaxy Book Pro 360 -- the former is a traditional laptop, while the latter is a convertible.

By Brian Fagioli -
Microsoft building logo

Winget: Microsoft updates Windows 10's Linux-style package manager to enable software removal

Microsoft has launched a new preview version of Winget Windows 10. Taking inspiration from AppGet, Winget is a Linux-style package manager that allows for command line control of software.

With the latest release, Winget 0.3, Microsoft has added a number of new features to the tool, including the ability to use it to uninstall software. While this is unlikely to tempt the majority of people away from using Settings or the Control Panel, it is extremely handy for anyone looking to uninstall software using scripts.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
Latitude-7320-1

Dell Latitude 7320 Detachable Windows 10 PC now available as Surface Pro alternative

The modern detachable PC form factor was made popular by Microsoft's Surface Pro. The iconic kickstand looks cool and allows you to position the screen at many angles. While these computers make for both good tablets and notebooks, they aren't exactly good laptops. Wait. Aren't notebooks and laptops the same thing? Typically yes, but these kickstand-based detachable computers are hard to balance on a lap; it is a bit of a misnomer to call them "laptop."

The Surface Pro is a pretty good computer overall -- as long as you don't need to use it on your lap -- but they can be very buggy. Microsoft's firmware releases often introduce problems -- even as other issues are fixed. Thankfully, if you like that form factor, you aren't limited to Surface. Today, for instance, Dell officially begins selling the Latitude 7320 Windows 10 detachable PC. And yes, it is a real Surface Pro alternative.

By Brian Fagioli -
Windows 10 floating menu

Hidden settings in Windows 10 unlock new Sun Valley floating menus

Microsoft has big plans in store for Windows 10 with its upcoming Sun Valley overhaul. There are many interesting visual changes on the horizon in Windows 10 21H2, including the introduction of rounded corners and floating menus -- and, possibly, a floating Start menu too.

So far, however, the new aesthetic that the arrival of Sun Valley will bring has been limited to design mockups. But now this changes. Experimental flags in the latest builds of Windows 10 gives us our first exciting glimpse of what's to come -- and you can (with a little effort) enable the floating menus for yourself.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
Laptop with red Wi-Fi logos

How to view Wi-Fi passwords in Windows 10

Looking to find the password for a Wi-Fi connection? There are various reasons you might want to retrieve the password for a wireless network you have already connected to, but it may not be obviously how to go about it in Windows 10.

Your router may have its security details helpfully printed on a sticker on the back, but this is not necessarily very accessible when you need to get the password for a new laptop or other device. Thankfully, there is a way to view saved Wi-Fi passwords in Windows 10, helping to make life a little easier.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
Colorful Microsoft logo

Microsoft issues emergency update to fix game performance problems caused by KB5000842 and KB5001330

Microsoft has acknowledged that "a small subset of users have reported lower than expected performance in games" after installing one of two recent Windows 10 updates, and issued a rare type of fix.

Gamers complained about dropped framerates and poor performance after installing the KB5001330 update, and the same report came from those who installed the preview version of the same update, KB5000842. Now the company is using a fairly uncommon Known Issue Rollback (KIR) to resolve the problems, just after NVIDIA issued advice of its own to affected gamers.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
Nvidia headquarters

[UPDATED] NVIDIA has a simple, possibly inadvisable, solution for poor game performance caused by problematic Windows 10 updates

The issues caused by updates for Windows 10 have been varied and plentiful. With each new batch of updates, anyone willing to install them finds they are playing an unwitting game of Russian roulette; the patch may fix some problems, but the chances are that they will introduce new ones as well.

This month's KB5001330 update -- just like the non-security preview version from the previous month, KB5000842 -- was just the latest in a long line of bug-riddled updates. This time the plethora of problems includes a performance hit for a number of games and to help with this, NVIDIA has a simple (if slightly controversial) solution.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
news-and-interests-flyout-scaled-1

How to hide News and Interests in the Windows 10 taskbar

Any changes that Microsoft brings to Windows 10 have a tendency to be rather polarizing, and the latest addition of News and Interests to the taskbar is no different.

While on the face of it, the ability to keep updated with the latest news headlines, see up-to-date weather forecasts, track stock prices and more from the taskbar may seem useful, it's certainly not of interest to everyone. So, if the feature has rolled out to you and you don't like it, here's how to disable News and Interests in the taskbar.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
audials-play

Best Windows 10 apps this week

Four-hundred-thirty-five 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 could relax Microsoft Store application submission policies later this year according to a report by accepting Win32 applications and giving publishers freedom in regard to selecting commercialization options as well as using third-party content delivery networks for installations and updating.

By Martin Brinkmann -
Microsoft glass building logo

Windows 10 get fixes, improvements and new features with the KB5001396 update preview

Microsoft has released the KB5001396 update preview which, among other things, bring the new News and interests taskbar feature that the company is rolling out to Windows 10.

Microsoft has, as is the norm, released a preview of next month's Patch Tuesday updates and it brings more than just the new taskbar feature that Microsoft has been drumming up excitement about. The non-security update also includes a host of fixes and improvements.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
Windows 10 laptop

Microsoft announces surprise change to Windows 10 Aero Shake

We've already written about the release of Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 21364 and some of the great new features and options it includes. But it seems that Microsoft forgot to mention a change that was introduced in this particular version of the operating system.

As such, the company has published updated release notes for build 21364 of Windows 10, notifying users that Aero Shake -- the feature that lets you grab a window by the title bar and 'shake' it to minimize all other windows -- is undergoing something of a change.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
shock-man-laptop-notebook

Microsoft's huge change to the Windows 10 taskbar is starting to roll out to all users now

The Windows taskbar has remained unchanged for years, and few people would complain about that.

However, Microsoft has been working on a big change to it which Windows Insiders have been able to test for the past few months, and which will finally begin rolling out to all users from today, although it could be a while before you get it.

By Wayne Williams -
task_manager_eco_mode

Microsoft is making it easy to speed up Windows 10 using 'Eco mode' resource throttling

In the latest build of Windows 10, Microsoft has introduced various changes and additions, but one of the most useful comes in a somewhat surprising place. It is perhaps not one of the most exciting Windows 10 utilities, but Task Manager is about to get much more useful, particularly for anyone looking to boost the performance of their system.

Microsoft has introduced a new "Eco mode" option that makes it possible to throttle process resources. This makes it easier for power users to ensure the most important apps and processes have access to CPU and memory when needed.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
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