Articles about Windows 10

The Windows Defender tool that is built into Windows 10 offers protection against a range of malware, but it is not something that everyone wants running on their computer. In a recent update, Microsoft has removed the option of disabling Defender via the registry.

Previously, it was possible to enable the DisableAntiSpyware key in the registry to switch off Windows Defender -- for whatever reason you may want to. But now the setting is ignored, meaning anyone wanting to avoid Windows Defender will have to find another way to do so.

Continue reading →

When Microsoft updated Windows Subsystem for Linux to version 2, there was a lot for developers to take advantage of.

Among those making good use of the fact that a genuine Linux kernel is now virtualized in WLS 2 is the team behind Kali Linux. They have created a new package called Win-KeX that gives the distro a graphic desktop environment, and it comes alongside the release of Kali Linux 2020.3.

Continue reading →

Microsoft rolled out an updated Windows 10 Start menu to Windows Insiders a month ago, and that menu is now available to all -- if you follow these instructions. The tweaked design removes the solid color backplates behind the logos and adds a translucent background to tiles.

However, it could be that bigger changes are afoot. In a video showcasing Microsoft’s new icon system the search giant also reveals a stunning new-look Start menu.

Continue reading →

If you're an Edge user who frequently has a large number of tabs open, Microsoft's decision to add the browser tabs to Alt-Tab switching creates something of a navigation nightmare.

When you have not only multiple browser tabs open, but also numerous applications, Alt-Tabbing your way through them can take an age. Thankfully it is possible to hide Edge tabs in Alt-Tab, or limit the number of tabs that are displayed so things don't get too overwhelming.

Continue reading →

By making Windows 10 Home and Windows 10 Pro, Microsoft gave people a choice of operating system, but also caused some confusion. Just what is the difference between the two, and is it worth upgrading to Pro if your computer came with the Home edition installed?

Well the answer to the second question is a resounding yes! This is definitely a worthwhile upgrade -- and to show you why, we're going to highlight all of the extra features and options Pro includes. If you decide that you do want to upgrade to Windows 10 Professional, we have a special offer that will save you a lot of money. You can buy a genuine Windows 10 Pro license for just $39.99!

Continue reading →

The August security updates for Windows 10 released by Microsoft last week are causing issues for people running the November 2019 Update (version 1909) and the May 2020 Update (version 2004).

Released last Patch Tuesday, 11 August, the KB4565351 and KB4566782 updates are causing various issues, ranging from failed installations, through error messages and BSoDs to problems with audio. For those experiencing installation issues, the following message has been reported: "There were some problems installing updates, but we'll try again later". Here's what you need to know.

Continue reading →

Three-hundred-and-ninety-nine 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.

Future versions of Windows 10 will highlight new features after updates to users as part of the welcome experience of the operating system. Users may click through some of the items that are new or changed.

Continue reading →

Microsoft is giving Windows users far greater control over graphics settings to allow anyone with multiple GPUs to customize how and when they are used.

The change means that it now possible to not only choose which GPU should be used by default, but also specify which GPU individual applications should use. As well as making it possible to maximize performance when required, the new controls also give additional power-saving potential.

Continue reading →

Yesterday, Microsoft rolled out a new Windows 10 build to those insiders on the Beta Channel, and today it follows that up with a new release for those in the Dev Channel.

Build 20190 comes with a new post-update experience which can be accessed through the Tips app. This useful addition tells you what has changed each time you install a major update.

Continue reading →

With the arrival of any update for Windows 10 there are questions. What problems does it fix? What new problems does it introduce? What new features does it add? What does it break? What features does it remove?

With the release of the KB4568831 update a couple of weeks ago, Microsoft took Windows 10 version 2004 (Windows 10 May 2020 Update) up to build 19041.423. As well as fixing connectivity and printing problems, this update also killed off a handy option related to updating drivers -- the ability to search online for new drivers from the Device Manager.

Continue reading →

There are numerous useful keyboard shortcuts that can make your computing life easier, but Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V for copying and pasting via the clipboard are arguably the most helpful. But you may well feel that Windows 10's built-in utility is a little lacking -- how about the ability to store multiple items on the clipboard? What about synchronizing the clipboard between devices? The ability to keep things on the clipboard permanently?

Well these are actually options that are already available in Windows 10! For some reason Microsoft has opted to not only have it disabled by default, but also failed to advertise its existence. Here's how to enable clipboard history and how to use it.

Continue reading →

The Windows 10 Insider Beta Channel is what used to be the Slow ring, and updates pushed out here are typically a lot more stable than those on the Dev Channel (previously the Fast ring).

Today, Microsoft rolls out Build 19042.450 to the Beta Channel, and the new flight is mostly about resolving a number of security vulnerabilities.

Continue reading →

Windows 10 Home offers you a number of personalization, customization and tweaking options, but Windows 10 Professional takes things even further. Thanks to the inclusion of Group Policy Editor, not only can you tweak the hell out of the operating system, but also lock it down for ultimate security.

Group Policy Editor is unique to the Professional edition of Windows 10, and it gives you access to hundreds of settings that are either simply not available in the Home edition, or have to be implemented through awkward registry edits.

Continue reading →

Windows has featured a clipboard for time immemorial, but it has always been rather limited -- so much so that you may have been drawn to a third-party clipboard utility. In future versions of Windows, this will change as Microsoft is giving the tool a serious update.

The new clipboard can be found in Windows 10 build 20185 which was released to the Dev Channel last week. It will be a while before the feature makes its way to the average user, but it's still an exciting glimpse into the future.

Continue reading →

An unpatched vulnerability in the Windows Print Spooler exists that could be exploited by an attacker to run malicious software with elevated system privileges.

The issue affects Windows 7, Windows 8.x, Windows 10 as well as versions of Windows Server. It is being tracked as CVE-2020-1048 and CVE-2020-1337 and has a severity rating of "Important". Despite having been acknowledged by Microsoft back in May, a working patch is yet to be rolled out.

Continue reading →