Articles about Windows 11

Today is an exciting day in the world of Linux; Nitrux 3.0.0 has just been launched, and you can download an ISO here. This groundbreaking release screams innovation and forward-thinking, something that seems to have escaped Microsoft’s latest Windows 11.

Nitrux 3.0.0 comes with a robust set of improvements, from its use of Linux Kernel 6.4.12-2 (Liquorix) to an updated Firefox version 117.0. But let’s talk about the ‘Nitrux Update Tool System’ that even offers a rescue operation for backup redundancy. Imagine your update process gets interrupted; this feature allows you to restore the root partition from a Live session. This isn’t just an update; it’s a lifeline, something Windows 11’s update mechanism sorely lacks.

Continue reading →

Having just delivered an impressive update to the much-loved text editor Notepad, Microsoft has revealed that its (slightly) more advanced sibling, WordPad, is to be discontinued.

Serving as a halfway house between the barebones Notepad and a fully-fledged word processor, WordPad has been a feature of Windows for decades -- having been preceded by Write . But now Microsoft feels that the time has come to pull the plug, saying that the app is now longer being developed and will be killed ff.

Continue reading →

There is now a little over a month until Windows 11 21H2 reaches end of service. When October 10 rolls around, the operating system will no longer receive updates.

With just a few weeks to go, Microsoft has issued a reminder to users of this two-year-old version of Windows 11 that support is coming to an end. More than this, the company has warned users of Windows 11 21H2 that they should expect to be forcibly upgraded to a supported version of the OS very soon.

Continue reading →

Five-hundred-and-fifty-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.

Microsoft is testing several Windows Copilot plugins currently that promise to change the upcoming feature from a simple tool that integrates Bing Chat in Windows into something that administrators might find useful. Notepad and the Windows Snipping are also getting improvements soon.

Continue reading →

Notepad is one of the longest standing Windows apps, having been around for decades. Over the years, there have been slow, gradual improvements and now Microsoft has delivered a much-needed update to the beloved text editor.

Bringing the app more in line with word processors like Microsoft Word, this latest update sees the arrival of automatic file saves and more.

Continue reading →

Kicking off the v0.73 release cycle, which is "focused on new features, stability and improvements", Microsoft has released PowerToys v0.73.0, complete with a new module -- Crop And Lock.

The latest addition to the PowerToys family is described as making it possible to "crop a current application into a smaller window or just create a thumbnail. Focus the target window and press the shortcut to start cropping". This update also includes a number of bug fixes and a range of new features for existing modules.

Continue reading →

Microsoft has released an updated version of its screen capture and screen recording utility, Snipping Tool. As well as bug fixes there are improvements and additions to the Windows 11 tool.

The latest version of the app introduces a number of key changes including the arrival of the combined capture bar, something Microsoft says simplifies switching between screen grabbing and screen recording. There are also changes to audio recording options.

Continue reading →

Windows Copilot -- Microsoft's latest AI tool -- may not seem groundbreakingly useful yet, but all of this is set to change. Microsoft is currently testing a series of plugins for the artificial intelligence-powered assistant that will make it a valuable asset for getting things done at OS-level in Windows 11.

Rather than simply being a glorified version of the new AI-driven Bing, Windows Copilot's plugins allow for tight integration with Windows 11. This means that users will be able to call on Copilot to change settings, interact with the operating system and apps, and much more. Importantly, by taking a plugin-based, modular approach, Microsoft is helping to ensure that Windows Copilot does not become a bloated behemoth.

Continue reading →

Following on from the Meltdown flaw and other related vulnerabilities, a more recent security issue was discovered in the form of Downfall. Tracked as CVE-2022-40982, exploitation of the flaw is known as a transient execution attack and it affects Intel CPUs.

Microsoft has not only acknowledged that the problem exists, but has now provided details of mitigation techniques that can be used. In security advisory KB5029778, the company gives instructions for users of Windows 10, Windows 11 and Windows Server.

Continue reading →

When Microsoft released the KB5029351 update for Windows 11 a few days ago, it didn't take long for complaints to start. Owners of systems with MSI motherboards started to see UNSUPPORTED_PROCESSOR error messages and Blue Screens of Death.

Microsoft has said that it is investigating the issue, but its announcement was worded quite defensively. The company said: "We are presently investigating to determine if this is an issue caused by Microsoft". Thankfully, MSI has stepped up to the plate and offered up a workaround.

Continue reading →

Microsoft is planning on pulling the plug on Windows 10 relatively soon, leaving users with the choice of sticking with an unsupported operating system, or switching to Windows 11. It's possible the software giant will announce Windows 12 before that happens, but Microsoft has so far said nothing about its future OS, although we have seen some hints about it tucked away in Windows 11.

If you're wondering what Windows 12 could look like, take a look at MiracleOS.

Continue reading →

Five-hundred-and-fifty-seven 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 optional update KB5029331 for Windows 10 brings the Windows Backup app to the operating system. It is not a full backup solution, as it limits backups to specific data and offers to save the data only to OneDrive.

Continue reading →

Installing updates for Windows is always something of a gamble, and this is greatly magnified for anyone who chooses to install the preview versions Microsoft releases each month. A good case in point is the KB5029351 update preview that was released for Windows 11 this week.

There are lots of positive changes introduced by this update, but there are also numerous reports of blue screens and UNSUPPORTED_PROCESSOR errors. There's good news and bad news to come.

Continue reading →

Windows 10 may be starting to get a little long in the tooth, but Microsoft -- like many, many users -- is not quite ready to abandon it yet.

And with the release of the KB5029331 update, the company is treating those who have chosen to stick with Windows 10 to one of the newest tools from Windows 11. We're talking, of course, about the new Windows Backup app -- and you can grab it right now.

Continue reading →

Microsoft has released the latest batch of preview versions of its software updates, including the KB5029351 update for Windows 11 22H2. This is a non-security update, like all previews, but it includes a large number of bug fixes and an impressive number of a changes, additions and improvements.

The first highlight Microsoft draws attention to is a new hover behavior and options for Search, but there's much more to the KB5029351 update. There are numerous Group Policy changes, including the introduction of policy that can be used by administrators to enable optional updates.

Continue reading →