Microsoft has confirmed an issue in Windows 10 and Windows 11 that can leave the Start menu unresponsive, as well as causing problems with Windows Search and the launching of UWP apps.

The company is continuing to investigate the matter and says that it will provide a fix in a future update. In the meantime, however, Microsoft has provided details of a workaround.

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Back in the day, people often scoffed at the idea of switching to a Linux-based operating system due to a lack of software. While that is still true for some people -- especially business users -- it is less of a concern these days since so many things are done through the web browser. For many consumers, just having the Google Chrome browser on, say, Ubuntu, is more than enough to accomplish all of their wants and needs. Not to mention, there are many quality Linux apps like GIMP and DaVinci Resolve.

But OK, lets say you really want to use a Linux-based operating system, but there's some Windows-only software that you absolutely cannot live without. Thankfully, you may still be able to ditch Windows and upgrade to something like Freespire or MX Linux. How? Thanks to the excellent Wine! This compatibility layer can sometimes enable you to run certain Windows software on Linux. Today, version 8.0 is released, and Microsoft should be very worried.

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When Microsoft announced that it would release a single feature update per year for its new Windows 11 operating system, one could hear a sigh of relief from many system administrators and also Home users.

The previous strategy of releasing two feature updates per year backfired, as it put a lot of strain on Microsoft but also administrators and users. The gain was not worth talking about usually, as the first feature update of the year did not really include many new features or improvements.

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If you want to be among the first to try out the latest features and options of Window 11, being part of the Windows Insider program is the place to be. But even if you are signed up to the Dev Channel, there are hidden secrets to unearth, and this is true of the latest release.

For anyone who has Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25281 installed, there is a new Volume Mixer. While Microsoft has not made it easy to activate the feature, it is possible. Here's what you need to know.

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After taking a month off in December, Microsoft has now released the first preview update of 2023 for Windows 11. The KB5019274 update does not address any security issues, but it does fix various problems and adds new features and options.

The KB5019274 update is available for Windows 11 21H2 and it, among other things, makes it easier to discover and turn on the Windows Spotlight feature. There are important changes in the Settings app, including the arrival of storage alerts for Microsoft OneDrive in the System section and the addition of Xbox subscription information.

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Windows 11 promises to be the fastest, most secure, and most flexible version of the Microsoft operating system yet. With a promise like that, of course you want to start using it, as quickly as possible!

Windows 11 For Dummies gives you that speed, security, and flexibility by getting you up to date with the latest in Windows. Windows expert and bestselling author Andy Rathbone gives you a helping hand by showing you how to get around the newly updated Windows 11 interface, how to use the new Windows tools like Teams and widgets, and how to use Android apps.

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Five-hundred-and-twenty-six 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 Insider build this week with a tabbed Notepad interface and Windows Spotlight improvements. Windows 11 users may run into "this app can't open" error messages on Windows 11 version 22H2 after system restore operations.

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A month ago we reported that Microsoft was experimenting with bringing tabs to Windows Notepad in Windows 11.

Today, the software giant takes a step forward by making the feature available for users to try for themselves. To make use of this opportunity, however, you will need to be a Windows Insider in the Dev Channel.

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The latest Windows 11 build for Insiders in the Dev Channel sees Microsoft experimenting with changes to Windows Spotlight.

That’s not all, of course, there is also a visual update to the graphics settings page, and the usual round of fixes and known issues to be aware of.

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Microsoft has issued a warning about yet another known issue with Windows 11. Affecting version 22H2 of the operating system, the problem means that users may experience problems launching certain apps after performing a system restore.

The company says that the bug caused problems with any application that uses the MSIX Windows app package format, and concedes that various titles of its own -- including Office and Terminal -- are affected.

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Microsoft has released a new update for Windows 11 in the form of KB5022360.

The release is only for Windows Insiders participating in the Release Preview Channel running Windows 11 22H2. Although it may be a little while before it is made available more widely, it sees Microsoft not only fixing a number of issues -- including one relating to searchindexer.exe and another to conhost.exe -- but also introducing changes that reduce the number of reboots experienced by users upgrading to Windows 11 22H2.

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Users of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint have been experiencing what has been described as a "weird issue" that not only caused shortcuts to be deleted from the Start menu, desktop and taskbar, but also led to issues with Office apps.

The problem was traced to a flawed Microsoft Defender for Endpoint ASR (attack surface reduction) rule, and while Microsoft has now released a fix, this is not without problems of its own. Users are being warned that any shortcuts that have disappeared will need to be manually recreated.

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The writing has been on the wall for Groove Music for quite some time now, with Microsoft having resurrected Media Player as a replacement in Windows 11.

Now, as expected, the company is doing the same for Windows 10 users. Microsoft is bringing the same Media Player app found in Windows 11 to the older operating system, migrating users away from the Groove Music app.

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Five-hundred-and-twenty-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.

Microsoft released several Windows 11 preview builds this week that introduce a new developer-related Task Manager feature and other changes. Security updates have been released on Tuesday, the last for Windows 7 and 8.1, as both reached end of support on the day.

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They have been a very long time coming, but there are finally Apple TV and Apple Music apps available for Windows 11, meaning that PC users now have an alternative to the web versions of the services.

Both apps are listed as being "preview" versions -- essentially betas -- so what you see now is not necessarily the finished product. Apple has also launched a preview of the Apple Devices app, which can be used to manage iPhones and iPads from Windows 11.

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