Articles about Windows 11

Microsoft Support Diagnostic Tool and MSDT Troubleshooters to be killed off with a Windows 11 update

Windows 11 help

Microsoft has announced a big shakeup to the support and troubleshooting options that are currently available in Windows 11. The company says that over the course of the next three years, it will be gradually retiring the Microsoft Support Diagnostic Tool (MSDT) and MSDT Troubleshooters currently used by many people to diagnose and fix problems with the operating system.

The ultimate plan is to remove all existing troubleshooters and kill off the MSDT platform using an update for Windows 11. The changes are something that we've heard hints and rumors about previously, but now it has been confirmed. So, what does it mean for Windows users?

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Best Windows apps this week

debloos

Five-hundred-and-twenty-nine 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.

Windows users who think that Windows 11 is using too many resources may check out tiny11, a custom third-party build of Windows 11 that is said to run on only 8 gigabytes of disk space and 2 gigabytes of RAM.

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Leak shows Microsoft is working on Windows 11 23H2, AKA Sun Valley 3 or Moment 4

Laptop running Windows 11

With Microsoft having changed its approach to releasing major updates to Windows 11, users are still familiarizing themselves with the idea of Moments. Moment 1 has already been released, adding tabs to Explorer and more.

We are still waiting for Moment 2 which is due to launch soon, but a new leak shows that Microsoft is already working away on Moment 4. For now, little is known about Moment 4, other than the fact that it is also known as Windows 11 23H2, and is being referred to internally as Sun Valley 3 or SV3.

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Microsoft releases Windows 11 Build 25295 with fixes and a new commercial policy

Windows 11 laptop

Windows 11 Insiders in the Dev Channel today get a new Windows 11 build to play around with. Build 25295 comes with a decent selection of fixes and improvements, but that’s not all.

There’s also a new commercial policy which makes it possible to enable features introduced via servicing that are off by default.

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Get 'Microsoft 365 For Dummies' ($18 value) for FREE!

MS-365-Dummies

Amp up your collaboration skills and rock the modern workplace by harnessing the power of Microsoft 365 with this one-stop guide to the world's leading productivity platform.

The Microsoft 365 productivity solution for the workplace is a cloud-based service with many features for effective and secure collaboration virtually or in person. Whether you start your day with meetings in Teams, respond to Outlook emails, create documents with Office apps, or even automate your work with artificial intelligence, Microsoft 365 has you covered. But first, you must unlock the potential of this powerful solution to showcase your ability to keep up with the modern workplace and make an impact in your organization. To do that, you need Microsoft 365 For Dummies

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Minisforum NUCG5 mini PC has a carbon fiber body and dual Thunderbolt 4 ports

nuc-minisf-1

Minisforum is a well-known manufacturer of miniature computers. The company has many models with differing specifications and features. Quite frankly, it can be hard for consumers to choose, as there are so many options!

Today, Minisforum unveils yet another tiny PC, and it is one of the company's most impressive offerings. Called "NUCG5," this little Windows 11 desktop is powered by a 12th generation Intel Core i5 processor and comes with either 16GB or 32GB of RAM. While the specs are quite nice, there are three things that really make this model stand out -- the beautiful carbon fiber chassis, external Wi-Fi antennas, and two ThunderBolt 4 ports.

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tiny11 massively shrinks Windows 11, slashes system requirements and eliminates the need for TPM

tiny11

One of the various things that puts people off upgrading to Windows 11 is that the operating system has very particular system requirements. For someone looking to upgrade from Windows 7, for instance, it is likely that their hardware will not make the grade. There is an answer, however, in the form of tiny11.

Coming from the same team that was behind tiny10 -- NTDEV -- tiny11 is a majorly stripped-back, bare-bones version of Windows 11 Pro that dramatically lowers the system requirements. The operating system needs just 8GB of disk space and 2GB of RAM, and it does not require TPM (Trusted Platform Module) support. This sounds great, but there are a few caveats to keep in mind.

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Best Windows apps this week

adv

Five-hundred-and-twenty-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 stopped sales of Windows 10 on its own stores this week. The only client-based Windows operating system that is still available directly from Microsoft is Windows 11. Third-parties continue to sell Windows 10 licenses though.

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Microsoft is pestering Windows 10 users with an incredibly deceptive Windows 11 upgrade nag screen

Windows 11 upgrade nag screen

Microsoft is, it seems, at it again. No stranger to irritating ads and nags, the company has been spotted pestering Windows 10 users with a full-screen prompt to upgrade to Windows 11 for free.

If the appearance of an unwanted nag screen was not enough, the upgrade prompt is also rather deceptive, appearing to give users just two choices -- install Windows 11 now, or schedule the installation. It is actually possible to back out of the upgrade, but Microsoft has made it less than obvious.

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Microsoft releases Windows 11 Build 25290 with new Spotify and Phone Link widgets

Spotify

Microsoft today stops selling Windows 10, instead redirecting would-be purchasers towards Windows 11. There are ways around this however.

For Windows 11 testers in the Dev Channel, Microsoft has released a new build, and this one is available for Arm64 devices. Last week’s flight (Build 25284) was blocked due to a known issue that resulted in devices getting stuck at the OS boot logo.

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Windows 11X: The dream upgrade your PC needs

Win11X-main

Although Windows 11 has a lot to recommend it, it does feel rather unfinished, and it’s a situation which isn’t helped by a never-ending stream of problematic updates -- no wonder people are already talking about its potential successor, Windows 12.

But maybe we don’t need to make a full version leap just yet, perhaps the problems with the new OS could be solved with a bit of thought and attention.

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Plugable USB-C Stand Dock can turn an Apple iPad, Windows tablet, or Android device into a legitimate desktop PC

Fulllifestyle1x1

Apple's iPad is a tablet, obviously, but when you add a keyboard case, it magically becomes a laptop too. But did you know M1 or M2-powered iPad tablets (running iPadOS 16.1 and higher) can also serve as a desktop PC with full-screen monitor support? It's true! By plugging in a USB-C dock, you can connect a keyboard, mouse, monitor, external storage, and more.

Today, Plugable launches a new USB-C Stand Dock (model number UDS-7IN1). While this product is primarily designed for M1/M2 iPad devices (such as iPad Pro and iPad Air 5), it can work with USB-C Android devices and Windows tablets (such as Surface Pro) as well. While this dock should technically work with laptops and desktops, the "stand" aspect (which props up the phone or tablet like a monitor), would be wasted.

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The latest Windows 11 problem sees updates failing with 0x800f0988 and 0x800f0831 errors

Windows 11 thumb down

It is no secret that the updates released for Windows 11 have been rather more problematic than updates for previous versions of Windows. Microsoft has managed to earn itself an unenviable reputation for poor quality control, with update after update causing a wide range of issues over the past year and a half.

The problems with updates tend to rear their heads once they have been installed, but there is also an issue that is preventing people from installing updates in the first place. The recently released KB5022303 and KB5022360 updates are among those that fail to install, generating various unhelpful error codes including 0x800f0988 and 0x800f0831.

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Do you trust Microsoft enough to use Windows 11's new 'Fix problems using Windows Update' feature?

Laptop running Windows 11

Updates for Windows 11 have proved to be astonishingly problematic over the last year and a half. Just about every patch and update that has been released has ended up causing new issues that have had to be addressed with yet another update.

Considering the problems caused by Windows Update, it is interesting to see a new option Microsoft is working on at the moment. Hidden in the latest Insider builds of Windows 11 is a new addition to the Recovery tools in the System section of the Settings app: Fix problems using Windows Update.

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Best Windows apps this week

plex

Five-hundred-and-twenty-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.

Microsoft won't sell its Windows 10 operating system anymore on its website after January 2023. Third-party retailers and OEMs may still sell Windows 10 licenses though.

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