With the holidays becoming a distant memory, Microsoft is back to its weekly Windows 11 release schedule for Insiders in the Dev Channel.

Today's new flight, Build 25276, comes with the usual set of improvements and fixes, and includes a change for Task Manager and adjustments to the Settings account page. This build also sees the Network Troubleshooter being replaced with a new network connectivity troubleshooting experience through the Get Help app.

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Microsoft has announced a new low-cost Microsoft 365 tier, giving access to a cloud storage boost and more. Priced at just $1.99 per month, Microsoft 365 Basic includes 100GB of cloud storage, removes advertising from the mobile and web versions of Outlook, and also includes access to the free web-based versions of various Office components.

Microsoft 365 Basic is replacing the current OneDrive Standalone 100GB plan, with existing users being automatically migrated later this month. Microsoft is quick to point out that while there is no change to plan costs, there are now more benefits for the same price -- including technical support for Windows 11.

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For anyone who has been put off upgrading to Windows 11 because of the way it looks, there could be some good news. While there is not a complete redesign of the operating system on the cards, there are supposedly plans to revamp the aesthetics of a key component -- File Explorer.

We have already seen Microsoft giving File Explorer some attention with the arrival of the somewhat polarizing tabbed interface. Now news has been leaked by reliable source FireCube Studios which says we can look forward to another major update as some point in the future.

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Microsoft has released the KB5022287 update for Windows 11 21H2, as well as the KB5022303 update for Windows 11 22H2.

Both updates are mandatory and, like this month's updates for Windows 10, include fixes for Local Session Manager (LSM) and ODBC issues. There is also a fix for a blue screen 0xc000021a error and numerous security patches.

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Many of the changes introduced by Microsoft in Windows 11 have been controversial. This is perhaps not entirely surprising as change has a tendency to upset, but some things have proved rather more unpopular than others -- in particular changes to the Start menu.

While users have long viewed the Start menu as a way to launch app and navigate Windows, in recent times Microsoft has used it as more of an advertising platform. The company has used the iconic feature of its operating system push (or "recommend", depending on your point of view) apps and websites, but now it has performed a U-turn and scrapped at least some of its recommendations.

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Five-hundred-and-twenty-four 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 the first Windows 11 development builds of 2023 this week. The company removed two features that it tested in development versions: website recommendations in Start and the Bing Search suggested action.

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After taking a well-deserved break for the holidays, Microsoft returns with a brand new Windows 11 build for insiders in the Dev Channel.

Build 25272 comes with a set of improvements and fixes, including moving Quick Assist from Windows Tools to the Start menu’s All apps list where it will be easier to find.

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The arrival of tabs in File Explorer with the release of Windows 11 22H2 was warmly welcomed after years of users requesting the feature. But it seems that in introducing a tabbed interface to Windows' file browser, Microsoft has also exposed users to a seriously annoying bug.

Growing numbers of people are complaining that the updated version of the app is stealing focus. Those affected by the problem report that the File Explorer window randomly jumps in front of other apps.

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Although Windows 10 is comfortably the most popular desktop operating system out there, its successor, Windows 11, is slowly gaining on it.

And 'slowly' is definitely the word to use here -- a situation not helped by the new operating system's stricter system requirements which mean it's much harder for users to upgrade older systems to it.

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There are many reasons for the slow uptake of Windows 11, but fairly high on the list of what puts off many potential users is the number of frankly bizarre design changes Microsoft decided to make. A good example is the context menu that appears when right clicking on files and folder which the company saw fit to tweak the menu so there are far fewer options available.

It is possible to access the old style, classic context menu by Shift-right-clicking, but in a future update to Windows 11 Microsoft is planning to introduce a way to make this the default.

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Five-hundred-and-twenty-three 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.

A leaked screenshot on Twitter suggests that Microsoft is working on bringing tabs to more Windows applications. The screenshot shows the classic text editor Notepad with tabs.

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Although Windows 10 is the leading desktop operating system by some way, Microsoft will be praying that Windows 11 starts to gain more users throughout 2023.

While the new OS does have some features that set it apart from its predecessor, most notably a centered taskbar, for many users the differences don’t go for enough, and they’ll be hoping that Windows 12 will step things up significantly.

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Having revolutionized the way we browse the web, tabs made their way to File Explorer in Windows 11. Now, thanks to a premature -- and now-deleted -- tweet, we also know that Microsoft is looking to do the same with other apps.

A Microsoft employee shared a screenshot on Twitter that depicts an updated version of the Notepad app, complete with two open tabs. It is not known if the addition of tabs will come in the next Moment update for Windows 11, but it is something that is undergoing internal testing.

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Five-hundred-and-twenty-two 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 plans to remove Internet Explorer from Windows 10 devices with an Edge update in February 2023. Official support for Internet Explorer 11 ended in mid-2022.

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Grandmothers can be great ladies, but let's be honest -- they aren't very good at using computers. It's not their fault though -- they didn't grow up with them. That's why every time you visit grandma for Christmas, she asks you to fix her computer.

If you are sick of removing malware from grandma's PC, there is a simple solution -- install Linux! Yes, by formatting grandma's hard drive and replacing Windows with Linux, she will have the best Christmas ever.

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