Articles about Windows 11

Microsoft has updated the data wiping tool in Windows 10 and Windows 11... and now it leaves behind data

Sweep away data

Using Windows' built in option to reset your computer and erase data may not be as secure as you thought. If you are passing on a computer to a friend or family member, or perhaps selling a machine you no longer need, you may well have used the option to reset the PC and wipe out your personal data. While this seems like a sensible move, an update to the data wiping tools in Windows 10 and Windows 11 means that potentially revealing and sensitive data can be left behind.

Tests conducted by Microsoft MVP Rudy Ooms showed that in Windows 10 version 21H2 and Windows 11 version 21H2 the data wiping function left behind user data in the Windows.old folder. Versions of the operating system prior to 21H2 did not suffer from this issue.

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You may have just installed Windows 11, but Microsoft could be readying Windows 12

12

SwiftOnSecurity has stirred up a huge level of interest and excitement after suggesting that Microsoft is already busily working on Windows 12.

The rollout of Windows 11 may have gone well, but the cyber security expert and Microsoft MVP tweeted saying that the successor is already in the pipeline. A tweet reading "according to a source at Microsoft, Windows 12 is already under development and it's going to require two TPMs" appeared over the weekend. What is going on?

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Best Windows apps this week

Four-hundred-seventy-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 released KB5010414, a preview update for Windows 11, this week that introduces new features to the operating system. Features include a new weather icon on the taskbar, clock and date on all taskbars on multi-monitor setups, and Microsoft Teams improvements.

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Windows 11 will force users to create Microsoft accounts

Windows 11

If you're using Windows 11, there is a reasonable chance that you have a Microsoft account -- but it is not necessarily the case. While there are various advantages to signing into Windows using your Microsoft account, it is not something everyone feels entirely comfortable with.

So it will come as bad news to such hold-outs that Microsoft is going to force some users to create such an account. The change is coming to Window 11 Pro, meaning that home users who have opted for this version of Windows, in addition to the organizations, businesses and enterprises that use this edition of the operating system are affected. But there is some good news.

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Windows 11 will soon let you prevent apps consuming system resources unnecessarily

Reliability meter

When an app starts to consume too many system resources it can have a huge impact on your PC’s smooth running, even causing it to lock or crash in some extreme instances.

Last year Microsoft experimented with a Task Manager feature called Eco mode which gave users control over unruly apps. That never made it into the stable version of Windows 11, but now the feature is back with a brand new name.

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Windows 11's taskbar finally gets drag and drop support

Windows 11 shipped with some pretty major features and functionality missing but Microsoft is finally righting these wrongs.

Earlier in the week the first Android apps preview arrived, and today in Insider Build 22557, the company introduced drag and drop support for the Windows 11 taskbar.

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Wow! Windows 11 Build 22557 introduces loads of major new features including Start menu folders and live captions

Yesterday, Microsoft released the first major update for Windows 11 (KB5010414), with Android apps, taskbar improvements and more.

Today, Windows Insiders in the Dev channel get a brand new build that comes packed with even more new features, including folders in the pinned apps area of Start, live captions, a new Focus experience, Quick Access improvements in File Explorer, new touch gestures, and more!

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KB5010414 update for Windows 11 fixes loads of problems as well as adding new features

Windows 11 magnifying glass

The latest update for Windows 11 is a big one -- and we're not just talking about the size of the download. The update in question is KB5010414, and it's something we have already touched on a couple of times.

Much of the focus has been, entirely understandably, on the new features the update brings; KB5010414 is about much more than this. Yes, the arrival of support for Android apps is nice, but it's certainly not something everyone is interested in. What is more impressive and interesting about the KB5010414 is the laundry list of changes, tweaks and fixes Microsoft has introduced. This is what makes this the most significant update to Windows 11 yet.

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Google's Linux-based Chrome OS Flex is a huge threat to Windows 11, and Microsoft should be extremely worried

Windows 11 is a really good operating system, but it is overkill for many home and education users these days. Not to mention, it can be risky to use since there is so much malware designed for it. Even for business, many companies are exclusively using web-based solutions in the browser, making Windows unnecessary for them. And so, Chromebooks are becoming more and more popular. They are affordable, easy to use, and extremely secure.

If a company wants to switch to Chromebooks from Windows laptops, however, there is a big dilemma -- what should be done with existing computers? After all, Chrome OS cannot be installed on computers that didn't ship with Chrome OS, right? Well, actually, this is changing...

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Windows 11's first big update released today adds Android apps, taskbar improvements, and more

Although Windows 11 isn’t a bad operating system, it does lack polish and it’s missing general functionality we expect to see. People are still waiting for features that were touted when the OS was first announced -- native support for Android apps, for example.

Today, Microsoft is starting to make new experiences for Windows 11 available via a new update, and this includes an Amazon Appstore preview, Taskbar improvements and redesigned versions of Media Player and Notepad.

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Windows Package Manager (Winget) update adds new experimental features

The Windows Package Manager -- also known as Winget -- is an open source tool designed to make it easier to install software on Windows 10 and Windows 11, by automating and speeding up the process. If you’ve used a package manager in a Linux distro you’ll know what to expect.

Microsoft has now released a new preview build with a number of a fixes and improvements. It has also enabled a raft of experimental features in the build.

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CISA says to urgently patch actively exploited SeriousSAM/HiveNightmare flaw affecting Windows 11

Laptop security

The CISA (US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) has published a list of 15 actively exploited software vulnerabilities, encouraging users of Windows and macOS to install the available patches.

Included in the list is the SeriousSAM vulnerability that is also known as HiveNightmare affects Windows 10 and 11. Tracked as CVE-2021-36934, this is a local privilege escalation vulnerability that makes it possible for an attacker to grab password hashes from the registry and gain admin privileges.

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Users complain of overheating Windows 11 systems and broken printing after installing KB5010414

Windows 11 magnifying glass

Following the release of Windows 11 Build 22000.526, also known as the KB5010414 update, users are complaining of various problems with their computers.

The update was released to the Beta and Release Preview channels just a few days ago, and it introduced various changes and improvements to the Windows 11 taskbar. But it also seems that the update introduced problems with printing, and high CPU loads leading to overheating.

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Best Windows apps this week

Four-hundred-seventy-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.

Windows 11 users who run the operating system on devices that don't meet the minimum system requirements will soon be reminded by Microsoft of the fact.

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Microsoft is making some important changes to the Windows 11 taskbar with the KB5010414 update

Windows 11

We've already written about the release of Windows 11 Build 22000.526 to testers on the Beta and Release Preview channels, but this update warrants further investigation. With the release of the KB5010414 update, Microsoft not only fixes a lot of Windows 11 problems, it also introduces some important tweaks to the taskbar that will delight users of Microsoft Teams, as well as people with more than one monitor connected to their computer.

There are various important additions to the taskbar as well as changes to functionality. These changes, such as the decision to (finally!) include the clock in all taskbars on multiple monitors, represent a pleasing evolution of a staple feature of Windows and are likely to be well-received -- but there is still room for improvement.

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