Articles about Windows 11

I'm a big fan of Windows 11, and I highly recommend it. With that said, the operating system has a huge problem -- it is incompatible with many older computers. This is by design, as Microsoft purposely blocks some older hardware. While there are ways to bypass the compatibility check, Microsoft can close them at any time, including possibly blocking future updates. It just isn't worth the hassle, folks. Ultimately, if the Windows 11 installer says your PC is incompatible, you should either stay on Windows 10 while it is supported or switch to Linux.

If you want to switch to Linux but don't know which operating system to choose for your aging PC, I have a suggestion. Released today, Zorin OS 16 Lite should be an excellent Linux-based Windows 11 alternative for older computers. The distribution is based on Ubuntu 20.04.3 LTS and uses Xfce 4.16 as its desktop environment; it should seem very familiar to Windows users. The lightweight distro comes with great software pre-installed so beginners can start using their computer right away. It even offers a simple way to install and run Windows programs!

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If you have upgraded from Windows 10 to Windows 11 and noticed a reduction in the performance of your SSD, you are not alone. Since the launch of the operating system, online forums, Reddit and Microsoft's own support communities have seen increasing number of complaints about write speeds being significantly slower after upgrading.

What is key here is that the performance reduction is not just noticeable, it is also measurable. It would be easy to dismiss a handful of complaints about slowdown as being a matter of personal perception. But the observations and experiences of those complaining are borne out by benchmarks which show write speeds have been slashed.

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Windows 11 might be available to install now, but it’s very much a work in progress with many of the touted features not currently available.

If you’re a Windows Insider, you can from today try out the new and improved Notepad which sports a redesigned UI and offers a smart dark mode.

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Windows 11 has the potential to be a great operating system, but it’s not there yet. That’s to be expected of course, as it was only released two months ago, and it took multiple feature updates before Windows 10 became the OS it should have been from the get-go.

Microsoft is rolling out bug fixes for Windows 11 and testing new features and improvements in its Insider builds, which all points towards a bright future. However, if you’re annoyed by the new OS as it is now, it’s easy to fix some of the more frustrating issues.

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Windows 11 has its fair share of problems, and it has also caused problems with other software that people have come to rely on. While it is somewhat understandable when third-party software is affected, the same cannot be said of Microsoft's own software.

The company has acknowledged an issue with Outlook for users who have upgraded to Windows. The problem Sees Outlook failing to return any search results, as well as the error message: "Search performance will be impacted because of a problem with how Outlook search is configured". Now Microsoft has revealed a fix.

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The importance of installing the latest patches and fixes for Windows cannot really be overstated. As well as helping to boost security and fix problems, updates can also add new features to Windows.

While there is a lot to be said in favor of enabling automatic updates, there's nothing wrong with performing manual check as well or instead. Unfortunately, Microsoft has hidden the option to check for updates away in the Settings app meaning it is a pain to access. Here's how to add an update check option to the context menu in Windows 11 and Windows 10.

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While there are new features in Windows 11, much what's of the appeal of the latest version of the operating system is the updated look. Microsoft is not limiting itself to using the new look in Widows 11 alone; a similar aesthetic is making its way to other products and Microsoft Office has now been updated.

With the visual update, Microsoft Office gets a Windows 11 makeover, although the same look is also available to Windows 10 users running Office. Microsoft describes it as providing a "simple and more coherent experience"; here's what you need to know, including how to enable or disable it.

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It is mere days since Microsoft released PowerToys v0.51.0 complete with the new Mouse Highlighter utility. Now the company has another update available which offers improvements to the FancyZones and PowerToys Run tools.

PowerToys v0.51.1 is by no means a big release, especially when you look at the huge list of improvements and additions in the previous update, but it remains an important one. The changes introduced in this latest version come, Microsoft says, in response to user feedback, and will be of particular interest to Windows 11 users.

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Four-hundred-sixty-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 released a new build to the Windows 11 Insider channel with new layout options for the operating system's Start menu. Another feature that is being tested currently makes it easier to set a default browser on the system.

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Despite recently taking away the option to open internal links in other browsers, and stepping up its campaign to convince would-be Chrome users to stay with Edge, it seems Microsoft has made a surprise change in Windows 11 that will make it easier for users to set a different browser as the default.

At least, that is, if a change that crops up in the latest Insider build makes it into a future stable release.

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Having taken a week off last week for Thanksgiving, the Windows 11 development team today rolls out a fresh new build to Insiders in the Dev Channel.

The key new addition in Build 22509 is a set of improvements designed to make it easier to browse the web in Microsoft Edge using Narrator, but that's not all. The clock and date will now show on secondary monitors, and there are also new layout options for Start, as well as Settings changes.

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Windows 11 was first released two months ago, and although it has some tough system requirements (most notably the need for TPM 2.0), and it’s still only being rolled out to compatible systems, the new OS is fast gaining market share.

It still has a long way to go before it supplants Windows 10, but it’s showing solid growth.

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Four-hundred-sixty-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 preview updates for Windows 10 this week that address MSI and printing issues, among other things. Also released this week is KB5007262 for Windows 11, which fixes installer-related application issues.

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A security researcher has revealed a serious vulnerability affecting Windows 10, Windows 11 and Windows Server. By exploiting the vulnerability, an attacker would be able to easily gain administrative privileges on a victim's system.

The discovery and revelation were made by Abdelhamid Naceri, during his research on a Microsoft patch for another vulnerability tracked as CVE-2021-41379. He was able to bypass the patch for the Windows Installer Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability and also discovered another serious zero-day for which he has shared a proof-of-concept exploit.

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Solid state drives make wonderful internal boot drives for computers, but they are also great options for external storage too. Not only are they often smaller than mechanical hard disk drives, but they also use less power and are much quicker. With that said, sometimes hard disk drives can be a good option for external storage -- depending on your needs and budget, of course.

Today, OWC launches its latest portable storage drive. Called "Mercury Elite Pro mini," this elegant storage solution has a USB-C port and ships with both a USB-C cable and USB-A adapter. In other words, it can be used with any modern computer -- whether it has a USB Type-C port or not. In fact, the company says the drive is compatible with Mac, Windows, and Linux-based operating systems, including Android and Chrome OS.

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