Articles about Windows 11

Microsoft has made no fanfare about it, but the company has made available a virtual machine based on Windows 11 Enterprise that developers -- or anyone else -- can install and use free of charge.

A few days ago, Microsoft updated a page in the Windows Dev Center to include download links for Windows 11 VMs for VMWare, Hyper-V, VirtualBox and Parallels. The development environments have been designed to help users "start building Windows applications quickly" but they could be put to other uses instead.

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Windows 11 is such a wonderful operating system. Even the typical Microsoft detractors need to admit that it is great. Sorry, haters, but there just isn't anything to bash in this operating system. Windows 11 is fast, beautiful, and very secure. Best of all, Microsoft is constantly making the operating system better with updates.

For instance, today, Microsoft offers KB5007262 (OS Build 22000.348) Preview as an optional update to non-Insiders (it was previously offered to Insiders). While there are many changes (you can view the changelog here), Microsoft is highlighting the inclusion of Fluent-style emoji as the star of the show. The company explains that with this update, all Segoe UI emoji will move to the beautiful Fluent 2D style while also introducing Emoji 13.1.

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There are times -- such as when you get a new laptop or phone -- when you will need to know the password for your wireless internet connection. You may have set this password yourself, or you may have stuck with the default password your router came with.

While it is possible that the password is printed on a sticker on the bottom of your router, this is not always the case; even if it is, your router may not be in an easily accessible place. So how can you determine what your Wi-Fi password is in Windows 11? Read on to find out!

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Do you like the idea of a bit more speed from your computer? Would you like Windows 11 to run a little faster? Of course, you would! But just how can you achieve this?

There are two pieces of good news. Not only will speeding up Windows 11 not cost you any money, you won't have to do anything either -- other than wait, that is.

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Just yesterday we wrote about an issue with the Microsoft Installer which is causing problems with various apps.

The MSI issue affects a wide range of versions of Windows and Windows Server, and in the case of Windows 11 Microsoft has been fast to act. The company has issued KB5007262 as a cumulative update to fix the recently acknowledged problem with, among other software titles, Kaspersky Endpoint Security for Windows .

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The Windows 11 development team and the one behind PowerToys are entirely separate entities, but it seems like one is being inspired by the other.

While the PowerToys utilities exist to improve on the features found in Windows -- as well as adding completely new options -- sometimes the utilities collection has an influence on the operating system. A good case in point is the new microphone-muting keyboard shortcut that has just been added to the latest builds of Windows 11.

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Four-hundred-sixty-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 the Windows 10 November 2021 (aka Windows 10 version 21H2) update this week. The new version of Windows 10 can be downloaded right now.

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Google has launched Chrome 96, and the latest version of the search giant's web browser is making its way to users around the world.

Visually not much has changed, although there are lots of improvements and additions to be found elsewhere. However, by tweaking a hidden setting it is possible to change the look of Chrome so that it uses Windows 11's menus, complete with rounded corners and drop shadow effects -- and this even works in Windows 10.

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Yesterday was a busy day for Microsoft. The software giant made the new Media Player for Windows 11 available to Insiders on the Dev Channel, and then began the official rollout of the Windows 10 November Update (21H2).

Today the company follows that up with a new Windows 11 build for Dev Channel Insiders.

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Microsoft has acknowledged an issue with compatibility between Windows 11 and audio drivers from Intel.

Some versions of Intel Smart Sound Technology (Intel SST) drivers are causing BSoDs, leading to Microsoft placing a compatibility hold on systems with affected hardware. This means that until the issue is addressed by either Microsoft or Intel, such systems will not be able to upgrade to Windows 11.

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While there are many people who are happy to stick with Windows 10 -- or even older versions of Windows -- there are plenty more who are eager to upgrade to Windows 11. Assuming your hardware makes the grade, there is some good news in this department.

Microsoft is speeding up the rollout of Windows 11, making it available to more people faster than it expected to do so. There are, of course, steps you can take to force the installation of the OS upgrade, but by increasing the pace of the rollout, the company is making things easier for people, helping to ensure that Windows 11 is on as many systems as possible.

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You need a laptop, but don't know which to buy. Should you buy a Mac? Meh, those are good computers, but rather pricey -- the new notched screens are very ugly too. Chromebooks can be a great choice -- as long as your needs are fairly meager. Ultimately, many consumers are still wise to go with good ol' Windows. You know what? Windows 11 is shockingly good, so you should have no qualms about getting a computer with Microsoft's latest operating system.

Today, Dynabook (formerly Toshiba) launches not one, but two "Satellite Pro" laptops running Microsoft's excellent Windows 11 Pro. Called "C40-J" and "C50-J," the former has a 14-inch FHD screen, while the latter has a 15.6-inch FHD display. Both are designed with affordability in mind, but despite reasonable pricing, these thin and light laptops do not look like budget machines.

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Microsoft has tried for some years now to phase out Windows Media Player (WMP), replacing it with Groove Music and Microsoft Movies & TV for audio and video playback respectively.

Today though, it gives users what they really want -- an updated version of Media Player for Windows 11.

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Solid state drives continue to get faster, with PCIe 4.0 variants leading the pack nowadays. Of course, most PCs don't have PCIe 4.0 support, so these ultra-fast drives are reserved for enthusiasts and those with brand new computers. If you have such a cutting-edge PC, you will probably want to get a PCIe 4.0 SSD to maximize your performance. True, it is largely for bragging rights and benchmarks, but you might as well go for the best if the difference in price isn't totally obscene.

Today, KIOXIA unveils its latest solid state drive. Called "BG5," it uses PCIe 4.0 x4 to achieve up to 3,500 MB/s read and 2,900 MB/s write. Yeah, this DRAM-less SSD is actually a bit slow compared to other PCIe 4.0 drives, but it does have a very cool feature -- it is being offered in the M.2 2230 form factor. This means it will fit inside Microsoft's all-new Surface Pro 8.

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On Wednesday this week Microsoft rolled out a new build to Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel. That build added a new sharing option to the taskbar and also fixed a number of issues.

Today, in time for the weekend, the software giant rolls out a build that offers a long list of improvements for those in the Beta and Release Preview channels.

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