Microsoft suspends sales of new products and services in Russia


It’s hard to imagine that Vladimir Putin expected quite the response his invasion of Ukraine generated. In addition to hard hitting sanctions, Russia has seen its media censored across the world, sporting events pulled, and hacktivist collective Anonymous has been knocking many state-sponsored sites offline, and much more.
Tech firms have also shown their anger towards Russia in a number of ways, and now Microsoft -- which previously revealed what it was doing to help the people of Ukraine -- has taken the decision to suspend all new sales over there.
Best Windows apps this week


Four-hundred-eighty 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 is already on 19.3 percent of all PCs according to the latest usage stats released by AdDuplex. The company monitors about 5,000 Microsoft Store applications through its services and uses telemetry to publish monthly usage statistics.
Microsoft's free App Assure program gives software compatibility assistance to Windows 11 upgraders


Microsoft has reminded business and enterprise users about its App Assure program and how it can help with the process of upgrading to Windows 11.
The program has been running for a while, and was expanded to cover Windows 11 back in October to coincide with the release of the latest version of the operating system. Available at no cost, App Assure gives users a chance to work with Microsoft engineers to ensure app compatibility, and to gain assistance in addressing issues.
Microsoft is bringing a much-improved 'Open with' app picker to Windows 11


For time immemorial (almost), when you double click a file in Windows, it will open in the default app that it is associated with. It has long been possible to open files in something other than its default app, using the Open with option; but as anyone who has used this cumbersome menu can attest, this is far from being an elegant solution.
And so with the latest build of Windows 11, Microsoft is making some changes. As well as giving the menu a new look and support for light and dark modes, it is now easier than ever to change the default app associated with a particular file type. Here we show you how to enable it.
Microsoft releases Windows 11 Build 22567 with a big new security feature


A month ago, Microsoft announced a change to the Windows Insider program that would see Dev Channel releases becoming "more experimental". As a result of this, the last two builds have introduced bigger changes and new features.
Today’s new flight, Build 22567, continues this trend and comes with some new features and a load of changes and improvements.
The Microsoft Store undergoes a dramatic Windows 11 redesign online


Microsoft is in the process of rolling out a dramatic redesign of the web version of the Microsoft Store, heavily inspired by Windows 11.
The Fluent design makeover brings the Microsoft Store website more closely in line with the look and feel of Windows 11. This means rounded corners, updated typography and new icons, but the app installation process has also been revamped.
WhoCrashed 7 adds full support for Windows 11 and latest bugchecks to improve diagnosis


Blue-screen errors can be the hardest ones of all for Windows users to troubleshoot. Usually there’s a low-lying problem -- kernel or driver corruption, or even hardware failure. But how do you go about diagnosing the problem and finding the cure?
WhoCrashed is a tool designed to help you interpret these crashes, and with the release of WhoCrashed 7.0 Home Edition, this powerful diagnostics tool just got a lot better.
Windows 11 now on close to 20 percent of PCs


The last time we looked at market share for Windows 11, we reported that the new operating system had doubled its share and was on 16.1 percent of systems.
A month later, and that growth isn’t showing any signs of slowing, but in reporting on the latest figures, AdDuplex turns the spotlight on a much more important situation.
KB5010414 update for Windows 11 is hiding the Start menu


When Microsoft released the KB5010414 update for Windows 11 a couple of week ago, there was great interest in the new features it added. But there was also a sense of heavy anticipation for the almost inevitable problems the update would cause.
We have already had reports of the update not only breaking printing, but also causing some systems to overheat, but this is not all. Users are also complaining that KB5010414 is causing the Start menu to be hidden.
Microsoft is making it easier to manage Bluetooth devices in Windows 11


From mice and keyboards to phones and speakers, there is a virtually endless list of Bluetooth devices that you can connect to your computer. With this in mind, Microsoft is taking steps to make life a little easier for Windows 11 users, introducing a new list of Bluetooth devices in the Quick Settings menu.
The addition comes as part of the latest build of Windows 11, released earlier this week. In Windows 11 build 22563 the Quick Settings menu has been updated to give greater control over attached Bluetooth devices.
AvdanOS is the Windows 11/macOS Monterey alternative we need!


With Windows 11, Microsoft tried to give its operating system a more modern look and feel, with rounded corners and a centered taskbar. Unfortunately, the OS is still lacking certain features that were promised from the start, like native Android app support, although they are coming.
If you don’t want to use Windows 11, or Windows 10 for that matter, then your alternative choices tend to be restricted to macOS (if you have an Apple computer), Google OS (if that’s your thing), or one of the many Linux distros. But what if there was another way? AvdanOS is everything you could wish for, and more.
Electron Bot malware is running rampant in the Microsoft Store, opening backdoors on victims' computers


Fake versions of popular games such as Temple Run and Subway Surfers are being used to distribute dangerous malware through the Microsoft Store to users of Windows 10 and Windows 11.
Security firm Check Point Research found that malicious versions of the titles were riddled with Electron Bot malware and have already infected thousands of computers in countries incuding Sweden, Bulgaria and Russia. The malware gives an attacker a backdoor into a victim's computer allowing for complete system control, as well as control of social media accounts.
Best Windows apps this week


Four-hundred-seventy-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 11 users who have installed the operating system on devices that do not meet all the system requirements may soon see a notification that the system does not meet the requirements. Good news is, you may remove it.
Microsoft confirms Windows 11 system reset bug that leaves behind data after wiping


Microsoft has confirmed the existence of a problem in Windows 11 that can result in files being left behind after a user performs a reset that should completely wipe a device.
The issue has been added to the list of known problems with the operating system just days after a Microsoft MVP shared details of his findings after conducting both remote and local data wipes in Windows 10 and Windows 11. The company has provided details of a workaround that can be used until a proper fix is produced.
Microsoft releases Windows 11 Build 22563 with widget improvements and a tablet-optimized taskbar


It used to be we’d get a new Dev Channel Insider build of Windows 11 every Wednesday, but that’s no longer guaranteed to be the case. Insiders had to wait a full two-weeks before Build 22557 finally rolled out, although there were few complaints about the delay in the end as it was one of the most exciting, feature-packed releases. New additions included the addition of 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
It may not be Wednesday today, but Microsoft has returned to its weekly schedule with Build 22563. This flight isn’t quite as thrilling as the last one -- how could it be? -- but it still has a lot going for it.
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