We have already written about the KB5008353 update that was released for Windows 11 last month. Made available as a preview, the update addressed a number of issues with the operating system, including problems with Bluetooth audio and the taskbar.

But it seems there may have been more to KB5008353 than met the eye, or than Microsoft revealed. According to reports, the update has helped to boost the performance of Windows 11 while apparently fixing an on-going issue with various types of hard drive.

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Windows 11 is a rather good operating system. In fact, I can confidently say it is the best desktop operating system Microsoft has ever created. Seriously, folks, it is a pleasure to use. If your computer is compatible with it, and you like Windows 10, you should enjoy Windows 11 even more.

With all of that said, Windows 11 can be a bit polarizing. It features radical changes to the user interface (such as a centered task bar) which I adore, but some users may dislike. Not to mention, the system requirements will leave many still-capable computers unable to upgrade without using unofficial hacks. Even worse, computers deemed incompatible could eventually stop getting updates! These unfortunate computer owners will have to decide whether to continue using Windows 10 or buy a new Windows 11-compatible PC.

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The controversy surrounding the need for TPM 2.0 (Trusted Platform Module version 2) to run Windows 11 may have largely died down, but it remains an issue for some people. Specifically, it is people with AMD systems for whom TPM (or fTPM as AMD labels it) is proving problematic.

Complaints are popping up online from Windows 11 users who report performance problems with their computers, including stuttering. The common thread linking them together seems to be AMD's fTPM firmware implementation.

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In a blog post published a few days ago, Panos Panay, Chief Product Officer of Windows and Devices at Microsoft, talked about the future of Windows 11 and also announced that upgrades of the new OS have been taken up by users at twice the rate of Windows 10 upgrades.

Of course, as is to be expected by any sort of such announcement from Microsoft, there were no figures to back up this claim, but what is clear is that Windows 11 is rapidly increasing its usage share.

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Four-hundred-seventy-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.

Windows 11 has reached the broad deployment stage and Microsoft estimates that the full rollout of the operating system is completed before the projected mid-2022 deadline.

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Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel usually get new builds on a Wednesday. This week they’ve had to wait an extra day, but it’s definitely worth it with this latest flight.

Build 22543 comes with quite a few improvements, including updated visuals for some UI areas.

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When Chief Product Officer of Windows and Devices at Microsoft, Panos Panay, wrote about "a new era of the PC", he revealed some of what we can expect from Windows 11 in the future. But his blog post also shed light on just how the operating system has been received by users.

Panay reveals the impressive statistic that Windows 11 upgrades have been taken up by users at twice the rate of Windows 10 upgrades. Satisfaction levels are said to be high, and as a result Microsoft is well ahead of its mid-2022 target for the rollout of Windows 11.

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In a new blog post in which he discussed a number of things, including the (near) future of Windows 11, Panos Panay, Chief Product Officer, Windows + Devices talked about how the new operating system is driving 3x more traffic to the newly redesigned Microsoft Store.

"We’re energized by the feedback from both our customers and partners about the new Microsoft Store" he said. But hmm... Perhaps he needs to step out from his bubble and see what Windows customers are really saying about it.

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Let’s be honest here. Windows 11 has the makings of being a good operating system, but it’s not there yet. Some of the features that Microsoft touted in its original presentation -- such as native support for Android apps -- aren’t even available yet.

However, Microsoft today addresses what’s coming next for the new OS and you won’t have long to wait to try out the new features and functionality.

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Microsoft is not exactly a stranger to -- how can we put this gently? -- slightly underhand tactics. And if complaints about recent updates for Windows 11 are anything to go by, this is not something that's changing any time soon.

According to reports, automatic updates for Windows 11 have been used to not only deliver security fixes, but also to change people's default web browser to Microsoft Edge. Some are also complaining that Bing.com loads every time Windows starts up. The behavior has led some to accuse Microsoft of being "very sneaky".

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Task Manager may not be the most exciting component of Windows 11, but it is something that proves very useful from time to time. If you have ever looked at the tool and thought that it could do with a visual revamp, you are not alone -- Microsoft agrees.

So much so that the company has gone ahead and created an updated version of app and locked it away in Windows 11. Here's how you can activate it.

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It is, of course, no secret that Microsoft would like as many people as possible to use Windows 11. While it may not be realistic for the company to expect all computer users -- or even all Windows users, for that matter -- to install the latest version of the operating system, it can at the very least ensure that it minimizes the number of systems out there running unsupported versions of Windows.

And this is precisely what is happening with machines that currently have Windows 10 2004 installed. Microsoft is automatically (or forcibly, depending on your perspective) upgrading such computers to Windows 10 21H2. And next in the company's sights are people still running Windows 10 20H2.

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Microsoft has been wielding its axe at the Control Panel in Windows for a while now, gradually migrating options to the Settings app. This is not something that has been universally welcomed by Windows 11 users, so a (slight) change of heart will come as welcome news for fans of the Control Panel.

While there are numerous settings that now have to be accessed through Settings, one Control Panel option has been given something of a reprieve. The applet in question is Network Connections (ncpa.cpl).

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Four-hundred-seventy-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 several out-of-bands patches this week that address VPN connection issues and other issues.

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There are a huge number of ways to customize, optimize and tweak Windows, some of which involve using third party utilities, while others rely on tools that are built into the operating system -- like Group Policy Editor.

System administrators have used group policies to implement a wide range of settings for a long time now, but there are some that should be avoided. Microsoft has shared information about some of the legacy group policies that should not be used; some because they have no effect at all, some because they have unwanted or unexpected side effects. Take a look through the list and see if you need to make any changes to the policies you have put in place.

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