Windows 11

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...

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

For the second week running quality issues have prevented Microsoft from releasing a new Windows 11 build to Insiders in the Dev Channel.

However the tech giant is rolling out a build to the Beta and Release Preview Channels, and this fixes a huge amount of issues with the new operating system.

Microsoft usually rolls out new Windows 11 Dev Channel builds to Insiders on a Wednesday, although occasionally this slips to Thursday or even Friday.

There was no new build last week due to "quality issues". The plan was to get back on track for this week, but once again Windows Insiders are facing disappointment.

The system requirements for Windows 11 have been the source of much frustration and confusion for some time now, and things are about to get even more confusing.

In test builds of Windows 11, Microsoft has implemented something of a strange warning. If you opted to go down one of the various routes that makes it possible to bypass the minimum system requirements and have installed Windows 11 on unsupported hardware, you can now expect to see a message informing you that your system does not meet the standard set by Microsoft -- even if you are running Windows 11 problem-free. [UPDATE: it is now possible to hide the message!]

Microsoft has released a significant update for Windows 11 that not only fixes a number of bugs, but also addresses security issues.

The KB5010386 update takes Windows 11 up to build 22000.493 and it includes a fix for a problem with LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol). On top of this, there are numerous fixes in this security and quality improvement update. Microsoft has also shared a number of Windows 11 tips.

Four-hundred-seventy-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 explained this week why recent updates may not be installed on some Windows PCs. Devices need to be online for a certain time to ensure that updates are downloaded and installed.

Microsoft usually rolls out new Windows 11 builds to Insiders in the Dev Channel on a weekly basis, but it won’t be doing so this week as it has run into some quality issues with its planned flight.

What the software giant has done however, is lifted the lid on what’s coming to the Windows Insider Program this year. Microsoft says it has more people running test builds of Windows 11 than it did with Windows 10, and going forward its focus will be on trying out new, more experimental features and services.

Back in August of 2021, we told you about Zorin OS 16 -- an absolutely brilliant Linux distribution for those switching from Windows. Its familiarity, polish, and inclusion of excellent software makes it not only a solid choice for Linux newbies, but experts too.

And now, Zorin OS 16 Education is here. This specialized version of the operating system is designed specifically for students. With many people believing Linux is the future, Zorin OS 16 Education should be a great way to teach your child about the open source kernel. If you let your young student rely solely on Windows 11, they could end up being unprepared and unequipped for the new Linux world.

There are a number of Linux distros for WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) available to download from the Microsoft Store. Big names on offer include Ubuntu, Debian, Kali, SUSE and openSUSE. Now one more has arrived -- Oracle Linux.

Sneaking into the store with little fanfare on Monday, January 31, the official arrival of Oracle Linux 8.5 will be welcomed by any developers wanting to run Linux software in a Windows environment.