MINISFORUM is a computer manufacturer that has been gaining many fans lately. Its tiny PCs are looked upon favorably by many consumers that like the diminutive desktop form factor. Not only are its computers well-made and small, but often quite powerful too. These machines can be good servers, retro-gaming machines, office workstations, home theater PCs, and more.

Many MINISFORUM computers are powered by capable Intel processors, but understandably, AMD fans want to get in on the small desktop action too. I am happy to say MINISFORUM does cater to those that prefer AMD. In fact, the company has several AMD-powered options.

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Microsoft is hardly a stranger to making controversial decisions with Windows, and it has previously been accused of taking liberties by using the operating system to advertise its other products and services. Windows 11 may not even been officially released yet, but the company seems to have learned nothing and has started injecting ads into the latest version of its operating system.

The ads themselves -- for Microsoft Teams -- are something that will divide opinion, but that's not really the issue here. Advertisements in Windows will always prove to be divisive and controversial, but the problem this time is that the ads (cum promotional message, cum user advisory, cum tip... call it what you will) caused the taskbar and Start menu to become unresponsive. The issue hit both the Beta and Dev builds that was pushed out just a couple of days ago and raises serious questions about Microsoft ability to deliver a stable build of Windows 11 on time.

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Four-hundred-fifty-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's Windows 11 operating system will be released on October 5, 2021 officially. Not all Windows 10 devices will receive the update via Windows Update immediately, as Microsoft plans to roll out the new version of Windows gradually until mid 2022.

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With the latest release of PowerToys, Microsoft has focused primarily on fixing bugs and improving stability, with the promise that updated utilities will be included in next week's experimental version.

But PowerToys v0.45.0 also sees a visual makeover which had been teased recently. The update gives the suite of utilities a modern look that is in keeping with Windows 11. The development team may be slightly biased, but describes this as a "truly spectacular update".

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One of the joys of using Windows -- or, for that matter, macOS or one of the various flavors of Linux -- is personalizing the operating system to your liking. To a large extent his means changing visual elements, but it can also mean showing and hiding various on-screen elements.

With Windows 11, Microsoft has made it harder to customize the taskbar... and we're not just talking about the fact that it can no longer be moved from the bottom of the screen. If you're not a fan of the Task View and Widget buttons, you may wonder how to get rid of them, as it is not immediately apparent. Here's how.

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One of the most interesting features of Windows 11 is the ability to run Android apps, but Windows Insiders have not yet been able to try it out.

When Microsoft announced that Windows 11 will officially launch on October 5, the company informed eager Insiders that an updated store app complete with Android content will be previewed "over the coming months". Interestingly, however, the Windows Subsystem for Android is available for download from the Microsoft Store.

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If you’re a Windows Insider in the Dev Channel, you’re about to start getting less stable, more experimental builds of Windows 11.

Build 22449, released today, follows on from Build 22000.168 released last week. The big leap in version numbers is because this new build is the first to come from the active development branch (RS_PRERELEASE). Future builds will no long match the Windows 11 that is set to roll out to users starting October 5.

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With Windows 11 set to begin rolling out at the Start of October, it was inevitable that Microsoft would take the opportunity to showcase some new hardware for it.

The software giant today announces a new event for the end of this month in which it is expected to take the wraps off a new collection of Surface devices, as well as show off its new operating system in some depth.

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Windows 11 is fast approaching -- Microsoft has just announced it’ll be rolling out from 5 October, and still we know virtually nothing about how much it’ll cost, how it’ll be supplied and whether there will be any cheap standalone deals available.

But one thing we do know: upgrades from Windows 10 will be free. So why risk having to pay big bucks for Windows 11, when you can purchase a copy of Windows 10 for as little as $49.99? Read on to find out what new features are coming, then discover how to get a risk-free Windows 11 upgrade at a price you can afford.

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People who are enrolled in the Windows Insider program who have installed Windows 11 on hardware that is not officially supported are being told by Microsoft that they need to switch back to Windows 10.

Windows 11's system requirements have been a source of confusion and frustration, but for those eager to try out the operating system, Microsoft had provided something of a loophole. For a little while now, it has been possible to install Windows 11 preview builds on hardware that does not meet the minimum requirements, but now the company is clamping down and notifying Insiders with incompatible systems to downgrade to Windows 10.

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Windows 11 is a great operating system. It hasn't even left beta status yet, but is absolutely the best desktop operating system Microsoft has ever created. Seriously, folks, it is exceptional. If your computer is compatible with it, and you like Windows 10, you will probably enjoy Windows11 even more -- if you keep an open mind.

You see, the upcoming Windows 11 is likely to be quite polarizing. It features radical changes to the user interface (such as a centered task bar) which I adore, but other users are sure to dislike. Not to mention, the system requirements will leave many still-capable computers unable to upgrade. Even worse, you might be left without 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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In a recent survey, there were two big new features in Windows 11 that had people excited. 35 percent said the centered Start menu was their favorite new feature, while 26 percent said it was native Android support they were most looking forward to.

Well, if you’re one of those people keen to run Android apps on your Windows 11 PC, there’s some bad news. The feature isn’t ready, and it won’t even start being tested by Insiders for months yet.

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There has been quite a lot of speculation regarding the date when Windows 11 will be made available to non-Insiders with clues pointing towards October 20.

However, Microsoft today reveals when the OS will start to arrive, and that will actually be October 5. However, before you mark that date in your calendar and start counting down the days, there are caveats that mean you probably won’t get it then. In fact, you might not even get it until the middle of next year.

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The system requirements for Windows 11 have been confusing from the moment they were announced, and Microsoft's changes to them has done nothing to make the situation clearer for most people

Microsoft's own PC checking tool, released to help people determine the compatibility of their system with Windows 11 was criticized and then pulled for failing to provide enough helpful information. It has since been updated, but now Microsoft has launched a new way to check whether your computer will run Windows 11 -- performing a check via Windows Update.

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When Microsoft first released details of the system requirements for Windows 11, there was a mixture of confusion, annoyance and disbelief. The need for TPM 2.0 sent people running off to find out what on Earth this is, and many were disappointed to learn that a number of relatively recent CPUs were not supported.

Seemingly aware of the frustration the minimum requirements were causing, Microsoft has relented a little. Even though there will be no official upgrade path from Windows 10 to Windows 11, it will be possible to manually install Window 11 on hardware that is not technically supported. Microsoft, of course, is hardly shouting about how to do this, and points out that the system requirements exist to ensure the best possible experience. And while these warnings are to be expected from the company and will be ignored by many people, there is one very important factor to keep in mind if you are thinking about taking advantage of a loophole to install Windows 11.

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