Articles about Windows 11

Microsoft has eliminated one of the reasons for people to upgrade to Windows 11 later in the year. The company has revealed that DirectStorage -- the storage technology behind Xbox’s Velocity Architecture -- will also be available in Windows 10.

The launch of Windows 11 has already been mired in poor communication in relation to hardware requirements, and it's not clear if the apparent change of heart with DirectStorage in Windows 10 is down to continued weak messaging, or if the company has performed a U-turn based on feedback from disgruntled gamers. Either way, anyone choosing to stick with Windows 10 will benefit from DirectStorage, although it will be a lesser experience than in Windows 11.

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It is far from uncommon for software companies to be a little vague when it comes to releases dates. By keeping their cards close to their chest, any delays in launches can be overlooked on the basis that if no release date has been announced, it can't be missed.

And so with Windows 11. When Microsoft announced the upcoming operating system we were simply told that it would be ready in time for the holiday season. However, there have been hints, rumors and suggestions that Windows 11 will launch in October, and this has been further hinted at by documentation from Intel.

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With the official release of Windows 11 edging ever closer, it's not just consumers that are readying themselves for the new operating system; hardware manufacturers and software are working hard to ensure Windows 11 compatibility.

To this end, Intel has just released a new graphics driver that adds support for Windows 11. The updated driver also includes support for AutoHDR feature of Windows 11 on 10th generation Intel Core processors with Iris Plus Graphics or higher.

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Whether it is because of concern about eye health, or just a general aesthetic preference for more muted colors, dark modes have become prevalent in apps and operating system. Windows is no different in this regard, and with Windows 11 Microsoft is giving dark mode a promotion.

The company has revealed that Windows 11 will have dark mode activated as standard. It will, of course, remain possible to switch to a lighter option, but dark mode will be the default setting out of the box.

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The excitement surrounding the unveiling of Windows 11 was tempered slightly when the system requirements were revealed and it turned out a large number of Windows 10 systems would be incompatible with the new OS.

Microsoft’s own system compatibility checker proved to be rather useless -- if your PC failed the check it provided no details on why -- leading the software giant to pull it. Thankfully a number of third parties have stepped up to fill the void, the latest one being German software developer Ashampoo.

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When Microsoft announced Windows 11 recently, it confirmed that Windows 10 users would not be abandoned. And now the company has officially announced Windows 10 21H2, a feature update for those who can't have -- or don't want -- Windows 11.

As development and attention has been focused on Windows 11, it should come as little surprise that there are no major new additions to Window 10 with this update, but it remains an important one. A key new arrival is GPU compute support in the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), and if you're eager to try it out right now, you may be able to do so.

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Following the grand reveal a few weeks ago, Microsoft has been rolling out new Windows 11 preview builds to Insiders in the Dev Channel on a weekly basis.

Today sees the release of Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22000.71 which comes with a number of changes and improvements, including a new widget and updated looks for the context and other right-click menus.

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When Windows 10 was announced back in 2014, Microsoft caused alarm bells to ring when it said the new operating system would be free "for the first year", and referring to it "as a service". That led to speculation that the software giant would start charging a monthly fee for Windows 10, much as it does for Office with Microsoft 365.

That never came to pass, but today at its Inspire 2021 conference Microsoft takes the wraps off Windows 365, a cloud-based Windows subscription service.

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Windows 11 is almost upon us. While the look may not be radically different to Windows 10 -- evolution over revolution is a phrase you'll hear bandied around -- it is still different enough for the changes to be instantly noticeable.

You may be wondering just how and why Microsoft took the design decisions it did with Windows 11. To help sate this curiosity, the Microsoft Design team has given us a fascinating insight into the process and the philosophy that underpins everything.

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When the first build of Windows 11 appeared, the new Start menu was loved by some and hated by others. Those that didn't like it fell into two camps. Those who were unhappy with the centring of the Start menu could move it to the of the screen; those unhappy with the updated look could revert to the look of Windows 10.

But when the second Insider build emerged, there were changes. Yes, it's still possible to move the Start menu to the left of the taskbar, but the registry hack that could be used to show the classic Start menu has now been blocked.

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With the upcoming release of Windows 11, there is a lot of attention focused on certain areas of the operating system -- notably centering of the Start menu, the arrival of widgets, and the visual tweaks that Microsoft has introduced.

But there are also new keyboard shortcuts. These provide easy access to many of the new features of Windows 11 and are a faster way of getting around than using a mouse or trackpad. Not only are there completely new shortcuts to learn, but some key combinations have changed from Windows 10, and have inherited new functions in Windows 11.

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Windows Subsystem for Linux has been both a revelation and a revolution. Now in its second iteration (WSL2), the technology has advanced dramatically in recent years and increasing numbers of people are using it to enjoy Linux distros and apps within Windows.

With the launch of the first Insider builds of Windows 11, there is interest from the Linux community about what progress Microsoft has made. Benchmarks pitting WSL2 against "bare metal" Ubuntu show that performance is pretty impressive... but there are still improvements to be made.

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Last week, shortly after confirming its existence, Microsoft rolled out the first preview build of its new, forthcoming operating system, Windows 11.

Today, the software giant releases Windows 11 Build 22000.65 to those Insiders in the Dev Channel and it comes with a long list of changes and improvements, as well as plenty of fixes. As you might expect, there are lots of known issues to be aware of too.

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With Windows 11 on the horizon, many consumers will find themselves unable to upgrade due to the crazy system requirements the operating system has. And so, some of those people will look for alternatives, such as Linux distributions. While Ubuntu is a wise choice for those interested in switching to Linux, it isn't the best choice. Actually, Windows-switchers should instead give Linux Mint (which is based on Ubuntu) a try.

Wouldn't you know it, today, the all-new Linux Mint 20.2 becomes available for download. Named "Uma," it can be had with your choice of three great desktop environments -- Cinnamon 5.0, MATE 1.24, and Xfce 4.16. Mint 20.2 is based on Ubuntu 20.04 and uses Linux kernel 5.4.

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It has been a while since Microsoft held a Bug Bash to discover problems with Windows and gather feedback about features. In fact, the last one was back in May.

But with the impending launch of Windows 11, it is perhaps not surprising that it is Bug Bash time again. Over the next week, Insiders using Windows 11 preview builds are invited to take part in quests and earn themselves an exclusive badge in return for helping out.

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