Articles about Windows

Windows Phone isn't just an embarrassment to Microsoft, it has also been a waste of time and money for consumers that were saddled with a poor experience. A lack of apps and unconvincing tile-based user interface meant Windows Phone never really had a chance -- it was pretty much dead on arrival. So, this year, Microsoft abandoned it, leaving many users without support and, ultimately, forcing them to buy new devices.

Unfortunately, not only did Microsoft's failed mobile experiment hurt the average consumer, but businesses and organizations too. One of the saddest cases is the NYPD, which trusted Microsoft and equipped its officers with Windows Phones -- the Lumia 830 and the Lumia 640XL. These brave men and women deserve the best technology and equipment, yet when it came to smartphones, they were given some of the worst. So, now, its officers are effectively handcuffed by obsolete and unsupported tech. Thankfully, according to the NY Post, the department is finally looking to replace these Lumia devices -- at the taxpayers' expense of course. Thanks, Microsoft!

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We have quite a few external drives, mostly with content we never use. Backed up old data. It wasn’t that long ago we’d backup data to an external drive long before using the cloud.

You could make use of these drives for other purposes (for example, why not shift your music collection on to one), but you go and wipe the contents and then realize, later, you deleted all your old accounts or important photos. The solution is a file recovery application such as Acronis Revive 2017 -- yes, a brand new consumer tool from Acronis.

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The Windows Insiders program is both cool and annoying. It is cool because it lets enthusiast users experience new Windows features and contribute feedback to make the operating system better. It is a bit annoying, as these testers aren't paid for their volunteer efforts. Even worse, the Insider builds will seemingly never end, meaning some users will forever be using an unstable operating system. Yes, that is their choice, but sometimes people can't help themselves. Hell, it can be argued that their feedback is tainted, as they are maybe never really experiencing the stable releases.

Microsoft has chosen to expand the Insiders program to Windows Server too. Today, the company pushes out Server Preview Build 16267, but there is something weird -- the company forgot to include any new features! In fact, the announcement literally says "There are no new features in build 16267." OK, yes, I am being facetious (and a bit snarky) when I say Microsoft "forgot" to include features, as technically updates and fixes alone are worthy of a new build. Still, for all the effort put in by the testers, a feature or two would be appreciated -- throw em' a friggin' bone!

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Backing up your files is essential, especially with the rise of ransomware. No business user can afford to be without their important data, even if some are securely stored in the cloud. By backing up your files, if you suffer from any kind of attack or system error, you can simply use your backup tool to restore a previous state.

However, what happens if you use an external drive to backup your data and ransomware tools lock out your entire computer and connected devices? This is where the brand new True Image 2018 will help as it now includes anti-ransomware protection.

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Making a streaming service available on as many platforms as possible is key to attracting more and more customers in the cord-cutting era, and, to that end, Sling TV is now opening its doors to Google Chrome users.

Sling TV says that its new player, which is available in beta at this stage, can be used by Chrome users on Windows devices and Macs and comes with support for both live and on-demand content.

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The .NET Framework transformed with the release of .NET Core last year. From a Windows-only affair, the framework has gone cross-platform. What's more, Microsoft also made it open-source, adding support for macOS, Linux, Android and iOS.

And now it's taking things a step further by rolling out .NET Core 2.0, which comes with some major improvements to make it "easier to use and much more capable as a platform." Let's take a look at what is new.

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USB-C is the future, and if your computer doesn't have the connector, I feel sorry for you. While it isn't a necessity at the moment, it will be eventually. Luckily, you can sometimes leverage adapters and cables to connect a Type-C device to a machine that is Type-A only.

Speaking of USB-C devices, ADATA has a new 3D NAND External SSD that uses that connector. Called "SE730H," it is the successor to the company's diminutive "SE730." Not only does the new model offer higher capacities, but the 3D TLC NAND should lend to improved longevity. While it uses 3.1 gen 2, the drive tops out at 500MB/s for both read and write. The "H" variant retains the same good looks and MIL-STD-810G/IP68 water and dust proofing as the prior model too.

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While Windows 10 is arguably successful from a market share perspective, it is still failing in one big way -- the user experience. Windows 8.x was an absolute disaster, and Microsoft's latest is certainly better than that, but it is still not an enjoyable experience. Quite frankly, the people clutching to Windows 7 aren't so crazy.

The most glaring issue is the privacy aspect, or lack thereof. Look, telemetry is a good thing for the development of the operating system, but users shouldn't be forced to participate. Hell, I don't even totally mind if it is opt out rather than opt in. But if a user wants to remove their computer entirely, that should be their right.

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The latest addition to WikiLeaks' Vault 7 cache of CIA tools and documents gives details of tools used by the agency to attack Windows and Linux computers. The BothanSpy and Gyrfalcon projects can be used to intercept and exfiltrate SSH (Secure Shell) credentials.

BothanSpy is used to target Windows, while Gyrfalcon is used for Linux machines, with both working in different ways. A number of popular distros can be hit by Gyrfalcon, including CentOS, Debian, RedHat, openSUSE and Ubuntu, and both tools function as implants that steal credentials before transmitting them to a CIA server.

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Microsoft is killing Windows App Studio, its web-based app development tool. The news was announced late last week by the Windows Apps Team. However, don't be too alarmed -- the Redmond giant has already prepared a replacement.

Windows App Studio has long been the go-to place when it comes to the first steps in app development. Starting as a Windows phone app, it transformed over the years and became available for desktop operating systems, including Windows 10.

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Do you need a 10Gbps network adapter? I am going to go out on a limb and say no. Many homes only use Ethernet for the internet -- not transferring files between machines on the network. While some businesses could absolutely benefit from the speed, installing such a card in a workstation would be pointless without a 10Gbps network to which it could connect. That's the thing, to get the full speed of such a card, you need a compatible network, which you probably do not have.

I say all of this to highlight that a 10Gbps PCIe network adapter card for consumers is as bit silly right now, but that hasn't stopped ASUS from making one. Today, the company announces the XG-C100C 10Gbps PCIe network adapter for both Windows and Linux. While not the first 10Gbps card, it is surprisingly affordable.

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Summer is here, meaning many folks will spend time outdoors at places like the beach, the park, or in the pool. Let's be honest though, not everyone is into going outside. If you are like me, rather than relaxing in the sand or playing in the water, you might choose to play video games, watch movies, or chat on IRC instead. There is no shame, guys.

Now is the time that Steam historically has its PC game sale for the summer, but the company is getting some major competition from Microsoft. The Windows-maker is once again having its own discount celebration called "Ultimate Game Sale." Unlike Steam, which only offers PC game deals, Microsoft is also offering Xbox One title discounts too. In fact, you can even go into a retail Microsoft Store to pick up the games.

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There are lots of new features in iOS 11 that will make the operating system more usable on iPhones and iPads. Apple has not previewed all of them at WWDC 2017 though, with one of the lesser-known additions being Wi-Fi sharing.

Normally, when you have guests who want to use your Wi-Fi you have to tell them the password so they can connect to the network. However, for iOS 11 users, the Wi-Fi sharing functionality removes this step from the process, letting you wirelessly send the password to their iPhones and iPads. How does it work?

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There is a belief that Linux-based computers are inherently secure, and yeah, there is some truth to that. With that said, no operating system, kernel, or hardware is infallible. All computers have vulnerabilities and can ultimately be hacked.

A good example of this is the Linux Mint-powered MintBox 2. While the diminutive PC is not built by the Linux Mint team (it is merely a rebranded Intense PC), it is supported by them. Today, it is revealed that the computer is suffering from a dangerous vulnerability that can impact the machine's BIOS. Luckily, a patch is available.

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MP4Tools is a cross-platform collection of tools for the lossless splitting and joining of MP4 files. The package is the project of Alex Thuering, the developer behind DVD authoring application DVDStyler.

Installing MP4Tools gets you two applications, MP4Splitter and MP4Joiner. Despite the single "MP4Tools" brand, they’re separate programs with no integration.

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