Items tagged with fall creators update
If you're running an older version of Windows 10, and make heavy use of Windows Hello to login to your PC, you might want to consider moving to the latest build. Researchers from German security firm SYSS have discovered that the Windows Hello biometric authentication system can be defeated using a printed-out picture. We should mention that while the is a serious security breach, it requires a bit of work to successfully accomplish. A close-up, high-resolution image of the target's face must first be captured with a near-infrared camera (that's the first hurdle). The captured image then forms the basis for tricking the near-infrared cameras that are embedded in modern notebooks to support Windows...
Read more...
Microsoft has found a way to fight back against the growing threat of ransomware, a devious type of malware that encrypts files and folders on a victim's PC and then demands a ransom—oftentimes in Bitcoin due to its anonymity—in exchange for unlocking the user's data. Some ransomware strains even come with a timer, after which the encrypted data is permanently deleted. A new feature in Windows 10 helps prevent all that from happening. One of the things Microsoft included in the recently released Fall Creators Update is a feature called "Controlled folder access." When enabled, this feature prevents unauthorized access to important files by locking down folders and only allowing authorized apps...
Read more...
When it comes to multiplayer gaming, there are few things worse than spineless cheaters; well, maybe lag and TKers. Thankfully, Microsoft is looking to attack cheaters head-on with its new TruePlay system, which debuted with the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update. TruePlay is an anti-cheat system that is meant to give developers a relatively easy way to thwart the efforts of those prone to exhibiting unsportsmanlike conduct on the virtual battlefield/race track/sports arena. According to Microsoft, TruePlay runs as a "protected process", and should help alleviate common cheats like aimbots. "A game enrolled in TruePlay will run in a protected process, which mitigates a class of common attacks,"...
Read more...
Good news everyone, the Fall Creators Update for Windows 10 is finally here. It brings with it a whole bunch of new features and improvements to various parts of the Windows 10 experience (including a big mixed reality push), though the download takes up a significant amount of disk space. Unfortunately, the Fall Creators Update does not do a great job of cleaning up after itself when it is finished installing, but if you take matters into your own hands, you can free up a several gigabytes of disk space—around 20GB to 30GB, or even more.That is pretty significant, especially if you are rocking a modestly sized solid state drive as your primary storage, such as a 256GB SSD. Depending on your...
Read more...
While companies like Amazon and Google are angling to put more devices into your living spaces to create a smart home revolution with the Amazon Echo and Google Home Mini, Microsoft is looking to counterpunch with its own Cortana service. A new report indicates that Microsoft has added a new "Connected Home" section to the Cortana Notebook. This new integration was first reported by Windows Central, which says that Connected Home allows users to tap into five services at the moment: Wink, Insteon, Nest, SmartThings and Hue. Of course, you will need to sign-in to each respective service to enable voice control functionality with your various smart devices. Connected Home is coming online just...
Read more...
Microsoft has completed work on its Fall Creators Update for Windows 10. As of build 16299.15, the Fall Creators Update reached RTM (release to manufacturing) status, which is the final code that gets doled out to OEM system builders so they can pre-load PCs with the final version for day-of-release availability. Everyone else will be able to get their hands on the newest update starting October 17.Windows Insiders can get the jump on everyone else by downloading and installing the latest build. It includes cumulative security and feature updates and will serve as the baseline OS install until the next big update arrive. Barring any changes in strategy, Microsoft has committed to releasing two...
Read more...
Microsoft is on the verge of unleashing the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, and alongside that major OS update will be the launch of Windows Mixed Reality headsets. We've talked about these virtual reality/augmented reality headsets on numerous occasions, but now OEMs are ramping up preorders to coincide with the October 17th launch of the Fall Creators Update. The latest OEM to open preorders is Acer, with its dryly named "Windows Mixed Reality Headset". Acer says that its Head Mounted Display (HMD) works straight out of the box with Windows Mixed Reality-ready PCs, supports six degrees of freedom, and comes equipped with a 13-foot cable to give you more freedom when navigating virtual worlds....
Read more...
The October 17 release date for the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update is looming , with barely more than a month to go before it is here. At this stage of the game, Microsoft is finished implementing major new features. Instead, it is focused on fixing last minute bugs in the homestretch. As such, the newest Windows 10 Insider build (16288) contains a whole bunch of improvements, and you can grab it now if you are an Insider subscribed to the Fast ring. "We are now at the point of the development cycle for the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update where our focus is now on stabilization for release to the world. This means that we are releasing new builds to Insiders more quickly and that these builds...
Read more...
In an attempt to bolster the mixed reality experience in Windows 10 that Microsoft has been hyping, the Redmond outfit is introducing new tools to its Windows Device Portal. These will be included with the Fall Creators Update for Windows 10 and will make it easier for developers to debug their Universal Windows Platform (UWP) applications, test out new features, and build new hardware peripherals One of the big additions is location based testing. Using the Location tool in Device Portal, developers can override the default location that gets reported to Windows and swap it out for a different one using a map or latitude and longitude boxes. For developers on a budget, this is a heck of a lot...
Read more...
Microsoft does not seem real committed to its own Windows Phone platform these days (no matter what it says publicly), but it is acutely aware that smartphones have become a part of everyday life, with Android representing the most popular mobile platform in the world. In recognition of this, the latest Windows Insider Preview (build 16251) lets you link your phone to your PC, the company announced in a blog post. The new build is focuses on cross-device web browsing and Microsoft is asking Insiders to lend a helping hand by testing the experience with their Android phones. Support for iPhone handsets is not included in this build, though Microsoft is working on it and says it will be available...
Read more...
Next to Minesweeper and Facebook, Microsoft's nifty little Paint utility might go down as the one of the all-time great time wasters while toiling away at work. While the clock goes tick-tock, one way to pass the time is to doodle on your desktop using Paint, and there is actually some very good artwork that has been created with the simplistic program. Sadly (for some), Paint may be about to kick the bucket—it is among the list of features that Microsoft plans to remove or deprecate when rolling out the Fall Creators Update for Windows 10.Image Source: Wikimedia Commons (Regularvalenti) If you are looking for a glimmer of hope, it's that Microsoft Paint falls into the "deprecated" category....
Read more...
Microsoft is seemingly quickening the pace in which it releases new builds of the Fall Creators Update, with the latest being Build 16241. Like the builds that came before it, this latest stop on the long journey to RTM for the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update adds a number of new features and tweaks that are meant to spruce up the UI and improve functionality across the board. The headlining feature of Build 16241 is a further refinement to the Windows Shell. Cloud Self Service Password Reset (Cloud SSPR), which comes with Azure AD Premium (AADP), now supports full integration with Windows 10. What that means is if you somehow forget your password or PIN, you can reset your credentials and get...
Read more...
Things are progressing nicely with the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, which has now progressed to Insider Preview Build 16237. There aren’t any major additions to this newest build of the Fall Creators Update, but there are plenty of changes along the way in this build. Microsoft has updated the Edge browser to include “read out loud” support. Read out loud is enabled for both websites and PDFs that feature word and line highlighting. There are also some other minor tweaks to Microsoft Edge, including its Share UI which will not match your current browser design theme and a new animation when adding a favorite. In a move that is no doubt music to the ears of those that have been inconvenienced...
Read more...
Recent ransomware scares such as the WannaCry outbreak have collectively put a spotlight on PC security. It has even prompted Microsoft to release patches for unsupported operating systems, including Windows XP and Windows Vista. However, it is Windows 10 that receives the lion's share of Microsoft's security efforts, and we will see that on display when the Fall Creators Update arrives in a few months. Among other things, the Fall Creators Update will represent a "hardening" of the Windows platform. Security has always been a major focal point with Windows 10, but in a blog post outlining some changes that are headed to the OS, Microsoft explains that the old way of doing things is no longer...
Read more...
The Windows 10 Creators Update had a number of features that were introduced primarily to cater to gamers. The upcoming Windows 10 Fall Creators Update will continue to add new gaming features, and a new one has been revealed in Build 16226. The Windows 10 Task Manager has been updated to include GPU resource tracking. Not only will you be able to monitor the utilization of the 3D pipe, but also video decode/encode engines. You can even keep tabs on dedicated and shared memory usage for your GPUs. Given that we are still very early in the development process for the Fall Creators Update, Microsoft warns that there are likely some performance issues and bugs with this new feature. Build 16226...
Read more...
Windows Insiders who are subscribed to the Fast ring—the Insider channel that receives new and less polished builds of Windows earlier than the Slow ring—have a new preview of the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update to play with. Microsoft on Thursday announced that the Windows 10 Insider Preview build 16215 for PC and 15222 for Mobile are now available to download, and with those new versions come a bunch of new features.Image Source: Microsoft First and foremost on the PC side are elements of Microsoft's Fluent Design UI now found in both the Start menu and Action Center. Improvements to Start include: Acrylic: If you have transparency enabled for Start, you’ll notice it’s now been updated to use...
Read more...
When the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update arrives later this year, it will likely come with three additional SKUs. The internal build of Windows 10 that was pushed by accident to testers last week revealed these new versions: Windows 10 Pro for Advanced PCsWindows 10 Pro N for Advanced PCsWindows Server 2016 ServerRdsh The third version is being aimed at servers that will be used as a Remote Desktop Session Host. However, it is Windows 10 Pro for Advanced PCs that is likely the most intriguing for our readers. Microsoft alternatively calls the operating system Windows 10 Pro for Workstation PCs, although the name is subject to change. The “N” version is largely the same, but is aimed at the European...
Read more...
Sometime around September (presumably), Microsoft will release the next major update to Windows 10, the Fall Creators Update. Not to be confused with the Creators Update that was just recently rolled out, the Fall Creators Update is another major release, the third since Windows 10 was made available to the public in July 2015. For those who want to get an early look at what the Fall Creators Update has in store, there is a preview build (16193) now available to download for Windows Insiders who are subscribed to the Fast ring.In case you're not familiar with the Window Insider program, it provides early access to new features that will be included in future versions of Windows. Those subscribed...
Read more...
