Items tagged with Microsoft
Were you around for the heyday of Windows 98? PC gamers were slow to adopt Windows 95 because the conventional game design paradigm of talking directly to the hardware was a big no-no in the new operating system. However, in the not-quite-three years between the release of Windows 95 and Windows 98, both PC hardware...
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Windows 11 has been a contentious launch for Microsoft. Historically speaking, when users are dissatisfied with the latest Windows release (Windows 95, Windows ME, Windows Vista), the next release is usually met with relative enthusiasm. Yet, while Windows 10 isn't exactly beloved by most users, Windows 11 isn't...
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An annoying Outlook bug has seemingly crawled out of the woodwork again, after having pestered users around this same time last year. In a recently posted support document, Microsoft said it is investigating an issue that is preventing Outlook Desktop on Windows 11 from displaying recent emails in search results. The...
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In February security firms, researchers, infosec employees, antivirus, and malware organizations rejoiced. Why? Microsoft was finally disabling Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) macros on Microsoft Office. However, the Redmond software giant just took a step back and reversed course on the change, but why?
What...
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Game streaming services are gaining steam as viable alternatives to spending big money on decked out PCs and dedicated gaming consoles, and they've come a long way in a relatively short time. One of the benefits is they're mostly platform agnostic. Or they should be—there are multiple reports that Microsoft's Xbox...
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Last month, we wrote about malicious Android apps containing a trojan that researchers have dubbed “SMSFactory.” This bit of malware exists to infect Android phones and conduct SMS billing fraud. SMSFactory uses SMS and phone permissions to regularly send premium text messages and make calls to premium numbers...
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Shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine near the beginning of this year, some prominent hacking groups announced that they would be joining the war within the digital realm. The hacking collective Anonymous declared cyberwar against the Russian government and has since been conducting cyberattacks on Russian and...
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It's been a little over 8 months since Microsoft released Windows 11 (on October 5, 2021). When it hit the market it came with a slew of new features. Things like a significantly upgraded UI, more cloud based functionality, and even cleaner interfaces were all packaged into the new (at the time) release.
Windows 11...
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Just over nine years ago, Microsoft provided a first look at Windows 8.1. And almost to this day nine years earlier, it rolled out a preview, timed with the start of its Build conference. If you ended up upgrading and never looked back (or forward), brace yourself for nag screens imploring you once again to upgrade...
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For the past year we've been hearing about how Microsoft's DirectStorage API will supercharge PC gaming with faster load times, and facilitate "virtual worlds that are more expansive and detailed than ever," to use Microsoft's own words. It holds a lot of promise, but does your PC support the feature? There's now an...
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Facial recognition and other artificial intelligence technologies are increasingly becoming more common. Nevertheless, there are various issues associated with AI that must be considered by those who develop and use it. Microsoft plans to retire its facial recognition tool and other technologies as part of its goal to...
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Shortly after Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, many tech companies announced that they would be suspending sales to the country. Among the companies that made these announcements were AMD, Intel, TSMC, NVIDIA, Apple, Cisco, Oracle, IBM, PlayStation, Nintendo, and Microsoft. Since this initial flurry of...
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There's a good chance that you're running multiple operating systems across your various electronic devices. Perhaps Windows or macOS on your main desktop PC or laptop, and iOS or Android on your smartphone. And maybe your significant other is entrenched in a different ecosystem than you. Whatever the case, Microsoft...
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Will we ever see a new Fallout or Elder Scrolls game in our lifetime? We are starting to feel a little like Rose Dawson from the Titanic as she recounts her story. Bethesda’s Todd Howard recently confirmed that Fallout 5 will in fact be published after Elder Scrolls VI, but that it will be quite some time before the...
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Valheim, a Viking-inspired survival and sandbox video game, took the world by storm in Winter 2021. The game was only initially available on PC, but console players now have a reason to rejoice. Valheim will be available on the Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S via Game Pass in 2023. It will also be offered through the PC...
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We are fast approaching the end of an era. In just one more day, Microsoft will stop supporting Internet Explorer, ending a long run that began way back in 1995. When that happens, the desktop IE 11 app will cease to function as it has up to this point, and will instead redirect users to Microsoft Edge, the browser's...
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Turn 10 Studios announced its next generation of Forza Motorsport at the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase yesterday, and it is truly breathtaking. The upcoming edition to the highly popular racing series is being billed as the "most technically advanced racing game ever made."
The Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase saw...
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A few months ago Microsoft teased that it was putting tabs into Windows File Explorer in an upcoming insider preview for Windows 11. Unfortunately the inclusion was pushed back in favor of a few other items. Annoying for window management afficionados, though likely a good move for those who occasionally experience...
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As we all know Windows can be a great operating system. However, for many users it may feel like Microsoft just forgot some things. That's where Windows PowerToys comes in—it tries to fill in the gaps, mainly for power users (as its name suggests).
PowerToys adds in enhanced functionality to Windows, like making...
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If your TV is so danged smart, why can't it play triple-A games without additional hardware, like a PC or a dedicated console attached? Well, it soon will be able to, depending on the model you own. Microsoft announced it is extending support for its Xbox Cloud Gaming service to smart TVs starting with Samsung's 2022...
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Remember when floppy disk drives (FDDs) ruled the day before USB flash drives rendered them obsolete? Mechanical hard disk drives (HDDs) have proven more resilient in the wake of solid state drives (SSDs) making a speedy splash in the storage market, but if Microsoft has its way, OEM system builders will forget all...
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We came away relatively impressed when we reviewed Microsoft's Surface Laptop Go, at the time noting its premium build quality, lightweight design, and solid battery life. That was almost two years ago, though, and competition has only gotten stiffer. Not be left behind, Microsoft has formally introduced the Surface...
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