![Best Ethereum Mining GPUs - A Benchmark And Optimization Guide [Vega Update]](/Image/CropThumbnail/?width=58&height=58&imageFile=/ContentImages/Article/2635/thumbnail/default/ethereumminingtest230px.jpg)
Items tagged with NASDAQ: MSFT
It's not uncommon for us to write about security issues, but it's pretty rare when we write about one that's not going to be fixed, per the guilty party. In this case, that guilty party is Microsoft, and the bug is one that has been around ever since the launch of Windows 2000. Whether or not it's truly severe, we'll really have to wait and see. Or, at least we suppose, since it's existed for 17 years already. The bug is related to a Windows API hook called PsSetLoadImageNotifyRoutine, which lets the kernel know that a new module has been loaded. The problem, allegedly, is that invalid module...
Read more...
It feels like it's hard to get a great opinion on PayPal from the users that have to deal with it, and likewise, the latest Skype mobile update threw many for a loop (and not in a good way). So naturally, seeing the two companies team up would seem like the perfect cocktail for disaster, but this latest move is actually a really nice one. Given just how large both Skype and PayPal are, many reading this likely have accounts with both services. However, when you want to send a quick buck to a friend, it can really feel like quite a hassle, given how many steps you have to take, and how much info...
Read more...
When mischievous hackers cause trouble, the fix sometimes can't be conventional. Microsoft has proven that this week with its move to thwart the efforts of the Russian hacker group "Fancy Bear", whose members have not been unmasked. Fancy Bear was responsible for last year's DNC hack, although politics are not the reason why Microsoft got involved. To make their attacks seem as normal as possible, Fancy Bear uses a control center that heavily utilizes URLs meant to mimic Microsoft's own; eg: "livemicrosoft.net". Often, control centers will use explicit IPs to avoid issue, but because Fancy Bear...
Read more...
Getting on-board with an operating system like Windows 10 S may be difficult for some users. Only a certain type of user would purposefully opt to use a whittled-down, locked-down OS by choice, but for the security conscious, it makes a lot of sense. After all, 10 S is still Windows -- it's just supposed to be safer. That's been Microsoft's message since the OS' launch, and its logic is sound: the more locked-down an OS, the lower the chances are that a piece of malware -- including ransomware -- will make it onto the system. To put it simply, using Windows 10 S is akin to locking your doors...
Read more...
When Microsoft decided to embed its Cortana digital assistant into Windows 10, the original plan was to keep it out-of-the-way, nestled in the system tray. However, before the OS' release, the Redmond giant decided to push it to the taskbar, to the right of the Start menu, which was done to encourage discovery. At this point, many know what Cortana is, so it appears Microsoft is planning to give the talkative assistant a notice of eviction from its current residence and court it with a good rate in system tray city. Because Microsoft originally chose to put Cortana close to the Start menu,...
Read more...
It's been a busy week for Microsoft on the security front, and for very different reasons. Earlier this week, we reported on a move by Kaspersky to shed light on the Redmond company's alleged antitrust behavior. Kaspersky claims that Microsoft promotes its own Windows Defender security solution too heavily, while at the same time putting roadblocks in place to make third-party solutions look less attractive. Well, if that wasn't a sure sign that Microsoft cares a lot about its security solution (even if it's a bit too aggressive about it), today's news of an impending security-related...
Read more...
The folks at Kaspersky, one of the biggest antivirus companies on the planet, are not too pleased with Microsoft's recent Windows design cues. Last year, the company filed a complaint against the Redmond company with Russia's Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS), and recently, it did the same thing in Europe. Any mention of Windows and "monopoly" make this complaint easy to figure out without even looking at it. Kaspersky has a beef with how Microsoft promotes the use of its Defender antivirus / anti-malware app over third-party solutions. One issue in particular is how Windows acts as a bit of a...
Read more...
One of the biggest advantages of Microsoft's Xbox One is that gamers are not locked into playing only Xbox One games. Through its backwards compatibility feature, Microsoft allows playback of hundreds of Xbox 360 games, meaning those titles sitting on the shelf are not going to rot if a user's actual Xbox 360 console dies. As cool as that feature is, it's just the tip of the iceberg of what the Xbox One can do. While it's not entirely intuitive, users can install custom software to allow them to play games from other consoles, including Game Boy Advance, PSP, Nintendo 64, and even the original...
Read more...
Microsoft has just been granted a patent that could help the company to fight back against users that have been taking advantage of its OneDrive cloud storage service to share pirated materials. Now more than ever, users are storing a lot of their data outside of their homes or devices, taking advantage of services like OneDrive, Google Drive and Dropbox to keep that data safe on someone else's servers. That's a great perk in itself, but more than that, these services also allow users to share that data.Some patent titles are vague, but Microsoft's latest leaves nothing to the...
Read more...
From the start of the current console generation, Sony looked to have an immediate edge. Its console was more powerful than Microsoft's, namely with regards to graphics horsepower. While graphics don't always make the game, we've seen Sony lay the smackdown on Microsoft by releasing a consistent stream of hit exclusives, helping it ultimately sell 60 million units to date. For the first time ever, this console generation has seen both Microsoft and Sony open up to the idea of mid-cycle upgrades. Last fall, Sony released its 4.2 TFLOPs PlayStation 4 Pro, more than doubling the horsepower of the...
Read more...
In a bit of news that could spark excitement in many Windows users out there, it's beginning to look like the next major iteration of Windows 10 (Redstone 3) is going to introduce tabbed applications, making it easier that ever to manage the slew of windows you have open. If you're not familiar with tabbed applications, the screenshot below should help clear everything up. Instead of having a taskbar littered with entries, or a single taskbar entry needing to be hovered over to then choose which window you want, tabbed applications make for a more all-in-one approach, allowing users to access different...
Read more...
Microsoft made headlines early last year when it announced that users of Intel Skylake (and newer) processors, would need to run Windows 10, as support would be dropped on older versions of Windows. After that initial announcement, there wasn't much additional news related to the story. That is until last fall, when Redmond's most notable company told us that it was backtracking on the idea. That was a relief to many users, but unfortunately, it was only a temporary one. It didn't take long for another issue to arise, when it was revealed that those restrictions would go into effect with Intel's...
Read more...
A couple of years ago, Valve relaxed its rules and regulations for customers being able to get a refund on a game title as a clear result of way too many unhappy customers asking for refunds. At that time, the company began letting people play up to 2 hours of a game, and if it didn't live up to expectations (or it simply didn't work on your system), you'd be able to get in touch with customer service and get a refund. Valve was praised for its move, and it was well-deserved. Now, though, Microsoft has decided one-up that offering for both the Xbox One and Windows Store, allowing customers...
Read more...
With the Windows 10 Creators Update having just launched, Microsoft decided to create a quick guide that explains its numerous gaming-related features, such as Beam game recording/streaming, Game Bar, Game Mode, and the countless number of settings now found inside of the OS' "Settings" control panel. Of all the new gaming features found in the Creators Update, it's the Beam game recording and streamer that Microsoft is putting most of its weight behind - and it makes sense, as it needs to justify that acquisition cost. While Microsoft is undoubtedly going up against difficult competition, one...
Read more...
