Items tagged with Windows 10
Out of all the upgrades to Windows 10 so far, the October 2018 Update appears to be causing the most trouble, and it's not just a single issue. After pulling the initial update to squash a file deletion bug that was affecting some users, Microsoft recently began doling it out again, and now IT professionals are complaining of even more issues. The biggest one involves a mapped drive bug that seems to have carried over from the initial rollout. For those affected, mapped drives fail to connect. This was an issue that was brought up back at the beginning of October. "Testing the new 1809 update,...
Read more...
After a month of doom and gloom, Microsoft is finally re-releasing the Windows 10 October 2018 Update. That’s right, we’re roughly halfway through November and Microsoft has just now gotten to the point where it is semi-comfortable with distributing the update. We say “semi” because you still have to actively seek it out and there’s no guarantee that it’ll be readily available. According to John Cable, Director of Program Management for Windows Servicing and Delivery, Microsoft has “thoroughly investigated and resolved all related issues”...
Read more...
Windows 10 PC users who like the idea of an Amazon Alexa device, but don't want another gadget sitting on their desks have a new option that will let them turn their Windows 10 desktop, laptop or other device into an Alexa smart speaker, thanks to the recently launched Alexa app for Windows 10 PCs. The Windows 10 PC app doesn't support all of the functionality that you might be used to with an Alexa smart speaker or smartphone. More specifically, the Alexa app only supports voice interaction on Android and iOS devices. No support for voice interaction means that you won't be able to say...
Read more...
Windows 10 is a hot mess right now, depending on your perspective. After rolling back the October 2018 Update for Windows 10 to address a file deletion bug and other quirks, some Windows 10 Pro users this week were being told (incorrectly) that their license was actually for Windows 10 Home, and that they would need to do something about it. Microsoft advised affected users to just ignore the message, and believes it now has a handle on the situation. It's not clear if the activation issue is somehow related to the October 2018 Update, only that the timing roughly coincides with its release and...
Read more...
Redmond, we have a problem. Some users who have Windows 10 Pro installed report getting a notification telling them their Windows license is no good, even though it's valid and has been working correctly for months or years. Apparently there is something wonky going on with Microsoft's activation servers. Complaints landed on Reddit, starting with a user who said he has been running Windows 10 Pro just fine for years, dating back to when he migrated from Windows 8 Pro to Windows 10 Pro for free. "I got a notification saying my key is Windows 10 Home version and that I need to install it... WTF...
Read more...
Microsoft hasn't exactly had smooth sailing with regards to its most recent major update for Windows 10. The company launched the October 2018 Update early last month, which was fraught with problems including a file deletion bug. Microsoft quickly pulled the update and has yet to release a replacement. Despite this setback, Microsoft is continuing to work in parallel on the next major release of Windows 10 Build 19H1 (which stands for 2019, First Half). Microsoft has just fed a build to testers on this track: Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18277. This latest release...
Read more...
Many of you reading this might not even have the October 2018 Update for Windows 10 installed, as Microsoft yanked the second annual upgrade to fix a file deletion bug. Microsoft is testing a fix to Windows Insiders, but so far has not resumed downloads to the public. Be that as it may, Microsoft is also currently testing its Spring 2019 Update. We don't know if that's what it will be called, as Microsoft has changed the naming convention a few times since Windows 10 first hit the scene. Here's a history of releases so far: Windows 10 (1507) Threshold 1 Windows 10 (1511) Threshold 2: November Update...
Read more...
Microsoft continues to make headway on its buggy October 2018 Update for Windows 10, which at this point looks like it might not be ready for prime time until November. Who knows when it will start rolling out again. In the meantime, Microsoft fixed a Zip file extraction flaw in the October 2018 Update and is testing an updated release to Windows Insider subscribers. The Zip file extraction bug was one of several that plagued the initial roll out of the October 2018 Update to the general public, before Microsoft yanked it offline. There was an issue when attempting to extract Zip file contents...
Read more...
It's not common to find free software that appears to be as feature-rich and capable as the commercial competition, but where Windows Defender is concerned, it's arguably one of the best free antivirus and anti-malware solutions out there. Many have come to trust it so much, that they don't even run an additional anti-virus solution, and Microsoft takes that responsibility seriously by constantly iterating on the software's capabilities. In a brand-new Windows Insider build, a massive overhaul of Defender can be found. After years of figuring out the best direction to take Defender, Microsoft decided...
Read more...
Following reports of the October 2018 Update for Windows 10 messing with the extraction process of Zip archives, Microsoft confirmed that this is in fact a known issue, which by extension means the company is working on a fix. In the meantime, Microsoft has offered up a couple of workarounds, and a very important tip. A few days ago, users noticed that when extracting the contents of a Zip archive to a destination folder with duplication filenames (or one that is write-protected), there was no dialog prompt to warn of the conflict. Under normal circumstances, a dialog box would appear and give...
Read more...
It's been a rough October for Microsoft and its Windows 10 operating system. Now, to add insult to injury, another zero-day flaw has been punished via Twitter. SandboxEscaper, who also published a zero-day Windows vulnerability via the social media platform back in late August, disclosed this latest exploit. The security researcher publishes a proof-of-concept on GitHub was demonstrates how it can affect a target system. In practices, this new flaw is similar to the one disclosed back in late August and exploits a Windows feature called impersonation to improperly gain access...
Read more...
Ever since the Meltdown and Spectre were disclosed earlier this year, the issues surrounding the speculative execution exploits has been multi-pronged. On the one hand, there are concerns that nefarious parties taking advantage of the exploits to compromise unpatched systems. In addition, there have been concerns that the current patches to mitigate the attacks can reduce processing performance by up to 30 percent in some cases. Thankfully, Google engineers have developed a Spectre Variant 2 mitigation technique that results in a negligible impact in system performance. The mitigation...
Read more...
The October 2018 Update for Windows 10 is starting to look like a hot mess. A string of issues have marred the release, none more serious than a file deletion bug that left some users with missing files after applying the update. As Microsoft continues to test a fix for that issue, another file management bug has reared its ugly head. Incompatibilities are one thing, and to some extent, a little bit of wonky behavior is to expected when major upgrades arrive. It comes with the territory of servicing so many different combinations of hardware. However, when updates start messing with documents and...
Read more...
Microsoft is still testing its October 2018 Update for Windows 10 after taking it offline to investigate reports of missing files. The issue is purportedly fixed, though Microsoft is not yet ready to start doling it out to the general public yet. In the meantime, Microsoft issued a trio of cumulative updates for previous versions of Windows 10. The three cumulative updates bring a host of fixes to builds 1607 (Windows 10 Anniversary Edition, or Redstone 1), 1703 (Windows 10 Creators Update, or Redstone 2), and 1709 (Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, or Redstone 3). There's nothing new out there...
Read more...
