Items tagged with Windows 10
Much has been made about the performance impact of Windows 11 on AMD Ryzen systems, due to a pair of acknowledged bugs that AMD and Microsoft are scrambling to resolve. Patches are supposed to arrive this month, though no firm release date has been announced. In the meantime, we decided to run some tests to see just how much performance Ryzen users stand to lose by upgrading to Windows 11 before the bugs are squashed. We'll get to the numbers in a moment, but first let's recap the issues at hand. One of the bugs is throwing L3 cache latency out of whack on Ryzen and EPYC processors. In a support article, AMD said applications sensitive to memory subsystem access time may be impacted, with an...
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Forza Horizon 5 is nearing release and it seems as though the game will look fantastic across Windows 10 and Windows 11 hardware configurations, no matter your setup. This is great news for PC players who have been seeing many new games push their PCs to the limit. The game should render stunningly realistic graphics on PCs down to the tiniest particles while driving through Mexico utilizing all new powerful graphical features. The PC specs are broken down based on different gameplay scenarios on both NVIDIA and AMD setups. The minimum specs have been updated from the previous estimate given on the Microsoft Store and Steam. Even with the recommended spec, all you'll need is a Ryzen 5 1500X...
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The astutely named PrintNightmare family of issues affecting many Windows devices is not going away for Microsoft, it seems. Though there have been numerous patches and updates, not all have been fixes for the print spooler issues. This is the case once more following this month’s Patch Tuesday update, which has been confirmed to break network printing in some cases. As of late, Microsoft is reporting that “After installing KB5005033 or a later update, certain printers in some environments using Point and Print might receive a prompt saying, ‘Do you trust this printer?’” When this happens, administrator credentials are required to install the printer every time...
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Microsoft will unleash Windows 11 for the public on October 5th. But users should be aware that the company has made some annoying changes to the default browser behavior compared to Windows 10. As we reported last month, changing your default browser from Microsoft Edge to Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox is more cumbersome, requiring you to delve into Settings and change individual file type associations for your browser. At the time, Mozilla SVP Selena Decklemann warned that Microsoft's behavior towards third-party browsers had become untenable. "We have been increasingly worried about the trend on Windows. Since Windows 10, users have had to take additional and unnecessary steps to set and...
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Microsoft announced yesterday that Windows 11 officially launches preinstalled on new PCs (and as an upgrade for select new Windows 10 PCs) on October 5th. With the launch just over a month away, the company is adjusting its Windows Insider Program testing regimen to align with its goals for having the operating system ready for launch. Unfortunately, this means Windows Insiders testing Windows 11 with an unsupported PC are now getting the boot from Microsoft. Testers who visit Windows Update in their current build of Windows 11 are now greeted with the following message: Your PC does not meet the minimum hardware requirements for Windows 11. Your device is not eligible to join the Windows Insider...
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There has been quite a bit of confusion surrounding supported systems and hardware in the migration from Windows 10 to Windows 11. Microsoft is partly to blame for this confusion, given its changing stance on supported processors. However, it also stated that a workaround would allow Windows 11 to install on unsupported processors but would miss out on Windows Updates. Microsoft already has its PC Health Check Tool, which is available as a separate download that will show if your current system is ready to make the jump to Windows 11. And if your hardware isn't up to the task, it will tell you what must change to bring it into compliance. Microsoft's PC Health Check Tool for Windows 11 However,...
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We often cover vulnerabilities in Windows 10 that involve convoluted methods of gaining admin access to systems using privilege escalation. However, the latest exploit involving software for Razer products is facepalm-worthy in its sheer simplicity. In this case, the problem stems from Razer's Synapse software, which configures its peripherals like gaming mice and keyboards. This software can adjust macros, program mouse buttons, and control your RGB lighting. However, security researcher jonhat revealed via Twitter that an unscrupulous person with a Razer mouse or keyboard could gain SYSTEM access to a Windows 10 (or Windows 11) PC simply by plugging the device into the target PC. Need...
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In April, Microsoft rolled out a limited beta of its Xbox Cloud Gaming (Project xCloud) streaming service for Windows 10 PCs and Apple devices. However, this early beta required users to game through an internet browser rather than providing Xbox Insiders with a native app to experience the service. That all changes today with the latest revision of Xbox Cloud Gaming, which is now available through the official Xbox app in Windows 10. Given that the service is internet-based, your aging PC should still be able to provide an excellent gaming experience (as long as you have a decent broadband connection). Like the previous beta, you will need a compatible controller that connects to your PC via...
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As it stands, Windows 10 gets monthly security, quality, and the occasional out-of-band update which all help to keep users “productive and protected.” It appears Microsoft has now officially confirmed that Windows 11 will be following the same update system which has worked well for the past six years. The continual updates to Windows 10 over the years have ensured that customers have access to all the latest features and security fixes at no additional cost. In a recent documentation post about monthly quality updates, technical writer Greg Lindsay outlines the plan for updates concerning Windows 10 and 11. First and foremost, quality updates which consist of either non-security...
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There are few things more frustrating than dealing with a printer issue. Like dealing with repeated printer issues. Unfortunately for some Windows 10 users, the problems keep coming, the latest one arriving with the cumulative update for July that arrived earlier this month. Depending on a person's setup, this month's Patch Tuesday roll out could cause printing and scanning capabilities to no longer function. Fortunately, the latest printer issue appears limited to some specific setups. However, that does not come as any consolation to anyone is affected by it. "After installing updates released July 13, 2021 on domain controllers (DCs) in your environment, printers, scanners, and multifunction...
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Over the past few years, the surge in cryptocurrency values has meant that unscrupulous individuals are looking for ways to make money without putting in the hard work. In the case of cryptocurrency malware, the software is installed on unsuspecting computers, forcing them to mine without the victim seeing a single dime in the resulting revenue. Such is the same with LemonDuck, which the Microsoft 365 Defender Threat Intelligence Team is warning about this week. Once LemonDuck malware finds its way onto a target machine, it is swept up into a botnet that mines for cryptocurrencies. What makes LemonDuck so dangerous, however, is that it doesn't just target one platform. Instead, it is viable on...
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Microsoft is warning of a vulnerability in both Windows 11 (not yet released, but available in preview form to Windows Insiders) and Windows 10 that could reveal a user's admin password, which in turn could be used to elevate their own system privileges. That's obviously not a good thing, as it would essentially grant the hacker with full control of a system. "An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists because of overly permissive Access Control Lists (ACLs) on multiple system files, including the Security Accounts Manager (SAM) database. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could run arbitrary code with SYSTEM privileges. An attacker could then install programs; view,...
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Last year, Microsoft announced that it would be bringing DirectStorage to Windows PCs to “revolutionize PC gaming." Then, Microsoft showed how DirectStorage would improve the Windows 11 gaming experience back in June, but what about Windows 10? Since that announcement, the DirectX team has been hard at work, and the DirectStorage Developer Preview is now available with support for Windows 10 version 1909 and up. Over the years, as games became more advanced, so too did the graphics, leading to longer load times and other issues. However, thanks to SSD and PCIe technology developments, gaming PCs can have storage solutions that offer significantly more bandwidth than previously possible...
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As people became more comfortable with the Windows 10 Start menu, Microsoft massively changed it with Windows 11. However, there was a workaround to bring back the familiar menu until Windows 11 build 22000.65 was released, which disabled the hack. Now, if you happen to update, the workaround is gone, but there are a few ways to make the Windows 11 Start Menu more comfortable. Several days ago, a workaround to bring back the Windows 10 Start menu to Windows 11 was discovered. To do this, users needed to create a DWORD (32-bit) registry key called “Start_ShowClassicMode” located at “HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced” and then set the value...
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Windows 11 is coming this holiday season, although upgrades from Windows 10 won't happen until much later. We're sure that users who are hungry to get their hands on Microsoft's latest OS will be able to do so fairly quickly, though. That's especially true considering Windows 10 Insider Previews have all but dried up, leaving nothing but Windows 11 for Microsoft's volunteer quality assurance testers. However, once users upgrade, there's an alarmingly short time to decide to roll back to Windows 10 without starting over entirely. An FAQ has made its way to PC maker MSI's website that indicates Microsoft is trimming down the Windows 10 rollback window to just 10 days. The rollback functionality...
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Windows 11 is coming, and millions of PCs will be eligible for the free upgrade. However, those reticent to upgrade from Windows 7/8/8.1 to Windows 11 will be in for a slightly more complicated transition (if they decide to make the jump). It's worth noting that Windows 7 was first released back in 2009 and was replaced by Windows 8 in late 2012. However, it's not likely that PCs that initially shipped with Windows 7 even meet the minimum hardware requirements for Windows 11, which necessitates a TPM 2.0 module and an Intel 8th generation Core or AMD Ryzen 2000 processor (among other stipulations). But even if your PC does meet these requirements, Lenovo is explaining that the upgrade procedure...
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Windows 11 is shaping up to be a nice upgrade for users of the existing Windows 10 operating system. However, Microsoft has some rather strict hardware requirements for Windows 11 that will make it more difficult for customers to upgrade. As we mentioned in previous articles, Windows 11 requires the use of AMD Ryzen 2000/Intel 8th generation Core (and newer processors) and a TPM 2.0 module before it will even install. There are also some other requirements in place that shouldn't be too much of a burden, like a minimum of 4GB of system RAM and 64GB of free storage space. However, even if your PC meets all minimum system requirements, it looks as though you won't be able to upgrade your current...
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Microsoft officially announced Windows 11 today as its next-generation operating system that will run on millions, if not billions, of devices in the coming years. As a result, many people are likely interested in upgrading to the new OS and want to know if their PC will be supported. But first of all, Microsoft confirmed our earlier suspicions about upgrades. Windows 11 will be a free upgrade for Windows 10 users. We would expect that this upgrade chain will extend back to Windows 7 and Windows 8.x PCs as well, which are eligible for free Windows 10 upgrades. The worst-case scenario is that you might have to upgrade their older machines to Windows 10 before leaping Windows 11, but we've reached...
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The older I get, the poorer my eyesight becomes (or at least that is the justification I use when shopping for a giant screen TV). However, if you are in the same boat, do not mistake blurriness in the Windows 10 taskbar for a degradation in your vision. While that is one possibility, the more likely one is a recent Windows 10 update. What is at issue here is an apparent bug in the 'news and interests' widget that Microsoft has begun pushing out to Windows 10 PCs. By default, this shows the weather in your particular region, and if you hover the mouse cursor over the widget (or click or tap it), it brings up news headlines, stock quotes, sports scores, traffic information, and other stuff (which...
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Windows 11 is right around the corner, as Microsoft is set to hold a big online event on June 24th at 11 am EST to announce the new operating system. Although Microsoft has yet to confirm Windows 11 as its official name, all signs are pointing to that designation. So, what's in store for Microsoft's current flagship operating system, Windows 10? According to a recently updated support document, Microsoft has already outlined the end of support. Windows 10 was first introduced on July, 29th 2015, and the new document says that support ends on October 14th, 2025. This end date applies to both Windows 10 Home and Professional, and aligns with Microsoft's 10-year support timeline for its operating...
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The next generation of Windows is coming on June 24th, and Microsoft has become just a little more forthcoming about the operating system. Earlier this month, it prodded us with a new Windows background, with the light shining through the "window" appearing to cast an outline that looks like the number 11. Today, Microsoft is pushing the 11 theme again in the oddest way. It uploaded a new video to YouTube that is 11 minutes long. According to Microsoft, what you're hearing are several Windows startup sounds slowed down by 4,000 percent. "Having trouble relaxing because you're too excited for the June 24th Microsoft Event," Microsoft asks in the YouTube video description. "Take a slow trip down...
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From the beginning, we were told Windows 10 would be the last monolithic release of Microsoft's popular operating system, with monthly security patches and bi-annual feature updates shoveled into it on an ongoing basis. For all intents and purposes, Windows 10 was to be an endless road. Except maybe not. Microsoft has teased that a Windows 11 could be on the horizon, which raises the question, what should it entail? We have to wait two and a half weeks to find out for sure. Microsoft is scheduled to reveal "what's next" for Windows on June 24 at 11:00 am ET (2:00 pm PT). The company announced the event on Twitter through its @Windows account, with a short 6-second animation teasing a refreshed...
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