Items tagged with Windows 10
The coronavirus/COVID-19 is not just causing immense pain and suffering around the globe due to the heartbreaking loss of life. It has also stunted the development of many projects from well-known companies due to shelter-in-place orders that have been ordered in many states across the U.S. The latest [tech] victims include Microsoft’s highly anticipated Surface Neo and its complementing Windows 10X operating system. In a blog post today, Panos Panay, who now serves as the Chief Product Officer for Windows and Devices, in a roundabout way confirmed the news that we first heard early last month: Surface Neo has been delayed. Panay first revealed that Microsoft is shifting its focus...
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For those eagerly awaiting the release of the Windows 10 May 2020 Update, we've got some good news for you. Microsoft is closing in on an official public release, and leading up to the launch, the company has released Build 19041.208 to the Release Preview ring. This updated build is most likely going to be what is pushed to the public [sometime] this month. Microsoft encountered a number of issues with the previous [expected] RTM build, which is why its plans have been altered slightly. "While we originally thought that Build 19041.207 would be the final build, we made the decision to take in one more fix we felt was important to have before making the May 2020 Update generally available,"...
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Microsoft's PowerToys utilities were oft-used by enthusiasts with Windows 9x operating systems on up through Window XP, but took a long hiatus starting with the release of Windows Vista. Around this time last year, Microsoft announced that PowerToys would be returning as a set of utilities for Windows 10, and we're now up to v.0.17.0. With this latest release, you'll no longer need to manually seek out and download a new update when Microsoft posts it to GitHub. Instead, PowerToys v.0.17.0 adds an automatic updating mechanism which makes this process a breeze. While the functionality is currently in place, you won't be able to actually take advantage of it until v.0.18.0 is released...
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Security updates for Windows are supposed to make the operating system more secure and stable, but when bugs slip through, they can create headaches. That appears to be the case with the recent KB4549951 update for Windows 10. After installing the cumulative update, some users report they are experiencing blue screen of death (BSoD) errors. The potentially problematic update starting going out to Windows 10 PCs (versions 1909 and 1903) a little over a week ago. I've installed myself on my main desktop PC and have not encountered any blue screens or other problems (knock on wood). It's not a particularly major update, with Microsoft noting the following highlights... Updates to improve security...
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In just a matter of weeks, Microsoft will begin pushing out the May 2020 Update for Windows 10, the first of two major upgrades scheduled for this year. Previously known as Windows 10 20H1, what looks to be the final test build is circulating within the Windows Insider program. Feeling antsy? You can give the May 2020 Update a spin right now, and in ISO form. The benefit of an ISO image is being able to easily install the latest Windows 10 build with a clean slate, rather than performing an in-place upgrade. It's also convenient to have if you want to install it on multiple PCs in your home. The only caveat is that we are still talking about a test build here, and it's possible Microsoft will...
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In case you were thinking about holding off applying yesterday's Patch Tuesday update, which requires a system reboot, you should probably go ahead and hit the restart button. This month's cumulative update patches a whopping 113 vulnerabilities, at least three of which are zero-day flaws currently being exploited in the wild. This is one of the more important Patch Tuesday updates in quite some time, and unlike last month's it comes without revealing any nasty wormable exploits. Out of the 113 bugs it squashes, 19 of them are labeled as critical, the most severe rating Microsoft assigns, and the other 94 are all labeled as important. The collection of updates also address numerous products,...
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Back in mid-February made the wise [at the time] decision to announce that it would end support for the Windows 10 October 2018 Update (version 1809) on May 12th. While the October 2018 update was plagued with many showstopping bugs that annoyed customers, the true reason for ending support is to push customers to newer builds with increased functionality and security fixes. However, a lot has changed between now and February; most notably with the stay-at-home lockdowns due to COVID-19. With this in mind, Microsoft no longer feels that May 12th is a realistic date for its customers to have upgraded their systems to newer versions of Windows 10. The company writes: We have been...
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Microsoft has long offered the Your Phone app for Windows 10 PCs, which allows smartphone users to send and receive a text message from their computer and share files, among other features. However, some of the best features available for Android users are unavailable for iPhone users. Dell updated its software last month that beat Microsoft to the punch bringing similar functionality for iPhone users, while expanding Android support. The catch is that Dell Mobile Connect was only meant to run on Dell computers. If you were using a different manufacturer's Windows 10 PC, it was possible in the past to run the app by sideloading it and manually installing drivers. Whether or not that worked varied...
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Dragging and dropping files between your Samsung Galaxy smartphone and Windows 10 is now a cinch, thanks to an upgrade Microsoft made to its Your Phone app for Android handsets. This is basically an extension of the tight nit relationship between Microsoft and Samsung, with the former promising to introduce drag-and-drop support between the latter's phones and Windows 10 PCs when the Galaxy S20 series was announced. Now that functionality is here. Well, sort of. This is being tested to members of the Windows Insider program. Microsoft will presumably expand the feature to support more Android handsets, but for the time being, drag-and-drop functionality requires a Samsung device running Link...
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Microsoft has pushed a new Insider Preview of Windows 10 to the Fast ring, which brings it up to Build 19603. There are a number of changes that have been incorporated into this latest build, but the headlining feature is new File Explorer integration for the Windows Subsystem for Linux, aka WSL. We should mention that Microsoft first gave users the ability to gain access to their Linux files dating back to Windows 10 1903. However, Microsoft is now making accessing those files even easier by adding a Linux icon to the left-hand side navigation pane in File Explorer. After clicking the Linux icon, it will expand to show you all of the currently installed distros on your system. Clicking each...
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It's that time again; time for another refresh of the Xbox Game Bar that graces Windows 10 PCs. This time around, Microsoft is making it easier for you to interact with some of your most-used apps while gaming via the Xbox Game Bar, and it's a change that we can definitely get onboard with. Microsoft is enabling the ability to add custom third-party widgets to the Xbox Game Bar, and some of the first to arrive include Gamecaster from XSplit and Razer Cortex (available currently in beta form). Intel is even getting in on the action with a cutdown version of its Intel Graphics Command Center (IGCC). With support baked directly into the Xbox Game Bar, Microsoft explains that you'll never have to...
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Today is March 31st, which in the tech world means that it is World Backup Day. We always stress here at HotHardware that you should backup all of your data frequently, because you never know when disaster will strike, be it an act of god or malware attack that renders your system unusable. Backups on Android and iOS devices In the smartphone realm, backups are pretty much taken care of for you automatically. Many Android OEMs offer automated mechanism that will backup your entire phone automatically at set interval. For iPhones, Apple allows for automated daily backups as long as your device is connected to a power outlet and Wi-Fi. These automated backups are also only possible...
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Earlier this week, we reported on a new bug that is affecting Windows 10 users at the worst possible time. A connectivity issue was preventing a large number of users working from home due to COVID-19/coronavirus from accessing Microsoft services like Office 365, Microsoft Teams, and Outlook. At the time, Microsoft warned that the issue was affecting "devices using a manual or auto-configured proxy, especially with a virtual private network (VPN)" and that it would result in a loss of internet connectivity. Microsoft indicated that it would issue an out-of-band update in April to address the bug, but it is actually delivering it right now ahead of schedule. The company has made available KB4554364,...
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Microsoft's Windows 10 operating system has been plagued with numerous bugs recently, but one issue in particular is frustrating a large segment of its customer base. As we all well now, COVID-19/coronavirus has necessitated that many Americans work from home to adhere with quarantine guidelines. However, this particular Windows 10 bug is preventing some users from connecting to the internet with the apps they need most. For those that are working from home, and need to access their work system using a virtual private network (VPN), a recent cumulative update, KB4535996, is making those connections unstable. "Devices using a manual or auto-configured proxy, especially with a virtual...
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