Items tagged with Windows 10
Microsoft raised quite a few eyebrows when it announced that it would no longer develop the Edge browsing using the homegrown EdgeHTML engine, and would instead adopt Google's Chromium. Browser competitor Mozilla was quick to bash the move, saying that Microsoft was caving into Google and making it easier for the search giant to further control the web. Undeterred, Microsoft has continued to develop the Chromium-based Microsoft Edge browser, releasing Dev and Canary builds for Windows and macOS. Now, the company is ready to take the next step with the release of the Beta channel to the public. According to Microsoft's Joe Belfiore, the preview builds of Microsoft Edge were download...
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Patch Tuesday was less than a week ago, but Microsoft is already pushing a wide range of Cumulative Updates for older version of Windows 10. The updates were first pushed out on August 17th, and covers Windows 10 Versions 1809 (October 2018 Update), 1709 (Fall Creators Update), 1703 (Creators Update), 1607 (Anniversary Update) and 1507 (Original Release). The key thing to remember with these updates, which were first noticed by Neowin, is that they are not automatically applied when you go to Windows Update and check for updates. Instead, they are completely optional and can be installed at your discretion. It's also notable that there are no security-related items in these updates, which...
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Due to the inclusion of some important security patches, it is in your best interest to apply Microsoft's latest Patch Tuesday update as soon as possible. At the same time, some users have reported issues getting it to install, while others are blaming the update for borking their PC, saying it is causing random restarts. Oh boy! This is why automatic updates are both a blessing and a curse. Some people prefer to wait a bit before patching Windows with the latest security updates, for this very reason—this is certainly not the first time a Patch Tuesday roll out has seemingly caused problems. What makes this tricky, however, is Microsoft's recent disclosure of four new wormable exploits...
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Today might have been the moment in the spotlight for Samsung's new Galaxy Note 10 family of flagship smartphones, but the South Korean electronics giant had another trick up its sleeve as well. The company officially announced the Galaxy Book S Always Connected Windows 10 PC, which first leaked last week. Unlike most notebooks available today which run on x86-64 processors made by either Intel or AMD, the Galaxy Book S makes uses of Qualcomm's most potent PC-centric ARM processor: the Snapdragon 8cx. The Snapdragon 8cx in this particular device is an 8-core processor with four high-power cores clocked at 2.84GHz and four low-power cores clocked at 1.8GHz. Samsung isn't giving...
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In case you haven't been paying attention in the world of operating systems, Microsoft's aging Windows 7 is finally nearing the end of the road with respect to official support. Windows 7 was first released in 2009 and should have long ago lost its support privileges, but Microsoft's missteps with Windows 8.x and early Windows 10 apprehension left many consumers and businesses indebted to Windows 7. Windows 7 extended support ends on January 14th, 2020, and with that in mind, users are quickly fleeing the operating system (as they should). Net Applications, which tracks the installed base for Windows operating systems (among other software), showed that as a share of PCs globally,...
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There are a few devices on the market that currently ship out of the box in Windows 10 S Mode instead of a standard version of Windows 10. S Mode locks down the operating system so that you are only able to install apps available from Microsoft Store; instead of installing any app that you wish (as Windows users have done for decades). However, some owners of devices that came preinstalled with Windows 10 S Mode -- i.e., Microsoft Surface Go and Samsung Galaxy Book 2 -- are finding that they are unable to escape this walled prison. As WindowsLatest explains, customers under normal circumstances are able to transition from Windows 10 S Mode to a "regular" version...
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It looks as though Microsoft is trying to borrow a feature from Apple that has long been present in macOS: the ability to do a cloud-based restore for the operating system. As it currently stands, if you want to perform a clean install on Windows 10-based machine, you typically either have to use a recovery partition with an image loaded on it, or use physical recovery media (i.e. a DVD or USB thumb drive). However, what do you do if your recovery partition has become damaged/corrupted or if you don’t have immediate access to recovery media, but need to quickly get back up and running with a functioning operating system? That’s where cloud recovery comes in. On Macs, you can boot...
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For those of you have already upgraded to the Windows 10 May 2019 Update (version 1903), Microsoft has a massive update that is now available to download. Build 18362.267 is a cumulative update and brings with it a laundry list of bug fixes and improvements. Microsoft has implemented fixes to prevent Windows Hello from failing to recognize your face after restarting your PC, and Microsoft Edge can now print PDF documents that contain both portrait- and landscape-oriented pages without issue. Bluetooth audio sound quality and reliability has been improved "when using certain audio profiles", and Windows Ink Workspace has been enhanced with more simplified menus and further integration with Microsoft...
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Microsoft is pushing out a new Windows 10 build to Fast ring subscribers in the Windows Insider program (on purpose this time!). The new build (18945) is a preview version of the 201H update that is headed to PCs in the first half of next year, rather than the one that will roll out later in 2019 (currently codenamed 19H2). It brings with it a handful of improvements, including ones centered around Linux. Windows 10 users who are also fans of Linux can look forward to a proper Linux kernel in Microsoft's operating system, with the release of the 20H1 update next year. In the meantime, Microsoft continues to tweak and test things through its Windows Insider program. For this round of testing,...
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Microsoft may have been looking forward to the weekend a bit too much, and got careless in the process. How so? The Redmond outfit accidentally pushed out an internal test build of Windows 10 (build 18947) to 32-bit machines in the Windows Insider program, and with it came a peek at a new Control Center that might be added at a later date. According to a post on Reddit that called attention to the accidental rollout, it is a Canary build that was only meant for internal testing, which had been compiled less than a day ago. Microsoft said it is looking into how this happened, and in a Twitter post by its Windows Insider account, the company said that "all users must roll back" from the test build...
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Yesterday, Twitter lit up with user frustration after Microsoft pushed out an internal "canary" build of Windows 10 20H1 to Windows Insiders on all of its developer rings (including Fast and Slow). The build was not meant to escape the confines of Redmond, Washington due to its early developmental status, and now we're getting a detailed answer from Microsoft on what exactly wrong. Microsoft first confirmed what we already knew, stating that Build 18947 was an "internal preview build was unintentionally released to a broader audience than expected." The company goes on to explain that if you have the build installed and aren't too keen on its appearance [or the potential for bugginess]...
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For the three of you out there running Microsoft's Edge browser (kidding!), some debatable privacy concerns have been raised into what information the SmartScreen feature is sharing (not kidding). In certain situations, Edge sends out URLs users have visited, and also their unique SIDs (Security Identifiers). Security researcher Matt Weeks brought the issue to attention over the weekend in a Twitter post, noting the transmission of "your very non-anonymous" SID. In addition, a screenshot he posted shows a URL he visited in plain text, as opposed to being hashed. 😱 Edge apparently sends the full URL of pages you visit (minus a few popular sites) to Microsoft. And, in contrast to documentation,...
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Microsoft has a pretty embarrassing problem on its hands, and it is affecting a number of users in the Windows Insider program. Microsoft has several “rings” that it uses to distribute test builds of Windows 10 to Insiders. Slow, Fast, and Skip Ahead builds escalate in their instability, but offer users a way to test out upcoming features ahead of the general public. However, an error on Microsoft's part caused an internal build of Windows 10 20H1 -- Build 18947 -- to push to all Windows 10 development rings. This error is problematic on multiple fronts. Those on the Slow ring are used to relatively stable test builds, and with this being an internal build, it's definitely more prone...
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Microsoft has committed to rolling out two major feature upgrades to Windows 10 every year. However, it is looking as though the upcoming 19H1 release later this year will be more akin to a Service Pack upgrade from the days of old, whereas the 20H1 release next year will be more substantial. With that in mind, here is what we know about Windows 10 20H1. First, the release—as the codename implies, it will land on PCs during the first half of next year. Exactly when remains to be seen, though as a point of reference, the first major upgrade of 2019 was the May 2019 Update, which rolled out in...you guessed it, May! Here is how things have shaken out so far (and going forward)... Windows...
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