Items tagged with Windows 10
Microsoft has pushed out a new build of Windows 10 to the Fast ring, which makes it the second "flight" for 2020. The final product will ship during the first half of the year as Microsoft's "Spring Update" for Windows 10. While Microsoft isn't announcing any radical changes under the hood of Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19546, there is one big addition to a long-standing member of the Windows family. The Windows Calculator app is gaining a new graphing mode, which Microsoft sees as being a boon for students. "Graphing capabilities are also essential for students who are beginning to explore linear algebra," writes Microsoft. "With this feature, we hope to empower students to learn mathematics...
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Unless you been living under a rock, then you know that Microsoft ended official extended support for Windows 7 on Tuesday. That means that Microsoft is no longer providing product updates or security patches for the operating system -- that is unless you are a corporate customer that pays a yearly per device fee for Windows 7 Extended Security Updates. For those that have decided to stay put on Windows 7, you may have noticed a new annoyance courtesy of Microsoft. As the company promised last month, it is now relaying full-screen nag warnings in Windows 7 to prompt folks to upgrade to Windows 10. You can see the nag screen in the header image above, and the text reads: Your Windows...
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While Microsoft has closed one door (Windows 7), it has opened another one with respect to web browsers (Microsoft Edge). As promised, Microsoft has made available the public/stable release of its Chromium-based Edge web browser. Microsoft first made its intentions known that it would switch to Chromium back in December 2018, thus leaving behind the EdgeHTML engine. That move drew swift backlash from Mozilla -- the makers of Firefox -- but Microsoft continued development over the past year. After a steady stream of developer and public betas, the all-new Edge browser is ready for action. Due to the fact that Edge is based on Chromium -- the same engine that powers the world's most...
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With today being the last day of extended support for Windows 7, many people are poised to make the jump to Windows 10. As we've reported in previous how-to articles, as long as you're running a genuine copy of Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 8.1, you can make the upgrade to Windows 10 for free and Microsoft is encouraging this migration as soon as possible. However, given that you've probably been running Windows 7 for years, we've got a few helpful tips to make your transition to Windows 10 as easy and glitch-free as possible. 1 - Make sure your PC meets the minimum system requirements for Windows 10 Windows 10 isn't exactly a demanding operating system, and chances are...
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Windows 7 extended support ends tomorrow, as we're detailed on numerous occasions. For most people, the most obvious "fix" would be to upgrade to Windows 10, which just about anyone can do for free as long as you're running an authorized, genuine copy of Windows 7 or Windows 8.x. However, the folks over at Microsoft have another, more expensive proposition for those that are running an older Windows 7 PC. The company is encouraging businesses to just buy one of its Surface-branded computers. Going out and purchasing a brand new, fully functioning PC when a free upgrade to Windows 10 would suffice for most businesses seems like overkill, but Microsoft is trying to move hardware here,...
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Time is winding down on Microsoft's extended support for Windows 7. Windows 7 emerged on the scene in 2009 with a bang, replacing the unloved and problematic Windows Vista operating system. Seen by many as the "true" successor to Windows XP, customers and businesses upgraded to Windows 7 in droves, and stuck with it even after Windows 8.x and Windows 10 arrived on the scene years later. But this week, January 14th to be exact, Microsoft will end extended support leaving customers on their own. There will be no more product updates or security patches for the operating system, which is to be expected considering that is over a decade old. For businesses that are sticking with Windows...
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Back in December, we reported on Microsoft's policy to get customers updated to the new, Chromium-infused version of the Edge browser. At the time, Microsoft indicated that the all-new Edge browser would be pushed automatically to allWindows 10 users in January 2020 via Windows Update. The only way that users would have been able to avoid getting the new version -- if they didn't want it -- was to install Microsoft's Blocker Toolkit for Edge. Today, however, Microsoft is clarifying its position on forced Edge updates and who it will affect going forward. Lots of speculation about automatic updates of the new Edge on Windows 10. We updated our documentation to make it clear that...
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The Windows 10 Spring Update is hopefully just around the corner. In the meantime, Microsoft has released its Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19541 to those enrolled in the Fast Ring. Build 19541 includes icon, task manager, and Cortana updates, as well as a few needed fixes. First, Microsoft has updated the notification area icon to better convey when an app is using the device’s location. Second, users will now be able to hop onto the Details tab in Task Manager and easily view the architecture of the processes. Last, Bing Instant Answers and Timers are once again available to users. Microsoft encourages users to test these features out by asking Cortana questions like “When...
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In order to join the Windows Insider Program, you are supposed to have a Microsoft Account, or a work account in Azure Active Directory (Azure AD). The very first step Microsoft outlines is to register one or the other, for anyone who wants to install a Windows 10 Insider preview build. However, there exists a workaround. More on that in a moment. The Windows Insider Program is a neat way to explore new features in Windows 10 that have not yet been released to the public. It's a two-way street—you get access to new stuff, and in return, provide feedback to Microsoft on any bugs or issues that might crop up. Suffice to say, it's best to steer clear of preview builds on mission critical systems....
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In case you have managed to ignore and forget the full-screen nag screens in Windows 7, support for your operating system will soon end, with Microsoft looking to herd the masses over to Windows 10. The last day is January 14, 2020. After that, Windows 7 goes into retirement, though fortunately it seems Microsoft is still permitting free upgrades to Windows 10. Before we get to that, let's talk about the support status of Windows 7. In just a couple of weeks, Windows 7 sails off into the sunset, in a manner of speaking. Well, sort of. It's not as though Windows 7 will suddenly fail to boot or otherwise cease to function once support ends. However, Microsoft will not offer technical support or...
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Have you ever wondered what Windows 10 would look like if Apple had designed it? One concept artist has reimagined Windows 10 as an Apple product. The concept includes a few interesting features, but overall we find ourselves personally favoring the existing Windows 10. Kamer Kaan Avdan published a video that asked “How would it look like, if Apple created Windows 10?” His version of Windows 10 features Apple’s iconic playful and colorful aesthetic. Several Windows 10 features also have naturally been replaced with Apple items. For example, users would browse with Safari instead of Edge and Cortana has been replaced with Siri. There are also a handful of characteristics that...
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It's been a long run, but it's coming time for Microsoft to end extended support for the Windows 7 operating system. Microsoft first released Windows 7 to the public over 10 years ago, and it was an instant hit with long-time Windows users. Given the disaster that was Windows Vista, Windows 7 built on the strong underlying foundation of Vista. However, it added a lot of polish and robust device support which enticed customers that had been spoiled by the long-in-the-tooth Windows XP operating system. Windows 7 Support Ends In January Microsoft has set a January 14th, 2020 termination date for Windows 7 extended support. Microsoft issued the following warning earlier this year: January 14th, 2020...
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We thought Microsoft had gotten over its penchant for accosting users with non-removable banner ads to promote its products, but the company is back at it again. Microsoft is now inserting small ads into two of its popular Windows 10 applications: Mail and Calendar. When using Outlook.com accounts in the Outlook app, the banner ad promotes the complimentary mobile app, stating, "Get the free Outlook app on your phone". Likewise, if you're using a Gmail account within Outlook, the banner changes to say "Get your Gmail on your phone." What's interesting, and perhaps a bit disingenuous is that by clicking on either banner will take you to an Outlook.com web address to download the mobile...
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Microsoft has released the first Windows 10 20H2 build to the Fast ring, and it's official known as the Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19536. Microsoft said last month that Windows Insiders who had opted into Skip Ahead would be migrated back into the Fast ring. This was a move to provide everyone in the Fast ring the freshest Windows builds at the same time. Insider Preview Build 19536 marks the first launch since that change was instituted. Microsoft says that this new release is an active development branch called RS_PRERELEASE, and is where the teams check in all their latest code changes into the OS. The Fast ring will receive its builds directly from this active development branch, and...
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