Items tagged with windows insider
There's a light at the end of the tunnel for Microsoft's Windows 11 operating system, which will officially debut on October 5th. And as you might imagine, Microsoft is hard at work squashing bugs, making sure that performance is up to par, and that compatibility with existing hardware is as high as possible. With this in mind, Microsoft released two new Windows 11 Insider Preview builds this week to testers. The Dev Channel has jumped to Build 22454 for those that want to be on the bleeding edge of Windows 11 development. If you want a more stable testing experience, Build 22000.184 now resides in the Beta Channel. Microsoft says that it has fixed two outstanding issues with Windows 11 Build...
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Windows 11 is just over a month away from its official release, which means that Microsoft is working overtime to crush any existing issues with the operating system. Unfortunately for testers, the latest Windows Insider Dev and Beta channel build introduced a rather nasty bug with the Star Menu Taskbar. Microsoft's new Start Menu and Taskbar have had their ups and downs as users get acclimated to its visual and functional redesign compared to Windows 10, so this latest glitch is leading to more frustration. In the image provided below, you can see one outcome of the glitch, where it appears that the Taskbar doesn't load entirely on the affected system. In other instances, Microsoft indicates...
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Microsoft has rolled out a new build of Windows 10 to Insiders within the Dev Channel (Build 20231), and it brings a number of critical changes, most prominently where it pertains to the OOBE (Out Of Box Experience). There are also a number of other goodies thrown in for good measure, so let get down to the nitty gritty. For starters, Microsoft is trying to give its customers a more customized experience when installing Windows 10. No single Windows 10 installation is going to be optimal for every user, so Microsoft has come up with six different presets that will configure the install accordingly based on what most users that fall under each preset would need. Those presets are: Gaming...
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Instead of potentially and needlessly thrashing your solid state drive, Microsoft is testing an update to Windows 10 that would add storage health monitoring, allowing it to check your high-speed SSD for signs of impending failure. Ideally, this would give you time to back up your data before it goes kaput, if the drive is about to check itself into the digital graveyard. The new feature is accessible to users in the Windows Insider program, with preview build 20226 in the Dev channel, or what was previously called the Fast ring. Microsoft revamped its Windows Insider program in June, replacing the Ring system with a Dev channel (intended for "highly technical users"), Beta channel (for "early...
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A new Windows 10 Insider update approaches, huzzah! In Windows 10 Insider Update 20211, Windows is adding a search feature within the default apps menu in settings as well as the ability to access Linux files and filesystems. When setting default apps, there could be a wide number of files you can change settings for. Scrolling through that massive list would be incredibly annoying, so Windows 10 is adding a search bar in the Default Apps menu in Settings. Previously, they improved performance in this settings menu, so they wanted to make some more fixes and additions. Additionally, it seems that this feature possibly came as a suggestion in feedback, so for the Windows Insiders among us, continue...
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Microsoft has announced some significant changes to the way it's releasing new builds to all Windows Insiders. The software giant says that it's transitioning and converting the current ring model based on the frequency of builds to a new channel model that focuses on the quality of builds, and is intended to support parallel coding efforts. The revamping of the Windows Insider program will also mean that Insiders in the Office program and soon the Microsoft Edge and Microsoft Teams programs will see similar changes. Microsoft says that the goal is to make it easier for existing Insiders to choose an experience that's best for them and to allow new Insiders to pick the right channel when they...
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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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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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Ever since Microsoft released Windows 10 way back in 2015, the company has made continual improvements to the operating system to make it more palatable for tablet users. Microsoft has come a long way from the basic tablet functionality that was included in Windows 7 and Windows 8.x, but there's still room for improvement. Enter Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19592, which has now entered the Fast ring for testers. Microsoft is adding what it calls "tablet posture" improvements for 2-in-1 convertibles, which are increasingly becoming popular in the marketplace as an alternative to traditional laptops. It should be noted that tablet posture was trialed in earlier Insider builds (18970 through...
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Are you itching to try Windows 10 preview build 19H2? This quick and simple hack will allow you to test out Windows 10 19H2, even if you missed the Skip Ahead enrollment period. The Skip Ahead ring allows Windows Insiders to switch from the current update preview to the next one. First and foremost, you must already be a Windows Insider to take advantage of this trick. If you are a Windows Insider, first launch the registry editor. Insiders should then navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\Microsoft\ WindowsSelfHost\UI\Selection You will then need to double-click on “UIContentType” and change it to “Skip”. You should then find “UIRing” and change it to...
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Microsoft is likely finished with the major sticking points of its upcoming Windows 10 19H1 build (aka the April 2019 Update), which means that the company is primarily putting the final touches on this next major release. The folks in Redmond have just pushed out Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18334 to the Fast ring, and it primarily brings enhancements that are aimed at gaming. In particular, Microsoft is wanting gamers to pay particularly close attention to gaming performance with this latest build, so as an added incentive, it is allowing testers to try out State of Decay for free. According to Microsoft, this free offer is only available for a limited time and...
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Slowly but surely, Windows 10 is getting a fresh coat of paint, one piece at a time. These changes to the look and feel of Windows is what's known as Microsoft's Fluent Design language (previously called Project Neon), a long-term project to alter the way certain parts of Windows 10 look and how users interact with the OS. The latest test build available to Windows Insiders highlights more of these design elements that are bound for the next major update to Windows 10. Preview build 18290 in the Windows Insider program is an early look at Redstone 6 (the October 2018 Update is Redstone 5), which if all goes to plan will be pushed out to the public in the first half of next year. It will be the...
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Windows users keeping an eye out for new versions of the Microsoft operating system have a new version that is now out bringing Windows to build number 17741. It's worth pointing out right up front that one big change is that Redstone 5 is now officially Windows 10 version 1809. Folks in the Windows Insider program are expected to get hands on that build in September. The feature set is expected to be identical to the 17741 build number that is out now. There are no major new features in this build, but Microsoft is still talking up Your Phone first and foremost. Your Phone is the feature that aims to allow iOS and Android users to access more of their phone information on a Windows PC. With...
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Microsoft is pushing out a new test build to Windows Insiders, one that ends in '666' (Build 17666) and will consume your soul if you install it. Okay, so it's not actually demonic—we don't think so, anyway—but it is quite literally a dark release. Or, it can be. One of the things that is new in the latest preview build is an extension of the dark theme in Windows to File Explorer, as many users have been requesting. Click to Enlarge "As many of you know, we added dark theme support to Windows based on your feedback. This setting is available under Settings > Personalization > Colors, and if you switch it any apps and system UI that support it will follow suit. Since releasing...
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During its Build 2017 conference in May, Microsoft announced that Windows Server would be joining the Windows insider program, which allows users to download and test pre-release builds containing new features that are not available to the general public. Making good on that promise, Microsoft has now made available the first preview build of Windows Server (build 16237) to Insiders. To access the preview build, users need to register at the Windows Insiders for Business program or the Windows Insider program—either one will suffice. After doing that, interested users can download the first preview of the feature release to Windows Server 2016, which is expected to be available to the public...
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Windows Insiders who are subscribed to the Fast ring—the Insider channel that receives new and less polished builds of Windows earlier than the Slow ring—have a new preview of the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update to play with. Microsoft on Thursday announced that the Windows 10 Insider Preview build 16215 for PC and 15222 for Mobile are now available to download, and with those new versions come a bunch of new features.Image Source: Microsoft First and foremost on the PC side are elements of Microsoft's Fluent Design UI now found in both the Start menu and Action Center. Improvements to Start include: Acrylic: If you have transparency enabled for Start, you’ll notice it’s now been updated to use...
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Microsoft continues to dish out new Windows 10 preview builds to Windows Insiders at a furious pace. The latest version (build 15007) is another one that has been released to Windows Insiders who are subscribed to the Fast ring and applies to both PC and mobile. It brings with it a surprising amount of new features, considering how fleshed out the previous release was, including several improvements to Cortana.Microsoft's digital assistant can now help users pick up where they left off when using multiple PCs. While that can sometimes be a cumbersome process, the newest build has Cortana displaying quick links in the Action Center when a user switches computers. Those links guide users back to...
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Microsoft is pushing out a new Windows 10 Insider Preview Build (15002) for Windows Insiders in the Fast ring. It is a "BIG update," to use Microsoft's own words, though one of the more interesting additions comes near the very end of a lengthy blog post describing the various new features. With this latest build, Microsoft has added an option that enables users to pause updates for up to 35 days. The latest Preview build for Windows 10 also allows users to decide whether or not to include driver updates when updating Windows. Both update options are only available on the Professional, Education, and Enterprise editions. That is unfortunate for Home users, though anyone looking for a reason to...
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Microsoft is quickly trying to wrap up testing of its Windows 10 Mobile operating system in preparation for a wide-scale public rollout to existing Lumia smartphones later this month. However, those who already have Microsoft’s latest Windows 10 Mobile flagships — the Lumia 950 and 950 XL — in hand have encountered some problems with Build 10586.29, which was released earlier this month. A number of users have witnessed “false low storage notifications” during the installation process along with getting stuck at 0 percent when trying to update their devices. These are not isolated occurrences, and they were frequent enough that Microsoft has pulled the build for both Windows Insiders and Lumia...
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Being an "Insider" for one of Microsoft's various products and services is already a rewarding experience -- you get early access to whatever Microsoft's cooking up and can help shape how it turns out through your feedback. It's a win-win situation, and to show its appreciation to those who provided a lot of feedback on Windows 10 Mobile, Microsoft is rewarding its most active Insider participants with one of its new flagship Lumia handsets, plus a some extras.Microsoft is taking its Windows 10 Mobile Insider program to the hardware level and it's bringing along some participants for the ride. Those chosen can select between a Lumia 950 or Lumia 950 XL (check out Marco's Lumia 950 review...
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Just when we were ribbing Microsoft for taking its sweet time to release a new build of Windows 10 Mobile, the company responds today with a fresh build. We can’t say that we’re surprised, considering that Microsoft’s Gabe Aul tweeted yesterday, “We have a build that is looking good (in the 105xx range) to share very soon, but it won't be today.” Little did we know that “very soon” actually meant tomorrow. And here we are, starting at Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview Build 10512. It has just hit the Fast ring for testers, which means that Slow ring testers that have been without an update for well over a month will just have to wait even longer to see a new build delivered to their smartphones....
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Microsoft is really on the ball, and we can’t say that we blame them — Windows 10 is going to be the biggest operating system release of the year and there is a lot of pent-up demand for successor to Windows 8.1. Earlier this week, Microsoft released Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 10158, and a day later delivered Build 10159. Well, Microsoft has gone one step further with its rapid-fire release schedule by sending Build 10162 to the Fast ring, or as Gabe Aul calls it, the “faster Fast ring.” “We’re focused at this point on bug fixing and final polish, so it’s much easier for each build to get all the way through than earlier in the cycle when we’re adding big new features,” said Aul. “So now...
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