Microsoft

Windows 10 devices are set to become insecure next year unless users pay an extra fee. But with warnings of 240 million devices "going to landfill", it remains possible Microsoft will blink at the last moment. That Windows 10 reaches the end of its ... support period on October 14, 2025 is no secret: it's long been on Microsoft's support calendar and is in line with the company's policy of 10 years support. From that date, Microsoft will no longer issue free security updates. As happened with Windows 7, Microsoft will offer a paid update service for people in "circumstances that could prevent you ... (view more)

This year's major update to Windows 11 is now available. The word "major" is doing some heavy lifting on this occasion. Users can now manually install the 23H2 update, which will roll out to all users through automatic updates in the next few ... months. While Microsoft issues regular bug fixes and security updates, the "H2" update is the main way it issues new features. The update, released in the second half of each year (H2) effectively counts as a new version of Windows. Once installed, it resets the support calendar and guarantees another 24 months of support from Microsoft. AI Goes ... (view more)

The latest Windows 11 update has led to complaints of all manner of problems. That's particularly troubling as it's a mandatory security update. The update in question has the codename KB5030219. It's a cumulative update, meaning it brings together ... several updates which were previously optional, though will have been downloaded automatically for most people with Windows 11 on the default settings. It's not unusual to get reports of glitches, but both tech site readers and message board users have reported a particularly wide range of significant problems. The most serious include users ... (view more)

Apple and Microsoft have disputed claims that some of their key services are so big they require additional regulation. The European Commission will now reassess whether they qualify as holding "gatekeeper" status. The status matters because of the ... new Digital Markets Act, designed to boost competitions. A "gatekeeper" status means the service needs to follow tighter rules to make it easier for customers to switch to rivals. It's particularly aimed at cases where one business controls software and hardware in multiple areas, for example an operating system and a browser. The assessment is for ... (view more)

Microsoft is to finally ditch WordPad after nearly three decades. It will add a few new features to Notepad for lighter word processing tasks. WordPad first appeared as a free tool in Windows 95. Microsoft says it will no longer update WordPad and ... will remove it in a "future release of Windows." It's not clear if that means a potential Windows 12 or simply one of the major updates to Windows 11. Announcing the move, Microsoft perhaps unwittingly pointed out one of the major flaws of WordPad. It says: "We recommend Microsoft Word for rich text documents like .doc and .rtf and Windows Notepad ... (view more)

Microsoft is looking into claims a Windows update is causing the dreaded Blue Screen on Death (BSoD) on some machines. The company says it doesn't yet know if Windows itself is the cause. The Blue Screen of Death is the informal name for a system ... crash in which Windows has a problem so significant that it can no longer operate safely. In earlier versions of Windows, users had to manually restart their computer before attempting a fix. Today, Windows can automatically reboot in some situations. User have been reporting seeing the blue screen with the usual message that "Your device ran into a ... (view more)

Microsoft appears to have fixed a bug that slowed down solid state drives (SSDs) in Windows 11. Despite the fix, some users are upset that the company doesn't appear to have publicly acknowledged that anything went wrong. Solid state drives don't ... use any moving parts like old-style drives which use both a spinning mechanism and an arm, a little like a vinyl record player. That means that SSDs should last longer without physical wear and can access data faster. The downside is that they tend to be more expensive. As a result, a common setup is to use an SSD to run Windows and applications and ... (view more)

Microsoft has accidentally leaked a tool that lets users try out every new feature that's in development. It's grabbed the attention of tech enthusiasts but is very much not a good idea for the average user. The tool came to light when Microsoft ... promoted an event called "Bug Bash". Normally that's an internal "all hands on deck" process where developers are told to hold off their normal work for a set period and instead concentrate solely on finding bugs in software. Microsoft opened this process up to members of the Windows Insider program that lets the public access in-development version ... (view more)

Software engineers have been debating whether today's operating systems are slower to respond than their predecessors. It led one site to experiment with running Windows XP on a new computer. After some hassles of getting it going, it turned out ... that XP felt extremely fast to use, albeit with a serious risk of malware infection. The debate started when Julio Merino put together "real-time videos" of an old machine running Windows NT 3.51 (a business version roughly equivalent to Windows 95 for consumers) and a modern machine running Windows 11. (Those of us of a certain age may have to ... (view more)

Windows 11 should soon have an option to repair a broken system without a complete reinstall. The feature will work through Windows Update. If it works as described, users will be able to fix problems by switching to a stable and working version of ... Windows 11 without the two major hassles that often come with a reinstall. For example, it won't require users to download an entire copy of the Windows 11 and write to USB, then boot from the USB in order to perform the install; but, most importantly, it won't wipe out installed applications after the reinstall has completed. The new feature is ... (view more)