Microsoft

Windows 10's first major public update is getting mixed, but generally positive reviews. Several small but potentially useful changes have also been spotted. The change, known as "Threshold 2" or simply "Fall Update" is the first big update that's ... been rolled out to general users. It brings together a series of smaller sets of tweaks that have previously been delivered to people in Microsoft test programs. In effect the update is the closest thing to the old-school Service Packs, though such updates should come far more frequently with Windows 10. Boot Time Reduced ... (view more)

Microsoft has followed through on a promise to make Windows 10 upgrades easier. Users of Windows 7 and 8.1 will no longer need to install the new system twice in order to perform a 'clean install'. The fact that Windows 7 and 8.1 users could upgrade ... to Windows 10 free of charge for the first year of the Windows 10's release was perhaps the most noteworthy part of the changes to come. It's also a clear sign that Microsoft believes that the nature of software buying will not be the same as it was once was. Activated Upgrade a Multi-Step Process The big problem was that Microsoft made the ... (view more)

Microsoft says its customers in Europe can now store data online in a way US security services can't access. It's a surprising and potentially controversial move from an American technology giant. The move follows a recent European ruling which ... means US firms can no longer ignore local regulations on data privacy. According to Microsoft, this affects data customers in 32 European countries connected to Internet-based Microsoft applications, including Office 365. Data Accessed Only In Specific Circumstances The data will be stored in two data centers in Germany, controlled by local ... (view more)

The first major update to Windows 10 is expected to reach the general public in the next week or so. It will bring together a range of fixes and features that have already been tested by some users. The update has got several names. It appears it ... will consist of all the changes up to a "build number" of 10586, known internally at Microsoft as Threshold 2. However, for marketing to the general public, Microsoft may simply refer to it as the Fall update. (Source: infoworld.com ) First Major Windows 10 Changes For Most Users This should be the first major change that the average user ... (view more)

If you've deliberately avoided upgrading to Windows 10 up until now, you may need to re-check your Windows Update settings. Two forthcoming changes to Windows Update means Windows 10 could install by default without users realizing. Unlike with ... previous systems, Microsoft is treating Windows 10 as literally being an update to Windows 7 and 8 in the same way as ordinary bug fixes and feature additions. That's how it was previously possible to "pre-register" for the free upgrade and have it installed automatically on launch date without having to specifically search out a ... (view more)

Microsoft is to display a "nag box" to users of Windows 10 who switch their default browser to Chrome or Firefox. The box will urge users to stick with the built-in Edge browser. The new nag screen came to light in a leaked version of an upcoming ... update to Windows 10. This edition, known as build 10568, isn't supposed to be available to anyone yet, not even those who've signed up to be the first to try out planned updates. However, Microsoft has confirmed that the new notification is genuine. The screen will appear whenever users try to switch the default browser, which is ... (view more)

Microsoft has released the next set of updates for Windows 10, including improvements for Skype and Cortana. It's also fixed a problem that was stopping some users from activating their copy as being legitimate. The new set of changes are known as ... Build 10565 and are now available to people in on the Fast Ring setting of the Insider Program - in other words, those who have signed up to be the first to test any new features or fixes in Windows 10. Assuming the feedback is positive, the changes will likely be rolled out to the general public some time next month. Product Keys Can Now Be ... (view more)

Newly-released figures show most 'ordinary' users of Windows 10 seem to have little interest in Microsoft's new Edge browser. Meanwhile the system itself is gradually gaining an audience but doesn't seem to be getting much of a boost from being free ... to install. Previous figures relating to the usage of the Edge browser had been inconclusive at best because they were taken from records of website visitors from all computing systems. With Windows 10, users are still very much a minority, which left too much of a margin of error to draw any firm conclusions. Just One-In-Eight ... (view more)

Some users of Windows 10 with high-resolution monitors have experienced blurry fonts. For the moment the best solution appears to be a third-party fix, with the obvious caveats about using 'unofficial' software. The problem involves DPI (dots per ... inch) scaling, which is the way in which Windows adjusts text, icons, and even the mouse cursor for higher-resolution screens. Because text and items are often set by their application to be made up of a certain number of pixels, anything appearing on the screen with a high resolution monitor would be impossible to read, unless scaling was ... (view more)

Microsoft's Edge browser has had a couple of usability tweaks in response to user feedback. However, some planned and hoped-for improvements are yet to materialize. The two changes are showcased in a test preview of Windows 10 that's available to ... people who have signed up for early access to new features, so it may be a little while before they are available to the general public. The first change is the addition of synchronized bookmarks, a feature common in other browsers. Edge users will now be able to access and update bookmarks across multiple devices as long as they are signed ... (view more)