microsoft

Microsoft has announced a range of updates to Skype. It's something of a surprise given the tool has taken a major backseat in recent years. With remote working on the increase since the start of the pandemic and more people making video calls to ... friends and family they couldn't see in person, other services have come to the forefront. In particular Microsoft has put more emphasis on its business videoconference tool Teams, while many home users have switched to Zoom. Some had even speculated Microsoft would ditch Skype altogether. Instead its promising changes both in user functions and ... (view more)

Users who upgrade "incompatible" machines to Windows 11 may have to agree to a lengthy disclaimer. Microsoft warns PCs could suffer damage, which suggests it may be trying to head off lawsuits. The disclaimer is further indication that users who ... don't meet the minimum system requirements for Windows 11 may still be able to install it. This would be through downloading and creating installation media such as a DVD or USB stick, rather than using Windows Update. (Source: neowin.net ) Verge's Sean Hollister was able to install a beta edition of Windows 11 despite his PC not meeting the system ... (view more)

Microsoft has released its Windows 11 eligibility checker tool. It now gives more detail on why a computer might not be ready to run the new system. The app in question is officially titled "PC Health Check" though that's a little misleading as it ... doesn't relate to whether the computer is currently working OK or has any serious problems. Instead it checks whether the computer is eligible to run Windows 11. It's available using this link: https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/windows-11#pchealthcheck The original version a few months ago didn't give much detail other than whether the PC " ... (view more)

Mozilla has found a way to make it easier to set Firefox as a default browser in Windows. The move may raise eyebrows at Microsoft, as it involved getting past measures designed to combat malware. By default, Windows doesn't let users set an ... application as the default for a particular task (web browsing or otherwise) within the application itself. That's in principle a sensible idea as it reduces the risk of malware setting itself as a default app or tricking a user into doing so. Once established as a default app, the malware would have a big advantage as it would be opened more often, ... (view more)

Security experts have warned users to take extra care opening Microsoft Office files. An unpatched bug in Internet Explorer can affect users regardless of their preferred browser. The bug takes advantage of the way Office files can open links in ... Internet Explorer. It means that attackers can craft Office files that, once opened, automatically load an "attack" page in Internet Explorer that installs malware. Exactly what malware to install is up to the attacker. There is some protection for some users. In many cases, Office will by default open a document in Protected View, which blocks links ... (view more)

Microsoft has confirmed Windows 11 will start rolling out as a free upgrade from October 5th, 2021. Users of older machines may have to wait until mid-2022, however. There will be some overlap with Windows 10, further blurring the lines of whether ... Windows 11 should be treated as a totally new operating system or the latest updates to what was supposed to be a "forever" system. The semi-annual major update to Windows 10 will still come out this fall, but Microsoft isn't promising anything else other than a guarantee of security updates and support until October, 14 2025. Windows 11 will only ... (view more)

Microsoft will soon start telling Windows 10 users directly whether they'll be able to upgrade to Windows 11. It also looks likely machines that don't meet the specifications will be upgradeable but without any support. Users can already check for ... compatibility using a dedicated "PC Health Check" tool. However, Microsoft is now using Windows Update to send direct messages to users who are in the Windows test program. (Source: techradar.com ) Specifically the messages are going to those in the "Release Preview" channel, which means they can access new versions of Windows when Microsoft ... (view more)

Microsoft has explained the thinking behind some of the main changes in Windows 11. It's also tweaked a notification feature that could have been unnecessarily annoying. According to Microsoft it used a "new approach" in designing Windows 11. It ... suggests that the "new approach" was to give users what they wanted. The move to "human-centered design practices" involved giving users several pieces of paper marked with different operating system features and asking them to arrange them in order of importance. In an amazing coincidence, Microsoft says "the research matched up perfectly ... (view more)

Windows 11 will soon be available for testing in a less-risky manner. Meanwhile, Microsoft has unveiled some more changes, including an end - of sorts - to the "Blue Screen of Death". Microsoft has confirmed the system will be available to people in ... the Windows Insider Program in its Beta testing channel as of July 29. It is officially the first time something resembling the finished Windows 11 is available in a complete and fully usable manner. Up until then, Windows 11 has only available in the Dev channel, meaning some features and actions may be unavailable. Microsoft also stresses that ... (view more)

A surprise requirement for Windows 11 has left many users fearing their computer may not be compatible with the new system. The need for a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) has led to a price spike for the component, though there's no real need to panic ... or pay over the odds right now. The requirement came to light when Microsoft published a downloadable PC Health Check tool that told users whether their PC met all the hardware requirements for running Windows 11, which is due for release later this year. That led to a lot of confusion with users seeing the answer was "No," but the tool not saying ... (view more)