Articles about Microsoft

Microsoft Build kicks off today but -- as is usually the case -- there have been various pre-event announcements, not least of which is the unveiling of AI-powered Copilot+ PCs. The hardware side of things is both powerful and exciting, with huge implications for not only computing capabilities, but also privacy.

This new breed of computers features neural processing units (NPU) meaning AI-tasks can be performed on-device, without the need to transmit data via the internet. One of Microsoft’s first tools to take advantage of this is Recall (once known as AI Explorer) which is an astonishingly powerful workflow tool that records and maintains a timeline of your computing activities and gives you a way to instantly locate content you have been working on. Microsoft describes it as like having a photographic memory, but it is perhaps better thought of as the ultimate productivity assistant.

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At a pre-Build event today, Microsoft revealed its plans for the future of its Copilot AI feature. Copilot+ PCs, coming from Microsoft and a number of hardware partners, are described as the fastest, most advanced AI-driven Windows computers yet. In fact, Microsoft touts Copilot+ as "most significant change to the Windows platform in decades," and says the new PCs embrace AI technology in every aspect, from the ground up.

The devices, developed in partnership with Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Samsung, are equipped with new silicon capable of performing over 40 trillion operations per second. These PCs offer extended battery life and access to cutting-edge AI technologies.

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The Beta and Canary builds of Windows 11 have been used by Microsoft for some time to test out new features before they are given a full release. But in addition to the advertised changes and additions to new builds, there are also often hidden secrets.

A recent example is to be found in the latest release to the Beta channel. With a little trickery, Windows 11 build 22635.3640 has been found to include an updated version of File Explorer, complete with new visuals, a revamped Home page and more.

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Over the last few months, there have been numerous complaints from users of Microsoft Outlook that they are unable to reply to encrypted emails. An error message that reads "Microsoft Outlook was not able to create a message with restricted permission" is displayed.

While Microsoft has acknowledged the issue in the desktop email client, the company is yet to fix it properly. There is, however, a temporary workaround that can be used to make it possible to reply to encrypted emails.

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Five-hundred-and-ninety-five in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 and 11 on the Microsoft Store and elsewhere in the past seven days.

Microsoft is working on a new Start menu feature called Companions. This adds a sidebar to Start that shows dynamic content such as widgets there.

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The Microsoft PC Manager app -- a free and official tweaking and optimization utility available from the Microsoft Store -- is the latest software from the company to offer up questionable and controversial advice.

We've already seen the appearance of ads (or recommendations as Microsoft prefers to call them) in Windows itself, Office and Edge. Now users of the Microsoft PC Manager who have changed Edge's search engine to something other than Bing are being told that this is something that needs to be repaired.

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Microsoft has teamed up with Byowave to produce a highly customizable, modular controller designed for those who find traditional gamepad-style controllers difficult or impossible to use.

The announcement coincides with Global Accessibility Awareness Day, which falls on the third Thursday of May each year. Comprising cube-like modules and interchangeable faceplates that allow for dozens of configurations, the Proteus Controller lets users create a completely personalized gaming experience.

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Microsoft has released its monthly patches for Windows 11 in the form of the KB5037771 update. There are lots of fixes in this release including for problems with domain controllers, VPNs, and SMB clients.

There are a number of security fixes, but also more controversial changes -- including ads in the Start menu (or app recommendations as Microsoft calls them). Other changes include improvements to Widgets and Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 (WSL2).

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It seems that Microsoft’s attempts to sidestep anticompetition legal action over its Teams software has failed. Although Teams has been -- begrudgingly -- unbundled from Office, the European Commission is believed to be forging ahead with antitrust charges.

Many rivals to Teams, including the likes of Slack, have expressed concern about what they believe to be anticompetitive behavior by Microsoft. Despite Microsoft decoupling Teams from Office and other software, EU officials are of the opinion that the company has not gone far enough to level the playing field.

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Next month, the Enterprise and Education editions of Windows 10 version 21H2 will reach end of servicing. Microsoft stopped supporting the consumer editions in June 2023 already.

Enterprise, Education and IoT editions of Windows 10 version 21H2 reach end of support on June 11, 2024. Only Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2021 and Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021 continue to receive support until January 12, 2027.

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Microsoft has released Windows Terminal Preview 1.21 and, despite the small version number increase, it is home to a large number of changes.

Possibly the most interesting -- and useful -- addition is Buffer Restore which will load the windows from the previous session if you want. There are new font options, rendering changes, new settings, and new support for Custom Action by JSON Fragment Extensions.

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Microsoft has made a lot of controversial decisions when it comes to the Start menu in Windows 11, not least of which is the plan to introduce ads. In the latest beta build of Windows 11. However, there are some interesting changes afoot -- notably Start Menu Companions.

While not yet fully operational, Companions are essentially plugins or extensions for the Start menu. The display information -- such as weather or stock prices in a floating panel to the side of the Start menu, will blend the ideas of Live Tiles and Widgets into something new.

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The world has gone crazy for AI, and Microsoft has jumped feet-first into the technology. Copilot is just one of the company’s tools in this field, but not everyone is completely in love with this digital assistant.

For anyone who is of the opinion that things are moving too fast when it comes to Copilot, there is some good news. With the release of the latest beta build of Windows 11, Microsoft says that it is slowing down the rollout of new Copilot experiences.

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In what will come as something of a disappointment to Microsoft, the latest figures from Statcounter shows that Windows 11 is becoming less popular.

While Windows 11’s market share is in decline, there is an almost mirrored increase in Windows 10’s market share. It appears that there remains a preference for the significantly older version of Windows.

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If your VPN has stopped working in Windows 10 or Windows 11, you can take some comfort in the fact that you're not alone. The April update for the operating system, or the preview version, is causing VPN connection failures.

It is not clear quite how widespread the problem is, nor just how many VPN tools are affected. However, Microsoft is aware of the issue but is offering little in the way of help at the moment.

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