Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson

For utility lovers keen to live on the cutting edge, Microsoft has released an experimental build PowerToys v0.24.0.

While this is largely a bug-fixing release, it does see the addition of the video conference mute tool which allows for the instant cut-off of video and audio across all chat and video conferencing tools. This release also sees the addition of telemetry for settings.

Continue reading →

Capturing what's happening on your screen and saving it as a video file has many uses. While Windows 10 has a secret screen recording tool as part of the Game Bar, it's a little surprising that Microsoft hasn't produced a more prominent app. We know, however, that the company is working on a screen capture utility that will be included in its PowerToys software.

But it's hard to say just when this will be released, and you may need something more powerful than the limited Game Bar screen recorder right now. Here, we take a look at EaseUS RecExperts to see what it has to offer and how it can help you.

Continue reading →

Amazon Prime Day has now stretched into a two-day event, giving you a full 48-hours to spend your hard-earned cash on discounted things that you probably don't need. So why not put your money towards something genuinely useful, like a discounted Windows 10 Professional license?

If you've been looking for a cheap way to get hold of Windows 10 Professional, our special offer will save you a massive 80 percent off the usual price. Whether you're looking to upgrade from Windows 10 Home to Professional, or you just like the idea of having a spare license around for when you may need it, read on to find out more!

Continue reading →

While there's a lot to be said for having certain programs run automatically when you turn on your computer, there is a price to pay. If you have too many apps configured to autorun, you will notice that boot times are increased, and you have to wait longer for your desktop to reach a usable state.

When you install or update software, many will give you a choice of whether to have them run at startup or not, but all too often the choice is made for you. In Windows 10 21H1, Microsoft will start to warn you about new startup entries and give you the chance to take action to avoid system slowdown and slow boot times.

Continue reading →

Microsoft has teamed up with HP to work on a fix for a problem affecting various HP Business Notebooks. The flaw not only causes a reduction in performance and battery life, but can also lead to swollen batteries.

The problem lies with the HP Battery Health Manager, and the update from Microsoft and HP is rolling out to enable a new charging algorithm to help alleviate the issue.

Continue reading →

It is only a matter of weeks since the source code for Windows XP and various other Microsoft products leaked online. While the best part of two decades old, many people were eager to take a look at the code for the operating system, including people looking for code reused in Windows 10 that could be exploited.

Microsoft jumped to action, started an investigation, and took steps to try to stem the spread of the source code. But the company was surprisingly slow at removing the code from its own site after someone uploaded it to GitHub.

Continue reading →

Progress with Microsoft's PowerToys for Windows 10 continues, with the company pushing out version 0.23.2 of the utilities.

While this is -- as we were already expecting -- a release that focuses on improving stability and fixing bugs, Microsoft has also shed some light on the next major versions of PowerToys. But first, there is some slightly bad news.

Continue reading →

The launch of Sony's PlayStation 5 and Microsoft's Xbox Series X are fast-approaching, but ahead of availability, would-be buyers have a lot of questions.

As well as queries such as which games will be PS5 or Xbox exclusives, there are also questions about noise and heat. Just which of the two consoles is the quietest and coolest running remains to be seen, but to give you a glimpse of what is inside its latest gaming machine, Sony has gutted the PlayStation 5.

Continue reading →

With Windows 10, Microsoft is understandably keen to promote its own products, and this is something that has been noticeable in the Start menu. Search results from Bing have long-featured there, and this is not something everyone is happy with.

For a while it was possible to disable the BingSearchEnabled key in the Registry to turn this off, but this option was removed in Windows 10 version 2004 (or Windows 10 May 2020 Update). So, if you want to disable Bing, there is now a new method you have to use -- and there is the happy side effect that it also disables Start menu ads.

Continue reading →

The development of PowerToys for Windows 10 has been impressive, with Microsoft continuing to add new utilities all the time. Now the company is looking for feedback from users to help decide just what it should focus on next.

Specifically, the development team says that while it currently has ideas for three new PowerToys, it only has time to work on two of them next year. Rather than making the decision itself, power users are being asked to vote, choosing between a Gif/Video screen recorder, the ability to adjust font rendering, and a tool called "Mouse without borders".

Continue reading →

Here on BetaNews, some of our most constantly popular posts relate to Windows 10's 'secret' screen recorder that is part of the Game Bar tool.  Seemingly aware that people are keen to be able to create video of on-screen activity, Microsoft is now working on a dedicated screening recording app.

Currently known as Video GIF Capture, the tool is being created by the PowerToys developers and it promises to give people the ability to record what is happening on their screen and save it as an animated GIF or video file.

Continue reading →

Updates to Windows 10 have become renown for introducing just as many problems as they aim to fix. Recent updates led to problems with Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) displaying an "Element not found" error, and there were also various problems with internet connectivity.

To address these issues, Microsoft has now released the "non-security update" KB4577063. The patch also fixes a number of other problems Windows 10 users have been experiencing.

Continue reading →

Cloudflare is best known for its security and DNS services, but now the company is branching out with a new tool to rival Google Analytics.

The site traffic analytics offered by Google are used by millions of people around the world, but Cloudflare wants to unseat the search giant with its own Cloudflare Web Analytics. What makes the services stand out is a focus on privacy, with Cloudflare neither storing not profiting from data gathered about site visitors.

Continue reading →

It's been around a month since Microsoft last updated PowerToys for Windows 10, so it's nice to be able to report that a new version has finally been pushed out.

PowerToys v0.23.0 is a release that focuses on "stability, localization and quality of life improvements", and there are numerous fixes to the various the utilities that make up the suite. Unfortunately, there are no new tools in this version, but Microsoft has given an update about the upcoming Video Conference utility.

Continue reading →

Spotify has announced a series of upgrades and additions to its Collaborative Playlists feature, making it easier than ever to compile playlists with friends and family.

The changes simplify the process of adding new contributors to a playlist so they can start adding songs, as well as making it easy to see who is working with you on a particular playlist. Spotify says the changes are being introduced to help people feel closer together during the current climate.

Continue reading →