Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson

Microsoft fixes Windows 10 printer problems with yet another patch

Microsoft glass building logo

Microsoft's game of patching catch-up continues this week. After a raft of problematic updates, some Windows 10 users found that a recent update was causing problems with printing.

The company has now released a new update that addresses this and other issues in both Windows 10 and Windows Server.

Continue reading

Another Windows 10 update is causing problems, this time with printing

Smashed printer

There have been a series of problematic updates for Windows recently, and now yet another one has popped up, this time affecting not only Windows 10, but also Windows 8.1, Windows 7 and Windows Server.

The KB4522016 cumulative update is interfering with printing. The update is causing issues with the printer spooler service, leading to print jobs failing or being canceled without user intervention.

Continue reading

Surface Phone is real! Microsoft unveils foldable, dual-screen Android-based Surface Duo

Microsoft Surface Duo

At today's Surface event, Microsoft had a surprise for everyone -- its version of "one more thing", if you will. In addition to the Surface Laptop 3, the Surface Pro 7 and the Surface Pro X, the company also revealed the Surface Duo, a foldable Android-based phone with two screens. No, it's not running the new Windows 10X operating system.

If you have concerns about this device being foldable, don't worry, it's not like the Samsung Galaxy Fold. Rather than having a single screen that actually folds, this is a dual-screen clamshell style handset, and it's due for release next year.

Continue reading

Microsoft reveals Surface Laptop 3 -- available to pre-order today

Surface Laptop 3

After a series of leaks, Microsoft today officially unveiled the latest additions to the Surface lineup. Kicking things off is the Surface Laptop 3, available in 13- and 15-inch models.

Produced in partnership with AMD, the Surface Laptop 3 features a custom Surface Edition Ryzen processor for the 15-inch model. The 13-inch device features a quad-core 10th Gen Intel Core processor. Both retain the 3:2 aspect ratio. Let's dive in and take a look at the full specs.

Continue reading

Google introduces more privacy controls for Maps, YouTube and Assistant

Google privacy shields

Google has today announced a raft of a new privacy features across a swathe of its products and services.

Google Maps is going to benefit from a new Incognito Mode just like Chrome and YouTube. YouTube itself is gaining a new option for automated history deletion, and Google Assistant -- recently dragged through the privacy mud along with other digital assistants -- is also getting new deletion options.

Continue reading

Windows 10 is pretty much forcing users towards Microsoft accounts rather than local ones

Windows 10 desktop background

The recent news about Windows 10 has been focused primarily on a series of faulty updates that caused a range of problems for users. But now something new has come to light that will take attention away from Microsoft's shoddy quality control -- the fact that it is starting to practically force users into using an online Microsoft account rather than a local, offline one.

The change was noted in the Home edition of Windows 10 version 1903 (Windows 10 May 2019 Update). During the installation of the operating system, users are presented with the option to "Sign in with Microsoft", with no mention of alternatives. So, what's going on?

Continue reading

Leaked: here is the Microsoft Surface Pro 7, Surface Laptop 3 and new ARM-powered Surface

Surface Pro 7

Following the leak of marketing material for Microsoft's upcoming Surface devices, another batch of images has leaked. They show off the Surface Pro 7, Surface Laptop 3 and new Surface based on ARM ahead of tomorrow's launch event.

Just as the first set of leaked images came from a well-known name -- Walking Cat -- the same is true of this second leak. This time around it is Evan Blass who gives us a glimpse of Microsoft's latest additions to the Surface range.

Continue reading

Leaked Microsoft images show the new Surface lineup will be 'anything but ordinary'

Microsoft Surface -- anything buy ordinary

It's only a couple of days until Microsoft's hardware event at which it is going unveil the latest Surface devices. But no reveal would be complete without a leak or two.

True to form, serial Microsoft leaker Walking Cat has shared four marketing images for the latest additions to the Surface range. From the ads, it seems we can expect to see at least a new Surface Laptop, and a Surface Pro tablet later this week.

Continue reading

Windows 10 version 1903 is now ready for broad deployment

Windows 10 - Do great things

Microsoft has announced that Windows 10 version 1903 (Windows 10 May 2019 Update) has been designated "ready for broad deployment". This means that all Windows 10 users can now download the update from Windows Update.

Despite the change in status, there are still a handful of issues with the release, some of which are still being investigated, and others which have only been mitigated against rather than fixed.

Continue reading

Game audio problems in Windows 10? Microsoft has a fix for that

Windows 10 boxes

There's no denying that recent updates for Windows 10 have caused more problems than usual. In the last few weeks, updates have led variously to issues with the Start menu, screenshots, high CPU usage and more.

Gamers found that the KB4515384 update for Windows 10 version 1903 was causing problems with in-game audio. The company was fairly swift to suggest some workarounds, but it is only now that a proper fix has been released to address the issue.

Continue reading

Modified PcShare backdoor replaces Windows Narrator to gain full control of systems

Network security

Security researchers have discovered a modified version of the open source backdoor PcShare which seems to originate from a Chinese advanced persistent threat (APT) group.

The malware has been used to target technology firms, and it is deployed via side-loading by a legitimate NVIDIA application. As part of the attack, a Trojanized version of Windows' Narrator screen reading tool is used to gain remote access to systems without the need for credentials.

Continue reading

Cybercriminals target Thomas Cook customers in the wake of the company's collapse

Thomas Cook

The collapse of travel firm Thomas Cook has caused chaos for hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers around the world. But if losing out on planned trips was not bad enough, cybercriminals are taking advantage of the confused situation to scam customers out of their money.

There have been numerous reports of fraudsters pretending to be representatives of either Thomas Cook or a bank, using the promise of a refund to get people to part with bank account details.

Continue reading

Google Chrome update to blame for unbootable Macs

Chrome on macOS

Earlier in the week, Variety reported about a mysterious problem with Macs in Hollywood. As the issues -- which prevented systems from rebooting -- affected television and film editors in LA, it was initially thought that the Avid Media Composer software was at fault.

But in fact, it was Google that was to blame. A buggy update for the company's Chrome browser caused issues for a number of Mac users whose systems met certain conditions. Google has published details of a workaround for those hit by the problem which saw the Chrome update damaging the macOS file system.

Continue reading

Apple shows off iPadOS 13.1 in new video

iPadOS 13.1

With iPadOS 13.1 available to iPad owners around the world, there's a lot to discover in the latest update.

To help tablet owners learn about the new features and options, Apple has shared a new video showcasing what's on offer. From swipe typing to full page screenshotting, Apple is continuing to push the iPad as a serious alternative to a laptop.

Continue reading

How to use Windows 10's Cloud Download recovery feature

Windows 10 cloud

The Windows 10 20H1 update (or Windows 10 May 2020 Update) is due for release in the first half of next year, and one of the biggest new features being touted by Microsoft is the Cloud Download recovery option.

This new recovery method is an alternative to the relatively slow "imageless" recovery in which a new copy of Windows is created from the existing installation. The Cloud Download option can not only be significantly faster, but it is more reliable as there is no chance of it being impeded by a corrupt Windows installation.

Continue reading

© 1998-2026 BetaNews, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy - Cookie Policy.