Articles about Microsoft

Happy Wednesday. It’s that day of the week when Microsoft typically rolls out a new Windows 11 build for Insiders in the Dev Channel. Sometimes these builds are interesting, with new features and the like, and other times they only contain a bunch of fixes.

The latest flight, Build 25163, falls into the former category, with some new additions which include a taskbar overflow experience and some improvements to file sharing.

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Efficiency Best Practices for Microsoft 365 covers the entire range of over 25 desktop and mobile applications on the Microsoft 365 platform.

This book will provide simple, immediately usable, and authoritative guidance to help you save at least 20 minutes every day, advance in your career, and achieve business growth. You'll start by covering components and tasks such as creating and storing files and then move on to data management and data analysis.

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Having previously upset software developers by implementing a ban on the sale of open source software in its app store, Microsoft has reversed its decision.

The company says that it has listened to feedback -- which was vocal and negative -- and has updated the Microsoft Stores Policies, removing references to open source pricing. Microsoft has also clarified just why it put the ban in place.

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Windows 11 isn’t especially hard to use, but there are some elements to it that can prove confusing for anyone more used to one of the older flavors of the operating system, such as Windows 7.

Microsoft is, understandably, keen to get as many people as possible to switch to Windows 11 and in a bid to help them get the most out of it, the software giant has launched a new video series to help with the OS "basics, personalization, apps, and tools".

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The release of the KB5015814 update for Windows 11 earlier this week was supposed to fix problems with PowerShell as well as addressing security issues. But as has become disturbingly common, there have also been unwanted side effects for those who jumped on the update and installed it as soon as it was offered up.

Some users are experiencing problems with the Start menu, with complaints indicating that the menu is being interrupted by an app opening and closing. There are also complaints about errors appearing after a failed installation of the KB5015814 update -- specifically error codes 0x8000ffff, 0x8007007e and 0x80073701.

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Yesterday, Microsoft rolled out a new Windows 11 build for Insiders in the Dev Channel and two new versions of the popular Camera and Media Player apps.

The main new feature introduced into Media Player (version 11.2206.30.0) is support for CD ripping, because, yes, that’s apparently still a thing.

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Netflix has previously confirmed plans to introduce an ad-supported tier that would provide a lower cost subscription entry point. Details have been somewhat lacking, but it has just been announced that Microsoft is partnering with the streaming video service as it introduces cheaper plans.

The company has signed a deal with Netflix, with the streaming giant describing Microsoft as "our global advertising technology and sales partner".

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It is only a week since Microsoft released PowerToys v0.60.0, complete with various changes, fixes and additions -- many of which were focused on Windows 11. Now the company has pushed out the PowerToys v0.60.1 update with a handful of important fixes.

Microsoft describes this as a patch release, but this almost makes it seem unimportant when that is very much not the case. It addresses compatibility issues that existed with PowerRename and ImageResizer in Windows 11, as well as fixing context menu problems and crashes.

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Wednesday is the day of the week when Microsoft typically releases new Windows 11 builds for Insiders on the Dev Channel, but Build 25158 with notification badging for Widgets isn’t the only new release from the software giant today.

Microsoft has another treat for Windows Insiders on the Dev Channel to play with -- a Camera app refresh and a Media Player update.

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There was no new Windows 11 build for Insiders on the Dev Channel last week, but it’s business as usual again from today.  

The latest flight, Build 25158, comes with notification badges for Widgets, as well as a load of fixes and improvements.

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Windows 8.1 is very much in its twilight years, and it is only a matter of months before the operating system no longer receives updates from Microsoft.

There are, of course, still plenty of people using Windows 8.1, and they need to be made aware of the fact that they are using software that will not be supported for much longer. We knew the nag screens were coming, but following the installation of this month's updates for Windows 8.1, users can expect to see a warning screen informing them: "This version of Windows is nearing the end of support".

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We've already spoken about Microsoft releasing the KB5015814 security update for Windows 11, but Windows 10 users have not been forgotten this month. These are security updates that should be installed as soon as possible.

The KB5015811 update is available for Windows 10 version 1809, while the KB5015807 update is designed for Windows 10 versions 20H2, 21H1 and 21H2. Just as with the Windows 11 update, these both address a problem with PowerShell as well as fixing various security issues and introducing numerous improvements.

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For July's Patch Tuesday, Microsoft has released the KB5015814 update for Windows 11. This security update takes Windows 11 up to build 22000.795 and addresses a number of issues with the operating system. To accompany the release, Microsoft has also provided a handful of Windows 11 tips.

The company points out that this particular update includes the improvements that were introduced with last month's KB5014668 update. Importantly, it also addresses a PowerShell issue with blank transcript logs and lost passwords.

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Having previously released a public preview earlier this year, Microsoft has announced the general availability of Windows Autopatch. Aimed at enterprise users of Windows 10 and Windows 11, the service helps to automate the process of keeping critical software updated.

In addition to Windows itself, Windows Autopatch will also keep Microsoft Edge and Office software up to date, helping to eliminate -- or at least reduce -- the risk of bugs and security issues. As well as ensuring all of the latest patches and updates are installed, the service simplifies the process of rolling back changes should a problematic update be rolled out.

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For the second time in the last year, Microsoft is investigating an issue that is preventing Outlook Search from showing recent emails in results in Windows 11.

The last time the problem arose, it was found to be the fault of an update for Windows, but Microsoft is not yet sure what the root cause is this time around.  The issue affects people using POP, IMAP and offline Exchange accounts which make use of the Windows Search service to index emails. There is currently not a proper fix for the problem, but there is a temporary workaround.

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