Windows

5 Windows display tricks to help you focus

Fri, 19 Jul 2019 01:00:00 -0400

When you’re trying to focus on a specific task, the right display settings can make a big difference. Dimming or disabling secondary monitors, cutting down on harsh screen lighting, or even eliminating color altogether can help draw your eyes to the job at hand and reduce eyestrain.

With the right tools...

Windows 10 Gets Rid Of Passwords, Starting Now

davey@happygeek.com — Tue, 16 Jul 2019 04:00:00 -0400

It is finally official: Windows 10 is getting rid of passwords. What's more, the move to a passwordless experience has already begun. Starting this week, Microsoft is rolling out a preview build (20H1 Build 18936 to be precise) of Windows 10 to members of the Windows Insider fast track ring that brings passwordless account sign-in right now.

I have previously reported...

How to delay the Windows 10 May 2019 Update without losing quality updates

Fri, 24 May 2019 04:00:00 -0400

As part of the Windows as a Service (WaaS) update model, Microsoft is now rolling out the Windows 10 May 2019 Update (version 1903), which means compatible devices around the world will soon start receiving new features and improvements.

Similar to previous versions...

Microsoft surrenders in its Windows Update war with users

preston@gralla.com — Fri, 10 May 2019 03:00:00 -0400

Most businesses know that a war with the people who buy and use their products is a war they can’t win. Microsoft has belatedly recognized this with regard to its Windows Update policies. And...

Windows 10: Microsoft is bringing back one of Windows 95’s most popular features

Fri, 10 May 2019 02:00:00 -0400

Microsoft is rebooting and open sourcing PowerToys, the Windows 95 utilities that brought power users the popular Tweak UI, which allowed users to...

Windows 10: The Best Tricks, Tips, And Tweaks

Tue, 27 Nov 2018 08:00:00 -0500

Windows 10's constantly evolving nature means fresh features arrive twice per year, and with all the new goodies come a legion of new tweaks and tricks - some of which unlock powerful functionality hidden to everyday users. Others simply let you mold the Windows 10 experience into the shape you see fit. Here are some of the most useful tweaks, tricks, and tips we've found...

10 Classic But Essential ... Utilities For Windows 10

Fri, 31 Aug 2018 12:31:02 -0400

Let's talk about Windows 10 utilities. Sound dull? Far from it. Many of these programs have been around through several versions of Windows. They've become popular by providing features not included with the OS, doing something better than a built-in tool or optimizing overall performance...

Windows 10 Cheat Sheet

Mon, 19 Feb 2018 07:42:00 -0500

Windows 10 is the best operating system that's come along from Microsoft in a long time. It's a shape-shifter that changes its interface depending upon whether you're using a traditional computer or a touch-based one. It undoes the damage wrought by Windows 8, including...

Windows 10 Insider: What's In It For Us?

Mon, 06 Nov 2017 10:04:12 -0500

Microsoft's motivation for pushing customers to run Windows 10 previews is obvious: It gains a huge pool of testers and millions of amateur quality control workers who help shake out software bugs before the code reaches the wild. But is there anything in it for the customer? "Absolutely," said Wes Miller, an analyst with Directions on Microsoft, in a recent interview when asked whether customers benefit from participating in the Insider program. "You're testing the quality of those bits vis-a-vis your infrastructure." Windows Insider, which Microsoft launched in...

Windows 10 Fall Creators Update: 10 New Features To Try

Tue, 17 Oct 2017 10:28:36 -0400

Microsoft's fall update to Windows 10 ($199.99 at Dell Home) is out. Dubbed Fall Creators Update (aka Windows 10 Version 1709), this latest edition of Windows 10 brings a subtle design change and introduces a number of new features to improve Cortana, Edge and Photos. It also embraces mixed reality, makes Windows more secure and throws some emojis at you. Let's have a look...

23 Tips For The Care And Feeding Of Windows 10

Fri, 01 Sep 2017 08:00:47 -0400

Love Windows 10? Hate it? Either way, it can't hurt to know it better. From the obvious to the insane - with lots of useful tips in between - here are 23 insights into Microsoft's ultimate version of Windows... [Slideshow]

There's A Huge New Update Coming To Windows 10 On October 17th

Fri, 01 Sep 2017 07:35:43 -0400

On October 17th, Microsoft will release the fourth free upgrade to Windows 10 - the Fall Creators Update. The news was announced at the IFA conference in Berlin on Friday. The name is a seasonal play on the Creators Update, a similar expansion that came out in April. Like its predecessor, the Fall Creators Update brings few large changes to the 500 million Windows 10 PCs out there, but lots of smaller new improvements and updates. Headlining the package is...

Office 365: A Guide To The Updates

Tue, 01 Aug 2017 12:52:09 -0400

Office 365 subscribers always have the latest version of Microsoft Office - currently Office 2016. They also get more frequent software updates than those who have purchased Office 2016 without a subscription, which means subscribers have access to the latest features, security patches and bug fixes. But...

WPP Cyberattack Serves As A Wake-Up Call To Agencies And CMOs Alike

Thu, 29 Jun 2017 11:55:53 -0400

More than 24 hours after news broke that a ransomware attack had effectively disabled the world's largest advertising company, WPP has yet to fully recover. Several hours ago, the company issued a statement acknowledging that the incident is ongoing. According to multiple WPP employees who spoke to Adweek, staff at various offices left work early yesterday due to an inability to access their networks. And while Macs were unaffected,...

'Petya' Ransomware Hits At Least 65 Countries; Microsoft Traces It To Tax Software

Thu, 29 Jun 2017 10:59:37 -0400

The "Petya" cyberattack that has now struck computers in at least 65 countries can be traced to a Ukrainian company's tax accounting software, Microsoft says. "We saw the first infections in Ukraine - more than 12,500 machines encountered the threat," Microsoft says. "We then observed...

Microsoft Fixes 55 Flaws, 3 Of Them Exploited By Russian Cyberspies

Thu, 11 May 2017 12:20:45 -0400

Microsoft released security patches Tuesday for 55 vulnerabilities across the company's products, including for three flaws that are already exploited in targeted attacks by cyberespionage groups. Fifteen of the vulnerabilities fixed in Microsoft's patch bundle for May are rated as critical and they affect...

18 Things You Should Know About Using Linux Tools In Windows 10

Thu, 11 May 2017 11:57:56 -0400

Last year Microsoft added an unusual new feature to Windows 10: Linux support. The Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) - sometimes called Bash on Windows - is...

All New Windows 10 Has A Massive, Unfixable Problem

Thu, 11 May 2017 11:45:20 -0400

Microsoft has an all new version of Windows 10, confusingly called 'Windows 10 S' which promises to be a faster, cheaper and more secure version of Windows 10. But Microsoft has now confirmed not only does Windows 10S have a serious problem, it is one that cannot be fixed...

Managing Projects With Outlook

Thu, 04 May 2017 08:08:11 -0400

Managing your projects just got easier. Whether you're managing events or running your department, your tasks have a definite goal with a beginning and end date. It doesn't matter if you're flying solo or working with others, you need a good project management tool to stay on track. And you might already have one. Microsoft? Outlook? tasks have many features that enable you to set up project tasks, status reporting and assignments with ease...

Windows 10 Privacy Settings: What's New In The Creators Update

Tue, 18 Apr 2017 10:37:34 -0400

Windows 10 privacy is a contentious issue. This is in part because Windows 10 is integrated with cloud-based features like Cortana, and it has features influenced by mobile such as determining your location. Then there's Microsoft's more questionable goals, like scooping up diagnostic data and gathering information for better ad-targeting. In previous versions...

Microsoft Paying A Bug Bounty Of $30,000

Tue, 07 Mar 2017 09:04:36 -0500

First off, I have to issue something of a correction regarding last week's blog post on Intel price cuts. As it turns out, I have been informed that Intel didn't cut the prices, Micro Center cut them as a loss leader, something it frequently does. It doesn't change the bargain prices, just the motivation. So,...

5 Built-In Windows 10 Apps That Do The Job (With Video)

Tue, 21 Feb 2017 10:48:03 -0500

The touch-friendly apps built into Windows 8 and Windows 10 (originally called Metro apps and now just called Windows apps) were, for a long time, roundly denounced by many reviewers as being underpowered -- and justifiably so. The first release of Mail in Windows 8, for example,...

Microsoft Pauses Windows 10 Previews To Shift To Radical New Update System

Tue, 06 Dec 2016 09:01:43 -0500

Microsoft quietly announced on Friday that Insider Preview builds are being put on hold. It's not clear how long Windows 10 fans will have to go without a new build, but the reason may make the life of an Insider easier in the long run. Insider builds are seeing a brief pause so that Microsoft can transfer Insider builds to the company's...

20 Ways To Hate Windows 10 Less

Tue, 22 Nov 2016 06:12:17 -0500

No matter who you are and where you stand on the raging Windows 10 issues, I bet there are some things you love about your new operating system, along with other things you wish were better, had stayed the same, or simply went away. In this slideshow, I take you through the parts of Win10 that irk me the most, giving you...

Microsoft Confirms Massive Windows 10 Upgrade Changes

Tue, 08 Nov 2016 08:58:05 -0500

Microsoft has just revealed arguably its biggest Windows 10 upgrade so far and the irony is it is all about making things smaller... Speaking on the official Windows blog, Windows program manager Bill Karagounis explained that Windows 10 is going to get much smarter about how it downloads updates:

7 Enterprise Mobile Management Features In Windows 10

Tue, 11 Oct 2016 11:11:26 -0400

Security and enterprise mobile management (EMM) are big concerns for businesses of all sizes as they scramble to make sure corporate data is secure. And there's no shortage of EMM products, but there are features already baked into your operating system? Microsoft, for example, with its Windows 10 update, Redstone 1...

This Is The Number One Problem Facing Microsoft Today

Tue, 11 Oct 2016 10:32:01 -0400

Microsoft is a gargantuan company. They have 114,000 employees. They make a popular gaming console, the only viable operating system used by more people than anyone by far, and have their toes dipped in every conceivable market segment, from consumer chatbots to social media for business. There's no question the company competes...

Microsoft Fleshes Out Seismic Change To Windows Patching

Tue, 11 Oct 2016 10:22:30 -0400

Microsoft has elaborated on the new patching policy for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 that takes effect Tuesday. In a post to a company blog accompanied by graphics that resembled a periodic table, Michael Niehaus, a product marketing director for Windows 10, fleshed out the massive change in...

Microsoft Patches 27 Flaws In Windows, Office, IE and Edge

Thu, 22 Sep 2016 08:36:23 -0400

Microsoft released another batch of security patches Tuesday, fixing 27 vulnerabilities in Windows, Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer and its new Edge browser. The patches are organized in nine security bulletins, five of which are rated critical and the rest important, making this Microsoft patch bundle one of...

Lockdown! Harden Windows 10 For Maximum Security

Thu, 22 Sep 2016 08:32:00 -0400

You may have heard that Microsoft has made Windows 10 more secure than any of its predecessors, packing it with security goodies. What you might not know is that some of these vaunted security features aren't available out of the box or they require additional hardware -- you may not be getting the level of security you bargained for. Features such as...