Microsoft

The first major update to Windows 10 is expected to reach the general public in the next week or so. It will bring together a range of fixes and features that have already been tested by some users. The update has got several names. It appears it ... will consist of all the changes up to a "build number" of 10586, known internally at Microsoft as Threshold 2. However, for marketing to the general public, Microsoft may simply refer to it as the Fall update. (Source: infoworld.com ) First Major Windows 10 Changes For Most Users This should be the first major change that the average user ... (view more)

If you've deliberately avoided upgrading to Windows 10 up until now, you may need to re-check your Windows Update settings. Two forthcoming changes to Windows Update means Windows 10 could install by default without users realizing. Unlike with ... previous systems, Microsoft is treating Windows 10 as literally being an update to Windows 7 and 8 in the same way as ordinary bug fixes and feature additions. That's how it was previously possible to "pre-register" for the free upgrade and have it installed automatically on launch date without having to specifically search out a ... (view more)

Microsoft is to display a "nag box" to users of Windows 10 who switch their default browser to Chrome or Firefox. The box will urge users to stick with the built-in Edge browser. The new nag screen came to light in a leaked version of an upcoming ... update to Windows 10. This edition, known as build 10568, isn't supposed to be available to anyone yet, not even those who've signed up to be the first to try out planned updates. However, Microsoft has confirmed that the new notification is genuine. The screen will appear whenever users try to switch the default browser, which is ... (view more)

Microsoft has released the next set of updates for Windows 10, including improvements for Skype and Cortana. It's also fixed a problem that was stopping some users from activating their copy as being legitimate. The new set of changes are known as ... Build 10565 and are now available to people in on the Fast Ring setting of the Insider Program - in other words, those who have signed up to be the first to test any new features or fixes in Windows 10. Assuming the feedback is positive, the changes will likely be rolled out to the general public some time next month. Product Keys Can Now Be ... (view more)

Newly-released figures show most 'ordinary' users of Windows 10 seem to have little interest in Microsoft's new Edge browser. Meanwhile the system itself is gradually gaining an audience but doesn't seem to be getting much of a boost from being free ... to install. Previous figures relating to the usage of the Edge browser had been inconclusive at best because they were taken from records of website visitors from all computing systems. With Windows 10, users are still very much a minority, which left too much of a margin of error to draw any firm conclusions. Just One-In-Eight ... (view more)

Some users of Windows 10 with high-resolution monitors have experienced blurry fonts. For the moment the best solution appears to be a third-party fix, with the obvious caveats about using 'unofficial' software. The problem involves DPI (dots per ... inch) scaling, which is the way in which Windows adjusts text, icons, and even the mouse cursor for higher-resolution screens. Because text and items are often set by their application to be made up of a certain number of pixels, anything appearing on the screen with a high resolution monitor would be impossible to read, unless scaling was ... (view more)

Microsoft's Edge browser has had a couple of usability tweaks in response to user feedback. However, some planned and hoped-for improvements are yet to materialize. The two changes are showcased in a test preview of Windows 10 that's available to ... people who have signed up for early access to new features, so it may be a little while before they are available to the general public. The first change is the addition of synchronized bookmarks, a feature common in other browsers. Edge users will now be able to access and update bookmarks across multiple devices as long as they are signed ... (view more)

Microsoft is offering a half-price deal for its Office 365 subscription package. However, some tight restrictions mean the offer will only be available to a specific group of users. Office 365 is a way of using MS Office applications (Word, Excel, ... etc) without having to pay the full purchase price outright; instead customers pay a monthly fee. The subscription covers access to the latest editions of all the applications, meaning Office 365 subscribers will be able to use all the features in the latest edition of MS Office without having to pay for an upgrade if and when it becomes available. ... (view more)

Microsoft has unveiled a batch of new features and fixes for Windows 10. However, it's not confirmed when they will be available for the average users. The changes revealed by Microsoft's Gabe Aul are currently only available to members of the ... Windows Insider Preview program with the "Fast Ring" option selected. Those are the people who have effectively chosen to act as guinea pigs by being the first to test new features in a real world situation. If all goes well, the features and fixes will eventually make it into Microsoft's new general public update system. That' ... (view more)

Microsoft Office 2016 goes on sale today (September 22, 2015). Here is what's new and how it fits into the new Windows 10 setup, with cloud and collaboration the key focus. How much does Office 2016 cost? When it comes to cost, there are two options ... for Office 2016. The first is as an outright purchase, which is $149 for the "Home & Student" edition and $229 for the "Home & Business" edition. In this scenario, MS Office is installed on the computer as with past editions. The only updates are security fixes to the program. (Source: venturebeat.com ) The second ... (view more)