applications

Software engineers have been debating whether today's operating systems are slower to respond than their predecessors. It led one site to experiment with running Windows XP on a new computer. After some hassles of getting it going, it turned out ... that XP felt extremely fast to use, albeit with a serious risk of malware infection. The debate started when Julio Merino put together "real-time videos" of an old machine running Windows NT 3.51 (a business version roughly equivalent to Windows 95 for consumers) and a modern machine running Windows 11. (Those of us of a certain age may have to ... (view more)

Microsoft is releasing a major security update to Windows 11 that could theoretically block malicious applications completely. It's such a fundamental change in the operating system that it will require a reset and clean installation of Windows. At ... the moment, most of the built-in security on Windows uses two main approaches. One is to scan any files or links the user wants to open or download, then alerts the user if they match any know threats. This is referred to as file and link scanning. The other is to scan files on the hard drive to look for anything suspicious. This is usually done in ... (view more)

Microsoft is trying a new tool designed to block suspicious applications without frustrating users. Windows can decide itself whether running Smart App Control causes more trouble than its worth. The feature is being tested among users on the ... Windows 11 Dev Channel, meaning people who want the earliest possible access to potential new features, knowing there's a higher risk of bugs and problems. Smart App Control brings together several security tools already present in Windows Defender and turns them into an all-or-nothing measure. When Smart App Control blocks an application, it cannot run ... (view more)

Windows 11 will soon give users extra controls to stop applications hogging resources. The Task Manager change will help users balance performance and control. The new Efficiency Mode works in a similar way to power-saving mode on some PCs and ... mobile devices, though in this case the emphasis is on the processor. At the moment, users have several options for dealing with "greedy" applications but they all involve compromises. One option is to put the entire computer into a "Best Power Efficiency" option through the power mode settings. The problem is that this affects all ... (view more)

Researchers have spotted new ransomware with a nasty new twist. "Clop," as it's called, doesn't just encrypt files, but deliberately attempts to screw up applications as well. The move is most likely intended to reduce the chances of the ransomware ... being blocked, but also means an attack could be even more disruptive and make it more likely a complete rebuild of the affected PC is necessary. Normally ransomware's main task is to encrypt as many files as possible on a computer. The idea here is to extort the user by forcing them to pay a ransom to regain access to the locked files. ... (view more)

Microsoft has ditched Windows 10 "Sets," a feature planned as a major rethink of how Windows 10 works. In simple terms, it would have replaced traditional windows (such as File Explorer or a MS Word) with browser-like tabs. The feature was first ... revealed by Microsoft in late 2017 and later went out to some users in the Windows 10 test panel. The concept was simple: to offer an alternative to the current methods of switching between open applications such as using Alt-Tab to cycle between them, or clicking on icons in the taskbar at the bottom of the screen. Browser-Like Experience ... (view more)

Microsoft has confirmed two more bugs with the seemingly-cursed Windows 10 Update. Neither are the end of the world, but it continues to raise questions about the testing process. The first problem is with setting programs to be the default option ... when opening particular file types. While not the most exciting feature, it's one of those little things that make life much easier: without it, users have to either manually select the program they want to open every time they click on a file, or open the program itself and then open the file from there. All Microsoft will confirm at this point is ... (view more)

Microsoft is adding a new feature to Windows 10 that could make it harder for ransomware to lock up files. It could be useful, but is certainly not a complete defense. The feature, called "Controlled Folder Access," is part of the Windows Defender ... security tool and is already being tested by users who've volunteered for advanced access to Windows 10 updates. The idea is that specific folders can be protected which means that only specified applications or programs can create, alter or delete files in those folders. This includes encrypting the files, which is the key tactic ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader 'Colin' writes: " Dear Dennis, I have Windows 10 64-bit and when I try and run an old Visual Basic software program, it says 'This app cannot run on your PC'. I believe the Visual Basic program uses 16-bit architecture. So the ... question is, how can I run 16-bit programs on Windows 10 64-bit? " My response: The simple answer is that you cannot run 16-bit applications on 64-bit Windows directly , including Windows 10 64-bit. The same holds true when trying to run 16-bit applications on Windows 7 64-bit or Windows 8 64-bit. That said, there are workarounds to the problem. ... (view more)

Several of the world's most popular messaging applications have failed a security test carried out by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a non-profit organization dedicated to helping defend civil liberties in the digital environment. In ... essence, the EFF found that messaging apps like Facebook Chat and Yahoo Messenger just don't do enough to protect user data. The EFF, which published its findings earlier this week, studied 39 messaging applications. The list included voice and video calling programs, mobile texting applications, and instant messaging services. Only Six ... (view more)