start menu

Microsoft is to run what are effectively ads in the Windows 11 Start menu. The "recommendations" will initially appear only for those who've signed up to be early testers of new features. The promotions will appear in the "Recommended" section at ... the bottom of the Start menu. This normally includes links to both installed apps and documents that the user has either recently used or frequently uses. The idea is that these are most likely to be what the user wants to open at any given moment. Insiders are Test Dummies The new feature will mean this list also includes suggested apps from the ... (view more)

Microsoft is once again testing advertising for its own products in Windows 11. This time the promotion appears in the Start menu. As with the previous testing, it's unclear how likely the advertising is to be rolled out to all users. It seems ... Microsoft is not just testing the technology itself but also how users will respond. Back in March, a selection of users in the Windows 11 test program started seeing promotions in the File Explorer tool. One suggested the user install a Microsoft-made browser extension for getting spelling and grammar suggestions when typing on websites such as forums ... (view more)

A new website lets users try out the new Windows 11 user interface. The unofficial site doesn't require any software installation or special hardware. The demo is available at win11.blueedge.me and is an open source project involving several ... contributors. (Source: techspot.com ) Unlike Microsoft's various test editions (and the less official leaked copies), the demo doesn't actually run any standalone software. Instead it's a web page that simulates the look and feel of the Windows 11 desktop, along with some of the key features and functions. This includes working copies of apps including ... (view more)

What looks very much to be "Windows 11" has leaked online. Most of the changes appear to be cosmetic, though it should boost performance on some PCs. While nothing is yet confirmed, we've effectively moved from "Windows 11 is coming" being an ... interesting rumor to something that seems likely, unless and until Microsoft denies it. Not only has what appears to be a copy of the new system (displaying the Windows 11 name on screen) leaked online, but Microsoft has issued a legal takedown notice to Google demanding it stop including the leak download page in its search results. The notice very much ... (view more)

Microsoft has added links to Office web apps on Windows 10 computers without asking permission. It's more of an irritation than a damaging problem, but it's certainly safe to say some folks are irritated. The links appear to have been added by an ... automatic update, with some users reporting their computer restarted without warning and they lost some work that hadn't been saved. (Users can set Windows 10 to only restart automatically at set times such as during the night to stop this happening.) The links appear in the Start Menu alongside other apps as a single tile that contains several small ... (view more)

Microsoft has unveiled Windows 10's new look Start menu. The changes are largely cosmetic but could make it a little easier to use. There's no official word yet on when the changes will take effect. Normally such a revamp would be noticed through ... the Microsoft Inside testing program, but in this case Microsoft has currently only shared images of the new look on its Facebook page. (Source: betanews.com ) Color Clashes Under Control The main changes are to make the Start menu fit in better with the rest of the desktop. For example, the list of recently used apps (which appear on the very left ... (view more)

Microsoft is reportedly set to ditch "live tiles" from Windows 10. It's part of a planned revamp of the system's Start Menu. Live tiles originally debuted in Windows Phone 7 and there's a strong argument it's a feature that should have been left to ... mobile devices. The tile is a square display that shows a specific piece of information such as current weather or a stock price, updated in real time rather than the user having to click on it. Live Tiles Driven By Mobile The feature debuted on the PC desktop with Windows 8, which was widely criticized for being designed ... (view more)

It's becoming something of a pattern that Microsoft issues a Windows 10 Update that causes a problem , then issues a follow-up that fixes it, but then introduces new problems. And it's happened again. Just last week Microsoft issued an update ( ... KB4512941 ) that fixed problems in the Windows 10 May 2019 Update (version 1903), but introduced new bugs with some users finding the Windows search tool didn't work at all, or their processors were under constant strain. Microsoft has since release a new bug fix (KB4515384) for the previous bug fix, but users are reporting new problems. At the time of ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Sammy G. writes: " Dear Dennis, I just upgraded to Windows 10 following your advice. Everything looks great, however, my Windows 10 clock is missing - it's just up and gone - completely disappeared! I don't understand how or why ... the windows 10 clock went missing, but I'd like to get it back. Can you help? " My response: Based on my experience, the Windows 10 clock can disappear in one of two ways: either by a misplaced (or corrupt) system setting, or if your user account - or Windows itself - is corrupt. How to Fix: Windows 10 Clock Missing Adjusting Task Bar Settings ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Bob T. writes: " Dear Dennis, I just upgraded to Windows 10; unfortunately the Windows 10 upgrade corrupted my Start menu and tray bar, so I decided to do a clean install - which also means I have to reinstall all my programs. I'm ... now trying to install MS Office 2010 on the machine, but the MS Office setup.exe program keeps telling me 'Error 1317: Setup Cannot Create Directory C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Microsoft Office', and then rolls back and cancels the installation. I have tried using my original MS Office disc, and have also downloaded MS ... (view more)