The most popular operating system in the world, Microsoft’s Windows is the software that powers hundreds of millions of PCs. Introduced back in November 1985, Windows has changed and evolved over time to grow as gaming, design, development, and productivity needs have shifted. Whether XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10, or, most recently, Windows 11, Microsoft’s OS is one of the most important pieces of software ever made.
Microsoft’s big AI PC event is just days away, and we’re seeing more leaks of Arm-powered Windows PCs with Qualcomm’s new chips inside.
This post from WinFuture’s Roland Quandt shows that, like Dell and Lenovo, Asus’ plans include a version of the Vivobook S 15 OLED that’s ready to battle Apple’s M-series laptops.
Arriving ahead of products powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite chips, Opera says the new browser build can deliver over double the speeds achieved by emulated versions.
It’s initially launching for early adopters via Opera’s developer stream, with the company noting it’ll need to be downloaded onto a Snapdragon-powered Windows device.
It’s Patch Tuesday, and Microsoft says a problem that caused VPN connections to fail after installing the April 2024 security update can be resolved by installing an update released today, May 14th.
According to the notes for KB5037771:
This update addresses a known issue that might cause your VPN connection to fail. This occurs after you install the update dated April 9, 2024, or later.
[support.microsoft.com]
Announced in an April Beta release, the new recommendation card is moving forward, and now showing up in the latest Developer channel build, XDA Developers reports. It’ll appear for users with Windows 11 Pro and Home versions who are also logged into a Microsoft account — and only targeted to those who play PC games and aren’t already subscribed.
Even though Apple is steering Windows users toward its new Apple Music app, it’s still pushing updates to its aging iTunes app on the operating system. The new iTunes version 12.13.2 fixes an exploit that could cause “unexpected app termination or arbitrary code execution.”
The company worked with IBM to release a 1998 uncompiled version DOS 4.0 on Thursday, although unfortunately, this release lacks the app-switching capabilities that landed it the nickname MT-DOS. Multitasking was scrapped in later versions to make way for GUI operating systems like Windows.
Microsoft already released MS-DOS 1.25 and 2.0 in 2014, in cooperation with The Computer History Museum.
Bob was a short-lived attempt by Microsoft to make then-still-novel PCs approachable. It’s 29 this month, as XDA Developers reminds us today.
That article hauled Bob up from a three-decade-deep memory hole for me — my childhood best friend had it on his Packard Bell computer, and a very young version of me loved it. Until just now, I had assumed it was a digital playscape for children.
According to Microsoft, some users in the Windows 11 Insider program with left-aligned taskbars may see Widgets moved left of the systems tray, while the share menu can now easily generate QR codes for URLs and links to files stored in the cloud.
Finally, it’s also rolling out a test restoring the ability to drag-and-drop files with your mouse between breadcrumbs in File Explorer that had been removed. Check out all the details of Preview Build 22635.3420, rolling out now to the Beta Channel.
I’m not sure if this great collection hosted by product engineer Alex Meub is all of the Windows 98 icons, but it sure has all the ones I remember.
Yes, Windows users can get the Threads app Mark Zuckerberg is showing here from the Microsoft Store
But once it’s installed, you’ll get the same desktop web app experience (loaded in Microsoft’s Edge web browser) that we’ve had access to since August.
Instead of having to go into a separate authentication app to get your 2FA code and then manually type it in, Auto-Type via Quick Access now copies the code to the clipboard for you.
Other experimental features in 1Password include setting default payment details, Touch ID browser integration for Mac, a unified password vault, and a new home tab that will show PIN numbers and other account log-in details based on your location or nearby items.
You can access some of these new features via the Labs tab, while others are available to everyone.
