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So far, 2025 has been quiet in terms of deprecated and removed features in Windows 10 and 11. In February, Microsoft announced the deprecation of Location History APIs, which allowed Cortana (rest in peace) to access device history over the last 24 hours. Later, Microsoft reminded users that the Line Printer Deamon is dead. Now, in April, we have a new entry on the list of deprecated Windows features. This time, Microsoft is ditching the Windows UWP Map control and Windows Maps Platform APIs that allow developers to integrate maps into their Windows applications: Microsoft has a dedicated documentation that hosts extra information about each deprecated feature and API. It says the following about the Windows UWP Map control and Windows Maps platform APIs: You can find the rest of the deprecated Windows features in the official documentation here. Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of March): 1,357 RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Here are 10 interesting facts about the history of Windows from version 1.0 to 11. As Microsoft celebrates its 50th anniversary, let's take a trip down memory lane. Windows has evolved dramatically over the decades, but some intriguing facts remain unknown to many. Here are some insights into its history that might surprise you. 1. Windows' original name was Interface Manager Before it became known as "Windows," Microsoft's graphical user interface was initially called "Interface Manager." (Source and 2) Microsoft Interface Manager doesn't roll off the tongue as well as Windows, does it? (Image credit: BetaWiki) It was announced under that name in 1983, but it was later changed to "Windows" before its release in 1985. The company made the decision to ditch the "Interface Manager" name for the "Windows" name because it better reflected the core functionality of the operating system, which was based on the concept of graphical "windows" on the screen, a key feature of the user interface at the time. At the end of the day, "Windows" was considered a more user-friendly and descriptive name for the software's core feature (the use of windows to organize and display information). 2. Windows 95 was the first version to require a product key Although MS-DOS (Microsoft Disk Operating System) had a serial number, Windows 1.0, 2.0, and 3.x didn't require a product key. Windows 95 introduced the product key, something that's just a regular part of Windows life now. (Image credit: Mauro Huculak) It wasn't until Windows 95 that Microsoft implemented the product key for activation. However, even Windows 98 had a basic product key system. Users were required to enter the product key during installation, but it wasn't strictly enforced. Often, you were able to use the same key on multiple computers. On Windows XP and higher releases, we started to see significant changes with "Product Activation." This system required users to not only enter the product key but also activate the operating system with Microsoft. The activation process involved generating a unique hardware-based ID that was linked to the product key. Here's an interesting fact: Did you know that 111–1111111 and 000–0000007 are valid product keys for Windows 95? I came across this information . 3. Windows once ran on top of MS-DOS Before Windows 95, the operating system wasn't a standalone system. If we look back, versions like Windows 1.0, 2.0, and 3.x were merely graphical interfaces running on top of MS-DOS. In the early days, when you turned on a computer, MS-DOS would load first. Also, one had to manually launch the graphical interface by typing "win" in the command line console. These early versions relied heavily on MS-DOS for file access, memory management, and hardware communication, and Windows only provided a visual layer for interacting with the computer. Windows 95 was the first version where Windows became a standalone operating system, although it still had some underlying dependencies on MS-DOS. It incorporated MS-DOS 7.0 but ultimately superseded the MS-DOS platform. However, the complete separation from MS-DOS truly happened with the Windows NT operating system line (including Windows NT 3.1, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and later versions). These were built on a completely different kernel and were designed to be independent of MS-DOS from the ground up. 4. The Briefcase folder: The original cloud sync feature No cloud, only Briefcase! (Image credit: Mauro Huculak) Before cloud storage, Briefcase was a built-in tool for . It was particularly handy for users working on both desktops and laptops. The Briefcase was a special folder to store copies of your files. If you wanted to synchronize the files, you would connect the two computers (either by network or by using a removable storage device) and then use this special folder to update the files. The Briefcase would compare the files on the two computers and then copy any changes from one computer to the other. However, because the Briefcase was designed for a time when removable media and offline work were more common, and with the rise of cloud storage solutions (like OneDrive and Google Drive), it became obsolete and was eventually removed. Briefcase lasted through XP and all the way up to Windows 7. (Image credit: Mauro Huculak) The Briefcase was originally introduced with the release of Windows 95, and it was a feature on XP, Vista, and 7, but it became deprecated on Windows 8. Although it was disabled by default, the feature was part of the original release of Windows 10. However, it was removed and completed with the launch of version 1703. 5. No true user profile before Windows XP Configuring users on Windows 95. (Image credit: Mauro Huculak) Before Windows XP, the operating system did not support true user profiles. Although Windows 95 introduced profiles as an optional feature, they only stored personalized settings like wallpaper and desktop preferences. Also, they didn't offer robust security or separate data storage for each user. Windows 98 was fundamentally designed as a single-user operating system. Fun fact. Windows 95 and 98 stored the "My Documents" folder in the root of "C." My Documents used to be housed in the root of your 😄 drive. (Image credit: Mauro Huculak) While it had a login prompt, it didn't provide the kind of security and separation of users that operating systems like Windows NT or later versions offered. Microsoft implemented full user accounts with separate settings and permissions with the release of Windows NT, which laid the groundwork for modern multi-user management, as seen inside the operating system today. Windows 3.x and earlier versions, including MS-DOS, didn't have user profiles. 6. Apps from Windows 1.0 are still present on Windows 11 Paint has had a glow up since the old days. (Image credit: Mauro Huculak) Some of the graphical apps introduced in Windows 1.0 still exist on Windows 11. Although they've been modernized, their core functions remain unchanged. Calculator – This is the default calculator, but over the years, it has become an advanced calculator with different modes to perform scientific, graphic, programming, and other calculations. Paint – Originally called "Paintbrush," it started as a monochrome editor and is now a full-color image editor with new AI-powered features. Notepad – A simple yet essential text editor that has remained a staple, but it's now also powered by AI. Clock – What began as a basic time display has evolved into an alarm, world clock, and focus tool. However, Windows 11 also includes the Clock app. Control Panel – Though many settings have migrated to the modern Settings app, the Control Panel is still there for advanced tweaks. 7. Format app has had the same code for over 30 years The format tool as it was on Windows XP. (Image credit: Mauro Huculak) The "Format" dialog that is still available on File Explorer was originally written by Dave Plummer, a now-retired Microsoft engineer, and he has revealed that the code behind this interface remained pretty much unchanged for nearly 30 years. According to Dave, the tool's interface was supposed to be a temporary solution as the development team was busy porting countless lines of code from Windows 95 to Windows NT. However, it appears that was one of the things that no one cared to revise later on, and after three decades, the code for the interface still remains unchanged. However, while the interface still remains the same, Microsoft is working on updating the FAT32 support to lift the 32GB limit and increase the compatibility up to 2TB. This long-overdue change modernizes the formatting process for larger storage devices. It still looks basically the same, though Microsoft is trying to update it underneath. (Image credit: Mauro Huculak) Also, if you're wondering why the FAT volumes were limited to 32GB, then you may have to blame Dave, too. According to him, he also had to decide the limit for the "cluster slack," and based on his decision, volumes using the FAT32 file system were limited to 32GB. 8. TrueType fonts were introduced on Windows 3.1 Before Windows 3.1, font rendering was clunky and inconsistent. The introduction of TrueType fonts in 1992 changed everything. This feature allowed for high-quality text rendering, making Windows a game-changer for desktop publishing and document creation. Today, TrueType is still widely used in Windows and other operating systems. Furthermore, Apple was the company that licensed TrueType to Microsoft for free to help ensure its widespread adoption. 9. Ctrl + Alt + Delete was a debugging tool created by IBM The "Ctrl + Alt + Del" shortcut was created by David Bradley, an IBM engineer, in the early 1980s. It was originally designed as a quick method to reboot IBM PCs immediately without warnings for debugging purposes during the development process. (He never expected to become widely known.) Microsoft then adopted the "Ctrl + Alt + Del" shortcut to trigger a secure attention sequence (SAS) on Windows NT. In the end, Bill Gates once admitted he wished it had been a single button instead, but it was too late to change it. This is how the shortcut changed over the years: Windows 3.x & 9x (1990s): Soft reboot command (could restart your computer immediately). Windows NT & XP (2000s): Opens Task Manager (or login screen in domains). Windows Vista, 7, 8, and 10: Opens the security screen with Lock, Log off, Change a password, and Start Task Manager options. Windows 11: Opens the security screen with Lock, Switch user, Sign out, and Task Manager options. The shortcut has been part of the operating system history for decades, evolving from a developer tool into a core system function. Although the software giant has introduced new ways to access Task Manager and security options, this shortcut remains a legacy feature that continues to define the Windows user experience. 10. Windows 1.0 required a minimum of 256KB of RAM You used to be able to run a whole operating system on this type of memory. Incredible. (Image credit: Mauro Huculak) Windows 1.0, released on November 20, 1985, the system required a minimum of 256KB of RAM for versions 1.01 and 1.02. However, on versions 1.03 and 1.04, the requirement was increased to 320KB. For context, 1GB is equivalent to 1,048,576KB, and nowadays, the minimum memory size for Windows 11 is 4GB, which means 4,194,304KB. However, 16GB (or 16,777,216KB) is usually the recommended size. In addition, the minimum storage space required was 720KB, and a hard drive was recommended but not required. Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of February): 874 RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

You can still early find unfinished and broken areas of the Windows UI when dark mode is enabled to this very day. In summer 2016, Microsoft released its first major feature update for Windows 10 which introduced a brand-new dark theme toggle that allowed users to switch apps between light and dark themes system wide. It was a nice addition, even if at the time, many apps and shell-level interfaces didn’t support it out of the gate. This changed over time, and today, many, if not most apps on Windows support switching between light and dark themes based on the built-in Windows toggle. However, the same can’t be said for the Windows UI itself, which has seen very little progress since the dark mode toggle was introduced. When Windows 10 debuted in 2015, it did so with a mishmash of light and dark UI elements. The Taskbar, Start Menu, and Action Center were all dark, but the File Explorer and context menus were light. In 2016, Microsoft officially added a dark mode toggle, which added dark mode to the File Explorer and context menus. However, this work was very much surface-level. Although the File Explorer and context menus finally had dark mode, it was very easy to encounter an area of the UI that didn’t support it. Copy dialogs, file properties, Run commands, the Registry Editor, Control Panel applets, and many more areas of Windows did not support dark mode. It's been almost 10 years since, and these areas of the Windows OS STILL don’t support dark mode. Windows 11 to this day will still flashbang you whenever you copy a large file or open the properties dialog. This wouldn’t be a problem if these areas of the system were rare to come across, but these are areas of the OS that most users see all the time, on a daily basis! It's not just incomplete, either. In some places, dark mode is outright broken. I mean, what the heck is this? This is an interface you can access directly from the Start menu on the latest version of Windows 11. (Image credit: Windows Central) What’s frustrating is that I know that Microsoft began working on finishing dark during the development of Windows 11 in 2020/2021. Internal builds of the OS included in-progress work to add dark mode to these older Windows interfaces such as file properties and copy dialogs, but for whatever reason this work was never completed. When you take a look at macOS, iOS, iPadOS, and Android, these platforms include a consistent and complete system wide dark mode. When dark mode is enabled, it is rare to come across an area of the system UI that isn’t themed correctly. On Windows 11, it’s a daily occurrence, and Microsoft doesn’t seem to care. Adding insult to injury, in 2018 Microsoft added a dedicated light them to Windows 10 and made it the default so that the shell didn’t look so incomplete. I don’t know why Microsoft won’t put the resources in to complete dark mode. It looks so unprofessional and frankly kills my productivity whenever I’m working at night and a light interface of some kind pops up and burns my retinas. To be clear, this is an issue that solely relies with Microsoft. Pretty much all of the third-party apps I use on Windows support dark mode these days, including Telegram, Slack, WhatsApp, and Office. It’s literally just Windows that still doesn’t fully support its own dark mode, and I cannot stress how frustrated this makes me. I was hoping that with a change of guard in the Windows leadership department, we’d see the Windows team refocus on polishing the Windows interface and completing things like dark mode. Sadly, that doesn’t look like it’s happening anytime soon. Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. 2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of November): 5,298 news posts RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Microsoft's new benchmark provides an arena for testing AI agents in realistic Windows operating system environments. What you need to know Earlier this month, Microsoft unveiled a new benchmark called Windows Agent Arena, designed to provide a platform for testing AI agents in realistic Windows operating system environments. Early benchmarks show that multi-modal AI agents have an average performance success rate of 19.5% compared to the coveted average human performance rating of 74.5%. The benchmark is open-source and provides an avenue for deep research which could significantly enhance the development of AI agents. However, there are critical security and performance concerns abound. With the emergence of generative AI and its broad adoption, the technology is rapidly transitioning from simple text and image-based prompts. NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang predicted that the next phase of AI would be dominated by self-driving cars and humanoid robots, and we've seen major tech corporations like Tesla make significant leaps on that front. Over the past few weeks, we've seen Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff throw lethal jabs at Microsoft over claims that it has done a major disservice to the AI industry. "Copilot is just the new Microsoft Clippy," added Benioff. "It doesn't work or deliver value." The Salesforce CEO also used the opportunity to tout the company as "the largest AI supplier in the world" with the capability of doing "a couple of trillion AI transactions per week." In case you missed it, Microsoft recently announced Copilot Studio will soon support the creation of autonomous agents. Like Salesforce's Agentforce offering, Microsoft's Copilot agents will help automate tasks across IT, marketing, sales, customer service, and finance. Benioff viewed Microsoft's announcement as a sign that the company is panicking. "Copilot is a flop because Microsoft lacks the data and enterprise security models to create real corporate intelligence," added Salesforce CEO. "Clippy 2.0, anyone?" More interestingly, Microsoft unveiled a new benchmark called Windows Agent Arena earlier this month. For context, the benchmark is designed to promote the testing of AI agents in Windows operating system environments. As such, the benchmark could potentially expedite the development of AI assistants with advanced and sophisticated capabilities to handle complex tasks across various applications. According to research: “Large language models show remarkable potential to act as computer agents, enhancing human productivity and software accessibility in multi-modal tasks that require planning and reasoning. However, measuring agent performance in realistic environments remains a challenge.” What is Windows Agent Arena, and how is it important in the AI revolution? As highlighted above, Windows Agent Arena provides a platform for testing of AI agents in realistic Windows operating system environments, including apps like Microsoft Edge, Microsoft Paint, Clock, VLC media player, and more. According to Microsoft: "We adapt the OSWorld framework to create 150+ diverse Windows tasks across representative domains that require agent abilities in planning, screen understanding, and tool usage. Our benchmark is also scalable and can be seamlessly parallelized in Azure for a full benchmark evaluation in as little as 20 minutes." Microsoft Research developed a multi-modal agent called Navi to explore the framework's capabilities. The AI model was asked to perform several tasks in the Windows Agent Arena benchmark, including turning a website into a PDF file and placing it on the main screen. Benchmarks shared indicate that the multi-modal agent had an average performance success rate of 19.5%, in contrast to the average human performance rating of 74.5%. While the benchmark shows automating certain tasks using AI could be a stretch at this point, it provides a reliable platform for the improvement of AI agents. Privacy and security continue to concern most users. For instance, Microsoft's controversial Windows Recall feature has sparked concern among most Windows users, prompting scrutiny by regulators. The tech giant abruptly recalls the controversial feature to fine-tune the experience by making it more secure. The feature should ship soon, but users can uninstall it. Similarly, AI agents like Navi continue to spark concern among users as they become more sophisticated. As the tools become more advanced, they'll have more access to applications that often hold the user's personal credentials. It could potentially pose a significant threat, especially since hackers are embracing sophisticated ploys, including AI, which makes their attacks less obvious. The Windows Agent Arena is open-source and presents more research opportunities, ultimately promoting expedited development of reliable and capable models. While responding to the security and performance concerns, the Microsoft researchers behind the platform told Windows Central: “Our computer-controlling agent, named 'Navi,' is open-source, and our research project leverages models from OpenAI, such as GPT-4V, along with Microsoft’s Phi3. While both Windows Agent Arena and Navi are open-source, the specific models in use are separate and maintained by their respective providers. The disparity between AI system performance and human-level intelligence remains a substantial, industry-wide challenge. We’re working to address this through continuous data curation, fine-tuning, and optimization, making steady progress toward narrowing this gap. Our approach to responsible AI prioritizes ethical guidelines, with privacy and safety at the forefront. We ensure that AI agents avoid unauthorized access or information leaks, and users retain control to understand, direct, or override AI actions. As we advance in this field, our commitment remains firm: building AI that respects privacy, promotes fairness, and contributes positively to society.” Elsewhere, Anthropic recently unveiled a new API dubbed “Computer Use” in open beta. Through the API, developers can "direct Claude to use computers the way people do—by looking at a screen, moving a cursor, clicking buttons, and typing text." Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. 2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of September): 4,292 news posts RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

The March 2024 report from Statcounter is now available, giving developers and curious customers the latest insights into various markets and products, such as browsers, operating systems, search engines, and more. According to Statcounter, February 2024 was not the best month for Windows 11. After reaching its highest point in January, Microsoft's latest operating system dipped quite significantly, going from 28.18% to 26.72% (-1.46 points). Interestingly, the company recently started sending out "invitations to upgrade" to more non-managed devices with Windows 10. So far, those invitations have not helped Windows 11 increase its market share. Windows 10, on the other hand, reclaimed some of the previously lost audience. As of right now, its market share sits just a little higher than 69%. Statcounter claims Windows 10 increased its market share by 1.81 points. Windows 10 will reach its end of life in October 2025, so expect Microsoft to expedite the rollout of Windows 11 to more eligible devices in the near future. Despite their "no support" status, Windows 7, 8.1, and 8 still have relatively big market shares. Windows 7 is at 3.04%, Windows 8.1 is at 0.44%, and Windows 8 is at 0.29%. Even Windows XP has a large enough audience with access to the internet (even though mainstream browsers dropped Windows XP years ago) to register on Statcounter's gauges—0.39%. Here is the breakdown of the Windows market as of March 2024 by Statcounter: Windows 10: 69.04% (+1.81 points) Windows 11: 26.72% (-1.46 points) Windows 7: 3.04% (-0.06 points) Windows 8.1: 0.44% (-0.22 points) Windows XP: 0.39% (-0.13 points) You can find more information on the official Statcounter website. Disclaimer: Statcounter reports are not 100% accurate. Click here to learn how the company gathers data. Microsoft does not provide official stats and Windows version breakdowns, so users and developers have to rely on third-party analytics services. Source

Microsoft, over the last few years, has been making multiple announcements related to TLS (Transport Layer Security) updates and changes. Much of it is focused on making Windows a more secure OS. The most recent changes were related to the deprecation of TLS 1.0 and 1.1 on upcoming Windows which the company announced in August last year, and earlier this year, the end of TLS 1.0, and 1.1 support for Azure Storage Accounts was also declared. Microsoft also issued a reminder later for the former as it is a major shift. Following those, Microsoft has now announced that it will soon be ending support for RSA keys with lengths shorter than 2048 bits such that TLS server authentications will potentially be much more secure as future Windows versions should block old, outdated and potentially malicious websites and other web-based apps. This update was long overdue as current modern standards and security-based best practices recommend at least a 2048-bit RSA (Rivest–Shamir–Adleman) or a 256-bit ECDSA (Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm) cryptographic key. Compared to a 1024-bit RSA key, which provides 80 bits of security strength, a 2048-bit key provides 112-bit strength, and more in this case, means better. On its website, Microsoft explains the update: TLS and RSA-related updates aren't the only security changes Microsoft has had plans for. The company recently announced that it is updating its Windows 8-era Secure Boot keys. And in the recent past, the tech giant suggested more TPM-like security chip might be introduced, perhaps something like Pluton. Meanwhile, the Windows kernel is also getting a Rust-y makeover for better memory security. Source

The year was 1983. Microsoft was slowly becoming a well-known tech company in the PC space. Two years before, in 1981, Its MS-DOS operating system would be installed in the first IBM PC. It launched its first-word processing program, Word, earlier in 1983, along with its first Microsoft Mouse product. It even made Mac and PC hardware expansion cards. However, 40 years ago today, on November 10, 1983 at a press event in New York City, Microsoft first revealed its plans to launch an all-new graphical user interface-based PC operating system. The company called the OS Windows. Microsoft's co-founder Bill Gates reportedly became interested in creating a GUI-based OS for PCs when he saw a demo for another early operating system with a similar design. Visi On, in 1983. In early 1983, Apple launched its Lisa computer with its own GUI, although at close to $10,000 (over $22,000 in today's dollars) its price kept it out of most people's hands. That seems to be a trend with many of Apple's products, including a certain future device, but that's a subject for another day. Microsoft wanted to make a GUI operating system that would be far more affordable than competing software products. In an article from InfoWorld magazine that covered the initial announcement in New York City, the company stated it was targeting a price of between $100 and $250 for the OS. It also claimed that Windows would have relatively small hardware requirements. It claimed it would need an IBM-based PC with two floppy disk drives and 192K of RAM to operate. Another big plus that Microsoft tried to push in its initial reveal was that Windows could also run any MS-DOS programs. In an article from Byte magazine in December 1983, it wrote: While Microsoft reportedly tried to have Windows applications overlap each other when more than one was running, the company eventually went to a tiled UI. That means applications would resize themselves to fit on the screen, but they would not overlap each other. InfoWorld's article described it Microsoft said at the time of the official reveal that Windows would be supported by many IBM PC-based companies like HP, Compaq, Texas Instruments, and more. Oddly, IBM itself decided not to support Windows at the time of its official announcement. It later released an OS called TopView that failed, and then worked with Microsoft to launch OS/2 in the late 1980s (we may write about that some other day). While Microsoft was hoping to launch Windows in April of 1984, the first version ended up shipping over two years after it was first announced in New York City, on November 20, 1985. After all that extra work and development, the operating system was a sales failure with just 500,000 units sold in its first two years. Indeed, it would take the release of Windows 3.0 in 1990 for the OS to become truly successful. Source

It's a day that many PC owners look forward to, and others sometimes dread. It's Patch Tuesday, the name given to the second Tuesday of each month when Microsoft updates its Windows operating system with security updates. The first Patch Tuesday happened just over 20 years ago, in October 2003. In a new blog post, John Cable, Microsoft's Vice President for Program Management and Windows Servicing and Delivery, takes a look back at the history of this effort to offer regular security updates for Windows. The idea behind Patch Tuesday actually began over a year earlier on January 15, 2002, when Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates sent out a memo to all of the company's employees. He announced the Trustworthy Computing (TwC) initiative as a way to spur the company to create more secure software products and better ways to update them. He wrote: That memo inspired Microsoft to come up with a regular schedule for releasing security and bug patches for Windows and other software programs, which evolved into Patch Tuesday. In today's blog post, Cable offers a timeline of Microsoft's efforts to improve the security of Windows, such as Secure Boot in Windows 8. The company has also tried to improve how it offers information on its patches, such as release notes that began with the launch of Windows 10. Cable says that Microsoft will continue to improve the quality of patches for future Windows releases. He stated: The next Patch Tuesday is coming up in just a few days on November 14. Source You're welcome.

Looking for the best uninstaller software for your Windows-based PC? If yes, this is the article for you. The built-in Microsoft tool often fails to remove programs properly, while decent third-party uninstallers can delete all traces of software. Still, they can be hard to find. So, I decided to make things easier for you and compiled a list of the most efficient removal tools. I’ve tested 15 of the most recommended apps to see if they’re worth their salt. You can find out more about my research parameters and testing process below. Testing Process Which Are the Best Uninstaller Software? 1. Revo Uninstaller 2. IObit Uninstaller 3. Ashampoo Uninstaller 4. Absolute Uninstaller 5. Wise Program Uninstaller 6. Advanced Uninstaller Pro 7. Geek Uninstaller 8. ZSoft Uninstaller 9. CCleaner 10. CleanGenius How To Uninstall Software Manually? Testing Process Software Batch Uninstaller Support for both Win32 and UWP apps Windows Update Uninstall Select to Uninstall Reliability Revo Uninstaller Yes Yes Yes Yes 5/5 IObit Uninstaller Yes Yes Yes Yes 5/5 Ashampoo Uninstaller Yes Yes Yes No 5/5 Absolute Uninstaller Yes Yes Yes No 5/5 Wise Program Uninstaller Yes Yes No No 4/5 Advanced Uninstaller Yes No No No 4/5 Geek Uninstaller Yes No No No 4/5 ZSoft Uninstaller No No No No 4/5 CCleaner No No No No 3/5 CleanGenius No No No No 2/5 I’ve used over 15 uninstaller premium and free tools on Windows to find the best ones. For this, I’ve established the following parameters: Removing three types of apps: Using each software, I’ve tried to remove a basic and a complex standalone desktop app as well as a Microsoft Store app. Batch uninstaller: I’ve checked whether the software can uninstall multiple programs at once or not. Recovery point: I’ve determined whether the remover creates a working restore point while uninstalling. Windows 11 compatibility: I’ve installed and tested the apps on the latest version of Windows 11 and checked for performance issues. User-friendliness: Most importantly, I’ve verified whether the software is easy to use and navigate. Which Are the Best Uninstaller Software? Here are my top 10 uninstallers for Windows, based on my research: 1. Revo Uninstaller Pros Cons 1. Select to uninstall and other useful features 1. The UI could look a bit more modern 2. Great performance 2. It’s not fully free 3. Works for both Win32 and UWP Store Apps 4. Very user-friendly interface Revo Uninstaller is one of the most popular and oldest uninstaller tools available for Windows. I’ve used this program for a few years, and it’s consistently efficient. Hunter Mode, robust uninstaller, junk cleaner, unrecoverable delete, and many more features make this tool stand out from the rest. The UI is also very user-friendly. As a result, you can easily navigate to your desired option and do what you need. This freemium uninstallation tool scans and detects all files and registry entries related to the program you’re trying to remove from your PC. It deletes all the leftovers, too. The whole thing happens automatically. Furthermore, Hunter Mode lets you immediately select and uninstall what you need. Overall, it’s a neat and clean, very easy-to-use, and robust uninstaller program. You can check out our Revo Uninstaller review to learn more details. 2. IObit Uninstaller Pros Cons 1. Modern and user-friendly UI 1. Often recommends other IObit apps 2. Quick and efficient 2. Can be overwhelming at first 3. Select to uninstall, Software Updater, and many other additional features 4. Windows Updates uninstaller The IObit Uninstaller is another excellent looking and feature-rich uninstaller software for Windows 11 and 10. Unlike Revo, this app looks very modern. The UI is also very simple, clean, and straightforward to use. Moreover, it has both free and premium versions. The free one has some restrictions in terms of features and functionalities, but it’ll satisfy basic users. IObit also offers a Bundleware remover, Software Health monitoring, Browser Extensions remover, and built-in software updater features. Like Revo’s Hunter Mode, it has a similar feature called Easy Uninstall. Plus, there’s Force Uninstall+ which can remove even programs that can’t be uninstalled in a standard way. Furthermore, IObit can remove Windows Updates, too. 3. Ashampoo Uninstaller Pros Cons 1. Very user-friendly UI 1. Doesn’t include select-to-uninstall-like features 2. Stable performance 3. Many useful additional features 4. Uninstalls stubborn Win32 and UWP apps Ashampoo Uninstaller is another superb software remover tool that offers both free and paid versions. Like Revo and IObit, it provides a wide range of helpful features. Ashampoo allows you to remove Windows apps, Win32 applications, browser extensions, plugins, etc. Besides, it offers additional tools like Drive Cleaner, Registry Optimizer, File Wiper, and more. I’ve found no major downsides during my tests. However, it doesn’t have a select-to-uninstall feature like Revo’s Hunter Mode. Overall, anyone with basic computer knowledge can use this software because of its simple and minimalistic UI. Finding and using your desired options is really straightforward. 4. Absolute Uninstaller Pros Cons 1. Groups the programs based on their installation date, size, and usage 1. No select-to-uninstall feature 2. Fixes invalid entries 2. Can be a bit slow sometimes 3. Uninstalls both Win32 and UWP store apps 4. Uninstalls Windows Update 5. Clean and simple UI Glarysoft’s Absolute Uninstaller is a fantastic software remover tool for Windows OS. This application comes with both free and paid options. Besides basic program uninstallation features, it offers a few more things that are very helpful. Absolute Uninstaller groups the apps on your PC into different categories such as Recently Installed, Large Programs, Rare Used Programs, etc. It can also completely remove some programs to save disk space more effectively. When I used it on my PC, the features I found the most useful were Windows Updates uninstaller, MS Store Apps remover, and Batch Uninstall. However, it doesn’t have a select-to-uninstall-like tool. Still, one of the best features is AutoFix Invalid Entries. If you’ve uninstalled any programs previously but you can still see them on the program list, this tool will solve this problem. 5. Wise Program Uninstaller Pros Cons 1. Completely free 1. No premium version means no more cool features to be unlocked 2. Can uninstall multiple programs at once 3. Supports both Win32 and UWP Store Apps 4. Clean and modern UI Wise Program Uninstaller is completely free software that you can use on your Windows 11 or 10 PC. There’s no premium version available of this tool. Wise Cleaner, on the other hand, is a paid PC optimization tool, but the two shouldn’t be mixed up. It’s a decent choice, considering it’s free and somewhat basic. You can remove multiple programs at once, which means it supports batch-removing features. Wise Uninstaller works for both Desktop and Store apps. You can also use it to uninstall browser extensions and add-ons. It can also automatically create system restore points. Moreover, I immediately noticed its simple UI with a modern vibe. Still, it’s not the most feature-rich tool, but it does the job just fine. 6. Advanced Uninstaller Pro Pros Cons 1. Tons of features, including some powerful ones 1. No features like Hunter Mode 2. Good performance 2. Doesn’t work for Microsoft Store apps 3. Uninstalls web apps installed by the browser 3. UI looks outdated 4. Very simple and minimal in nature If you’re looking for a simple yet capable app, Advanced Uninstaller Pro stands out as an excellent choice. The basic version is completely free. But you can upgrade for additional functionalities. Even the free version includes extra features like Startup Manager, Start Menu Cleaner, Service Manager, Duplicate Files Fixer, Registry Cleaner, and more. The premium version extends the offer with StartUp Virus Detection, Application Leftover Files, and other cleaning tools. All in all, it worked decently for me in most parts. I must admit that for any regular users, it’s a good choice. However, a more modern UI and select-to-uninstall feature could make it a top choice. It also can’t remove Microsoft Store apps. 7. Geek Uninstaller Pros Cons 1. Simple and minimal 1. Limited features 2. Can remove both Win32 and UWP store apps 3. Batch uninstaller If you want a very simple but powerful free software remover, try Geek Uninstaller. It also has a pro version with additional benefits. You can uninstall both Win32 and Windows Store apps completely. The whole process only takes a few clicks. In addition to the primary uninstallation functionality, you can manage startup items, force uninstall a stubborn program, trace a program, remove multiple apps at once, etc. I’ve used it on my Windows 11 PC and was impressed by its simplicity. The performance was great. But, compared to the other best uninstaller software, it has a limited number of features. 8. ZSoft Uninstaller Pros Cons 1. Lightweight software 1. UI is simple but looks too old 2. Stable 2. No batch uninstallation 3. Can analyze installations and find temporary files 3. No Restore points ZSoft Uninstaller is free software that you can use to completely remove any programs from your PC. This app is very simple and lightweight and puts no pressure even on low-end PCs. Along with the essential uninstallation feature, it has a Temp File Finder and Analyze an Installation tool. During my testing, I wasn’t entirely impressed because of the very mediocre and old-fashioned UI. It’s easy to use but doesn’t look all too pleasing. Besides, there was no batch uninstaller and it doesn’t create restore points. It’s still a worthy choice for those who have a very old PC with an old version of Windows. 9. CCleaner Pros Cons 1. Stable and reliable 1. It’s not a dedicated uninstaller 2. Many additional features 2. No batch uninstallation option 3. Neat and clean interface 3. No Force uninstaller CCleaner is one of the most popular PC optimization software, but it also has an uninstallation feature. Although it’s very basic, it does the job. I’m a long-term CCleaner user and I’ve used its software removal tool quite a few times. It also comes with valuable features like Startup Manager, Browser Plugins Manager, Duplicate Finder, and System Restore. However, as it’s not a dedicated removal tool, you’ll miss out on some useful features like Batch uninstaller and Force uninstaller. 10. CleanGenius Pros Cons 1. Free software 1. No batch uninstallation 2. Comes with some helpful privacy and cleanup features 2. Doesn’t create a restore point while removing apps 3. Recommends other products from different types of vendors EaseUS CleanGenius is a free program uninstaller with extra features like Cleanup, Privacy Protection, Optimization, etc. However, none of them are as robust as premium tools. The uninstallation functionality is also very basic. It doesn’t support batch uninstalling, for example. Still, it reliably does the job. Also, during some of my tests, the app was a bit sluggish. Overall, its biggest strengths are that it’s completely free and simple to use, if somewhat limited. How To Uninstall Software Manually? You also can uninstall programs manually from your PC. Still, some leftovers may remain if you do it this way. Simply follow these steps: Press Win + I on the keyboard to open the Windows Settings. Navigate to Apps and then go to Installed Apps. Click on the three horizontal dots next to the program you want to remove and click on Uninstall. Follow the on-screen steps to finish the process. Restart your PC if needed. After uninstalling, you should visit the program’s folder and other possible places to see if there’s anything still left. If there is, you should remove the leftovers. All things considered, IObit and Revo Uninstaller rise above the rest of the apps thanks to the Select-to-Uninstall feature. Still, depending on your needs, you might find that simpler apps will serve you better. Hopefully, this list will help you find the best uninstaller software for you. If you’ve used any of these tools, feel free to share your experiences in the comments below! Source

Big on AI, features and updates, but is this enough for Microsoft to convince Windows 10 users to transition to Windows 11? 2023 has been a heck of a year for Microsoft and, more specifically, Windows. Windows 11 has been available for a little over two years now. And contrary to Microsoft's expectations, the operating system's adoption rate is stunted at best. Admittedly, Microsoft has doubled down on its efforts to improve Windows 11's usability by often shipping new updates and neat features. In the same breath, Microsoft has deprecated 16 different Windows 11 features in 2023, including Cortana, WordPad, and more. And as it seems, more features are likely to hit the axe soon. Just a few days ago, the company decided to pull the plug on its Windows VR platform, Windows Mixed Reality. Windows 11's slow adoption rate (Image credit: Future) Many reasons can be attributed to the OS's slow adoption rate, but perhaps at the top of the list (at least for most people) might be Microsoft's strict minimum system requirements for the OS coupled with the dramatic shift in the PC market. However, Microsoft shares a different account on paper, citing that Windows 11 is already running on 400 million devices, with projections of the figure shooting to half a billion by early 2024. According to a survey conducted by StatCounter earlier this year, statistics show that the majority of Windows users many users still use and prefer Windows 10 over its successor. The survey indicated that Windows 10 takes up 71.9% of the market share, while Windows 11 staggered behind with a 22.95% stake. As you might be aware, Microsoft is set to cut support for Windows 10 in October 2025. In a perfect world, users should have already started to make the transition to Windows 11, but this isn't the case entirely. In the interim, users can continue running Windows 10 on PCs as it will continue receiving security and feature updates, though Microsoft recommends transitioning to Windows 11. Windows 12: Is the world ready for fully-fledged AI-powered OS? (Image credit: Windows Central) It's almost certain that Windows 12 is in production. Microsoft is placing all its bets on AI for Windows 12 once it's available (potentially next year during the Fall) owing to Microsoft's keen interest and heavy investment in generative technology. We already know quite a bit about the OS, and here's everything we know so far. Microsoft cutting support Windows 10 could harm its sustainability goals (Image credit: Future) According to a new survey by Canalys, approximately 240 million Windows PCs could potentially wind up redundant after Microsoft officially pulls support for Windows 10, as spotted by Neowin. It's still unclear how much users will have to pay to continue using Windows 10 well beyond its cut-off point (ideally, it shouldn't be much). Microsoft could potentially taint its image if a whopping 240 PCs end up being dumped, as this goes against its sustainability goals. A workaround for Windows 10 users beyond 2025 (Image credit: Future) A Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) recently filed a petition asking Microsoft to reconsider pulling support for Windows 10 in 2025. The group pointed out that will deter the company from its sustainable goals, further citing that the move would lead to "the single biggest jump in junked computers ever." The interest group attributed this to the fact that about 40% of users are still running Windows 10 on their PCs and are yet to transition to Windows 11 because of its strict minimum requirements. Shortly after the petition was filed, Microsoft announced an "extended security update" (ESU) program for Windows 10. The ESU program is essentially in place to allow users to pay for monthly security updates beyond Windows 10's end-of-support date. This adds three years of continued support from Microsoft for Windows 10 after it officially cut support for the OS on October 14, 2025. Unlike in the past, where the program was exclusively available for commercial customers, this new arrangement will be available for everyone willing to pay for the extension, including consumer customers. Come to think of it; this lines up perfectly with Microsoft's move to ship its AI-baked assistant Copilot to Windows 10 users. It seems Windows 10 will continue to lurk in the rearview mirror well beyond 2025 in this new age of AI. Source You're welcome.

Microsoft earlier this month released its August Patch Tuesday updates for Windows 10 (KB5029244) and Windows 11 (KB5029263/KB5029253) and also Servers. The one for 10 finally fixed an Intel DirectX issue on an older Windows 10 version. Aside from Windows, Microsoft also rolled out Office security updates for Outlook, Excel, Word, and more, which fix issues like spoofing and remote code execution (RCE). So you should probably update if you haven't already (find the download links here). Speaking of security updates, this month's Patch enables a kernel security vulnerability fix by default, something Microsoft had cautioned back in June that it could potentially break something on your system, though it didn't really go into much detail about it. The support page for the issue had later been updated with the following message confirming that Microsoft was now enabling the fix by default for everyone on Windows 11 and 10: IMPORTANT The resolution described in this article introduces a potential breaking change. Therefore, we are releasing the change disabled by default with the option to enable it. We recommend that you validate this resolution in your environment. Then, as soon as it is validated, enable the resolution as soon as possible. NOTE The resolution described in this article has now been released enabled by default. [...] IMPORTANT The resolution described in this article has been released enabled by default. To apply the enabled by default resolution, install the Windows update that is dated on or after August 8, 2023. No further user action is required. However, since we reported this news, Microsoft has once again updated its bulletin and has removed the portion that warned users of the kernel issue. That's because the tech giant now feels confident stating that the potentially-breaking Windows kernel patch is problematic no more. The company assures this after having run "multiple investigations and tests" wherein "no issues were found". On the change log, it notes: August 18, 2023 Removed the recommendation for validation concerning breaking changes in the "Resolution" section because after multiple investigations and tests, no issues were found associated with this update. You can follow the issue on the support document under KB5028407. Source

Microsoft could be looking towards offering a version of its Windows PC operating system completely in the cloud for consumers. That's according to recently revealed internal documents that were filed by the US Federal Trade Commission in its current court battle with Microsoft over its plan to acquire game publisher Activision Blizzard. The FTC filing (via Windows Central) shows a heavily redacted Microsoft document dated June 2022. In a slide labeled "Modern Life strategy and priorities", it shows the company's fiscal year 2022 goals of increasing growth in Windows 11 PCs along with online services like Microsoft 365, Xbox Game Pass, and more. However, in a section with the name "Long Term Needle-Moving Opportunities," we get a glimpse of Microsoft's possible future plans for Windows. It states: Move Windows 11 increasingly to the cloud: Build on Windows 365 to enable a full Windows operating system streamed from the cloud to any device. Use the power of the cloud and client to enable improved AI-powered services and full roaming of people's digital experience. This possible future for the Windows business should not be a huge surprise. Microsoft has been trying to move other products like its Office lineup of productivity software to the cloud for years, followed by its Xbox and PC games via its Xbox Cloud gaming (a.k.a. XCloud). Offering a full Windows PC experience for the consumer at a monthly subscription price is the logical next step. Indeed, Insider versions of Windows 11 have added Cloud PC options to Settings. We will point out that this internal document was created a number of months before Microsoft decided to go all in on generative AI products like the current Bing Chat and its Copilot features for Windows and Microsoft 365, among others. Offering a full Windows experience on the cloud may not be as big of a priority for the company now as it was a year ago at this time. Source

In 2021, Microsoft unveiled the Chat app for its new operating system. The goal was to provide Windows 11 customers with an iMessage-like experience and an easy way to make voice and video calls from PCs powered by Microsoft Teams. However, the idea failed to gain traction, and the only thing users wanted to do with the Chat app was to remove it. Almost two years after the initial Windows 11 release, Microsoft is raising a white flag and removing the Chat app from the operating system. Starting with Windows 11 build 23481 (currently available in the Dev Channel), Microsoft no longer bundles the Chat app with its operating system. Instead, Windows 11 now comes with Microsoft Teams Free pinned to the taskbar by default. Unlike the original Chat app, it is a regular shortcut you can remove with a right-click. Starting with this build, Chat is now Microsoft Teams – Free. Microsoft Teams – Free is pinned by default to the taskbar and can be unpinned like other apps on the taskbar. Stay tuned for more enhancements as we continue to enhance Microsoft Teams – Free with more features and improvements. The end of the Chat app in Windows 11 is just another chapter of Microsoft's ever-going messaging apps for Windows saga. It started with Windows Messenger on Windows XP then MSN Messenger/Windows Live Messenger, and Skype, then the failed Skype-powered Messages app for Windows 10/Windows 10 Mobile, and now Chat and Microsoft Teams Free. And do not forget that Skype still exists and regularly gets new features and improvements. The latest preview update introduced integration with Microsoft Weather, better calling tabs, improved Bing Chat support, and many more. Microsoft's messaging apps and services may still look confusing, but at least Windows 11 will soon be free of the app most users consider absolutely useless. Microsoft ends another failed experiment with a built-in messenger for Windows

According to Microsoft, Windows 10 and 11 users may experience a bug preventing Outlook and other apps from launching after installing the latest Patch Tuesday update (KB5027231, released on June 13, 2023). The company has updated its Windows Health Dashboard documentation to provide the necessary details about the problem and offer affected customers a workaround. Microsoft says the bug affects 32-bit Office installed on 64-bit Windows 10 and 11 (client versions 22H2 and 21H2, plus Windows Server 2022). Even though Microsoft changed the default Office installation from 32-bit to 64-bit in 2018, many people may still be using 32-bit Office. However, you need a specific antivirus and a specific version to experience the problem—according to Microsoft, the issue occurs on systems using Trellix Endpoint Security version earlier than 35.31.25. After installing KB5027231 or later updates on Windows devices with certain antivirus, antimalware or security software installed, you might not be able to open Microsoft or third-party apps. Some known affected apps are Microsoft Outlook and other Microsoft Office apps. This issue only occurs with 32-bit apps running on 64-bit Windows with Trellix Endpoint Security version earlier than 35.31.25. When attempting to open an affected app, Event Log indicates an access violation with the error "module is unknown". This issue is not likely to be encountered by consumers using Windows devices in their home. Affected customers can resolve the problem by updating Trellix Endpoint Security Agent to version 35.31.25 and newer. Although Microsoft has only mentioned Trellix Endpoint Security Agent, other antivirus apps might cause the same problem. Therefore, the company recommends that those using other anti-malware solutions and experiencing issues with Office apps should contact customer support of the security software they use. You can learn more about the problem with Outlook not opening on Windows 10 and 11 after the June Patch Tuesday update in the official Windows Health Dashboard documentation. Source

Microsoft regularly makes updates to its Windows Insider Program to potentially improve the way that preview builds are seeded to members. Today, it has announced some annual changes to the program, with the highlight being the introduction of a new Canary Channel. The Canary Channel for the Windows Insider Program will get releases much faster. In fact, Microsoft has hinted that it may get new features as soon as they are built, with incomplete documentation and validation. They may contain major modifications to the Windows kernel and APIs, requiring a longer lead time before general release, which is why the idea is to get these changes into the hand of volunteering customers for testing as soon as possible. Previously, such features were made available through the Dev Channel. Microsoft hasn't outlined a frequency for Canary builds yet, but has noted that they probably won't be released daily (unlike Microsoft Edge Canary). In the same vein, there won't be a blog post for every Canary release, only for those which contain new features. The company has emphasized that since Canary will be getting new releases in a relatively unvalidated state, your PC may face major errors and you might even be required to reinstall Windows if something does go awry. And just like the Dev Channel, there is no guarantee that a Canary feature will eventually roll out generally. Meanwhile, the Dev Channel is being "rebooted", but there aren't any major changes. It's meant for Windows enthusiasts who are eager to try out new features that are not tied to a specific OS release. It will enjoy a higher stability than Canary. You can also find out what Insider Channel best suits you by taking a look at the infographic below: Moving forward, the build numbers for each Insider Channel will be as follows: Canary Channel: 25000 series Dev Channel: 23000 series Beta Channel: 22000 series Release Preview: Released versions of Windows 10 and Windows 11 Current Dev Channel Insiders are being migrated to the Canary Channel and they will be informed of this change via an email too. Unfortunately, those who want to remain on the Dev Channel will need to perform a clean-install which is usually the case when switching to a lower Channel. Those currently enrolled in the Beta Channel but want to test out newer features are recommended to join the Dev Channel instead; no clean-install needed. Although the Canary Channel is supposed to get new releases and features the fastest, Microsoft has interestingly noted that the Dev Channel may still receive new capabilities earlier than Canary, due to its A/B testing process. The company says: [...] We control the state of individual features and experiences included in the builds released to Windows Insiders across the channels. We do this with Controlled Feature Rollout (CFR) technology. This allows us to roll out features in stages to monitor quality and your feedback in addition to trying out different variations of features (often referred to as "A/B testing"). With this level of control over individual features and experiences, we may release a build to the Dev Channel with a feature enabled but intentionally disabled in a build released to the Beta Channel or Canary Channel. We will enable features in the builds when we are ready to do so. We will only communicate about features that we are purposefully enabling for Insiders to try out and give feedback on. We will communicate to Insiders about new features and experiences that get enabled across all the Insider Channels via blog posts on the Windows Insider Blog including the Canary Channel. But as we mentioned above, we will offer only limited documentation for the Canary Channel. If you are a Dev Channel Insider who does not want to be moved to Canary, follow this guide to perform a clean-install. However, if this doesn't work, Microsoft says that in its email about the changes to the Windows Insider Program, it will also include instructions on how you can order a "clean installation kit". Microsoft is introducing a new Canary Channel to the Windows Insider Program

In an unexpected twist, a Microsoft support engineer resorted to running an unofficial 'crack' on a customer's Windows PC after a genuine copy of the operating system failed to activate normally. It seems, this isn't the first time either that support professionals have employed such workarounds when under pressure to timely close out support tickets. A 'crack' is worth a thousand support tickets A South-Africa based freelance technologist who paid $200 for a genuine copy of Windows 10 was startled to see a Microsoft support engineer "crack" his copy using unofficial tools that bypass the Windows activation process. Programmer and content creator Wesley Pyburn whose online channels include TCNO (TroubleChute & TechNobo), explains his struggle after purchasing a copy of Windows 10 through legitimate channels: "I can't believe it. My official Microsoft Store Windows 10 Pro key wouldn't activate. Support couldn't help me yesterday," tweeted the technologist. "Today it was elevated. Official Microsoft support (not a scam) logged in with Quick Assist and ran a command to activate windows... BRO IT'S A CRACK. NO CAP." Microsoft's support chat session with Pyburn involved engineer running a crack (Twitter) "It's literally easier to crack windows than to pay for it," exclaimed Pyburn. Microsoft Product Activation, as commonly seen in Windows and Office products, is Microsoft's DRM technology to ensure users are running company's genuine products as opposed to pirated versions, and are compliant with the license terms. Windows XP-era users may also be familiar with Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA), a validation process that Microsoft earlier enforced to automatically 'deactivate' pirated OS copies. "Activation helps verify that your copy of Windows is genuine and hasn't been used on more devices than the Microsoft Software License Terms allow," according to Microsoft. Microsoft's official Windows activation methods involve either the customer entering a 25-character product key when prompted, or signing in with their Microsoft account to apply a digital license. In some cases, customers may also call the customer care to "activate by phone." Typical Microsoft Windows 10 activation dialog prompting for a key (Microsoft Community) By contrast, software "cracks" and stolen product keys are commonly used by users looking to pirate software—something which is forbidden both by a company's licensing terms and by law in most jurisdictions. The Microsoft support engineer in this case, ran the following PowerShell command on the customer's Windows PC (URL slightly modified to prevent execution): irm hxxps://massgrave[.]dev/get | iex The command establishes a connection to massgrave.dev, an unofficial repository of Windows and Office "activator" scripts that may slip under the radar of most antivirus products. Further, the Invoke-Expression aka iex command runs the downloaded script, as seen by BleepingComputer: Windows 10 activation script from Massgrave.dev "Working in IT I can 100% believe this lmao, commented one user. "They're probably as dumbfounded by the issue as you and/or don't have a better solution and it solves the problem/resolves the ticket so they're happy." Cracks, warez, pirated software pose risks Using "warez," cracks, and other unofficial means to bypass software copy protection are often frowned upon. Other than falling in a legal gray area and being akin to pirating software, these methods pose a security risk. For example, third-party scripts claiming to be software 'cracks' may instead be malware. To clarify if what Microsoft support agent had run was indeed a crack, Pyburn reached out to Massgrave's staff via Discord. Not only did the website staff reply affirmatively to the technologist's question, they further claimed, it wasn't the first time they'd heard of a Microsoft engineer doing this. "This is the second time someone reported here that it's being used by Microsoft support agents. It's not official and not legal," writes WindowsAddict, a Massgrave staff member. Massgrave Discord staff suggests Microsoft support often uses these tools Naturally, such workarounds when employed by a software company's support staff would leave just about anyone startled. "I can not believe Microsoft's answer to a broken activation system is to crack windows via official support channels," says Pyburn. "...AND IT WAS OFFICIAL SUPPORT. The entire reason I paid was to avoid rootkits and other malware COMPLETELY. Then they crack it for me." BleepingComputer approached Microsoft for comment in advance of publishing. We have not heard back yet. Microsoft support 'cracks' Windows for customer after activation fails

Proof-of-concept includes Switch-style UI, better controller support, and more. The Steam Deck's default Linux operating system and the Proton translation layer can run a surprising number of PC games well, but to maximize compatibility and flexibility (and to use it like a PC when you're not gaming), installing Windows is always an option. There are also alternate handheld PC designs like the AYA Neo that ship with Windows by default. But Windows isn't an ideal operating system for the Steam Deck, at least not out of the box. Its mouse-and-keyboard-oriented user interface isn't comfortable or convenient to use on a small handheld system like the Steam Deck. Windows 11 makes some allowances for touchscreens, but its buttons and menus can still be hard to tap on such a small screen. The controller doesn't work outside of Steam, including on Windows' touchscreen keyboard, and installing drivers and launching games for the first time can be a pain. Microsoft is aware of the problems running Windows on the Steam Deck and other similar handheld Windows PCs, and at least some developers inside the company have spent time thinking of ways to address them. That’s the thrust of a leaked presentation (posted in two parts by Twitter user _h0x0d_) about a new “Handheld Mode” for Windows, developed as part of an internal Microsoft hackathon in September 2022. A Nintendo Switch-style simplified game launcher is one of the proposed features for Handheld Mode. Microsoft/Twitter user _h0x0d_ A new series of first-run screens would simplify driver installation and setup. Microsoft/Twitter user _h0x0d_ The presentation begins with a thoughtful examination of everything in Windows that doesn't work well on the Steam Deck and other handhelds out of the box. Microsoft/Twitter user _h0x0d_ As presented, Handheld Mode includes several components: a new first-time setup screen that simplifies driver installation and setup; an improved touchscreen keyboard that fits better on a 7-inch screen and can be controlled Xbox-style with the built-in buttons and joysticks; a simplified Nintendo Switch-esque game launcher; and improved OS-wide controller support thanks to the open source Steamdeck Windows Controller Driver (SWICD) project. The presentation also calls for other changes to Windows' default behaviors, like always opening apps in full-screen mode when in Handheld Mode, better UI scaling for small screens, and "mapping of controls to common Windows functions." While interesting, we have no idea whether Handheld Mode will get buy-in from the rest of the Windows team, and it's not present anywhere in any of the many Windows Insider Preview channels that Microsoft uses to test new features publicly. Windows 11's interface does change in subtle ways when running on a tablet or a convertible PC in tablet mode, but past attempts to graft an entirely separate alternate interface onto Windows—Media Center for TVs, Windows 8's Start screen for tablets—have ended in failure. Still, the ideas presented are conceptually interesting and thoughtful, and including even basic ideas like better controller support in Windows could meaningfully improve the Steam Deck experience. In the meantime, third-party launchers like Steam's Big Picture Mode and LaunchBox Premium can partially solve the user interface problem—while primarily designed for TVs, both present simpler controller-navigable interfaces that also work OK as game launchers on a small handheld screen. Microsoft is experimenting with a Steam Deck-friendly “handheld mode” for Windows

Microsoft's next generation of Windows — What we know so far Microsoft will soon reveal their next generation of Windows at an upcoming press event later this month. Here is what we know so far about Microsoft's new version of Windows. The upcoming press event is scheduled for June 24th and coincides with a public webcast of the live Windows reveal at 11 AM EST. Way back in 2015, Microsoft's developer evangelist Jerry Nixon stated that Windows 10 is the last version of Windows: "Right now we're releasing Windows 10, and because Windows 10 is the last version of Windows, we're all still working on Windows 10." - Jerry Nixon. However, as pointed out by Microsoft watcher Mary Jo Foley and highlighted by Rich Woods on Twitter, Microsoft has never publicly said in plain words that Windows 10 is the last version of the Windows operating system. Only one developer evangelist only gave the statement. However, the Microsoft PR team never denied it. In fact, Microsoft is slowly dropping hints that suggest Windows 11 is around the corner. For example, the company recently uploaded 11 minutes long relaxing music video on YouTube, which shows off sunlight passing through the Windows logo to form the number '11' on the surface. At the moment, we don't know what the company has in store for us and whether the update is going to be called "Windows 11", but it's safe to assume that it will be based on the long rumoured Windows Sun Valley design, which was recently confirmed in a Microsoft documentation. It's also possible that Microsoft will drop the numbers and start using geographic location names like Sun Valley for Windows updates. Windows 11 features Here's a list of rumoured and expected features, arriving later this year with Windows 11 "Sun Valley" update: Design improvements Windows 11 update will improve the legacy apps and features of the operating system. On the surface, we're expecting Windows to appear more modern with consistent design language, at least for first-party apps. For example, Microsoft will update file Explorer with dark mode support for the popup menus (properties tab, etc.). However, it appears that the company will not replace File Explorer with a modern version. Instead, the plan is to service the existing Explorer and update it with new icons, rounded corners, and dark mode. Microsoft is using WinUI, modern controls, styles to improve the overall experience. WinUI is not a replacement for Fluent Design, and it is supposed to enhance the overall experience by enabling support for the same UI elements everywhere (legacy and modern). Windows Sun Valley update is built on top of the Fluent Design, which means Fluent Design is not going away. On Github, we've already seen new design ideas for app buttons, elements, ListView, buttons, sliders, etc. New animations, gestures New Windows 10 animations As you can see in the above GIF, Microsoft has been working on a new animation for closing/opening windows. This new animation will apply to all apps and windows by default. File Explorer Windows Sun Valley will update File Explorer with new icons, rounded corners, and dark mode improvements. As you can see in the below GIF, Microsoft is spacing out the items, columns, and rows in File Explorer. These changes will help users with touchscreen, and they can easily interact with files without switching to tablet mode. Microsoft previously said that the new File Explorer is designed for better consistency with modern (XAML) experiences, and it doesn't require tablet mode. At the moment, it appears that the tablet experience will be enabled by default, which means you can try out the new layout when you're using the desktop mode (normal experience). New File Explorer compact mode Users can always switch to the old layout called "Compact mode." In addition, there'll be some nifty improvements. For example, the Extract All option for OneDrive files is being introduced. This option shows up when you right-click on a zipped OneDrive file that was set to online-only. New extract all option for OneDrive The second new nifty addition is support for CTRL + Left / Right arrow when renaming files. This lets you move your cursor between words in the file name, as well as CTRL + Delete and CTRL + Backspace to delete words at a time, like other apps and tools in Windows. Windows Camera Settings Microsoft is introducing a new Camera Settings page for advanced users to help them manage the existing cameras, add/remove cameras and configure the default image settings of each one. New Camera settings page This new Settings page can be found at Settings > Devices > Camera, and users can use it to configure the default image settings, As you can see in the above screenshot, this page can be used to change the brightness and contrast. Display Settings Microsoft is adding a new option to the Settings app that will allow you to turn off the content-adaptive brightness control (CABC) feature. For those unaware, the CABC feature is used by OEMs like Dell and Lenovo to improve battery performance on PCs, but it comes at the cost of image quality. In some configurations, it can result in distracting brightness changes. New Windows display settings Starting with the Sun Valley update, you can turn off the feature by navigating to the Display Settings page. Battery usage Windows Sun Valley also includes a redesigned 'Battery' settings page with detailed graphs to help users understand how their laptop/notebook uses the battery. Once enabled, the graphs will appear within the same settings app and users can see their laptop's battery level throughout the day. New battery level and usage graphs Source: Albacore Likewise, you can also open the bar graph view to better understand the battery usage over the past seven days. HDR support for color managed apps Microsoft is enabling support for HDR mode in apps creative and artistic apps that use International Color Consortium (ICC) display color profiles. This includes Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom Classic, and CorelDraw. This feature will allow your favorite apps to get accurate color and access the full gamut of your HDR display. New system font Microsoft is also working on a new Segoe UI Variable that includes an optical axis and allows the font outlines to scale seamlessly from small to larger display sizes. The feature is called "Segoe UI Variable," and Microsoft says it is a refreshed take on the classic Segoe. In theory, it comes with improved legibility for small sizes and much improved outlines at display sizes. It also fixes issues on different form factors and resolutions by enabling support for a new feature that can dynamically offer excellent legibility at very small sizes and style at large sizes. New Segoe UI Variable font A new option under the Power menu on the Start menu Microsoft has enabled support for a new option within the Power menu on the Start menu to help you restart apps after signing in when you reboot your device. This setting is based on the existing "Restart apps" feature, so it's technically not a new feature. This option is currently offered under Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options > Restart apps in Windows 10 May 2020 Update (20H1) or newer. Virtual desktops Sun Valley will also ship with some much-needed multitasking improvements. Microsoft is also on new features for Windows 10's virtual desktop to keep your open apps and projects organized in their own desktops. The problem with virtual desktops is that we cannot reorganize the order of virtual desktops or use unique wallpapers for each virtual desktops. Likewise, it's also not possible to maintain different virtual desktops for two monitors. With the Sun Valley update, Microsoft is introducing three new features for virtual desktops - the ability to reorder (change the position of each virtual desktop), customize the backgrounds for all your virtual desktops, and support for multi-monitor setup. Virtual Desktop customizations To reorder the desktops, follow these steps: Create multiple new Virtual Desktops. Drag and drop a Virtual Desktop to another position. Right-click a Virtual Desktop thumbnail in task view and select “Move left” or “Move right” in the context menu. This will change the order of all virtual desktops. If you want to change the background of the virtual desktops, follow these steps: Open Settings > Personalization > Background. Right-click a background and apply it to a specific Virtual Desktop. Once you’ve selected the background, changes will apply instantly, and you’ll see your new background when you switch to the virtual desktop. New Clipboard You can now use the clipboard history manager (Win + V) to insert emojis and GIFs. New Windows clipboard In addition to these new fancy features, you will now see a “Paste as plain text” option alongside pin and delete. This will allow you to paste the text content of the clipboard without its original formatting (font, color, size etc.), New DNS over HTTPS (DoH) feature DNS over HTTPS (DoH) is a new feature that will allow DNS resolution over encrypted HTTPS connections, and it aims to protect your browsing privacy from outsiders. "If you haven’t been waiting for it, and are wondering what DoH is all about, then be aware this feature will change how your device connects to the Internet and is in an early testing stage so only proceed if you’re sure you’re ready," Microsoft explained DoH in a blog post published last year. In preview, you can test the feature and configure DoH for ethernet connections by following these steps: Open Settings > Network & Internet > Status. Click Properties. Select Edit IP assignment or Edit DNS server assignment. New DNS over HTTPS (DoH) feature Enable DoH in the popup. To configure DoH for Wi-Fi connections, follow these steps: Open Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi. Click the adapter properties link. Select Edit IP assignment or Edit DNS server assignment. Enable DoH in the popup. For more detailed information, see our article on how DoH works on Windows 10. Modern disk management in Settings Microsoft is migrating legacy apps or tools into modern versions found in the Settings. For example, the Settings app is getting the new Disk Management tool, which aims to simplify the disk management process and manage your disks and volumes without using the legacy tool. New modern Disk Management settings 'Manage Disks and Volumes' utility supports better integration with the Storage Spaces and Storage Settings. The disk management tool has been rewritten, and it will initially allow you to view disk information, create and format volumes, and assign drive letters. To access this new tool, you need to go to Settings > System > Storage and click Manage Disks and Volumes. For more detailed information, see our article on the new Disk Management tool. Improved GPU performance Microsoft is giving users greater control over multiple GPUs when running apps in Windows 10. On devices with two GPUs, Windows 10 will use integrated one as a power-saving GPU and the discrete graphics card as a high-performance GPU. This setting will be configured automatically based on your device. Select a specific GPU to use with an application You can also go to the Graphics settings under Settings > Display > Graphics Settings and specify whether an app should use the high-performance or power-saving GPU. For more information, please read our article on GPU controls in Windows 10. Improved Sound Device Settings You can now set default speakers by navigating to Settings > System > Sound. The same page has been updated with a link to the per-app sound screen in the classic Volume Mixer. Other changes in this update Sun Valley update will also classify more apps as 'Inbox apps,'. Apps like Windows Terminal will be automatically installed in Windows 10. After the update, users will find Windows Terminal and Power Automate Desktop installed automatically. In fact, users can soon replace their command-line tool with Terminal on Windows 10. Furthermore, Notepad and these apps will be updated via the Microsoft Store, outside the normal Windows updates. How to test these new features now If you're a member of the Windows Insider Program (join it from Microsoft's website), you can try some of the Sun Valley or Windows 11 features by joining the Dev Channel: Open Start menu. Click on Cog icon to access Settings. Navigate to Update & Security > Windows Insider Program or simply search 'Windows Insider program settings' on Cortana to skip the navigation steps. Click Get Started on Windows Insider page. Link your Microsoft account (Email should be the one that you used earlier to sign up for Insider program). Select "Dev Channel". Reboot. Check for updates and download the update. Microsoft's next generation of Windows — What we know so far

A senior Microsoft employee has teased "something exciting" for Windows next week. Claton Hendricks, who is a Program Manager at Microsoft overseeing the Windows Fundamentals division, shared the following on their Twitter account: One of the key Windows features that Hendricks oversees is the Task Manager. And while there is no evidence anywhere suggesting it is the case, it is possible that a new Task Manager related feature or enhancement could be landing next week. At the moment though it is difficult to say what exactly that will be. However, if one had to guess, then Microsoft could be working towards making the Task Manager more Windows 11-like, something it has gradually been doing for a while. The initial Task Manager on Windows 11 itself was not a redesign as it was based on the Windows 10 style. The company has since added rounded corners to the tool, a whole bunch of accent colors for more customization, and the dark mode. All this visual treatment is meant to make the Task Manager blend in more with the overall vibe of the Windows 11 OS. Aside from cosmetic and design changes, more features too have been added to Task Manager which include stuff like the new live kernel dump option. Senior Microsoft employee teases "something exciting" for Windows next week

For those looking forward to a new Windows Insider build today, Microsoft has confirmed it isn't happening as the company is busy "chasing down" a bug in the upcoming Dev Channel flight. Although the Windows Insider account confirmed it today, Jason Howard, who is on the Engineering Team at Microsoft, suggested yesterday that it wouldn't happen this week due to a pesky bug. We do wonder what kind of bug the developer team has caught as nothing more about it was said, maybe the resizeable Start menu that was accidentally shown off during the Microsoft Ignite event? Or something else. We might catch a hint next week when a new build drops. Microsoft confirms no Dev build this week as it is chasing down a blocking bug

Not so long ago, Microsoft announced a new Snipping Tool app with built-in screen recording capabilities. Although it is great to see Microsoft finally adding a native screen recorder to its operating system, users quickly discovered that the updated app lacks many features, such as the ability to pause a recording, change framerate, and more. Customers puzzled by the lackluster initial release will be glad to learn that Microsoft has released an updated Snipping Tool with some much-needed changes. As noted by Twitter user @PhantomOfEarth, Snipping Tool 11.2212.24.0 now lets you pause a screen recording. Besides, it now features a simplified mode switcher that ditched the "Snip" and "Record" text on the buttons. Finally, the app has received slightly changed controls for customizing the recording area border. Unfortunately, the app still does not allow changing the framerate, which is capped at 30fps, and you cannot reposition the recording area when paused. If you are unhappy with this, be sure to file your complaints in Feedback Hub. You can download the updated Snipping Tool from the Microsoft Store. Those wanting a more capable app for taking screenshots and recording the screen in Windows 11, check out ShareX 15, which is now available for download in the stable channel. Microsoft updates Snipping Tool with the ability to pause screen recording

Millions of people were negatively affected, directly or indirectly, as a result of CrowdStrike's faulty update that launched early on Friday, July 19. Microsoft said later that 8.5 million Windows PC were hit with the botched CrowdStrike update. The results were major businesses being hit with lengthy amounts of downtime and even some critical systems like 911 calls were shut down temporarily. Today, Microsoft posted a new article on its Windows IT Pro blog that talked about how the company has tried to help bring back the shutdown PCs. That includes having over 5,000 of its support engineers working constantly to restore those systems. It also released guides of how users could bring back the CrowdStrike affected PCs, including a recovery tool. The blog post added: While it did not offer any specifics on any future plans to improve Windows resilience, the blog post did mention a couple of recent company efforts, including VBS enclaves, and the Microsoft Azure Attestation service. It stated: The blog post ended with Microsoft stating that it will share what it has learned from this incident, as well as discuss "changes designed to strengthen the broader ecosystem moving forward." It also mentions a list of things businesses can do to make sure they can recover quickly from a similar issue. That includes common sense solutions such as backing up data often and security, and creating a way to restore Windows PCs quickly. Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every single day for many years. 2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of June): 2,839 news posts

Earlier today, Microsoft announced its new checkpoint cumulative updates feature coming to Windows 11 24H2 and Server 2025. The idea behind such checkpoint files is to lower (feature) update sizes thus accelerating the speed of installation and delivery of such updates. Speaking of streamlining sizes, Microsoft today has also announced that it is improving Windows driver packaging. The company is introducing WDK (Windows Driver Kit) NuGet packaging for Windows drivers. So far, WDK has been available as MSI (Microsoft Installer) files or ISO files, but the tech giant has explained the benefits of NuGet. On its official Tech community blog post announcing the change, Microsoft has wrote: Alongside highlighting the advantages, Microsoft has also provided step by step guide on how to install WDK using NuGet. The company notes that Windows 11 and Visual Studio 2022 are needed. You can find more details about the release here on the official Tech community blog post. Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every single day for many years. 2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of June): 2,839 news posts