Microsoft’s licensing strategy for Windows Server and SQL Server when deployed outside Azure has come under increasing scrutiny in the UK, with significant implications for cloud competition and customer choice. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is currently investigating allegations that Microsoft’s licensing changes are harming competitors such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google, and ultimately disadvantaging enterprise customers. This investigation, which has unfolded over...
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When enterprises contemplate moving their substantial IT operations and applications to the cloud, those heavily invested in Microsoft ecosystems face a very challenging dilemma. The practical realities of migrating complex Windows Server and SQL Server workloads swiftly confront IT decision-makers, especially under the cloud market dynamics highlighted in the UK Competition and Markets Authority's (CMA) investigation.
The Microsoft Licensing Conundrum
At the heart of this issue lies...
Microsoft's March 11 Patch Tuesday rollout, a cornerstone event for Windows security, included a critical fix for an NTLM hash-leaking vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-24054. Initially, Microsoft had rated this vulnerability as "less likely" to be exploited, but swift real-world attacks have proved otherwise, highlighting a gap between risk assessment and adversary innovation. Within just eight days of the patches being made available, attackers weaponized CVE-2025-24054 and launched...
Microsoft's Classic Outlook application, a longtime staple for millions of professionals worldwide, has recently encountered an unexpected and frustrating problem: unexplained spikes in CPU usage when composing or interacting with emails. This sudden surge in processor demand, sometimes reaching 30 to 50 percent CPU utilization, has left users and IT professionals alike scrambling for answers and workable solutions.
The Emergence of the Classic Outlook CPU Spike Issue
Users started reporting...
As Microsoft's official support for Windows 10 ends in October 2025, millions of users face a critical juncture regarding the future of their operating systems and hardware setups. The discontinuation of security updates, bug fixes, and technical support means continued use of Windows 10 after this date presents significant cybersecurity risks. For users whose PCs do not meet Windows 11’s strict hardware requirements, such as needing TPM 2.0 and modern CPUs, this transition is fraught with...
Microsoft’s April cumulative update KB5055523 and March preview update KB5053656 for Windows 11 version 24H2 have emerged as the latest in a series of problematic patches that introduce significant stability issues for users. These updates have been reported to cause critical system failures manifesting as blue screen of death (BSOD) errors immediately upon reboot after installation. The specific error code associated, 0x18B indicating a SECURE_KERNEL_ERROR, signals deep kernel-level faults...
When installing a fresh version of Windows—particularly if migrating to the Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) editions of Windows 10—users face the tedious task of reinstalling and configuring a suite of essential applications and runtimes. This process can be time-consuming and error-prone, especially as LTSC editions come stripped of many of the user-friendly, integrated applications found in mainstream Windows releases. Enter Ninite, a deceptively simple yet remarkably powerful tool that...
The ongoing controversy surrounding Microsoft's cloud licensing practices has once again taken center stage in the UK as Amazon Web Services (AWS) lodged formal complaints to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). AWS claims that Microsoft's licensing model unfairly disadvantages its major cloud competitors like AWS and Google Cloud, artificially inflating costs to restrict competition in the cloud services market. These allegations coincide with Europe-wide scrutiny, including a...
Microsoft's latest April 2025 security update for Windows 11 has stirred significant discussion and concern across the IT community and Windows users alike, due to the sudden and unanticipated appearance of an empty folder named "inetpub" on the root of system drives. While the folder may seem innocuous—or even suspicious at first glance—it embodies a complex story of proactive security patching, evolving defensive strategies, and the unintended consequences of hurried fixes.
What Is the...
Microsoft's March and April 2025 Patch Tuesday updates have revealed and addressed a troubling development in cybersecurity: the rapid weaponization of a "less likely to be exploited" NTLM hash-leaking vulnerability, CVE-2025-24054, alongside other critical zero-day flaws emerging in both Microsoft Windows and Apple iOS platforms. These incidents not only highlight persistent weaknesses in legacy authentication protocols like NTLM but also underscore the urgency for immediate patch...
Microsoft's recent move to enforce licensing restrictions on its C/C++ extension for Visual Studio Code (VS Code) has ignited controversy and concern within the developer community, particularly among users of open-source and third-party forks such as VS Codium and the AI-assisted Cursor editor. This enforcement, introduced with the release of version 1.24.5 of the extension in early April 2025, effectively blocks these derivative products from installing or using the extension, marking a...
As Microsoft's October 14, 2025 deadline approaches, Windows 10 users face a critical crossroads: the official end of support for this venerable operating system means no more security updates, no technical assistance, and a heightened risk of cyber threats. For millions worldwide, the familiar Windows 10 experience is nearing sunset, but wholesale abandonment isn't necessarily the only option. Particularly for users whose hardware doesn't meet Windows 11's stringent requirements...
More than a month after mounting complaints, Microsoft has finally delivered a fix for a vexing bug that caused Remote Desktop sessions to freeze on Windows 11 24H2 and Windows Server 2025. This prolonged issue notably disrupted remote management and work-from-home scenarios by rendering keyboard and mouse inputs unresponsive during sessions, compelling users to disconnect and reconnect repeatedly to regain control.
The Remote Desktop Freeze Problem: A Closer Look
The problem originated from...
Ninite remains an indispensable utility for Windows users who frequently install or reinstall their operating system, particularly those adopting specialized or stripped-down editions such as Windows 10 LTSC. Its enduring relevance after more than a decade since its first feature coverage underscores its cleverness in automating one of the most mundane yet critical stages of Windows system setup: installing a curated suite of applications.
Evolution and Core Utility of Ninite
Initially...
Microsoft's April 2025 update for Windows 11 has introduced a peculiar and unexpected change that has caught the attention of IT administrators, security researchers, and everyday users alike: the automatic creation of a mysterious folder named "inetpub" at the root of the system drive, typically C:\inetpub. This unanticipated folder appearance has sparked confusion, concern, and scrutiny, primarily because "inetpub" is historically tied to Internet Information Services (IIS), Microsoft's...
Microsoft's recent decision to restrict its C/C++ extension for Visual Studio Code (VS Code) exclusively to official Microsoft products has stirred a notable backlash among developers who use VS Code derivatives like VS Codium and the AI-enhanced Cursor editor. This move, first enforced around April 3, 2025, marks a shift in how Microsoft enforces long-standing licensing terms that previously went unchecked in practice, affecting workflows, competition, and the open-source ecosystem at...
More than a month after widespread complaints, Microsoft has rolled out a crucial patch to resolve a vexing Remote Desktop bug that had been causing sessions to freeze across Windows 11 version 24H2 and Windows Server 2025. The issue originated with a flawed February 2025 update, which revealed a critical flaw affecting remote input responsiveness. Users experienced Remote Desktop sessions where mouse and keyboard inputs would abruptly become unresponsive, effectively freezing the session...
The inetpub folder in Windows has recently become a focal point of discussion and concern among Windows users and IT professionals alike, notably since the April 2025 cumulative update for Windows 11 and Windows 10. Traditionally, inetpub is the default directory used by Microsoft’s Internet Information Services (IIS) web server to store website files and logs. On systems that don’t enable IIS, its presence used to be rare, but following the April 2025 update, inetpub appears automatically...
The "inetpub" folder has recently become a focal point of discussion and concern among Windows 11 users following the April 2025 cumulative update (notably KB5055523). Traditionally, "inetpub" is known as the directory used by Microsoft's Internet Information Services (IIS)—a web server platform typically found on machines configured for hosting web services. However, with this update, the "inetpub" folder began appearing on almost all Windows 11 systems regardless of whether IIS was...
Microsoft has rolled out Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5570 to the Dev Channel, marking another step in its iterative enhancement of the operating system, accompanied by a mix of new features, accessibility improvements, and bug fixes. This build showcases Microsoft's approach to balancing user customization, productivity enhancements, and the gradual introduction of AI-powered capabilities designed for specific hardware configurations. It also underscores a cultural shift in how...