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Microsoft’s latest Windows 11 preview—delivered as KB5067036—introduces a long‑anticipated security control called Administrator Protection that changes how administrative rights are granted on a running PC: instead of ambient, free‑floating privileges, elevation is handled just‑in‑time and bound to a short‑lived, isolated admin token that requires Windows Hello verification before it’s issued. Background / Overview Microsoft released KB5067036 as an optional preview cumulative update for...

Microsoft is testing a new, consent-driven feature in Windows 11 that surfaces a sign‑in notification after a crash and offers to schedule a quick, pre‑boot memory diagnostic on the next restart to help detect RAM faults early. Background Memory corruption is one of those failure modes that can masquerade as software bugs, driver faults, or intermittent application crashes. For years Windows has included the built‑in Windows Memory Diagnostic (mdsched.exe) as an offline tool administrators...

Microsoft’s latest Copilot release pushes the assistant from a useful tool toward a persistent, social, and personality-driven companion — a fall update that adds shared AI chats, long‑term memory, cross‑service connectors, an expressive avatar, health‑grounded answers, deeper browser agency, and hands‑free voice activation, all rolled out in a staged, U.S.-first preview. Background / Overview Microsoft presented this consumer‑focused wave of Copilot changes as a coordinated “Fall Release”...

Microsoft’s next Xbox may not be a closed, custom console in the traditional sense — instead, multiple reports and platform moves suggest Microsoft is testing a future where the Xbox experience sits on top of a Windows 11 core, turning the next Xbox into a TV‑focused, console‑grade Windows machine with a controller‑first shell layered over the PC ecosystem. Background The idea that the next‑generation Xbox could run a version of Windows 11 grew from a string of public signals: Xbox...

Microsoft appears to be plotting a decisive pivot: the next-generation Xbox is reported to run a full Windows operating system under a TV-optimized, console-style shell — a design that would let the device host third‑party PC storefronts like Steam, Epic Games Store, and Battle.net alongside Microsoft’s store, while preserving a familiar, console-first experience for living‑room play. This shift, if it comes to pass, reframes the Xbox as a premium Windows gaming appliance that can act both...

Microsoft Excel no longer needs to be a spreadsheet puzzle reserved for power users — with Copilot built into Excel, beginners can lean on AI to generate formulas, clean data, create charts, and even run multi‑step analyses while still learning the core skills that make spreadsheets reliable and auditable. Background: why this matters now Excel has always been the default workhorse for organizing, analyzing, and presenting tabular information. Historically, learning Excel meant memorizing...

Microsoft’s October 14, 2025 cutoff for Windows 10 support has forced a stark choice for millions of users: upgrade to Windows 11 where hardware allows, enroll in a time‑limited Extended Security Updates (ESU) program, or remain on an increasingly risky, unsupported OS—and a wave of community workarounds to force Windows 11 onto older machines has returned, carrying real stability, update, warranty and security trade‑offs that must be understood before anyone attempts them. Background The...

Windows 10 has reached its vendor-supported finish line, and the practical consequences for businesses are immediate: Microsoft stopped mainstream servicing on October 14, 2025, leaving organizations with a narrow set of pragmatic paths — upgrade eligible devices to Windows 11, buy time with a time‑boxed Extended Security Update (ESU) option, or migrate workloads and endpoints to alternative platforms — all while balancing security, compatibility and cost. Background / Overview Microsoft’s...

Microsoft has added a lightweight, consent-driven RAM triage step to Windows 11 Insider builds that prompts users to schedule a quick Windows Memory Diagnostic after a bug check (BSOD) and reboot — a small but pragmatic change that could shorten time‑to‑diagnosis for memory-related crashes while raising important questions about scope, accuracy, and enterprise manageability. Background Microsoft introduced the new Proactive Memory Diagnostics flow in the Windows Insider Preview updates...

Enabling AutoPlay in Windows 11 is a two‑minute change that can instantly streamline how your PC responds to USB sticks, memory cards, optical discs, and cameras — but it also brings security trade‑offs and occasional quirks that every user should understand before flipping the switch. Background AutoPlay is a legacy Windows feature that detects newly attached removable media and automatically offers or runs an action — for example, opening a File Explorer window for a USB flash drive...

Microsoft’s October 2025 non‑security preview (KB5067036) for Windows 11—covering both version 25H2 and 24H2—arrives as a dense blend of visible UI changes, deeper Copilot integrations, on‑device AI features for accessibility, and a raft of reliability fixes; Microsoft published the package as OS Builds 26200.7019 and 26100.7019 on October 28, 2025, and explicitly split delivery into a gradual (controlled) rollout and a normal rollout so feature exposure depends on hardware, account type...

Dell’s newest PC messaging isn’t subtle: put AI at the center of the machine, pair it with modern silicon and bigger batteries, and you get devices that promise speed, smarts, and staying power—from everyday Copilot+ laptops to deskside AI workstations aimed at developers and researchers. The coverage that accompanied Dell’s recent product push frames the story as both a hardware and services play: new Copilot+ notebooks and “Plus” series laptops for mainstream users, modular and...

The first time I snapped the bottom cover onto a bare Framework Laptop 12 and watched the system spring to life with a freshly flashed Linux live USB, I felt something I hadn't expected from a mass-market laptop: the confident certainty that I could take this machine apart, rebuild it, and change where it would sit in my workflow — not because I had to, but because I wanted to. That sense of ownership is the core news here: Framework's new 12-inch convertible is a legitimately affordable...

NETGEAR’s Nighthawk AXE3000 USB 3.0 adapter (A8000) brings Wi‑Fi 6E to Windows desktops and laptops in a tiny dongle — promising tri‑band AXE3000 performance (up to a combined 3 Gbps), a flip‑open antenna, USB 3.0 cradle, and WPA3 security — but real‑world returns depend heavily on drivers, OS support, and your router infrastructure. Background / Overview Wi‑Fi 6E opened the 6 GHz band to consumer Wi‑Fi, adding wide, low‑interference channels that can dramatically reduce latency and...

Microsoft has quietly marked the Windows Insider Program’s 11th anniversary with two new, theme‑aware wallpapers — offered in both Light and Dark variants and packaged for desktop and phone — a small but deliberate design gesture that underscores the program’s continuing role as Microsoft’s public product lab and community touchpoint. Background The Windows Insider Program began as a public experiment in October 2014, inviting enthusiasts, IT pros and developers to test pre‑release Windows...

Microsoft’s Copilot just got a face — and a personality — with the introduction of Mico, a shape-shifting avatar designed to make voice interactions feel more expressive, empathetic, and, intentionally or not, a little nostalgic. Announced by Microsoft as part of a broad Copilot update on October 23, 2025, Mico is billed as an optional, real-time visual companion that reacts to voice tone, mirrors emotional cues, and offers new conversational behaviors — from gentle pushback to collaborative...

The Town of Oliver has taken a decisive—if cautious—step toward governing artificial intelligence in municipal operations, asking staff to draft an “appropriate-use” AI policy while temporarily banning the use of open generative AI tools such as ChatGPT for official business and continuing to rely on Microsoft Copilot within its secured tenant environment. Background Oliver’s Council discussed AI governance at a Committee of the Whole meeting on October 27, where staff presented background...

OpenAI’s commercial arm has been remade into a Public Benefit Corporation and the company’s decades‑defining partnership with Microsoft has been rewritten — a pact that secures Microsoft’s deep economic exposure while giving OpenAI the corporate flexibility, capital access, and multicloud compute corridors it says are essential to race toward artificial general intelligence (AGI). Background OpenAI began in 2015 as a nonprofit research lab with a singular public‑minded mission: build AGI...

Microsoft has started delivering Windows 11 version 25H2 to the broad user base, but this “feature release” is more accurately a fast, low-friction enablement package that flips on a year’s worth of AI integrations, stability work and manageability improvements already staged in the 24H2 servicing stream. Background / Overview Windows 11 25H2 is not a monolithic rebase of the operating system. Microsoft shipped most of the feature code earlier in monthly updates and uses a small enablement...

Installing a local printer on Windows 11 should be a five‑minute task—but real life often adds a twist or two. This feature walks you through a complete, practical setup: from powering on and plugging in to advanced port fixes, Print Spooler recovery, and safe driver practices. It consolidates the simple steps Windows expects you to follow with the deeper, battle‑tested fixes that solve the stubborn cases every Windows admin and power user will recognize. Background Windows 11 exposes a...