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Thread 'Windows 10 End of Support 2025: ESU, Windows 11 Minimums, and Workarounds'
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...
Thread 'Windows 10 End of Support 2025: Upgrade Paths, ESU Options, and Migration'
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...
Thread 'Windows 11 Insider: One Click RAM Diagnostic After BSOD'
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...
Thread 'Enable AutoPlay in Windows 11: Quick setup, security tips, and troubleshooting'
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...
Thread 'Windows 11 October 2025 Preview: Start Menu Redesign and On-Device AI Copilot'
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...
Thread 'Dell AI First PCs: Copilot+ Laptops and Pro Max Deskside Workstations'
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...
Thread 'Framework Laptop 12 Review: Affordable Repairable Linux Convertible'
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...
Thread 'NETGEAR Nighthawk A8000 WiFi 6E USB Adapter Real World vs AXE3000'
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...
Thread 'Windows Insider 11th Anniversary Wallpapers: Light and Dark Bloom Art'
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...
Thread 'Microsoft Copilot Gets Mico Avatar: A Voice First, Emotionally Aware AI'
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...
Thread 'Town of Oliver Approves Interim AI Policy Prohibiting Open AI Tools'
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...
Thread 'OpenAI Becomes Public Benefit Corporation in Multicloud Pact with Microsoft'
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...
Thread 'Windows 11 25H2 Enablement: On‑Device Copilot AI and Enterprise Resiliency'
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...
Thread 'Windows 11 Local Printer Setup: Quick Install and Pro Troubleshooting'
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...
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Thread 'Windows 11 KB5067036 Preview: Fluid Dictation and Copilot Plus'
Microsoft’s optional Release Preview cumulative KB5067036 delivers a focused but consequential set of non‑security upgrades for Windows 11—most notably Fluid Dictation inside Voice Access and an expanded Improved Windows Search experience on Copilot+ PCs—while also shipping a package of UI refinements (Start menu, File Explorer hover actions), Copilot/Click‑to‑Do enhancements, and multiple stability fixes that administrators and power users should plan for now. Background / Overview...
Thread 'Windows 11 Copilot Enhanced: Click to Do with On-Device Phi Silica'
Microsoft’s optional Release Preview update KB5067036 lifts the Windows 11 servicing binaries for both 24H2 and 25H2 and turns Click to Do from a lightweight selection menu into a capability-rich Copilot gateway on Copilot+ PCs — adding a typeable Copilot prompt box, local prompt suggestions powered by Microsoft’s Phi‑Silica on‑device model, inline translation, unit conversions, improved multi‑selection (freeform, rectangle, Ctrl+click), table detection with Excel export paths, Live Persona...
Thread 'Urgent WSUS CVE-2025-59287 RCE Patch and Defender Playbook'
Microsoft and multiple security vendors are warning of an active, high‑urgency exploitation campaign that abuses a critical, unauthenticated Remote Code Execution (RCE) flaw in Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) — tracked as CVE‑2025‑59287 — and defenders must treat every WSUS host as a top‑tier remediation priority until verified patched or safely isolated. The flaw is an unsafe deserialization weakness in WSUS reporting/web-service code that lets an unauthenticated attacker send a...
Thread 'Copilot in Windows 11: AI Powered Microsoft 365 Companion Apps on the Taskbar'
Microsoft is weaving Copilot deeper into Windows with the addition of contextual Copilot features to the new Microsoft 365 companion apps — People, Files, and Calendar — turning lightweight, taskbar-anchored mini‑apps into promptable productivity shortcuts that can summarize files, surface recent communications, and generate meeting talking points, while shipping with automatic installation and startup behavior that IT teams must plan for. Overview Microsoft’s Microsoft 365 companion apps...
Thread 'Windows 10 End of Support 2025: Practical Linux or ChromeOS Flex Migration'
When Microsoft ended mainstream security updates for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025, millions of still‑serviceable PCs were suddenly left at a crossroads — but for many owners the cleanest, cheapest, and greenest response is a switch to Linux or a lightweight alternative rather than buying a new machine. Background / Overview The formal end‑of‑support date for Windows 10 is a hard deadline: after October 14, 2025 Microsoft stopped shipping regular security updates and feature servicing for...
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