Google has quietly pushed a Spotlight‑style search experience onto the Windows desktop: an experimental, keyboard‑first Google Search app that summons a floating search bar with Alt + Space and can return results from local files, installed apps, Google Drive, and the web — and it bundles Google...
ai mode
alt space
alt space launcher
drive integration
enterprise
google drive
google windows app
keyboard shortcut
lens integration
local search
multimodal search
privacyconcerns
productivity
search labs
spotlight style search
telemetry
web search
windows 10
windows 11
windows desktop
For years the reflex was simple: buy a third‑party antivirus suite and assume you were safer — but the calculus has shifted. A growing number of users and reviewers now say you can reasonably ditch paid antivirus software and rely on the built‑in protections in Windows Security (Microsoft...
Google’s experiment quietly drops a compact, Spotlight‑style search bar onto the Windows desktop — summonable with Alt + Space — that unifies local files, installed apps, Google Drive and the web, and layers in Google Lens and an optional AI Mode for conversational, multimodal answers...
ai mode
alt space
desktop search
enterprise readiness
google app for windows
google drive integration
google lens
keyboard shortcut
local and web search
multimodal search
privacyconcerns
productivity
search labs
spotlight style search
unified search
visual search
windows 10
windows 11
windows spotlight style
Microsoft has quietly begun steering Windows 10 users toward three hard choices—enroll in a one‑year Extended Security Updates (ESU) plan, upgrade to Windows 11, or trade in / recycle aging hardware—by adding an ESU “Enroll now” prompt and a new “Learn about options to trade‑in or recycle your...
carbon removal
copilot plus pcs
end of life windows 10
end of support 2025
environmental impact
esu enrollment
extended security updates
hardware upgrade
privacyconcerns
recycling programs
secure boot
teladvance
tpm 2.0
trade-in program
windows 10
windows 10 esu
windows 11
windows update ui
AMD's recent engineering notes and driver rollouts close several long-standing installation pain points for Windows users, but they also expose recurring process weaknesses that enthusiasts and IT pros should know before clicking "Install."
Background
Over the past two years, AMD has been...
22h2 eligibility
amd
amd cleanup utility
backup and recovery
boot failure
carbon removal
cloud account syncing
copilot+ pcs
ddu
device lifecycle
driver installation
e-waste
end of support
esu enrollment
factory reset
hardware refresh
installer progress
it pros
microsoft rewards
oem customization
oem support
preflight checks
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radeon adrenalin
recycling pcs
ryzen chipset
sustainability
system recovery
teladvance
tpm 2.0
trade-in program
windows
windows 10 esu
windows 11 upgrade
windows update
windows update ui
Consumer watchdog Consumer Reports has formally urged Microsoft to extend free security updates for Windows 10 beyond the company’s announced October 14, 2025 end‑of‑support date, arguing that the current one‑year consumer Extended Security Updates (ESU) option and paywall risk leaving hundreds...
consumer reports
digital equity
digital-equity
e-waste
end-of-support
extended security updates
privacyprivacyconcerns
public-safety
secure boot
secure-boot
security-updates
tpm 2.0
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trade-in programs
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windows 10 market share
windows 11 migration
windows-11
Google has quietly dropped an experimental desktop app for Windows that behaves like a modern, Spotlight‑style launcher — summonable with Alt + Space — and bundles unified local + cloud + web search with Google Lens and the company’s AI Mode, promising to fix many of the long-standing pain...
ai mode
ai mode multimodal
alt space shortcut
desktop search
drive integration
enterprise admin controls
enterprise privacy
google app windows
google app windows labs
google lens
google lens desktop
local indexing vs cloud processing
powertoys run
privacyconcernsprivacy telemetry controls
search labs
search labs experiment
unified search
unified search overlay
windows spotlight style
Google is quietly rolling a new Windows-native search experience into its Labs program that brings the company’s web search, Google Lens, and its AI-powered AI Mode onto the desktop — reachable instantly with an Alt + Space hotkey and designed to search your local files, installed apps, Google...
Google’s experimental Windows app aims to remove the friction of switching windows to look something up — a floating, Spotlight‑like search bar you summon with Alt + Space that can search local files, installed apps, Google Drive, and the web, and that folds in Google Lens and the company’s AI...
accessibility
admin controls
ai assistant
ai mode
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ai-assisted
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ai-powered launcher
aimode
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experimental
filesearch
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gemini ai
generativeai
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integration
itadmin
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labs experiment
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lens
lens integration
lens ocr
lens-capture
local and cloud search
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local indexing
local search
local search windows
local-and-web
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localsearch
microsoft copilot
multimodal
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ocr
open-source
opt-in
os integration
os launcher
os search ux
os shell
osintegration
overlay
overlay app
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privacyprivacy and security
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workspace support
Consumer advocates have formally asked Microsoft to blunt the October 14, 2025 end‑of‑support deadline for Windows 10, arguing that the company’s current plan—ending free security updates for mainstream consumers while offering a short, account‑linked or paid Extended Security Updates (ESU)...
data backup
end of life
end of support
esu
esu enrollment
extended security updates
microsoft account
migration options
privacyconcerns
security updates
small business
upgrade to windows 11
windows 10
windows 10 esu
windows 11
windows 11 compatibility
windows lifecycle
Consumer Reports has formally asked Microsoft to keep providing free security updates for Windows 10 beyond the company’s announced October 14, 2025 end‑of‑support date, warning that the current one‑year, consumer Extended Security Updates (ESU) plan and paid options will leave millions of...
consumer advocacy
consumer esu
digital inclusion
e-waste
environmental impact
extended security updates
hardware requirements
hardware upgrade
microsoft account
pc health check
privacyconcernsprivacy tradeoffs
secure boot
software lifecycle
tpm 2.0
windows 10 end of life
windows 10 end of support
windows 11 migration
Microsoft has given Windows 10 users a narrow, conditional lifeline: you can keep receiving security updates after the OS’s official end-of-support date — but only if you complete a short, specific checklist and enroll in the consumer Extended Security Updates (ESU) pathway before the deadline...
backup strategy
end of support
enrollment
esu
extended security updates
hardware requirements
microsoft account
microsoft rewards
migration planning
onedrive
privacyprivacyconcerns
secure boot
security updates
tpm 2.0
windows 10
windows 10 22h2
windows 10 esu
windows update
Microsoft’s October deadline for Windows 10 support has arrived like a ringing bell for an industry that—by several measures—wasn’t ready: large numbers of consumer and corporate endpoints still run Windows 10, many organisations face compatibility and budget constraints, and the safety net...
22h2
22h2 end of life
account linkage
avd
azure virtual desktop
azure-virtual-desktop
back up and recovery
back-up
backup
backup and recovery
backup recovery
budgeting
build 19045.6388
chromeos
chromeos flex
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device inventory
device refresh
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e-waste
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edge webview2
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enterprise-esu
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eol 2025
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intune
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it migration
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it planning
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kb5063709
kb5065429
kb5066198
lifecycle
lifecycle support
linux
linux alternative
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ltsc
ltsc ltsb
macos
macos migration
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network security
oem bios
office 365 apps
onedrive
onedrive backup
os build 19044.6332
os build 19045.6332
os end of life
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patch-management
patching
pc health check
pc maintenance
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pirg
policy makers
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windows lifecycle
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windows migration to windows 11
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windows support lifecycle
windows update
windows-10
windows-11
windows-11-upgrade
windows-365
wsus
Microsoft has quietly expanded the Second Chance Out‑of‑Box Experience (SCOOBE) in Windows 11 Insider builds so it can surface a full‑screen reminder when a Microsoft 365 subscription “needs attention” — for example, when a renewal payment fails — and that reminder can appear before the desktop...
billing
enterprise management
file explorer
full screen
group policy
insider preview
mdm
microsoft 365
oobe
payment
privacyconcerns
promotional prompt
regulatory
scoobe
second chance
startup prompt
subscription
sync provider notifications
user experience
windows 11
Microsoft pushed Windows 10 cumulative update KB5065429 to 22H2 machines this week, a mandatory security rollup that arrives as the platform approaches its October 14, 2025 end‑of‑support deadline — and it’s tightly linked to Microsoft’s consumer Extended Security Updates (ESU) enrollment path...
22h2
arch linux
azure virtual desktop
backup
backup strategy
backups and imaging
beginner linux guide
consumer esu
consumer esu options
consumer-esu
data backup
data-backup
debian sid
defender updates
device backup
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disk image
edge
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enroll-now
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gentoo linux
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home users
kb5063709
kb5065429
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lifecycle
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linux for beginners
linux from scratch
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linux mint
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manjaro
microsoft 365 apps
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migration to windows 11
multi-device license
october 14 2025
office 365
office updates
offline install
onedrive
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openbsd
opensuse
os build 19045.6332
os migration
os migration checklist
os migration tips
os security updates
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patch tuesday
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webview2
windows 10
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windows 10 consumer esu
windows 10 end of support
windows 11
windows 11 migration
windows 11 upgrade
windows 365
windows backup
windows update
windows-10
windows-11-migration
windows-update
zorin os
Microsoft quietly built a practical pause button for millions of Windows 10 PCs: if you meet a few requirements and follow the enrollment wizard, you can receive one extra year of security updates—without paying—by using Microsoft’s built‑in backup/sync option or by redeeming Microsoft Rewards...
22h2
consumer esu
end of support
enrollment
enterprise esu
esu
esu enrollment
extended security updates
hardware upgrade
microsoft account
microsoft rewards
one-time purchase
privacyconcerns
security updates
windows 10
windows 10 end of support
windows 10 esu
windows 11 upgrade
windows update
Microsoft has set a hard cutoff for Windows 10: free mainstream support and monthly security updates stop on October 14, 2025, but a one‑year safety net — the consumer Extended Security Updates (ESU) program — gives eligible Windows 10 users a bridge until October 13, 2026.
Background /...
Microsoft’s decision to sunset Windows 10 has moved from distant calendar noise to a pressing deadline: the OS reaches end of support on October 14, 2025, and Microsoft is offering a limited consumer path to buy one more year of security-only updates — including a surprising set of free entry...
consumer esu
e-waste
end of support
esu
esu consumer
esu enrollment
extended security updates
microsoft rewards
onedrive
privacyconcerns
secure boot
tpm 2.0
windows 10
windows 10 end of support
windows 11 upgrade
windows backup
Microsoft has given Windows 10 users a narrow, conditional lifeline: if you want to keep receiving security updates after the platform’s official end-of-support date, there’s a single, time-sensitive action you must complete — enroll the eligible PC in Microsoft’s consumer Extended Security...
consumer esu
data backup
end of support
enrollment
enterprise esu
esu
extended security updates
hardware requirements
kb5063709
microsoft account
microsoft rewards
migration plan
onedrive
phased rollout
privacyconcerns
security updates
windows 10
windows 10 22h2
windows 11 migration
windows update
Microsoft’s decision to stop issuing free security updates for Windows 10 on 14 October 2025 has forced IT leaders into a binary choice: pay to buy time, or accelerate an estate-wide migration to Windows 11 — and the short-term cost of staying on Windows 10 could be measured in billions for...