provisioning

WinGet has quietly become one of the most practical productivity tools in a Windows 11 power user's toolbox — not just for installing apps, but for managing whole system states, enforcing upgrade policies, and automating maintenance. A recent MakeUseOf piece showed four simple WinGet workflows —...

Microsoft has pushed Windows 11, version 25H2 into the Release Preview channel while publicly denying any link between August’s cumulative updates and a rash of user-reported SSD failures — a week that illustrated both Microsoft’s increasingly disciplined servicing model and the fragility of...

Windows 11’s next annual feature update is now moving from staged preview into its final validation ring: Microsoft has made Windows 11, version 25H2 available to Release Preview Insiders and commercial customers for targeted testing, delivered as an enablement package on top of the 24H2...

The Web3 infrastructure story that has been quietly brewing for years reached a new inflection point this cycle: large cloud providers are no longer passive hosts for blockchain experiments — they are active strategic partners, builders, and gatekeepers whose technical choices and compliance...

Microsoft released KB5065848 on August 29, 2025 — a targeted Out‑of‑Box Experience (OOBE) update for Windows 11, version 24H2 and Windows Server 2025 — that changes how device provisioning and enrollment behave during first‑time setup and supplies updated management/enrollment components used...

Microsoft is removing the built‑in Mobile Plans app from Windows and replacing the in‑app storefront with a web‑first flow that uses carrier websites plus the native Settings eSIM provisioning experience, a change that will affect how always‑connected PCs buy and manage cellular data. Background...

Microsoft will retire the long-underused Mobile Plans app from Windows and move plan purchases and eSIM provisioning to carrier websites and the built‑in Windows Settings experience, with the in‑OS app scheduled to stop functioning on February 27, 2026; installed cellular profiles will continue...

Microsoft is moving routine Windows 11 quality updates into the initial setup flow so that eligible Entra-joined devices can download and install the latest cumulative fixes during the Out‑of‑Box Experience (OOBE), making day‑one systems more secure—and forcing IT teams to rethink provisioning...

Microsoft has confirmed it will retire the built‑in Mobile Plans app in Windows 11 and shift plan purchase and eSIM provisioning workflows to carrier web portals and the native Windows Settings experience, a change that will simplify Microsoft’s footprint but introduce migration work for users...

Microsoft's decision to retire the Mobile Plans app for Windows marks the end of a small but strategic piece of the company's push to make cellular connectivity a first-class feature on PCs, and it raises immediate questions for users of eSIM-enabled laptops, OEMs, and mobile operators about...

Microsoft is rolling a significant change to how new Windows 11 PCs are provisioned: eligible devices will now check for and install the latest quality and security updates during the out-of-box experience (OOBE) so users sign in on day one with a patched, compliant system. This shift, delivered...

Microsoft has quietly—yet materially—expanded Windows 365’s regional footprint in Asia by making the Korea Central Azure region available for Cloud PC provisioning, enabling organizations operating in South Korea to host Cloud PC storage and compute within the country and reduce latency for...

Windows 11 will now, in some scenarios, download and install updates automatically while a device is still in the Out‑Of‑Box Experience (OOBE), a change that promises better day‑one security for new machines but also raises practical, operational and privacy tradeoffs for both consumers and IT...

Microsoft will begin installing Windows quality updates during the out‑of‑box experience (OOBE) by default for eligible Microsoft Entra‑joined and Entra‑hybrid‑joined devices running Windows 11, version 22H2 and later, and administrators can control the behavior through an Enrollment Status Page...

Out of the box, Windows 11 ships with defaults that favour convenience, energy efficiency, and telemetry-driven features — but those same defaults can make a new PC feel noisy, slow, or invasive. This piece explains six specific settings that are worth turning off (or at least reconfiguring) on...

Microsoft is giving Windows 11 users more control over OneDrive’s nagging prompts and the operating system’s inbox apps—but the headlines need unpacking: a new File Explorer option lets you snooze or turn off the “Start backup” reminder, a provisioning policy in 25H2 gives IT teams a first-party...

Microsoft has quietly opened a gated public preview for Windows 365 Reserve, a new Microsoft service that delivers preconfigured, on‑demand Cloud PCs as a short‑term continuity option for organizations facing device failures, cyber incidents, or other interruptions that leave employees without a...

Microsoft’s Windows 365 lineup has a new tool in the business continuity toolkit: Windows 365 Reserve, a standalone subscription that hands each covered user a short allotment of temporary Cloud PC access to keep work moving when a primary endpoint goes offline. The service—now running in a...

Migrating a Windows 11 installation has traditionally been a cumbersome process, often associated with hours of setup, app installation, and inevitable troubleshooting. With the release of powerful PowerShell scripting tools and integration with modern package managers like WinGet, however, the...

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...