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Recently, we have been covering quite a lot of retro stuff for Windows which shows how modern apps have their roots in the '90s.

If you are a fan of the bygone era of Windows, you are likely to be delighted about the latest announcement. Microsoft, in collaboration with IBM, has announced that it is open-sourcing MS-DOS 4.00 as the two worked together on the underlying code.

Windows 11 will be supercharged with AI designed to enhance productivity and search across the OS.

It's an open secret that Microsoft is gearing up to supercharge Windows 11 this summer with next-gen AI capabilities that will enable the OS to be context aware across any apps and interfaces, as well as remember everything you do on your PC to enhance user productivity and search.

A second-hand Surface Pro X has completely changed my perspective on ARM64 and the future of Windows on ARM.

Valinet, the maker of ExplorerPatcher, a popular app for tweaking the UI in Windows, has released an update under version 22621.3527.65.1. This version brings one important change: it no longer allows reverting to the old Windows 10 taskbar on systems with Windows 11 version 24H2 and its early builds (build 26002 and hither).

Last week, Microsoft released build 26200.5001 to the Windows 11 Canary channel Insiders. The build brings Widgets improvements, and more changes plus bug fixes
 
Alongside the announced set of changes though, the company is also tweaking the Settings text related to the Recommended section toggle in Windows 11 which now specifically mentions "ads."

Microsoft is currently tweaking the system requirements for the upcoming Windows 11 version, 24H2, expected to be generally available in September or October 2024. The feature update will be jam-packed with AI and as such it is speculated that certain CPU instructions are necessary.

Earlier this week, Microsoft released the latest non-security preview update for Windows 10 22H2. In the change log for the update, there's a mention that the Latest Cumulative Update (LCU) "will no longer have the reverse differentials," which should cut down the size of the download package.

In this episode of "How to make Windows 11 more annoying," Microsoft is bringing new Start menu ads to all users. KB5036980, the latest non-security update for Windows 11 versions 22H2 and 23H2, brings app "recommendations" directly to the Start menu. Now, recommended content on your Start menu includes files, recently installed apps, tips, and ads. Fortunately, you can turn that off.

Microsoft has released non-security updates for Windows 11 22H2 and 23H2 under KB5036980, The build numbers are 22621.3527 and 22631.3527. These builds include changes to the Start menu for apps, Widgets improvements, and more.

If you can't get to an app because it appears off the screen, try these three things to fix the problem.

On Windows 11, if a window moves out of the screen, you have multiple ways to make it viewable again, and in this guide, I will show you two tricks to accomplish this task.

By Susan Bradley

The April updates have been relatively quiet, with some exceptions.

That’s why I’m lowering the MS-DEFCON level to 4. Most of my concerns lie not with this month’s patches but rather with the timing of future mandates.

A couple of days ago, we reported about a recently discovered Windows 11 24H2 system bypass trick that works on non-LTSC systems too, though it was initially thought to work only on LTSC PCs.
 
However, if you want to use the trick above, or some of the other ones available out there, to bypass the Windows 11 24H2 eligibility check on some really old systems, like those sporting Intel Core 2 Duo, to AMD Athlon (the original from back in the early 2000s), then you are going to be out of luck.

Mozilla Foundation recently released Firefox version 125, which went off to a somewhat rough start. Shortly after the initial release, Mozilla pulled version 125.0 due to a "high-severity quality issue," which forced the company to release a bug-fixing update under version 125.0.1. Now, Mozilla pushed another small update to combat another problem. This time, it reverts a security improvement implemented in version 125.0.1.

Every week we take a close look at the most pirated movies on torrent sites. What are pirates downloading? 'Dune: Part Two' tops the chart, followed by 'Immaculate'. ‘'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire' completes the top three.
 
The data for our weekly download chart is estimated by TorrentFreak, and is for informational and educational reference only.
 
Downloading content without permission is copyright infringement. These torrent download statistics are only meant to provide further insight into piracy trends. All data are gathered from public resources.

Show yourself, coward. I will never finish setting up my PC.

A couple of weeks ago, I ran out of screen on the one external monitor my work-issued MacBook Air can run. So I switched to my five-year-old Windows desktop and plugged in another monitor. Love it. Productivity through the roof. But it means that I’m finally spending significant time in Windows 11, and gosh, is it janky.

The maker of Tiny11, a third-party project that aims to make Windows 11 less bloated with unnecessary parts, released a new version of Tiny11 Builder, a special tool that lets you create a custom Windows 11 image tailored to your needs and preferences. The latest release makes it much easier to create a lightweight Windows 11 ISO without worrying about installing a system modified by unknown third parties.

When your PC misbehaves, the first thing that most of us do or are on the verge of doing is reinstalling the operating system. That's what most normal users would do, and that gets the job done and fixes the issue, most of the time. You might have seen different ways of repairing, resetting, or reinstalling Windows 11, such as using the Reset This PC option, using the Media Creation Tool to create a bootable disc or USB to format the PC, etc.

Can't find the brightness controls on your PC? Here's the help you need on Windows 11.
If you want to turn down or up the brightness on your laptop or desktop computer, Windows 11 offers multiple methods to complete this configuration.

Microsoft is on a roll with updating its app store on Windows 10 and 11. Following the recent release of performance upgrades and improved algorithms, the company announced big changes in how the web version of the Microsoft Store works. Now, every user can download app executables directly from the website using new "installers for web."

Microsoft recently faced a double whammy from two of its former employees. One of them happens to be an ex-Windows UX head who took a slightly sarcastic dig at Microsoft for its introduction of more ads and promos via the Recommended section in the Start menu.
 
The other is also a former Windows engineer who labeled the performance of the Start menu as "comically bad" and wanted to bring the company's attention towards the apparent general 'unfinished' state of Windows 11.

It is always interesting when former Microsoft engineers or managers share their thoughts or stories on subject matters related to the company, mainly Windows. A couple of the most recent such incidents have not exactly been in Microsoft's favour though.

This month we are half a year from the 20th anniversary of Ubuntu, it also coincides with the release of Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, but I have to say, it’s not the new shiny distro I would choose to install. Instead I would opt for a specific version of Fedora 40, namely, Fedora Silverblue 40, also out this month.

Some strange things are happening in the worlds of Microsoft, Windows, and Xbox. The PlayStation Store charts are full of Microsoft-owned games, Fallout games that are almost a decade old have skyrocketed in popularity, and Microsoft and OpenAI are reportedly working on an AI project called "Stargate." In context, all of those stories make sense, but if you've only had a chance to glance at the headlines, some of them would seem quite odd. Luckily, we're here to run through the biggest stories of the week and make everything make sense.

In this episode of Microsoft Weekly, we look at even more ads in Windows 11, fresh preview builds, leaked AI PCs, system requirements for the rumored AI Explorer, gaming news, app updates, and many more.

Earlier this month, we covered an interesting trick to bypass the system requirements on Windows 11 PCs. It involves choosing the "IoT Enterprise LTSC" option when selecting the OS during the setup.
 
However, as it turns out, it looks like this bypass trick works for non-LTSC (Long Term Servicing Channel) as well, as discovered by the same Twitter (now X) user and tech enthusiast, Bob Pony. However, it seems to work only on the latest Windows 11 version, 24H2.