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It keeps getting harder to set up a Windows 11 installation without a Microsoft account — here's why it's a step in the wrong direction.

I used (almost) every edition of Microsoft's operating system and fondly remember some of its iconic first-party programs.

April 1st brings good news for Firefox users: version 137.0 is here with a pretty hefty changelog. You can now download the latest update and enjoy some new features like tab groups (another long-anticipated feature after vertical tabs from Firefox 136), HEVC playback on Linux, PDF signing, and a big refresh for the address bar with contextual search, a unified search button, and more.

Last week, Microsoft made a major announcement as it blocked the popular BYPASSNRO workaround on Insider builds, used to skip the internet and Microsoft Account requirement checks during the Windows 11 installation OOBE (initial setup).

When Mozilla announced plans to drop the email client Thunderbird about ten years ago, some users feared that this could be the end of the popular open source email client. Things have turned out different though. The project is thriving, thanks to an increasing number of donations that it is receiving.

Every week we take a close look at the most pirated movies on torrent sites. What are pirates downloading? 'The Monkey' tops the chart, followed by 'Captain America: Brave New World'. 'Last Breath' 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.

Here are 10 interesting facts about the history of Windows from version 1.0 to 11.

As Microsoft celebrates its 50th anniversary, let's take a trip down memory lane. Windows has evolved dramatically over the decades, but some intriguing facts remain unknown to many. Here are some insights into its history that might surprise you.

This week, Microsoft made it very clear that it wants to block the popular BYPASSNRO workaround, used to skip the internet and Microsoft Account requirement checks during the Windows 11 installation OOBE (initial setup), although thankfully, the script can still be created using Registry edits.
 
Naturally, when things like this happen, enthusiasts go digging for ways to work around such issues. Interestingly, as it turns out, another bypass method had already existed for a while now and it is finally becoming popular.

In this episode of Microsoft Weekly, we look at an absolutely massive list of new Windows 11 preview builds with pretty big changes, new non-security updates for Windows 11 and 10, reviews of some new affordable flagships, useful browser updates, gaming news, and more.

Microsoft has released a new Windows 11 preview build in the Insider program. Build 26200.5516 is now available in the Dev Channel with a massive changelog for regular and Copilot+ PCs. In addition to new features like a redesigned system crash UI, Narrator improvements, and more, today's build removes the popular bypassnro command that people use to set up Windows 11 without internet.

Microsoft, today, has released the newest build to the Windows 11 24H2 Beta channel for Insiders. The new build, 26120.3653, under KB5053658, is bringing several new features. Microsoft is testing a new green screen for unexpected restarts, a new quick machine recovery, and more. The company is also removing the BYPASSNRO script which helps users bypass Windows 11 internet connectivity and Microsoft account sign-in requirements.

The most recent Windows 11 builds pack quite a lot of new stuff, with one particular thing being not so great, especially for Windows enthusiasts. Microsoft's operating system is infamous for enforcing an active internet connection and a Microsoft Account during its setup. Still, for the last three years, it has been possible to bypass that by executing the oobe\bypassnro in Command Prompt during the initial setup. Now, Microsoft is cracking down on that.

The popular "bypassnro" command, which let users to skip connecting to the Internet and signing into a Microsoft Account, is being removed.

One day after releasing the latest non-security updates for Windows 10 and Windows 11 22H2/23H2, Microsoft is dropping a big update for those on Windows 11 24H2. Today's release, KB5053656 (build number 26100.3624), is here with quite a lot of new features, like the AI-powered Windows Search, gamepad keyboard, live captions for AMD and Intel-powered Copilot+ PCs, and more.

Mozilla has released Firefox 136.0.4 to patch a critical security vulnerability that can let attackers escape the web browser's sandbox on Windows systems.

Do you want to fully automate the Windows 11 installation process? If yes, you can create an answer file, and here's how.

On Windows 11, you can create an answer (or autounattend.xml) file to install the operating system without going through every step during the setup and Out-of-box Experience (OOBE), and in this guide, I'll show you how.

What happens when quantum computers can finally crack encryption and break into the world’s best-kept secrets? It’s called Q-Day—the worst holiday maybe ever.

One day soon, at a research lab near Santa Barbara or Seattle or a secret facility in the Chinese mountains, it will begin: the sudden unlocking of the world’s secrets. Your secrets.

See the evolution of the Start menu from Windows 95 through 11.

In celebration of Microsoft's 50th anniversary in 2025, it's an appropriate moment to look at the evolution of one of its most iconic features.

Every week we take a close look at the most pirated movies on torrent sites. What are pirates downloading? 'Last Breath' tops the chart, followed by 'Captain America: Brave New World'. 'The Electric State' 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.

In this episode of Microsoft Weekly, we look at a big chunk of new Windows 11 preview builds, new Microsoft 365 apps, dying OneNote, useful updates for Windows 11's Settings app, gaming news, and more.

Windows 10 will reach its end of mainstream support in less than six months, completing its decade-old journey and leaving space for Windows 11 with its AI shenanigans, fancy user interfaces, and other improvements. The end of Windows 10 support is quite an event in Microsoft's world, and as usual, it will affect more products, not just the operating system itself.

Microsoft Edge 134 has been updated to a new version in the Stable Channel. Not much is present in version 134.0.3124.83 apart from fixes for recent time zone changes and patches for security vulnerabilities.

Microsoft, today, removed another Windows 11 24H2 compatibility block which means the feature update is now available for download to those who were affected.

Microsoft is making it easier to identify why your PC may run into performance issues.
Windows 11 will soon have an FAQ page within its Settings app to help you identify any shortcomings in your PC. The feature, which is currently hidden in recent Dev Channel builds of Windows 11, includes questions such as "Am I running the latest version of the Windows OS?"

Firefox 136 has received another bug-fixing update. Version 136.0.2 is now available for download with patches for a few important issues affecting users' browsing experience. Mozilla resolved problems with the browser auto-cleaning cookies and site data, high CPU usage on Windows PCs in certain scenarios, a few UI issues here and there, and more.