update

Wed
12
May
John Lister's picture

Windows Defender Bug Fills Hard Drive

A bug with Windows Defender has been filling computers with thousands of largely useless files. The bug is fixed with the latest update and this is definitely an application worth keeping updated. Windows Defender (officially known as Microsoft ... Defender Antivirus) is the built-in security tool in Windows 10. The consensus view is that it's not as good as the best third-party tools, but does a decent job and is certainly a useful line of defense for the average user. Unfortunately a recent update, which took Windows Defender to version 1.1.18100.5, introduced an annoying bug. Users noticed a ... (view more)

Wed
11
Nov
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Windows 10 to Get Forced Feature Updates

Microsoft is to forcibly upgrade some computers running older versions of Windows 10. Only those on the Pro edition will be able to block the update. It's a step up in Microsoft's campaign to keep people from using older Windows 10 versions. Until ... now it's mainly relied on dropping support and security fixes, the idea there being to scare people into making the upgrade. That's happening to version 1809 (released in late 2018) this week. Microsoft is now turning its attention to computers running version 1903, released early last year. Version 1903 will officially lose security patch support ... (view more)

Thu
05
Nov
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Windows 10 1809 to Lose Security Support

Microsoft has warned users who haven't updated Windows 10 for a couple of years that they will soon face increased security risks. It's about to withdraw support for Windows 10 version 1809, having extended it during the initial stages of the ... COVID-19 pandemic. Version 1809 was the second major update of the year in late 2018. It was also known as the "Windows 10 October 2018 Update." Work-From-Home Changed Plans For those of you who find it easier to track Windows 10 Feature Updates by their signature bugs, version 1809 was the update that deleted some personal files during the upgrade, as ... (view more)

Tue
01
Sep
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Windows 10 Update Schedule Could Change

Microsoft is reportedly planning to only have one major update to Windows 10 next year. It could be a permanent switch and appears inspired by requests to have Microsoft spend more time testing updates before releasing it to the public. The idea ... with Windows 10, sometimes dubbed 'Software as a Service', was to ditch the old model of releasing a totally new version of Windows every few years. Instead, Microsoft has based updates around a mix of security updates (either monthly or as needed for the most serious problems), monthly tweaks and fixes, and then two major updates each year. New ... (view more)

Mon
24
Aug
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Windows 8.1 Users Must Install Emergency Patch

Windows 8.1 users should make sure to install an emergency patch just released by Microsoft. The company rates the risk as critical based more on the potential consequences than the risk of exploitation. The bug is patched with a security update ... that has the reference KB4578013. It affects all versions of Windows 8.1 along with Windows Server 2012. The bug doesn't affect Windows 10. In theory it could affect Windows 7 and earlier, but Microsoft no longer patches those systems as they are no longer supported. (Source: microsoft.com ) The fix comes in an "out of band security update", commonly ... (view more)

Tue
04
Aug
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Windows 10 Slowdown: Microsoft Wants Your Help

Microsoft wants to hear from users whose computers slowed down after a recent Windows 10 update. It was a particularly unfortunate issue, as the update cannot be uninstalled. You may remember we reported on the problem in late June. It was with an ... update titled KB4559309 that was designed to replace the original version of the built-in Edge browser with a new version that used similar code to Google Chrome. It still isn't clear what caused the problem, but some users reported a host of slowdowns affecting general computer use, web page loading and gaming. The problem didn't seem ... (view more)

Mon
06
Jul
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Win10 May 2020 Update Delayed For Some

Microsoft has delayed the latest major Windows 10 Update for some users. The various workarounds aren't ideal, so affected users will probably need to be patient. The problem affects the May 2020 Update, taking Windows 10 to version 2004. It's the ... first of this year's scheduled two major updates that includes new features. Microsoft has previously blocked updates for some specific computers where it knows there will be a significant compatibility problem with hardware. This particular block appears more generic, with the affected users seeing an error message reading: This PC can ... (view more)

Wed
10
Jun
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Win10 May 2020 Update Goes Badly For Lenovo Devices

Lenovo has confirmed a batch of problems with its devices running Windows 10 after the latest major update. Solutions range from uninstalling the update to simply being patient. The problems are with the Windows May 2020 Update. That's one of two ... major updates this year and takes the version number from 1909 to 2004. It's mainly ThinkPad tablets and laptops affected. (Source: lenovo.com ) Here's a list of issues: Problem: Devices coming out of sleep or hibernate mode sometimes crash into the "Blue Screen of Death." Solution: The problem is still under investigation. In the meantime, the best ... (view more)

Thu
28
May
John Lister's picture

Next Big Windows 10 Update Now Available

Microsoft has unveiled full details of the next big Windows 10 update, dubbed the May 2020 Update. Users can manually download it right now, though that might seem unwise option for the average home user in due to any unreported bugs in the ... software. The May 2020 Update is one of the two major updates this year that introduce new features, rather than making minor tweaks or fixing security bugs. Five years into the initial release of Windows 10, and it appears that the threshold for "major" changes appears to be getting lower. The May 2020 Update really only has two completely new features to ... (view more)

Thu
14
May
John Lister's picture

Windows 10 Search Glitch: Don't Panic

Windows 10 has been hit by another bug affecting the search function. Fortunately it seems the problem looks much worse than it really is. The bug in question pops up for some users when they use Windows Search, which looks through both the names of ... files and the contents of documents. Users have reported a range of unusual effects, the most common being a message reading "This is taking too long to load" above a reload button. In most cases it seems hitting the reload button - or indeed restarting either the search tool or Windows itself - doesn't make any difference. What's particularly ... (view more)

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