windows hello

Microsoft will no longer let users "sign in" with their face in a darkened room. It's a deliberate choice of security over convenience. The change affects the Windows Hello feature that lets users sign into their Windows device using something other ... than a password. This includes a PIN (which can only work on a specific device) or biometric logins such as a fingerprint or facial recognition. One lesser-known limitation is that an ordinary webcam won't work for the feature. Instead, it must have an infrared capability that means it has depth perception. This effectively means it can scan a ... (view more)

Microsoft's controversial Windows 11 feature that takes repeated screenshots of user activity is back in testing. The Windows Recall feature had been put on pause after intense criticism about privacy implications. The idea of Windows Recall is to ... improve the computer's ability to search for past information. At the moment searching for something you did in the past has some significant limitations: not all activity is stored in the same way, and searching across multiple applications and media formats isn't always smooth. AI Database Microsoft believed the answer is to combine artificial ... (view more)

The upcoming twice-yearly "major" Windows 10 update looks like it lacks any major features. That could be good news for users who have come to fear such updates causing compatibility issues and software bugs. The spring feature update, currently ... codenamed 21H1, is one of the two big updates delivered each year. This time round it's really not that big in terms of content or impact. Arguably the best news is that the installation is not only optional but should be relatively quick and simple. That's because it's mainly an "enablement package" that simply activates code that's already been ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Dave T. writes: " Dear Dennis, I recently upgraded my motherboard and CPU, which meant having to reinstall Windows 10 from scratch. I have a USB fingerprint reader that I've been using for years prior to the hardware upgrade, and ... it worked flawlessly. However, since I have had to reinstall Windows, the fingerprint reader keeps saying 'your device is having trouble recognizing you' whenever I try to sign in to Windows 10. If I keep swiping, I keep getting the same error message and eventually I have to enter my PIN in order to login. How can I make my fingerprint recognize ... (view more)