Not sure whether or not your PC has been updated with a patch to fix a recently discovered Windows Defender vulnerability? Here’s what you should do. [More]
windows 8
Microsoft Makes Good On Plan To Push Windows 10 Upgrades More Aggressively
By 2.2.16
Last October, Microsoft told Windows 7 and 8 users that it was only a matter of time before they’d be pushed a bit more aggressively to upgrade to Windows 10. That time is now, as the company will be recategorizing Windows 10 as a “recommended update.” [More]
Microsoft Changes Its Mind, Decides To Nag Business Customers To Upgrade To Windows 10 After All
By 1.14.16
If you’ve been using Windows 7 or 8 on your personal computer, you’re likely well aware of Microsoft’s recent nagging campaign to get people to upgrade to Windows 10. Despite saying it wouldn’t treat business customers the same way, Microsoft has changed its mind and now says it’ll be nudging those users to make the switch as well. [More]
Microsoft Will Push PC Users Into Upgrading Next Year With Update That Automatically Downloads Windows 10
By 10.30.15
Though Microsoft has been very eager to get PC users to upgrade from Windows 7 and 8 to Windows 10, it’s also been a bit restrained in its efforts so far, luring customers with a reservation system that allowed them to upgrade for free. But next year, Microsoft is going to get a little bit pushier. [More]
Want Solitaire Ad-Free On Windows 10? That’ll Cost You
By 7.30.15
After leaving Solitaire off Windows 8, forcing PC users who needed to fill that procrastinatory urge to download the program separately, Microsoft made many customers happy when it announced that it’d be including the game in Windows 10. While that’s all well and good, some players might be irked to know that the new Solitaire is a freemium — meaning if you want an ad-free experience and access to other premium features, you’ll have to pay. [More]
Rejoice, Procrastinators: Microsoft Bringing Back Solitaire For Windows 10
By 4.23.15
Because it’s not a work day without procrastination, the enduring presence of Solitaire on the PCs of workers everywhere used to be a comfort many relied on to get through those long hours at a desk — until Microsoft left the program off Windows 8. Someone must’ve been listening to your sad cries of longing, as Solitaire is coming back as a standard feature in Windows 10. [More]
Microsoft Finally Takes Head Out Of Sand, Opens Up Xbox Music To Android, iOS
September 9, 2013
Nearly a year after replacing its failed Zune music store with Xbox Music, Microsoft has finally come around to the realization that the service, which only worked on computers and wireless devices running Windows operating systems, wasn’t going to convince people to drop their Galaxy S4s, iPhones, iPads, or Kindle Fires. The company announced today that Xbox Music is now available for use on iOS and Android devices, and that web-based streaming is no longer relegated to computers running Windows 8 or RT. [via PCmag.com] [More]
Between Microsoft And PayPal, Somewhere I Have A Refund
By 5.29.13
Steve bought a digital download of Windows 8, but decided that it wasn’t for him. He downgraded to Windows 7, got rid of all traces of the upgrade, and got a refund of the purchase price. At least that’s what Microsoft says. The refund is trapped in some kind of terrifying digital underworld between Microsoft and PayPal, serving as a warning. [More]
Microsoft Decides To Try This Whole Windows 8 Thing Again With A Few Tweaks
By 5.7.13
When something doesn’t go quite right the first time, what’s a ginormous technology company supposed to do? Why, just slap a couple of coats of paint on the ill-received Windows 8, fluff it up a bit and send it right back out on stage. Microsoft is reportedly tweaking its most recent iteration of Windows because customers have been complaining of confusion, and PCs aren’t selling so well. [More]
PC Manufacturers Say Windows 8 Has Driven Millions To Become Apple Users
By 4.18.13
With the exception of the Xbox, Microsoft has been on a string of high-profile failures like Zune, Windows Phone, and Surface tablets. But its latest cock-up, the much-reviled Windows 8 operating system may have been the final straw for lots of Windows-based PC users, at least according to those who make the computers. [More]
It’ll Only Cost You $125 To Escape The Clutches Of Windows 8 With Downgrade To Windows 7
By 1.24.13
Hey, Microsoft? Just a little heads up. If customers despise your latest and ostensibly greatest operating system so much that businesses are offering a downgrade service, you might want to take that as a sign that something has gone wrong. Because while we can understand having to pay for an upgrade, ponying up cash just to take a step back on your new laptop with pre-installed software is well, it’s a step back. [More]
Is Microsoft About To Unleash A Kraken Of Suck On Consumers?
By 10.19.12
Microsoft went years without making too big of a stir with updates to its Windows operating system, but with only days left to the unleashing of Windows 8 upon the world, the early word is that some people will not be please with all the changes. [More]
Microsoft’s New Streaming Music Service Is Free But Only If You’re Running Windows 8 Or RT
By 10.15.12
Microsoft is throwing its hat in the free streaming music ring, in a move that could act as a bit of a one-up on Apple (which doesn’t have any streaming service), but unlike Spotify or Pandora, not everyone will be able to take advantage of the Xbox Music service. The free feature will only work on PCs and tablets running Windows 8 or its upcoming Windows RT operating system. [More]
Does Our Love Of Tablets & Smartphones Signal The Beginning Of The End For PCs?
By 10.11.12
If college kids today could see the hulking mass of plastic and metal parts that comprised the PC I was required to buy from my college freshman year, they would probably never stop laughing. It used to be that to get by in the computing world, a personal computer was the necessary gadget. But as shipments of PCs are forecast to fall for the first time in 11 years, times could be a-changin’. [More]
Installing Windows 8 Will Void Your Newegg Warranty, Too
By 10.4.12
Our archive is still unavailable due to baddies attacking our site a few weeks ago, but loyal readers may remember the saga of Norma, the Newegg customer who tried to exchange a non-working laptop for a working one after she had installed Linux on it. This time, Newegg is playing its to a customer who had the audacity to upgrade his new laptop to a preview version of Windows 8. In the case of Linux user Norma, Newegg ultimately gave in, issuing her a refund and assuring Consumerist that it’s totally okay to exchange a defective system with a different operating system on it. Undercover readers posing as customers were, of course, told the opposite. [More]
Microsoft Explains Why It's Killing The Start Menu In Windows 8
By 10.5.11
When Windows 8 comes calling, it’s not bringing that old start menu that you knew and loved for the better part of the past couple decades. Microsoft’s research found that people are using the menu less and less. [More]
Microsoft's New Blue Screen Of Death Feels Your Pain, Expresses It With Frowny Face
By 9.21.11
Anyone who has ever suddenly come face to face with the Windows Blue Screen of Death has probably never grinned at the realization that something might be terribly wrong with your computer. After many, many iterations of the the BSoD, Microsoft has decided to mirror your displeasure by adding a huge sad face emoticon to its latest version. [More]
