1 New SQL Server 2008-2016 MP Features and Fixes (6.7.31.0)2 New SQL Server 2008-2016 Replication MP Features and Fixes (6.7.31.0)3 New SQL Server 2008-2016 Reporting Services MP Features and Fixes (6.7.31.0)4 New SQL Server 2008-2016 Analysis Services MP Features and Fixes (6.7.31.0)5 New SQL Server Dashboards MP Features and Fixes (6.7.31.0) Included in the update are System Center Management Pack, Server Replication, Server Analysis, Reporting Services, and Server Dashboards. This release is build number 6....

The vulnerability is described as a remote control execution (RCE) bug which is tracking as CVE-2022-3019. This flaw is found in the Microsoft Support Diagnostic Tool (MSDT). Yes, this is a service that gathers information about bugs and reports them to Microsoft Support, which makes this flaw about as ironic as its gets. If a threat actor successfully exploits the vulnerability, they can change data, delete files, view information, create new accounts, install programs and more....

GDC, or the Game Developers Conference, will be hosted in San Francisco from March 16-20. Though there are no confirmed cases in the region, authorities have declared a local health emergency. With fans and press traveling to GDC from all over the world, it has the potential to become a hotbed for the virus. For companies such as Microsoft, employee and developer safety comes first. “After a close review of guidance by global health authorities and out of an abundance of caution, we’ve made the difficult decision to withdraw from participating at Game Developers Conference 2020 in San Francisco,” said the company in a statement....

Additionally, Microsoft points out that that this SDK is for those running Windows 10 Insider Previews from Build 16225 and newer. Users interested in downloading the new SDK can do so from the Windows Insider developer section. As usual, Microsoft is asking for feedback and is also asking users to offer some feature requests for future builds. In its announcement, the company says the new SDK works with previous Windows SDK builds....

An internal chart from Microsoft shows that return rates for the Surface Book were at 17 percent through its launch period. In the next six months, the return rate was at 10 percent. The situation was little better for the Surface Pro 4, which had a 16 percent return rate through its launch. Through its lifetime, the aging Surface Pro 3 has maintained a return rate of around 6 percent....

Microsoft will apparently not roll out the Moment 2 release to Windows 2022 Update until January 2023. However, the Windows Insider team accidentally posted a video to YouTube that highlights the features we can expect to see. The video shows testing of Windows 11 preview build “23003.ni_moment_directdash_dev1.221018-160”, which is likely the internal build of the Moment 2 update. Some of the features are already in testing on the Windows Insider Program....

The document was first filed in 2016 and describes a single, seamless, thin housing. Microsoft outlines the housing as having a “uniform thickness along the entire length and proving both protection for wire termination and strain relief for the cable. As patents go, it’s not the most exciting. However, we could start seeing the cables in the Surface line, providing a smaller footprint and taking up less space on the exterior of the device....

The latest Microsoft Patent showcases an automated travel journal creation system. This is exactly the kind of patent we could see turned into a workable solution on a Microsoft service. Microsoft’s patent describes a diary generation system that will automatically find trips created by the user and detail the journeys in paragraphs. When many people travel, they create a diary, this document may include all the aspects of the journey....

1 Project Scorpio Limitations2 Microsoft’s Strategy According, to Mat Piscatella from the NPD Group, Xbox One sales will outpace Sony’s PlayStation 4 in the US. This will be driver by Project Scorpio: “I remain bullish on the Scorpio in the US market, particularly in the launch year. I think Scorpio has the potential to push Xbox One sales ahead of the PS4 in the US in 2017. Adoption among the core gaming audience could be significant,” he said....

Earlier in the week, Microsoft sent out build 15051, although it was only for Windows 10 Mobile. This is the first PC release of the week and continues Microsoft’s fast-paced roll out of Creators Update previews. The feature update (known as Redstone 2) is due to launch next month, with April 11 a mooted date. Microsoft is expected to sign off on the build soon and turn its attention to Redstone 3....

1 Start Menu and Action Center Changes2 Edge and Cortana Improvements Start Menu and Action Center Changes In a blog post on Thursday, Windows Insider head Dona Sarkar ran through some of the changes in this build. Here’s a quick summary of Start and Action Center changes: “Start improvements include: Acrylic: If you have transparency enabled for Start, you’ll notice it’s now been updated to use the new acrylic design. Vertical resize: No more glitches at the bottom of the frame....

In terms of features, the latest update for Arrow Launcher lets users choose between different actions for contacts on the People card on the home screen. In addition, you can now let Arrow Launcher merge contacts and remove duplicate contacts from your phone. The Android launcher does so intelligently and arranges your contacts for you in a jiffy. This update brings several new other features. You can check the full changelog below:...

The functionality will be a big help to those with accessibility issues, but could also have wider uses. If you don’t have your hands free or are simply a slow typist, this could offer some relief. The functionality comes under the Office Intelligent Services banner and shouldn’t require much effort on the user’s part. After pressing the dictate button, you can simply talk in a clear, conversational tone, and it should pick up most punctuation automatically....

Yesterday it first emerged that Intel chips were exploitable at a kernel level. It was originally believed it only affected Intel, albeit most its chips from the last decade. However, it was later found to also impact AMD and ARM. This basically means almost every machine could be affected from your home PC to the supercomputers used in cloud datacenters. If you cannot wait for the monthly patch roundup, you can grab the update manually through Microsoft Update....

It seems a “configuration error” at the Microsoft News team and the Microsoft Movies section of the app. Users reported seeing weird notifications that pointed to a possible virus. The messages included “Test notification,” “this test notification,” and “this is test notification” among others. Windows 10 was saving these messages into the Action Center. When clocked on the notifications would launch Microsoft News. However, once launched the app would fail with a “an error occurred” messages....

Torrent Freak says the Windows Store is full of apps that allow access to pirated content. In a report, the outlet says the apps are universal across PC, mobile and Xbox. They allow users to get quick access to pirated movies, TV shows, and more. The report says the available pirated content is not even available on traditional (legal) streaming services. As well as many movie and TV apps, there are also services for pirated music....

In its Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC) advisory confirming the bug, the company says it has known about it since September 24. That is when SOCRadar told Microsoft about the problem. MSRC says the BlueBleed problem stems from a misconfiguration in the Azure Blob Storage bucket. The bug allowed data between Microsoft and customers to be available publicly. This data includes email addresses, names, company names, file attachments, phone numbers, and the contents of emails....

Specifically, when a user attempts to connect to a hotspot, Windows will drop the connection and no access the internet. This is a problem coming from the Patch Tuesday release on June 14. That means anyone who has already installed KB5014697 could be affected. The problem is happening across Windows server and client versions, including both Windows 11 and Windows 10. Not even Windows 7 has escaped this bug. Microsoft does currently offer a workaround until a permanent fix is available: “After installing KB5014697, Windows devices might be unable use the Wi-Fi hotspot feature....

This comes right from the top, with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella saying the following: “We’re adding new gamers to our ecosystem, as we execute on our ambition to reach players wherever and whenever they want, on any device. We saw usage growth across all platforms, driven by strength off-console. PC Game Pass subscriptions increased 159 percent year over year. And with Cloud Gaming, we’re transforming how games are distributed, played, and viewed....

According the Guardian, Microsoft Round Island One, a subsidiary of the company based in Ireland, used its status as a resident of Bermuda to avoid paying full taxes. Importantly, Microsoft Round Island One appears to be something of a shell company. It has no employees other than directors and is a tax resident in the tax-free island of Bermuda. While Bermuda is a territory of the UK, it does not have corporation tax like in the United Kingdom....