The update won’t roll out to everyone until next month, as planned, and even then it’s likely to be a slow and cautious affair. However, this is a chance for Microsoft’s volunteers to catch any last-minute bugs on their differing hardware configurations. While doing so, they’ll be able to experience the OS’ latest feature bump. The May 2020 update isn’t set to be Microsoft’s biggest yet, but it’s definitely more substantial than the build we got late last year....

In an announcement, the company also reconfirmed how its Windows 10 targeted channel updates are being removed. Rolling out Windows 10 version 1903 or the corresponding Windows Server requires IT admins to make some base level changes. Microsoft says the adjustments are located in System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) version 1902 and only need to be performed once. SCCM user need to be on this version or later to be able to pull in the Windows 10 version 1903....

If you’re unfamiliar with Storage Spaces, it helps Windows 10 protect data when drive errors occur. It is a part of the platform but is seemingly broken in Windows 10 version 2004. The feature saves two instances of data to ensure a copy is available if failures happen. For some PC configurations, the partition for Storage Spaces is shown in Disk Manager as RAW. Microsoft says it is looking into the problem....

1 How to Restore the Old Volume Mixer in Windows 112 Extra: How to Use Windows Loudness Equalization3 How to Enable or Disable Chrome Volume Control Where is the classic volume mixer in Windows 11? This modification comes from Windows developer Patrik Johansson, who seems just as frustrated at the change as the result of us. His modification allows you to get the classic volume mixer in Windows 11 by adding a new icon to your system tray....

As you might expect, the concept of tabs in the Windows 11 File Explorer work much like they do in a web browser. So, users will be able to open multiple folders at once. Microsoft has been testing this feature since Windows 10. Back then it was known as Windows Sets and was much more ambitious than just the File Explorer. a tabbing system that will work across Windows 10....

Microsoft watcher, Albacore, took to Twitter to highlight a OneDrive promotions that are appearing on the user sessions flyout in the Start menu. This is appearing on recent Windows 11 Dev Channel preview builds. Albacore has also noticed other ads, such as prompting Windows 11 users to sign up for a Microsoft Account. It’s easy enough to dismiss the ads, but they raise the question of whether Microsoft should be doing any kind of advertising on Windows 11....

While it’s not exactly a security issue, it does have the potential to be really annoying. Users could potentially lose valuable data due to trolls. Thankfully, there is a way to circumvent the problem, but Microsoft isn’t going to like it. Essentially, you have to stay away from Internet Explorer. Roots in Windows 95 The bug works similarly to one found in Windows 95 and 98 back in the day....

The release brings Windows Camera up to version 2019.124.60, which is updating automatically. Before getting into the details, let’s have a look at the official changelog from Microsoft: New shooting modes – Two new shooting modes have been added- Document and Blackboard. Bug fixes and various improvements. Microsoft is merging some Office Lens features into Windows Camera. Blackboard is known as Whiteboard on Lens and is now available on the camera app....

We have had Windows 11 running on the original Surface Duo for some time, but the Surface Duo 2 until now had not been ported. That is changing thanks to Gustave Monce, the same dev who also handled bringing Windows to the OS Surface Duo. He has now managed to get it to also run on the Surface Duo 2. However, this is a work in process that has limitations....

The latest distro to join Windows Subsystem for Linux is openSUSE-Leap-15-1. Microsoft says the distribution is available now from the Microsoft Store. OpenSUSE Leap 15.1 is billed as the Windows Subsystem for Linux distro geared to system admins, professional developers, and independent software vendors. Target users for the distro include: “Corporate users in environments where Windows is mandated Users of CygWin who would like to better mirror their Linux systems System Administrators who would like native command-line UNIX tools such as rsync, tar, vim, grep, sed, awk, and so much more Developers wanting to closely mirror Linux server environments without the overhead of a virtual machine Users who would like to learn Linux without the additional complexity of setting up a dual-boot system or virtual machine....

Specifically, Xbox Live Avatars are launching today for Xbox Insider Program users. As always, this means they are in preview for Insiders to test and provide feedback on. As you may know, the new avatars allow users to customize their online character in more ways. Among the customizations are animations, clothing, props, and body types. As announced last year, Microsoft also included wheelchairs and other mobility aids. In terms of creating an avatar persona, the system lets Xbox One users change the face, body, makeup, hair, limbs, moods, and more....

1 Vulnerability2 Boris Johnson Gaff The video communication platform has always been relatively popular, but it wasn’t a mainstream service. That has changed over recent weeks as Zoom has become the go-to communication platform for millions of new users. However, Zoom was perhaps not really prepared for the major uptick in users. Certainly, the platform has had its share of problems over the last week. For example, bad actors have been infiltrating meetings and ZoomBoming participants....

Major BIOS vendors and manufacturers such as Intel and Nvidia were named as affected, as well as Microsoft’s Windows. In fact, the danger to Windows was almost blanket. The Complete Control attack affects all newer versions of the OS. Eclypsium confirmed Windows 7, 8, 8.1, and Windows 10 could be exploited. At the time, Microsoft reassured users by saying Windows Defender can easily deal with any attack based on the flaw....

It is worth noting, Microsoft initially announced Skype availability on Echo devices back in September. This week’s roll out is the finalization of those earlier plans. One of the benefits of Skype hooking up with Alexa is the service now becomes available on the market-leading smart speaker service. While Microsoft’s own Cortana has supported Skype for a long time, the assistant is on a limited amount of devices. By allowing support on Alexa, Microsoft is putting Skype in the homes of millions of users and within a growing market....

For uses of the Surface Duo, or any other supported Android smartphone, Google is rolling out a new update. It’s a feature-heavy release, too. What’s interesting about this stacked update is it comes outside Android’s annual release. This is rare for Google as the company usually like to keep big features for its early Android (insert letter) releases. Still, we are not complaining. “With the holidays around the corner, we’re sharing six new Google features for Android, a few more ways your phone gets more helpful over time, even outside of major OS updates,” Google’s Ajay Gokhale says....

Security firm SRL studied 1200 smartphones from 12 OEMs and found many are telling users they are fully secure (up to March 2018), when in fact that’s not true. Indeed, the research shows Android manufacturers are faking updates. “We find that there’s a gap between patching claims and the actual patches installed on a device. It’s small for some devices and pretty significant for others,” Karsten Nohl and Jakob Lell of the firm Security Research Labs said this week....

The startup says it can project full-color images onto its custom ‘HoloMirror’ display, which boasts a high FoV and competitive production costs. It was formed by senior holography scientists and holds over 200 patents which could be of use to Apple. On its website, the startup claims that its single layer transparent display tech is beyond that of other commercial technology. It also expects to make a number of breakthroughs in the years to come....

Instead, his role will be to align technology strategies more generally. He’ll be part of the office of Chief Technology Officer Kevin Scott, LinkedIn’s former infrastructure chief. He joins the company as it tries to work out where to position Cortana after ceding that the AI will never be able to compete with Alexa. While removing the assistant from Windows, it’s looking to broaden her skillset to more complex and focused productivity queries....

In the latest expansion, Azure Analysis Services is making its debut in four new U.S. regions. Specifically, customers in East US and West US have access now. Microsoft has also released AAS to Azure Government in the USGov-Arizona and USGov-Texas regions. AAS made its debut on Azure Government in September. Azure Analysis Services is an enterprise grade OLAP engine and BI modeling platform. It first reached preview in November 2016....

What’s more, the freebie giveaway of Overwatch will be available to anyone on a platform that supports the popular title. It is worth noting this is a trial of the game which last for 7 days. After the trial is over, gamers will need to purchase Overwatch to continue. Overwatch is a team-based multiplayer first-person shooter video game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment, which released on May 24, 2016 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows....