Getting the dreaded Windows 10 black screen, with or without a cursor? Here are some simple (and not so simple) ways to banish it and get your desktop back. The “black screen” phenomenon in Windows 10 shows poignantly how nothing sometimes matters quite a lot. Seeing nothing except black screen where the desktop and its … Read more
The big news with this month’s patches – aside from the usual smorgasbord of strange errors – has more to do with the patches that are outside the regular cumulative update stream. Remarkably, we didn’t get any security fixes for IE or Edge. And the new .NET “optional” preview patches aren’t optional at all. October … Read more
Like their ‘90s namesakes, the tools in Microsoft’s new PowerToys app are quite useful for power users. Back in the 1990s, Windows users had access to a number of small, free software tools from Microsoft handy for everyday tasks, such as accessing desktop items from a menu on the taskbar or quickly changing the screen … Read more
If you want to optimize Windows 10, take a few minutes to try out these tips to speed up your PC and make it less prone to performance and system issues. Want Windows 10 to run faster? We’ve got help. In just a few minutes you can try out this baker’s dozen of tips; your … Read more
Microsoft’s digital assistant Cortana can make your life easier and more efficient — if you know how to really take advantage of it. Microsoft’s digital assistant Cortana was one of the major additions to Windows 10 when it first came out. But it was launched back in December 2015, and it’s changed quite a bit … Read more
Though a DNS-spoofing vulnerability in Windows has been rated as a zero-day, the focus for this month’s updates should be on testing key Windows features prior to deployment. Though a DNS spoofing vulnerability in Windows (CVE-2020-1464) has been rated as a zero-day due to reports of exploitation in the wild, the focus for this month’s … Read more
Microsoft publishes an “End of Service” date for each version of Windows 10. While you might think you can hold onto your version of Win10 until that date, Microsoft starts pushing you onto the next version four months early. That takes a big bite out of the promised 18-month lifespan. Windows 10 version 1809 Home … Read more
Individual users and IT administrators alike are confused by the options Microsoft offers for Windows 10 Insider Previews and updates. Here’s help choosing the best method of testing and updating Windows 10 for yourself or your business. Once upon a time, making a choice about how you updated Windows was easy: Let Microsoft decide. The … Read more
A remote access tool that’s built into Windows 10 makes it easy to help a colleague, friend or family member with their PC. A little-known app that comes with Windows 10, Quick Assist is a remote-access tool that connects two PCs over the internet so that a person at one PC can remotely control the … Read more
It’s been a wacky Windows patching month, with seemingly random bluescreen and Bluetooth bugs, a recurrence of the “disappearing data” temporary profile bug, and an elusive bug in v4 printer connection – all punctuated by an extraordinary (and welcome!) solicitation for help from Microsoft. The patching pace this month returned to normal: We had the … Read more
