Site issues

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We are having some site issues, and there are dozens of posts missing as well as some front page issues. Please bear with us while we continue to work on the site visuals and find/repost the missing posts if we can. If not, hopefully there will be a lot content showing up as I rewrite and repost the content!

Thank you for your support!

Forza Apex coming to Windows 10

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Coming this Spring, Forza Apex for Windows 10 looks amazing. Using DirectX 12, and at resolutions of up to 4K, it should be great. It’s a Windows Store app, as well as being free. I think this is going to be a win for Microsoft.

 

Older IE Support ends next week

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On January 12th, 2016, Microsoft will drop support for Internet Explorer for versions 10 and under. Like Windows XP, some won’t care. But, with IE being targeted for exploits fairly often, it’s best to upgrade. IE11 is still supported for now.

It means you should take action. After January 12, 2016, Microsoft will no longer provide security updates or technical support for older versions of Internet Explorer. Security updates patch vulnerabilities that may be exploited by malware, helping to keep users and their data safer. Regular security updates help protect computers from malicious attacks, so upgrading and staying current is important.

Windows 10 on over 200 Million Devices

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Microsoft’s aggressive upgrade campaign is working, as they now have over 200 million devices running Windows 10. However, that number could be higher. Windows 7 users are clinging to the aging OS. Microsoft is warning users that Windows 10 is much more secure than Windows 10 and staying behind is “at your own risk, at your own peril.”.

    • We are also seeing accelerating and unprecedented demand for Windows 10 among enterprise and education customers. As of today, more than 76% of our enterprise customers are in active pilots of Windows 10, and we now have over 22 million devices running Windows 10 across enterprise and education customers.

Insiders Windows 10 Build 10525

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For those that are still part of the Windows Insiders group, build 10525 is available for download. A few bugs, but a few new little features to try out. Glad to see more builds coming out for us to try. As usual, this is similar to beta testing, so it is one of those things that can come with some risk. Most people have absolutely zero issues and others seem to be plagued by them. Your mileage may vary!

This is our first new build since the release of Windows 10, and I’m very happy to talk about one new thing that you’ll see because it really highlights both how your feedback influences the product development as well as illustrating how some things will get implemented at different times depending on when we’re trying to stabilize and drive quality vs. when we’re open for new feature work.

History of Windows in 3 Minutes

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Bloomberg has a 3 minute video going over the history of Microsoft Windows with some good information for those that missed out on some of it. I was never able to get Windows 1.01, but I did start with Windows 2. Been using it every since. Well, other than ME. I’ve worked on it, but I went with Windows 2000 instead.

History of the Start Menu

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The Start Menu has been around since Windows 95. We lost it with Windows 8 and got it back with Windows 10. Apparently, the designer of the original Start Menu (originally called the system menu) doesn’t like the new design. Although, I do wonder if the developers at Microsoft were calling the users morons when they didn’t care much for the Start Screen…

Some very interesting information on how the Start Menu came to be and why.

For instance, one study subject took twenty minutes of staring at a Windows 3.1 desktop before being able to open a text editing program.  Finally, a programmer spoke up that this was unacceptable, to Oran’s relief. But that relief would be short lived: "Our customers are morons!" exclaimed the programmer.

Windows 10 Downloads Haven’t Broken the Internet

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The Internet is feeling the pressure from the launch of Windows 10, with traffic 35% higher than normal. But, it hasn’t caused any problems at Microsoft or elsewhere as far as people can tell. Microsoft is pushing the update out in waves, which can help keep everyone from downloading it all at once. Plus, they were pushing the bits slowly the past few days to many users. Microsoft has made this launch go pretty smooth so far. At least as far as the Internet is concerned. Still a lot of issues in the forums and Microsoft communities.

Some people had feared that the Internet, or at least Microsoft’s servers, might crack under the strain. After all, the Brazilian 2014 World Cup, Apple’s iOS 8 release, and the first episode of the Game of Thrones all faltered under user demand.

Windows 10 is Officially Launched

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Windows 10, after months of Windows Insider beta builds, is finally launched to everyone. If you have Windows 7 or 8.1 you get a free upgrade (limited time only, 1 year). Windows Insiders can choose to remain an Insider and keep getting beta builds for future updates, which allows you a free license as long as you remain part of the Insiders group.

So, now that it’s ready for primetime – are you going to upgrade? It’s a stable, fast, easy to use version of Windows that takes the best from Windows 8 and puts it in a more familiar looking GUI. Cortana is a great assistant, search is very much improved, and take a note from what many Apple users say – It just works. I wouldn’t go as far as to say it’s “Magical”, though. I’ll leave that to Apple. This isn’t magical. This is the hard work and effort from many talented programmers and designers at Microsoft who are probably going to take a well deserved week of vacation.

We are delighted to make Windows 10 available in 190 countries today. Thelaunch of Windows 10 is being celebrated around the world with global fan celebrations and a new yearlong initiative to celebrate people and organizations making a difference around the world. We’d love to hear how you plan to help#UpgradeYourWorld. Starting today, you can vote for a global nonprofit to receive a cash donation by simply tagging their social handle and using #UpgradeYourWorld and #vote on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter. More information on Upgrade Your World can be found athttp://www.windows.com/upgradeyourworld