News Micrsoft Windows Update : Windows 10 Downloaded To Computers Automatically

 A laptop computer featuring Windows 10 is seen on display at Microsoft Build in San Francisco in April. Even people who haven't indicated they want Windows 10 may be getting it downloaded to their computer, Microsoft confirmed. (Robert Galbraith/Reuters)

Microsoft is downloading large Windows 10 installation files to Windows 7 and 8.1 computers even if users didn't indicate they're interested in upgrade, gobbling up internet bandwidth and hard drive space.

Microsoft has been pushing Windows 7 and 8 users to reserve a free upgrade of Windows 10.

But some people who haven't officially reserved an upgrade and indicated they want Windows 10 are still getting Windows 10 downloaded to their computer, Microsoft confirmed.

In an email to CBC News, Microsoft confirmed that "we may help customers prepare their devices for Windows 10 by downloading the files necessary for future installation" if they fall into one of two groups:

• Those who have chosen to reserve their upgrade of Windows 10.
• Those that have Windows Update automatic updates enabled.

"This results in a smoother upgrade experience and ensures the customer's device has the latest software," Microsoft added.

Most users have automatic updates enabled because it's the default setting and the one recommended by Microsoft in order to make sure your computer is protected by the latest security patches.

The company said the installation file is approximately 3GB, although some users on technology websites have reported a downloaded Windows file in the 6 GB range.

Removal with Disk Cleanup:

Microsoft says Windows Update checks if there is "sufficient" free disk space before downloading this or any other update. Users who want to remove the files to free up extra hard drive space can use the Windows Disk Cleanup utility and upgrade later, it suggests.

To prevent the download, users can change their Windows Update settings. For example, they can opt to receive notifications before downloading updates.
Many technology watchers have criticized the huge size, covert nature, and lack of user consent for this download.

Many technology watchers have criticized the huge size, covert nature, and lack of user consent for this download.

"If you didn't reserve a copy and it just goes ahead and downloads it anyway, it's going directly against your wishes," wrote Chris Merriman in the Inquirer Tuesday

"And let's remember, it's going into a hidden folder that you actually have to change settings to be able to see. That says a lot."

To see whether your computer has already downloaded Windows 10, change your settings in Windows Explorer so you can view hidden files and look for something named $Windows.~BT and can be found by changing your settings in Windows Explorer so you can view hidden folders and looking in the root directory for the drive where Windows is installed.

Overage charges possible:

Many critics are upset because the download uses up valuable hard drive space and could potentially cost users if it pushes them over the download limits for their internet service — overage charges in Canada can be as high as $3 per gigabyte over the limit. The download can also cause internet sluggishness while it is happening.

When Apple similarly forced all its devices to download a new U2 album, Songs of Innocence, last September — also for free — the public outcry prompted Apple to release a special tool to remove the unwanted files.

While Windows 10 doesn't install automatically, it has eroded public trust in Microsoft, suggests Woody Leonhard, senior contributing editor for the technology website Infoworld.

"I have no idea what the people at Microsoft thought they were accomplishing," he wrote, "but that Redmond reality distortion field has done some serious damage to the company's credibility."

Posted by Unknown Wednesday, September 16, 2015

News Microsoft Product Update Report : Microsoft Office 2016 To Launch On 22 September

After officially rolling out Windows 10, Microsoft is now gradually releasing updates to match up the new operating system. The company is rumoured to release the final version of the Office 2016 next month.

WinFuture learned from a source close to Microsoft that the company will launch Office 2016 on September 22. The report also claims to have sources inside Microsoft who provided them with a leaked screenshot of the company’s intranet site.

A page called the Office 2016 Launch Hub stated, “We’ll release Office 2016 with updates for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Skype for Business, Project, Visio, Access, and Publisher. The innovation wave continues in Q2 with the release of E5 and Skype for Business, and on-premise servers will follow.” Microsoft has apparently already informed its employees in the last few days that the official launch for Office 2016 will take place end of September.

Back in June, Microsoft had released Office 2016 for Mac along with new apps for Android phones as well. An Office 365 subscription gets you – $70 for a single Mac or Windows PC at a time, or $100 for five. Mobile apps are free, though a subscription unlocks advance features that most people won’t need. Mac and Windows versions are sold the traditional way, too, with a one-time payment, though you can’t use Office on another PC without buying it again.

Posted by Unknown Wednesday, August 26, 2015

News Operating System App Update : Microsoft Sway Now Available To Everyone; Gets Windows 10 App

Microsoft on Wednesday announced the release of its digital storytelling app, Sway, to the general public. The app was until now under 'Preview' mode. The firm also introduced Sway's Windows 10 app along with a new layout and publishing features. The iOS app has also been updated.

For those unaware, Sway was first introduced in October last year. The app is used to create professional designs including images, videos and text together to make a story. It also comes with a compatibility engine that does not hamper the presentation whether it is viewed on a smartphone, tablet, laptop or PC. Users can even import content from social media websites like Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube. The app can be taken as an alternative to Microsoft PowerPoint. Also, it is the company's newest addition to the Office productivity suite, and is integrated with Office Online.

Users can simply sign in with their Microsoft account on Sway.com to get started, or download the iOS or Windows 10 app. There are not many differences between the Web and app versions. While the Web version would need a constant Internet connection, the Windows 10 version can be used offline as well. However, to import images and videos from Facebook, Twitter etc., it would require an Internet connection. Sway for Windows 10 can be downloaded from Windows Store. The Windows Phone version would be arriving in the 'coming months'.

Microsoft has added a new layout in Sway's navigation pane that "displays groupings of content (images, text, videos, tweets, etc.) one screen at a time." The company adds that, "Whether it's a few words with a knockout background image, a set of images and supporting bullet points, or a cluster of interactive elements, now you can deliver a killer presentation in-person or for viewing across many devices." Also, sharing a Sway presentation to Docs.com is also possible. "Along with adding support for Sway, we've also improved the overall Docs.com experience for publishing, managing and consuming content."

New features of the Microsoft Sway for iOS app include more sharing options, more publishing options, and more language options.

Posted by Unknown Thursday, August 06, 2015

News Microsoft Windows Update : Microsoft Delivers First Cumulative Windows 10 Update

Microsoft is rolling out what's expected to be the first of a number of cumulative fix/update rollups for Windows 10.

Microsoft is rolling out the first cumulative package of non-security-focused updates and fixes for Windows 10 one week after the company began making available to users the release-to-manufacturing (RTM) version of the operating system.

Referred to by some company watchers as "Service Release 1," the actual update package is officially known as KB3081424. (Thanks to The Verge's Tom Warren for a pointer to the KB.)

There's not a lot of information so far about what's in today's update, which Microsoft is delivering via Windows Update. The KB page says the following:

    "This update includes non-security-related changes to enhance the functionality of Windows 10 through new features and improvements.Windows 10 updates are cumulative. Therefore, this package contains all previously-released fixes (see KB 3074683). If you have installed previous updates, only the new fixes that are contained in this package will be downloaded and installed to your computer."

Technically, this isn't the first set of updates to Windows 10 RTM. Microsoft applied a few updates to Windows 10 RTM as part of users' initial upgrade process. That's because there were a couple of weeks between the actual RTM of Windows 10 on July 15 and the July 29 kick-off of customer availability of those bits. Microsoft made available a few updates that the company developed during that delta period.

Today's cumulative update is one of a series of regular performance and reliability fixes and updates for Windows 10 that Microsoft is expected to deliver. One of my contacts said Microsoft is planning to deliver more cumulative update rollups possibly on a weekly basis at least for the first month of Windows 10 availability.

I've asked Microsoft for more information as to what's in today's update and whether the company is planning to deliver similar updates weekly. No word back so far.

We do know that Microsoft will be patching and updating Windows 10 on a rolling basis, with various "servicing branches" available to different customer groups as part of its "Windows as a Service" strategy.

Some customers will have the option of postponing updates for a set period of time, while others on the so-called "Current Branch" will be expected to apply all updates once Microsoft pushes them to them via Windows Update.   

Posted by Unknown Wednesday, August 05, 2015

News Microsoft Windows Update : The Operating Systemels Evolution Of Microsoft Windows Through Out The Years

Microsoft Windows has seen ten major versions since its first release in 1985. Over 30 years, Windows evolved to look very different while retaining a degree of familiarity.
The evolution of Windows is both a reflection on computing power of that generation and the dominant input devices, be it a mouse and keyboard earlier and a touchscreen now.

Here’s a brief look at the history of Windows:

Windows 1

The original. This is where it all began. The original Windows 1 was released in November 1985 and was Microsoft's first attempt at a graphical user interface.

Windows 1 ran on top of the then dominant operating system, Microsoft's DOS, which relied on command-line input. Windows 1 was one of the first software to heavily rely on mouse control before the mouse was a common input device.

Windows 2

Arriving two years after the release of its predecessor in December 1987, Windows 2 introduced features like the ability to minimise or maximise windows and allowing different windows to overlap each other. Windows 2 introduced the control panel, where system settings and configuration options resided. It also introduced the world to Microsoft Word and Excel.

Windows 3

Windows 3 launched in 1990 and was the first version of the OS to see widespread success and be considered a challenger to Apple’s Macintosh and the Commodore Amiga graphical user interfaces, coming pre-installed on computers from PC-compatible manufacturers.

It introduced the ability to run MS-DOS programmes in windows, which brought multitasking to legacy programmes, and supported 256 colours, bringing a more modern, colourful look to the interface.

It also introduced the world to one the most iconic timesink ever created, Solitaire.

Windows 95

Windows 95 launched in August 1995 and brought with it the start button and start menu.

Its big push was “plug and play” – connect a peripheral and the operating system finds the appropriate drivers for it and makes it work. That did not pan out as expected and led to millions of “plug and pray” jokes.

Internet Explorer too made its debut on Windows 95.

Windows 98

Released in June 1998, Windows 98 built on Windows 95 and came with Internet Explorer 4, Outlook Express, Microsoft Chat and eventually Windows Media Player.

It introduced the back and forward navigation buttons and the address bar in Windows Explorer, among other things.

USB support was much improved in Windows 98 and led to its widespread adoption, including USB hubs and USB mice.

Windows ME

Released in September 2000, Windows Millennium Edition (ME) was the last Windows to be based on MS-DOS, and the last in the Windows 9x line.

Considered the worst version of Windows ever, ME was the consumer-aimed operating system twinned with Windows 2000 that aimed at the enterprise market. It introduced some important concepts to consumers, including more automated system recovery tools.

IE 5.5, Windows Media Player 7 and Windows Movie Maker all made their appearance for the first time. Auto-complete also appeared in Windows Explorer, but the operating system was notorious for being buggy, failing to install properly and being generally poor.

Windows 2000

The enterprise twin of ME, Windows 2000 was released in February 2000 and was based on Microsoft’s business-oriented system Windows NT that later became the basis for the much more successful Windows XP.

Windows 2000 was the first time that Microsoft offered automatic updates and it was the first Windows to support hibernation.

Windows XP

Released in October 2001, Windows XP was a product of a Microsoft at the peak of its powers.

The start menu and task bar got a visual overhaul, bringing the familiar green start button, blue task bar and vista wallpaper, along with various shadow and other visual effects.

Windows XP was the longest running Microsoft operating system, seeing three major updates and support up until April 2014 – 13 years after its original release. Windows XP was still used on an estimated 430 million PCs when it was discontinued.

But its huge popularity turned out to be a boon for hackers and criminals, who mercilessly exploited its flaws, especially in Internet Explorer.

Windows Vista

Windows XP was replaced by Windows Vista in January 2007. Vista updated the look and feel of Windows with focus on transparent elements and search and security. Its development was long and troubled, with ambitious elements abandoned in the final release.

It was buggy and burdened the user with hundreds of requests for app permissions under “User Account Control” – the outcome of XP’s security problems. It also ran slowly on older computers despite them being deemed as “Vista Ready”.

Windows Media Player 11 and IE 7 debuted, along with Windows Defender, an anti-spyware programme. Vista included speech recognition, Windows DVD Maker and Photo Gallery, and was the first Windows to be distributed on DVD.

Windows 7

Windows 7 was released in October 2009 following the lukewarm response to the buggy Windows Vista. It was intended to fix all the problems and criticism faced by Vista, with slight tweaks to its appearance and a concentration on user-friendly features and less “dialogue box overload”.

It was faster, more stable and easier to use, becoming the operating system most users and businesses would upgrade to from Windows XP, forgoing Vista entirely.

Windows 8

Released in October 2012, Windows 8 was Microsoft’s most radical overhaul of the Windows interface. In an effort to bring Windows into the post-PC world dominated by touchscreen smartphones and tablets, Microsoft ditched the start button and start menu for a more touch-friendly start screen.

The new tiled interface saw programme icons and live tiles, which displayed information normally associated with “widgets”, replaced the lists of programmes and icons. A desktop was still included, which resembled Windows 7.

The radical overhaul led to a fallout with loyal Windows users. Microsoft's attempted to walk a fine line between touchscreen support and the traditional mouse and keyboard and somewhat failed on both fronts.

Windows 10

Released on July 29, 2015, Windows 10 is a sharp U-turn from its predecessor, bringing back the start menu and more balance to traditional desktop computer users.

It was released as a free upgrade to all users with legitimate copies of Windows 7 and Windows 8.1.

A major feature called Continuum introduced the ability to switch between a keyboard and mouse mode and a tablet mode, for those computers like the Surface Pro 3 with a detachable keyboard.

In an effort to recapture the web browser market it ceded to Google Chrome, Windows 10 comes with a new browser called Edge, which allows users to annotate web pages, save them to read later, or select "read mode" to strip out adverts and sidebars.

Windows 10 comes with Microsoft's virtual personal assistant, Cortana, which pops up with notifications and suggestions, and learns the user's preferences over time. Cortana responds to voice commands similar to Apple's Siri and has been touted as one of the core features of Windows 10.

Posted by Unknown Sunday, August 02, 2015