Best Windows apps this week
Five-hundred-and-ninety-five in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 and 11 on the Microsoft Store and elsewhere in the past seven days.
Microsoft is working on a new Start menu feature called Companions. This adds a sidebar to Start that shows dynamic content such as widgets there.
Microsoft PC Manager utility warns Windows 11 users switching from Bing that they need to 'repair' their PC
The Microsoft PC Manager app -- a free and official tweaking and optimization utility available from the Microsoft Store -- is the latest software from the company to offer up questionable and controversial advice.
We've already seen the appearance of ads (or recommendations as Microsoft prefers to call them) in Windows itself, Office and Edge. Now users of the Microsoft PC Manager who have changed Edge's search engine to something other than Bing are being told that this is something that needs to be repaired.
Microsoft launches modular Proteus Controller to make PC and Xbox gaming more accessible
Microsoft has teamed up with Byowave to produce a highly customizable, modular controller designed for those who find traditional gamepad-style controllers difficult or impossible to use.
The announcement coincides with Global Accessibility Awareness Day, which falls on the third Thursday of May each year. Comprising cube-like modules and interchangeable faceplates that allow for dozens of configurations, the Proteus Controller lets users create a completely personalized gaming experience.
Microsoft fixes VPN issues in Windows 11 with KB5037771 update, and brings ads to the Start menu
Microsoft has released its monthly patches for Windows 11 in the form of the KB5037771 update. There are lots of fixes in this release including for problems with domain controllers, VPNs, and SMB clients.
There are a number of security fixes, but also more controversial changes -- including ads in the Start menu (or app recommendations as Microsoft calls them). Other changes include improvements to Widgets and Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 (WSL2).
Microsoft is still facing EU antitrust charges despite unbundling Teams from Office
It seems that Microsoft’s attempts to sidestep anticompetition legal action over its Teams software has failed. Although Teams has been -- begrudgingly -- unbundled from Office, the European Commission is believed to be forging ahead with antitrust charges.
Many rivals to Teams, including the likes of Slack, have expressed concern about what they believe to be anticompetitive behavior by Microsoft. Despite Microsoft decoupling Teams from Office and other software, EU officials are of the opinion that the company has not gone far enough to level the playing field.
Windows 10 21H2: end of support for Enterprise and Education
Next month, the Enterprise and Education editions of Windows 10 version 21H2 will reach end of servicing. Microsoft stopped supporting the consumer editions in June 2023 already.
Enterprise, Education and IoT editions of Windows 10 version 21H2 reach end of support on June 11, 2024. Only Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2021 and Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021 continue to receive support until January 12, 2027.
Microsoft powers up Windows Terminal with session restoration and experimental scratchpad features
Microsoft has released Windows Terminal Preview 1.21 and, despite the small version number increase, it is home to a large number of changes.
Possibly the most interesting -- and useful -- addition is Buffer Restore which will load the windows from the previous session if you want. There are new font options, rendering changes, new settings, and new support for Custom Action by JSON Fragment Extensions.
Microsoft makes the Windows 11 Start Menu expandable with Start Menu Companions
Microsoft has made a lot of controversial decisions when it comes to the Start menu in Windows 11, not least of which is the plan to introduce ads. In the latest beta build of Windows 11. However, there are some interesting changes afoot -- notably Start Menu Companions.
While not yet fully operational, Companions are essentially plugins or extensions for the Start menu. The display information -- such as weather or stock prices in a floating panel to the side of the Start menu, will blend the ideas of Live Tiles and Widgets into something new.
Microsoft eases its foot off the accelerator for Copilot development in Windows 11
The world has gone crazy for AI, and Microsoft has jumped feet-first into the technology. Copilot is just one of the company’s tools in this field, but not everyone is completely in love with this digital assistant.
For anyone who is of the opinion that things are moving too fast when it comes to Copilot, there is some good news. With the release of the latest beta build of Windows 11, Microsoft says that it is slowing down the rollout of new Copilot experiences.
Windows 11 is losing market share to Windows 10
In what will come as something of a disappointment to Microsoft, the latest figures from Statcounter shows that Windows 11 is becoming less popular.
While Windows 11’s market share is in decline, there is an almost mirrored increase in Windows 10’s market share. It appears that there remains a preference for the significantly older version of Windows.
Microsoft may have broken your VPN with Windows updates
If your VPN has stopped working in Windows 10 or Windows 11, you can take some comfort in the fact that you're not alone. The April update for the operating system, or the preview version, is causing VPN connection failures.
It is not clear quite how widespread the problem is, nor just how many VPN tools are affected. However, Microsoft is aware of the issue but is offering little in the way of help at the moment.
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Microsoft is optimizing Windows 10 update delivery just as it did with Windows 11
Having already taken steps to decrease the size of updates for Windows 11, Microsoft is doing the same for Windows 10.
The company describes this by suggesting that "Windows 10 is becoming more like Windows 11", although this is something of a stretch. What it means in practice is that Microsoft has used various techniques, including removing reverse differentials from the cumulative update package, to shrink update sizes quite considerably.
Microsoft and IBM open source MS-DOS 4.00
Microsoft, in partnership with IBM, has released the source code of MS-DOS 4.00 under the open-source MIT license. This release comes a decade after Microsoft first made the source code for MS-DOS 1.25 and 2.0 available to the public through the Computer History Museum.
The decision to release the MS-DOS 4.00 source code was inspired by the discovery of early, unreleased beta binaries by researcher Connor “Starfrost” Hyde. Hyde’s discovery stemmed from a conversation with former Microsoft Chief Technical Officer Ray Ozzie, who unearthed the binaries among floppies sent to him during his tenure at Lotus. Intrigued by the software’s historical value, Hyde approached the Microsoft Open Source Programs Office (OSPO) to explore the possibility of making these resources publicly available.
Start menu ads are rolling out to all Windows 11 users -- here's how to turn them off
Windows 11's Start menu will soon advertise applications in the recommended section.
Microsoft released a new optional preview update for Windows 11 this week that introduces the feature. The changes it includes will roll out to all Windows 11 devices as part of the May 2024 cumulative security update.
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