Microsoft is rolling out Windows 10’s next major update, Windows 10 May 2019 Update, tagged version 1903. The update doesn’t come bearing lots of new major features but you will like the new additions. It has more under the hood improvements. That bring you better customizations and makes Windows 10 perform better.
The update is general available now and Microsoft will be rolling it out in a phased and controlled rollout. To avoid the October 2018 Update fiasco. So if update issues are encountered it can be controlled and dealt with. I want to believe this will be a smoother experience. As Windows insiders got to test the release preview build and it has been improved. Here is a full list of What’s new.
Who can get Windows 10 May 2019 Update?
Anyone with a Windows 10 device can get the latest update. Microsoft says it will start automatically updating Windows 10 devices that are reaching end of service. This means if your Windows 10 operating system is an old one like the Windows 10 Anniversary Update or other, once you are connected to the internet, Microsoft will initiate the update for you.
For Windows 10 devices that are at, or within several months of reaching, end of service, Windows Update will automatically initiate a feature update; keeping those devices supported and receiving the monthly updates that are critical to device security and ecosystem health.
What do you do?
I will say if you are a careful and skeptical person, relax and let the Windows 10 May 2019 Update hit your downloads automatically. Alternatively you can check windows update in settings and select check for update, to initialize it. If you a more advanced user, you can use the Windows 10 Update Assistant. Or create a Windows 10 media installation and run the media creation tool.
Is there anything else you will to know? Ask me in the comments or on twitter @silverscholar and i’ll make a post about it.
Six months on, Microsoft’s Windows 10 operating system has chalked a new milestone. Crossing the 800 million mark for devices running on Windows 10. At the announcement of Windows 10 October 2018 Update, Microsoft said Windows 10 was running on 700 million devices. This also comes as We approach its 4th year in July.
Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft Corporate Vice President, Modern Life & Devices Group shared this news in a tweet. Thanking customers and partners for helping reach this new milestone.
Microsoft was forced to accept it couldn’t reach its 1 billion devices target as early as 2017. When it announced Windows 10 was on 600 million devices then. Many believe this happened due to cutting off of Windows 10 on mobile devices. With Windows 7 nearing its support life many users and enterprise customers might finally make their Windows 10 leap.
Windows 10 mobile became generally available in March 2016 when Microsoft rolled out its new operating system Windows 10. A successor to the loved Windows Phone 8.1. But Windows phone[mobile] didn’t really get the traction in the mostly iOS and Android dominated world. It didn’t do more than 3% market share at its peak. Forcing new Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella to write it off eventually.
With the OS product lifecycle in view, Microsoft is advising current owners and users of its Windows 10 Mobile to move on. From December 10th 2019, users will not recieve new security updates and any kind of device support. New feature updates for Windows 10 Mobile ended a season ago, so that has been a while.
“We recommend that customers move to a supported Android or iOS device”
Microsoft to end support for Windows 10 Mobile.
“Windows 10 Mobile users are no longer eligible to receive new security updates, non-security hotfixes, free assisted support options, or online technical content updates from Microsoft for free. [Enterprise users will pay for these services if they decide to hold on] Microsoft support will not publicly provide updates or patches for Windows 10 Mobile. 10 Mobile. Only device models that are eligible for Windows 10 Mobile, version 1709 are supported through the end date. For Lumia 640 and 640 XL phone models, Window 10 Mobile version 1703 was the last supported OS version and will reach end of support on June 11th, 2019.”
Also some services like photo uploads and device backup restore may continue to work for another 12 months.
What Next?
“We recommend that customers move to a supported Android or iOS device. Microsoft’s mission statement to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more, compels us to support our Mobile apps on those platforms and devices.”
What we know!
Satya Nadella didn’t say Microsoft will not be venturing into phones in the future. Rather he has continually spoken about the mobility of Windows OS which includes mobile devices. He has specifically said this about devices;
“Microsoft devices will spark innovation, create new categories and generate opportunity for the Windows ecosystem more broadly. Our reinvention will be centered on creating mobility of experiences across the entire device family including phones.”
On a personal note i’ve been asking what next and where next. Having moved from the Microsoft Lumia 950XL to the Microsoft Lumia 950 in the past year i guess it is time to move on. What are our thoughts? share them with us.
The official end to security updates and support life for the loved Windows 7 is almost here. From 14th January 2020 Microsoft says it “will no longer provide security updates or support for PCs running Windows 7“.
Microsoft recommends users think about making a move to Windows 10 within this period. The plan to have Windows 10 running on a billion devices by its 3rd year didn’t materialize. Currently Windows 10 is estimated to be running actively on 700,000 million devices. Hopefully this might help it get there.
There are two ways to do the upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 10. Microsoft says “you can upgrade compatible Windows 7 PCs based on with a full license“. Alternatively you can “take advantage of the latest hardware capabilities, we recommend moving to a new PC with Windows 10“.
Will Windows 7 still work and can you install it? Yes you can. The main issue here is Microsoft will end any kind of support it gives to the OS to consumers first from the 14th. Enterprise users who have paid or will pay huge monies to keep getting support will be okay. Subscribers of Microsoft 365 Business will enjoy a free upgrade from Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 Pro. Also Microsoft says “by purchasing Microsoft 365 Business your users can upgrade all of their old Windows Pro licensed devices at no additional cost”.
For consumers the risk of new viruses, malwares, trojans etc that can breech your system is why you should move on. There were skepticism and issues with Windows 10 when it first debuted. But most people can attest to its stability and many helpful new features to keep you productive and efficient.
If you feel like the hardware specs on your windows 7 device is good enough for an upgrade, start planning for the leap. If it isn’t, there are many new devices today with the latest specifications that you can choose from.
Haven’t upgraded to Windows 10 yet? Share with us why.
Samsung introduces new Windows 10 PCs at 2019 Consumer Electronics Show, CES2019 in Las Vegas.
At CES2019 Samsung Electronics unveiled new devices it ascribes designed to meet the demand of today’s consumers.
These are the Samsung Notebook 9 Pro, Notebook 9 Pen, Notebook Flash, the Notebook Odyssey for gamers and the Space Monitor desktop.
The Samsung Notebook 9 Pro comes in a ultra slim, metallic and diamond-cut bezel body. Samsung says batter life is about 14 hours. It runs on an 8th Generation Intel i7 processor, 8 GB RAM, 256 SSD and Windows 10 Home. The device has Intel UHD 620 graphics, 2 thunderbolt 3 ports, a fingerprint scanner, microSD and a USB-C port.
Samsung Notebook 9 Pro Hands On
The premium device is scheduled to be available early 2019.
Samsung Notebook Flash
The Intel Celeron N4000 or Intel Pentium Silver N5000, 4GB RAM and 64 GB storage makes it a budget device. Comes installed with Windows 10 home and a unique typewriter style keyboard according to Samsung. Spotting an anti-glare 13.3″ FHD LED Display, it has 2 USB C ports as well as a finger print scanner. Samsung Notebook Flash will start selling at $349 on Amazon and Samsung.com and be available January 15th.
Samsung Notebook Odyssey
The High powered Samsung Notebook Odyssey gaming PC will ship with Intel’s 8th generation core i7 processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX series graphics. Meaning this laptop will be able to handle any kind of lag or intensity from most games.
Microsoft announced Windows Sandbox feature in new Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18305.
Windows Sandbox is a lightweight desktop environment where you can test and run applications securedly. It is an isolated, temporary, desktop environment suitable for safely running untrusted software or downloaded executable files.
Microsoft says “you can run untrusted software without the fear of lasting impact to your device. Any software installed in Windows Sandbox stays only in the sandbox and cannot affect your host. Once Windows Sandbox is closed, all the software with all of its files and state are permanently deleted.”
Windows Sandbox according to Microsoft is efficient, secure, disposable, pristine and part of Windows. Sandbox takes away the need of having to set up a virtual machine when you need a clean installation of Windows as well.
Here’s what you need and how to set up Windows Sandbox,
Prerequisites:
Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise Insider build 18305 or later
AMD64 architecture
Ensure Virtualization capabilities are Enabled in BIOS
At least 4GB of RAM (8GB recommended)
At least 1 GB of free disk space (SSD recommended)
At least 2 CPU cores (4 cores with hyperthreading recommended)
Set up
Go to Settings > Apps > Apps & Features > Programs and Features > Turn Windows Features on or off, and then select Enable Windows Sandbox.
To start Windows Sandbox, open the Start menu, enter Windows Sandbox and then select it.
