Tag Archives: Microsoft

Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

Update On New Microsoft Edge Browser

Microsoft is slowly inching closer to a mainstream release of a new version of its Edge Browser for Windows 10, this one based around Chromium technology.

Recently, Microsoft released Canary, a developer build for the new browser.

Any member of the Windows Insiders group can get access to the early build if they want a sneak peek at what’s to come.

The company has promised beta builds in the months ahead, along with builds that are Windows 7.8.1 and Mac OS compatible.

If you decide to take a look at the current state of the code, it’s important to remember that the new Edge should still be considered in pre-Alpha state and is focused on the basics for the time being. That means there’s not a lot in terms of functionality just yet.  In fact, at present, the new Edge looks more or less like the old Edge, minus language support, PDF support, tab sweeps and smooth scrolling.

Consider it to be a scaled back version of the current Chrome browser with built in MSN news feeds.  As such, these early builds may be of interest to enthusiasts, developers and early adopters who want to start getting a handle on the state of things to come. Honestly though, a casual user won’t find much of interest here.

While Microsoft has had a poor track record where its browsers are concerned, the hope is that their new offering designed with Chromium at the core, will be more of a success. They hope to leverage the vast strengths of industry leader Google.  That, however, remains to be seen.  Even so, there is undeniable value to developers and a few other select groups to get in on the fun now so they can develop a better understanding of the shape and direction of the new Edge as its contours begin to emerge.

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Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

Windows Defender Security Comes To Mac Devices

If you’re a Mac user and looking for next-level antivirus protection, we’ve got some potentially good news.

Microsoft recently announced that their enterprise security platform, (Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection) is now available for macOS.

To reflect the product’s move away from offering protection exclusively to Windows-based systems, the company tweaked the name of the product.  It is now called simply “Microsoft Defender ATP.”

The newly minted version of the software is currently available for Macs in limited preview form, and represents the latest in an ongoing expansion effort.  Last month, the company rolled out a version that extended its impressive protection to both Windows 7 and Windows 8.1.  Future plans will include a further expansion to also provide protection to Linux-based machines.

At this point, Admins can install Microsoft Defender ATP on the following macOS versions:

  • Mojave
  • High Sierra
  • Sierra

Individual users will have the option to configure advanced settings in the software unless their admins specifically disable that functionality.  The code also includes an auto-update feature that can be toggled by an Admin.

If you’re an admin working in a Mac environment, you might not see a particular need for the new software. However, Microsoft pointed out in the bulletin they released with the announcement that Defender can detect KeRanger, which was the first ransomware strain to target the macOS.

In any case, more security options are generally better than fewer, and Microsoft has long been a favorite target of the hacking world.  Love them or hate them, they do know a thing or two about security, especially at the enterprise level. Most insiders hail this move as a good one.

All that to say, if augmenting system security figures highly in your near term plans, and it probably does, this could be an excellent addition to your arsenal.

 

 

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Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

Windows 10 Will Get New Update Feature

A small but significant update is coming in the next version of Windows 10, which should have the company’s massive user base breathing a sigh of relief.

The company is experimenting with a new feature that it can use to trigger automatic uninstalls of buggy updates. This happens in the background, so there’s nothing the user must do.

This is significant, given the recent trouble Microsoft has been having with its updates.  Unfortunately, the company made some radical changes to its testing procedures last year. Since that time, they’ve released several updates that have been problematic.  Most recently, a Windows 10 update wound up deleting user files for a small but vocal percentage of the company’s user base.

The company is working hard to improve their process. However, the fact that they’re even considering a feature like this (much less actively experimenting with it) is a clear signal that they’re not confident in their ability to release a clean, relatively problem-free update.

It should be noted that at present, the new experimental feature is only visible to Windows Insiders users and it is unclear when it will be released to the general public.  Odds are excellent, however, that it will happen soon.

Given the problems we outlined above, industry insiders generally regard this as a positive development.  Of course, the hope is that Microsoft will be able to avoid releasing a buggy update, but given the company’s recent track record, the inclusion of this feature is an excellent fallback position.

In any case, if you’re a member of the Windows Insider program, you may be able to see it in action now and in the weeks ahead.  If not, you’ll have to wait a while.

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Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

End Of Support Notifications Being Sent To Windows 7 Users

If you’re still clinging to your old Windows 7 machine, you should know that the day is relentlessly drawing closer when Microsoft is going to stop supporting the OS altogether.  In fact, in the near future, you’re going to start seeing reminders pushed out by the company that the end is drawing near. They’re calling this a “courtesy reminder” and recommending an upgrade to Windows 10.

If you’re dead-set on continuing to use Windows 7 past the date when official support ends, Microsoft is offering an additional three years of paid support for the platform. However, the price of that support will double with each passing year.

The company has taken pains to continue supporting what is still a surprisingly popular operating system.  However, given all of the above, the writing on the wall is pretty clear to see at this point.

If you haven’t yet begun to make plans to move away from your legacy systems that require Windows 7 to function, it’s well past time to do so.  When the support stops, you’re going to find yourself at increasing risk. The hackers around the world are going to find flaws in Windows 7’s armor and Microsoft isn’t going to be around to fix them.

Even worse, an increasing percentage of modern software simply won’t run on those older systems, which puts you in an increasing bind on that front. You would have to buy separate systems to run the newer software you need, while maintaining a few of the older boxes to house and run the software that depends on the older OS.  That complicates things, to say the least.

The longer you delay, the worse those risks are going to become.  Painful as it might be to consider moving away from the platform, the alternative is worlds worse.  Time and technology have simply moved on.

 

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Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

New Windows 10 Update May Cause Gaming Issues

If you’ve installed Microsoft’s March 1st update for Windows 10, version 180G, be aware that a growing percentage of users are reporting performance issues that impact graphics quality and mouse movement. Granted, the issues seem to have the biggest impact on games, with gamers who play games like Destiny 2 and Call of Duty 4. Of course, performance issues are likely to crop up in a variety of other applications as well.

Microsoft engineers are tracking various discussion forums and Reddit threads where the issue surrounding the KB4482887 update is the topic. They have concluded that the biggest performance impacts come from users who are playing older games (upwards of ten years old), but don’t seem to impact people who play newer games nearly as much, which is curious to say the least.

It’s not at all surprising that gamers are the first to report performance issues.  After all, gaming tends to demand quite a lot from a computer system’s resources in ways that mucking around in a spreadsheet simply doesn’t.  Then there’s the fact that gamers live and die based on in-game lag and latency, so even small blips are very noticeable.  Even so, there are several resource intensive Enterprise applications that may suffer similar performance issues.

For their part, Microsoft is on the case and is currently scrambling to provide a fix for the update. Although to this point, they haven’t provided users with a timeframe for when it might be released.

This latest incident follows on the heels of several months’ worth of problematic Windows 10 updates which have left the company with egg on their faces and prompted them to revisit the way they handle QA/QC prior to the release of an update.

Despite the fact that they’ve been working hard to improve their approach, it seems clear that they’re not quite where they need to be yet.  If you haven’t installed the KB4482887 update yet, and you make frequent use of resource-intensive programs, it may be worth holding off until Microsoft issues an update to the update.

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