Microsoft Support & Discussions

We live in a time of both great opportunity and great responsibility. Our children have access to more information, entertainment and more ways to connect than ever before, but with that comes plenty of new things that parents like you and I need to worry about and new ways to distract their attention. Today, we are excited to introduce new features that make it easier and safer for families to interact with technology and, each other, across devices and platforms. Creating tools and features that empower both parents and kids has always been an important part of our work and is becoming increasingly vital, not only to us as a business, but to us as individuals – p…

This blog is part of a series that responds to common questions we receive from customers about deployment of Microsoft 365 security solutions. In this series youll find context, answers, and guidance for deployment and driving adoption within your organization. Check out our last blog Now that you have a plan, its time to start deploying. In our previous blog, we covered some of the tactical issues that youll want to consider planning your Microsoft 365 Security deployment. Now well move to the third and final step of an effective planning process: Drive Value. The Drive Value stage is about helping your employees to embrace and adopt the new tools and pr…

Its no secret that Microsoft has embraced the cloud in a big wayfrom enterprise solutions like Microsoft Azure to Office 365 and Windows. But a recent research report by Forrester focuses on an equally important shift in our approach to securityintegrating workforce and cloud security in ways that make them much easier for enterprise IT leaders to purchase and manage. As Dark Readings Kelly Sheridan points out, Microsoft is focusing on bringing protections to where people are moving their work: into the cloud. Microsoft, like other cloud providers, is stomping into the security market, ready to shake things up and address the weaknesses they see in todays tools, she …

The OMEN 15 laptop arrives with up to NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 graphics, 8th Generation Intel Core i+ H-series quad or six-core CPUs and stunning visuals on a 15.6-inch diagonal 144hz or 4k display. With Windows 10, this laptop also has simple, built-in Mixer streaming for low-latency, interactive moments for viewers and streamers to engage with other gamers, while Xbox Play Anywhere enables you to buy a game once and play it on both your Xbox One and Windows 10 PC. It’s also Xbox Adaptive Controller compatible, supporting accessible gaming towards connecting more gamers than ever before. Top features include: Astonishing graphics with up to NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1…

This blog post was authored by Vinicius Apolinario, Senior Product Marketing Manager, Windows Server. This year Windows Server reaches the incredible mark of 25 years in market. If youre a Microsoft professional, you probably built your career on the Windows platform and we appreciate the trust you deposited on us. The launch of Windows Server 2019 later this year solidifies the importance of Windows Server on Microsofts hybrid strategy and now we want to help you take the next step in your career and support you in the journey of either move to the cloud, leverage cloud services on-premises, or evolve your datacenter infrastructure and applications. To accompl…

Did you know that with the Windows 10 April 2018 Update, it’s now easier than ever to take a note or write a paper – with just your voice, using your device’s microphone? Natural computing experiences enable us to speak directly to our devices to accomplish tasks, without typing. One way we’ve done this is with the improved Dictation feature in Windows 10. With your cursor in any text field, either in Windows 10 or in an app, simply press Win + H and start talking. Head over here to learn more about what’s new in the April 2018 Update! Windows 10 Tip: Capture your thoughts easily with Dictation Tweet This *Dictation available in select markets; expe…

I have recently purchased a new desktop computer to replace my ailing Windows 7 SP1 Home Premium 32bit and installed Windows 7 SP1 professional 64 bit on it. Windows Update is up to date. The main specifications of the computer are as follows: CPU: AMD A8-7650K Kaveri 28nm Technology RAM: 8.00GB Single-Channel DDR3 @ 797MHz (11-11-11-28) Motherboard: ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. A68HM-PLUS (FM2+ ) Graphics: 2269WM (1920x1080@60Hz) 1024MB ATI AMD Radeon R7 Graphics (ASUStek Computer Inc) Storage: 931GB Western Digital WDC WD10 EZEX-08WN4A0 SATA Disk Device (SATA ) Optical Drives: ASUS DRW-24D5MT SATA CdRom Device Audio: Realtek High Definition Aud…

Corporate Vice President Brad Anderson recently shared his insights on how Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection (Windows Defender ATP) evolved to achieve important quality milestones. Our Windows Defender ATP team is committed to delivering industry-leading protection, customer choice, and transparency on the quality of our solutions. In the continued spirit of these principles, we want to share the results of the January-February 2018 test conducted by independent antivirus tester AV-TEST and provide a transparency report that augments the test findings with contextual information to help our customers make informed decisions about Windows Defender ATP adoption. …

If weve learned anything from the rise of Marvel Cinematic Universe, its that good things tend to happen when heroes intervene. For securing new applications, this metaphor is a useful one because security isnt always top-of-mind for scrum teams, nor is it always conducive to meeting aggressive deadlines. But in the world of software security these heroes are critical because they are risk-aware, highly skilled developers who understand software design, robust development, and the importance of architecting for resiliency. During my session at IANS Los Angeles Information Security Forum this week about driving security into DevSecOps, I was reminded how difficult it …

Today, Acer announced a new notebook designed for people on-the-go, as well as several new gaming desktops and laptops powered by Windows 10 that arrive with simple, built-in Mixer streaming for low-latency, interactive moments for viewers and streamers to engage with other gamers, while Xbox Play Anywhere enables you to buy a game once and play it on both your Xbox One and Windows 10 PC. The 15-inch Swift 5 Notebook The new Swift 5 notebook is powered by Windows 10 and the latest Intel Core processors, while weighing less than 1kg – ideal for people on-the-go. The Swift 5 arrives with your digital personal assistant Cortana,* comprehensive protection with …

This post is authored by Gilad Mittelman, Senior Program Manager, SQL Data Security. Data privacy and data security have become one of the most prominent topics in organizations in almost every industry across the globe. New regulations that formalize requirements are emerging around these topics and compel organizations to comply. The upcoming EU Global Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which takes effect on May 25, 2018, is one of the most noteworthy of these new regulations. It sets a new global bar for privacy rights, security, and compliance, mandating many requirements and obligations on organizations across the globe. Complying with this regulation will …

Google’s in trouble again over the “Safari Workaround”: the iPhone shakedown for personal information from millions of iPhone users. In 2012, the workaround got the search giant fined by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for $22.5m, fined again a year later for $17m after it got sued by dozens of states, and now has the UK’s Google You Owe Us campaign out for its own pound of flesh. Make that a few pounds of flesh: The Google You Owe Us campaign has started the process of getting its own comeuppance, and the US fines pale in comparison to what the British group is after. Monday marked day one in London’s high court, where the collective action is suing the co…

This post is authored by Jeremy Dallman, Principal Program Manager. Our goal in building the Microsoft Graph Security API is to enable customers to share insights and take action across security solutions to improve protection and speed response. By creating a connected security ecosystem, Microsoft and partners can enable developers to simplify integration and alert correlation, unlock valuable context to aid investigation, and streamline security operations. Microsoft Graph Security API proof of concept integration using PowerBI Palo Alto Networks shares the vision of enabling better integration to benefit our joint customers. They are a …

State of Decay 2 is the ultimate zombie survival fantasy, where it’s up to you to decide how to survive in an open, post-apocalyptic world. State of Decay 2 takes everything you loved about the first game and greatly expands on it – giving you more unique survivor characters, more backstories and skills for each member, more community and base management options, and bigger maps to survive in. State of Decay 2 also adds one of the most requested features from the community: cross-platform co-op. You and up to three of your friends can survive together on Xbox One or Windows 10 PC and help develop one player’s community, and then everyone returns to their games with ext…

Sporting a large 15.6” edge-to-edge display with an ultra-responsive 144Hz Full HD panel, experience smoother visuals like never before and gain the advantage over the competition. Armed with the new 8th Gen Intel Core i7 processor with 6 Cores and up to an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q Design VR ready graphics, the new Razer Blade delivers even more power per cubic inch to dominate the most demanding games and applications in an ultra-thin, precision crafted CNC aluminum chassis. With Windows 10, this laptop comes with simple, built-in Mixer streaming for low-latency, interactive moments for viewers and streamers to engage with other gamers, while Xbox Play Anywhere e…

Paint 3D is a built-in creative application that comes free with Windows 10*. It is designed to be simple yet powerful by allowing you to create professional or fun creative projects by easily combining 2D and 3D tools. The best part is that you don’t need any design experience – Paint 3D can be used by anyone. Its approachable interface makes it easy to customize existing 3D models from our built-in 3D library or create 3D designs from scratch. Getting started: Paint 3D’s basic navigation Brushes: Expand your artistic abilities with unique pens & brushes that mimic real materials without the mess. Try transparent watercolor that beautifully washes the …

In January, 2018, Microsoft published an advisory and security updates for a new class of hardware vulnerabilities involving speculative execution side channels (known as Spectre and Meltdown). In this blog post, we will provide a technical analysis of an additional subclass of speculative execution side channel vulnerability known as Speculative Store Bypass (SSB) which has been assigned CVE-2018-3639.

This blog is part of a series that responds to common questions we receive from customers about deployment of Microsoft 365 security solutions. In this series, youll find context, answers, and guidance for deployment and driving adoption within your organization. Check out our last blog First Things First: Envisioning Your Security Deployment. In our previous blog post, we covered how FastTrack for Microsoft 365 can help you envision a successful Microsoft 365 security deployment. Now, well cover the next phase of our three-phase planning approach: Onboard. This is where you move from strategy and objectives to the practical details of your deployment planning. …

Here are some of the highlights from Phil’s post: “We have been on a journey of inclusive design, which celebrates and draws inspiration from people who are often overlooked in the typical design process. For gamers with limited mobility, finding controller solutions to fit their individual needs has been challenging. The solutions that exist today are often expensive, hard to find, or require significant technical skill to create. A number of individuals and organizations are creating custom solutions, but it has been often difficult for them to scale when most rigs need to be so personalized. Joining the Xbox family of controllers and devices, the Xbox Adapt…

At Microsoft, we want to empower every person and every organization to achieve more. We deeply believe everyone should have the opportunity to reach their potential and we can help by empowering all people, regardless of their abilities. Global Accessibility Awareness Day gives us the chance to celebrate our differences and reflect on the ways in which we continue to strive to make Windows more accessible to everyone in their everyday life. Windows for each of us. Inclusion starts with embracing what makes each of us unique. And it’s this belief that drives our passion to create technology that reflects the diversity of our customers. We have teams dedicated to…

This post is authored by Debraj Ghosh, Senior Product Marketing Manager, Microsoft 365 Security. Responding to ransomware in the Modern Workplace Over the last few weeks, we have shared the roots of Microsoft 365 threat protection and how Microsoft 365 threat protection helps protect against and detect a modern ransomware attack. Today, we conclude our blog series by discussing how Microsoft 365 threat protection can help respond to attacks and also helps educate and raise awareness of threats to end users. In our ransomware scenario, once the threat has been detected, Microsoft 365 also helps respond and remediate with automation playing a key role in making the …

Hello Windows Insiders! Today, we are releasing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17672 (RS5) to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring in addition to those who opted in to Skip Ahead. Microsoft Build 2018 Recap We’re still reeling from how awesome the Microsoft Build conference was this year. Our team and our friends from Deployment, Feedback and Flighting manned Windows Insider booth all 3 days and circulated through the conference learning all the cool new tech. We had over 800 people come by our booth and we had the opportunity to share what’s next for the program AND learn what we can be doing better to create a better Insider program. We also had the ple…

Hello Windows Insiders! Today we are pleased to release a new build of the Windows Server vNext Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) release that contains both the Desktop Experience as well as Server Core in all 18 server languages, as well as a new build of the next Windows Server Semi-Annual Channel release. There are two major areas that we would like you to try out in each preview release and report back any issues: In-place OS Upgrade (from Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2016) Application compatibility – please let us know if any server roles or applications stops working or fails to function as it used to What’s New in the Latest Build Clic…

Have you always wished you could have mobile application management (MAM) on Windows? Now you can! Windows Information Protection (WIP) is an out-of-the box data leakage prevention feature for Windows 10 that can automatically apply protection for work files and data to prevent accidental data leakage. With 600 million active Windows 10 devices, corporate customers continuing to deploy in earnest throughout 2018, and support for WIP built right into Office 365 ProPlus, its benefits are within easy reach. Sixty to eighty percent of data leakage is accidental (see ICO data for 2016 and 2017). WIP is a key feature that offers much needed data protection for fi…