Microsoft Support & Discussions

Editor’s note: The following is a post from Thomas Kohnstamm, a writer for microsoft.com/stories. To say that a lot was at stake would be an understatement. The San Francisco launch event for Office for iPad was Satya Nadella’s first appearance as the CEO of Microsoft in the Bay Area tech industry and media epicenter. And Office for iPad represents Nadella’s determination to create a mobile first, cloud first Microsoft that is committed to making cloud services like Office available on every device, no matter the platform. As Nadella’s co-presenter, Julia White, general manager of product marketing for Office, was praised for her energetic hands-on demo –…

Editor's Note: This blog post was updated with the following new information at 8 a.m. on July 9: On Monday, June 30, Microsoft filed a civil suit in a Nevada federal court to disrupt Bladabindi-Jenxcus, a pervasive family of malware that put millions of customers at risk. Today both Microsoft Corporation and Vitalwerks Internet Solutions, LLC announce they have reached a settlement in the matter of Microsoft Corporation v. Mutairi, et al. Microsoft has reviewed the evidence provided by Vitalwerks and enters into the settlement confident that Vitalwerks was not knowingly involved with the subdomains used to support malware. Those spreading the malware abused Vita…

A Skype update now available for Windows Phone 8 and Windows Phone 8.1 integrates Cortana, Microsoft’s new digital personal assistant. Now you can start Skype video and audio calls by simply asking Cortana something like “Skype, get Mom on the screen.” Cortana is currently available in the U.S. on Windows Phone 8.1. The Skype update also has increased language support, from 19 to 51 languages, and improved notifications. Download the update from the Windows Phone Store, and to learn more, head over to the Skype Garage & Updates blog. You might also be interested in: · Microsoft Research: Cortana is the start of personal assistants that naturally anticip…

A new era for the Forza Motorsport series begins on May 5 with the release of the open beta for Forza Motorsport 6: Apex. Crafted specifically for Windows 10, Apex combines the power and performance of DirectX 12 with Turn 10’s racing expertise, its proprietary ForzaTech engine, and Forza’s legacy of stellar content. Forza Motorsport 6: Apex is our way to introduce Forza’s award-winning gameplay to a new audience on Windows 10 and invite a new group of gamers to develop a passion for cars and racing. Forza Motorsport 6: Apex delivers a curated single-player tour of Forza Motorsport’s best content, all running on DirectX 12 at resolutions up to 4K. Along with a new …

Today, we are excited to share that the official Facebook app and Messenger app for Windows 10 PCs and Tablets, and the official Instagram app for Windows 10 mobile are rolling out and will be available later today in the Windows Store. Designed to run quickly and easily within Windows 10 and have the most up-to-date features, Facebook built Windows-only experiences into all three of these apps such as Live Tiles, which lets you quickly see new posts, messages and photos right from your home screen. Facebook Keeping up with friends is faster than ever with the new Facebook app for Windows 10, the best way to experience Facebook on Windows. With Li…

This is the final post in the “Ten reasons you’ll love Windows Server 2016” series. Earlier today, Mike Neil announced the availability of Technical Preview 5 for Windows Server 2016 and System Center 2016. This is an exciting moment, and it coincides with our final installment of the video series, “Ten reasons you’ll love Windows Server 2016.” In today’s video, I talk about Nano Server and what the future of server computing looks like in a cloud-first world. Looking back, the history of Windows Server has had four distinct eras: Server for the masses: A world-class kernel combined with the desktop GUI experience and the economies of high volume hardware tran…

It is incredible how much has happened since Xamarin joined Microsoft just over a month ago, starting with Scott Guthrie’s Build 2016 announcements that Xamarin is now part of all editions of Visual Studio at no additional charge — from Community to Enterprise — and our plans to open source the Xamarin SDK. It is a dream come true for us to be able to put the power of Xamarin into the hands of all developers. In just the first two weeks since Build alone, we helped nearly 3.5 times more developers get started building great apps with Xamarin than ever in our history as a company. Now we are at Xamarin Evolve 2016, the world’s largest cross-platform mobile developmen…

Today, we’re happy to share that Moon Studios’ Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition is now available on Windows 10. This gorgeous sidescrolling platformer tells the story of Ori, a guardian spirit who explores the beautiful forest of Nibel. The Definitive Edition features new areas, music, story elements, fast travel options, and new abilities. For gamers who’d like to relax a little bit as they take in the awe-inspiring sights of Nibel, Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition also features a new Easy difficulty. Windows 10 is the perfect place to play this version of the game, as it features enhanced resolution and monitor support, in addition to …

Since Comcast began expanding its years-long “test” of data caps and overage fees, complaints to the FCC about these new limits have skyrocketed. And some streaming video companies say that data caps are causing customers to either limit their use or drop these services rather than risk paying a penalty for going over their monthly allotment. Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, an executive with Dish Network — which operates the $20/month Sling TV streaming service that’s intended to be a low-cost cable replacement — says companies like Comcast and AT&T that put strict limits on customers’ data plans, or charge premium prices for plans without caps, are deliberate…

Hi everyone, Today we are releasing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 14332 for both PC and Mobile to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring. Some languages and editions are still being propagated at the time of going live with this flight, but we expect these to be available within the hour. The Bug Bash begins! With this new build today for PC and Mobile – we’re officially kicking off the Bug Bash with Windows Insiders we mentioned last week. Over the course of the next 4 days, we will be publishing multiple Quests inside Feedback Hub that will highlight different areas of the product each day. We will be looking for feedback on each Quest, but you can also just us…

This post was authored by Matt McSpirit, Technical Evangelist at Microsoft. It is the ninth post in the “Ten reasons you’ll love Windows Server 2016” series. Today I got to talk with Taylor Brown, principal lead program manager for Windows Server containers. Taylor’s team is responsible for product vision and roadmap as well as partnering with the development team to deliver container features in Windows Server 2016. Check out the video below. Containers on Windows Server has become an empowering technology for customers. We see customers developing, deploying and now hosting containerized apps as part of their development processes. As the pace of application dep…

This post, authored by Matt McSpirit, Technical Evangelist at Microsoft, is #8 in the “Ten reasons you’ll love Windows Server 2016” series. In this episode Matt interviews Nir Ben-Zvi, a principal program manager in the Windows Server product group. Nir and his team are one of many within Microsoft working to improve and provide additional layers of security for the datacenter, virtual machines and hosting environments – basically wherever servers are running. Nir’s team collaborates closely with the Windows 10 security and Azure security teams to provide end-to-end coverage across all your devices and environments that run your infrastructure and applications. Duri…

Today, researchers have discovered a new mobile malware distribution campaign that does not require any type of user interaction in order to infect devices with ransomware. The infection occurs when users visit a website that contains tainted JavaScript code. Blue Coat Labs says the malicious code is delivered via malicious ads (malvertising). Security researchers from Zimperium have confirmed that the malicious code contained an exploit leaked last year in the Hacking Team data breach. Malvertising hits Android devices The exploit leverages a vulnerability in the libxslt Android library to allow attackers to download a Linux ELF binary called module.so on the…

All month long, Windows has been celebrating Pencils of Promise, a partner in Upgrade Your World that believes education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world. Together, we’re spreading the word of PoP’s work far and wide, and supporting the creation of 10 new schools in parts of the world where access to quality education is scarce. Students from Sieta Vueltas There is nothing more powerful than being in the field with an organization to truly understand the impact they are making on the ground. That is why I was thrilled to join Pencils of Promise in Guatemala, where they are working in 155 partner communities to bring quality education to…

A digital transformation is remaking companies and their factories, bringing the intersection of manufacturing and technology even closer, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said Sunday in his keynote address at Hannover Messe 2016, the world’s largest industrial technology fair, in Germany. Enabling that transformation are systems of intelligence that help companies gain insight and take action from big data, optimize their operations and change the very nature of the business models around their industrial products, Nadella said. Read more on what he had to say by visiting Microsoft News Center. The post Satya Nadella: Digital transformation is changing the face of ma…

AT&T is today making good on a promise it had to make to the FCC last year, announcing their new program to connect more poor Americans to the internet and bridge that infamous digital divide. The FCC has a history of making ISPs provide inexpensive connections to low-income families as a merger condition. For example, Comcast’s Internet Essentials sprang into being as a merger condition when the cable behemoth bought NBCUniversal in 2011. The AT&T / DirecTV merger, approved just last year, is no different. The FCC mandated, as part of their approval of that merger, that AT&T make available some kind of affordable access program to low-income consumers, …

From a huge effort to help kids realize their potential to a celebration of our dear old planet, this week brought plenty of interesting and inspiring news around Microsoft. We’ve rounded up some of the highlights in this latest edition of Weekend Reading. Earlier this week, Microsoft announced grants to 100 nonprofit partners in 55 countries as part of YouthSpark, a global initiative to increase access for young people to learn computer science. In turn, these nonprofit partners — such as Laboratoria, CoderDojo and City Year — will use the power of local schools, businesses and community organizations to empower students to achieve more for themselves, their families …

Here’s a roundup of what’s new in the Windows Store this week, including sales on two great games, a new app for your to-do lists, and more! Games Age of Empires: Castle Siege – Free The sweep of history, the thrill of battle, and now an awesome, limited-time promo are all part of Age of Empires: Castle Siege (free, with IAP options). Today through Monday only, get up to 40% off all in-app purchases (500 gold is 30% off). Outsmart your attackers, outplay your victims, save a little cash and have a blast in the process. It’s time to take command and make your mark on history! Download the game here. CSI: Slots – Free You’re always playing to win, b…

Ubuntu's supposedly secure app package format doesn't do much to improve security on the desktop, according to a well-known Linux kernel developer. The new Snap app package format is a headline feature of the new Ubuntu 16.04, touted by Canonical as a secure way of developing software that makes it impossible for an app to steal your data. "The security mechanisms in Snap packages allow us to open up the platform for much faster iteration across all our flavours as Snap applications are isolated from the rest of the system," Olli Ries, head of Canonical's Ubuntu client platform products and releases wrote earlier this month. "Users can install a Snap without …

Hello! I’m Li-Chen Miller, Group Program Manager for the Windows Ink team. I’m excited to share that many of the rich capabilities of Windows Ink are now available to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring today, and we will continue to light up new experiences over the coming months. The new build features our brand new Windows Ink Workspace. This feature ties together all Windows Ink experiences, it is like the Start menu for ink. Here’s a quick tour! Windows has always been at the forefront of making human–computing interaction more natural, and with the digital pen in mind, we have delivered powerful features in Windows 10 such as Web Notes on Microsoft Edge and all t…

Hi everyone, Today we are releasing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 14328 for both PC and Mobile to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring. This build is just one build newer than the Mobile build we released on Wednesday so there isn’t a lot new for Mobile. For PC though this is a MAJOR build, packed with lots of new features and improvements including Windows Ink, updated Start, and more! With the amount of code change in this build there are going to be some rough edges, some of which are called out in the known issues below. If any of those make you uncomfortable, you may want to consider switching to the Slow ring and waiting for a later build which has a bit more sta…

This morning Acer unveiled a great lineup of Windows 10 devices at their next@acer event in NYC. These devices offer users a wide variety of form factors and features to take advantage of the very best of Windows 10 — including a fanless liquid-cooled 2-in-1 and an ultra-slim PC that offer great performance and value — to new gaming PCs that deliver premium gaming and virtual reality experiences. Let’s take a closer look at the PCs Acer unveiled today. The Switch Alpha 12 – Acer’s liquid-cooled 2-in-1 Notebook Click to view slideshow. The awesome liquid-cooled Switch Alpha 12 2-in-1 notebook with Windows 10 delivers a heightened level of mobility with an ult…

Hi everyone, Today we are releasing Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview Build 14327 to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring. Here’s what’s new in Build 14327 for Mobile Try out the Messaging Everywhere Preview You can now try out the preview of the “Messaging everywhere” feature in Windows 10 that allows you to send and receive text messages from your phone directly from your Windows 10 PC’s. To enable this: Make sure you are signed in with your Microsoft Account (MSA). On your phone – make sure “Send texts on all my Windows devices” is turned on. On your PC – make sure you have chosen which phone to send messages through. You do this in the setting…

Sometimes all it takes is a spark: that one class, that one teacher, that one project which makes a difference. It can change the lives of young students who may have had little opportunity to excel, or perhaps even to complete high school, to enable them to become successful engineers, entrepreneurs or computer scientists. This is the inspiration behind our global YouthSpark initiative. Last September, Satya Nadella announced a three-year, $75 million YouthSpark investment to help every young person get the opportunity to learn computing skills and computer science. Click here to learn more about our partners. Today we are providing an update by announcing Y…

This is the 7th post in the “Ten Reasons You’ll Love Windows Server 2016” video series by Matt McSpirit, Technical Evangelist at Microsoft. In this episode Matt interviews Ravi Rao, Principal PM Manager for the networking group. Ravi and his team bring software-defined networking to the Windows Server platform. The team concentrates on network innovation so that IT teams can improve their agility, strengthen their security stance, and present solutions that can change as requirements evolve, so they can deliver the right infrastructure at or ahead of schedule. In the context of networking, agility comes from the ability to successfully navigate the myriad policies…