Microsoft has quietly added WordPad to their list of "Deprecated features for Windows client," as of September 1—this classic word processor application has been part of their operating systems stretching back in time to Windows 95—when it debuted as Microsoft Write's successor. The announcement stated: "WordPad is no longer being updated and will be removed in a future release of Windows. We recommend Microsoft Word for rich text documents like.doc and.rtf and Windows Notepad for plain text documents like.txt." Updates for the bundled rich-text editing program ceased following UI tweaks introduced around the Windows 8 era.

Microsoft presents two alternative paths for the near future—naturally, one involves a paid 365 subscription—you can opt for Word. An online version is available at no cost, but it involves registration (with MS) and only functions as a web app. Notepad is the next best free-to-use native word processor—it has been modernized with new features, albeit via Windows 11. HotHardware has hyped it up: "One major update that users have been asking for was recently added to Notepad, that being the ability to open multiple tabs within the same session. Future updates include an autosave feature and the ability to restore previously open tabs as well as unsaved content and edits across those open tabs." Microsoft will be adding a snipping tool at some point, with the introduction of a: "combined capture bar, making it easier to switch between capturing screenshots and screen recordings without having to open the app."

Valve has confirmed that its Steam platform will no longer support the Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 operating systems as of January 1st, 2024. Valve discontinued support for Windows XP and Windows Vista back in 2019.

Valve says that after that date, the Steam Client will no longer run on those versions of Windows and users will need to update to a more recent release. The reason behind such a move, according to Valve, is that the newest features in Steam rely on an embedded version of Google Chrome which no longer functions on older versions of Windows, and that the future of Steam will require Windows features and security updates only present in Windows 10 and above.

The UEFI Secure Boot feature is designed to prevent malicious code from executing during the system boot process, and has been a cybersecurity staple since the late-2000s, when software support was introduced with Windows 8. Dawid Potocki, a New Zealand-based IT student and cybersecurity researcher, discovered that as many as 300 motherboard models by MSI have a faulty Secure Boot implementation with certain versions of their UEFI firmware, which allows just about any boot image to load. This is, however, localized to only certain UEFI firmware versions, that are released as beta versions.

Potocki stumbled upon this when he found that his PRO Z790-A WiFi motherboard failed to verify the cryptographic signature boot-time binaries at the time of system boot. "I have found that my firmware was… accepting every OS image I gave it, no matter if it was trusted or not." He then began examining other motherboard models, and discovered close to 300 MSI motherboard models with a broken Secure Boot implementation. He clarified that MSI laptops aren't affected, and only their desktop motherboards are. Potocki says that affected MSI motherboards have an "always execute" policy set for Secure Boot, which makes the mechanism worthless, and theorized a possible reason. "I suspect this is because they probably knew that Microsoft wouldn't approve of it and/or that they get less tickets about Secure Boot causing issues for their users."

Remember that hideous, remotely exploitable vulnerability on Windows' Print Spooler service, which would enable remote attackers to run code with administrator privileges on your machine? Well, Microsoft seems to be waking up from this particular instance of PrintNightmare, as the company has already issued critical, out-of-band security updates (meaning that they're outside Microsoft's cadenced patch rollout) for several versions of windows. Since the Print Spooler service runs by default and is an integral part of Windows releases (likely since the NT platform development), Microsoft has even pushed out patches to OSs that aren't currently supported.

Microsoft has issued correctives for Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2008, Windows 8.1, Windows RT 8.1, a variety of supported versions of Windows 10, and even Windows 7. As per Microsoft, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2016, and Windows 10 Version 1607 products are still missing the security patches, but they're being actively worked on and should be released sooner rather than later. The security patches include mitigations for both the PrintNightmare issue (CVE-2021-34527), as well as another Print Spooler vulnerability that's been previously reported (CVE-2021-1675). The mitigations are being distributed via Windows Update, as always, and the relevant packages are KB5004945 through KB5004959 (depending on your version of Windows).

Sonarworks had caught our eye back at CES 2019, when they showed off their then-still-in-progress mobile app for personalized sound signatures called True-Fi. The Latvia-based company has credentials to back all their claims, and the in-suite demo was impressive to say the least. Getting it out in the real world meant that the company had to build up their database of compatible headphones to first normalize the sound signature, and then work on the best option for recuperating R&D costs without breaking any wallets. As it turns out, the company had more insight on this at CES 2020 but are only now ready to show their retail plans in the form of SoundID.

SoundID, as both a mobile app (iOS, Android) and the new desktop SoundID Listen experience, takes over from where True-Fi started. The interface is more colorful and user-friendly to the masses, and the mobile app in the current beta form is being marketed more for profile-creation than usage, although it has the option to plug into your Spotify library. The older A/B tests are retained here, and at CES 2020 the app only had the "Core" experience. As of May, the app has new features to coincide with the desktop client's release, and read past the break for more on both.

NVIDIA in reponse to a support question stated that it will end Quadro driver support for select Windows versions from 14th January, 2020. These include all editions of Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Server 2008 R2. NVIDIA will continue to provide driver updates that include bug fixes and security patches until 14th January. After that, NVIDIA will no longer release new Quadro drivers that support these operating systems. NVIDIA will focus on providing driver updates for Windows 10 client, enterprise, and server versions, and encourages people to upgrade. The door for extended support from specific enterprise users remains open, they are asked to contact their NVIDIA representative.

NVIDIA announced that it is ending driver support for 32-bit operating systems after its R390-series drivers. Following its GeForce 390.xx release, NVIDIA will not support 32-bit versions of Windows 10, Windows 7, Windows 8/8.1, Linux, or FreeBSD for any of its GPU architectures. NVIDIA will, however, offer support for critical driver security fixes for 32-bit operating systems until January 2019. This means the company will release hotfixes addressing specific critical security vulnerabilities in the drivers, as and when they're found, but such hotfixes won't include new features or optimizations that are part of the main driver trunk for 64-bit operating systems.

As part of its new "Windows as a Service" model, Microsoft elected to provide users with a guaranteed, steady stream of updates with virtually no clear, hard-defined EOL. However, Microsoft took refuge, as well it should, from an increasingly difficult support for different hardware sets: a little footnote, saying that you are eligible for Windows 10 for the "supported lifetime of the device." Yes, it's true you now don't have to purchase a new Windows version. But that also means that your devices potentially won't be supported for Microsoft's previous 5 + 5 policy (meaning, 5 years of feature and security updates, and 5 extra years for security updates only.)

The systems in question - built around Intel's Clover Trail Atom processors - are generally low-cost, low-power machines (mainly 2-in-1) released between 2012 and 2015 under Windows 8 and 8.1. These systems were deemed ready to receive Windows 10; however, they are currently blocked from installing Windows 10 Version 1703 - the "Creators Update." Attempts to install result in a message saying that "Windows 10 is no longer supported on this PC." The problem is that each Windows 10 update receives security fixes for just 18 months. Version 1607, the latest that these Clover Trail machines can install, will drop out of support in early 2018 - after which they'll cease to receive any patches at all.

Vulkan is arguably the API which has garnered the most positive reactions from enthusiasts. Its implementation in Doom, for example, brought about incredible performance improvements in a game that not only looked and played great, but also performed amazingly well. Vulkan's support for other operating systems other than Windows 10 (where Microsoft still has a lot of ground to cover in acquiring enthusiast trust and interest) is one of its greatest selling points, and the API has been gaining ever more traction in the market, with some developers even going so far as to axe DX12 support in favor of Vulkan.

Now, Khronos Group has come ahead and clarified that "(...) the Vulkan multi-GPU specification is very definitely NOT tied to Windows 10. It is possible to implement the Vulkan multi-GPU extension on any desktop OS including Windows 7, 8.X and 10 and Linux." Khronos also goes on to say that they are aware that some developers are already baking Multi-GPU support into their games in various platforms other than Windows 10. These are sure to come as good news - the fact that Vulkan is platform agnostic is great for consumers and developers alike. And maybe this support - which still depends on developers to implement it - will bring about the shot in the arm that multi-GPU implementations sorely need.

Realtek have recently updated their High Definition Audio drivers. Version 2.80 of the drivers brings some overdue improvements to the table, at least when it comes to the time frame of their release: Windows 10 is now supported, and there are some mysterious "customizations" added. Codecs ALC255, ALC235 and ALC867 where also added, and support for Windows 8.1 was improved.

You can grab the drivers from Realtek's own site, right here.

AMD today released yet another version of their Software Crimson driver. The version, now updated to 16.11.3, highlights support for the imminent and highly awaited Dishonored 2. The fixed issues list is a bit shorter than last time: according to AMD, with this version, "Steam and Origin will no longer terminate when using AMD X-Connect Technology on unplug.

Barring that, no more new highlights or new features. This release also packs all of the previous 16.11 driver branch fixes and game support. As always, you can download the drivers from the links below.Download: AMD Radeon Software Crimson Edition 16.11.3 Beta for Windows 10 64-bit | Windows 10 32-bit | Windows 8.1 64-bit | Windows 8.1 32-bit | Windows 7 64-bit | Windows 7 32-bit

NVIDIA has issued a Hotfix driver, version number 375.76, which deals with some issues identified in their previous WHQL driver version, 375.70. Namely, the hotfix drivers fix occasional flickers on high refresh-rate monitors, as well as GIF artifacting.

The hotfix also includes all of the previous updates from NVIDIA's WHQL driver release, such as driver optimization, SLI support (provided the game engine supports multi-GPU), and GeForce Experience optimal settings for Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, Dishonored 2, and Titanfall 2, and include optimization for "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition" and "Obduction VR." Grab the drivers from the links below.DOWNLOAD: NVIDIA GeForce 375.76 Hotfix Driver for Windows 10 64-bit | Windows 10 32-bit | Windows 8/7/Vista 64-bit | Windows 8/7/Vista 32-bit

Microsoft has been hit by the first successful lawsuit over its forced Windows 10 upgrade. The first of possibly many, Teri Goldstein from California, successfully sued Microsoft for $10,000 in damages and legal fees over its deceptively designed Windows 10 upgrade software, which automatically downloaded and upgraded her computer's Windows 7 installation almost without the consent of the user. She convinced the court that the upgrade made her computer slower, and that she lost business due to the upgrade process and the slowing down of her computer. Microsoft dropped its appeal and paid up.

Microsoft is heavily criticized for the way it distributes its free Windows 10 upgrade for PCs with Windows 7 and Windows 8. What started out as an optional upgrade, quickly evolved into an almost unavoidable upgrade that forces itself upon the users, through clever design of the upgrade software's user interface. Microsoft recently changed Windows 10 upgrade into a "recommended update" for Windows 7/8, making users with auto-install for recommended updates discover that their machines have been upgraded almost without their consent. Could this be the first of many successful lawsuits over this issue at least in a precedent-driven American civil justice system?

AMD released the WHQL-signed version of Radeon Software Crimson Edition 15.11.1 as the new 15.12 WHQL. It addresses a variety of game-specific issues, including rendering errors on Star Wars: Battlefront; bugs on Fallout 4; texture-compression issues with Just Cause 3; poor CrossFire performance with Call of Duty: Black Ops 3. It also addresses a critical issue in which the driver would either spool fan-speeds all the way up to 100% on load, or lock them down at 30%, causing certain GPUs to overheat. A variety of bugs specific to the Radeon Settings app were also addressed.

DOWNLOAD: AMD Radeon Software Crimson Edition 15.12 WHQL for Windows 10 64-bit | Windows 10 32-bit | Windows 8.1 64-bit | Windows 8.1 32-bit | Windows 7 64-bit | Windows 7 32-bit

Here are some of the first renders of what the retail channel packages of Windows 10 could look like. Microsoft plans to sell packages with physical DVDs in markets with slow Internet connections (the first two renders), in others, the company will sell slimmer envelope-type package (the last two renders) that lacks physical media, and include only a plastic card with a key printed on it. You can download the install image for your edition, and create a bootable USB flash drive that can be used as an installation media.

Given that over 300 million current users of Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 are expected to avail the free upgrade to Windows 10, which entails a web-based update; and given the amount of people buying licenses on the web, Windows 10 could very well be the last version of Windows that's sold in physical packages, at ground stores. Speculation is also rife that Microsoft could fundamentally change its version numbering scheme and upgrade model, which could mean no more future major versions, and possible subscription models to get software updates. Windows 10 will release on July 29, 2015.

AMD released the Catalyst 15.7 WHQL driver suite, its first WHQL-signed Catalyst driver in 212 days (since 14.12 Omega). These drivers add official support for all the new AMD Radeon R9 300 series and R9 Fury series graphics processors launched in the past two months, and comes with a ship load of new features and game optimizations. They also include WDDM 2.0 support, letting you use them with Windows 10.

To begin with, Catalyst 15.7 WHQL adds support for AMD FreeSync in CrossFire setups, on DirectX 10 and higher 3D applications. Features such as VSR (virtual super-resolution) and FRTC (frame-rate target control) are now official. CrossFire profiles have been added/improved for over a dozen games since 14.12 Omega. Frame-rates have been increased for Far Cry 4 and Tomb Raider.

DOWNLOAD: AMD Catalyst 15.7 WHQL for Windows 8.1/10 64-bit | Windows 8.1/10 32-bit | Windows 7 64-bit | Windows 7 32-bit

In an industry presentation on why the company is excited about Microsoft's upcoming DirectX 12 API, AMD revealed its most important feature that could impact on not only its graphics business, but also potentially revive its CPU business among gamers. DirectX 12 will make its debut with Windows 10, Microsoft's next big operating system, which will be given away as a free upgrade for _all_ current Windows 8 and Windows 7 users. The OS will come with a usable Start menu, and could lure gamers who stood their ground on Windows 7.

In its presentation, AMD touched upon two key features of the DirectX 12, starting with its most important, Multi-threaded command buffer recording; and Asynchronous compute scheduling/execution. A command buffer is a list of tasks for the CPU to execute, when drawing a 3D scene. There are some elements of 3D graphics that are still better suited for serial processing, and no single SIMD unit from any GPU architecture has managed to gain performance throughput parity with a modern CPU core. DirectX 11 and its predecessors are still largely single-threaded on the CPU, in the way it schedules command buffer.

The newest motherboard based on Intel B85 single chip architecture by BIOSTAR is ready to work hard and play hard. The Hi-Fi B85Z5 supports Intel's 4th generation Core i7 and Core i5 processors in the 1150 package and is ready for a work out with 4 channel DDR3 slots for maximum memory support of up to 32GB.

BIOSTAR's Hi-Fi B85Z5 delivers a business-rich option at a value price compared to the other companies. The Hi-Fi B85Z5 features BIOSTAR innovative Hi-Fi technology, a built-in powerful headphone amplifier and Super LAN Surge Protection which enhances Ethernet protections. Being an Intel B85 chipset based system, it comes with features like Intel Rapid Storage Technology (Intel RST), for faster system boot and shorter application load time, and Intel Small Business Advantage (Intel SBA), which delivers business-centric security protection, such as after-hours virus scans and data backup, and blocks recognition of unwanted USB drives and Intel's Smart Connect Technology.

Microsoft Corp. on Wednesday unveiled a new generation of Windows, with a wide range of experiences designed to usher in a new era of more personal computing, as well as two new devices designed to extend the Windows experience from large screens to no screens. Windows 10 will be delivered as a service to offer a safer, innovative and updated experience for the supported lifetime of the device. A free upgrade1 for Windows 10 will be made available to customers running Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1, who upgrade in the first year.

"Windows 10 marks the beginning of the more personal computing era in the mobile-first, cloud-first world," said Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft. "Our ambition is for the 1.5 billion people who are using Windows today to fall in love with Windows 10 and for billions more to decide to make Windows home."

Windows 10 marks the beginning of the more personal computing era, where technology disappears and people are at the center. In this era, the mobility of the experience matters, not the mobility of the device, and experiences should work in a seamless, familiar way across devices. People should be able to naturally interact with technology as they interact with other people - with voice, gestures and gaze. Protecting privacy plays a pivotal role in delivering trustworthy experiences that put people in control of their experience.

SYBER, a new division of CyberPowerPC, is announcing three new Vapor Models at CES in Las Vegas, as part of Syber's open platform PC gaming console line, along with a new limited edition color model. "For gamers who want to break out of the bedroom and into the comfort of the living room, the Syber Vapor PC gaming console series offers the best performance at an affordable price," said Eric Cheung, CEO, CyberPowerPC.

Steam machines will run on SteamOS, an operating system based on Ubuntu Linux and produced by Valve. Steam machines will exist primarily to play Linux games that can be downloaded through SteamOS. What makes the Syber Vapor PC gaming console unique, however, is that it is coming out before the SteamOS is finished. The Vapor connects via HDMI to your HDTV, has 4K capabilities and uses Windows 8.1 that will launch gamers directly into Steam's Big Picture mode.

With BIOSTAR's recently announced J1900NH2 motherboard with the on-board Intel Dual-Core Celeron J1900 processor, using a mini ITX form factor with a size of 17x17cm, builders are able to make creative designs for many different uses. The J1900NH2 boards come with the Intel Celeron J1900 Dual-Core processor already installed and it supports two DDR3L 1333/1066MHz memory slots for a maximum of 16GB of memory. With the integrated GPU, watching HD content and playing games is no sweat.

Indeed, the J1900NH2 board is ready for building all kinds of multimedia systems with its HDMI and analog VGA-out, and high definition audio with the Realtek ALC662 5.1 Channel HD Audio chip. LAN networking is covered by the Realtek RTL8111G - 10/100/1000 controller and being a BIOSTAR board it has the Smart Speed LAN feature. SmartSpeedLAN is a free software application which monitors and manages your PC's network behavior. With user-friendly GUI, it allows you to select and prioritize different types of network traffic, including gaming, media streaming, communications or web surfing. You can also set any specific applications, choosing to prioritize or block accordingly. SmartSpeedLAN can feature automatic management options that use adaptive networking intelligence to ensure that you are getting the best online experience possible.

TP-LINK today announced the TP-LINK Archer T4U - AC1200 Wireless Dual Band USB Adapter - offering consumers an easy upgrade path for existing laptops and desktop computers to the superior wireless performance of 802.11ac. The Archer T4U is designed with security in mind: easy wireless security encryption at a push of the built-in WPS button; and WPA/WPA2 encryptions provide a home wireless network with active defense against security threats.

The Archer T4U adapter is backward compatible with previous generation 802.11a/b/g/n wireless standards to help fend off product obsolescence. Consumers will enjoy incredibly fast Wi-Fi speeds and improved connectivity, without having to invest in new computer equipment. With 867Mbps wireless speeds over the crystal clear 5GHz band or 300Mbps over the 2.4GHz band for a total of 1.2Gps, the Archer T4U is ideal for lag-free HD streaming, online gaming and other bandwidth-intensive tasks. When combined with an 802.11ac router, the dual band performance of the Archer T4U boosts Wi-Fi speeds and achieves maximum throughput and minimal interference.

Microsoft's Windows 8.1 operating system has overtaken its older sibling Windows 8 for the first time in terms of internet usage worldwide, according to StatCounter, the independent website analytics company. The company's research arm, StatCounter Global Stats also finds that despite Microsoft's ending of support in April this year, Windows XP refuses to die and remains the world's second most popular operating system version. However, for the first time globally, the combined total of Windows 8 and 8.1 (14%) overtook XP (12.9%) in August.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a global leader in digital media and convergence technologies, announced today its newest ultra-slim portable DVD writers, the SE-218GN and SE-208GB optical disc drives (ODDs) with a sleeker design and mobile size for Ultrabook users on-the-go.

Measuring 148.6 x 14 x 146mm (SE-208GB) and 148 x 14.4 x 143(SE-218GN), the drives are ideal for Ultrabook users that need optical media for easy access to stored documents, photos and multimedia content. These new drives feature a new external ODD design by placing the eject button on top of the case to maximize the ease of pressing the eject button instead of on the front bezel.

AMD rolled out version 14.7 RC (beta) of its Catalyst software suite. With this version, AMD discontinues support for Windows 8 (WDDM 1.2), and expects you to upgrade to Windows 8.1 (WDDM 1.3) for free, to continue receiving driver support. Older versions of Windows, namely Windows Vista and Windows 7, are unaffected. Catalyst 14.7 RC adds all the improvements of 14.6 RC, with added CrossFire performance for Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare, improved CrossFire scaling at Ultra HD resolution for Assassins Creed IV. The driver also comes with a workaround for an issue faced by users of AOC U2868PQU display, who notice flickering on Radeon GPUs. In addition to the workaround, AMD recommends that you apply the latest firmware for your displays.

DOWNLOAD: AMD Catalyst 14.7 RC (beta)