Microsoft has ended Windows 7 and 8.1 extended security updates as of January 10th, 2023. Microsoft will also be ending support for Microsoft Edge for these Windows versions as well. An exception is Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry, which ends support on on July 11, 2023.
More information is available at the Windows End of Support page. A list of the life cycle of Microsoft products may be found here.
Microsoft will hold its annual technology Build event from May 24 to May 26, 2022. Registration is free; more information is available at the event FAQ page.
The Apple MacOS user guide has a complete list of Mac keyboard shortcuts. The online manual also has a conversion chart of Microsoft Windows terms and their Mac equivalents.
SystemRescue is a Linux operating system designed to repair Windows and Linux computers. It can be downloaded and started from a CD/DVD drive or USB drive. More information is available in the Quick Start guide and online documentation.
A valid Microsoft Windows product key is required to reinstall Windows if the hard drive has to be replaced.
This key can be found for some PCs with OEM Windows licenses by opening a Command Prompt (right-click and select “Run as Administrator”).
At the command prompt, type:
wmic path SoftwareLicensingService get OA3xOriginalProductKey
Microsoft has released Windows 11 SE, a new operating system specifically optimized for low-cost computers for students and schools. More information about this new OS is available at the FAQ page.
Microsoft is set to release the desktop version of Office 2021 as well as Windows 11 on October 5, 2021. The list of new features includes new Excel functions and support for OpenDocument format (ODF) 1.3 (file extensions .odt, .ods, and .odp).
A list of the differences between Microsoft 365 and Office 2021 may be found here.
Microsoft released Windows 365, a cloud-based PC service that runs Windows 10 or Windows 11, on August 2, 2021. This new service is based on Azure Virtual Desktop. More information is available at these links:
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) announced the standup of the Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative (JCDC). This will be a cyber defense collaboration with major technology companies such as Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Verizon, etc. More information is available at www.cisa.gov/jcdc.
PrintNightmare (CVE-2021-34527 and CVE-2021-36947) is a security vulnerability connected with the Print Spooler service in Windows 10 and Windows Server. This should be corrected by installing the currently available July 2021 Windows Update.