The native support for ZIP archives, or "compressed folders" in Windows terms, is available since Windows ME. It was first introduced as part of Windows 98's Plus! add-on. The lesser known story behind it is how it was created by Dave Plummer as his pet project , then turned into a shareware "Visual ZIP" product. Finally, Microsoft tried to acquire it despite the fact that Dave Plummer was already a Microsoft employee.
Category: Windows
How to Restore the Missing Microsoft Software Shadow Copy Provider service
Microsoft Software Shadow Copy Provider service, also known as swprv, is a built-in service that exists in modern Windows versions. It participates in restore point creation. If its configuration is damaged, or for some reason the swprv service is missing, you won't be able to manage restore points.
Microsoft has issued optional updates to fix XPS in WPF-based apps
In December 2022, Microsoft has released KB5022083, a security update that changes how .NET Framework and .NET handle XPS content. So many apps built with WPF started to render incorrectly. While Microsoft provided a workaround along with the release of the patch, the issue still affects plenty of users.
Windows 11 share grew by only 0.4% in April, reports AdDuplex
AdDuplex has published a new statistical report on the use of different versions of Windows. While this data is not accurate, AdDuplex remains the exclusive information source about the market share of different Windows versions. Microsoft doesn't share this information.
Microsoft disables SMBv1 in Windows 11 Home by default
Microsoft has announced that starting this week Windows 11 Home Insider Builds will no longer come with the Server Message Block 1 (SMB1) protocol enabled by default. This change will not affect devices that already have SMB1 enabled.
How to Enable the Recycle Bin on Removable Drives
You can enable the Recycle Bin for removable drivers on Windows for having an extra protection from accidental removal of files. By default, Windows doesn't create the Recycle Bin area for USB sticks and other removable media, but you can easily change that.
Fluent Design 3D emoji now available in Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams has got new 3D Fluent Design emojis in preview. You may remember that Microsoft introduced these emojis in the middle of last year. The updated set includes 1800 emoticons.
February 2022 cumulative updates for Windows 11 and Windows 10
Today is the second Tuesday of February, so it is time to check for updates if you are running Microsoft Windows. The Redmond firm has released a set of cumulative updates for all supported Windows versions. Here are the patches available for Windows 11 and Windows 10.
This is the canceled Microsoft’s Andromeda OS running on Lumia 950
Andromeda OS is a Windows version for dual-screen smartphones. It was initially created for the Surface Duo foldable smartphone. The project was closed in 2018, as Microsoft decided to release the Duo device with Android.
Microsoft released out-of-band patches to fix VPN and Hyper-V issues
Microsoft has released out-of-band updates for affected Windows versions of Windows. They resolve various problems caused by Cumulative Updates issued on January 11, 2022.