On October 10, 2023, Microsoft will no longer provide security updates, bug fixes, or technical support for Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2. It was launched on September 4, 2012, and based on Windows 8, which lost technical support in 2016.
Windows 11 allows you to play the Surf game while it installs updates
Windows 11 now allows the user to play the Edge Surf game during the installation of OS, restoring it from a backup, or deploying updates. The game offer appears after updating the OS for 30 minutes.
Firefox 119 will restore previous session along with closed tabs
The next release of Firefox 119 will change how the browser restores a previous browsing session. It will allow you to restore not only open tabs, but also recently closed tabs. The latter will allow you to restore accidentally closed tabs even if you restarted the browser, and view a list of them in Firefox View. By default, the last 25 tabs opened in the last 7 days will be saved. Firefox will save this tab data for each of the previously open windows individually, making the session restore consistent.
Meet OneDrive 3.0 with Copilot, new design, and more
Microsoft has announced a new version of its OneDrive service. It uses the most recent Fluent design, supports Copilot, and includes changes that significantly improve your work with cloud files.
Microsoft Lists now available on Web, Android and iOS
Microsoft Lists, a task management application, is now accessible to iOS, Android, and web users. It was initially launched in 2020, catering to business users and companies. In 2022, a limited preview version was released to consumers. Finally, the app is now available to everyone with a Microsoft account.
Microsoft will drop MariaDB support in Azure on September 19, 2025
Microsoft has recently announced that Azure will stop providing support for MariaDB after September 19, 2025. The company recommends that users switch to Azure Database for MySQL, a more flexible server that is better equipped for mission-critical workloads.
Microsoft prevents you from removing Windows Backup, considers it a core app
Windows 11/10 users have observed that they are unable to uninstall the new Windows Backup app. It made its first appearance on Windows 11, and is now available on Windows 10. According to Microsoft, app has been made an integral part of the operating system.
Windows 11 no longer supports file drag-n-drop on address bar
Starting in the most recent version Windows 11 22H2 Moment 4, you can no longer drag a file to the address bar of File Explorer to copy or move it to a parent folder or other folder in the path. The change affects the upcoming major release, 23H2, as well. Microsoft considers the feature not enough popular among users, so the new File Explorer doesn't include it.
Some private Bard chatbot conversations have been exposed in online search
In September, researcher Gagan Ghotra discovered that some user queries to the Bard chatbot were visible in search engines as clear text. Even though Google has since closed access to these search results, Bing and Yandex still show some user requests with chatbot responses, including personal data.
Windows 11 no longer accepts Windows 8/7 keys for activation
Microsoft has finally closed the loophole that allowed you to get Windows 11 for free by using a legacy serial number. The algorithm that accepts activation keys from older Windows versions, such as Windows 8/8.1/7, has been disabled. From now on, you have to purchase a Windows 11-specific serial number to activate your copy.