upgrading Archives - Shapiro Consultants

Microsoft might be spooked by Windows 10 user numbers – but will make upgrading to Windows 11 easier be the answer?

May 7, 2024
No Comments

If you’re a Windows 10 user, you may have been prompted to download Windows 11 22H2 to upgrade to Windows 11. You would then need to fully reboot your system to download the newer Windows 11 23H2. Thankfully, it seems like Microsoft has cut down this tedious process and will now let you upgrade straight to Windows 11 23H2 from Windows 10.

As spotted by Mayank Parmar of Windows Latest, a new server-side change allows people to more easily upgrade their operating system, and noted that over the past few weeks, some PCs have started offering ‘Windows 11 23H2’ rather than the older 22H2 update.

The old system of updating didn’t really make a lot of sense – why would you download an update just to reboot and download yet another one to get to Windows 11?

I’m glad that the process has become a bit more streamlined, and it seems like the option will be offered to more and more people in the coming weeks. If you are yet to update to Windows 10, I’d recommend holding off until you’re prompted to jump straight to Windows 11 23H2 – if only to save yourself the headache of a lengthy double-update.

Make it worth it, Microsoft

If you’re planning to hold onto Windows 10 as long as possible, you’ve got about two years of Windows 10 support before Microsoft will start really pushing for you to upgrade (though the in-OS nagging has already begun). Windows 10 losing support won’t mean the end of the operating system entirely – you’ll still be able to use it as you normally would once the deadline for support has passed.

However, you’ll no longer receive security updates, bug fixes, or any new features for Windows 10. That leaves you vulnerable to cyber-attacks and annoying system glitches, so you’ll have to weigh up whether staying with Windows 10 is worth it. Microsoft has made it quite clear in recent months: get on board with Windows 11 or get left behind.

Windows 11 is not without its flaws; the most recent update to the system has been riddled with bugs for a while, with a fix only recently being dropped for struggling users. In my view, if Microsoft is so keen to get users to upgrade, it ought to be 100% certain the alternative it’s offering is worth the changeover – and many users clearly don’t think that’s the case. It may be that the only real solution may be to just put everything into Windows 12 and make an operating system that everyone can finally get behind.

You might also like…

TechRadar – All the latest technology news

March 13, 2024
No Comments

Microsoft revealed that its Copilot AI assistant will be getting a huge upgrade: it will be integrating Open AI’s GPT-4 Turbo language model. The best part is that all users will have full access to GPT-4 Turbo, including those in the free tier.

According to the same status update on Twitter / X, Pro tier users will have the option to choose the older standard GPT-4 model by using a built-in toggle, which is useful for specialized cases. It also gives the Pro tier added value without taking away from the free tier users.

GPT-4 Turbo is the updated version of the base GPT-4 and is well-known for speed, accuracy, and complex long-form task management. The update brings faster code generation, more insightful suggestions, and improved overall responsiveness, translating to better productivity and smoother coding.

Copilot is really increasing its value

It’s good to see that free-tier users are getting meaningful updates to their Copilot AI assistant already – it’s a good sign that Microsoft will ensure that those without deep enough pockets to maintain a paid premium subscription can still benefit from the service. This is especially important since the tech giant needs to win over more people to Windows 11, which is where the full version of Copilot will be.

However, the Pro subscribers aren’t left in the dark either, as they get more flexibility in the AI assistant when it comes to language model upgrades. Not to mention other features and tools that have been added so far.

Microsoft just announced a Copilot Chatbot builder, which allows Pro users to create custom task-specific chatbots based on their job role. What makes this so interesting is that it was built without any input from OpenAI, which could be due to a need to distance itself from the popular AI tool due to increased scrutiny and lawsuits. This is odd considering that the latest GPT update was added across the Copilot board.

There’s also a feature that lets the Copilot bot directly read files on your PC, then provide a summary, locate specific data, or search the internet for additional information. However, it’s not a privacy nightmare as you have to manually drag and drop the file into the Copilot chat box (or select the ‘Add a file’ option), and then make a ‘summarize’ request of the AI.

TechRadar – All the latest technology news

November 13, 2023
No Comments

WhatsApp is upgrading the Voice Chat feature on mobile so users can now host large group calls with up to 128 participants.

The platform has yet to make a formal announcement of the changes through its usual avenues although details can be found on its Help Center support website. On the surface, the tool’s functionality is pretty straightforward. You can start a group voice chat by going to a group chat, tapping the audio read-out icon in the upper right-hand corner, and selecting Start Voice Chat. The company states this is “only available on your primary device” and calls will automatically end the moment everyone leaves. Additionally, they instantly end after an hour if no one “joins the first or last person in the chat”.

Silent calls

There is more to this update than what’s on the support page as other news reports reveal a much more robust feature. According to TechCrunch, Voice Chat for Larger Groups is “designed to be less disruptive” than a regular group call. Participants will not be rung when a call starts. Instead, they will “receive a push notification” with an in-chat bubble you have to tap in order to join.

At the top of the screen is a series of controls where you can mute, unmute, or message other people in the group without having to leave. Of course, you can hang up any time you want using the same controls. Like with all forms of messaging on WhatsApp, the large voice chats will be end-to-end encrypted.

Availability

The Verge states the patch will be rolling out to the Android and iOS apps over the coming weeks, however, it’ll first be made available to bigger groups hosting 33 to 128 participants. It’s unknown why smaller chats will have to wait to receive the same feature. But as The Verge points out, it could be because the Group Voice Call tool already exists. Meta is seemingly prioritizing the larger chats first before moving on to all users.

No word if WhatsApp has plans to expand this to their desktop app; although we did ask. This story will be updated at a later time.

With Black Friday around the corner, we expect a lot of discounts for major brands. If you want to see what’s out there, check out TechRadar’s roundup of the best Black Friday phone deals for 2023.

TechRadar – All the latest technology news

February 4, 2022
No Comments

We have long been told about the importance of keeping Windows up to date, but in order to qualify for updates you need to be running a supported version of Windows. And for some people running older versions of Windows 10, the clock is ticking,

Specifically, it's Windows 10 20H2 that will be reaching end-of-life when May rolls around. The exact date in question is May 10, meaning that in three short months, anyone who is still running this particular version of Windows 10 will no longer qualify for support from Microsoft. And this is why Microsoft is planning to forcibly update people to a supported edition of the operating system.

It does not matter whether you have the Home or Professional version of Windows 10 20H2 installed, as both editions reach the end of support on May 10. The information has been publicly available for some time on Microsoft's product lifecycle page, so this is not coming out of the blue.

For anyone who is keen to stick with Windows 10 rather than jumping to Windows 11, there's no need to panic. Microsoft is not going to force you onto the very latest version of Windows if you are happy to stick with an older version.

But to eliminate the need to produce individual updates for a huge number of Windows 10 editions, Microsoft limits support to the most recent releases and encourages people to install the so-called Feature Updates to ensure the ongoing delivery of security fixes and other patches.

And it is with this in mind that in order to avoid there being huge numbers of supported – and potentially insecure – system out there, Microsoft is not only encouraging users to update to Windows 10 21H2, it is automatically upgrading machines.

Update to get updates

Anyone who is running Windows 10 version 2004 or later can manually check for updates and have 21H2 downloaded and installed for them, but Microsoft is also using machine learning to roll out the update to 20H2 machines due to the approaching end-of-life.

Microsoft explains more on the Release health page: “Windows 10, version 21H2 is available for users with select devices running Windows 10, versions 2004 and higher who manually seek to “Check for updates” via Windows Update. Devices currently on Windows 10, version 2004 or newer will have a fast installation experience because the update will install like a monthly update.

We also started the first phase in our rollout for machine learning (ML) training, targeting devices on Windows 10, version 20H2 that are approaching end of servicing to update automatically to Windows 10, version 21H2. We will continue to train our machine learning model through all phases to intelligently rollout new versions of Windows 10, and deliver a smooth update experience.”

While exceptions have been made in the past and Microsoft has released updates for unsupported versions of Windows, running a supported version is the only way to guarantee receipt of updates.

Although it would, technically be possible to update to Windows 10 21H1, this edition reaches end of support in December, which will roll around surprisingly quickly. So while some people may resent Microsoft taking control of updates and pushing out 21H2, it is a move that makes complete sense as this edition will enjoy support until mid-2023.