taskbar Archives

Winsage

September 4, 2026

Which came first, Windows 95’s taskbar or NeXT’s Dock? Neither

The tech community recently celebrated the 31st anniversary of Windows 95, sparking discussions about its design influences, particularly regarding the potential British roots of its interface. Former Microsoft engineer Dave Plummer's post on X led to exchanges among ex-Microsoft employees, including Joe Belfiore, who clarified that the Windows taskbar was not inspired by the NeXT dock but rather by developments from the Cairo team, specifically a persistent "tray" for file transfers. The debate references Paul Fellows, who led the Arthur project at Acorn, which introduced the first "icon bar" in 1987, influencing both NeXTstep and Windows. Acorn's Arthur, initially a BASIC demo, became RISC OS by 1989, maintaining its foundational design elements. The timeline shows that Acorn's icon bar predated NeXTstep's dock and the Windows taskbar, with Windows 2.0 and OS/2 1.1 released in late 1987 and 1988, respectively, showing visual similarities to NeXTstep. The Microsoft Cairo project, which ran from 1991 to 1996, coincided with Windows NT 4 development. The Windows 95 taskbar and NeXT's dock served different functions, but their historical context is significant.

Winsage

September 4, 2026

Microsoft says KB5120998 Windows update resets desktop settings

Microsoft has acknowledged an issue affecting some Windows devices after the installation of the KB5120998 preview update released on August 27, 2026. This issue primarily impacts Windows 11 versions 24H2 and 25H2, causing desktop settings, including wallpaper and themes, to reset or be lost, often resulting in a solid black background. Users are unable to manually restore their customized settings due to the issue preventing the correct loading of settings. The KB5120998 update was intended to enhance the Start menu, taskbar, and Windows search but inadvertently introduced complications, including changes to mouse settings that cannot be restored. The update is optional but installs automatically for users with the "Get the latest updates as soon as they're available" feature enabled. A similar bug occurred in February 2020 with the KB4539602 update, which disrupted desktop wallpaper functionality.

Winsage

September 2, 2026

7 Ways Microsoft Is Finally Fixing Windows 11 In 2026

In 2025, Microsoft faced backlash from Windows users due to performance issues and the integration of Copilot, leading to dissatisfaction with the operating system. Users expressed concerns about bloat, sluggishness, and reliability. In response, Microsoft pledged to improve the user experience, implementing several changes: 1. Users can now pause updates for up to 35 days, allowing them to choose when to resume updates. 2. The taskbar can be positioned at the top, left, or right of the screen, with customization options for taskbar icons and labels. 3. Windows Search has been redesigned to focus on local search results, allowing users to disable web results. 4. The Start menu has been overhauled for greater customization, enabling users to prioritize their apps. 5. Microsoft is reducing the presence of Copilot by removing unnecessary buttons and allowing users to disable it. 6. The setup experience has been streamlined, allowing users to skip updates during installation for a faster process. 7. A point-in-time restore feature has been introduced, enabling users to create backups and recover their systems quickly in case of issues.

Winsage

September 2, 2026

Windows 95’s Start menu was invented by a chimpanzee-lab psychologist: ‘Even a rocket scientist couldn’t figure out Windows’

A user on X highlighted their new 5K Dell UltraSharp monitor, leading to a discussion about the Windows 11 taskbar's alignment. Dave Plummer, a former Microsoft engineer, expressed his preference for a left-aligned taskbar, which he viewed as a stand against center alignment. The Start button's creation is attributed to Danny Oran, a behavioral psychologist who joined Microsoft in 1992. Oran's background included teaching chimpanzees to communicate, which informed his approach to user interface design. He observed users struggling with Windows 3.1 and proposed a single button for access to all features, initially called "System" but later renamed "Start." The placement of the Start button in the bottom-left corner was influenced by Fitts's law, which suggests users can quickly click targets in screen corners. Joe Belfiore confirmed this placement aligned with reading habits. The initial implementation of the Start button in Windows 95 had an issue with padding that was corrected in Windows 98. Oran also designed the taskbar, which was ultimately placed at the bottom of the screen to differentiate it from Apple's macOS. Oran holds the original patent for both the Start menu and the taskbar introduced in Windows 95.

Winsage

September 1, 2026

Everyone assumed the Windows taskbar copied a rival OS. Microsoft says no

The Windows taskbar originated from the Microsoft project "Cairo," launched in 1991, which introduced a design with visible fields at the bottom of the screen. The Windows 95 taskbar combined this design with the window-minimizing functionality from Windows 3.1. Although a similar concept appeared in the 1988 NeXTSTEP operating system, Microsoft veterans assert that the Windows taskbar was developed independently, without inspiration from NeXT. The NeXTSTEP solution later influenced the macOS Dock. The taskbar continues to evolve while maintaining its significance in user interface design.

Winsage

September 1, 2026

Microsoft explains that it’s fixing a bug in Windows 11’s antivirus that’s happening ‘intermittently’ and is likely to fool people into thinking that Defender is broken

Windows 11's antivirus, Microsoft Defender, is experiencing issues following recent updates, erroneously notifying users that it is turned off despite functioning normally. This glitch has led to persistent alerts prompting users to reactivate the antivirus, causing confusion and frustration. Microsoft has acknowledged the issue on its health dashboard, stating that notifications may appear claiming Microsoft Defender is disabled, even though it is active. This problem has been reported for over a week and may date back to early August, with users advised to check the operational status of their antivirus through Windows Security.

Winsage

September 1, 2026

Windows 11’s latest optional update finally fixes search clutter

Microsoft has released KB5120998, an optional update for Windows 11 that includes a repositionable taskbar and an improved Windows Search functionality. The update eliminates mixed results from Bing, Copilot, and MSN, prioritizes relevant results over ads, and enhances clarity in search results. It also improves the search tool's ability to handle typos and incomplete terms.

Winsage

September 1, 2026

Why You Might Need to Roll Back Windows’ Latest Update

Windows 11 version KB5120998 was released as an optional update, introducing new customization features such as the ability to move and resize the taskbar and improvements to Windows Search. However, the update has introduced several bugs, including issues with the mouse cursor, which may not appear or may be incorrectly sized, and problems with wallpaper settings reverting to black after restarts. Users have also reported blurry fonts on high-resolution displays. Microsoft is aware of these issues and is working on a solution. Users experiencing these bugs can roll back the update by navigating to Settings > Windows Update > Update History > Uninstall and selecting KB5120998, without losing essential security patches.

Winsage

September 1, 2026

Windows 95’s taskbar didn’t come from Steve Jobs’ NeXT Dock, and a former Microsoft VP explains what did

The Windows 95 taskbar was not inspired by the NeXT Dock, as clarified by former Microsoft executives Joe Belfiore and Brad Silverberg. Instead, its design was influenced by a Microsoft project called Cairo, which aimed to provide users with easy access to information. The taskbar was created to address usability issues from Windows 3.1, specifically to help users keep track of minimized windows. In 2021, with the release of Windows 11, Microsoft introduced a centered taskbar and later allowed it to be repositioned to any edge of the screen, reflecting a commitment to user experience.

Winsage

September 1, 2026

Microsoft Releases Two New 26H1 Builds to the Windows Insider Program

Participants in the Windows Insider Program can now install new builds in the Beta (26H1) and Experimental (26H1) channels, specifically Beta build 28020.2818 and Experimental build 28120.2824. Key updates include: - Personalization enhancements with DIB image support for desktop backgrounds and improvements to the Background settings page, including slideshow support across multiple displays. - Windows Recovery Environment (WRE) enhancements allowing automatic reuse of saved Wi-Fi profiles. - Temporary removal of the modernized Print Management experience for refinement, while traditional tools remain accessible. - File Explorer improvements that retain the state of sections on the Home page. - Magnifier user interface updates with improved icons and spacing. - Inclusion of Emoji 17.0. - Taskbar reliability improvements. - The Experimental build introduces first launch reliability for the new WinUI-based Run dialog.