Windows compatibility Archives

Winsage

December 9, 2024

The Countdown to Windows 10 End of Life: What IT Teams Need to Know

Microsoft will discontinue support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025. Extended Security Updates (ESUs) will be available for a maximum of three years at approximately per device. Windows 10 is currently the most targeted among older Windows operating systems, facing high-severity vulnerabilities. Organizations should conduct an asset audit, evaluate ESUs, migrate critical systems to the cloud, and establish a decommission plan for legacy systems. Morphisec offers a lightweight security solution for legacy systems, utilizing Automated Moving Target Defense (AMTD) technology to protect against advanced threats without the need for updates or internet connectivity.

Winsage

December 5, 2024

WinRAR on Windows 11 gets faster, 7-Zip and NanaZip receive improvements too

WinRAR has released a beta update (version 7.10 Beta 2) that includes several enhancements and bug fixes. Key improvements include: - Accelerated response time for the Windows 11 context menu when right-clicking on multiple selected archives. - Increased compression speed due to the resolution of a performance bug. - Numerous dark mode improvements and fixes, with "Dark mode" options now referred to as "Color mode." - The "Export settings to file" command no longer triggers User Account Control prompts. - Command line mode now returns a "Bad archive" exit code 13 for non-RAR archives with a .rar file extension. - The "External viewer name" field now recognizes relative path specifications. Bug fixes include: - Compression speed improvements for specific data combinations in non-solid archives. - Resolved an infinite loop issue in console RAR on Windows 7. - Fixed an error preventing execution of files from archive subfolders. - Addressed a reset issue with WinRAR.ini contents when multiple archives were opened in the same window. 7-Zip has also updated to version 24.09, featuring increased default dictionary sizes for LZMA/LZMA2 compression and additional hash checksum calculations (SHA-512, SHA-384, SHA3-256, and MD5). NanaZip has addressed a Zstandard decompression vulnerability (CVE-2024-11477) and includes various updates and optimizations in its 5.0 Preview 0 release.

Winsage

November 11, 2024

The latest Steam version no longer works on Windows 7 and 8

Valve has released a significant update for the Steam client that introduces new features, including gameplay recording, but it is not compatible with Windows 7, 8, and 8.1. Users must upgrade to Windows 10 or a newer operating system to access the update. Steam will continue to function on older Windows versions, allowing users to access their libraries, but technical support will not be provided for these systems. Valve's decision aligns with Microsoft's end of support for these operating systems in January 2024. Approximately 0.28% of Windows users on Steam were still using Windows 7 as of October 2024. Users must purchase a new license or a new PC to upgrade, as free upgrades to Windows 10 are no longer available.

Winsage

October 11, 2024

Chromebooks’ Windows compatibility could be on the chopping block

Parallels for ChromeOS, a service allowing Chromebooks to run Windows applications, has not received significant updates in the past eighteen months, indicating a decline in interest from Google. The last major update was in mid-2022, aimed at improving performance for budget Intel and AMD chipsets. Google's acquisition of Cameyo suggests a strategic shift towards virtual Windows apps on ChromeOS, potentially sidelining Parallels. Users need high-performance Chromebooks to effectively use the virtual desktop feature, conflicting with the budget-friendly image of Chromebooks. Speculation exists that Google may announce the discontinuation of Parallels for ChromeOS before the end of the year, with indications that the service could be phased out entirely by then.

Winsage

September 1, 2024

Asus ROG Ally X review: Better performance and feel in a pricey package

The ROG Ally X from Asus is a handheld gaming device priced at 9. It features a 7-inch IPS display with a resolution of 1920×1080, a refresh rate of 120 Hz, and a brightness of 500 nits. The device runs on Windows 11 and is powered by an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme CPU with 8 cores and a maximum clock speed of 5.10 GHz. It includes 24GB of LPDDR5X RAM, an AMD Radeon RDNA3 GPU, and 1TB of M.2 NVME Gen4x4 storage. Networking capabilities include Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2, while it has an 80 Wh battery with a maximum charge of 65W. The device measures 11×4.3×0.97 inches and weighs 1.49 lbs. Key upgrades include a larger battery, improved RAM, and ergonomic design enhancements. The ROG Ally X offers better battery life and performance in demanding games, although it still faces challenges with Windows as an operating system for handheld use.

Winsage

July 29, 2024

One of Windows 11’s best third-party customization apps now works with 24H2

Stardock has released Fences version 5.80, which is compatible with Windows 11's 24H2 version. The update features a revamped right-click menu for easier access to the Fences configuration panel and reorganized the Backup option under a new collapsible section labeled Layouts in the configuration panel. Users can update to the latest version by selecting "Check for updates" in the configuration panel.

Winsage

July 15, 2024

Wine 9.13 brings more CMD.EXE engine rewrites, supports loading ODBC Windows drivers

Wine 9.13 update has been released with new features and bug fixes aimed at improving Windows compatibility on Linux. The update includes support for loading ODBC Windows drivers, addition of more user32 data structures in shared memory, and further rewriting of the CMD.EXE engine. 22 bugs have been addressed in this update, with fixes for popular titles such as Victoria 2, Lylian demo, Guild Wars 2, The Witcher 3, Assassin's Creed Revelations, Full Metal Daemon Muramasa, and Photoshop CC 2024.

Winsage

June 20, 2024

How to Use Keynote for Windows – Explore Viable Alternatives

Keynote is not available for Windows, but users can access Keynote for Windows through Keynote for iCloud, a web-based version accessible through any web browser. Users need a modern web browser and a reliable internet connection to use Keynote for Windows.

Winsage

June 11, 2024

You can install Windows on the Steam Deck, but I’m here to tell you that’s a bad idea

The Steam Deck is capable of running Windows, with official driver packages from Valve. However, switching to Windows may result in losing access to features like the Quick Settings menu and potentially sacrificing performance compared to Steam OS. Steam OS is still considered the best choice for the Steam Deck due to its tight integration with the Steam Library and overall usability.