Microsoft published a new Defender update for Windows 11/10/Server installation images last month. This update package is necessary as a Windows installation image may contain old, outdated ...

Managing Editor Alison DeNisco Rayome joined CNET in 2019, and is a member of the Home team. She is a co-lead of the CNET Tips and We Do the Math series, and manages the Home Tips series, testing out ...

Like any complex piece of software, Windows 10 and its installation process is vulnerable to mistakes, glitches, and hardware errors. That being the case, here are some of the most ...

I own Microsoft Office 2011 and wanted to make the process of installing it easier, since I own several Macs and have this habit of reinstalling OS X frequently. So I wrote a shell script because that ...

Microsoft Update Catalog is a service from Microsoft that provides a listing of software updates that can be distributed over a corporate network. Using the Microsoft Update Catalog can prove to be a ...

Picture the ultimate replacement for the Windows Store app. Let’s imagine it allows for installing nearly any Windows application; no clicking through software installation wizards; automatically ...

Microsoft is finally closing one of the last remaining ways to skip creating an official Microsoft Account while setting up a new Windows 11 PC. However, there is still a way of replacing it—but it ...

Linux I'm brave enough to say it: Linux is good now, and if you want to feel like you actually own your PC, make 2026 the year of Linux on (your) desktop Linux 2025 might have been the year for Linux ...

Genuine Microsoft products contain piracy prevention features that can be checked with the help of the Windows Comparison Guide, the Office Comparison Guide, and the Installed Microsoft Software tool.

Microsoft has officially unveiled its long-awaited consumer antivirus offering. Formerly code-named “Morro,” it’s now been christened Microsoft Security Essentials, and it will enter public beta ...

I have a newly configured Windows 11 Pro machine setup with a local user account that after a few weeks has started popping up with a "Let's add your Microsoft ...

Why it matters: Installing Windows Store apps from the web can be a hassle for some folks. Microsoft acknowledges that and is rolling out a slightly more user-friendly way to install Windows Store ...