Microsoft has closed the door on one of the most widely used tricks for activating Windows 11 without paying for it. The company pushed out new security updates this month that permanently disable a set of PowerShell scripts known as MAS, short for Microsoft Activation Scripts. The tools, created by a group called Massgrave, had been circulating on GitHub for years and gave users a quick way to unlock Windows or Office without a valid license. [Read more…]
Windows 10 Is Dead. Long Live Windows 10!
After nearly a decade, Microsoft is finally closing the book on Windows 10. As of today, free support and regular security patches have officially ended. But despite the headlines, your computer is not about to implode. If you plan wisely, or even just use decent security software, you can keep running Windows 10 safely for a quite a bit longer. [Read more…]
Microsoft Retires the Blue Screen of Death, Because Apparently Black Is More Soothing
After 40 years of glaring blue error messages and frowny faces, Microsoft is giving the infamous Blue Screen of Death a final sendoff. Starting later this summer, Windows 11 devices will crash in a new color. Say hello to the Black Screen of Death.
The change isn’t just about ditching the old aesthetic. Microsoft says the new screen will simplify crash messages and speed up recovery. Gone is the sad face emoticon. In its place is a stripped-down message with technical details like the stop code and system driver that triggered the failure. The goal is to help users recover faster and give IT teams what they need without dragging them into a full-blown forensic session. [Read more…]
Microsoft Extends Office Security Updates on Windows 10 Through 2028
Microsoft will continue rolling out security updates for Microsoft 365 apps on Windows 10 until October 2028, extending support three years past the operating system’s planned end-of-life.
The change follows the company’s earlier position, announced in January, that Office apps would stop receiving updates on Windows 10 starting in October 2025. At the time, Microsoft urged users to upgrade to Windows 11 to maintain access to updated versions of Word, Excel, and other Microsoft 365 tools.
