Microsoft’s April 2023 Patch Tuesday delivered not just the usual score of security fixes for Windows admins, but also a new feature that has attracted criticism from the IT community.

The Windows 11 22H2 KB5025239 cumulative update, among other fixes and features, delivers the new Windows Local Administrator Password Solution (LAPS) to IT teams managing both on-prem and cloud environments.

Microsoft LAPS manages and backs up local admin account passwords on Azure Active Directory-joined devices. 

It’s seen as one of the most secure ways to ensure unauthorized users aren’t able to access things they’re not supposed to.

The new LAPS is available for Windows 10&11 Pro, EDU, and Enterprise versions, as well as Windows Server 2022, Windows Server Core 2022, and Windows Server 2019.

LAPS for Azure AD is not yet available. It’s now bundled into Microsoft Entra - the name given to Microsoft’s identity and access products that can be managed through a single portal.

The Azure AD version of LAPS is expected to go from private to public preview “later this quarter,” said Jay Simmons, development lead at Microsoft, and will deliver new features such as password encryption, password histories, an emulation mode, and automatic rotation.

“Windows LAPS is a huge improvement in virtually every area beyond Legacy LAPS,” he added.

Online IT admin communities have not greeted the news as warmly as expected.

The main issue among these communities relates to concerns over how to migrate. 

The new LAPS feature has been released but Microsoft has not supplied the community with any documentation detailing how to complete the migration.

Some professionals have already encountered issues where the new LAPS has stopped working due to nuances in the migration process. 

The prevailing advice is to stop deploying the legacy LAPS MSI immediately after the April Patch Tuesday update is applied. 

Failure to do so reportedly breaks the new LAPS and prevents legacy LAPS from updating passwords.

“You need to update documentation and guidance very soon,” one user told Simmons in an online discussion.

“I hate spending my day discovering something that is about to hit 100,000 of our machines doesn't have guidance, and we have to action something,” they added.

“If migration docs aren’t available yet, [why] was this released,” another asked. “This tells me that documentation, upgrades, and coexistence, were not given any priority - which is bloody shocking but given how Microsoft pushes stuff out the last few years, I suppose it really shouldn’t be any more.”

Simmons responded to users by saying that he “should have been better prepared” to allay the global community’s concerns.

“New Windows LAPS has been designed to be an almost entirely opt-in feature, using a separate brand new GPO policy and separate brand new AD schema attributes, which – at least to my Microsofty-mind – mostly mitigates the risk of applying the patches to existing environments,” he said.

“But regardless yes we should have preemptively called this out in the post so as to not scare folks.”

Error-strewn Patch Tuesday releases are becoming something of a commonality from Microsoft, with the monthly updates often presenting major issues for IT teams.

Most recently in last month’s March Patch Tuesday updates, IT admins complained about a variety of problems after installing patches for an Outlook zero day.

Windows 10 users were hit with the infamous blue screen of death after installing December’s updates, and around a year earlier IT admins were forced to ignore the security fixes for a month as a result of the rampant issues reported by the community.

April 2023 Patch Tuesday Summary

Microsoft’s April 2023 Patch Tuesday brought fixes for 97 total security vulnerabilities including seven critical-rated flaws and one zero day that’s been actively exploited by a ransomware group.

Tracked as CVE-2023-28252, the privilege escalation vulnerability in Windows Common Log File System (CLFS) Driver grants SYSTEM-level privileges if successfully exploited.

Kaspersky identified exploit attempts dating back to February 2023 that it said were very similar to other types of exploits it had been tracking. 

The team investigated and discovered that it was a zero day affecting different versions of Windows, including Windows 11.

The Nokoyama group is described as “sophisticated” and used a newer version of its ransomware payload, which has historically been a rebranded version of JSWorm. Now written in C with encrypted strings.

In previous attacks, Nokoyama has also deployed the Cobalt Strike penetration testing tool to evade antivirus products, and a custom modular backdoor called Pipemagic in other attacks.

Kaspersky said it believes “CVE-2023-28252 could have been easily discovered with the help of fuzzing” - a technique that sees automated injections of invalid or unexpected inputs into a target system to reveal security vulnerabilities.

It said that the clfs.sys driver extensively uses try/catch blocks to handle exceptions, so code continues to execute as if no errors were thrown. 

Kaspersky’s analysis showed that a possible access violation that follows after the vulnerability is triggered was masked by one of these exception handlers, and because there was no crash, fuzzers were most likely ‘finding’ the vulnerability but not reporting it as a potential issue.

April 2023 Patch Tuesday breakdown

This month’s 97 security fixes slightly exceeded March’s total of 83, with the overall count not including the 17 Microsoft Edge issues patched on 6 April.

All seven of the critical-severity vulnerabilities were remote code execution (RCE) flaws.

The two most serious of which, CVE-2023-21554 and CVE-2023-28250, affecting Microsoft Message Queuing and Windows Pragmatic General Multicast (PGM) respectively, both scored a near-maximum 9.8/10 on the CVSS v3 severity scale.

Four RCEs were also found in Microsoft Office, Microsoft Word, and Microsoft Publisher, and were exploitable by opening malicious documents.

All four were categorized under “exploitation less likely” by Microsoft. This classification is designated to vulnerabilities for which attackers would either have difficulty writing the code, require expertise and/or sophisticated timing, or would experience varied results when testing the vulnerable target.

These flaws are also not recently exploited in the wild but given the potential impact of successful abuse, the vulnerability warrants an update regardless.

The full breakdown of the vulnerabilities’ types can be found below:

• 45 remote code execution
• 20 elevation of privilege
• 10 information disclosure
• 9 denial of service
• 7 security feature bypass
• 6 spoofing

Microsoft's full dashboard of the month’s updates can be found on its website.

Okay, I confess: Just this morning, I moved my final Windows 7 installation to Windows 10. Yes, I know, this article should be called Jon is a Bad Boy, and I should have done this years ago. My only excuse, if there is one, is that this is Windows 7 in a virtual machine, it’s only fired up once a month for about five minutes and it runs a specific piece of software.

I guess I should give some back story: In our lab, we have a full door control access system. This means that there’s a door tag reader on both sides of every door. You need to use an RFID token to open the door and the doors close automatically. While this is somewhat overkill in our small company, it’s what corporate and government visitors expect to see. On the outside of the front door is a PIN pad and each member of staff has their own PIN number to gain access, along with the appropriate security keys and alarm fobs.

The door controllers are embedded deep in the bowels of the lab. In simple terms, each door controller maintains a list of door tag RFID codes, along with the times and dates when they’re valid for that door. These controllers trundle along by themselves and don’t need oversight. The only time you need to talk to the door controllers is if you want to reprogramme them – add a member of staff, issue a new token, change someone’s working hours or access times.

This is done with a piece of software called Net2 from Paxton, a company well known in this space. Net2 consists of an old-fashioned-looking Windows application and a database engine for the back-end. This polls the door controllers and picks up all the movements, door entries and so forth. It’s all very clever: if you have a reception desk in your organisation then this can create a door tag for the day for a visitor, and assign them access to the doors they need.

In that example, you’d need the software running all the time, but in our case we only need to fire Net2 up when we make changes. I originally installed it many years ago into a Windows 7 VM, and every year or so I call up our alarm system company to get a download of the latest version of the software, to which I upgrade. Like much of the professional services software market, we can only access the mothership by going through our reseller.

To be honest, I just left sleeping dogs lie. It worked, I used it for a few minutes every month to download the logs and to check the system was still happy. At least it would be obvious if the doors didn’t work, so there wasn’t much scope for things going wrong. The door controllers themselves hold data for many weeks, so I wasn’t losing information by doing this.

This morning, I decided that I really had to do something about it. I fired up the Windows 10 media creation tool from the Microsoft site, told it to upgrade, keeping the existing software and accounts in place, and then sat back. I’d like to say it was a seamless process, but the Windows installer got a little upset about the apparent desktop size in the Parallels virtual machine. Still, after about 15 minutes of installation, updating and other fiddling, I was up and running.

The beauty of using a VM for this was that I could take an entire snapshot and copy before starting, in the unlikely event that the Net2 installation exploded on finding itself on Windows 10. It’s listed on its site as being supported, so I wasn’t expecting issues. But having a VM that you can copy is just so much more convenient than having a Windows installation running on a real computer, where recovery would be a major pain.

The downside of a virtual machine hosting an old OS and app that you rarely use is that it isn’t there looking at you with a withering glance every time you walk past the computer. Out of sight, out of mind, out of upgrade, for month after month. It’s so easy just to fire up what you need, decide that time is short and you’ll deal with it next time.

However, I’m happy to report that all Windows 7 has been expunged, except for a few VMs that I keep for test purposes. All I can do is ask for your forgiveness.

Setting up and running a Windows 7 emulator for Windows 10 can be a rather complicated task. 

Microsoft is notorious for its lack of nostalgia or preserving well-loved systems that many have grown attached to over the years. 

Combine this with the fact that many IT professionals can’t bear to give up Windows 7, one of the most popular operating systems of all time, and this has led some to seek novel ways of sticking with the long-lasting system. 

Luckily, there are ways available to help modernize antiquated systems while still retaining their traditional charm. Virtualization, which involves making a digital copy of Windows 7 that runs inside modern operating systems, is an ideal way to keep your old favorite while enjoying the security features of a newer OS. 

In this article, we’ll give you a step-by-step guide on how to set up and run a Windows 7 emulator for Windows 10. 

How to set up a Windows 7 emulator for Windows 10

To do this, you'll need to set up a VMware account. However, like the software, this is free for personal, non-commercial use. 

Also, in our case, we started with a PC that has both Windows 7 and Windows 10 installed on it, but the aim is to virtualize only Windows 7. That needs special consideration, as we’ll explain later.

We’re running it on the machine we want to convert, but the software can also target a remote machine across your LAN – as long as you know the IP address of the computer whose setup you want to clone. 

For our purposes, click the radio button beside “Powered on”, then click the menu beside “Select source type” and pick “This local machine” from the list. Once this is done, you can click Next.

You might also want to change the name of the VM underneath “Virtual machine details”. Initially, this will be populated using the name of your machine as set up in Windows, but for clarity, you might want to set it to something such as “Old Windows 7 system”.

By default, it assumes that you want to include all of the drives attached to your PC in your new virtual system. You can deselect any drives you don’t want or recognize, but make sure that at least the C: drive and any active drives, colored yellow and red, remain selected. 

If you deselect a drive that’s crucial to the running of the VM you’ll be asked to confirm the action.

Make sure it’s selected here, then click “Play virtual machine” in the main part of the window to boot it. Your host environment – Windows 10 – will retain control of the keyboard and mouse; press Ctrl+G to switch these to the VM.

Having followed the steps listed above, Windows 7 should now work exactly as it did when running natively. However, you should be aware that connecting an external drive or USB flash drive will bring up a prompt. 

This will ask you to choose to have your emulation mount within the host operating system (so Windows 10) or the guest OS (Windows 7). You'll need to click Player on the Workstation Player toolbar to enable Unity mode, which will allow you to run Windows 7 applications as though they were installed under Windows 10. 

Virtualization is a fantastic process for salvaging legacy tech, reducing hardware costs, and saving floor space in your office or data center. Click here for more virtualization guides, tutorials, and features.

This article originally appeared in January's edition of IT Pro 20/20, available here. To sign up to receive each new issue in your inbox, click here.

Patient was brought to the department shortly after expiry showing signs of Blue-Screen-of-Death, lack of foldable support and severe tiled interface deficiency.

Patient placed on extended life support in 2014, before life support systems were switched off by custodian, Microsoft. Patient was just short of its 11th birthday.

Pathologists Note: Until last year, Windows 7 was Microsoft’s most popular operating system and was still being used on 26.64% of machines globally at the end of 2019. Understood to hold as much as 60% market share at one time. One year after birth, clones of patient sold at the rate of one every seven seconds.

Autopsy of brain reveals similar structure to that of Windows Vista (d: 2017). Kernel structure identical, following noted evolution in genetics from grandfather, Windows XP (d. 2015)

Evidence to suggest that patient was artificially created by over 1,000 code donors. Names considered during gestation include “Blackcomb” and “Vienna”, before a more conventional name was given at birth.

Pathologists Note: It is understood that Microsoft’s previous effort in the field, named “Vista” (d. 2017) was greeted with disdain. When originally trying to conceive, the desire was for a successor to XP, but the offspring was found to be lacking in several areas compared to its progenitor. Similar mistakes were repeated later with Windows 8.0 (b. 2012)

Visually, the patient shows the first instances of revolutionary “Aero” theme. This appears to have set a precedent in the genetic makeup of future generations. Resource demands of the central nervous system were much improved compared with previous versions.

Windows 7 shows signs of being touch-sensitive, another significant evolution. This type of genetic change, coupled with the significantly reduced resource footprint allowed hardware developers to create new types of host that would not have supported Windows systems in the past.

The ability for Windows 7 to adapt its consciousness to more host types led to development of same, including ultrabooks, foldables and mobile phones.

Patient had previously been limited to resistive touchscreens and the birth of more user friendly capacitive ones increased the cognitive development of touchscreen support.

Pathologists Note: Although attempts were made to transplant Windows 7 into mobile phones, the host rejected them, repeatedly.

Deeper examination of synapses suggests that Windows 7 is a thoroughbred Win32 operating system. There’s no sign of the ‘tiling’ effect that has blighted later evolutions, caused by infection with samples of Universal Windows Platform Syndrome.

Pathologists Note: Evidence to suggest that Windows 7 has blood group more compatible with relatives than previous instances. This may allow scope for cadaver to be donor for future iterations. This is a positive development after repeated cases of ‘driver incompatibility’, with many genetic traits, or ‘drivers’ not carried over.

After Windows conducted the controversial Mojave Experiment, it gave a much clearer idea of what users did and didn’t like. Taskbar displays signs of “pinning” capabilities.

Windows Media Center was introduced to the Windows 7 embryo, despite being on life support itself. However, Windows 7 appears to have developed a number of coping strategies including upgrading its Calculator and Paint motor functions.

While generally healthy, the ‘gadgets’ infestation, previously confined to Vista was found to be systemic in Windows 7. This evidence provides an early indication of future ‘widget’ manipulation in divergent ‘Android’.

Patient shows signs of snapping and shaking. This allows processes to be pinned to left or right hemispheres, or removal of all multitasking to focus on a single goal.

The immune system was more advanced than that of its predecessors and introduced new Recovery Environment and ‘shadow copies’ designed to give patient multiple chances of overriding death protocol. Although user Account Control showed signs of weakness compared to previous editions, a natural resistance to viruses and worm parasites is found without exposure to MMR (metamorphic malware and rootkits) thanks to the first recorded instance of ‘Windows Security Essentials’.

Patient has lost natural ability to display MSN Messenger and similar, due to pressure placed on the compliance part of the brain. Patient appears to use “Windows Live Essentials” self-help package to replace lost functions.

While the patient is indeed deceased, its clones are still responsive to stimuli. These instances must be quarantined, as immune system will decrease in function as time progresses, and should be laid to rest as soon as practical.

It is noted that due to a level of symbiosis with Microsoft, certain instances are capable of regaining full motor and immunity function if large quantities of currency are applied to Microsoft itself. It is thought this could extend life expectancy by up to three years for those who have evolved the deepest pockets.

Pathologists Decision:

Due to old age and relative lack of motor function, it is recommended that all clones of Windows 7 have life support systems removed in favour of successor, Windows 10. Organisations who have taken a “if it isn’t broken” approach to its welfare would be advised to either implement the upgrade or consider a transplant of money to Microsoft (see above).

Evidence suggests that Windows 7’s biology had a marked genetic impact not just on its own family, but on Android, Apple and Linux, and it should be noted that this specimen may well prove to be the ‘Adam’ of the modern computing age.

Corpse taken for disposal. Rest in peace.

Pathologist’s Note: The world wasn’t configured for one as beautiful as you.

This week marks the end of an era, as we say goodbye to one of the most beloved operating systems of all time: Windows 7. Microsoft has ceased mainstream support for the OS after more than a decade, despite its enduring popularity.

In this episode, we’re looking back at Windows 7’s legacy, including its history and what made it so indispensable for businesses. We also tackle the issue of what organisations who haven’t upgraded yet need to do now that it’s being officially retired.

We also discuss IBM’s Red Hat-powered ten-year digital transformation deal with Banco Sabadell, OpenReach’s plan to bring free full-fibre to more homes and a critical vulnerability in Windows 10’s cryptographic protocols that was discovered –and disclosed – by the NSA.

Footnotes

News

• Banco Sabadell signs up to 10-year IBM deal
• Openreach offers free full-fibre installation for thousands of homes
• The IT Pro Podcast: What does Labour’s broadband bonanza mean for business?
• NSA hands serious flaw to Microsoft rather than use it

In-Depth

• Memes and Viking funerals: The internet reacts to the death of Windows 7
• Windows 10 is finally the world's most popular desktop OS
• What to do if you're still running Windows 7
• This exploit could give users free Windows 7 updates beyond 2020
• Microsoft gives SMBs reprieve on Windows 7 support
• Windows 7 ends: what do you do next?
• Microsoft to scrap Security Essentials when Windows 7 reaches end-of-life
• GCHQ warns against Windows 7 for email, banking

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If I had a pint every time I’m asked “so why is Microsoft killing Windows 7?” in my local pub, I would never need to buy a drink again. This is usually followed by: “There’s nothing wrong with it, I know what I’m doing, and I don’t like that fancy-schmancy Windows 10 touch nonsense”. If I am truly lucky, there’s an almost inevitable “they just want to force me to use me to feed their advertising, sniffing everything I do”.

It’s a hard thing to argue against. The reality is that, to the man in the street, a Windows 7 laptop or desktop is capable of perfectly good work.

Being forced to upgrade, or to buy new hardware, for no meaningful perceived benefit, is something that jars to a small business owner. And it’s even worse for a home user, who can’t claim the VAT back and offset the purchase as a business expense against tax.

It’s easy to be glib, to trot out the standard lines about “Windows 10 is a much more secure operating system”. Which usually gets a raised eyebrow. If I even dare to venture into the realms of “it’s much better built, stronger, and more capable”, I consider myself lucky if I get a grimace and a muttered “nothing’s wrong with my machine”.

Excuses, excuses

So I thought it was about time that we put this topic to bed. Windows 7 is about to run out of support from Microsoft – unless you’re a large corporate that has found itself in the unenviable position of having a large estate of Windows 7 and no time to move away from it, and are resolved to writing Microsoft a huge cheque to keep the lights going for a year or two. And, if you are in that position, you should be inviting me along to have a word with your directors, preferably as a prelude to firing some of them.

Yes, there are specific vertical applications and installations where Windows 7 is perfectly fine to keep running. But the conditions attached to this are strict and non-negotiable. For example, if you have a set of hardware that’s not connected to the internet, and which is completely and irrevocably locked down, you might have an excuse. If some third-party piece of hardware, often machine control for an industrial press or a CAT scanner, has a control app that’s so stupendously badly written that it will only work on Windows 7, you have an excuse. But only if there’s absolutely no way that users can access the platform, either from a local network or plugging in a USB stick.

It’s a painful reality that there’s a lot of process control equipment out there that just about runs on Windows 7. The view is taken that this is a piece of equipment with a 20-year lifespan as a minimum. And it’s not unusual to find that the original developers have simply vanished into thin air. If you think having your desktop flatbed scanner dropped by Windows is a bad thing, wait until it’s the building-sized, multi-million-pound device that keeps your company running.

But, even for those exceptional examples, which are real and not to be underestimated, there should be mitigation in place. Have you really tried to run the app on Windows 10? Have you explored the Compatibility Troubleshooter? Have you tried “Run this program in compatibility mode for Windows 7”? That tool goes all the way back to Windows 95, which I found surprising. But it was a good reminder of just how hard Microsoft has worked to keep backwards compatibility alive in Windows 10.

No excuse

Here are some more likely scenarios. Maybe you have a business-critical app and it’s not possible to reinstall it onto a new computer. Maybe the original installer has gone missing and the developer has gone to run a bar in Ibiza. Maybe it was something thrown together in Access by your teenage offspring over a decade ago and they have grown up, got married and forgotten about it.

At this point, you need to have a long, hard discussion with yourself. If you’re in this position then you are, like a cartoon character, already off the side of the cliff running on thin air. And you are about to fall. There’s no way to get around this fact – your business is at risk and it’s absolutely and irrevocably your fault.

What should you be doing? The first and most important thing is to clearly assess the situation. It’s a really good idea to get a mate to help, because they might spot something you have missed. Or not make the same bad assumptions that are cluttering your head.

Practical steps

Let’s start with the home user with a Windows 7 laptop. The most immediate and important thing you must do is to ensure that there’s no data on the device that would be lost in the event of a disaster. That means facing up to the cold hard reality of having copies of important information. This must be done until you’re absolutely comfortable with the thought that this computer could expire in five minutes’ time and everything be irrevocably lost.

Once you have got to that point, and only when you have, you can think about doing a thorough cleanup of the machine. Microsoft support might be stopping, but is your machine actually up to date anyway? Have you got the very latest versions of Chrome or Firefox installed? Have you removed every bit of old crud that you don’t need any more? And, finally, what about the antivirus situation? Maybe you can download one of the excellent name-brand free antivirus solutions, and these often still run on Windows 7.

Then think about moving your apps forward. It’s far better to run a newly released version of LibreOffice than an unsupported decade-old version of Microsoft Office. I know you might be tempted to keep that somewhat dodgy copy of Photoshop, but there are excellent alternatives available now. Bring everything up to date as far as possible.

Then look at the hardware you’re using. Is it possible to drop some more RAM into it for a low cost from one of the third-party hardware vendors? What about replacing that dodgy old rattling hard disk with a new SSD? Obviously, you don’t want to spend much money here otherwise it’s cheaper to buy a new computer. But a small spend can really rejuvenate a machine.

Once you have appropriate backup and archiving in place, you can be at least reassured that when the device dies, you won’t lose important information. Because a laptop that came with Windows 7 – or, even worse, Windows XP and was then upgraded – could be a decade or more old. And that’s something that is going to die.

Business decision

For a business user, there are other factors at play. First, the cost of the hardware should not be a barrier to an upgrade. When Dell wants £469 for a 17in Inspiron laptop with a modern CPU, 8GB of RAM and a 1TB hard disk, and wants just £45 for one year of premium support and on-site service, is it really sensible to keep that travelling salesman running around with a Windows 7 laptop that might expire at any time? What’s the cost to the business of three days of their downtime while you scramble to buy a new laptop, get it set up and delivered out to their overnight hotel?

If you have a custom app installation, look at virtualising the whole Windows 7 environment and wrapping it into a virtual machine. With this, you can run the VM within a Windows 10 environment, by “shrinkwrapping” the old platform within a container. The advantage here is that this also gives you a consistent virtual hardware platform, and there are tools that can move a VM back onto real hardware if you need to do so.

In conclusion, the reality is that Windows 7 is going out of support. And it’s a wake-up call for business and home users. No, you don’t need to junk your existing device. But there are many things you can, and really should, be doing to ensure that keeping it running, even as a backup to a new device, is not something that’s fraught with risk, complication and (at worst) data loss.

Windows 7, once heralded as Microsoft's best ever operating system, reached end of life in January 2023 after 14 years of service. This means there will be no future security updates, so any new bugs or software vulnerabilities will go unpatched, making it unsuitable for use in businesses.

Windows 7 was an incredibly popular operating system, accounting for 62% of all Windows installs at the hight of its popularity, according to Statcounter. While it started to lose popularity in 2015 when mainstream support ended, user numbers stayed stubbornly high, with Windows 7 still holding 10% of the Microsoft operating system market share.

Thankfully for most businesses, Statcounter shows that number has now dropped off to about 3%. Yet according to 6sense, that still means there's around 40,000 companies still running Windows 7, despite the risks.

Why is Windows 7 end of life so important?

Windows 7 technically reached end of life on 14 January 2020, a little over 10 years after its original release. This didn't mean Windows 7 computers suddenly ceased functioning, but simply that Microsoft would no longer be patching the system for flaws. It also meant technical support would no longer be available.

You may be thinking that you could take the risk, and get away without upgrading your system - why bother with the hassle if your computer still works just fine?

An unsupported OS is a buffet for hackers, who could use it to exploit flaws that were never patched to install all kinds of malware on your device, such as ransomware or spyware, or simply to destroy the data on your system. This is far too high a risk for any business to take with its devices.

In fact, it is more than likely that at the time of Windows 7’s retirement, threat actors were aware of exploits that had not yet been discovered, and which they are now able to use against any unfortunate souls still using the OS, free from fear of reprisal by Microsoft.

Is there a way to run Windows 7 today?

When Windows 7 reached end of life, more resistant users — or those in offices who were engaged in a drawn-out OS update process — were presented with a few ways to maintain their Windows 7 installs for a little longer.

Those looking to run Windows 7 in a virtual machine could do so on the Azure Virtual Desktop service, which comes at no extra cost if a business is already a customer of Azure. Custom virtual machines can also be used, if you’d like to virtualise Windows 7 yourself.

Alternatively, users were given the option to sign up to the Extended Security Update (ESU) program, through which critical and important security updates continue to be provided to Windows 7, with the cost agreed between a client and their relevant Microsoft account team and partners.

However, this program was only ever designed as a last resort and had a limited shelf life of January 2023, and so is now no longer an option for businesses. 

This means that beyond a virtual environment, there simply is no viable way to run Windows 7 today, and any businesses that still have the operating system installed are putting their networks at risk.

Migrating your business away from Windows 7

To some, Windows 7's end of life might have been slow to arrive, but to IT decision-makers, the deadline of January 2020 was a rapid turnaround, a mere blink of the eye. That's because IT project deployment can be painstakingly slow.

Dale Titcombe, head of IT at BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, told ITPro that it was never too early to start work on migrating over to Windows 10 from Windows 7.

"It cannot be assumed that remedial work won't be required in order to transition between OS versions and that 'projects' within the migration project may likely present themselves, that require prioritisation and resourcing," Titcombe said last year.

He argued that the process of upgrading the machines to a new OS is the easy part, which often can be done in a matter of days with the right provisioning. "The harder part is making sure you have identified any issues you have in your environment and planning the project," he added.

And the larger your organisation is, the more likely it is that you'll have needed to start migration work immediately; even more so if you haven't started work on migration.

"Established businesses and institutions have been here before, so hopefully lessons have been learned," said Richard Edwards, distinguished research analyst at Freeform Dynamics. "Large enterprises aren't usually the fastest movers, so less than a year should signal a degree of urgency."

Upgrade to Windows 10 or risk being left behind

Windows 7 maintained its popularity, despite the approach of its end of life date. This meant a significant number of desktops were at risk of being vulnerable unless changes were made, and Titcombe explained that cyber criminals would be posed to strike as soon as the end-of-life deadline came into effect.

Titcombe also points out that organisations that stick with Windows 7 will become out of touch, and that's where the move to Windows 10 or even Windows 11 is an opportunity. He said any organisation or individual making the move to Windows 10 will "be amazed about how much faster and more dynamic your environment becomes with the upgrade to Windows 10 and its supporting software like Office 365 and Windows server 2016".

So, making the move to Windows 10 can be a lever to taking a fresh look at IT more generally, which was also true of BCS' own migration.

"As part of our move to Windows 10, we have pushed the organisational IT policy forward with moves to more cloud operations and SaaS solutions," explained Titcombe. "Our new Windows 10 environment is much more dynamic than our previous pre-Windows 10 thick-client environment."

Even without taking that broader approach, there are software compatibility reasons to see the move as a good thing rather than a chore. Much of the draw of Windows 10 and Windows 11 is the greater range of features both operating systems provide, and newer software and hardware are almost always designed with the latest operating systems in mind, with no guarantee of the same experience on Windows 7.

"In the same year that Microsoft gave us Windows 7, Apple gave us the iPhone 3GS, and Google shipped Android 2.0," said Edwards. "How far has Microsoft Windows come since then? It's time to move up or change course."

Alternatives to Windows 10 and 11

Starting the move away from Windows 7 with plenty of time in hand meant it was possible to think carefully about the whole IT setup, and maybe do a much-needed general spring clean both on the hardware and software sides. 

But with the deadline now gone, it's imperative for businesses that haven't moved from Windows 7 to make a fundamental shift.

Edwards' advice is to "understand why you're upgrading and don't do it blindly".

"There are other ways and means out there if Windows 10 doesn't appeal. Look at these alternatives seriously, including Windows 10 in S mode, and remember that the tools we use shape the way we do things. PC hardware can run a variety of operating systems. Maybe take a look at (Google-backed) CloudReady from Neverware as an example."

Businesses may also choose to look for open source platforms instead, including platforms like Linux. If you're thinking about such a move, it's worth looking at our list of the best Linux distros available to help you decide.

Wherever an organisation goes after Windows 7, upgrading should be done in a measured and controlled way, not rushed at the last moment.

"This is essential if you want a smooth upgrade," explained Titcombe. "You'd much rather have a few weeks/months to spare after planning than realising you didn't leave enough time and need to finish off the entire project/deployment in a week."

While Windows 10 Mobile (Windows Phone) is no longer going to be supported by Microsoft, many businesses and individuals still use Windows-running phones.

However, Microsoft has made it known that it will no longer add new features, concentrating on bug fixes and security patches instead. As a result, Windows 10 Phone users might be feeling a little bereft.

"Of course we'll continue to support the platform... bug fixes, security updates, etc. But building new features/[hardware] aren't the focus," Microsoft executive Joe Belfiore wrote on Twitter in October 2017.

While Microsoft had tried to get developers to create new apps for the platform, this proved a somewhat complicated task.

Where does this leave Windows 10 Phone users? In short, with no new apps to use.

However, those apps already available will continue to work on devices. As for variety, there are still plenty of indispensable apps any user should download to make their device more useful to them and their work.

Here is a list of apps you should download and install today.

Telegram Messenger

Telegram

Category: Messaging

Price: Free

Telegram is a messaging app that has a big following in the crypto and tech scene. It is also one of the few apps that continues to receive updates on the Windows Phone platform. The latest update allows users to store personal information and identity documents in the cloud.

Main Idea: The app allows users to securely commmunicate with other users via their smart devices.

1Password Beta

1Password

Category: Security

Price: Free

1Password is a popular account and password directory that securely encrypts your entries. The Windows Phone version, still in public beta at the time of writing, offers improved search, faster performance and a revised UI.

Main Idea: Securely store the passwords for accounts you access on your Windows Phone.

Alternatives: Password Padlock, VPN Unlimited

VLC for Windows Phone (Free)

VideoLabs

Category: Utilities & Tools

Price: Free

VLC for Windows Phone is a portable, free and open-source, cross-platform media player and streaming media server written by the VideoLAN project. It player supports most audio and video compression formats, files and streaming protocols, such as OGG, MKV, FLAC and MPC. The app has a media library for audio and video files, a complete audio library, with metadata fetching. VLC supports multi-track audio and subtitles, speed control.

Main idea: Can payback any type of video or audio file on a Windows Phone.

Alternatives: Video Tuner

Adobe PhotoShop Express

Adobe Systems Incorporated

Category: Photography

Price: Free

Adobe's PhotoShop Express is without the doubt the most impressive tool for editing photos on a Windows Phone device.

As is the case on the Android and iPhone iteration, it features plenty of editing tools to make your picture shine. Crop, adjust red eye, white balance, contrast, noise, tone and much more, it's a must-have, even if you're not an avid photographer.

All of these actions only require one or two taps of the screen to completely transform your snaps, making it easy for even the novice to use.

You can also add a varied selection of filters, called 'Looks'. Although it's not on par with Instagram, it's still pretty impressive and can give a new lease of life to any picture that may have been adversely affected by shaky hands.

Main Idea: Top photo editing app with simple to use interface

Alternatives: Photo Editor pro, Photo Editor by Aviary

Adobe Reader

Adobe Systems Incorporated

Category: Utilities & Tools

Price: Free

The most popular app for viewing, editing, converting, and sharing PDFs, Adobe Reader allows you to view PDFs straight from emails and more. The app also allows you to view password-protected documents for extra security, convert DOC, RTF, and easily share files and documents between team members.

Main Idea: PDF files are widely used in business, so it's incredibly useful to be able to view and interact with them across more than one platform.

Alternative: PDF Reader

AirWatch MDM Agent

AirWatch, LLC

Category: Business

Price: Free

A management tool for the company that relies on communication and collaboration, this app can be used with the AirWatch console to monitor and manage all devices across a company. This app keeps track of everything, and is easy to set up and use.

Main Idea: With the rise of BYOD in business, it's already true that nearly everyone works with a mobile device. The app helps to manage this, improving security and more.

Box

Box

Category: Business

Price: Free

Box offers 10 GB of free storage space out of the gate that's currently 8 GB more than competitor Dropbox (2 GB). If that's not reason enough to use this reliable and, so far, secure cloud storage service, we don't know what it is. It's also cross-compatible with Windows 8 and 10.

Main Idea: 10 GB of free storage and the ability to sync your files to all your devices.

Alternatives: OneDrive, Dropbox

CalendarPro Free

eWebSoul

Category: Business

Price: Free

By their very nature, calendar apps tender to be pretty straightforward, but with the frequency that we use them only the very best are worth your time. CalendarPro is among the highest-rated scheduling apps on Windows Phone, offering a smart interface and deep integration with Live accounts.

Main Idea: Advance calendar features that integrate with the user's Windows Live account.

Alternatives: True Calender 8, Chronos Calendar

Call Recorder

Asleroid

Category: Utilities & tools

Price: Free

Perhaps even more important than an audio recording app, this app lets you record your phone calls and refer to them later. Play back the file on your phone or upload it to OneDrive to save or share it so that you can follow those important phone calls without busying yourself with note taking. You can even password protect sensitive calls to keep conversations confidential and secure.

Main Idea: Recording phone calls can keep the focus on your conversations and help you refer back to important details in the future.

CamCard

IntSig International Holding Limited

Category: Business

Price: Free

Keeping track of paper business cards can be difficult and lead to a cluttered desk, but CamCard cuts out the physical mess by storing pertinent contact information in an e-card. Simply scan the card using your phone's camera, then read the information to complete the profile. The card data syncs across smartphones, tablets, and web so that you have access to the information you need when you need it.

Main Idea: A fast and efficient way to keep track of your business contacts, CamCard recognizes sixteen languages and allows you to exchange e-cards with other app users.

CamScanner

IntSig International Holding Limited

Category: Productivity

Price: 3.99

Mobile document scanning and sharing is essential to our on-the-go lifestyles, and CamScanner can help you scan, store, sync, and collaborate on content. Files are available across smartphones, iPads, tablets, and computers, making it convenient to switch between devices and share your content with others.

Main Idea: Not only is this mobile scanning app a huge convenienceand a necessity for the busy professionalthere are plenty of great features designed to help you work more efficiently.

Alternatives: TinyScan, QuickScan

Effectual

Spiffy Ventures, L.L.C.

Category: Utilities & tools

Price: Free

This task management app syncs across your Windows devices for a convenient and up-to-date rundown of everything on your to do list. Live Tile Updates provide reminders on your start screen while expiration dates keep your content relevant. If viewing tasks by priority isn't quite cutting it, there's a tag system within the app to give you an alternative outlook.

Main Idea: Effectual shows up the traditional to-do list with built-in organization, expiration dates, and reminders that help keep you on task. Being productive is that much easier when you've got a useful app at hand and helpful reminders on your start screen.

Alternative: Task Manager

Evernote

Evernote

Category: Utilities & tools

Price: Free

The Evernote workspace syncs across all of your devices so you can easily switch between tablet, smartphone, and desktop. More than just a note-taking app, create checklists and clip webpages for later reference in one uncluttered workspace. The search tool makes it easy to conduct research and save information without having to worry about how you're going to find it later. Evernote even has a presentation mode and work chat to make it easier for you to collaborate and share your work with others.

Main Idea: This app is here to help you work, but only if you let it. Evernote is an indispensable tool if you use it regularly, but falls flat if you don't take advantage of its unique features. There's a helpful guide to help you get started.

Alternative: OneNote

InstaNote

Microsoft Corp

Category: Productivity

Price: Free

Created by the Microsoft Garage project, InstaNote is a smart way to take audio notes or memos, and assign log references to them. With the app running, users can simply touch their smartphone to turn the last 30 seconds (or more) of recorded audio into its own playable sound clip. This makes it easier to scan through the pivotal parts of a meeting or conversation when transcribing or picking out action points to be acted upon.

Main Idea: InstaNote makes your note taking in meetings as easy as a single touch.

iTelMobileDialer

REVE Systems (S) Pte Ltd

Category: Business

Price: Free

A unified communications tool that allows professionals to more seamlessly speak with one another via VoIP calls, SMS, cross-OS instant messaging and more. iTelMobileDialer is the most popular app of its kind for Windows Phone users, with all messaging designed to work over 3G/4G and Wi-Fi and cross-platform instant messaging ensuring you won't have to worry about co-workers using Android or iOS.

Main Idea: This is the easiest and most seamless tool for unifying communication tools on your Windows device, making it perfect for use in a professional setting.

Alternatives: Voice Recorder Pro+, Mini Recorder

Mail

Eyacker.com

Category: Business

Price: Free

No matter how many ways there are for us to interact with each other, email has remained the primary method of communication in professional environments. The Mail app for Windows devices is a no-frills, functional way of accessing your account, create and edit messages, organise your inbox, and more with an interface that takes away all unnecessary complications.

Main Idea: A simple, functional way to access your email account from your Windows Phone.

Microsoft Remote Desktop

Microsoft Corporation

Category: Business

Price: Free

View and manage files on your work or home PC from your phone or tablet. Microsoft Remote Desktop allows you to refer back to your desktop PC, find files, or simply access documents from your Windows device, even when you're away from your desk. You can also stream video and audio, read and edit documents, and take advantage of the app's multi-touch experience.

Main Idea: This app is designed for people who need to be able to work from anywhere, so it's perfect for professionals who need to access their PC from home or during their commute.

Office Lens

Microsoft Corp

Category: Utilities & Tools

Price: Free

Office Lens is a Microsoft-developed solution for your digitisation needs. Using the app and your smartphone's camera, you can capture receipts, whiteboards, business cards, and other documents in a speedy and readable manner. Images are saved to OneNote and can also be converted to Word or PowerPoint files.

Main Idea: An app for digitalising print documents receipts and more accessible memos.

Alternatives: ScanWritr, Lens Picker

OneDrive

Microsoft Corporation

Category: Tools & Productivity

Price: Free

The most popular cloud storage app for the Windows Phone, Microsoft's own OneDrive lets you keep your photos, videos, documents, and more in a single location that's accessible across all of your devices. Once you start using the app, everything stored within the drive can be accessed from your PC, Windows phone or tablet, and you can also share things more easily between colleagues.

Main Idea: There are a lot of cloud storage options out there. If you're not sure which is best for you, check out our more in-depth look at the most popular services.

Alternatives: Box, Dropbox

Perfect Recorder

Perfect Thumb

Category: Utilities & tools

Price: Free

Note taking isn't always the best way to keep track of information and ideas, especially if it's distracting you from the task at hand. Having a reliable audio recorder and player with playback controls makes it easy to log ideas, dictations, meetings, lectures, or anything else you want to refer to later. With the ability to upload audio files to OneDrive, this app makes sharing and saving your recordings a breeze.

Main Idea: Perfect Recorder makes it easy to share and save your audio files so that you can focus on what you're doing by recording meetings or dictating ideas to refer to later.

Alternatives: Recorder, Voice Recorder, Windows Voice Recorder

Pocket File Manager

Amaze Pictures Inc

Category: Utilities & tools

Price: 1.49

The sheer amount of content and files that we want to keep around can often get a bit overwhelming, which is where the need for an effective file manager arises. Pocket File Manager lets users store and organise their files for retrieval when connected to a PC, compress files and folders into .zip files, save music and video into the media library and upload to services such as SkyDrive, Dropbox, and more.

Main Idea: For the disorganised professional, a file manager is one of the most important tools to have in your arsenal, and this user-friendly, multi-purpose file manager is a great choice.

Alternatives: Files, Real Manager, Briefcase

PrintHand

Dynamix USA LLC

Category: Business

Price: 3.89

Printing anything when you're away from your PC can be tricky, but PrintHand provides a quick and easy solution. As long as you're within reasonable distance of a compatible Wi-Fi printer, your Windows device will pick it up and allow you to print what you need even when out of the office. The app currently supports Epson laser, ink jet, Canon and HP printers and also works with Google Cloud Printing.

Main Idea: Apps that allow you to leave the office and be as mobile as possible are rising in popularity, and the ability to print from your device even when away from your desk gives you much more freedom.

Alternative: Print Now

Slack (Beta)

Slack Technologies, Inc.

Category: Business

Price: Free

Although Slack is still in beta for Windows Phone users and undoubtedly has some bugs, it is still one of the best team communication apps. With all of the usual featuresteam conversations, direct messages, private groups, file sharing, archives, and searchingeverything you need is at your fingertips.

Main Idea: If you're willing to deal with a few hiccups until Slack comes out of beta, this app is a great way to keep in touch with your team.

Translator

Microsoft Corp

Category: Travel

Price: Free

Translator was built by Microsoft's in-house apps team and leverages the technology behind Bing to help you overcome your language barriers. Translate text from 51 languages and voice from 18 languages. More impressive still is its instant translations from images captured on your phone camera: signs, menus and, albeit at a stretch, newspaper articles can be translated on-screen before your eyes. With additional offline support and the ability to save previously translated phrases, Microsoft's translation app is essential for those doing business outside their native country.

Main Idea: Voice and text translation provided by Microsoft's Bing service

Alternatives: Translator Pro Free, Translator 10 Beta

TranslatorTM

GoTiles

Category: Tools & Productivity

Price: Free

A simple yet effective translation app that's perfect for business users, Translator helps break that pesky language barrier with 85 languages available. Anyone working for global companies will find themselves in need of a good translation app, and this one is versatile and easy-to-use.

Main Idea: Remote workers and businesses operating internationally can often be hampered by language barriers, but this app allows them to quickly translate words and phrases straight from their phone.

Alternative: Translator

Voice Memos

Creobe Ltd

Category: Utilities & Tools

Price: Free (in-app purchases)

Voice Memos by Creobe is a heavy-duty audio recorder. The app enables users to record when their phone screen is locked and includes the ability to geotag recordings. In the premium version, users can also save recordings as MP3 files, export them to their music library and add images to them. A useful tool for those in need of a better audio app than WP's built-in one.

Main Idea: Gives Windows Phone users greater flexibility over their sound recordings.

Alternatives: Squid, Mini Recorder

Windows 10 remains Microsoft's most popular operating system, despite having been superseded by Windows 11 in October 2021. The success of the software has prompted many to look back on previous iterations, comparing Windows 10 vs Windows 8.1 vs Windows 7.

However, only Windows 10 and Windows 11 are currently receiving official support from Microsoft, with Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 now retired and no longer suitable for business use.

That means that while we have compared Microsoft's various operating systems against each other, any verdicts that lean towards Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 are purely academic and should not be taken as recommendations.

Windows 10 vs Windows 8.1 vs Windows 7

User interface for desktops and laptops

Windows 7 certainly set the benchmark for a relatively consistent and understandable user interface, although its key strength now is its familiarity. You know where to find things, you know what sort of results you're going to get from the Start Menu search bar and you understand the oddities of Windows Explorer, Task Manager and Control Panel.

This familiarity is an asset compared to Windows 8.1. Microsoft's huge push for touchscreen devices and tablets left desktop users feeling not only abandoned, but hugely confused. Hitting the Start button to search for an app or file left you with a massive full-screen Start screen that made little sense when it was first introduced in Windows 8 in 2012 and it still feels jarring today.

Windows 10 strikes a better balance here, with its Continuum mode neatly morphing the compact Start menu into a bigger, touch-friendly Start screen as needed. The Start menu's links to the newly tweaked File Explorer as well as lists of recently used apps and your pinned folders are all huge plus points.

The Start menu in Windows 10 has undergone a few changes since its own release. With the advent of the Anniversary update, it has three columns in the Start Menu with All Apps always visible. The interactive Start Menu also allows you to change the Live Tile apps for apps you use more frequently, and the new clean, square icons lend a simplified look.

Windows 10 holds a small advantage up to this point, then, and that's before you even consider the hugely improved window management system. If you're someone who likes to multitask, Windows 10 has you covered.

Windows 8.1 has better multi-monitor support than Windows 7. Unlike 7, 8.1 has a taskbar on each screen showing only those apps running on that screen. Plus each monitor can have its own distinct wallpaper. and each screen given its own customisable wallpaper.

Windows 10 builds on this foundation, adding an improved version of Windows Snap so you can easily organise your windows in just a couple of clicks. Answering the prayers of those of us with multiple monitors running at different resolutions, there are now settings for scaling text and the UI on a per-monitor basis.

Even if you only have one display, such as when you're using a laptop on the move, Windows 10 now has built-in multiple desktops (like Ubuntu and Mac OS X), so juggling lots of windows and tasks is still easier than ever.

Winner: Windows 10

There's no question Windows 10 needed to make some serious improvements for desktop and laptop users, and Microsoft has delivered. Multitasking has never been easier, meaning it's by far the best choice.

User interface for tablets

Windows 7 only has the most basic interface elements and optimisations for touchscreens, which allowed the iPad and iOS to dominate the market for tablets. This led to the radically improved touchscreen interface in Windows 8, but it alienated a lot of people as it had so few accommodations for keyboard and mouse users.

Windows 8.1 added a few tweaks, nips and tucks, such as the ability to run Modern UI apps in a resizable window, but its display scaling problems made usable high-resolution Windows 8.1 tablets a near impossibility.

Windows 10, while not perfect, is a big improvement. An improved touchscreen gesture allows you to flick between applications quickly and easily than before. If you have a hybrid device and dock it to a keyboard, Windows 10 should recognise this change of state and switch back to its touchpad-friendly desktop mode thanks to Continuum mode, although whether this will work on your device will depend on whether its manufacturers has released drivers that support this.

Windows 10 Anniversary Update features a new Ink Workspace that puts pen-based apps in their own panel at the bottom-right corner. The new apps boast Screen Sketch, Sketchpad and Sticky Notes. The latter integrating with its cloud services. Pen devices should work well with Windows 10 with great Ink support.

Winner: Windows 10

If you have a tablet or a tablet/laptop hybrid, Windows 10 is your best bet. With features catering well for both, you'll work more efficiently that you could on Windows 8.1 or Windows 7.

Security

Windows 7 and 8.1 are by no means insecure operating systems; but Windows 10 has moved both home and enterprise security along significantly, both in terms of local device security and the security of your online services, too.

First of all, there's Windows Hello, which lets you use biometric log-in with a fingerprint, face or iris scan instead of a password. While computers with the necessary biometric scanning hardware built-in are currently uncommon, we're helpful that more will become available quickly given that Hello is built into Windows 10 from the very start.

There's also Passport, a single sign-in service for consumers that allows Windows to authenticate with websites on your behalf without you having to type in a password. This service hooks into Windows Hello, using your biometric scan or a PIN code to verify that you are the person you claim to be. This means you'll use your password less, meaning it'll become much more difficult for hackers to compromise online accounts with stolen passwords. It's not currently supported that widely, but if it takes off, Passport could massively boost security on your online services. As yet, though, Passport and Hello are unproven and very much fledgling technologies.

IT managers will appreciate the ability to organise Enterprise-licenced PCs into circles and choose when updates are applied - great for making sure you don't disrupt your users' work. This also means that Microsoft's new strategy of releasing frequent, individual updates instead of bundling them into Patch Tuesdays or Service Packs won't have a big impact on your office's productivity, as you can delay non-critical updates for up to 90 days if you're on Microsoft's Current Business Branch of support.

You also get Enterprise Data Protection, the ability to sign in with an Azure ID and the ability to set up a company-wide app store.

Winner: Windows 10

Unsurprisingly, Microsoft's latest operating system has the most advanced security features of the operating systems here. It's good for both consumers and IT managers.

Performance

Microsoft cautions that Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 have limited support when running on new processes and chipsets from manufacturers like Intel, AMD, NVidia, and Qualcomm. Users should be aware of the original equipment manufacturer's (OEM) support period, as this can hinder performance.

While anecdotally we have heard of PCs running a lot quicker having been upgraded from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10, actual performance benchmarks on our test PC with 8GB of memory and an Intel Core i5 4690K processor show no difference.

What's more important is the addition of DirectX 12 support, a low-level graphics API designed to increase 3D graphics performance with lower overheads while giving developers more control over how hardware is used. This is most important for gamers though as most professional 3D graphics software relies on the competing OpenGL API instead. Although it's still very early days for DirectX 12 with few titles currently taking advantage of it, if you're looking for the best 3D gaming performance available the Windows 10 is likely your best bet as DirectX 12 won't be available for Windows 8.1 or 7.

Winner: Windows 10

Again, no surprises here; with no penalty in performance and DirectX 12, Windows 10 is an easy choice

Searching for files and folders

Search has become ever more important in operating systems, as file and folder hierarchies have become less important and searching for a specific filename has become a popular way of finding important files especially amidst messy desktops and haphazardly organised Documents folders.

Windows 7 had a terrific search function built in the Start Menu, finding files and folders on network shares as well as those stored locally. It wasn't perfect, especially if you needed to refine your search results, but it was useful enough that we were surprised that Windows 8 abandoned this simultaneous search ability. It also adopted a more fiddly Start screen-based search interface and integrated web search results from Bing and app store suggestions. These superfluous additions were far of an annoyance than a convenience.

Windows 10 searches still hook into the Bing search engine and also look for apps in the Windows Store. Even more annoyingly these results are placed ahead of search results for installed apps, files and folders with no option to change this order. Amazingly, the ability to search your computer and network shares simultaneously is still missing.

However, you can at least easily perform more advanced searches from the Start Menu by clicking on the My Stuff button. This lets you filter by relevance or date, and can also narrow down your search to specific file types including documents, photos, music and settings.

Windows 10 also includes Cortana, the personal assistant feature from Windows Phone. This has become a major part of Windows 10 doing double duty as a web search and a Start Menu/Windows search. Plus the ability to search by voice is both impressive in its accurate transcription and in its usefulness for the differently abled.

Winner: Tie

The improved advanced search features in Windows 10 are very welcome, but its insistence on prioritising web search and app store results isn't. Windows 7 still holds a place in our hearts for its quick, simple search results and network integration.

Windows 10 vs Windows 8.1 vs Windows 7: Which version is right for you?

Windows 8 had the unintended side effect of making people significantly more attached to Windows 7 than ever before. It was a happy medium sitting between the Vista mess and the Windows 8 Start screen nightmare.

Prior to the operating systems reaching end of life, we would have said to skip over Windows 8.1 if you were still on Windows 7, given that you could safely upgrade without losing the things you loved most about that OS.

However, now that official support is only available for Windows 10, we cannot recommend using any Microsoft operating systems that predate this version. Not only do the operating systems feel quite dated at this point, the lack of security updates will put you and your data at unnecessary risk.

Windows 10 will reach its own end of life in October 2025, at which point you should have already migrated to Windows 11. If you're wondering how these two operating systems stack up, it's worth reading our Windows 10 vs Windows 11 comparison article.

If your PC needs a bit of a revamp, whether you've run out of space, are experiencing storage errors or just want to start afresh, installing a new SSD on your machine can give it a new lease of life, speeding it up and offering a blank canvas on which to start downloading again.

Before you start installing a new SSD, you'll need to make sure you have your original Windows product key to hand so you can implement a fresh install of the OS on the new hard drive. If you've mislaid it, no fear! You can obtain all of your product keys using a third party extractor such as NirSoft to view all of the product keys stored in your PC's registry. Even better news for Windows 10 users - you may not even need it, depending on how you originally installed the platform, making the job a whole lot easier.

Whichever version of Windows you're running, it's easy to download the ISO installation files for your computer from the Microsoft website. You'll find Windows 7 here, Windows 8 here and Windows 10 here. You will need to transfer them to physical external media though, such as a DVD, USB drive or another computer so you can install externally when the new SSD is in place.

Upgrading to Windows 10

Microsoft's free Windows 10 upgrade offer has now closed; the official way to get Windows 10 is now to visit Microsoft's online store and buy an upgrade. The Home edition costs 120, while the Professional edition costs 220.

If those prices seem too steep, you do have a few other options. People who use assistive technologies (such as screen readers or magnifiers) can still perform a free Windows 10 upgrade from the Microsoft website. The process is painless, as the installer doesn't check that you're actually using assistive software -- it's taken on trust.

It's also been reported that the latest build of Windows 10 - the "Creators Update" - will install and activate using product keys from older versions of Windows. There's no official word on how legitimate this is, but we see no harm in giving it a try.

A final option is to sign up to the free Windows Insider programme. This lets you try out all the latest Windows 10 updates before they're rolled out to the wider world. Be warned, though, it's intended for testing and feedback; the builds you get may sometimes be buggy and unstable. Sign up at insider.windows.com.

Migrate your whole system

The simplest way to get Windows onto your new SSD is to clone the contents of your old hard disk across, wholesale. Many drives come with software to help you do just this, although these tools don't always let you choose what to move and what to leave behind. If your new SSD is smaller than your old hard disk, you might need to shunt some files off onto a different drive before performing the migration.

Once you've cloned your system, don't forget to change your boot drive in the BIOS - otherwise Windows will continue starting up from the old disk, while your new SSD sits there unused.

This article originally appeared in PC Pro issue 275

More than 10 years after its launch, Microsoft is finally laying to rest the much-unloved Windows Vista.

The operating system will no longer receive any more updates or patches, and users have been urged to upgrade to a newer operating system or risk security threats.

"Microsoft has provided support for Windows Vista for the past 10 years, but the time has come for us, along with our hardware and software partners, to invest our resources towards more recent technologies so that we can continue to deliver great new experiences," said the company in a statement.

Systems running the operating system will still work, but will become more vulnerable to security risks and viruses. Microsoft added that Internet Explorer 9 is no longer supported, "so if your Windows Vista PC is connected to the internet and you use Internet Explorer 9 to surf the web, you might be exposing your PC to additional threats", the firm said.

Microsoft has also stopped providing Microsoft Security Essentials for download on Windows Vista.

Users can purchase a full version of Windows 10 to upgrade, but they should make sure that their systems can run the new operating system.

Late to the party and unloved

Vista was launched in 2006, a few years later than the promised launch date of 2003, when it was codenamed "Longhorn" at the time. Development was delayed and when finally released, the OS suffered from the start with slow performance and a User Account Control security feature that popped up virtually every time a user wanted to do anything.

The issues prompted Microsoft to rush Windows 7 out, which fixed a lot of issues and was greeted with much relief.

Usage

Old versions of Windows are still running and Vista is no exception. According to figures from Spiceworks, 14% of medium-sized organisations (100-1,000 employees) are likely to have at least one Windows Vista machine still hanging on. Meanwhile, 13% of manufacturing firms and government bodies are still using Vista.

"Windows Vista isn't nearly as common in business as Windows XP, but the approaching Vista end of support date serves as a good reminder to upgrade PCs still running unsupported operating systems," said Peter Tsai, senior technology analyst at Spiceworks. "Although some IT departments aren't able to upgrade on time due to a lack of time or budget, it's critical for IT professionals to make a business case for more resources, given the security risks of running operating systems with unpatched vulnerabilities."

Windows XP (52%) and Windows Vista (9%) penetration rates, defined as the percentage of companies running one or more instance, are still relatively high. However, their overall share within the business environment is much lower.

The data shows Windows XP is running on 14% of all PCs in businesses worldwide, while Windows Vista is only running on 1%. By contrast, Windows 7 has the highest share, running on 69% of business PCs. Windows 10 currently has 9% of the overall share, followed by Windows 8 at 5%.

Android has replaced Windows as the world's most popular operating system according to an analysis carried out by the research arm of independent web analytics company StatCounter.

In March 2017, Android marginally took the lead of the worldwide OS internet usage market share with 37.93% of users using its operating system to access the internet, whereas Windows was not far behind, with 37.91%. This covers total internet usage across desktop, laptop, tablet and mobile combined.

Aodhan Cullen, CEO at StatCounter, declared the stats as "a milestone in technology history and the end of an era." He added that "It marks the end of Microsoft's leadership worldwide of the OS market which it has held since the 1980s. It also represents a major breakthrough for Android which held just 2.4% of global internet usage share only five years ago."

Cullen outlined that the reasons for the breakthrough were the growth of smartphones to access the internet, a decline in sales of traditional PCs and the impact of Asia on the global market.

Despite this, Windows still dominates the worldwide operating system desktop market, which covers PCs and laptops, as it held 84.34% of the usage share as of March. What's more, despite Android's combined platform victory, Windows is still dominating usage in Europe - with 51.7% market share versus Android's 23.6%. Whereas the story is very different in Asia, where Android leads with 52.2% market share, significantly overshadowing Android's 29.2%.

Cullen claims that "It will be difficult for Microsoft to make inroads in mobile but the next paradigm shift might give it the opportunity to regain dominance. That could be in Augmented Reality, AI, Voice or Continuum (a product that aims to replace a desktop and smartphone with a single Microsoft powered phone)."

Despite being three years away from the end of its lifecycle, Windows 7 is no longer fit for business use, according to Microsoft Germany.

The company's German division yesterday said Windows 7, which will receive regular security updates until 2020, lacks the security needed to deal with modern threats.

Basic support for Windows 7 ended two years ago, and since then the operating system has suffered from higher operating costs and downtime due to malware attacks, and a general lack of support for newer hardware peripherals, according to the blog post.

"Even today, (Windows 7) fails to meet the needs of modern technology and the high standards of security required by IT departments.," said Markus Nitschke, head of Windows at Microsoft Deutschland, quoted in the post (translated by IT Pro).

Support for the Windows 7 platform is due to end in January 2020, at which point customers still using the OS will no longer receive security updates or technical support from Microsoft. But Monday's blog post argues that companies not planning a transition away from Windows 7 within three years face "enormous dangers".

"As we saw with Windows XP, companies should start making the switch early to avoid risks and costs later on," Nitschke added.

While Microsoft counts 400 million devices running Windows 10, its newest operating system, as of December 2016, Windows 7's user base was still double that of Windows 10, with 7 running on 48.34% of desktop and laptop devices and 10 running on 24.36%, according to NetMarketShare.

Yesterday's blog post refers to services such as Cortana and Windows Ink, both new features with Windows 10. The post does not mention the extra layers of security businesses might employ to increase overall protection.

But the fact remains that Windows 7 is now an outdated operating system, and as with any older platforms, users are likely to encounter compatibility issues. The blog post points out that "Windows 10 is the only version of Windows that offers support for the latest chips from Intel, AMD and Qualcomm".

Windows 7, released in 2009, was "developed for the wireless world of the late 2000s", but Microsoft said the platform is built on outdated security architectures and, since basic support ended, it hasn't been upgraded with any new features.

In contrast, users on Windows 10 can take advantage of improved security through Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection, and Microsoft has boasted that the latest Anniversary Update was able to stamp out exploits before they were specifically patched.

IT Pro has contacted Microsoft to ascertain if the blog post's view is shared by Microsoft's UK division, but had not received a reply at the time of publication.

The word "creativity" was a definite constant at yesterday's Microsoft launch event, repeated by pretty much every speaker.

In his opening speech, executive VP, Terry Myerson said: "What unites all of us is that we're creators of our individual lives".

Microsoft said it wishes to develop technological tools that can be used by professionals in different fields to turn their ideas into a final product using new creative possibilities.

This notion is at the core of many new products presented yesterday, including the Windows 10 Creators update, Xbox features and the new Surface Studio desktop PC.

Windows 10 Creators Update

Windows 10 Update, has 'creativity' within its very name. Some of the features of Windows 10 Creators Update include 3D tools, new communication widgets, integration with HoloLens and new Xbox Live features.

The update will include a 3D feature for PowerPoint, which it's hoped will help users create more engaging presentations - no more death by slidedeck.

Microsoft also announced a partnership with positioning product maker Trimble to bring creations made in its SketchUp software into the 3D Paint community.

At the event, Windows Experience Group's general manager, Megan Saunders, showcased some of Windows 10's new 3D tools, including Paint 3D. This feature allows users to capture objects in 3D using their phone's camera, a feature that should be available for Windows 10 Mobile soon, and iOS and Android in the future. Users can also create emojis or 3D drawings from scratch and print these using a 3D printer.

Saunders said: "We need to make 3D creation as simple as taking a picture on your phone".

The update also allows customers to use their computers with VR headsets or HoloLens' augmented reality and brings new features for Xbox and Windows PC gamers, allowing more cross-platform interaction, further game broadcasting tools and the possibility to create their own tournaments.

Surface Studio

In addition the new SurfaceBook i7, said to have "twice the graphics", better performance and up to 16 hours of battery life, Microsoft announced a new desktop computer called Surface Studio.

Surface Studio is, once again, centred on creativity, with an Intel Core i7 processor, nVidia GTX 980m GPU, 23GB of memory, 2GB hard-drive and 28in touchscreen display that pushes over 13 million pixels. The display uses a technology called TrueColor, said to enhance the depth of colour. It can also be folded down and used as a graphics tablet.

At first glance, this would appear to be the perfect tool for graphics designers and other creative professionals, and can be used in combination with the Surface Pen to produce high quality digital designs.

Panos Panay, corporate VP of devices at Microsoft presented the product saying: "Every one of us is a creator; we want to use this product to help all of us create."

Richard Edwards, principal research analyst at Ovum, questioned whether the Surface Studio would help pick up falling PC sales, saying: "It's clear whom Microsoft is wooing with this device: the creative pro. With the Surface Pen and the newly introduced Surface Dial (a radial haptic input device), Microsoft is clearly increasing the versatility of an already capable genre, but is it enough to relight the fire under the corporate PC market?"

Edwards believes that business and corporate buyers will still prefer Windows 7 to Windows 10, making Surface Studio a device specific for creative professionals.

At the end of the event, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella summed perfectly what Microsoft's ethos is at the moment.

Nadella said: "I believe that the next ten years will be defined by technology that empowers profound creation."

"Every choice we (Microsoft) make is about finding that balance between consumption and creative expression," Nadella added.

Hackers are abusing Windows Troubleshooting Platform (WTP) to trick users into downloading malware onto their computers.

WTP is a legitimate feature in Windows, intended for troubleshooting problems. However, researchers at Proofpoint have found a social engineering attack that uses this normally helpful service as a vector for infection.

In a blog post, the researchers said: "This attack is particularly effective since execution of WTP is not accompanied by a security warning and users have been conditioned to run the troubleshooter when it appears in Windows. In this case, though, running the troubleshooter leads to the installation of LatentBot, a well-documented modular bot used for surveillance, information stealing, and remote access."

The scam runs like this: The target victim receives an email with a file attachment that, when downloaded and opened, looks as if there is an issue with the computer's font set. The user is prompted to "double-click to auto detect charset", which, if followed, opens a real embedded, digitally signed DIAGCAB file - the extension for a Troubleshooting pack.

Once opened, this displays what Proofpoint calls a "convincingly realistic" download wizard (see below). If the user clicks "next" in this window, the malware payload is then downloaded and executed on the computer.

"This method of malware execution bypasses observation by many existing sandbox products because the malicious activity is carried out outside of the msdt.exe binary loading the .diagcab file," said Proofpoint.

"This continues the trend of malware authors seeking new sandbox evasion methods via COM-based non-standard execution flow; previous examples of these methods are WMI, Office Interoperability, Background Intelligent Transfer Service, and the Task Scheduler."

The method could, the researchers said, "fool even experienced users", due to how convincing it is and the fact it evades detection by many sandboxing techniques.

IT Pro has approached Microsoft for comment, but had received none at the time of publication.

The Dell Latitude 11 is a Windows 10 tablet that's trying to have its cake and eat it too. It wants to be powerful and versatile enough to replace your laptop - at least in certain circumstances - but it's also trying to maintain the portability and ease of use of tablet computing.

Casing

The Latitude 11 looks boxy and workmanlike. The casing is made of plain and unassuming matte-black plastic, but somehow still manages to pick up a surprising amount of grubby fingerprints.

It's also uncomfortably thick and heavy. It's over 10mm thick, and weighs just over 700g. This may not sound like much, but holding it one-handed for any length of time quickly becomes tiring, and even holding it two-handed isn't particularly comfortable.

Display

The Latitude 11 has a 10.8in display with a 1080p resolution. It performs fine for normal tasks such as document editing or reading emails, but it does have a problem with brightness. You'll find using the Latitude 11 outside difficult, even when under cloud cover with the screen set to the maximum brightness setting.

Otherwise, it's perfectly adequate, with good contrast ensuring that text is crisp and clear. It's also got large bezels around the screen, so you won't accidentally tap on-screen controls while holding it.

Performance

The Latitude 11's performance is something of a mixed bag. It's powered by an Intel Core M5-6Y57 processor and 8GB of RAM. This allocation of memory is more than what you'd find in many laptops.

Multitasking worked fine, with the Latitude 11 quickly flicking between apps with no problems. It's likely to struggle, however, when faced with particularly demanding software such as 4K video and RAW image editing tools.

Our benchmarks bore this out, with a distinctly middle-of-the-road score indicating that while it's great for light multitasking, any heavy lifting will be beyond it. That's not a critical failing for a tablet that's more likely to be used for data entry in the field, point of sale systems, controlling and updating embedded devices and other niche business use cases rather than as a full-fledged replacement for a workstation laptop.

A 256GB SATA3 SSD, with a M.2 form factor, is built into the Latitude 11. Although far faster than any hard disk, it's a shame it's not an even faster NVMe PCI-based SSD. At least you can remove the back panel and upgrade it with a larger capacity model if you wish.

Ports and accessories

Part of the reason for the Latitude 11's bulk is that it packs in a plentiful number of ports and connections. In addition to a full-size USB 3.0 Type-A port, it also has a USB Type-C connector. This is used for charging, but it can also be used for data transfer, video out and peripheral connections due to the Type-C standard's multifunctional nature.

This can be a pain on other devices as it often necessitates having to buy new peripherals, cables and adapters straight out of the gate. In this case, however, the fact that it's accompanied by 'standard' Type-A USB and micro HDMI ports, as well as a micro SD slot, means that you can transition over more slowly.

You also have the option of docking it with accessories such as a keyboard or desktop dock for more functionality, but these are sold separately.

Conclusions

While the Dell Latitude 11 is a perfectly serviceable tablet, it doesn't really excel in any area. Performance is capable, but not blazing. The screen is bright, clear and sharp, but doesn't fare well outdoors. It has plenty of ports and is somewhat upgradeable, but the trade-off is increased weight and thickness.

The problem is that for the more powerful configurations, including the Core m5 variant reviewed here, Dell charges in excess of 1,000 ex VAT - for the same price, you could get a Surface 3 or Core i5 Surface Pro 4.

Of course, if you're a large enterprise with an existing IT infrastructure that favours Dell products - such as service contracts and docking stations - you might be tempted to stick with the Latitude 11 based on backwards compatibility alone.

However, this tablet does feel rather overpriced for what it is, and anyone considering a deployment would be advised to shop around and consider their options.

Verdict

This Dell tablet is functional enough for day-to-day use, but it's not designed well enough to justify its high price. If you're sure you want a Windows slate, then there are likely better value alternatives.

A quarter of all Windows devices, inclduing tablets, computers and smartphones, are open to 700 vulnerabilities because enterprises have failed to update Internet Explorer (IE) at a companywide level.

Duo Security revealed the statistic as part of its Trusted Access 2016 report, which also found 72 per cent of Java users are running an out-of-date version of the software and 60 per cent of enterprise users have not updated Flash either.

Both of these plugins could allow hackers to access devices and steal vital information relating to the company or to the user, which is in turn putting organisations at risk of a major breach.

"Organisations need visibility into the health of all devices accessing their business applications," saidMike Hanley, director of Duo Labs. "Each of these outdated devices poses a significant risk to a company. Visibility and insight will help better protect organisations against breaches."

The security firm's research showed Macs are more up to date than Windows machines, with 53 per cent of Apple devices fully updated with the latest patches across software and the operating system itself. Only 35 per cent of Windows users are running the latest version of Windows 10 or Windows 8.1.

The company said Mac users are more likely to update their operating systems because the updates Apple releases are usually more stable than those released for Windows devices, which usually require a couple of iterations before they are deemed safe and secure.

New OS X versions are also free, whereas Windows updates need to be paid for and this makes the former a more attractive option for enterprises that have to upgrade a larger volume of users.

Microsoft has announced its Skype Translator is now available to all Windows users and supports 50 messaging languages and six voice languages.

The feature was first announced a year ago and has been in preview testing until now, only just becoming available as an integrated part the desktop version of the VoIP app for Windows - including Windows 7, Windows 8 and, of course, Windows 10.

English, French, German, Italian, Mandarin, Spanish voice languages will all be supported and Microsoft has also revealed 50 languages can be used with its messaging feature.

"It has been a long-time dream at Skype to break down language barriers and bring everyone across the globe closer together," explains Microsoft's Skype team. "Researchers, engineers, and many others across Microsoft have been working hard to make this dream a reality and we are looking forward to bringing this preview technology to more devices."

Skype Translator uses machine learning that improves as more people use it. Although previewers helped to some extent, opening up will provide more opportunity for development.

"Already, early users of the preview have helped it improve tremendously, and now with this broader release we are excited to see the additional progress we can make from expanded use," the company commented.

Previously, testers were required to sign up and wait to be admitted to the scheme before being able to directly translate speech to and from English, Chinese (Mandarin), Italian and Spanish.

Skype's product marketing manager, Yasmin Khan, said in a blog post back in June that a greater number of users would improve the translating technology.

"We are thrilled with the positive response from around the world, and especially thankful to ALL of the early adopters who downloaded the application, and use it every day," she wrote.

"Remember: Skype Translator uses machine learning, so the more people use the technology, the better the experience for everyone!"

Currently, the Skype Translator preview can translate between English, Spanish, Italian and Mandarin, as well as 50 written languages in its instant messaging function.

More users means the machine learning behind the app can improve its understanding of phrases and accents to become more accurate.

Microsoft said it will add more languages to the app as they meet its quality standard.

Microsoft launched Skype Translator last December and, initially, only a select number of people were able to use it. Khan highlighted one of the early adopter testers in a blog post, praising non-profit development organisation Pro Mujer based in New York. The company provides women in Latin America with financial, health, and human development services and is using Skype Translator to communicate with them.

"We are very proud of Pro Mujer's mission, and we're delighted they're finding value in using Skype generally, and Skype Translator to make an impact in so many people's lives," Khan said.

Head to our sister site Alphr for a review of Skype Translator preview.

This article was originally published on the 26/11/14 and has been updated multiple times (most recently on 02/10/15).

Mini PCs are great giving you faster-than-laptop power in a small form factor, but you almost always have to sacrifice upgradeability in favour of small size. Mini PCs are often difficult to upgrade, if at all, due to their cramped and fiddly interiors as well as their use of small but expensive laptop components. Apple is pushing external devices that use the PCI-Express-based Thunderbolt connector, but external devices mean lots of data and power cables that can get easily tangled.

Acer thinks it can banish the need to make this trade-off with the Revo Build M1-601 mini PC. At first glance it looks like a fairly standard little PC that's around the shape and size of a lunchbox (or an Apple Mac Mini to put it another way). The pre-production demo unit we saw was equipped with a 1.6GHz Intel Celeron N3150 processor, 8GB of memory, a small SSD as well as plenty of ports HDMI, DisplayPort, Ethernet, a SD card reader and three USB 3.0 ports.

Where it comes into its own is the series of optional expansion Blocks which you stack on top of the Revo Build. Each subsequent block is stacked on top of the previous one. Planned Blocks include external hard drives, a wireless charging adapter for your smartphone, a DAC, a VGA adaptor and even a pico projector.

The Blocks align and snap together magnetically, but we were unable to get an Acer spokesperson at the company's IFA stand to detail what technology is used to actually connect the Blocks to the PC and transfer data back and forth. Nor could we confirm whether there is a maximum number of Blocks you can attach the demo PCs we saw were effectively dummy units when it came to the Blocks themselves.

The Acer Revo Build M1-601 will be available in Britain from the middle of October for 200, although the exact specifications for a Revo Build at this price are currently unknown.

Also unknown is how much the Blocks will cost unless Acer is willing to put a big marketing and manufacturing push behind the Blocks, resists the urge to overcharge for them and opens them up to other PC manufacturers as well as peripheral makers then we get the sneaking suspicion the Revo Build won't catch on.

With less than 24 hours to go until the Windows 10 launch, Microsoft has released yet another patch for the new operating system, this time to fix a bug introduced by a patch brought out over the weekend.

The original patch, KB3074681, was pushed out on Saturday and brought in various unspecified bug and security updates, but complaints that it was crashing Windows Explorer soon started coming in.

According to WinSuperSite, the error occurred when users on build 10240, the RTM build that will be generally release tomorrow, tried to disable an active network adapter or uninstall a program using the path Programs and Features>Uninstall or change a program.

Gabe Aul, general manager for the OS Group Data and Fundamentals team, told WinSuperSite that "a fix is in the works for this [bug] and will be pushed out soon". True to Aul's word, the new patch, KB3074683, was rolled out overnight specifically to fix this problem and, by all accounts, does work. The buggy update has since been withdrawn.

Emergency update

While these latest updates fix minor issues, another patch released last week for Windows 10 and all other currently supported systems, was far more significant.

The emergency, out of band patch fixed an exploit first discovered by surveillance firm Hacking Team.

The patches, named MS15-078 for Windows Vista through to Windows Server 2012 and KB3074667 for Windows 10, fix a remote code execution vulnerability in the Windows Adobe Type Manager Library. The hole, which has been given the reference CVE-2015-2426, could be used by hackers to escalate privileges and remotely control a system if the user opened a specially crafted document or visited a website that uses OpenType fonts.

This is the third Windows vulnerability patch related to information released in the massive Hacking Team data breach, which saw 400GB of stolen documents leaked online. Included in those documents was information on zero-day vulnerabilities it had discovered in Windows, which were sold as part of its "offensive security" software that allowed unauthorised users to gain access to and collect data from systems undetected.

Since the leak at the beginning of the month, security researchers have been scouring the data to identify and patch the vulnerabilities documented within. Thanks for this particular discovery can be laid at the door of Trend Micro, which published a detailed analysis of the threat on its Security Intelligence blog.

According to Microsoft, however, while the exploit was listed in Hacking Team's documents there is no current evidence it has ever been used in an active attack.

While the out-of-band patch will protect all currently supported Windows desktop and server operating systems, those using older software such as Windows XP or the recently expired Server 2003 will not receive the update, meaning they will remain vulnerable to potential attack.

If you need to work on the go, then there are plenty of lightweight computing devices designed for portability from ultraportable laptops and smartphones to tablets and hybrids. This has relegated larger and heavier 15in laptops to one of two roles: incredibly powerful workstations or cheap and compact replacements for bulkier tower desktop PCs.

The Acer TravelMate P256-M is one of the latter. It is specifically aimed at businesses, but its low price means it'll appeal to anyone on a budget.

Acer TravelMate P256-M: casing, keyboard and touchpad

Unsurprisingly, the TravelMate P256-M is something of a beast given its 15in screen. It's chunky and weighs 2.5kg which is a little heavy, even for a laptop of this size. It is well-made though with a surprisingly good-looking semi-gloss black finish on its lid.

Part of the reason for this is the built-in DVD writer. Although this might be seem antiquated to some, it can be very useful whether you need to pull archived data off disc or need to send large chunks of data on inexpensive media to customers or partners with slow or no broadband.

The thickness of the laptop does mean there's space for plenty of ports: a full-size HDMI connector, three full-size USB ports, although only one of these is USB3. There's an SD card slot, as well as Ethernet and VGA sockets.

Typing on the keyboard is comfortable enough as the keys are large and have enough travel. The keys have an unpleasantly hollow, echoey feel to them though and responsiveness could be better too, so it's by no means the best keyboard we've used on a cheap laptop.

The trackpad is big so you've got plenty of scrolling and panning space and it's smooth and responsive too.

Acer TravelMate P256-M: display

The 15in screen has good brightness and contrast. The lid tilts back almost all the way too, so you can easily get a comfortable viewing angle.

Unsurprisingly for a laptop at this price though, the lowly 1366x768 resolution feels cramped. It's good enough for reading web pages and basic document editing, but it's a shame the laptop industry hasn't moved onto 1440x900 or 1600x900 resolution screens in cheap laptops as even this modest increase in resolution would be a boon for productivity.

Acer TravelMate P256-M: operating system

Variants of the TravelMate P200 series are available with Windows 8.1, but the model reviewed here comes with Windows 7 pre-installed. This is useful whether you hate Windows 8.1 or just use software which hasn't yet been updated to work with newer versions of Windows.

Windows 7 is provided via downgrade rights, so you can move to Windows 8.1 in the future if you wish. You can also upgrade to Windows 10 for free if you're buying for yourself.

Acer TravelMate P256-M: performance/h2>

The P256-M is kitted out with an Intel Core i5 4210U Haswell processor with a base speed of 1.7GHz. Paired with 4GB of RAM, it coped with our benchmarks well, providing results that are in line with what we'd expect from a laptop at this price.

However, the 4GB of memory meant the P256-M slowed down under a modestly heavy load when running the latest version of Photoshop and several web apps in the background.

Acer states that the memory can be upgraded to a maximum of 16GB, but you'll need to get this done by a technician as the casing is difficult to open yourself.

Although the P256-M's weight means you're unlikely to lug it around often, its power-efficient Haswell processor means it can last a long time on battery if you do. It lasted a respectable 10 hours in our light usage test.

Acer TravelMate P256-M: conclusions

The Acer TravelMate P256-M isn't very glamourous, but it's a well-made workhorse laptop with good battery life, enough performance and almost all the ports you're ever likely to need. It's a shame the keyboard isn't better, but it's still a good fit for businesses looking to make a mass replacement of old desktops as well as for students and home users on a budget./p>

Verdict

The Acer TravelMate P256-M isn't very exciting, but this inexpensive laptop is good enough for everyday computing

CPU: 1.7GHz Intel Core i5-4210U RAM: 4GB Display: 1366 x 768 LCD Software: Windows 7 (via downgrade rights) Dimensions: 30 x 381 x 256 mm (HxWxD) Weight: 2.5kg Model number: TMP256-M-55EG Part code: NX.V9MEK.005

It's hard work running a business, but sometimes it can be harder still to find a decent laptop to get you through the working day. However, with prices falling, it's now easier than ever to find a laptop that is robust, secure, light, long-lasting and powerful.

Many laptops nowadays can double up as tablets, thanks to Windows 8 (soon to be Windows 10). But no matter what the form factor is, many need a notebook that won't let them down, and performance is always a key concern.

4GB of RAM is usually the minimum we expect from a business notebook, but many now sport 8GB and beyond for powering through spreadsheets and design documents.

Battery life is also an issue. A big battery will help get you through a day, but will add to the weight of a long commute or business travel, and can make an otherwise portable machine unweildy.

Here are some of the best laptops you can get for under 500.

Microsoft Surface 3

Microsoft hasn't made the mistake of trying to run Windows on ARM with the Surface 3, and has returned to the Intel fold, albeit with an Atom processor. Happily, this means that the Surface 3 runs full-fat Windows and so should appeal to business.

This hybrid laptop/tablet sports a 10.8-inch display and at 622g and 8.7mm thick, it's the slimmest and lightest Surface yet. While it can be used as a tablet, as a Windows machine, normal laptop use is a better bet for most organisations.

Unlike a lot of other tablets, the Surface 3 has as many connectivity options as we would expect from a laptop, with a total of one USB 3, a microSD slot, a 3.5mm headset jack, and one Mini DisplayPort).

Read review

Price: 419 (base model)

Acer Aspire V3-371

While this laptop leaves out a touchscreen display, this is no bad thing. This device focuses on improved wireless connectivity and fast 500GB SSHD storage.

A fairly meaty Intel processor gives improved graphics and overall performance as well as longer battery life. The 4GB of memory should ensure that normal users will get by, although more intensive tasks will strain it.

Connectivity-wise, there are two USB ports, one for USB 2.0 and one for USB 3.0. There is a spring-loaded Gigabit Ethernet port along the narrow edge of the laptop, and complementing this is an SDcard slot and a headphone jack.

While the Wi-Fi is limited to 802.11n, it has dual antennae and dual-band capability. In tests, the laptop managed around 11 hours of battery life, way above the manufacturer's claimed seven hours.

Read review

Price: 430

HP 15-g094sa

This general purpose laptop is reasonably well built and weighs 2.2kg, so can just about be carried around all day.

It sports a single USB3 port, Ethernet, headphone jack and an HDMI port on the left side, while on the right are two USB ports and a DVD writer. Inside is a 1TB hard disk and a quad-core AMD A8-6410 processor, which runs at a base clock speed of 2.4GHz.

Battery life is average, knocking up five hours nine minutes in tests by sister publication Expert Reviews. It also sports 8GB, which should help with more intensive tasks.

Read review

Price: 380

Toshiba Satellite Pro NB10-A-10P

The Satellite Pro-NB10-A-10P is well built and comes with enough grunt to carry out basic work and multimedia tasks.

It sports a 2GHz quad-core Intel Pentium N3510 running at 2GHz, along with 4GB of RAM. The 11.6in screen is a TN panel, and has a resolution of 1366x768 pixels, which is on the low side of anything a manufacturer would claim was HD.

The integrated Intel graphics mean it is perfectly adequate for business purposes, but will prove disappointing for after-hours gaming.

Read review

Price: 357

Asus Transformer Book Flip TP300LA

The Transformer Book Flip should give us some unsubtle clues as to the features of this laptop. The display can be flipped all the way back to become something of a thick tablet.

This Asus has a keyboard deeply reminiscent of a MacBook Pro. Luckily, it also is good too with edges that don't dig into the wrist allowing extended sessions on the keyboard. Mouse buttons are also incorporated into the touchpad, which is very responsive.

As a laptop, this Asus model is light at 1.75kg, but perhaps a tad heavy compared to tablets. It also sports a 1.9GHz Intel Core i3-4030U processor. This is a dual core chip with hyperthreading, meaning you have four virtual cores.

Read review

Price: 450

Lenovo N20p Chromebook

This Chromebook from Lenovo comes with a display hinge that can rotate 300 degrees back to stand in "tent" mode, allowing users to watch video or perhaps a presentation.

This laptop has both a physical keyboard, or if needed, an on-screen one. The screen itself has a resolution of 1,366x768. It is powered by a dual-core 2.16GHz Intel Celeron N2830 processor and sports 4GB of memory.

As it features ChromeOS as the underlying operating system, it is able to do all your web-based tasks, as well as document editing and watching video. It allows the transfer of documents and files to USB sticks and SD cards directly through the laptops ports. As you'd expect from a Chromebook, it works well with Google Drive's cloud storage and users get 100GB of free storage for two years.

Read review

Price: 200

HP ProBook 450 G2

An increasing rarity among laptops, this HP comes with Windows 7 installed instead of Windows 8. (although with Windows 10 around the corner, many user may well see this as an opportunity to upgrade).

The chassis sports a rubberised coating that doesn't pick up grease easily, so perhaps one to consider for more industrial settings (although this is not marketed as a rugged device).

There are four USB ports, two of which are USB 3.0. There is also both an HDMI and VGA interface for connecting to all types of monitors.

Read review

Price: 499

Toshiba Satellite Click 2 L30W-B-10D

Another hybrid, this time from Toshiba. This device can easily detach the screen from the keyboard by sliding the unlock slider and lifting the screen away.

But being a hybrid has a weight cost. The combined tablet and keyboard dock weighs in at 2.1kg, which is heavier than some 13-inch laptops.

Unlike laptops, the Click 2 has all of the ports around the tablet screen, so you can still use peripherals when in tablet mode. It has a Micro HDMI port for connecting up to an external monitor or projector, a USB 2.0 port and a multi-card reader.

The device boasts a quad-core 2.16GHz Intel N3530 that also supports Intel Turbo Boost up to 2.58GHz - when temperatures allow - and this is paired with 4GB of memory.

Read review

Price: 499

Toshiba Chromebook 2 (CB30-B-104)

This Chromebook from Toshiba is a 13.3-inch laptop with a Full HD (1920x1080) display; it's possibly the cheapest Full HD laptop on the market. This should make working with two windows side-by-side a snap.

Not only does it boast a great display, but it is also lightweight at 1.35kg, with a 19.3mm depth. Thinness comes at a cost, however, and the number of USB ports has been reduced from three to two. But there is still room for a full-size HDMI port and a headphone jack.

The battery lasts over seven hours but there is also a lightweight charger in case you run out of juice.

It has 16GB SSD on-board storage and like other Chromebooks, there is 100GB of free storage from Google for two years.

Read review

Price: 250

Ultrabooks are thin, lightweight machines aiming to offer high-end performance, but they come at a premium.

We take a look at the 5 best Ultrabooks you can buy in 2015.

Apple MacBook Retina 12in

Apple's latest MacBook slims down and ditches more than a few ports, relying on a sole USB-C port for everything barring a headphone jack.

With ports out of the way the ultra-portable has become a lot lighter and thinner. While the 12-ince screen may not be big enough for some, the resolution is a stunning 2304x1440. The extra pixels render text very sharply.

Its sturdiness, battery life, screen quality and touchpad are rivalled only by Apple's other laptops.

Price: 874 ex VAT

Dell XPS 13

Thelatest XPS 13 has managed to beat Apple in a few areas to make this one of the most impressive high-end laptops we've seen in months.

It's powerful, too, meaning you'll never be short on processing performance when you need it.

If you're looking for a fast, light and powerful laptop for business and pleasure, there are very few laptops more suitable than the Dell XPS 13.

Price: From 1099

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (2014)

ThinkPads have long been a favourite among business users because they have the best keyboards and pointing sticks of any laptop.

The 2014 X1 Carbon retains all the features you'd expect from a top business machine, including excellent build quality, an anti-reflective screen and plenty of security options.

Lenovo has made adjustments to the keyboard. The Home, End and Delete buttons have been moved from the main keyboard space to make way for a context-sensitive OLED strip. The Caps Lock button has been usurped by the Home/End combo, and the delete button now shares its spot with backspace. Users making the step-up from older ThinkPads will need time to adjust.

Price: From 1,133 inc VAT (1,906 top spec)

Dell Latitude E7440

The Latitude may not be the thinnest or lightest Ultrabook, but it offers excellent all-round performance.

Highlights include the bright, high-contrast screen, power processor and superb build quality.

The battery life is decent for a Windows machine with a Core i7 processor. We measured 6 hours and 43 minutes of video playback with the screen set to 75 per cent.

Price: From 865 inc VAT (1,350 top spec)

Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro

The oldest device here, but the Yoga 2 Pro is a rare breed in that it's just as good if not better than its successor.

The Pro 2 packs a superb 13.1in display (3,200 x 1,800) and has a flexible design allowing it to twist into different positions.

Battery life is decent, with the device clocking over 7 hours in our video tests. The only issue is the limited number of connections, which is a common problem across Ultrabooks.

Price: From 600 inc VAT (1,300 top-spec)

Microsoft Surface 3

Technically a tablet hybrid, but for most people, the keyboard will almost certainly be used constantly wiht this device.

This makes the Surface 3 a lightweight ultraportable machine that's good enough for day-to-day usage. Differing from the Surface and Surface 2, Surface 3 has ditched ARM in favour of Intel so it can run any Windows application.

With a starting price of 419, this can be looked upon as a budget ultraportable that gives good value for money. Although you you will need to buy the option-yet-essential keyboard base to get the maximum out of the machine.

Price: From 419.00

Google Chromebook Pixel

While not technically an Ultrabook, the Google Chromebook Pixel offers similar performance in terms of slimness and battery life.

This power-sipping processor helped the Pixel achieve a lengthy battery life of 11 hours and 26 minutes when connected to an 802.11n WiFi network.

The Core i5 5200U processor and 8GB of memory are more than quick enough for running webapps - the Core i7 5500U and 16GB of RAM in the more expensive version is just overkill.

Price: 666

Businesses like to run lean and mean. Getting value for money when it comes to business laptops is not mean feat in itself. Choosing the best budget laptop for your business can be a difficult decision.

To help you decide which business laptop under 300 is right for your organisations, we have scoured the market to find value-for-money notebooks that won't break the bank.

HP Stream 11

Chromebooks have a reputation for packing what you need and stripping away want you don't. They have re-ignited the low-cost low-spec market as people look for cheap laptop.

The HP Stream 11 does something a little different; it offers full-fat Windows for a decent price. While not a desktop replacement, the HP Stream 11 has an 11in display that can easily cope with undemanding tasks and ditches the traditional hard drive in favour of 32GB of flash storage.

The laptop provides around eight hours of use making it acceptable for business use.

Read our full review:HP Stream 11

Price:179 from PC World

Dell Chromebook 11 (2015)

Most Chromebooks are dirt cheap, costing little more than 200, so we don't expect them to change much either in appearance or specifications. We were therefore surprised when Dell decided to refresh its Chromebook 11 with a design that's almost completely new, inside and out.

The new Dell Chromebook 11 comes close to being the perfect budget Chrome OS laptop, if youwant a cheap, second computer that's also built for portability, this is a great choice.

Read our full review:Dell Chromebook 11

Price:189 from PC World

Lenovo Mixx 3 10

This laptop is also a tablet running full-spec Windows. It comes with a quad core Intel processor (albeit of the Atom kind). But it also comes with a year's subscription to Office 365.

The AccuType keyboard acts as a dock and a stand and the vendor claims that this is designed for comfort and accuracy so users won't struggle with writing long emails or documents. The dock als has two USB 2.0 ports for connecting a mouse and external drives.

The 10.1-inch display is a Full HD IPS display with a wide angle of view.

Price: 149.95 from John Lewis

HP Pavilion x2

Another 2-in-1 laptop come tablet, the HP Pavilion x2 also sports a touchscreen and battery life of up to 11 hours (HP claims) thanks to the energy efficient Intel Atom processor. The detachable keyboard also acts as a soft cover.

Again, this is another full-fat Windows device with a 10.1-inch display. It boasts a micro HDMI port for connecting up to HD displays for presentations as well as one full-size USB and one micro USB port.

Price: 199 from HP Store

Medion Akoya P6647

Medion is not a name that will spring to mind for most people in the UK, but the manufacturer has been producing computers for many years now. And since 2011, the German firm has been owned by Lenovo.

But you get a lot of spec for just a pound under 300. The laptop boasts an Intel Core i3- 4100M processor, 1TB hard drive, 4GB of memory and a 15.6-inch HD display.

The Windows 8.1 notebook also sports a couple of USB 3.0 ports and two USB 2.0 ports and an HDMI port for connection to an external display.

Price: 299 from Medion

Asus Eeebook X205TA Signature Edition Laptop

The machine builds itself as an ultraportable. While we wouldn't say it was an Ultrabook, it is quite light (weighing in at under 1kg and measuring 0.68-inch thick, so won't break your back if you need to lug it around all day.

The machine sports a 11.6-inch HD display, 2GB of memory and 32GB of SSD storage. Up to 12 hours of battery life is promised by the hybrid device.

The laptop forms part of Microsoft's "Signature Edition" set of PC, which the software firm said are tuned for fast performance and include free anti-virus software. As you would expect, the laptop also comes with 100GB of OneDrive storage for two years.

Price: 149.99 from Microsoft Store

Acer Chromebook 15

Another Chromebook, but this time from Acer. This sports an Intel Celeron Processor, 2GB of memory and 32GB of storage.

It claims nine hours of battery life and is one of the first Chromebooks for sport a 15.6-inch IPS 1080p display. The screen is non-glare to make for a more comfortable viewing experience.

Because of the size, it may not be as travel friendly as other laptops in this feature (it weighs 2.2kg), but with a display this size, it should make it a better bet for business. The trackpad is enormous and supports Chrome OS's multitouch commands.

It has a full HDMI, USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 ports as well as a full-size SD card slot supporting capacities up to 128GB and 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.0.

Price: 229.99 from Currys PC World

Microsoft kicked off its Build conference by unveiling Visual Studio Code, a free code editor that works across Windows, Linux and even OS X.

Visual Studio Code is a lightweight editor for writing web and mobile apps. It's the first in the Visual Studio software line that's truly cross platform, with the original Visual Studio app remaining Windows only.

S. Somasegar, Microsoft's corporate vice president of its developer division, told TechCrunch: "A lot of people use Windows as their development environment, but we are also seeing a lot of people on Linux and Mac. Instead of making them go to Windows, we want to meet them where they are."

That report said Visual Studio Code would support Git Hub, and features rich code assistance for a wide variety of languages, and includes the usual code editor features including syntax highlighting, customisable keyboard bindings and more.

What is Visual Studio Code?

This is a cross-platform source code and text editor. It marks the first time Microsoft has offered developers a cross-platform editor.

As well as debugging support and Git control it features intelligent code completion (also known as IntelliSense). The editor is also customisable; users can change theme, keyboard shortcuts and preferences. It also include syntax highlighting, auto indent, bracket matching and snippets.

The editor is based on Electron, a piece of software that is based on Chromium, which is used to deploy io.js applications.

Developers can use the tool to build web applications in JavaScript, TypeScript, ASP.NET 5, among others. It will also help developers integrate with Microsoft's Azure and Visual Studio Online. Microsfot said the tool seemlessly integrates with package managers and code repositories.

The tool is based on files and folders. Users can open a file or folder that contains project files or code. The user interface comprises an editor, viewbar, status bar and sidebar. IT also supports side by side editing so up to three editors can be opened up together.

An explorer window can be used to manage folders and files and here these can be created, moved, deleted or renamed. Auto save can be enabled to automatically save chages to disk.

Also featured in the tool is a search function allowing users to search for text in code or files.

The preview of Visual Studio Code is available here for free.

Computers are an essential part of daily life, so ensuring they are backed up has become increasingly important.

Crashes, corruptions and hacks can render a system totally inert, so make sure you're protected with our guide to backing up Windows.

How to back up Windows 8.1

Microsoft has wisely recognised the importance of regular backups, and has introduced built-in data recovery functionality to Windows 8.1. But there are a number of different ways to ensure your data is safe, so we'll go through all of them.

Backup to external hard disk

Having an offline backup is often the best way to protect yourself against online threats such as ransomware, which permanently encrypts your files unless you pay the attackers a fee.

In Windows 8.1, there's an exceptionally easy way to do this. Simply go into the settings menu, click on Update and recovery' and select File History'.

Connect an external hard drive, flick the File History' switch to On', and Windows will automatically back up all your PC's files and settings to that disk.

Go into the Control Panel options for more granular control over the scope and frequency of the backups if you wish, but you're unlikely to need to. The default setting is to back up everything each hour, which is ideal provided you have the space.

It doesn't have to be a big disk, either. If you've only got a few files and folders on your PC, a medium-sized flash drive could be sufficient.

Backup to the cloud

A drawback of physical backups is that they're easy to lose, and can be tough to get hold of when you really need them. Luckily, the cloud has the answer.

OneDrive

Windows 8.1 integrates Microsoft's OneDrive cloud storage platform with the basic OS, so if you've got an existing Microsoft account, you can easily link it to your OneDrive storage.

Simply go to the Settings menu, and select the Accounts' tab.

The top option will be to connect a Microsoft account. Enter your email and password, and you'll be greeted with a screen informing you of Windows 8.1's OneDrive integration. Press next, and the setup will be complete.

Doing this just integrates OneDrive with your computer, so there's a few more boxes to check before it backs up your data automatically.

Go back to the Settings menu, and click on the tab labelled OneDrive. The File Storage tab will tell you how much storage allowance you have remaining, and allow you to buy more if necessary.

There's also a switch that ensures Windows saves documents to your OneDrive by default. Set that to on', and all your files and documents will be automatically uploaded to the cloud, as well as being accessible offline.

If you're looking to back up your PC's settings in addition to your files, you can do that, too. Navigate to the Sync' settings tab, and at the bottom of the page, there will be a switch marked Back up your settings for this PC'. Just flick it to on', and you're all set.

Dropbox and Google Drive

Of course, if for whatever reason you're not a fan of Microsoft's cloud storage service, there are numerous alternatives. Along with OneDrive, Dropbox and Google Drive are two other well-known cloud storage providers, and both have desktop integration features similar to Microsoft's.

Downloading their respective apps will create a folder on your PC, and anything saved into it will then be uploaded directly to your cloud account.

There are some limitations, however. As they're not built into Windows, it's not possible to save files to either service by default. There's also no option to back up your system settings to the cloud.

However, if file storage is all you're after, both services are simple to get up and running. Just go to the download page for either Dropbox or Google Drive, install the program, sign in to your account, and a sync folder for the service will appear on your hard drive.

How to back up Windows 7

Backup to the cloud

As an older OS, Windows 7 doesn't have the same OneDrive functionalities that its younger brother has. On Windows 7 machines, OneDrive functions in much the same way as the Dropbox or Google Drive folders mentioned above.

However, there is an option that can be checked during installation, or in the settings, that allows you to remotely browse and retrieve any file on your PC from your OneDrive account while you're on another machine.

The process for adding Dropbox or Google Drive storage to your PC is the same for Windows 7 as it is for Windows 8, so simply repeat the steps above if you're looking for an alternative service.

Backup to external hard disk

The process for creating offline backup in Windows 7 is a little less streamlined than in later operating systems, but as a trade off it does offer more flexibility and user control.

Where Windows 8.1 simplifies the process by automatically setting the regularity and inclusivity of your backups, Windows 7 gives you a choice during the backup process.

If your hard drive consists of a few key folders containing sensitive or mission-critical documents surrounded by expendable data, then you may want to take this opportunity to prioritise the areas you want backed up.

However, if your files are less polarised (as we suspect is the case in most circumstances), we'd advise sticking with the setting Windows recommends, as these will generally cover most users' needs.

The Microsoft Surface 3 is a natural, successful evolution of hybrid laptops that were, with hindsight, failures. Where the original Surface RT and Surface 2 were crammed into a restrictive mould by Windows RT, the Surface 3 runs full Windows 8.1.

With this software on-board the Surface 3 is limited only by the Intel Atom CPU. Unusual as the hardware may be, it's a full' laptop at heart, one with the added flexibility of a hybrid design.

Starting at 419 it provides better screen quality than most entry-level laptops too. However, as the optional-but-essential keyboard base increases the price to 529, it represents merely a good deal rather than a great one.

Design

The Microsoft Surface 3's body is similar to that of the Surface Pro 3's, but smaller. Where the Pro model has a 12-inch screen, this one has a 10.8-inch display, and the shrinking process comes with all-round more compact dimensions.

At 622g and 8.7mm thick, it's the slimmest and lightest Surface yet. However, this is not really an achievement if the Surface 3 is thought-of as a tablet. At this point, there are plenty of thinner, lighter rivals. In almost every respect, the hardware only shines when considered a laptop-replacer or a tablet-laptop hybrid.

The design does not lend itself to lone tablet use, which makes Microsoft's website marketing of the device as a solo tablet a little confusing. Clearly the draw of being able say the Surface 3 sells From 419' was too strong to resist.

However, the 529 bundle actually offers far better value. It includes a Type Cover keyboard, plus effectively free' upgrades from 64GB storage to 128GB and from 2GB to 4GB RAM. Any buyers picking the entry-level 419 version have made the wrong choice.

Hardware

Both have the same external features, though. The frame is metal, and a kickstand holds the screen at three different positions. It gives a laptop-like setup with the keyboard attached, or something closer to the world's smartest picture frame without.

The combination of multi-angle hinge and removable magnetised keyboard base still offers a form of flexibility not offered elsewhere, though. Not even in most other hybrids tablet-laptops.

The more expensive Surface Pro 3 has the edge here, though, with a stand designed to hold the screen at almost any angle. It uses a more advanced, stronger hinge, one that would presumably be too expensive or difficult to incorporate in a tablet this size and weight.

The sacrifice is that the Surface 3 doesn't feel quite right when left resting on the knees, rather than a proper flat surface. It is not to be ruled out entirely, but as the device's weight is left resting on a very small surface area beyond the screen itself, it it simply not as comfortable or as secure as a traditional laptop design. The keyboard simply isn't used as a weight-bearing part here.

Keyboard

The keyboard is one of the Surface 3's most important elements, though. Like 2014's Surface Pro 3 design, it attaches to the screen part with magnets, while the actual connection is made using a few metal contacts on the side of the screen part.

Unlike some other hybrids, the connection between the two parts is physical, not wireless. This eradicates most issues with key responsiveness, although during testing there were a few moments when the keyboard had to be removed and reseated before being recognised by the Surface 3. These are minor niggles in use, though.

For the most part the keyboard is a great success. Thanks to the use of full-size keys and key travel on-par with some Ultrabooks, the Surface 3's typing experience is convincingly authentic given the keyboard is just a few millimetres thick. That is, after the user has become accustomed to the slight buzzy feel of the board.

Another impressive feat of industrial design in the keyboard is the backlight, adjustable using a keyboard shortcut. Few laptops at the price have keyboard backlights, a sign that with the Surface 3, a buyer benefits from higher-end features that have dripped down to entry-level.

Display

The screen is another good example of this. The Surface 3's display is 10.8 inches across and 1,920 x 1,280 pixels in resolution. This is the 3:2 equivalent of 1080p, and gets the tablet very good, if not quite iPad Air-grade, sharpness.

This is easiest' resolution Microsoft could have chosen too. Higher-resolution QHD-or-greater Windows laptops and tablets often suffer from scaling issues, Windows 8.1 doesn't deal with the problem as elegantly as OS X. Every application will have been made with 1080p screens in mind, largely sidestepping the issue.

While the tablet is not designed to accept all that many non-native resolutions at full screen, it will handle 1080p fullscreen apps perfectly well. In this instance, the Surface 3 simply puts small black bars above and below the screen area.

Image quality is mostly excellent too. Colour vibrancy and accuracy are commendable, viewing angles are strong thanks to the IPS LCD display and top brightness is very good. The one slightly weaker point is black level. Especially at backlight settings over 50 per cent, blacks rise, taking on a slightly blue-grey tone. While reflection-heavy glossy screens like this will always offer compromised outdoors use too, the strong backlight makes it perfectly usable in fairly bright sunlight.

Connectivity

There's also provision to attach an external monitor too. The Surface 3 has fewer connections than most laptops, but there's a Mini DisplayPort for easy connection to a monitor, projector or TV.

There's also a single USB port, allowing connection to a mouse or any number of other accessories. If the tablet was any larger, it would seem a shame that Microsoft hadn't added a second USB port for easy connection to both a keyboard and mouse. However, this is not a hybrid made primarily as a something to instantly replace a desktop or Intel Core-series (or AMD) laptop with. The Intel Atom CPU's limited power makes sure of that.

Power

While the Atom series has come along significantly in the last year, some limiting of expectations is recommended here. The Surface 3 has a quad-core 1.6GHz Atom x7-Z8700, a highly efficient 14nm processor that ensures a fan system isn't needed.

For basic productivity and entertainment needs, the Atom CPU is sufficient. And, of course, this covers the vast majority of people's needs. Stay away from RAM-decimating labyrinthine spreadsheet macros and the Microsoft Office suite will perform fine. The Surface 3 comes with a year's subscription to Office 365, so that end is covered.

Benchmarks show it offers roughly 30 per cent lesser performance than Intel Core M series devices like the Asus ZenBook UX305 and the latest 12-inch MacBook. In Geekbench 3 it achieves 3100 points, in PC Mark 7 2437 points.

Given the Atom x7 is the budget alternative to the Core M series, this performance gap is both predictable and acceptable.

In general use, the Surface 3 is smooth and fast, but has limits that become quite apparent when tested. Lighter users will likely stumble over them when running many apps at the same time, although this is down to the system's limited RAM rather than CPU performance. 2GB and 4GB versions are available, and the higher RAM version is strongly recommended. While testing was actually crash-free, even the 4GB version became noticeably becomes a little less smooth when doing many things at once.

Neither version has the power to perform video editing or any significant image editing either, not without trying the patience at any rate. This comes down to a whole series of hardware limitations. First, RAM of 4GB is relatively paltry. Next, the CPU power just isn't enough to make the processor-intensive tasks viable, and the SSD performance will also be a huge barrier.

This is one of the few premium' looking laptops whose storage performance can actually be improved with an SD card. The Surface 3 has a microSD card slot hidden under the kickstand, and there are models with both 64GB and 128GB internal storage.

Battery Life

Every part of the Surface 3's hardware is geared for low-level tasks, not just the CPU. Other than the relatively low price, this comes with battery life benefits.

The Surface 3's stamina is very good. It'll last for eight hours 20 minutes of video playback, and even longer with very light use and low screen brightness. When using email and a word processor 9-10 hours is achievable. Consequently, lasting through the work day should not be an issue if light duties are going to be 90 per cent of the workload.

Unusually good stamina is not the end of the Surface 3's calling cards either. Like the Surface Pro 3, it also has an n-Trig digitiser layer, which can interact with a custom stylus pen. While supplied with our review unit, it appears to be sold separately, for 35.

It's worth the extra. The pen is well-constructed, feels natural and features two mouse-like buttons on its shaft for extra functionality. Inbuilt palm rejection means that when the stylus is used, the touchscreen is automatically disabled, allowing the scrawler to scribble away on the screen freely.

Continuing the theme of packing in extras generally not seen in more affordable models, the Surface 3 also comes in a 4G version.

Conclusion

The Microsoft Surface 3 is comfortably the best of the lower-cost Surface hybrids to date. The sum of improvements made to the hardware, both in the tablet part and the keyboard, and full Windows 8.1's flexibility make it a very workable portable companion to a more powerful desk-bound laptop or desktop.

It does seem more a companion to a more powerful laptop than something to rely on all day, every day, though. While the Intel Atom CPU provides respectable performance for light tasks, it's not up to all that much more and the poor storage speeds only add another bottleneck.

However, with great battery life and a flexible design, it's a good choice for many.

Verdict

The Microsoft Surface 3 is comfortably the best of the lower-cost Surface hybrids to date. The sum of improvements made to the hardware, both in the tablet part and the keyboard, and full Windows 8.1’s flexibility make it a very workable portable companion to a more powerful desk-bound laptop or desktop.

Processor: Intel Atom x7 1.6GHz quad-core

GPU: Intel HD Graphics

Memory: 2GB or 4GB RAM

Storage: 64GB or 128GB SSD

Connectivity: Dual-band 802.11ac WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0

Ports: 1 x USB 3, microSD slot, 3.5mm headset jack, 1 x Mini DisplayPort

Dimensions: (WxDxH): 267mm x 187mm x 8.7mm

Weight: 622g

Microsoft has launched the Surface 3 tablet, with a 12in screen and running on full Windows 8.1 (an instant upgrade to Windows 10 will be available when it arrives), rather than the slimmed-down version Windows RT the Surface 2 utilised.

This addition of full fat Windows means a wider selection of applications can be used on the Surface 3, including Photoshop, CorelDraw, Spotify, World of Warcraft and Google's Chrome browser.

It also runs on Intel's new x86-based Atom X7 processor rather than the ARM-based chip in the Surface 2, making it a serious contender in the tablet space.

However, more memory intensive apps may stutter a little, so it's recommended you stay away from those that demand 3D visualisations such as video editing or CAD software.

The Surface 3 sits halfway between the super-powered Surface Pro 3 and last year's Surface 2, which means it may not be as expensive as the top of the range device, but it'll set you back more if you're looking for a like-for-like upgrade to the newer tab.

The basic version of the Surface 3, with 64GB of storage, 2GB of RAM costs 419. If you want to upgrade and add he touchscreen pen and keyboard cover, you'll need to shell out another 155, making it not too far off the Surface Pro 3's 639 price tag.

With a standard USB 3.0 port rather than microUSB as you'd expect to find on a tablet, the Surface 3 is a little chunkier than its rivals at 8.7mm, but until USB-C becomes mainstream, its a blow you'll have to take for computer-like transfer rates on a tab.

Panos Panay, corporate vice president of Microsoft's Surface division said: "We've taken everything we learned making Surface Pro 3 and poured that innovation into this newest Surface. It's beautiful, versatile, powerful and productive, and our customers are going to love what it lets them do."

Update - Windows 10 is on the way. This latest iteration of Microsoft's desktop OS looks set to leave both Windows 7 and Windows 8 in the dust, and we can't wait for the full release. It's sporting some seriously cool features, too - the ability to flick between separate desktop environments, integration of Microsoft'sdigital assistant 'Cortana' and the return of the traditional start menu all have us pretty excited.

To find out when you can expect to get your hands on the full RTM version of Windows 10, click here.

Check out how it stacks up against the previous OS in our full comparison: Windows 10 vs Windows 8.1.

Or, to find out what's in the latest technical preview build, take a look at our expert analysis.

Support for Windows XP came to an end in April 2014, and Microsoft has set a date of January 2015 for the withdrawal of mainstream Windows 7 support. This doesn't mean Windows 8's predecessor is out of the game, however, and remains a popular option for consumers and business users alike.

In fact, recent market share statistics revealed that users choosing to move on from Windows XP are actually opting for Windows 7 rather than Windows 8 or 8.1, with Microsoft's latest operating system not being welcomed as quickly as had been hoped. Until Microsoft stops support for Windows 7, people will continue to choose it over the alternative.

What, then, is the best option for your PC? Following XP's demise, the upgrade candidates were Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, and we have broken down the key features to help you decide which is the better choice (fast forward to our verdict).

1. Boot time

Windows 8 machines only take 10-15 seconds to boot up, with some switching on even faster depending on the SSD. Gone are the days when you have to distract yourself by going to make a cup of tea while your system wakes up.

But how have we gotten to this point? Microsoft engineers combined the hibernation and shutdown modes into one for Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 uses a hybrid boot mode that allows the PC to start up much more quickly. The kernel lets it hibernate instead of shutting down completely, and the use of cores makes it possible to start-up in seconds.

Winner: Windows 8 The faster the machine boots up, the more time you are able to spend on doing more productive things. By the end of the multiple year lifespan of your PC, this can add up to hours of reclaimed time.

2. Enterprise features

Windows 8.1 has more enterprise features than Windows 7, with Windows to Go featured on the Enterprise edition allowing users to start a personalised version of Windows from a USB or any other machine running Windows 7 or 8. It also means that the Windows Store is enabled by default, allowing users to access apps across multiple machines.

IT admins can virtually run Windows without any third-party software. Adding in the optional Hyper-V support for your copy of 8.1 allows you to connect to a server.

Windows 8.1 also has better support for managing mobile devices, with tap-to-print support via NFC and enhanced biometrics, malware resistance and encryption also included.

But IT departments around the world have given Windows 8.1 the cold shoulder in favour of its older siblings. In fact, HP told IT Pro that Windows 7 is the most popular choice for companies upgrading from XP.

"[Businesses] are ignoring Windows 8," said HP project manager Jeff Wood.

What enterprise customers prize over everything is stability, and Windows 7 has time, familiarity, extensive testing and total peripheral compatibility on its side.

Those upgrading from Windows 8 to 8.1 have also run into problems, with users complaining the update broke simple things such as the ability to print.

Winner: Draw Although Windows 8 has more enterprise features as a default, Windows 7 has the benefit of being tried and tested. Then again, further updates for 8.1 have fixed many of the biggest problems inherent to previous iterations of the OS.

3. Performance

Microsoft used Windows 8 as a guise under which to revamp the engine, and the results is a much faster system that consumes fewer resources than before. This makes it a better choice than Windows 7 for low-end PCs.

The redesign opts for simple colours and fewer visual effects, also contributing to the increased speed due to resources saved compared to the Aero Glass effect of Windows 7.

Overall, Windows 8.1 is better for everyday use and benchmarks than Windows 7, and extensive testing has revealed improvements such as PCMark Vantage and Sunspider. The difference, however, are minimal.

Winner: Windows 8 It's faster and less resource intensive.

4. Interface

The front-facing user interface that characterises Windows 8 has been a huge talking point since it was revealed, and there are several reasons for that. For some, the radical redesign has always felt more like two operating systems meshed together, and it has become the most discussed element of Windows' latest operating system.

When switching on the computer, users are greeted with the now-familiar Start screen a page of apps and live tiles. This Metro interface includes everything in the form of apps, including the classic desktop mode that has proven to be the preferred view for so many. In addition, apps like IE 11 are great for touch screen web browsing, but not much else.

But even the desktop looks a little different on Windows 8, despite the fact that Windows 8.1 did feature the long-awaited return of the start button. This doesn't, however, come with the return of the Start menu (thankfully confirmed for Windows 9 in 2015), instead simply switching users between screens.

To say the revised interface has had a polarising effect is an understatement, and there is no shortage of people who have complained about Metro since it was released. Among their arguments an interface designed for touch doesn't make sense on a desktop computer.

Windows 8.1 has gone some way towards fixing the problem, however, as users can now choose to avoid Metro entirely and boot directly to desktop. Spend a little time setting up the OS, and you can get a comparable, if not slightly better, experience.

There are real UI improvements with 8.1. You can add Start bars to dual monitors with separate wallpapers on each. There's also a fast universal search tight there on the Start screen, which you can access by hitting the Windows key and typing to search local files, OneDrive files, apps, settings and the internet. You can even browse OneDrive files through File Explorer (aka Windows Explorer).

Winner: Windows 7 The classic, familiar desktop remains popular for a reason, and thus wins the day. Windows 8 simply tries to do too much too quickly and, even though the 8.1 update allows users the option of booting straight to desktop, Metro still has a nasty habit of popping up when it's not welcome.

5. Security

Security is a massive issue for both individual users and businesses and, as the most popular desktop operating system, Windows is sadly the primary target for malware and viruses.

Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 share many security features, both of them using BitLocker Drive encryption, but 8.1 goes one step further by enabling them by default. You can always download Microsoft Security Essentials for Windows 7, and it's free, but its younger brother has it already built into the system.

Secure booting on UEFI systems is also included with 8.1, making it much harder for rogue malware to infect the bootloader. PCs running Windows 8.1 can also automatically connect to VPNs.

Winner: Windows 8 The latest version of Windows smartly has more security features set as default.

6. Task Manager

The Task Manager for Windows 8 displays more information in a visual form, with coloured charts for heat, CPU, memory, disk, Ethernet and wireless consumption. There's even a breakdown of how each program effects boot time.

Winner: Windows 8 Who doesn't want more informative graphs and charts?

7. USB 3.0 support

Windows 8.1 sports OS-level support for USB 3 devices. Instead of relying on manufacturers or updates to add support for devices, any Windows 8-enabled device can now enjoy faster speeds of up to 5 Gbit/s.

Winner: Windows 8 Getting faster transfer speeds is always a positive thing.

8. Data transfers done right

Copying and moving data on Windows 7 was handled in the wrong way. When encountering a name collision between two files, for example, the transfer was interrupted with a prompt asking how to proceed, stacking individual windows for each transfer.

This has thankfully been cleaned up with Windows 8, putting all transfers into one window and pushing name collision dialogues to the end of the process. Windows even tried to make the time estimations on transfer more accurate.

Winner: Windows 8 Not only does it transfer data faster, but Windows 8 ensures less interruptions and more accurate time estimations.

9. Daemon Tools is obsolete

Windows 8 finally added support for native mounting of ISO, IMG and VHD disk images. We can now access the content of virtual disk files and write them to physical CDs without any third-party programs like the now-obsolete Daemon Tools.

Winner: Windows 8 - Finally helps to put the nail in the coffin ofphysical media.

10. 3D printing support

Microsoft added native support for 3D printing in Windows 8.1, allowing you send files to a MakerBot Printer straight from the Charms bar.

Winner: Windows 8 - It's not a necessity yet but, in the future, the ability to print 3D prototypes could be invaluable to businesses.

Verdict - Which version of Windows is right for you?

Windows 8 hasreceived a lot of flack for the Metro interface, but this shouldn'tovershadow the number of improvements Microsoft has made to the OS since.

In this way, think of Windows 8.1 as just Windows 7 with four additional years of development. The downside is that updates can break the system simple because it isn't as tried and tested as its predecessor, but this changes with time.

The latest OS has a faster boot time and better performance along with a superior task manager and security features. It also has native support for USB 3, 3D, ISO, IMG and VHD.

However, Windows 7 did manage to win in the interface category, also salvaging a draw when it came to judging enterprise features.

If you're buying a Windows machine for personal use, then, it seems that Windows 8.1 is the way to go as long as you ignore Metro for productivity and use it only for web browsing.

Businesses looking to deploy machines will most likely want the familiarity and stability of Windows 7, however, and this is something OEMs such as Dell and HP have recognised now selling Windows 8 machines to enterprises with the option to downgrade to Windows 7 if they desire.

This article was first published on 26/03/14 and has been updated multiple times (most recently on 15/08/14) to reflect new information that has become available since its original publication.

Security firm GFI has revealed that Apple's mobile and desktop platforms have more vulnerabilities than either Linux or Windows, making it the buggiest around.

Researcher Cristian Florian revealed that OS X had the most issues, logging 147 vulnerabilities, while iOS came in at a close second with 127. Linux was next highest with 119 and Windows, although fragmented into iterations, had the fewest with an average of 36 on the seven versions studied.

The report also plotted the level of risk from each of these vulnerabilities and explained the severity of bugs in OS X was higher than any other with 64 threats described as high risk, while iOS had half this amount and Linux clocked in with just 34 high-security vulnerabilities.

Florian wrote in a blog post: "2014 was a tough year for Linux users from a security point of view, coupled with the fact that some of the most important security issues of the year were reported for applications that usually run on Linux systems. Heartbleed, for example, is a critical security vulnerability detected in OpenSSL while Shellshock is a vulnerability that affects GNU Bash."

More than 80 per cent of the bugs originated from third-party applications, with only 13 per cent were down to the operating system itself.

An average of 19 vulnerabilities were reported a day throughout 2014, which is an increase of almost 70 per cent year-on year. However, the number of high-risk threats has reduced in comparison to 2013.

Florian said in his blog post: "At the end of the day, however, an IT admin's attention should be on ALL products in his network and not limited to those at the top of the vulnerability list; neither should the assumption be made that those further down the list are safer. Every software product can be exploited at some point. Patching is the answer and that is the key message."

Panasonic has refreshed its popular Toughbook devices to make them stronger, lighter and has also offered increased customisation options for enterprises.

Officially classed as "semi-rugged" - the CF-54 is certified to the common MIL-STD 810G rating. This means it can withstand drops from 76cm and the entire device (display and keyboard) is spill resistant.

Panasonic continues to use Magnesium for the casing but has debuted an eye-catching Honeycomb structure to increase strength and flexibility. The CF-54 can withstand 20kg of pressure on a single point and up to 100kg if it's evenly distributed.

The CF-54 has a starting weight of 1.99kg and a thickness of 30mm. It retains the trademark handle allowing it to be carried as a briefcase.

There's plenty of power on offer. The 14in Toughbook ships with Intel's latest 5th Gen (Broadwell) Core processor, including support for remote management with vPro technology and room for up to 16GB of RAM. An optional AMD FirePro M5100 graphics card can also be integrated for users needing high-end visual performance on the move.

Screen resolutions start at 1366 x 768 but can be increased to 1920 x 1080, and a capacitive touchscreen is optional with the full HD model. Displays include an anti-reflective coating and offer a maximum brightness of up to 1000 cd/m2, making them optimal for outdoor use. Touchscreen sensitivity can be increased so it will work with thick workman gloves.

Toughbook pricing (all ex VAT) & use cases

CF-54 HD (500GB HDD) 1142

CF-54 full HD (128GB SSD) 1325

CF-54 full HD with Touchscreen (128GB SSD) 1662

Designed primarily for use by field workers and automotive engineers, Panasonic is looking to expand into the insurance, construction and government industries with the latest range.

Battery life and customisation

Two of the biggest selling points of the Toughbook are the longevity and ability to customise products to meet the requirements of a particular business.

Panasonic quotes up to 11 hours of battery life using the default power cell (4200mAh) and a maximum of 18 hours if users choose to incorporate the second battery (2960mAh). There is also a bridge battery available - so power units can be hot-swapped.

Mark Thorne, head of business at Panasonic emphasised the efforts the firm goes to when developing the Toughbook range.

"We optimise the thermal and power management of the whole unit," he said during the launch event.

"All the other companies take standard motherboards [but] we have approval from Intel to do adjustments down to the motherboard leveland this allows us to reach good coverage for a day shift..and if it's required, longer."

You'll find all the standard interfaces including 3 x USB 3.0 ports, an RJ-45 jack, HDMI, VGA, True Serial and a Port Replicator connections.

There's a configurable port, which can be used to add a second RJ-45 jack, another USB port, rugged USB (for automotive/healthcare customers) or embed GPS into the device.

A second configuration area can be used to house a second battery, Smart Card Reader or DVD drive.

Further options include the ability to integrate a Contactless Smart Card Reader or Fingerprint scanner and 4G connectivity (up to 100Mbps).

All Toughbooks include a 3-year warranty covering hardware failures and a 5-year spare part guarantee with a 96-hour repair commitment. Additional warranties can be purchased to cover accidental damage and specific components like the battery and hard drive.

The devices are offered with Windows 8.1 Pro as standard, but users can downgrade to Windows 7 Professional. Panasonic plans to start shipping the devices at the end of February.

Chromebooks are proving to be increasingly popular in the enterprise, winning against Windows devices that boast too much functionality, according to Lenovo.

The Chinese hardware giant runs the Chrome OS and Windows operating systems on its devices, and said Google's software is making waves in the business world aspeople get turned off by Windows 8.

Steve Kendall-Smith, the UK head of public sector and enterprise at Lenovo, said Chrome is doing well in use cases where mobile workers need to access a small number of apps to do their jobs.

He told IT Pro: "We've just started to see some corporate customers looking at Chromebook. The reason for that is... it is appropriate for certain corporate customers.

"We've got one project that's going on with truck drivers now and they've got one app they use, so actually they're not putting together PowerPoint presentations or anything on spreadsheets, they just need to have this one app."

He pointed to the NHS as another customer eyeing up Chromebooks, for midwives who must put together weekly worksheets but need laptops or tablets for little else.

Asked whether the Chrome OS is eating into Microsoft's devices market share, Kendall-Smith said: "I think it's starting, it's probably early days in all honesty.

"It might be in some cases, they're not necessarily replacing Windows devices but [where customers] have limited use cases, they haven't needed the full blown Windows functionality."

While he backed Microsoft as the main vendor for the enterprise, he argued that Windows 8 has suffered low adoption, with those migrating away from the unsupported XP operating system moving to Windows 7 instead.

"To be honest there's not many on Windows 8," he admitted. "Really our business over the last year [has seen us do] a lot of Windows 7 refreshes, where corporate and enterprise customers are moving away from XP but they're not going to Windows 8."

A total 55 per cent of desktops around the world run on Windows 7, according to the latest NetMarketShare figures, compared to another 19 per cent still on XP.

In comparison, just 3.79 per cent of desktops run Windows 8, while Windows 8.1 has 10 per cent of the market.

Where customers are using Microsoft operating systems, they are running Windows 7 on PCs and Windows 8 on tablets, Kendall-Smith added, creating two different operating systems running in tandem.

With Windows 10 to be released later in 2015, that could change, but Kendall-Smith said it is too early to anticipate demand for the operating system.

BYOD

Lenovo's latest quarterly financial results showed the giant had a 4.8 per cent share in the global tablet market, with 3.7 million shipments, but Kendall-Smith said the BYOD trend of bringing personal devices into the office was not a popular one among customers.

He told IT Pro that - aside from the security concerns of giving personal devices access to a corporate network - the trend was simply not practical.

"Most corporate organistaions have looked at BYOD but felt there are too many limitations," he said. "What happens if you bring your own device to work but you forget the charger?"

Instead, Lenovo sides with Microsoft that the best way to get their products into enterprise customers' hands is by going through the IT department with Choose Your Own Device (CYOD), where customers get a choice of IT-approved tablets.

"It gives employees the choice, but still keeps it within a corporate standard, so it is definitely the best way," he said.

Public sector

Lenovo claims the popularity of laptops and tablets has helped it quadruple its UK public sector revenue from 50 million to 200 million in the last five years.

It ascribed some of this success to demand in the NHS and local government, with Lenovo winning part of a 25 million NHS tender that will see it provide nurses with mobile devices.

Meanwhile, Kendall-Smith said Lenovo has struck deals with four central government departments in the last year.

"They were looking for new ways of working, in the areas of convertibles and so on, out in the field. Still people are moving away from desktops onto laptops, that's definitely been the case," he said.

"We've done a number of big rollouts with tablets, convertibles across central government as well as standard laptops and desktops."

Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users are at risk from a new zero-day vulnerability in Internet Explorer 11, security researchers have warned, although Microsoft claims the flaw is yet to be exploited.

The proof-of-concept (POC) flaw was uncovered by researcher David Leo at Deusen and is described as 'Universal Cross Site Scripting(XSS)' allowing the content on domains (The Daily Mail was used as an example) to be changed remotely using modified browser cookies.

Additionally, it could mean hackers are able to insert malicious content into browsers, scrape personal data or track movements online using unsavoury web pages as a mask.

Symantec added this means someone could exploit the vulnerability to steal information. It said in a blog post: "This zero-day vulnerability could allow an attacker to bypass the same-origin policy (SOP) in order to steal from and inject information into other websites," explained the team in an advisory.

"Microsoft has not yet issued a patch or security advisory for this vulnerability. At this time, there are no indications that this vulnerability has been exploited in the wild."

Although Microsoft has implemented its Smart Screen technology on newer versions of Internet Explorer, designed to protect against phishing attacks like this, the concern is more hackers will use the method before the company fixes the flaw.

In order to take advantage of the vulnerability, a hacker would have to lure a user to a malicious website, Microsoft said in a statement: "We continue to encourage customers to avoid opening links from untrusted sources and visiting untrusted sites, and to log out when leaving sites to help protect their information."

HP has unveiled its business-focused tablet portfolio for 2015.

Micheal Park, VP and GM of commercial mobility and software at HP, said the firm has split its product line-up into three segment areas - Enterprise, SMB and education - because the varying product requirements.

"In enterprise you have [the] three-year lifecycle - so these products need to be serviceable. In SMB, it's about quality. You see a lot of consumer products being purchased but they don't survive being hammered 10 hours a day. And education is a different animal because of the price points and the users are kids," he said.

HP Pro Slate 8

The Pro Slate 8 is the most eye-catching device. It ships with a Duet Pen stylus, which HP has worked in conjunction with Qualcomm on. Users can take notes on Folio paper and these will be duplicated on screen in real-time. This is done using four ultrasonic microphones on the front of the device, which transmit data like a radar signal.

HP has opened up the API and the Duet Pen is already compatible with Evernote. It's also possible to reverse the nib on the pen - so it can be used directly on the screen.

The Slate 8 favours those who need to take notes and potential users are expected to be in the retail, legal and insurance sectors. HP also suggested the Slate 8 could be used by teachers or lecturers. Notes made on paper are duplicated on screen and can then be shared with students.

Key specs:

• 7.9in (2048 x 1526) Gorilla Glass 3 with anti-smudge coating
• Android KitKat 4.4 (Security Enhanced - Android for Work)
• Duet Pen
• VPN encryption, Secure Boot, FIPS 140-2 certified
• Wi-Fi, Miracast, Bluetooth LE, NFC
• 350g
• Starting at 379 and shipping in January

HP Pro Slate 12

Essentially a bigger version of the Slate 8, this has been designed in conjunction with retailers and law firms. Park suggested the Slate 12 is ideal for users who want to begin digitising documentation, and that it will appeal to the older workforce because of its paper-like size.

Key specs:

• 12in (1600 x 1200) Corning CT-40 FIT Glass with anti-smudge coating
• Android KitKat 4.4 (Security Enhanced - Android for Work)
• VPN encryption, Secure Boot, FIPS 140-2 certified
• 850g
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 2.3GHz quad-core processor + 2GB RAM
• 32GB internal memory
• Duet pen included
• Wi-Fi, Miracast, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, NFC
• 850g
• Starting at 529 and shipping January.

HP ElitePad 1000 G2 Rugged

The Windows 8.1 device uses HP's unique jackets to provide ruggedness, connectivity and increased battery life. Certified to a MIL-STD 810G and IP65 specifications, it's targeting users in the construction, public sector and oil/gas industries.

Key specs:

• 10.1in (1920 x 1200) Gorilla Glass 3 with anti-smudge coating
• Windows 8.1 (64-bit) or 8.1 Pro
• TMP 1.2, CAC Smartcard reader with FIPS 140-2, FIPS 201 certified, Drive Encryption, Absolute Data Protect, HP Bios
• Intel Atom Z3795 2.3GHz quad-core + 4GB RAM
• 128GB internal storage
• 2D barcode reader optional
• Up to 20 hour battery life
• 4G + GPS support
• 1.45kg starting weight
• Starting at 1469 and shipping in January

Meanwhile a specialist healthcare version of the G2 will also be made available. HP's aim for this portable form factor is to replace cumbersome devices that are used by nurses in hospitals.

The Healthcare edition of the G2 has many of the same core features as the ruggedised model but also includes an antimicrobial coating. Pricing for this edition will start at 1369.

Google could feel the full force of Microsoft's wrath again by going public with details of a Windows 8.1 security flaw before the software giant has had a chance to fix it.

The search firm's security research team claim to have uncovered the issue, which allows hackers to impersonate users and decrypt sensitive data on Windows 7 and 8.1 machines, in October 2014.

"This might be an issue if there's a service which is vulnerable to a named pipe planting attack or is storing encrypted data in a world readable shared memory section," the Google research team wrote in a blog post.

The researchers then go on to acknowledge the security hole may have been created purposefully by Microsoft, before sharing details of how it can be replicated.

"This behaviour, of course, might be design. However, not having been party to the design, it's hard to tell," the post stated.

The group claim to have notified Microsoft about the issue, with further posts on the site suggesting the vendor had planned to release a fix for it during the January round of Patch Tuesday updates.

However, it's claimed the patch was pulled because of undisclosed compatibility issues, and is now set for release in February.

Under the terms of Google's disclosure policies, Microsoft was given 90 days to patch the problem, but in this instance has failed to do so. As a result, Google has now gone public with the details.

That decision is unlikely to have gone down well at Redmond, after Microsoft recently hit out at Google for disclosing details of another security hole before it had a chance to patch it.

IT Pro contacted Microsoft for comment on Google's decision to publicly release details of this latest security flaw, but was still awaiting a response at the time of publication.

Microsoft is ending mainstream support for Windows 7 at midnight tonight, potentially affecting 56 per cent of PC users.

Redmond will no longer issue improvements to the Windows 7 operating system, but will continue to provide security patches for another five years.

The expiration comes just nine months after Microsoft killed software updates and security patches for its XP operating system, and only six months before it ends support for Windows Server 2003.

Microsoft had wanted XP users to consider Windows 8 when migrating, but Windows 7 proved a more popular destination.

The latest NetMarketShare figures show that 56 per cent of all PC users were on the Windows 7 OS last month, up from 49 per cent of users back in April 2014, when XP support expired.

Windows XP still accounts for 18 per cent of all PC operating systems, but the much-maligned Windows 8 holds just four per cent of the market.

It was widely criticised for trying to act as both a desktop OS and a touchscreen OS.

Nearly 10 per cent of PC users run Windows 8.1, the improved successor to Windows 8.

Microsoft is now pushing its Windows 10 operating system, with a big announcement scheduled for January 21.

The OS is currently in Technical Preview, but a leak reveals a future version could include a Cortana search bar, a new Xbox app and an updated interface.

A requirement compelling Microsoft to offer users a choice of browsers on its Windows machines has come to an end.

Redmond signed the 'browser ballot' in 2009 giving rival browsers equal footing to Internet Explorer (IE) on Windows PCs, at a time when 70 per cent of Windows users were on IE.

But now Microsoft's own browser is inly used by 20 to 25 per cent of Windows customers, with up to 84 per cent downloading an alternative browser, according to the European Commission.

Google Chrome is the most popular browser on Windows machines, with around 50 per cent marketshare, while Firefox's score matches IE's at around 20 per cent.

The browser ballot applied to all Windows PCs sold in Europe running XP, Vista and Windows 7, or old computers where one of those operating systems was installed as a fresh install.

As part of the deal, Microsoft had to ensure its operating system displayed a ballot screen, offering customers the choice to download an alternative browser.

However, the company was heavily fined when its Windows 7 Service Pack 1 release didn't include the screen and it went unnoticed for 14 months. It also had to tweak the algorithm to ensure it was displayed at regular intervals.

Now the five-year period has ended, Microsoft is advising system administrators to switch off the ballot screen and giving instructions on how this can be done.

Microsoft said on its blog: "Microsoft provided the Browser Choice update in accordance with a decision issued by the European Commission in December 2009. The obligations imposed by that decision have expired and as a result the Browser Choice Update will no longer be delivered to new users."

HP has unveiled a super-slim business Ultrabook range as the firm aims to win over enterprise customers.

The EliteBook Folio 1020 Special Edition will offer up a 12.5in Quad HD (QHD) display wrapped in a 15.7mm chassis crafted from carbon-fibre and magnesium lithium alloy. HP is yet to confirm the final weight but estimates the SE model will be 1kg. If true, it will make the Folio lighter than the smaller 11.6in MacBook Air (1.08kg).

A standard edition Folio 1020 without the carbon fibre has been confirmed to weigh 1.2kg.

HP has revealed the Folio Ultrabooks will ship with fan-less Intel Core M processors and SSDs but has yet to release details about CPU speeds or storage capacities.

Battery life is estimated to be up to 9 hours and the devices will also be rated to military standard - making them resistant to drops, shocks and capable of working in extreme temperatures.

HP will also debut a Premium Keyboard' design which has been developed after user feedback.

The PC maker will also load up its devices with a raft of security options including Trusted Platform Modules, fingerprint readers, pre-boot authentication as well as management options via LanDesk and vPro.

The HP EliteBook Folio 1020 Standard Edition will arrive in February, followed by the Special Edition in March. Pricing will be announced closer to availability, but they are expected to be priced as premium devices.

Toshiba's no-nonsense business notebook is aimed for use within SMBs, educational and governmental institutions.

With a Core i5 processor, slimline exterior and reasonable price, the device is a direct competitor to the Dell Latitude 13 series.

The 500 price point guarantees the use of modest components. The Core i5-4210U processor is a popular low-power part clocked to 1.7GHz, and is paired with 4GB of RAM. Toshiba offers a 5,400rpm, 500GB hard disk as standard, which can be upped to 1TB.

The resulting performance is mediocre. The R50 scored 59/100 in our benchmarks placing it near the bottom of our table - but above the Yoga 3 Pro, which is over double the price and has the most recent Intel Core M processor.

As a bonus, the performance of the R50 jumped up to 67/100 - matching the Dell Latitude 13 after we removed bloatware from the machine.

The hard disk acted as a bottleneck with sequential read and write speeds of 95MB/s and 82MB/s. This also impacted on boot times with the R50 taking 47 seconds to start up.

At least the R50's middling components meant there were no thermal issues. The system stayed cool and quiet throughout our tests.

The slim four-cell battery pack as the rest of this machine. In our standard battery test video playback with Wi-Fi turned off and the screen at 75 per cent brightness the R50 lasted for 6 hours and 49 minutes.

It should extend to eight hours with the screen dimmed and Power Saver mode chosen but it's unable to match its rivals like the Latitude 13, which currently leads our benchmarking with 12 hours and 33 minutes.

Disappointing display

The 15.6in display features a dated 1,366 x 768 resolution. It's not ideal for multi-window working, lacks touch screen functionality and isn't suited for high-definition work. However, it does have a matte finish to take the edge of brightly lit office environments.

The 233cd/m2 brightness level was decent, but every other aspect of this panel disappointed. The wayward Delta E (8.18) and cold colour temperature (6,931K) meant colours were pale.

Black levels were so high, they appeared a deep shade of grey. And a low contrast (231:1) meant colours had no depth.

At the 500 mark, this is typical of the quality and whilst it's ok for browsing and word processing, it's not cut out for any multimedia work.

Build quality

At 2.3kg, the R50 isn't the lightest laptop around but it's portable.

Build quality is solid with the little flex in the underside or wrist-rests. Toshiba has included an optical drive, an endangered species in 2014, and also a numberpad. The edges house 2 x USB 3 ports, a USB 2 connector, and HDMI and D-SUB outputs. There's a card reader and a Kensington lock slot, but no fingerprint reader.

It looks like the budget ran out before the R50 got to Toshiba's design department because it's one of the plainest portables we've seen. The black plastic is barely decorated with subtle straight lines, the keyboard and trackpad are both black, and only the lid's Toshiba logo is decorated in metallic, shining plastic.

Keyboard/Trackpad

The R50's keyboard has a sensible layout, with large keys and a numberpad, and the Scrabble-tile typing surface proved pleasing to use. The keys were consistent, with a light, rapid action aided by the solid base.

The trackpad was fine with Toshiba steering clear of any gimmicks. We found the smooth surface to be accurate.

Better ergonomic designs are available but you'll have to spend considerably more.

Choice between Windows

Unusually, the R50 ships with two operating systems. Windows 7 Professional 64-bit is preloaded and a copy of Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit is included on a DVD.

As with most PCs, bloatware makes an unwelcome appearance. McAfee's security software threw up numerous irritating pop-ups, and Internet Explorer was saddled with an extra tab from bookmarking tool Symbaloo.

The inclusion of Evernote, Spotify and Winzip was welcome, but over a dozen Toshiba tools were included, too.

It's up to users to decide how much of this software they'll keep, but we've already seen how this can reduce performance.

Removing all of those applications helped boot times, too the sluggish 47s boot sped up to 27s once we'd axed the bloatware.

Overall

This no-nonsense business system doesn't excel in any one area. The keyboard and trackpad are good, build quality is reasonable and its performance is average.

This machine is capable of handling basic work tasks, and its sturdy design means it'll be at home in the office or on the road. Dell's system is lighter, with better ergonomics and battery life, and isn't much more expensive so we'd opt for the Latitude rather than the latest Satellite Pro.

Verdict

This jack-of-all-trades system is let down by an awful panel.

Processor: 1.7GHz Intel Core i5-4210U (2.7GHz Turbo Boost)

GPU: Intel HD Graphics 4400 |

Memory: 4GB DDR3

Storage: 500GB hard disk

Connectivity: Dual-band 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.0, Gigabit Ethernet

Ports: 2 x USB 3, 1 x USB 2, HDMI, D-SUB, SD card reader, Kensington lock slot Dimensions: (WxDxH): 379 x 258 x 24mm Weight: 2.4k

The ultra-thin chassis and flashy watchband' hinge make the Yoga 3 Pro look tantalising. It's got the style, but does it have the performance to match the sky-high starting price of 1,299?

Lenovo's third generation model uses Intel's latest Broadwell processor, has a quad-HD 13in display and 256GB SSD. It also retains the trademark contortion associated with the Yoga brand - so you can flip the screen and rotate it to get different viewing modes.

The design of the Yoga 3 Pro is unique. When folded flat it measures a mere 12.8mm thick - the same as an average USB stick - and weighs 1.2kg. This makes it lighter and thinner than Apple's 13in MacBook Air (1.35kg and 17mm thick) which is usually singled out for praise over its design. You can pick up the Yoga 3 Pro in one hand with no trouble at all - and this makes it usable in tablet mode.

A key factor in making the chassis thin and lightweight is the introduction of the watchband hinge. Mimicking an expensive wrist watch, there are over 800 individual components making up the links, according to Lenovo.

Using the link design has allowed Lenovo to reduce the size of the hinge connecting the screen and keyboard sections which is traditionally the thickest point of any laptop. Like all Yoga models, this hinge allows the device to be twisted and manipulated into tent, tablet and stand modes.

Although it looks great, there are concerns about the build quality. The screen panel flexes more than we'd like, and it doesn't feel as durable as the ThinkPad range.

Sound And Vision

The Yoga 3 Pro boasts the same quad-HD' 3200 x 1800 touch-sensitive IPS display as its predecessor. This provides superb image quality, with a bright, colourful display, making it ideal for web browsing, streaming video or photo-editing work. Viewing angles are superb too.

But, as we discovered with the Yoga 2 Pro, the limited scaling options built into Windows mean that interface elements such as toolbars and menus within many third-party apps can appear so small that they become difficult to use.

This problem is slowly being addressed by developers Adobe has announced that the Windows version of Photoshop would be updated to support high-resolution displays such as this but it still means that you may occasionally have to lower the screen resolution for legacy apps.

Despite its slimline design, the Yoga's compact internal speakers were louder than we'd expected. The sound lacks bass, but is loud enough for listening to streaming video or giving an impromptu presentation to a client.

Performance

The slimline design of the Yoga 3 Pro does sacrifice overall performance, even if the specifications on paper do look meaty.

The entry-level Yoga 3 Pro includes a Broadwell M-5Y70 processor running at 1.1GHz, along with 8GB of memory and 256GB of solid-state storage. The only other configuration available costs 1,499 with 512GB storage.

The Core M-5Y70 does provide a Turboboost option capable of increasing clock speed to 2.6GHz, but performance was modest in our benchmark tests. Its overall score was just 49, compared to 59 for last year's Yoga 2 Pro.

The Yoga 3 Pro did produce better scores in some of our individual tests. Its integrated HD 5300 graphics managed a score of 85 in our Photoshop tests, so it will cope well with graphical tasks such as photo-editing or presentations. Responsiveness was snappy with the device taking just eight seconds to boot, and two seconds to wake from sleep.

Broadwell Battery

Intel has claimed its Broadwell processors are up to 30 per cent more power-efficient than its Haswell predecessors. Even so, the high-resolution display requires plenty of battery power and Lenovo has trimmed its original claim of nine hours of battery life down to a more modest 7.2 hours for the Pro 3.

When running our Iron Man video test with brightness set at 75 per cent and Wi-Fi turned off, the Yoga 3 Pro lasted 6 hours and 45 minutes, so you could probably stretch that past the 7 hour mark for less demanding tasks.

This falls well short of the 10 hours of video playback we've seen from rivals such as the 13in MacBook Pro The battery is sealed into the base of the laptop, so there's no easy way to swap in a spare battery or perform other upgrades or repairs.

Connectivity is also limited, as the slimline chassis has space for 2 x USB 3 ports, a micro-HDMI connection and an SD card slot. If you want to connect wired Ethernet, you'll need a USB adaptor. We're also slightly concerned about Lenovo's proprietary power socket, which looks identical to a USB port. That could cause problems if someone were to accidentally try and plug the live power cable into one of the USB ports.

Overall

There's no denying the elegance of the Yoga 3 Pro from a design standpoint. Its outstanding high-resolution display and design are the standout features. But it is a case of style over substance.

But at this price range, the performance of the Yoga 3 Pro isn't good enough and makes it hard to recommend.

Verdict

The performance and battery life can’t justify the £1,299 starting price.

Operating System: Windows 8.1 (64-bit)

Processor: 1.1GHz Intel M-5Y70 (2.6GHz Turboboost)

GPU: Intel HD 5300 (integrated)

Display: 13.3in, touch-sensitive IPS display, 3200x1800 resolution

Memory: 8GB DDR3L

Storage: 256GB solid-state storage

Optical: N/A

Connectivity: dual-band 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.01

Ports: 2 x USB 3.0, 1x micro-HDMI, SD card reader, 1 x headphone

Dimensions: 330 x 228 x 12.8 mm

Weight: 1.2kg

Bill Gates is one of most recognisable names in the tech world and has been instrumental driving the sector forward. Anyone who has ever used a computer is guaranteed to have come into contact with software created by Microsoft.

After re-claiming his spot as the world's richest man in 2014, and returning to an active role at the company he co-founded, we take a look back at his career and achievements.

Full name: William Henry "Bill" Gates III

Date of birth: 28 October, 1955

Nationality: US

Net worth: $79.2 billion (June 2014)

Salary: If you take into account tax and drill down his earnings, Gates makes over $100 per second.

Education: With an IQ of 160, Gates is classified as a genius. It's not a surprise to find out he scored 1590 out of 1600 in his college SATs. He dropped out of Harvard University aged 20 and returned over 30 years later to be awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in 2007.

Best known for: Being the co-founder of Microsoft and the richest man in the world. Gates is also a philanthropist and is known for his charitable work in Africa, particularly his efforts to eradicate diseases such as Polio.

Current role: Technology advisor on the Microsoft board.

Career history: Gates broke into the tech world by writing a BASIC program for the Altair computer system in partnership with his friend Paul Allen.

He dropped out of Harvard to set up a company called Microsoft (originally Micro-Soft) with Allen in 1975.

At age 23, Gates spearheaded Microsoft and the company grossed $2.5million in 1978.

Microsoft's progress to tech giant began in 1980 when IBM was looking for software to use on its forthcoming Personal Computer (PC) system.

This article was originally published on 06/03/2014 and has been updated multiple times (most recently on 13/11/14).

Gates purchased software for $50,000 and adapted it to run on IBM's hardware. Known as MS-DOS, IBM attempted to buy the source code, but Gates refused. Being a savvy businessman he asked IBM to pay a licensing fee for every PC which was going to use the software. This allowed the firm to license software to any PC manufacturer, and the revenue model is still used today.

In 1985, Gates and Microsoft launched its first operating system with a graphical user interface (GUI). Known as Windows it came to market nearly two years after being announced.

In 1986, Microsoft went public with an initial public offering (IPO) of $21 per share. In 1987, Gates became a billionaire when the share price increased to over $90 per share.

The Microsoft Office product suite was released in 1989 and under Gates' tenure the Windows operating system was refreshed every couple of years.

Gates stepped down from the day-to-day operations in 2000. He handed over the reigns to college friend and 20 year Microsoft veteran Steve Ballmer.

He remained chairman of the board but he began to focus more on his charitable work with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

In 2006, Gates revealed he would be leaving Microsoft to focus on his charity work full-time. His last full day at Microsoft was on 27 June 2008.

Gates made the announcement that he would be stepping down as Microsoft chairman and move into a new position as technology adviser in February 2014.

Interesting fact: Gates was arrested in Albuquerque in 1977 for running a red light and driving without a license. It spawned quite the mugshot.

Microsoft is preparing a bumper crop of software updates in its penultimate Patch Tuesday of 2014, with a slew of critical fixes in the pipeline for Windows and Internet Explorer users.

The software giant is planning to push out 16 updates in total from Tuesday 11 November. Five of them have been designated "critical", while a further nine have been deemed "important". The remaining updates are classified as "moderate".

All versions of Windows from Vista onwards are treated to a total of nine updates this time around, ranging from "critical" to "moderate" risk, but the same patches don't apply to all versions of the operating system.

For example, updates 5, 7, 14 and 15, which address a mix of elevation of privilege, information disclosure and security feature bypass issues, don't apply to Windows 8 or 8.1 systems, whereas Windows 7 and Vista are exempt from 5,7,13 and 14.

Windows RT and RT 8.1 users have one fewer patch to install, as updates 5,7,13, 14 and 15 don't apply to them.

Furthermore, one of the "critical" updates also covers all currently supported versions of Internet Explorer, from version 6 to 11, running on Windows Server 2003 SP2.

Ross Barrett, senior manager of security engineering at Rapid 7, said this month's update is a big one, given that every supported version of Windows requires a "critical" update.

"The patching priority will follow the critical issues, with the Internet Explorer patch being the most exploitable attack vector and the most likely to have already been involved with active attacks in the wild," he added.

Microsoft managed to beat analyst expectations by reporting better than forecasted revenues and profits.

However, net profits still fell to $4.5 billion from $5.2 billion from the same period a year ago, a fall of 13 per cent. Revenue increased to $23.2 billion, which is higher than analysts anticipated.

The software giant's Q1 financial results included a bill for integration and restricting expenses of $1.14 billion as the firm digested its acquisition of Nokia's phone business. The firm recently ditched the Nokia name.

The restructuring did not dent earnings for Microsoft from its Devices and Consumer unit. Buoyant sales of its Xbox games console and Surface computers helped increase revenue by 47 per cent to $10.96 billion. Nearly a billion dollars of sales were recorded for Surface, an increase of 127 per cent for the range.

The firm also shifted 2.4 million Xbox units in the last quarter, up 102 per cent on the previous year. Microsoft did not break down sales between Xbox One and Xbox 360.

Revenues from its commercial side also grew 10 per cent to $12.28 billion. Server products and services revenue increased 13 per cent, with double-digit growth for SQL Server, System Center and Windows Server.

The cloud also helped Microsoft. Office Commercial products and services revenue grew five per cent as customers transition to its cloud-based productivity suite Office 365. Commercial cloud revenue increased 128 per cent driven by Office 365, Azure and Dynamics CRM.

Microsoft Windows operating system appeared to have not so rosy growth. The firm said licensing from consumer Windows drove unspecified "positive unit growth" and did not divulge numbers, while non-Pro OEM licensing declined 1 per cent

Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella said in a statement that the firm was "positioned for future growth".

"Our teams are delivering on our core focus of reinventing productivity and creating platforms that empower every individual and organisation," he said.

Invitations for Microsoft's September 30 event, during which the company will unveil Windows 9, have been sent out, and a recent spate of leaked videos have unveiled further details of what we can expect from the OS.

The videos come from WinFuture.deshow off several features set to be a part of the next iteration of Windows, such as the new Notification Centre, virtual desktops and the returning Start Menu.

The clips show these things in action, and confirm a lot of previous rumours about how the operating system may look and function.

Screenshots of the Windows 9 Technical Preview desktop previously surfaced online.

The images come from Computer Base and WinFuture.de, and claim to show what Windows 9, codenamed Windows Threshold, might look like when it is released to developers.

It has been widely reported that Windows 9 will attempt to merge aspects of Windows 7 and the much-maligned Windows 8, especially when it comes to the start menu, and the leaked screenshots appear to support this theory.

The decision to bring back some much-missed features will manifest itself in a classic-style Start Menu with integrated apps from the modern UI that were introduced with Windows 8.

The charms bar was also said to have been scrapped, and these images demonstrate how Microsoft may have compensated for this. In the top left-hand corner of Windows there is now a button that brings up the different options (i.e. search, share, play, settings etc.), though it appears users will still be able to bring up the charms bar if they wish.

Users can also choose to view windows in full screen mode, as per Windows 8.

The rumours pointing towards the presence of multiple desktops also appear to have been correct, with the screenshots showing a button that's function is to switch between these Workspaces' each with their own layout and collection of apps.

The notifications centre, which is where users will be able to view alerts from various apps, is also present.

The operating system is thought to be set for a 30September developer launch, becoming widely available to users in early 2015.

Parallels Desktop 10 has arrived, aiming to reduce drain on system resources whilst adding a raft of options to make it easier to setup and interact with virtual machine (VMs).

The latest generation uses 10 per cent less RAM than it predecessor, now supports 3+ mouse buttons, and touts up to 30 per cent more battery life.

Integration between OS X and the Windows VM has increased to the point where the systems are virtually merged. It's now possible to save directly to iCloud from Office 2013 and share files via Messages and AirDrop, for example.

Do you need Parallels?

Of course, you no longer need a paid-for product to run Windows on a Mac. Apple's Boot Camp enables anyone to install and run Windows from a separate partition on their OS X system and choose which to boot into during start-up. You could also setup Windows VMs using Oracle's free VirtualBox.

So what's the advantage Parallels? The first is ease of use. Setting up Boot Camp takes a little work while installing VMs in VirtualBox is no picnic if you don't know what you're doing. With a simple, Wizard-based approach, Parallels does a great job of taking the pain away.

You can virtualise an existing Windows PC either over the network or using an external hard disk and the Parallels Transport Agent applet. You can also create a new Windows VM just by pointing Parallels at a CD, DVD or ISO image on an external drive or USB memory stick. Just be aware that you'll need to buy Windows separately if you don't own an existing license not attached to a existing and working machine, while you'll also need the relevant media or ISO to install from.

Create a new OS X virtual machine and Parallels can build it from your Mac's recovery disk or from the app store download for the Yosemite beta. You can even create Ubuntu or Chrome OS VMs using the wizard, and Parallels runs off and downloads the files required. It couldn't be much easier.

Whatever guest OS you choose, Parallels will do its best to configure the VM for you, asking you what you want to use a Windows VM for, then fixing CPU and RAM resources plus other preferences for you. Alternatively, you can tweak configurations to your heart's content, allocating CPU cores to the VM, or increasing the RAM allocation. Parallels offers guidance on RAM and warnings if you exceed its estimation but you can set your VM to use more or less, depending on how you plan to use it.

It's not always smooth sailing. While setting up a VM based on Windows 8.1 Enterprise, the installation failed repeatedly on a licensing error, though this was fixed by unticking a checkbox in the setup Wizard.

Tighter OS X integration

Parallels 10 steps up the integration between Windows and OS X. You can run a VM full-screen, so that a Windows 8.1 VM looks and works like a standard Windows 8.1 PC. You do need to install Parallels' Desktop Tools software on the guest OS before you get the right screen resolution and all features working properly. There's an option to do this in the Parallels Desktop menu, so no heavy lifting is involved.

Even in full-screen mode, OS X is available. Mousing to the top of the screen reveals the Apple menu bar, and you can still CMD-Tab between your VM, the OS X desktop and applications, giving you the best of both worlds.

You can also run a VM in its own Window. Perhaps the most interesting option, however, is Parallels' Coherence view. Here each Windows application runs in its own Window, floating on top of the OS X desktop, and with its own icon in the Dock.

The integration goes deeper still. For one thing, you can copy text or objects from an OS X window and paste them directly into a Windows application. It's also possible to set file associations so you a .DOCX Word file opens in a Word for Windows window rather than Pages on OS X, for example.

Parallels also shares specific folders between your OS X system and your Windows VM, and will use the Share functions of OS X to post to Twitter, Facebook and other social networks from within your Windows applications.

Best of all, it can also share cloud storage services between both machines, so that you can install Dropbox on your Mac and then access/add files from the Windows-based folder. And if you use Office 2013 in a Windows VM, then it's perfectly happy working with your SkyDrive account or SharePoint server; as far as Windows is concerned, it's just an ordinary, everyday PC.

Specifications

To get Parallels up and running you're going to need at least an Intel Core 2 Duo processor and 2GB of RAM. At least 4GB of RAM is recommended, and if you'll get the best performance with high-end Core or Xeon processors.

Parallels detects devices connected via USB and offers you the choice of using them under OS X or within the Windows VM. During testing it couldn't find a networked printer using the standard Windows installation method but was capable of using printers already installed in OS X.

Through five days of using Parallels we didn't experience any crashes or major issues while working between OS X and Windows 8.1. It's only once you start messing around with multiple VMs that things come unstuck; asking a Core i5 Mac Mini to handle OS X Mavericks, Windows 8.1, OS X Yosemite and Linux Mint 17, either all at once or two or three at a time, is probably a bit much. It's also worth noting that not all guest operating systems will run full-screen at native resolution or at least they won't without some tinkering with the configuration files.

Other bonuses concern testing, compatibility and security. A web browser running in a virtualised instance of OS X or Windows won't affect your main OS X system should the guest OS get infected by malware or something else go wrong, and you can easily set-up snapshots of your VMs and restore them if you have any issues.

Pitfalls?

If using Parallels has any downside, it's performance. Inevitably, a Windows 8.1 VM won't match the performance of your Mac or MacBook running Windows via Boot Camp, and the same goes for a OS X 10.9 VM and your native OS X 10.9 desktop (though the difference will be smaller).

Being a beta, Yosemite isn't quite ready to be virtualised. Parallel's virtualised graphics drivers have yet to support the new OS, and as a result it feels stutter-prone and unstable. What's more, there's no support for Direct X 11, while OpenGL drive support is stuck at version 2.1, not the modern OpenGL 3.2.

That's an issue for 3D graphics applications and games, but for most business users productivity applications will be the norm, in which case a Parallels VM running on a reasonable configuration two i5 cores and 4GB of RAM on a 2012 Core i5 Mac Mini feels pretty snappy.

We had no issues running Office 2013, DxO Optics Pro 9 and a range of lightweight applications, nor felt that Windows 8.1 rans any slower than usual. In fact, Windows 8.1 worked well as it's comfortable running on a dual-core Atom with 2GB of RAM, so won't give even a modest MacBook Air or Mac Mini any problems.

Typical use cases

Virtualisation products like Parallels Desktop 10 are invaluable to business environments where employees use Macs but need access to old or bespoke applications running on Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 operating system.

Maybe you need to test a product or website on a range of operating systems, including OS X and Windows, but would rather not have to use multiple PCs. Perhaps you need to test different IT setups, so that you can trial, Windows 9 or OS X 10.10 Yosemite before they launch. You might even have old Windows XP applications that you need to access occasionally isn't it better to do it in a sandboxed, virtualised environment than on an old, insecure PC?

Parallels makes easy work of all these scenarios, and running virtualised environments on a Mac gives you more flexibility than running them on a PC. After all, you can run virtualised instances of Windows, Linux or whatever you need on a Mac, but thanks to Apple's control over the OS X platform, you can't say the same with OS X on a Linux or Windows PC.

Overall

Parallels doesn't stand alone in this market Vmware Fusion 7 has only just been released, offering a similar feature set and better Yosemite support.

Still the 10th generation software is an easy package to recommend for business use. If you just need occasional use of Windows packages, then it's worth putting up with the inconvenience of Boot Camp. But if you want to integrate Windows applications and OS X apps on one desktop, then Parallels is an excellent way to do this.

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7 or Xeon

RAM: 2GB (4GB recommended)

Hard Disk: 850MB plus 16GB per VM

Operating System: OS X 10.7.6 or later

Microsoft has splashed out $2.5 billion on Mojang, the software developer behind the phenomenally popular Minecraft game.

Microsoft is believed to have made the purchase in an effort to ensure Minecraft remains available on its platform and to also bring it to the Windows Phone OS.

Mojang made more than 100 million in profit during 2013 and as the user base continues to grow, it is likely to continue as a lucrative revenue stream for Microsoft.

Ironically, the Minecraft creator, Markus Persson, previously stated there was no Windows Phone edition because the userbase on the platform is "tiny."

To-date Minecraft has sold in excess of 54 million copies worldwide and has 100 million registered users. It is one of the most popular paid-for games in the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. It has also recently been released on Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

Microsoft confirmed the game will remain multi-platform as per the firm's commitment to making its software available across all popular systems.

"At Microsoft, we believe in the power of content to unite people. Minecraft adds diversity to our game portfolio and helps us reach new gamers across multiple platforms," said to Phil Spencer, head of Xbox in a blog post.

"Gaming is the top activity across devices and we see great potential to continue to grow the Minecraft community and nurture the franchise. That is why we plan to continue to make Minecraft available across platforms including iOS, Android and PlayStation, in addition to Xbox and PC."

In an attempt to quell the community outrage at the acquisition, Spencer suggested that Microsoft will not make any sweeping changes.

"We respect the brand and independent spirit that has made Minecraft great, and we'll carry on the tradition of innovation to move the franchise forward."

MineCon, an annual convention for fans that has been running since 2010 will also continue as planned.

No one would argue that the two most maligned operating systems ever to be released by Microsoft are Windows Vista and Windows 8, but it might surprise some to know that Vista was actually more popular in its heyday than Windows 8 is now.

As it stands in September 2014, according to stats available from NetMarketShare, Windows 7 is still the most popular OS with 51.21 per cent worldwide market share, followed by Windows XP in second position at 23.89 per cent.

This leaves Windows 8, Windows 8.1 and Windows Vista to make up the rest of Microsoft's share (Windows 2000 and Windows NT also make up 0.09 per cent).

The combined share of Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 stands at 13.37 per cent for September, with Windows Vista falling to 3.02 per cent, behind Apple's top offering, the Mac OS X 10.9. Windows 8.1 is just about topping its immediate predecessor.

When Vista was released in 2007, it must be noted Microsoft accounted for a higher percentage of the PCs used, at the same point in its lifespan as we are currently in for Windows 8, Vista enjoyed a larger percentage of users at 14.3 per cent.

This brings to light a smaller yet still significant problem for Microsoft, with previous concerns centring on the continued prominence of Windows 7 over the company's newer operating systems. The silver lining is that August 2014 saw Windows 7's share stick at 51.2 per cent, staying in place for the first time in months.

But Windows XP is also still clinging on, despite a steady decline as users opt for operating systems that still enjoy Microsoft support. Its second place position is not a good indication of Windows 8 and Windows 8.1's success, with the next iteration just around the corner.

Windows 9 is expected to be announced at an event on 30 September, with a technical preview launched in early October.

Early rumours and leaks indicate the operating system will attempt to correct some of the less popular features of Windows 8, such as the removal of the start menu and the tablet-geared Metro UI which is considered unfriendly to desktop users.

Lenovo has announced its latest enterprise-grade 2-in-1, which will be powered by Intel's Broadwell chipset.

The ThinkPad Helix is set to ship with an 11.6in Full HD display (1920 x 1080) with a 400cd/m2 brightness.

Lenovo is touting the flexibility of the device as it can be used as a traditional Ultrabook, a standalone tablet or be switched to tent and stand modes. The firm claims this will make it suitable for everything from taking notes to sketching or typing.

Running Windows 8.1 Pro, the device will be one of the first to be powered by Intel's latest generation 14nm Broadwell processor (Core M) with vPro. The device is available with 4/8GB of RAM and up to 512GB of PCIe storage will be offered.

Wireless support comes in the form of Wi-Fi (802.11ac/agn) and Bluetooth 4. WWAN will be optional.

Physical connections will include micro HDMI, microSD, micro SIM and USB 3 ports.

Lenovo offers the choice between a standard keyboard (extra USB 2 port) or an Ultrabook Pro keyboard, which has an additional battery as well USB 3 and mini DisplayPort connections.

IT Pro is awaiting confirmation on the battery information, but the latest generation Core M processor is expected to provide a significant bump in longevity over its predecessor.

Optional extras will include a digitiser, fingerprint scanner as well as a range of docks and cases.

The Windows hybrid will be available to buy in October, with prices starting at $999.

Panasonic has announced the availability of its forthcoming 5in ToughPads, as the firm looks to offer enterprises ruggedised, portable and high performance phablets.

The firm's FZ-X1 is shipping now with Android 4.2.2 and is priced at 1024 ex VAT. It is expected to be updated to Android KitKat 4.4 before the end of 2014.

Meanwhile, the FZ-E1 will run the Windows Embedded 8.1 Handheld operating system. This is basically Windows Phone 8.1 with increased enterprise features, such as multi-user lockdown, device management and extended hardware/peripheral support.

The Windows version will be available in November, priced at 1056 ex VAT.

Both ToughPads combine a large screen with voice calling capabilities so they fall into the phablet category. They are customisable too, making them suitable for use within manufacturing, construction, warehousing, transportation and even military environments.

Key areas of differentiation between the ToughPads and consumer phablets like the Samsung Galaxy Note range include the display brightness, battery life and ruggedness.

Display

Despite being designed for the enterprise, the ToughPads have a number of high-end components. Panasonic has used a 5in Gorilla Glass 3 screen with an HD 1280 x 720 resolution (284ppi). It's got a 500cd/m2 brightness and a reflection rate of 6.5 per cent, to make it easier to see in sunlight.

The capacitive touch screen has high sensitivity and can be used with any gloves. It is also capable of detecting the finger movement 5mm above the screen.

A built-in pressure sensor means the screen is able to tell contact has been initiated by finger input, so the screen won't become active when raindrops fall onto the device.

Battery life

The ToughPads are powered by a removable 6,200mAh battery pack, double the captivity you'll find in the latest consumer grade phablets like the Galaxy Note 4.

Panasonic quotes 23 hours of talk time, 14 hours of wireless connectivity and standby of 1,000 hours. A quick charging feature also allows the device to reach 50 per cent charge in approximately 72 minutes.

Hot-swapping is supported as standard, unlike the 7in ToughPad, where it was optional. The 5in devices give users a two minute window to change the battery without having to switch off the device. An LED light flashes when the swap has been initiated.

Ruggedness

The ToughPads have an IP68 rating and are drop resistant onto any surface including concrete from 3 metres, according to Panasonic. The devices are also certified to be submerged in up to 15 metres of water for up to 30 minutes.

There is a built in heater for the battery and display, allowing the device to be used in temperatures down to -20C. The upper operating limit is +60C.

Connectivity

4G is included as standard for data connectivity and voice calls are carried out over 3G.

Panasonic claims the form factor has allowed it to build in a larger antennae then you'd find in regular smartphones. The firm claims this increases GPS location accuracy to within 2 metres.

Customisation options

It's possible to incorporate an 8-megapixel camera with LED flash. Depending on the use cases, serial USB buses, smart cards readers or barcode readers can be fitted.

Panasonic has developed accessories so the device can be integrated into vehicles like lorries and forklifts. Arm and hand straps will also be made available.

Microsoft has been given 20 days to respond to claims made by a Chinese antitrust regulator about the compatibility of its Windows operating system and Office software.

The regulator is also investigating the multinational corporation's verification codes to try and combat piracy.

It says the use of such codes "may have violated China's anti-monopoly law," despite other companies using the same techniques to protect software from being copied and distributed illegally.

China's State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC) said in a statement: "(A) special investigation team conducted an anti-monopoly investigation inquiry with Microsoft Vice President Chen Shi (David Chen), and required that Microsoft make a written explanation within 20 days."

The report also requested that Microsoft vice president David Chen responded within 20 days "to provide general information about the company and defend itself against the monopoly charges in a written report."

SAIC believes Microsoft has not fully disclosed information relating to the compatibility of its software, such as the bundling of Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player with its Windows operating system, meaning it is apparently breaking six-year-old antitrust laws.

The company has also not been fully transparent about its sales in China, according to the report by SAIC. However, former Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer said piracy is a big problem in China when it comes to Microsoft products and despite the country having such a huge population, its sales in the country are less than in the Netherlands where piracy is not an issue.

Microsoft is one of 30 foreign companies under investigation by SAIC and says it is "serious about complying with China's laws and committed to addressing SAIC's questions and concerns."

Critics of China's anti-trust laws say the SAIC is unfairly targeting foreign businesses, although the country denies this claim.