Microsoft released Windows NT 4.0 to manufacturing partners on July 31, 1996. Codename Cairo marked an important milestone in the history of Microsoftâs original server OS and would far outlive Microsoftâs original plans as enthusiasts and administrators clung to it, as older readers will be aware. Headlining features of NT 4.0, which made it a winner, include the melding of the intuitive new Windows 95 UI into the fully 32-bit enterprise OS. It was also notable for being the last version of NT to support Alpha, MIPS, or PowerPC CPU architectures.Historical Windows NT timeline:Windows NT Server 3.1 â in 1993, the first version of Windows NT also introduced NTFSWindows NT Server 3.5 â in 1994, this update provided integrated support for Winsock and TCP/IPWindows NT Server 3.51 - client/server support added in 1995Windows NT 4.0 â in 1996, NT got the Windows 95 UI and the familiar My Computer, My Documents, and so onWindows 2000 Server â the 5th NT release started a new naming scheme, introduced Active Directory, plus NTFS 3.0 with file system encryptionFollowed by the more modern Server releasesâŚ(Image credit: Microsoft)After the initial Windows NT 4.0 release, Microsoft followed up with a version for embedded systems and its Terminal Server edition.The Windows NT line was critical to Microsoft as it led the charge against dominant Unix server software ecosystems. Its first public release was in 1993, with version 3.1, but NT 4.0 coupled the underlying data server and personal workstation tooling with Win95 UI elements such as the Start Menu, Taskbar, Task Manager, and so on. It would also support new components like the cryptography API, DCOM, TAPI 2.0, and some DirectX (v2) features.Despite all the new technology under the hood and the frills of the latest UI, Microsoftâs Windows NT 4.0 launched with remarkably low minimum requirements. Would-be users were recommended to install it on a PC with a CPU that ran at 33 MHz or better, had 32MB of RAM, SVGA graphics, and a hard disk with 256 MB capacity. This was in the Pentium / Pentium Pro era. NT 4.0 would become âthe server for the masses,â boasted Microsoft on the OSâs 20th anniversary. Another reason that NT 4.0 was so important is that it formed the foundation for the Windows XP release (2001), leaving the DOS-based 95, 98/SE, and Me versions of the consumer OS behind as archaic hybrids. In the half-decade between the release of NT 4.0 and XP, Microsoft had a lot of work to do, such as implementing Plug and Play, building out gaming tech, adding WDM drivers, and so on. Thankfully, PCs also grew in muscle, specs, and multimedia capabilities to make the larger and more demanding XP a big hit.Windows XP landed with a core marketing line that it was âBuilt on NT technology,â which felt uncomfortable to read if you were from the camp that believed âNTâ was short for âNew Technology.â(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)It is pretty easy to find an old Cairo release online for retro machine tinkering. Those interested in a more casual poke around in NT 4.0 out of interest, curiosity, or nostalgia will find there are some online installs you can play with via a web browser.
The Hot Take: Just deeper and deeper into our lives.... I dropped OneDrive because the "backup" nag screens. Thankfully I have Synology NAS with Drive client to replace it.
The year is 2026, and Iâm still amazed when I find a new entry in my Start menuâs All apps list for an app I donât remember installing. This time, itâs Microsoft again, and the product is OneDrive Photos, which appears to be yet another photo editor and viewer for Windows 11 that nobody asked for.
While searching for Microsoft Photos, a new app called âOneDrive Photosâ showed up in my results out of nowhere, and it appears to have arrived either via a Windows Update or an update for the OneDrive sync client on Windows.
For those unaware, Windows already comes with OneDrive pre-installed, and it syncs your personal files to the cloud.
Right now, you can manage OneDrive files directly in File Explorer and control sync from the system tray on the taskbar. It looks like the nagging during Windows setup to use OneDrive, along with the backup feature being turned on by default, wasnât enough, as Windows is now adding âOneDrive Photos.â
If Windows has already installed OneDrive Photos on your PC, you can find its entry in the Start menu or Windows Search, whether youâve signed in to a Microsoft account or not.
In my case, I have the OneDrive sync app installed because it was bundled with Windows, but I havenât signed in with a Microsoft or work account. I donât use it. Yet the OneDrive Photos app still appeared.
Testing the new OneDrive Photos app for Windows 11
In our tests, Windows Latest noticed that the new âOneDrive Photosâ app is part of the existing OneDrive installation and runs through âC:\Program Files\Microsoft OneDrive\OneDrive.App.exe.â I also noticed that itâs based on WebView2, so itâs not a native app.
OneDrive Photos doesnât need a Microsoft account to work, as it can also detect your local files. At one point, I started to wonder whether itâll eventually replace the Microsoft Photos app because OneDrive Photos immediately started acting like a second Photos app on my PC.
It already had access to the drives where I had images saved, and the experience isnât exactly terrible. Although OneDrive Photos is a web app and appears to load OneDrive.comâs new design, itâs actually quite decent in terms of performance.
As you can see in the above screenshot, OneDrive Photos has a beautiful interface, and it tries to mimic Windows 11âs acrylic effect on the web. On the left side of the app, you have dedicated sections for Moments, Gallery, People, Albums, Favorites, and This PC. These are the same sections youâd find on the OneDrive web app, with âThis PCâ being an exception.
When you open Gallery and are not signed in to your Microsoft account, you are automatically shown your local images. You also have the choice to switch layouts, but currently, there are only two layouts: River and Square. You can also choose between Roomy or Compact density and adjust the thumbnail size.
When you open an image, you can edit, share, favorite, copy, delete, print, open it in File Explorer, or set it as your lock screen or desktop background. Again, all of that might sound a bit similar to the Microsoft Photos app because image editing in the Microsoft Photos app is based on OneDrive.
Once you sign in, the app becomes a full OneDrive gallery, and you have access to AI-powered cloud search.
For example, you can search for anything vague, and OneDriveâs AI will find the most appropriate image or file. In the case of photos, it can OCR the content and locate the best one.
Thereâs also a People section, which goes a step further by grouping similar faces in your photos. Microsoft asks for permission before turning it on and explicitly warns that the facial data could be considered biometric data in some regions.
The company says only you can see the grouped faces, but wants you to believe the data isnât shared with third parties, and you can delete it by disabling the feature.
Overall, OneDrive Photos appears to be more of a full photo viewer than a simple extension of the OneDrive sync client. Unfortunately, you canât just remove OneDrive Photos and use only OneDrive sync, as the former is tied to the latterâs installation.
If you want to block the OneDrive sync client from installing OneDrive Photos, you will need to remove OneDrive entirely from Settings > Installed apps.
The post Windows 11 is quietly installing OneDrive Photos, and it wants to scan your photos for faces if you allow it appeared first on Windows Latest
The Hot Take: "Hey look an OS we can't control all of the users data or track and monitor them, ATTACK!"
GrapheneOS is defending its duress-password feature after an environmental activist used it to wipe his Pixel phone during a U.S. Customs search and was later indicted for allegedly destroying property under government control. The nonprofit says the operating system is "completely legal," cannot recover the erased data, and should not be weakened with encryption backdoors. Meanwhile, the activist faces up to five years in prison if found guilty. PCMag reports: In a post on Saturday, the Canadian nonprofit behind the operating system, the GrapheneOS Foundation, explained that the software offers a range of features to prevent data extraction. For example, one safeguard is the "auto-reboot timer" that'll reboot a locked device after a set period of time to put the data at rest, leaving all files inside encrypted.
The group's post subtly suggests that GrapheneOS phones can withstand law enforcement searches without requiring users to resort to a duress password. "People should carefully consider how to use it in an actual duress situation where there can be physical or legal consequences for wiping the device," the nonprofit wrote. "GrapheneOS doesn't require it to protect data from being extracted from the device, but it takes recovering it completely off the table even with the PIN/password for each profile on the device."
On X, the nonprofit has also said it can do nothing to help US law enforcement recover data from Tunick's phone. "Data cannot be recovered after the key derivation material is reliably wiped. It's not possible and there's nothing we can do to assist with it," the group wrote. "Similarly, it's not possible to assist with bypassing encryption because the hardware and software has been designed to prevent it."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
New Outlook is âpainful and drives me crazy,â one user told me as their organization prepared to ditch Outlook Classic. But does that mean Microsoft will hold off on its plans to force New Outlook? Certainly not. According to Microsoftâs roadmap, it still plans to move all Classic Outlook users to New Outlook starting in March 2027, and weâre not that far away now.
New Outlook for Windows has been around for almost three years, as it was first rolled out to testers in 2023. Fast-forward to 2024, and Microsoft released New Outlook for everyone, and it eventually replaced the native Mail & Calendar apps. While Mail and Calendar were not exceptionally good, they still worked better than New Outlook in several areas.
Outlook (New) is getting better, but itâs not the best app for everyone
Weâre nearly six months away from 2027, and thereâs no denying that New Outlook has gotten significantly better. Microsoft has added up to 15 features in the past several weeks, but most of them are not exactly new. They have already been available in Outlook Classic, and Microsoft is simply catching up.
For example, Microsoft has added support for .PST files and improved offline support to cover attachments. Outlook Classic has always supported .PST files, and since it wasnât a web app, the lack of offline support was never an issue.
Some of the other improvements include the ability to pin or snooze an email, which is quite handy, but itâs again something you could do in Outlook Classic.
More recently, Microsoft rolled out the ability to add multiple categories and create automatic actions to keep your inbox organized or clean. For example, you can set up rules to automatically purge promotional emails and keep only recent messages in your inbox.
Microsoft has also added Schedule Send, which was always available in Outlook Classic.
At the same time, New Outlook is still missing several useful features that have been available in Outlook Classic for years. Microsoft insists itâll bring everything back in the coming months, but the clock is ticking.
Youâll be forced to use New Outlook in March 2027
According to Microsoftâs roadmap seen by Windows Latest, the company is fully committed to moving Outlook Classic users to the new version starting in March 2027, so enterprises have less than a year to prepare for the forced rollout.
âThe opt-out phase for Enterprise environments will now begin in March 2027 (previously April 2026), providing organizations with 12 months of lead time to prepare,â Microsoft noted in an update earlier this year. âGCC High and DoD timelines will be communicated separately at a later date.â
What happens in March 2027 if you choose to keep using Outlook Classic?
All hell is not going to break loose, but you may find yourself automatically redirected to New Outlook when you open Outlook Classic.
Fortunately, youâll still be able to switch back to Outlook Classic. However, donât be surprised if it later reverts and you find yourself back in New Outlook again.
Weâve seen Microsoft use a similar approach before. When it began replacing Mail & Calendar with New Outlook, it allowed users to opt out and return to the older apps, only for some of them to be moved back to New Outlook later.
I am expecting a similar pop-up when Outlook Classic hits the deadline in March 2027, but remember that it does not mean you will be blocked from using the original email client.
In another document, Microsoft has clarified that itâll support Outlook Classic until at least 2029, as long as itâs already installed and you have either a perpetual or a subscription license. Of course, you canât expect new features after March 2027. In fact, Outlook Classic has mostly stopped adding new features except a few Copilot and agentic additions.
Microsoft says itâs seeing âstrong adoption of new Outlookâ
At this point, one thing is clear that thereâs no going back for Microsoft, and New Outlook will eventually become the default experience whether you like it or not. The company also argues that New Outlook is now being adopted by more users, and adoption growth is not just strong, but rapidly âaccelerating.â
That may be true because enterprises also need to embrace Copilot, which works more extensively in New Outlook than in Outlook Classic.
âWe continue to invest heavily in expanding capabilities and addressing feedback from customers who want to go further with new Outlook. To ensure organizations have the time they need to prepareâand to fully realize the value of ongoing innovationâweâre extending the opt-out timeline,â Microsoft previously said.
The post Microsoft still wants to force New Outlook on everyone by 2027, even as users call it painful, and prefer Outlook Classic appeared first on Windows Latest
The Hot Take: M$ is the only one to give us Ads on Windows 11....
LG is removing a McAfee pop-up ad from its LG Monitor App Installer after criticism that some LG monitors were silently installing the app through Windows Update and showing ads on every boot. Microsoft says LG agreed to disable the McAfee pop-up, but the broader issue remains: Windows allows certain peripheral companion apps to install automatically without notifying users. Ars Technica reports: Following Gamers Nexus' video, a Microsoft representative stated that the LG Monitor App Installer will no longer show pop-up ads for McAfee. In response to a social media post about the app, Pavan Davuluri, EVP of Windows and devices at Microsoft, said this week: "We've connected with the team at LG and as an immediate next step, they have agreed to disable the McAfee pop-up from their app. We appreciate LG working with us toward a shared goal of a better experience for our mutual customers. We will keep improving here with our ecosystem partners."
As mentioned, some LG monitors appear to have been installing LG Monitor App Installer onto Windows computers for months. Publication Windows Latest noted that the app recently got an update, "and its changelog mentions McAfee as an additional app," which could be what prompted more people to see the ads... and then complain about them. However, the removal of McAfee doesn't address the problem of a peripheral installing ad-pushing software onto people's computers.
Users have been finding LG Monitor App Installer and its ads on their systems without LG ever showing a prompt or asking for permission. LG has some of the most expensive computer monitors available. Paying, in some cases, over $1,000 for a monitor that ends up forcing ads onto Windows is disruptive and a privacy concern. Once the app is installed, "LG technically possesses permission to use 'all system resources,'" as well as to "collect geolocation, device data, online activity, contacts, user credentials, transactions, and more," [editor-in-chief of Gamers Nexus, Steve Burke] said.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
The Hot Take: Well now, lets see if they get back into a competitive place where they better compete and pull more people.
Firefox releases will soon get even closer together â but not ESR ones, which remain annual, with the next one due out soon. The change was announced last week on the dev-platform@mozilla.org mailing list by Mozillaâs director of engineering Sylvestre Ledru: âWe are planning to move Firefox Desktop and Android from a 4-week release cadence to a 2-week release cadence starting in September 2026. âThis will be an experiment⌠This does not mean that all work needs to ship twice as fast. Work that is not ready should not be rushed, and features can still take the time they need to bake. âThe current target is to release Firefox 155 on September 1, 2026, instead of September 15 ⌠âWe will closely monitor how this change works in practice and adjust if needed.â The change is already visible in the upcoming Firefox Release Calendar. At the time of writing, it shows the current four-week cadence for Firefox 153 and 154, with Firefox 155 brought forward to September 1. From then on, it lists releases at roughly two-week intervals. This isnât unprecedented. The last time Mozilla did it was over a decade ago. Google announced a very similar change for Chrome back in March, and The Register reported on it going to six-weekly releases in 2010 and then four-weekly ones in 2021. Brace for the impact of the next ESR In the meantime, Firefox 153 is nearly here: at the time of writing, itâs scheduled for Tuesday, July 21. Right now, the release notes are blank, but the beta release notes are more forthcoming. You can look forward to further improvements to PDF editing. Version 153 will be able to merge multiple PDF documents into one by a simple drag-and-drop in the PDF sidebar, and insert images into PDFs as new pages. It will also improve highlighting text in PDFs. The new version can generate QR codes for sharing web pages offline, such as in printed documents. It can verify and display the EUâs new Qualified Website Authentication Certificates, or QWACs for short. These are part of the new eIDAS legislation, which is a slightly convoluted acronym for âelectronic IDentification, Authentication and trust Servicesâ. Sounds cumbersome, but if it helps make the Wild West of the Web a bit safer, weâre all for it. Another security tweak is that extensions will lose local-file access by default. As we use one that relies on it - the excellent Multithreaded Download Manager - that's slightly concerning, although users will be able to grant the permission separately, so we'll see. If a tab is using your location, Firefox 153 will highlight this with a map-pin icon in the address bar. The last release could recognize a few keywords in the address bar to mute all sound: this function will get extended, with typed commands for picking colors from pages, and accessing experimental âLabsâ features. Come back, Ubuntu Unity and your HUD, all is forgiven. Thereâs also experimental JPEG XL support. Pop-up video player controls will work better, and if you use Windows and have a compatible GPU and drivers, 153 will play HDR video. On macOS, Firefox supports the Fn+F keystroke for switching to full-screen mode â which means KeyboardControls.com has to update its description of the function. Firefox 153 will also be a significant release, because it will be the next ESR version: it will get security updates for at least 15 months, meaning until late 2027. (And maybe longer: Firefox 115 is still getting updates, and now will until March 2027.) In turn, that means that Firefox 153 is also the basis of the latest beta of the AI-free Waterfox fork, which recently integrated built-in ad blocking. ÂŽ
For a long time, Pi-hole was the go-to option for anyone that wanted to use DNS filtering on their home network. It is easy enough to set up on any old laptop, PC, or even a low-power Pi and then connect it to your network.
Microsoft is acting further on its promise to fix some of Windows 11's worst annoyances. The company is rolling out changes in the Windows Insider Experimental channel that promise a less cluttered search box that largely eliminates ads, although you'll need to tweak settings to get the best results.
The Hot Take: Linux seems to be hovering and Windows is apparently listening to it's end users Finally. We'll see where this goes.
StatCounter's June 2026 data shows Windows made up 56.55% of global desktop OS usage, dropping Microsoft's share below 60% for the first time in years. Linux, meanwhile, reached 4.39%, "one of its strongest recent showings in the company's desktop OS statistics," reports Linuxiac. From the report: Apple's desktop platforms also remain a major part of the picture. StatCounter lists OS X at 11.89% and macOS at 4.48% for June 2026, meaning Apple's combined desktop presence remains comfortably ahead of Linux in the global chart. Chrome OS follows with 1.21%.
Of course, StatCounter's numbers should be read for what they are: web usage statistics, not a direct count of installed operating systems. The company calculates its Global Stats from page views across websites using its tracking code, analyzing details such as browser, operating system, and screen resolution. In other words, the figures reflect measured web activity rather than the number of machines actually installed worldwide.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
The Hot Take: Nice, but all to push cloud storage I'm assuming.
Microsoft has announced another new recovery method for Windows 11 PCs that will allow users to reinstall the OS using the cloud. The new recovery tool is called Cloud Rebuild which will restore a PC to a "clean, known-good state by performing an entire OS reinstall."The new Cloud Rebuild feature will download the Windows OS along with your devices drivers, and seamlessly install them during the recovery process so that your device is fully functional once the OS reinstalled, all without needing an external USB install drive."Unlike Reset this PC, Cloud rebuild downloads both the target Windows image and the device's drivers from Windows Update, so the device comes back fully functional without USB media, without a custom image, and without depending on the health of the currently installed OS."The new cloud rebuild option in the Windows Recovery environment. (Image credit: Microsoft)Reset this PC has had its own cloud download option for a while, but that feature is only useful when the Windows OS is bootable, and acquires drivers from the device locally. In scenarios where the OS has become unbootable, the new Cloud Rebuild option will be a life saver. Cloud Rebuild also doesn't include an option to maintain apps and files. Reset this PC includes an option to maintain all your data across the reset, but Cloud Rebuild is strictly for reinstalling the Windows OS as a clean slate with device drivers. The new Cloud Rebuild recovery option is now rolling out in preview to Windows Insiders in the latest Windows 11 preview builds, so it's not generally available just yet but it should begin rolling out to everyone in the coming months.Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.