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Microsoft 365 users hit by random product deactivation errors
Microsoft is investigating a known issue triggering “Product Deactivated” errors for customers using Microsoft 365 Office apps. According to online user reports on Reddit and Microsoft’s own community website, affected users randomly received these “Product Deactivated” errors in Office apps, prompting confusion and disruptions. As Redmond explained in a support document published on Thursday, these problems stem from licensing changes…
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CISA issues new directive to bolster cloud security – and Microsoft was singled out
A new directive issued by the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has been met positively by industry experts who say it will bolster cloud security. Announced on 17 December, the directive will focus on safeguarding federal information and information systems. It requires federal civilian agencies to identify specific cloud tenants, implement assessment tools, and ensure that cloud environments…
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Do this to install Windows 11 without Microsoft account (2024)
To install Windows 11 (Home or Pro) without an online Microsoft account, on the account setup page, disable the internet connection requirement and continue with limited connectivity to create a local account. To install Windows 11 (Pro) without a Microsoft account, proceed with the normal installation, then choose the “Set up for work or school” option, click “Next,” “Sign-in options,”…
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CISA orders federal agencies to secure Microsoft 365 tenants
CISA has issued this year’s first binding operational directive (BOD 25-01), ordering federal civilian agencies to secure their cloud environments by implementing a list of required secure configuration baselines (SCBs). While CISA has only finalized the SCBs for Microsoft 365, it plans to release additional baselines for other cloud platforms, starting with Google Workspace (anticipated to enter scope in Q2 of…
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5 Ways to Switch Off From Your Microsoft Work This Holiday
As the festive season approaches, it’s time to think about switching off. Yes, you can shut your computer down and lock your keyboard away, but taking some other steps across the Microsoft suite of apps will ensure you can truly unplug this Christmas. 1 Disable OneDrive Notifications If you plan to use your computer but want to stay away from…
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How to Use Microsoft Windows Recall
You can now try Recall in Windows. Credit: Lifehacker Back in June, Microsoft announced a new Recall feature for Windows, intended to let you dip into your computing history as easily as you can get at your web browsing history. Whenever you need to retrace your steps or get back to something from the past on your PC, Recall can…
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Microsoft, It’s Time for a Battery Percentage in Windows
Summary The Windows 11 battery icon lacks accuracy with no percentage display. Users want the option to switch to percentage mode like in macOS. Microsoft should prioritize simple tweaks like adding a native battery percentage display. The battery indicator in Windows 11, and in earlier Windows versions, uses a graphic representation of how full your battery is. That’s fine for…
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Microsoft introduces Phi-4, an AI model for advanced reasoning tasks – Computerworld
“The goal with Phi-4 is to explore the efficiency of smaller models while maintaining accuracy,” Microsoft researchers noted in the technical documentation. Microsoft’s Phi-4 competes directly with models such as OpenAI’s GPT-4o Mini, Anthropic’s Claude 3 Haiku, and Google’s Gemini 1.5 Flash, each catering to specific applications in the small language model landscape. While GPT-4o Mini is designed for cost-efficient…
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Microsoft AI Program to Upskill ANZ Bridging Skill Gap, Boost Economy
Microsoft has announced an ambitious new initiative intended to equip 1 million people across Australia and New Zealand with essential AI skills by 2026. The AI Skills Initiative is designed to support local workforces facing a rapidly changing digital economy. It will target everyone from individuals building AI systems to those applying AI in everyday roles. The initiative supports Microsoft’s…
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Microsoft is Removing Suggested Actions on Windows 11
Microsoft’s view of a constantly-updating OS with Windows 11 isn’t always about removing features. Some functionality also gets ripped out from time to time, and the next feature to get kicked to the curb is Suggested Actions. Windows 11’s “Suggested Actions” feature, which was just added two years ago and aimed to predict and streamline user actions based on copied…
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