General Improvements to Windows and Apps
I’ve been thinking about how Windows could improve, especially around Fluent Design. I wrote down six ideas that I’d love to hear opinions on. I will be sharing them here to see what you all think: 1: Two branches for Windows and content updates; Trying to please everyone with a single version of Windows is difficult, so Microsoft could maintain two official branches of the system: a “Vintage Windows” (like Windows 10), for those who prefer the classic interface and a more traditional look, with extended support indefinitely. And a “Modern Windows” (Windows 11), consistent with Fluent Design, constantly updated, and focused on introducing new features. Both would use the same kernel and APIs for developer compatibility. This approach would offer users greater freedom of choice and demonstrate that a trillion-dollar company is dedicating teams to simultaneously deliver traditional features and modernity. I’ve seen many people complain about the lack of consistency and lack of content. Additionally, I miss feature updates for Windows and hope that Microsoft brings more flexibility, apps, and Fluent 2-style fixes in future updates. And, yes, this would increase the efforts and costs, but it's a cost that a trillionary company could take. 2: Modern Flyouts and Windows volume limits; In Windows 11, the multimedia controls displayed by apps like Fluent Flyouts are very limited; they only allow you to pause or skip tracks, with no option to adjust the volume or use repeat or shuffle buttons. This makes the experience less convenient compared to Android, where users can control the app’s volume or the music’s volume separately, and the operating system allows third-party apps to do so. My suggestion is that Microsoft should be more flexible and give apps like Modern Flyout the ability to adjust the volume, so you could turn the music up or down without affecting the overall system volume. Honestly, it’s surprising that something as basic as this hasn’t been implemented yet in the most widely used operating system. 3: Lack of flexibility in the Windows 11 search bar; It’s unbelievable that even in Windows 11, the system still limits users and developers to a rigid and impractical search bar. Apps like Fluent Search, Flow Search, and Everything Toolbar are much faster and more powerful, but they’re confined to taskbar icons or floating search bars, while the native search bar takes up space without offering the same efficiency. Microsoft needs to be more flexible and release an API that allows third-party apps to appear as a search bar directly on the taskbar. This isn’t a complex feature; it’s something simple and obvious that should already exist. If the official search bar itself isn’t improved, the least they could do is give other apps the freedom to offer a superior experience. It’s frustrating to see Windows remain limited in such basic aspects, while other systems offer more modern and practical solutions. Microsoft needs to listen to users and stop holding Windows back with an outdated model. 4: Windows Task Scheduler and other menus and tools need to be updated The native Windows Task Scheduler is completely outdated and inconsistent with the Fluent 2 style. Independent projects like the Fluent Task Scheduler show that it’s possible to have a modern, organized, and much more user-friendly interface. It’s frustrating that these apps have to coexist with outdated system tools, without being able to replace them or integrate with the system. Microsoft, as a trillion-dollar company, should invest in modernizing its own utilities or hire independent developers who have already proven capable of creating superior solutions, such as the Fluent Task Scheduler. The lack of visual and functional consistency in Windows is glaring and needs to be addressed 5: Lack of flexibility in naming user folders Compared to the Android system; Windows is very inflexible and lacks practicality in many ways. Here’s one example: C:\Users\eagl<- Here for example, I can’t correct my name—which would simply involve adding an “e”—; I have to create an entirely new account and move all my files to that account because of a typo. This should be a basic and simple fix. On Android, I was already so used to the system’s practicality that when I switched to Windows—which was supposed to be a more robust and powerful system—I was surprised to find it lacks even such a basic feature. 6: Differences in user experience between home and business users, and inconsistencies in Fluent 2; Microsoft seems to be focusing more and more on businesses, consistently applying Fluent 2 to apps like Teams, Outlook, and Office, while everyday users are left with a Windows full of outdated and inconsistent menus. This contradicts the marketing that promotes Fluent 2 as the standard, yet is frequently violated by the official apps themselves. It’s frustrating to see that Microsoft can’t deliver on its promises. If it really wants to preserve old elements for the sake of businesses, then it should separate the systems: a legacy one for compatibility and a modern one for home users. Or, at the very least, adhere to the Fluent 2 style across all of Windows. I love Fluent 2 and really want to see significant progress in this area, but seeing that Microsoft itself hasn’t made much effort in this regard has been a disappointment. The trillion-dollar company that talks so much about innovation shouldn’t be delivering a fragmented and outdated system. 7: Digital Wellness and productivity; Microsoft should make a native app with fluent style to help users watch their screen/app time. In 2026 there haven't any app that's free, solid and that feels native in Windows 11, because there aren't any API for that. Apps like Activity Watch for some reason don't work in my PC and apps like SolidTime are paid and not really fluent. Naturally, something like this should be made by Microsoft itself. Android has it since the beginning, why Windows doesn't have it yet?Microsoft can you bring back the new microsoft rewards dashboard
Yeah i know its not related to anything but it is related to Microsoft rewards program (and dashboard) yesterday when I saw this dashboard i was shocked because I can get a lot of points in bonuses at the first day of next month. Since i was close to my rewards goal worth 6550 points, i was very happy to be able to claim my goal although it was still being restocked. the goal (400 robux digital card) was discounted by 200 points because in the new dashboard, i was able to claim it and now its 200pts less. Now today i'm very sad. why did they remove the new rewards dashboard? I dont know but what i only know is that i wont be able to claim it sooner than until few months from now which sucks and is very sad microsoft. That is why you (Microsoft) should bring the new rewards dashboard back because of this situation. and also the roblox 400 robux digital card should be restocked soon I hope. Thanks microsoft if you're able to fix this issue, and if you can kindly give me a reason why you rolled back the original rewards dashboard prior to yesterday (I was lucky I saw it though, i got a lot of points from that heheh until today..)🫠
Advancing Windows driver security: Removing trust for the cross-signed driver program
Microsoft announces the removal of trust for all kernel drivers signed by the deprecated cross-signed root program, enhancing Windows security by enforcing that only drivers signed through the Windows Hardware Compatibility Program (WHCP) are trusted by default. This change will take effect with the April 2026 Windows update for Windows 11 versions 24H2, 25H2, 26H1, and Windows Server 2025, aiming to reduce attack surfaces while maintaining compatibility for essential cross-signed drivers through an allow list.
Office 365 issues
We have an end user that started with us approximately a year ago. Shortly after he started he began noticing that his status would go away on a fairly regular basis on MS Teams. We tried uninstall/reinstall, resetting, repairing and the problem persisted. Since he was a relatively new hire we were thinking it was something with his laptop so we replaced and the issue returned. Turned in a ticket with our Office 365 vendor who in turn opened a ticket with Microsoft. After some initial testing they sent a Teams install file that seemed to fix the issue. Since that time he has regularly had issues with Teams disconnecting, Outlook just stop receiving emails, while showing connected. Typically the only fix was a restart and on some occasions that did not work. Sometimes a reset or repair might fix this issue. Throughout this we did clear credential manager, caches, etc...This got a point yesterday where I created a new user profile for him, basically like a new laptop and it temporarily fixed the Teams and Outlook issue, however when attempting to sign into MS Edge it would just spin and had to use task manager to close the app. Tried a repair on the app as you cannot uninstall and same result it would hang up and have to forcibly closed. Just wondering if someone else has encountered something like this and possible fixes. Thanks
