windows

Using Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) from .NET About BITS and downloading and uploading files Programs nowadays often need to download files and data from the internet – maybe they need new content, new configurations, or the latest updates. The Windows Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) is an easy way for programs to ask Windows to download files from or upload files to a remote HTTP or SMB file server. BITS will handle problems like network outages, expensive networks (when your user is on a cell plan and is roaming), and more. In this blog post I’ll show how you can easily use BITS from a C# or other .NET language program. To use BITS from C++ using its native COM interface, see the GitHub sample at https://github.com/Microsoft/Windows-classic-samples/tree/master/Samples/BacgroundIntelligenceTransferServicePolicy. Your program can create new downloads from and uploads to HTTP web [ more… ]

Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18317 Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18317 (19H1) to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring. REMINDER: As is normal with builds early in the development cycle, builds may contain bugs that might be painful for some. If this makes you uncomfortable, you may want to consider switching to the Slow ring. Slow ring builds will continue to be higher quality. If you are looking for a complete look at what build is in which Insider ring – head on over to Flight Hub. You can also check out the rest of our documentation here including a complete list of new features and updates that have gone out as part of Insider flights for the current development cycle (which currently is 19H1). What’s new in Build 18317 Separating [ more… ]

MSN readers donate M to causes in the news in 2018 Eduardo Garcia, left, is served a warm meal during a community Thanksgiving celebration at the California State University-Chico in Chico, California, Thursday, Nov. 22, 2018. The construction worker says that years ago, he helped construct the Chico State auditorium where the meal is being held, plastering the outside walls. Garcia lost the Paradise home he lived in from a wildfire, and his immediate family lives in Hawaii. (AP Photo/Kathleen Ronayne) When the MSN News team launched MSN Causes a little over a year ago, they weren’t sure what to expect. The program – which aims to help readers understand critical issues, outline potential solutions and connect people to opportunities to help make a difference – was a unique exploration into the potential of online journalism. The response has been [ more… ]

Application compatibility in the Windows ecosystem Our application ecosystem is incredibly diverse, encompassing tens of millions of applications (apps) with numerous versions, languages, architectures, services and configuration options. While our ecosystem is complex, our vision is simple. All apps on Windows devices should just work! Customers should update with confidence, never worrying about compatibility across Windows versions. Achieving this goal requires innovative approaches to predict and prevent issues and traditional approaches like testing. In this installment of our quality blog series, Mete Goktepe from our Windows Application Compatibility team describes the various programs and technologies we use to improve app compatibility. We work very closely with partners to measure, validate and improve application compatibility for every supported version of Windows. Testing is a critical step, but we also know that testing is not enough to fully understand our dynamic ecosystem, [ more… ]