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Symlinks in Windows 10! Overview Symlinks, or symbolic links, are “virtual” files or folders which reference a physical file or folder located elsewhere, and are an important feature built in to many operating systems, including Linux and Windows. The Windows’ NTFS file system has supported symlinks since Windows Vista.  However, it hasn’t been easy for Windows developers to create symlinks.  In our efforts to continually improve the Windows Developer experience we’re fixing this! Starting with Windows 10 Insiders build 14972, symlinks can be created without needing to elevate the console as administrator. This will allow developers, tools and projects, that previously struggled to work effectively on Windows due to symlink issues, to behave just as efficiently and reliably as they do on Linux or OSX. Background A symlink is essentially a pointer to a file or folder located elsewhere, consumes [ more… ]

This Week on Windows: Cortana, Halo, holiday music and more We hope you enjoyed this week’s episode of This Week on Windows! Read more about three ways Cortana can help you this holiday and don’t miss the free holiday albums available today in the Windows Store* and the 12 days of deals at the Microsoft Stores. Here’s what’s new in the Windows Store this week: Pre-order Halo Wars 2: Definitive Edition Early access to Halo Wars: Definitive Edition, available to anyone who preorders the digital version of Halo Wars 2 Ultimate Edition, begins rolling out to Xbox One and Windows 10 PC on Dec. 20!  Halo Wars tells the tale of the UNSC Spirit of Fire and its intrepid crew as they battle against the Covenant on the planet Harvest, set over two decades before the events of Halo: Combat Evolved. Pre-order Halo [ more… ]

Here’s a look at all the deals included in Microsoft Stores’ 12 Days of Deals Get ready to unwrap a new offer every day beginning December 5 through December 16 with 12 Days of Deals at Microsoft Stores and microsoftstore.com. Whether you’re looking to knock out the last items on your gift list, find a new game for a friend or treat yourself to some of the coolest gadgets, the Microsoft Store has you covered. With great savings on some of the most sought-after gifts of the season like Xbox One games, select Surface devices, virtual reality experiences and many others, Microsoft Stores put everything you want within reach – at a great price. Visit your local Microsoft Store or microsoftstore.com for more details on availability and pricing. Here’s a look at the deals this season: Day 1 (Dec. 5) [ more… ]

Get nine holiday albums for free from the Windows Store We’re excited to let you know that we’re giving away holiday albums in the US, available in the Windows Store for free!* The albums include holiday songs from Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Mary J. Blige, the classic album from Vince Guaraldi Trio, A Charlie Brown Christmas, and more. You can get all of these and more right now if you’re a Groove Music Pass subscriber – and if you aren’t, you can sign up here for a free 30-day trial and start listening today on your Windows 10 devices. Justin Bieber – Under The Mistletoe, Deluxe Edition Justin Bieber’s 2011 holiday album is a mix of classic holiday favorites and new music, including “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” “Fa La La,” “Mistletoe” and more. Ariana Grande – Christmas [ more… ]