Windows 10 S is a new version of Windows which launched alongside the new Microsoft Surface Laptop. The Surface Laptop itself is a fairly powerful device, but its default operating system – Windows 10 S – limits the laptop to the capabilities of a chromebook.
No, this is not a design flaw with Windows 10 S. What we are witnessing is Microsoft getting a foot in the door of the “safer” OS markets (Such as iOS and Chrome OS). So, how is the Windows 10 S operating system more secure than Windows 10 Home and Windows 10 Pro?
The distinguishing feature of Microsoft’s Windows 10 S is that the operating system only lets users download applications from the Windows Store. This is somewhat of a double-edged sword, as it reduces the chances for users to download malicious files, but it also severely restricts what programs users can access – something that has always been a selling point of Windows.
Windows 10 S is undeniably safer than the Home or Pro variants because of this constraint, but you should still compute cautiously if you ever purchase a Windows 10 S device. People have found a way to get around Windows 10 S security features within hours of the new operating system being released, and they didn’t even have to think up a new method for infecting the Windows 10 S system.
Microsoft Office is a tried-and-true method of malware transportation, and since it is one of Microsoft’s own products it would be shocking if it wasn’t on the Windows Store. Of course, MS Office is on the Windows Store, and it is still perfectly capable of running malicious macros embedded in Word files.
Macros can save you a lot of time if your job involves frequently using the Microsoft Office Suite, and Word macros are only dangerous if you have a temporary failure in common sense, and enable macros on an infected document you got from a buddy or over the internet. By default, Word 2016 has “Disable all macros with notification” active in the macro settings. If you want to change this setting and enable macros, here is how you do it. Click “File” —> go to the left blue sidebar and click “Options” —> click “Trust Center” on the left sidebar —> click “Trust Center Settings…”. From there you can change your settings to fill your macro needs.
If you think your computer has been infected by malware from a Microsoft Office program, you can schedule a PC tune-up through Computer Service Now and we’ll get it fixed for you.
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