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Microsoft shuts down Skype after 22 years, shifting users to Teams

The Truth News — Mon, 05 May 2025 09:11:00 +0000

Microsoft shuts down Skype after 22 years, shifting users to Teams

Microsoft purchased Skype in 2011 for $8.5 billion

Microsoft’s Skype has finally shut down, concluding its 22-year tenure as the once-dominant internet calling and messaging service.

Microsoft acquired Skype in 2011 for $8.5 billion in what was then its largest-ever acquisition. At its peak, Skype had more than 300 million monthly active users and was synonymous with internet-based voice and video calling. For many, Skype was their first experience of speaking to someone halfway across the world for free, a radical shift from the dominance of telcos and expensive long-distance calls.

The service steadily declined in relevance in recent years, with its active user base shrinking to approximately 36 million by 2023 as competitors such as Zoom, WhatsApp, and Microsoft’s own Teams platform gained traction.

Teams has since grown to 320 million monthly users, far surpassing Skype’s remaining user base. The company’s decision to discontinue Skype is apparently part of a broader effort to prioritize artificial intelligence features within Teams. Employees who worked on Skype will be reassigned to other projects rather than being laid off.

Skype played a key role in popularizing VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) technology, enabling businesses and individuals to connect around the world with minimal costs. It also served as an early testbed for AI-powered real-time language translation, a feature Microsoft showcased in a widely publicized demonstration in 2014. However, its frequent UI changes, reliability issues, ill-conceived social media-like features, gradual shift toward enterprise, and inability to keep pace with newer competitors, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, ultimately led to its obsolescence.

Existing Skype users had until May 5 to migrate their data and contacts to Teams or seek alternative solutions. Skype’s legacy lives on in the VoIP technology it helped to normalize—but as a product, it stands as a case study in how brand recognition alone can’t save a stagnant platform.

source

RIP Skype (2003–2025), survived by multiple versions of Microsoft Teams

Today is the day: Microsoft has formally shuttered the Skype app and service after announcing in February that Skype was being axed in favor of Microsoft Teams, the company’s Slack competitor.

The Skype apps have all been advertising the end of the service and pointing users to Teams for weeks now. As of today, if you open the app or navigate to the Skype site, you’ll be directed to use Teams instead. The last active vestige of Skype is the Skype Dial Pad, which Skype subscribers and members with Skype Credits can still use to make calls to traditional telephone numbers (the Dial Pad is also incorporated into Microsoft Teams Free).

It’s an unceremonious end for an app that was once synonymous with video calls. Microsoft originally bought Skype for $8.5 billion in 2011; it was also owned by eBay from 2005 to 2009 and by a group of venture capital firms between 2009 and 2011. Ironically, Microsoft bought the app to replace its own first-party communication client at the time, Windows Live Messenger (which itself had grown out of the old MSN Messenger).

Though not the first software to allow video communication over the Internet, Skype was one of the first recognizably modern peer-to-peer video chatting apps. Created by some of the same developers behind the Kazaa peer-to-peer file-sharing software, Skype was originally released in 2003, at around the same time when increasing broadband Internet availability and better video compression codecs were solving the bandwidth problem.

But as detailed by Wired, Skype lost momentum after the Microsoft purchase, partly due to a redesign that people didn’t like and partly because upstarts like Zoom were offering new features and better call quality. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020 and all kinds of office jobs shifted to remote work, it was Zoom and not Skype that was in a better position to become the video-chatting app everyone was trapped in.

Skype has been merging into or being replaced by Teams for years, starting with the end of Skype for Business in 2017, a few months after formally releasing the first version of Teams. Microsoft has pushed Teams aggressively, including it alongside its flagship Office apps and Microsoft 365 service for years. Some regulators believed this was, in fact, too aggressive, and Microsoft decoupled Teams from the other Office apps in 2023 (for the European Union) and 2024 (for everyone else). source

Skype is no more, as Microsoft is retiring the once-popular video calling service on Monday.

Shutting down Skype will help the software giant focus on its homegrown Teams service by simplifying its communication offerings, Microsoft announced back in February.

To ease the transition from the platform, its users will be able to log into the free version of Teams using their existing credentials, with chats and contacts migrating automatically.

“Skype has been an integral part of shaping modern communications and supporting countless meaningful moments, and we are honored to have been part of the journey,” Jeff Tepper, Microsoft president of collaborative apps and platforms, said in a statement.

Businessman discussing work on video call with team members. (iStock / iStock)

Those who do not want to use Microsoft Teams Free can export their Skype data. Those who do nothing will have their data deleted in January 2026, Microsoft’s website says.

Skype first launched in 2003. When Microsoft acquired it in 2011 for $8.5 billion, the service had around 150 million monthly users. When the popularity of Zoom surged during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, that number had fallen to roughly 23 million.

The decline was partly because Skype’s underlying technology was not suited for the smartphone era.

source

Microsoft reveals its first quantum computing chip, the Majorana 1

The Truth News — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 15:11:48 +0000

Microsoft reveals its first quantum computing chip, the Majorana 1

Microsoft on Wednesday announced Majorana 1, its first quantum computing chip.

The achievement comes after the company has spent nearly two decades of research in the field.

Technologists believe quantum computers could one day efficiently solve problems that would be taxing if not impossible for classical computers. Today’s computers use bits that can be either on or off while quantum computers employ quantum bits, or qubits, that can operate in both states simultaneously.

Google and IBM have also developed quantum processors, as have smaller companies IonQ and Rigetti Computing. Microsoft’s quantum chip employs eight topological qubits using indium arsenide, which is a semiconductor, and aluminum, which is a superconductor. A new paper in the journal Nature describes the chip in detail.

Microsoft won’t be allowing clients to use its Majorana 1 chip through the company’s Azure public cloud, as it plans to do with its custom artificial intelligence chip, Maia 100. Instead, Majorana 1 is a step toward a goal of a million qubits on a chip, following extensive physics research.

Rather than rely on Taiwan Semiconductor or another company for fabrication, Microsoft is manufacturing the components of Majorana 1 itself in the U.S. That’s possible because the work is unfolding at a small scale.

“We want to get to a few hundred qubits before we start talking about commercial reliability,” Jason Zander, a Microsoft executive vice president, told CNBC.

In the meantime, the company will engage with national laboratories and universities on research using Majorana 1.

Despite the focus on research, investors are fascinated by quantum.

IonQ shares went up 237% in 2024, and Rigetti gained nearly 1,500%. The two generated a combined $14.8 million in third-quarter revenue. Further gains came in January, after Microsoft issued a blog post declaring that 2025 is “the year to become quantum-ready.”

Microsoft’s Azure Quantum cloud service, which lets developers experiment with programs and algorithms, offers access to chips from IonQ and Rigetti. It’s possible that a Microsoft quantum chip might become available through Azure before 2030, Zander said.

“There’s a lot of speculation that we’re decades off from this,” he said. “We believe it’s more like years.”

Rather than exist as a stand-alone category, quantum computing might end up boosting other parts of Microsoft. For example, there’s Microsoft’s AI business, which has an annualized revenue run rate that exceeds $13 billion. Quantum computers could be used to build data used to train AI models, Zander said.

“Now you can ask it to invent some new molecule, invent some new drug, something that really would have been impossible to do before,” Zander said.

source

Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool application

The Truth News — Sat, 29 Jun 2024 20:52:09 +0000

Kaspersky Ban: Is Kaspersky Spyware? NO

FYI THE NSO GROUP made software for SECRET HACKING of ANY TARGET including HIGH VALUE TARGETS & PRESIDENTS! Pegasus is a spyware developed by the Israeli cyber-arms company NSO Group AND HAS NEVER BEEN ABLE TO BE DISCOVERED UNTIL…….. KASPERSKY FOUND A WAY TO DETECT THIS SPYWARE ON PHONES. NOW MAYBE THE US GOVERNMENT DOES NOT WANT ITS TARGETS HERE TO CHECK THEIR PHONES!

Download Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool application

Kaspersky Virus Removal Toolfor Windows®

download WINDOWS VERSION HERE from them and here from US

After downloading, there’s no need to install anything – just follow these simple steps:

Open the downloaded file.
Run Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool.

Helps remove malware from your PC if it’s been infected.

Running the application

Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool does not require installation. We recommend quitting all active applications before running Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool.

Running the application involves the following steps:

1 Downloading the application file

Download the application file from the Kaspersky official website and save the file on your local disk, for example, in the ~/Downloads directory.

2 Granting the execute permission

To make the application file executable using the graphical user interface:

Run your file manager and change to the directory with the kvrt.run application file.
Right-click the file to display the context menu and go to file properties.

Context menu of the file
In file properties, select the access permissions section. Depending on your operating system, this section can have different names, such as Permissions, Access rights, Discretionary attributes, etc.
Allow running the file as an application. Depending on your operating system, this setting can have different names, such as Allow executing file as program, Executable as program, Execute, etc.

File properties

If you cannot make the file executable using the GUI, you can use the command line.

To make the application file executable using the command line:

Run the Terminal application or its equivalent.
Change to the directory with the kvrt.run application file:
cd ~/Downloads
Run the following command to grant the execute permission:
chmod +x kvrt.run

3 Running the application file

To run the application file using the graphical user interface:

Right-click the file to display the context menu and select the command to run the file as an application. Depending on your operating system, this menu item can be named, for example, Run as a program, etc.

Context menu of the file
If you cannot run the file as an application, try running the application by double-clicking the file icon. The operating system may prompt you to confirm the execution of the file. In some operating systems, double-clicking the file icon opens the text editor instead of running the application.

If you cannot run the application file using the GUI, you can use the command line.

To run the application file using the command line:

Change to the directory with the kvrt.run application file:
cd ~/Downloads
Run the application file:
./kvrt.run

Running the application in Terminal

The application prompts you to enter your password to run the application as superuser (root).

Superuser password prompt

The application unpacks the necessary files into a temporary directory at /tmp/. When the application is closed, the temporary directory is deleted. If you terminate the process of the application, the temporary directory is deleted when the computer is restarted. You can specify a different directory for saving temporary files on the command line (--target ).

The application displays the End User License Agreement, the Privacy Policy, and the KSN Statement. Kaspersky Security Network (KSN) is an infrastructure of cloud services providing access to the online Kaspersky Knowledge Base that contains information about the reputation of files, web resources, and software. KSN participants receive information from Kaspersky and send Kaspersky information about objects detected on the user’s computer to be analyzed additionally by Kaspersky analysts and to be included in the reputation and statistical databases.

Carefully read the terms and conditions of the agreements before you accept them.

After completing the initialization, the application displays the main window of Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool. The application may then request proxy server credentials to connect to the internet. Internet access is required to connect to the KSN and update anti-virus databases.

The application creates a directory in which it places its working files:

/var/opt/KVRT2024_Data if the application was run by the superuser (root).
/home//KVRT2024_Data if the application was run by an ordinary user.

If Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool fails to run, you can scan your computer using the Kaspersky Rescue Disk. Kaspersky Rescue Disk is an application that allows scanning your computer without booting an operating system. To use it, you must create a bootable USB drive or CD/DVD disk and boot your computer from the external media. Kaspersky Rescue Disk can be managed in the same way as Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool.

Main application window

source

Removal tool for Kaspersky applications on Windows (kavremover)

Download the kavremover tool

Kavremover is a free tool for removing Kaspersky applications that cannot be removed completely using standard Windows tools. direct from them Download direct from us Download

We recommend using the latest tool version.Do not use the kavremover tool unless recommended to do so by Kaspersky Customer Service engineers. Unreasonable using of the tool may complicate the application removal.

How to remove a Kaspersky application using the kavremover tool

Download the kavremvr.exe executable file.
Run the file once it has downloaded.
Carefully read through the End User License Agreement. Click Аccept if you agree to the terms.

Enter the security code from the image.
Select the Kaspersky application you want to remove. If you have multiple Kaspersky applications installed on your computer, remove them one at a time.
Click Remove.

Wait until you receive a notification that the application has been successfully removed and click ОК.

Restart your PC.

If you experience any issues with kavremover, try to restart your computer in Safe Mode and run the tool once again.

Applications that can be removed with the kavremover tool

With the kavremover tool, you can remove the following Kaspersky applications:

AVP Tool driver
Endpoint Sensor
KTFS for Windows 3.0
Kaspersky Anti-Ransomware Tool (KART) for Business (all versions)
Kaspersky Anti-Targeted Attacks (KATA) Endpoint Sensor (all versions)
Kaspersky Anti-Virus (version 2009 and later)
Kaspersky Endpoint Agent 3.7
Kaspersky Endpoint Security for file servers and workstations for Windows (version 8 and later)
Kaspersky Fraud Prevention for Endpoint (all versions)
Kaspersky Free (all versions)
Kaspersky Internet Security (version 2009 and later)
Kaspersky PURE/CRYSTAL (all versions)
Kaspersky Password Manager (all versions)
Kaspersky Safe Kids (all versions)
Kaspersky Secure Connection (all versions)
Kaspersky Security Center 11 Web Console
Kaspersky Security Cloud (all versions)
Kaspersky Security Integrations for MSP
Kaspersky Security Scan (all versions)
Kaspersky Security for Virtualization Light Agent versions 5.0, 5.1, 5.2
Kaspersky Small Office Security for Personal Computer / File Server (all versions)
Kaspersky Standard, Plus, Premium (all versions)
Kaspersky Total Security (all versions)
MSI Integration Service MR2/MR3
MSI Integration Tool MR2/MR3
Nifty Security 24 Internet Security/Nifty Security 24 Internet Security 2013
Kaspersky Anti-Virus 6.0 FS MP4
Kaspersky Anti-Virus 6.0 SOS MP4
Kaspersky Anti-Virus 6.0 WKS MP4
Kaspersky Anti-Virus 6.0/6.0 R2 for Windows Servers
Kaspersky Anti-Virus 6.0/6.0 R2 for Windows Workstations

source

Cleanest Version of Windows – How to Customize a Windows ISO

The Truth News — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 22:12:04 +0000

Cleanest Version of Windows – How to Customize a Windows ISO

Creating a Bloatfree Version of Windows

follow this guide in the video below

here are the resources you will need to visit

https://schneegans.de/

Unattended XML genrator which is where the specific routine XML genrator is located this is a HIGHLY CUSTOMIZED generator capable of creating the leanest version of windows.

There is no chance of virus, you can read the XML changes in the XML files which are readable by NOTEPAD app and you can see all the options that winodows ISO will use to automate its own removal. Since you get the ISO from Microsoft and the software allows the addion of XML unattended automation you can assure all changes to the core ISO are down by you and allowed by Microsoft

Generate `autounattend.xml` files for Windows 10/11

https://schneegans.de/windows/unattend-generator/

Download Windows 10

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

Download Windows 11

https://www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows11

Answer files (unattend.xml)

Article
05/18/2022

Answer files (or Unattend files) can be used to modify Windows settings in your images during Setup. You can also create settings that trigger scripts in your images that run after the first user creates their account and picks their default language.

Windows Setup will automatically search for answer files in certain locations, or you can specify an unattend file to use by using the /unattend: option when running Windows Setup (setup.exe).

Windows settings overview

While you can set many Windows settings in audit mode, some settings can only be set by using an answer file or Windows Configuration Designer, such as adding manufacturer’s support information. A full list of answer file settings (also known as Unattend settings) is in the Unattended Windows Setup Reference.

Enterprises can control other settings by using Group Policy. For more info, see Group Policy.

Answer file settings

You can specify which configuration pass to add new settings. Each configuration pass represents an installation phase where settings can be configured:

1 windowsPE: These settings are used by the Windows Setup installation program. If you’re modifying existing images, you can usually ignore these settings.
2 offlineServicing: These settings are applied to offline images where you apply an Unattend file with DISM using the Apply-Unattend option. When you apply an Unattend file with DISM to an offline image, only the settings in this configuration pass are processed.
4 specialize: Most settings should be added here. These settings are triggered both at the beginning of audit mode and at the beginning of OOBE. If you need to make multiple updates or test settings, generalize the device again and add another batch of settings in the Specialize Configuration pass.
6 auditUser: Runs as soon as you start audit mode.
This is a great time to run a system test script – we’ll add Microsoft-Windows-Deployment\RunAsynchronousCommand as our example. To learn more, see Add a Custom Script to Windows Setup.
7 oobeSystem: Use sparingly. Most of these settings run after the user completes OOBE. The exception is the Microsoft-Windows-Deployment\Reseal\Mode = Audit setting, which we’ll use to bypass OOBE and boot the PC into audit mode.
If your script relies on knowing which language the user selects during OOBE, you’d add it to the oobeSystem pass.
To learn more, see Windows Setup Configuration Passes.

Note

These settings could be lost if the user resets their PC with the built-in recovery tools. To see how to make sure these settings stay on the device during a reset, see Sample scripts: Keeping Windows settings through a recovery.

Create and modify an answer file

This section walks through how to create and modify an Unattend file using tools available in the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit. When creating an Unattend file for your deployment, you can configure different or additional settings than what is described below.

Step 1: Create a catalog file

Start Windows System Image Manager.
Click File > Select Windows Image.
In Select a Windows Image, browse to and select the image file (D:\install.wim). Next, select an edition of Windows, for example, Windows 10 Pro, and click OK. Click Yes to create the catalog file. Windows SIM creates the file based on the image file, and saves it to the same folder as the image file. This process can take several minutes.
The catalog file appears in the Windows Image pane. Windows SIM lists the configurable components and packages in that image.
Tip

If Windows SIM does not create the catalog file, try the following steps:
- To create a catalog file for either 32-bit or Arm-based devices, use a 32-bit device.
- Make sure the Windows base-image file (\Sources\Install.wim) is in a folder that has read-write privileges, such as a USB flash drive or on your hard drive.

Step 2: Create an answer file

Click File > New Answer File.
The new answer file appears in the Answer File pane.

Note

If you open an existing answer file, you might be prompted to associate the answer file with the image. Click Yes.

Step 3: Add new answer file settings

Add OEM info:
1. In the Windows Image pane, expand Components, right-click amd64_Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup_(version), and then select Add Setting to Pass 4 specialize.
2. In the Answer File pane, select Components\4 specialize\amd64_Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup_neutral\OEMInformation.
3. In the OEMInformation Properties pane, in the Settings section, select:
  - Manufacturer=Fabrikam
  - Model=Notebook Model 1
  - Logo=C:\Fabrikam\Fabrikam.bmp
4. Create a 32-bit color graphic/logo with a maximum size of 120×120 pixels and save it as D:\AnswerFiles\Fabrikam.bmp file on your local PC.
  We’ll copy the logo into the Windows image in a few steps.
Set the device to automatically boot to audit mode:
1. In the Windows Image pane, expand Components, right-click amd64_Microsoft-Windows-Deployment_(version), and then select Add Setting to Pass 7 oobeSystem.
2. In the Answer File pane, select Components\7 oobeSystem\amd64_Microsoft-Windows-Deployment_neutral\Reseal.
3. In the Reseal Properties pane, in the Settings section, select Mode=Audit.
Prepare a script to run after Audit mode begins.
1. In the Windows Image pane, right-click amd64_ Microsoft-Windows-Deployment_(version) and then click Add Setting to Pass 6 auditUser.
2. In the Answer File pane, expand Components\6 auditUser\amd64_Microsoft-Windows-Deployment_neutral\RunAsynchronous. Right-click RunAsynchronousCommand Properties and click Insert New AsynchronousCommand.
3. In the AsynchronousCommand Properties pane, in the Settings section, add the following values:
  - Path = C:\Fabrikam\SampleCommand.cmd
  - Description = Sample command to run a system diagnostic check.
  - Order = 1 (Determines the order that commands are run, starting with 1.)
Add a registry key. In this example, we add a REG_SZ key called ABCD into HKLM\Software\Sample with a value of 10. This command will call CMD /c REG ADD, just as if you were creating a registry key from the Command prompt.
Add RunAsynchronousCommands for each registry key to add. (Right-click RunAsynchronousCommand Properties and click Insert New AsynchronousCommand).

Windows Command Prompt
```
Path = CMD /c REG ADD HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Sample /v 10 /t REG_SZ ABCD
Description = Adds a OEM registry key
Order = 2
RequiredUserInput = false
```

See the Unattended Windows Setup Reference for a full list of configuration options.

Step 4: Save the answer file

Save the answer file, for example: D:\AnswerFiles\BootToAudit-x64.xml.

Note

Windows SIM will not allow you to save the answer file into the mounted image folders.

Step 5: Create a script

Since we specified a script to run in Step 3.3, let’s create that script now.

Copy the following sample script into Notepad, and save it as D:\AnswerFiles\SampleCommand.cmd.

Windows Command Prompt

@rem Scan the integrity of system files 
@rem (Required after removing the base English language from an image)
sfc.exe /scannow

@rem Check to see if your drivers are digitally signed, and send output to a log file.
md C:\Fabrikam
C:\Windows\System32\dxdiag /t C:\Fabrikam\DxDiag-TestLogFiles.txt

Add the answer file and script to the image

Step 6: Mount an image and add the answer file

Use DISM to mount a Windows image. To learn how to mount an image, see Mount and modify a Windows image using DISM
Copy the answer file into the image into the \Windows\Panther folder, and name it unattend.xml. The Panther folder is one of the folders where Windows searches for an answer file. Create the folder if it doesn’t exist. If there’s an existing answer file, replace it or use Windows System Image Manager to edit/combine settings if necessary.
Windows Command Prompt
```
MkDir c:\mount\windows\Windows\Panther
Copy D:\AnswerFiles\BootToAudit-x64.xml  C:\mount\windows\Windows\Panther\unattend.xml
MkDir c:\mount\windows\Fabrikam
Copy D:\AnswerFiles\Fabrikam.bmp    C:\mount\windows\Fabrikam\Fabrikam.bmp
Copy D:\AnswerFiles\SampleCommand.cmd    C:\mount\windows\Fabrikam\SampleCommand.cmd
```
Unmount the image, committing the changes. For example:
Windows Command Prompt
```
Dism /Unmount-Image /MountDir:"C:\mount\windows" /Commit
```
where C is the drive letter of the drive that contains the mounted image.

This process may take several minutes.

When you apply your image, Windows will process your unattend file and will configure your settings based on what you specified in the unattend. source

Below you will find several answer files that can be used to install Windows 11. Each answer file serves a different purpose as described below. Note that these can be used to bypass the normal system requirements for installation of Windows 11. If you want Windows to perform the usual system requirements checks, that section can be easily removed. All of these answer files will install the Windows Professional Edition. You can change the key in an answer file if you want to change it from Pro to Home or another edition. Those answer files that specify locality data are configured to install Windows English language editions for use in the United States and set a time zone of US Central Time. Again, you can alter these if you like.

If you have any special requests for customized answer files, let me know and I’ll be happy to help.

Preceding each answer file is a description of what that answer file does and anything that you may want to pay attention to regarding usage of that answer file.

The answer files are listed in order from those that do the least (simply bypassing Win 11 requirements) to those that do the most (full unattended installation).

TIP: For all answer files except the Autounattend_Bypass.xml, if you change the key in the answer file to a Windows Home Edition key, you will end up with a local account called “WinAdmin” so these answer files can be used to install Windows Home with a Local Account which is not normally possible during a manual installation.

Using the Answer Files to Install Windows…

… on a Physical Machine

Create your thumb drive for installing Windows in the same manner that you always do. Copy the answer file that you want to use onto the root of the thumb drive and rename it to “autounattend.xml”.

… in a VM (Method 1 – Easy Method)

Place the answer file that you wish to use in a folder all by itself and rename it to autounattend.xml.

Create an ISO image from the contents of that folder using any software that you like – just make sure that the answer file is at the root of the drive, not in a folder. If you use the OSCDIMG utility that is installed with the Windows ADK, use the syntax as in the example below.

Code:

OSCDIMG.EXE -o -m -h -k -u2 -udfver102 -L"Vol_Name" "Source" "Destination"

Be aware that there is no space after the “-L”.

Vol_Name is the Volume name that would show up when the ISO image is mounted. You can use “” to indicate no volume name or omit the -L”Vol_Name” since this is optional.

Source is the entire path to the folder where you saved answer file.

Destination is the full destination path including the filename of the ISO image you are creating.

Example:

Code:

OSCDIMG.EXE -o -m -h -k -u2 -udfver102 -L"My Answer File" "C:\Answer File" "%UserProfile%\Desktop\My Answer File.ISO"

When you install Windows, simply attach this ISO image as a second drive. This works because Windows setup will search the root of all drives it has access to for an answer file.

… in a VM (Method 2 – More Difficult)

This method is slightly more difficult because you will need to re-create your Windows ISO image making sure to properly make it a bootable image.

Copy the contents of your Windows ISO image file to a folder. In this example, I will assume C:\ISO_Files.

Copy the answer file that you wish to use to that folder and rename it to autounattend.xml.

Re-create your ISO image. If you are using the OSCDIMG tool that is installed with the Windows ADK, use the syntax as in the example below. BE CAREFUL! This command has spots where you might expect to see a space, but none exists.

Replace the 3 occurrences of c:\iso_files with the correct path to where your files are located. Also, replace the c:\Win11.iso at the end of command with the correct path and name for the output file that you want to save. If a path contains spaces, enclose it in double quotes.

Code:

oscdimg.exe -m -o -u2 -udfver102 -bootdata:2#p0,e,bc:\iso_files\boot\etfsboot.com#pEF,e,bc:\iso_files\efi\microsoft\boot\efisys.bin c:\iso_files c:\Win11.iso

Autounattend_Bypass.xml – Using this answer file with Windows 11 will bypass the checks for supported CPU, TPM, Secure Boot, memory and storage space requirements. Note that this answer file does NOT automate installation. The only thing that it does is bypass those checks. This can be used on both BIOS and UEFI based systems. You will still need to respond to the prompts and provide the information requested by setup just as with any standard installation of Windows.

EDIT: Below code edited on April 12, 2022. In order for this to work, you still need to specify a product key in the answer file and I was missing that in this sample. In this sample I am now using a Windows 10/11 Pro key.

Code:



    
        
            
                
                    VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T
                
                true
            
            
                
                    1
                    reg add HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassTPMCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f
                
                
                    2
                    reg add HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassSecureBootCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f
                
                
                    3
                    reg add HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassRAMCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f
                
                
                    5
                    reg add HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassCPUCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f
                
                
                    4
                    reg add HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassStorageCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f

Autounattend_Bypass_No_Location.xml – Installs Windows on either a BIOS or UEFI based system. It will bypass the checks for supported CPU, TPM, Secure Boot, memory and storage space requirements. The installation will be completely unattended EXCEPT that the user will need to specify onto what disk Windows should be installed. This is perfect for systems where you are not certain of the disk number that you will install onto in advance. Another advantage of this is that Windows will install the recovery partition last which follows the latest recommendation from Microsoft which would not happen if you specified the disk to install to in your answer file. Creates an Administrator level user named “WinAdmin” with no password.

Code:



    
        
            
                en-US
            
            en-US
            en-US
            en-US
            en-US
            en-US
        
        
            
                
                    1
                    reg add HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassTPMCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f
                
                
                    2
                    reg add HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassSecureBootCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f
                
                
                    3
                    reg add HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassRAMCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f
                
                
                    5
                    reg add HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassCPUCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f
                
                
                    4
                    reg add HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassStorageCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f
                
            
            
                
                    VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T
                
                true
            
            
                
                    
                        \install.wim
                    
                
            
        
    
    
        
            en-US
            en-US
            en-US
            en-US
            en-US
        
        
            
                
                    false
                
                true
                true
                true
                true
                1
                false
            
            
                
                    
                        
                            UABhAHMAcwB3AG8AcgBkADEAUABhAHMAcwB3AG8AcgBkAA==
                            false</PlainText>
                        </Password>
                        <DisplayName>Windows Admin</DisplayName>
                        <Group>administrators</Group>
                        <Name>WinAdmin</Name>
                    </LocalAccount>
                </LocalAccounts>
            </UserAccounts>
            <TimeZone>Central Standard Time</TimeZone>
            <AutoLogon>
                <Password>
                    <Value>UABhAHMAcwB3AG8AcgBkADEAUABhAHMAcwB3AG8AcgBkAA==</Value>
                    <PlainText>false</PlainText>
                </Password>
                <Enabled>true</Enabled>
                <LogonCount>1</LogonCount>
                <Username>WinAdmin</Username>
            </AutoLogon>
            <FirstLogonCommands>
                <SynchronousCommand wcm:action="add">
                    <CommandLine>reg add &quot;HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon&quot; /v AutoLogonCount /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f</CommandLine>
                    <Order>1</Order>
                </SynchronousCommand>
            </FirstLogonCommands>
        </component>
    </settings>
    <settings pass="specialize">
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
            <TimeZone>Central Standard Time</TimeZone>
        </component>
    </settings>
    <cpi:offlineImage cpi:source="catalog://godzilla/data/windows/windows tools and deployment apps/assets for deployment/win 11 pro 21h2 catalog file/install_windows 10 pro.clg" xmlns:cpi="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:cpi" />
</unattend></code></pre>
</div>
</div>
<p><b>Autounattend_Bypass_Unattended.xml</b> &#8211; Installs Windows 11 Pro on a UEFI based system to disk 0. Creates an Administrator level user named &#8220;WinAdmin&#8221; with no password. Bypasses the checks for supported CPU, TPM, Secure Boot, memory and strorage space requirements. IMPORTANT: Be aware that this is a 100% fully automated installation. It will wipe out disk 0 and install to it. Make sure that disk 0 is really the corrtect disk! Make sure you don&#8217;t accidentally boot a thumb drive or ISO image with this answer file on it because it WILL WIPE DISK 0 WITHOUT WARNING!</p>
<div class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--screenLimited bbCodeBlock--code">
<div class="bbCodeBlock-title">Code:</div>
<div class="bbCodeBlock-content" dir="ltr">
<pre class="bbCodeCode" dir="ltr" data-xf-init="code-block" data-lang=""><code><?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">
    <settings pass="windowsPE">
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-International-Core-WinPE" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
            <SetupUILanguage>
                <UILanguage>en-US</UILanguage>
            </SetupUILanguage>
            <InputLocale>en-US</InputLocale>
            <SystemLocale>en-US</SystemLocale>
            <UILanguage>en-US</UILanguage>
            <UILanguageFallback>en-US</UILanguageFallback>
            <UserLocale>en-US</UserLocale>
        </component>
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Setup" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
            <RunSynchronous>
                <RunSynchronousCommand wcm:action="add">
                    <Order>1</Order>
                    <Path>reg add HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassTPMCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f</Path>
                </RunSynchronousCommand>
                <RunSynchronousCommand wcm:action="add">
                    <Order>2</Order>
                    <Path>reg add HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassSecureBootCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f</Path>
                </RunSynchronousCommand>
                <RunSynchronousCommand wcm:action="add">
                    <Order>3</Order>
                    <Path>reg add HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassRAMCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f</Path>
                </RunSynchronousCommand>
                <RunSynchronousCommand wcm:action="add">
                    <Order>5</Order>
                    <Path>reg add HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassCPUCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f</Path>
                </RunSynchronousCommand>
                <RunSynchronousCommand wcm:action="add">
                    <Order>4</Order>
                    <Path>reg add HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassStorageCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f</Path>
                </RunSynchronousCommand>
            </RunSynchronous>
            <DiskConfiguration>
                <Disk wcm:action="add">
                    <CreatePartitions>
                        <CreatePartition wcm:action="add">
                            <Order>1</Order>
                            <Size>500</Size>
                            <Type>Primary</Type>
                        </CreatePartition>
                        <CreatePartition wcm:action="add">
                            <Order>2</Order>
                            <Size>260</Size>
                            <Type>EFI</Type>
                        </CreatePartition>
                        <CreatePartition wcm:action="add">
                            <Order>3</Order>
                            <Size>128</Size>
                            <Type>MSR</Type>
                        </CreatePartition>
                        <CreatePartition wcm:action="add">
                            <Extend>true</Extend>
                            <Order>4</Order>
                            <Type>Primary</Type>
                        </CreatePartition>
                    </CreatePartitions>
                    <ModifyPartitions>
                        <ModifyPartition wcm:action="add">
                            <Format>NTFS</Format>
                            <Label>WinRE</Label>
                            <Order>1</Order>
                            <PartitionID>1</PartitionID>
                            <TypeID>DE94BBA4-06D1-4D40-A16A-BFD50179D6AC</TypeID>
                        </ModifyPartition>
                        <ModifyPartition wcm:action="add">
                            <Format>FAT32</Format>
                            <Label>System</Label>
                            <Order>2</Order>
                            <PartitionID>2</PartitionID>
                        </ModifyPartition>
                        <ModifyPartition wcm:action="add">
                            <Order>3</Order>
                            <PartitionID>3</PartitionID>
                        </ModifyPartition>
                        <ModifyPartition wcm:action="add">
                            <Format>NTFS</Format>
                            <Label>Windows</Label>
                            <Letter>C</Letter>
                            <Order>4</Order>
                            <PartitionID>4</PartitionID>
                        </ModifyPartition>
                    </ModifyPartitions>
                    <DiskID>0</DiskID>
                    <WillWipeDisk>true</WillWipeDisk>
                </Disk>
            </DiskConfiguration>
            <UserData>
                <ProductKey>
                    <Key>VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T</Key>
                </ProductKey>
                <AcceptEula>true</AcceptEula>
            </UserData>
            <ImageInstall>
                <OSImage>
                    <InstallTo>
                        <DiskID>0</DiskID>
                        <PartitionID>4</PartitionID>
                    </InstallTo>
                </OSImage>
            </ImageInstall>
        </component>
    </settings>
    <settings pass="oobeSystem">
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-International-Core" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
            <InputLocale>en-US</InputLocale>
            <SystemLocale>en-US</SystemLocale>
            <UILanguage>en-US</UILanguage>
            <UILanguageFallback>en-US</UILanguageFallback>
            <UserLocale>en-US</UserLocale>
        </component>
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
            <OOBE>
                <VMModeOptimizations>
                    <SkipAdministratorProfileRemoval>false</SkipAdministratorProfileRemoval>
                </VMModeOptimizations>
                <HideEULAPage>true</HideEULAPage>
                <HideOEMRegistrationScreen>true</HideOEMRegistrationScreen>
                <HideOnlineAccountScreens>true</HideOnlineAccountScreens>
                <HideWirelessSetupInOOBE>true</HideWirelessSetupInOOBE>
                <ProtectYourPC>1</ProtectYourPC>
                <UnattendEnableRetailDemo>false</UnattendEnableRetailDemo>
            </OOBE>
            <UserAccounts>
                <LocalAccounts>
                    <LocalAccount wcm:action="add">
                        <Password>
                            <Value>UABhAHMAcwB3AG8AcgBkADEAUABhAHMAcwB3AG8AcgBkAA==</Value>
                            <PlainText>false</PlainText>
                        </Password>
                        <DisplayName>Windows Admin</DisplayName>
                        <Group>administrators</Group>
                        <Name>WinAdmin</Name>
                    </LocalAccount>
                </LocalAccounts>
            </UserAccounts>
            <TimeZone>Central Standard Time</TimeZone>
            <AutoLogon>
                <Password>
                    <Value>UABhAHMAcwB3AG8AcgBkADEAUABhAHMAcwB3AG8AcgBkAA==</Value>
                    <PlainText>false</PlainText>
                </Password>
                <Enabled>true</Enabled>
                <LogonCount>1</LogonCount>
                <Username>WinAdmin</Username>
            </AutoLogon>
            <FirstLogonCommands>
                <SynchronousCommand wcm:action="add">
                    <CommandLine>reg add &quot;HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon&quot; /v AutoLogonCount /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f</CommandLine>
                    <Order>1</Order>
                </SynchronousCommand>
            </FirstLogonCommands>
        </component>
    </settings>
    <settings pass="specialize">
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
            <TimeZone>Central Standard Time</TimeZone>
        </component>
    </settings>
    <cpi:offlineImage cpi:source="catalog://godzilla/crucial_nvmewin11/sources/install_windows 10 pro.clg" xmlns:cpi="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:cpi" />
</unattend></code></pre>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="js-selectToQuoteEnd"><a href="https://www.elevenforum.com/t/sharing-some-helpful-answer-files-to-bypass-win-11-setup-requirements-and-more.3300/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">source</a></div>
</article>
</div>

</article>
<article>
<h1>Microsoft AutoGen: Enabling next-generation large language model applications</h1>
<p>The Truth News — Sun, 15 Oct 2023 01:37:39 +0000</p>
<h1>Microsoft AutoGen</h1>
<h2>Build LLM applications via multiple agents</h2>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p>AutoGen provides a multi-agent conversation framework as a high-level abstraction. It is an open-source library for enabling next-generation LLM applications with multi-agent collaborations, teachability and personalization. With this framework, users can build LLM workflows. The agent modularity and conversation-based programming simplifies development and enables reuse for developers. End-users benefit from multiple agents independently learning and collaborating on their behalf, enabling them to accomplish more with less work. Benefits of the multi agent approach with AutoGen include agents that can be backed by various LLM configurations; native support for a generic form of tool usage through code generation and execution; and, a special agent, the Human Proxy Agent that enables easy integration of human feedback and involvement at different levels.</p>
<div class="wp-block-media-text has-video has-vertical-margin-small has-vertical-padding-none is-stacked-on-mobile" data-bi-an="media-text">
<figure class="wp-block-media-text__media video-wrapper"><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span></iframe></figure>
<div class="wp-block-media-text__content" data-bi-an="media-text">
<h3 id="easily-build-llm-workflows" class="wp-block-heading">Easily build LLM workflows</h3>
<p>With AutoGen, building a complex multi-agent conversation system boils down to:</p>
<ul>
<li>Defining a set of agents with specialized capabilities and roles.</li>
<li>Defining the interaction behavior between agents, i.e., what to reply when an agent receives messages from another agent.</li>
<li>
<h2 id="related-projects" class="wp-block-heading">Related projects</h2>
<p>AutoGen is an open-source, community-driven project under active development (as a spinoff from <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/project/flaml/">FLAML</a>, a fast library for automated machine learning and tuning), which encourages contributions from individuals of all backgrounds. Many Microsoft Research collaborators have made great contributions to this project, including academic contributors like Pennsylvania State University and the University of Washington, and product teams like Microsoft Fabric and ML.NET. AutoGen aims to provide an effective and easy-to-use framework for developers to build next-generation applications, and already demonstrates promising opportunities to build creative applications and provide a large space for innovation.</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<h1>Microsoft AutoGen: Enabling next-generation large language model applications</h1>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<figure class="wp-block-pullquote">
<blockquote><p><em><strong>&#8220;Capabilities like AutoGen are poised to fundamentally transform and extend what large language models are capable of. This is one of the most exciting developments I have seen in AI recently.”</strong></em></p>
<p><em><strong><cite>Doug Burger, Technical Fellow, Microsoft</cite></strong></em></p></blockquote>
</figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/uploads/prod/2023/09/AutoGen_Fig1.png"></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><em>Figure 1. AutoGen enables complex LLM-based workflows using multi-agent conversations. (Left) AutoGen agents are customizable and can be based on LLMs, tools, humans, and even a combination of them. (Top-right) Agents can converse to solve tasks. (Bottom-right) The framework supports many additional complex conversation patterns.</em></figcaption></figure>
<p>It requires a lot of effort and expertise to design, implement, and optimize a workflow that can leverage the full potential of large language models (LLMs). Automating these workflows has tremendous value. As developers begin to create increasingly complex LLM-based applications, workflows will inevitably grow more intricate. The potential design space for such workflows could be vast and complex, thereby heightening the challenge of orchestrating an optimal workflow with robust performance.</p>
<p>AutoGen is a framework for simplifying the orchestration, optimization, and automation of LLM workflows. It offers customizable and <em>conversable</em> agents that leverage the strongest capabilities of the most advanced LLMs, like GPT-4, while addressing their limitations by integrating with humans and tools and having conversations between multiple agents via <em>automated chat</em>.</p>
<div class="wp-block-spacer" aria-hidden="true">
<p>With AutoGen, building a complex multi-agent conversation system boils down to:</p>
<ul>
<li>Defining a set of agents with specialized capabilities and roles.</li>
<li>Defining the interaction behavior between agents, i.e., what to reply when an agent receives messages from another agent.</li>
</ul>
<p>Both steps are intuitive and modular, making these agents reusable and composable. For example, to build a system for code-based question answering, one can design the agents and their interactions as in Figure 2. Such a system is shown to reduce the number of manual interactions needed from 3x to 10x in applications like <a class="msr-external-link glyph-append glyph-append-open-in-new-tab glyph-append-xsmall" href="https://github.com/microsoft/OptiGuide" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">supply-chain optimization<span class="sr-only">(opens in new tab)</span></a>. Using AutoGen leads to more than a 4x reduction in coding effort.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/uploads/prod/2023/09/AutoGen_Fig2.png"><span class="sr-only">(opens in new tab)</span></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><em>Figure 2. An example workflow to address code-based question answering in <a class="msr-external-link glyph-append glyph-append-open-in-new-tab glyph-append-xsmall" href="https://github.com/microsoft/OptiGuide" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">supply-chain optimization<span class="sr-only">(opens in new tab)</span></a>. The Commander receives user questions and coordinates with the Writer and Safeguard. The Writer crafts the code and interpretation, the Safeguard ensures safety, and the Commander executes the code. If issues arise, the process can repeat until resolved. Shaded circles represent steps that may be repeated multiple times.</em></figcaption></figure>
<h2 id="capable-conversable-and-customizable-agents-integrating-llms-humans-and-tools" class="wp-block-heading">Capable, conversable, and customizable agents – integrating LLMs, humans, and tools</h2>
<p>AutoGen agents have capabilities enabled by LLMs, humans, tools, or a mix of those elements. For example:</p>
<ul>
<li>One can easily configure the usage and roles of LLMs in an agent (<a class="msr-external-link glyph-append glyph-append-open-in-new-tab glyph-append-xsmall" href="https://github.com/microsoft/autogen/blob/main/notebook/agentchat_groupchat_research.ipynb" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">automated complex task solving by group chat</a>) with advanced inference features (e.g., <a class="msr-external-link glyph-append glyph-append-open-in-new-tab glyph-append-xsmall" href="https://microsoft.github.io/FLAML/blog/2023/05/18/GPT-adaptive-humaneval" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">optimize performance</a> with <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/publication/cost-effective-hyperparameter-optimization-for-large-language-model-generation-inference/">inference parameter tuning</a>).</li>
<li>Human intelligence and oversight can be achieved through a proxy agent with different involvement levels and patterns (e.g., <a class="msr-external-link glyph-append glyph-append-open-in-new-tab glyph-append-xsmall" href="https://github.com/microsoft/autogen/blob/main/notebook/agentchat_two_users.ipynb" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">automated task solving with GPT-4 + multiple human users<span class="sr-only">(opens in new tab)</span></a>).</li>
<li>The agents have native support for LLM-driven code/function execution (e.g., <a class="msr-external-link glyph-append glyph-append-open-in-new-tab glyph-append-xsmall" href="https://github.com/microsoft/autogen/blob/main/notebook/agentchat_auto_feedback_from_code_execution.ipynb" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">automated task solving with code generation, execution and debugging<span class="sr-only">(opens in new tab)</span></a>, <a class="msr-external-link glyph-append glyph-append-open-in-new-tab glyph-append-xsmall" href="https://github.com/microsoft/autogen/blob/main/notebook/agentchat_function_call.ipynb" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">use provided tools as functions<span class="sr-only">(opens in new tab)</span></a>).</li>
</ul>
<p>One straightforward way of using built-in agents from AutoGen is to invoke automated chat between an assistant agent and a <em>user proxy</em> agent. As an example (Figure 3), one can easily build an enhanced version of ChatGPT + Code Interpreter + plugins, with a customizable degree of automation, usable in a custom environment and embeddable in a bigger system. It is also easy to extend their behavior to support diverse application scenarios, such as adding personalization and adaptability based on past interactions (e.g., <a class="msr-external-link glyph-append glyph-append-open-in-new-tab glyph-append-xsmall" href="https://github.com/microsoft/autogen/blob/main/notebook/agentchat_stream.ipynb" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">automated continual learning<span class="sr-only">(opens in new tab)</span></a>, <a class="msr-external-link glyph-append glyph-append-open-in-new-tab glyph-append-xsmall" href="https://github.com/microsoft/autogen/blob/main/notebook/agentchat_teaching.ipynb" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">teach agents new skills<span class="sr-only">(opens in new tab)</span></a>).</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/uploads/prod/2023/09/AutoGen_Fig3.png"></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><em>Figure 3. A user proxy agent and assistant agent from AutoGen can be used to build an enhanced version of ChatGPT + Code Interpreter + plugins. The assistant agent plays the role of an AI assistant like Bing Chat. The user proxy agent plays the role of a user and simulates users’ behavior such as code execution. AutoGen automates the chat between the two agents, while allowing human feedback or intervention. The user proxy seamlessly engages humans and uses tools when appropriate.</em></figcaption></figure>
<p>The agent conversation-centric design has numerous benefits, including that it:</p>
<ul>
<li>Naturally handles ambiguity, feedback, progress, and collaboration.</li>
<li>Enables effective coding-related tasks, like tool use with back-and-forth troubleshooting.</li>
<li>Allows users to seamlessly opt in or opt out via an agent in the chat.</li>
<li>Achieves a collective goal with the cooperation of multiple specialists.</li>
</ul>
<p>AutoGen supports automated chat and diverse communication patterns, making it easy to orchestrate a complex, dynamic workflow and experiment with versatility. Figure 4 illustrates a new game, <em><a class="msr-external-link glyph-append glyph-append-open-in-new-tab glyph-append-xsmall" href="https://github.com/microsoft/flaml/blob/main/notebook/autogen_agentchat_chess.ipynb" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">conversational chess<span class="sr-only">(opens in new tab)</span></a>,</em> enabled by AutoGen. Figure 5 illustrates how AutoGen supports <a class="msr-external-link glyph-append glyph-append-open-in-new-tab glyph-append-xsmall" href="https://github.com/microsoft/autogen/blob/main/notebook/agentchat_groupchat.ipynb" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">group chats<span class="sr-only">(opens in new tab)</span></a> between multiple agents using another special agent called the “GroupChatManager”.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/uploads/prod/2023/09/AutoGen_Fig4.png"><span class="sr-only">(opens in new tab)</span></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><em>Figure 4. An example of a new application enabled by AutoGen: <a class="msr-external-link glyph-append glyph-append-open-in-new-tab glyph-append-xsmall" href="https://github.com/microsoft/flaml/blob/main/notebook/autogen_agentchat_chess.ipynb" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">conversational chess<span class="sr-only">(opens in new tab)</span></a>. It can support various scenarios, as each player can be an LLM-empowered AI, a human, or a hybrid of the two. It allows players to express their moves creatively, such as using jokes, meme references, and character-playing, making chess games more entertaining to players as well as observers.</em></figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/uploads/prod/2023/09/AutoGen_Fig5.png"><span class="sr-only">(opens in new tab)</span></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><em>Figure 5. Overview of how AutoGen enables dynamic <a class="msr-external-link glyph-append glyph-append-open-in-new-tab glyph-append-xsmall" href="https://github.com/microsoft/autogen/blob/main/notebook/agentchat_groupchat.ipynb" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">group chats<span class="sr-only">(opens in new tab)</span></a> to solve tasks: We use a special agent called the Manager that repeats the following three steps—select a single speaker (in this case Bob), ask the speaker to respond, and broadcast the selected speaker’s message to all the other agents.</em></figcaption></figure>
<h3 id="getting-started" class="wp-block-heading"><a class="msr-external-link glyph-append glyph-append-open-in-new-tab glyph-append-xsmall" href="https://github.com/microsoft/FLAML/blob/evaluation/evaluation/research_paper/create_ppt.ipynb"><span class="sr-only">(opens in new tab)</span></a>Getting started</h3>
<p><a class="msr-external-link glyph-append glyph-append-open-in-new-tab glyph-append-xsmall" href="https://aka.ms/autogen" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><u>AutoGen</u><span class="sr-only">(opens in new tab)</span></a> (in preview) is freely available as a Python package. To install it, run</p>
<pre class="wp-block-code"><code>pip install pyautogen</code></pre>
<p>You can quickly enable a powerful experience with just a few lines of code:</p>
<pre class="wp-block-code"><code><span style="color: af71a9;">import</span> autogen
assistant = autogen.AssistantAgent(<span style="color: c9975a;">"assistant"</span>)
user_proxy = autogen.UserProxyAgent(<span style="color: c9975a;">"user_proxy"</span>)
user_proxy.initiate_chat(assistant, <span style="color: 1a5e7c;">message</span>=<span style="color: c9975a;">"Show me the YTD gain of 10 largest technology companies as of today."</span>)
<span style="color: 719d60;"># This triggers automated chat to solve the task</span></code></pre>
<p>Check examples for a wide variety of tasks: <a class="msr-external-link glyph-append glyph-append-open-in-new-tab glyph-append-xsmall" href="https://microsoft.github.io/autogen/docs/Examples/AutoGen-AgentChat" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://microsoft.github.io/autogen/docs/Examples/AutoGen-AgentChat<span class="sr-only">(opens in new tab)</span></a>.</p>
<h3 id="next-steps" class="wp-block-heading">Next steps:</h3>
<ul>
<li>Use AutoGen in your LLM applications and provide feedback on <a class="msr-external-link glyph-append glyph-append-open-in-new-tab glyph-append-xsmall" href="https://discord.gg/pAbnFJrkgZ" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Discord<span class="sr-only">(opens in new tab)</span></a></li>
<li>Read about the research:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/publication/autogen-enabling-next-gen-llm-applications-via-multi-agent-conversation-framework/">AutoGen: Enabling Next-Gen LLM Applications via Multi-Agent Conversation Framework</a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/publication/cost-effective-hyperparameter-optimization-for-large-language-model-generation-inference/">Cost-Effective Hyperparameter Optimization for Large Language Model Generation Inference</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>AutoGen is an open-source, community-driven project under active development (as a spinoff from <a class="msr-external-link glyph-append glyph-append-open-in-new-tab glyph-append-xsmall" href="https://microsoft.github.io/FLAML/">FLAML<span class="sr-only">(opens in new tab)</span></a>, a fast library for automated machine learning and tuning), which encourages contributions from individuals of all backgrounds. Many Microsoft Research collaborators have made great contributions to this project, including academic contributors like Pennsylvania State University and the University of Washington, and product teams like Microsoft Fabric and ML.NET. AutoGen aims to provide an effective and easy-to-use framework for developers to build next-generation applications, and already demonstrates promising opportunities to build creative applications and provide a large space for innovation. <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/blog/autogen-enabling-next-generation-large-language-model-applications/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">source</a></p>
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