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Following Windows 11 RAR support, Microsoft Winget gets ZIP install, native PowerShell by Sayan Sen Microsoft recently turned a lot of heads when it announced support for opening RAR files on Windows 11. WinRAR, which has often been a staple on people's PCs for such archive file formats seems to have mixed feelings about the matter as it also appreciates what Microsoft has done. In related news, Microsoft has now added support for installing ZIP files on its Windows Package Manager CLI or winget with the latest version. Aside from that, it has also received native PowerShell support, and many more changes and bugfixes. These two major features were requested back in 2020. The full changelog is given below: Features Support installing .zip files #140 Add Native PowerShell Support #221 Support --no-upgrade option for install flow #2655 Bugs Fix issue that only 1 dependency package is installed #2761 Crash in list command #2273 Add SYSTEM to explicit ACLs #2370 What's Changed Add refreshed Store source certs by @yao-msft in #3149 Block msix provisioning api calls where known OS bugs exist by @yao-msft in #2855 Add rest interface 1.4 to supported list by @yao-msft in #2853 Return localization independent string for help links by @AmelBawa-msft in #2786 Don't treat the COM subcommands as distinct for telemetry by @JohnMcPMS in #2792 Update PowerShell Module Dependency Docs by @ryfu-msft in #2797 Adjust spacing and punctuation for manifest validation messages by @Trenly in #2805 Apply latest localized strings patch by @ryfu-msft in #2816 UpdateBinVer script support for updating build version only by @yao-msft in #2818 Stop using m_summary in the global globals for telemetry by @florelis in #2820 Enable long aliases by @Trenly in #2107 Check symlink target before removal by @ryfu-msft in #2242 Bump version to 1.4 by @ryfu-msft in #2263 Apply latest localization patch by @ryfu-msft in #2264 Feat: Show package tags by @Trenly in #2235 Add support for UnsupportedArguments by @ryfu-msft in #2216 Validate manifest installers (MSIX) by @AmelBawa-msft in #2215 Improve index dependency consistency check by @yao-msft in #2247 Fix spacing in 1.2 singleton schema by @ryfu-msft in #2276 Fix unsupported args unit tests by @ryfu-msft in #2277 Mitigate crash that can occur when installed version is null by @JohnMcPMS in #2278 Create WinGetUtil functionality for running installed package correlation by @JohnMcPMS in #2221 Addition of Initial 1.3 Schema by @ryfu-msft in #2189 Add extra compilation flags for debug info by @florelis in #2281 Migrate FabricBot Tasks to Config-as-Code by @msftbot in #2285 Update fabricbot.json by @vedantmgoyal2009 in #2293 Fix WinGetUtil WinGetCreateManifest result by @yao-msft in #2296 Add alternate name to Usage String by @Trenly in #2268 Prevent null characters from getting into SQLite by @JohnMcPMS in #2289 Schema additions for Zip support by @ryfu-msft in #2288 Feat: Wait upon command completion by @Trenly in #2236 Move Release Notes to new line and indent by @Trenly in #2312 Remove /Zi compilation flag by @florelis in #2325 Update VCLibs file hash in correlation test script by @florelis in #2326 Add UndockedRegFreeWinRT by @jontab in #2333 Implementation for Zip Install (Non-Portable) by @ryfu-msft in #2320 Don't fail fast by @JohnMcPMS in #2335 Fix WinGetUtil index operations for manifest dependencies without min version by @yao-msft in #2337 Explicit ACLs by @JohnMcPMS in #2324 Prevent access to parent directories from relativeFilePath for archive install by @ryfu-msft in #2342 Make zip install an experimental feature by @ryfu-msft in #2351 Add InstallationMetadata to manifests for future deep installation detection by @yao-msft in #2350 Expand WinMD discovery by @jontab in #2348 Move to using sqlite3_errmsg to extract a contextual error for SQLite failures by @JohnMcPMS in #2352 Add in-process and out-of-process E2E tests by @AmelBawa-msft in #2315 Implement FolderFileWatcher by @msftrubengu in #2336 Update CsWinRTWindowsMetadata value by @AmelBawa-msft in #2357 Remove correlation blocker for remote->local in some cases by @JohnMcPMS in #2362 Update documentation with 1.3 settings by @ryfu-msft in #2363 Add Microsoft.WinGet.Client PowerShell Module files by @jontab in #2314 Fix file overwrite warning displayed on clean first install by @ryfu-msft in #2375 Logging improvements by @JohnMcPMS in #2378 Add SYSTEM to explicit ACLs by @JohnMcPMS in #2370 Remove tests that no longer serve a purpose by @JohnMcPMS in #2379 Check for symlink creation privilege for portable install by @ryfu-msft in #2369 Server certificate pinning for Store source by @JohnMcPMS in #2347 Remove scope filter from being applied to portables by @ryfu-msft in #2383 Validate SignatureSha256 for MSIX packages during the manifest validation by @AmelBawa-msft in #2384 Enable MSI testing in CI/CD pipeline by @JohnMcPMS in #2386 Standardize 'Show' labels to manifest fields by @Trenly in #2311 fix ms-windows-store link not rendered in md by @iamCristYe in #2403 Add command aliases by @Trenly in #2390 Add support for RequireExplicitUpgrade manifest element by @florelis in #1795 Add the ability to specify "scope or unknown" via COM by @JohnMcPMS in #2402 Collect scope in installer metadata by @JohnMcPMS in #2415 Copy winget unpackaged logs in E2E tests by @florelis in #2441 Ensure default values are passed to nested installers within zip by @ryfu-msft in #2413 Add prompts when installer aborts terminal or needs install location by @florelis in #1814 Update Labels from Hash Command by @Trenly in #2431 Add DisplayName to InstallationMetadata installed files by @yao-msft in #2442 Use UpgradeCode for matching MSI apps by @florelis in #2418 Add support for installing portables without developer mode and running as admin by @ryfu-msft in #2401 Increase manifest schema version to 1.4 by @yao-msft in #2451 Update Documentation for schema 1.2 by @Trenly in #2429 Increase PackageIdentifier segments to max 8 by @yao-msft in #2461 Use check-spelling/check-spelling@v0.0.20 by @jsoref in #2467 ZIP support spec by @ryfu-msft in #2270 Show PurchaseUrl if present in manifest by @Trenly in #2416 Add PortableIndex for tracking portable files by @ryfu-msft in #2459 Add $schema to cgmanifest.json by @JamieMagee in #2487 Update README link to VS Installer Project extension by @bsivanov in #2488 Removed en-US in links by @ImJoakim in #2494 Add logo to README.md by @vedantmgoyal2009 in #2507 Return error codes for dependencies failure by @hackean-msft in #2410 Add ExpectedReturnCode::ReturnResponse for PackageInUseByApplication by @Trenly in #2492 Suppress reboot by default on msiexec based installers by @gerardog in #2499 Fix installer metadata collection by @yao-msft in #2517 Add Aliases to allow for quick upgrade of all and unknown by @Trenly in #2518 Expose deeper installation detection through Com by @yao-msft in #2420 Add PureLib subtree by @ryfu-msft in #2511 Suppress reboot by default on Inno Setup based installers by @SpecterShell in #2536 Add client support for parsing rest schema v1.4 by @yao-msft in #2473 Add experimental argument to open logs folder by @Trenly in #2510 Add support for installing portables from a zip by @ryfu-msft in #2500 Map operation return code for msstore type installation failure as well by @yao-msft in #2540 Fix installer renaming failure from encoded url by @yao-msft in #2555 Add Pure to component governance manifest by @ryfu-msft in #2556 Added WinGetUtil E2E tests by @AmelBawa-msft in #2542 Add space before path when files remain on uninstall by @Trenly in #2560 Additional logging when validating portable file fails by @Trenly in #2562 Make Symlink Target Canonical by @Trenly in #2563 Implement archive malware scan for local manifests by @ryfu-msft in #2566 Improve installer selection during upgrade by @yao-msft in #2570 Add zip installation to experimental features section of Settings.md by @infinitepower18 in #2584 Make Install flow aware of package installed status by @yao-msft in #2539 Enable mechanism for some control over correlation by @JohnMcPMS in #2577 Mini spec on upcoming install and upgrade flow improvements by @yao-msft in #2535 Download MSIX installer during manifest validation (if necessary) by @AmelBawa-msft in #2587 Always fall back on msix streaming failure by @yao-msft in #2590 Remove MSIX installers after validation is done by @AmelBawa-msft in #2591 Fix error when everything fails by @JohnMcPMS in #2593 Fix PowerShell module for release configuration by @ryfu-msft in #2599 Treat little numbers as big numbers by @JohnMcPMS in #2606 Fix compliance issues by setting Newtonsoft.Json to recommended version by @yao-msft in #2609 Fix internal build by @yao-msft in #2610 Added info about reinstalling App Installer to troubleshooting README.md by @AdmiralSnyder in #2616 Update protocols max items to 64 by @ryfu-msft in #2620 Print command aliases added on portable install by @Trenly in #2621 Add Expected Return Code for InvalidParameter by @Trenly in #2635 Add an issue option to guide users to winget-pkgs for package issues by @SpecterShell in #2658 Get arguments when using archive type package by @Trenly in #2660 Revert "Get arguments when using archive type package" by @Trenly in #2663 Disable toast notification for silent mode for MSStore type installation by @yao-msft in #2652 Support --no-upgrade option for install flow by @yao-msft in #2655 Group policy control for BypassCertificatePinningForMicrosoftStore by @AmelBawa-msft in #2637 Update localized strings by @ryfu-msft in #2684 Manifest (Msix) installer validation - Try parsing package version by @AmelBawa-msft in #2692 Update NuGet Packages by @Trenly in #2690 Don't enable/disable admin settings if group policy prevents it by @AmelBawa-msft in #2683 Add spectre configuration for PureLib by @ryfu-msft in #2704 Fix renaming issue with invalid file character url by @yao-msft in #2708 Remove and Add UndockedRegFreeWinRT library by @ryfu-msft in #2713 Clean build from winget-cli by @msftrubengu in #2698 Upgrade check-spelling to v0.0.21 by @jsoref in #2728 Add source ls alias for source list by @florelis in #2736 Standardize how arguments are used in resource strings by @florelis in #2737 Support for PowerShell cmdlets in admin mode by @ryfu-msft in #2642 Add PowerShell cmdlet help text and examples by @ryfu-msft in #2732 Miscellaneous project cleanup by @yao-msft in #2738 spelling: installation by @jsoref in #2739 Update powershell module target framework to 4.8 by @ryfu-msft in #2741 Allow upgrade for unknown version packages by @ryfu-msft in #2747 Add ARM and ARM64 build configuration for powershell module by @ryfu-msft in #2744 Bump Newtonsoft.Json from 13.0.1 to 13.0.2 in /src/AppInstallerCLIE2ETests by @dependabot in #2754 Bump Newtonsoft.Json from 13.0.1 to 13.0.2 in /src/WinGetUtilInterop.UnitTests by @dependabot in #2753 Infra changes for Microsoft.WinGet.Client and AppInstallerCLIE2ETests by @msftrubengu in #2746 Remove nuget config file by @ryfu-msft in #2756 Add empty pin command by @florelis in #2733 Update DesktopAppInstaller.adml by @AmelBawa-msft in #2759 Fix issue that only 1 dependency package is installed by @yao-msft in #2761 Export command for winget settings. by @msftrubengu in #2719 Suppress warnings for CA1416 in PowerShell module by @ryfu-msft in #2762 Restore nuget.config file for public dependencies by @ryfu-msft in #2763 Separate Archive Scan argument related to security from --force by @Trenly in #2622 Fix winget after a call to winget settings export by @msftrubengu in #2767 Add additional admin setting to match security related group policies by @yao-msft in #2772 Prepare PowerShell Module for Release Build by @ryfu-msft in #2768 More localization friendly source strings and context commenting by @AmelBawa-msft in #2454 Make zip feature stable by @ryfu-msft in #2774 Add scope support to more commands and add provisioning support for msix and msstore types by @yao-msft in #2766 Split tests in Workflow.cpp into multiple files by @florelis in #2773 Update localized strings by @ryfu-msft in #2783 Suppress CA1416 warning #2 by @ryfu-msft in #2784 You can head over to GitHub to download the latest Winget version 1.4.11071.

The Windows 11 Paint app gets dark mode and more in a new Dev and Canary Insider update by John Callaham Many Windows 11 users have been waiting patiently for the company's Paint app to add a dark mode. Some people were not so patient. Mod developers have been putting in a dark mode feature in Paint via third-party apps for a while now. Today, the long wait is over, at least if you are a member of the Windows Insider program. Microsoft revealed today that Insiders in the Dev and Canary channels can download the new version (11.2304.17.0) of the Paint app. Yes, it does finally include a dark mode. Microsoft stated: With this update, we are introducing support for dark mode in Paint. By default, Paint will adapt to your system theme preferences, but you can change this option yourself on the brand-new settings page. In addition to the new dark mode, the new Paint app for Dev and Canary Insiders includes some new features and improvements for its zoom mode: The classic presets are still available, but you can now also zoom in and out with finer granularity increments on the zoom slider or set a custom zoom value for even greater precision. We are also introducing a new fit to screen option to quickly optimize zoom to match your window size. Microsoft has also made changes to the Paint App's Image Properties dialogs: They now match the style of the new Windows 11 design and fit in with the new Paint app backdrop as well as many accessibility and usability improvements to dialogs throughout the app. We have also improved access key and keyboard shortcut support throughout the app for improved accessibility and productivity with keyboard. There's no word yet on when these features will be available for all Windows 11 users. Hopefully the rest of us won't have to wait too much longer to get the dark mode in the Paint app.

Windows 11 Beta Channel (KB5026443) adds WPA3 support to Phone Link instant hotspot by John Callaham Today, Microsoft has released builds 22621.1830 and 22631.1830 (KB5026443) to the Beta Channel for Windows 11 Insiders. The company writes in its blog post: Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22621.1830 and Build 22631.1830 (KB5026443) to the Beta Channel. Build 22631.1830 = New features rolling out. Build 22621.1830 = New features off by default. There's just one new feature in this release. It adds WPA3 support to the Phone Link instant hotspot feature: Changes and Improvements in Build 22631.1830 [Networking] We added WPA3 support to the Phone Link instant hotspot feature for more secure connections to a phone’s hotspot. Also made fixes to respect metered connection settings, reduce duplicate profiles, and show the phone’s display name in the network list. Microsoft also has a reminder for Beta Insider users: REMINDER: Insiders who were previously on Build 22624 will automatically get moved to Build 22631 via an enablement package. The enablement package artificially increments the build number for the update with new features getting rolled out and turned on to make it easier to differentiate from devices with the update with features off by default. This approach is being used for the Beta Channel only and is not indicative of any changes or plans for final feature rollouts. Insiders who landed in the group with new features turned off by default (Build 22621.xxxx) can check for updates and choose to install the update that will have features rolling out (Build 22631.xxxx). Here's some more info for Insiders: Important Insider Links Want to learn how we made Windows 11? Check out our Inside Windows 11 website to hear and meet our makers from Engineering, Design and Research to share their insights and unique perspectives throughout this journey. You can check out our Windows Insider Program documentation here. Check out Flight Hub for a complete look at what build is in which Insider channel. You can check out the full blog post here.

Windows 11 build 23471 gets File Explorer tab merging, a redesigned network lock, and more by Sayan Sen Microsoft has released a new Windows 11 build to Dev Channel Insiders. The new build, 23471, adds more features to the tabbed File Explorer and fixes bugs in it as well. It has a new Add Phone photos option in Gallery, a new redesigned Network flyout lock, and more. The full changelog is given below: What’s new in Build 23471 Add Phone Photos in File Explorer Gallery Accessing your phone’s camera roll from your PC is an important everyday task that is now easier with File Explorer Gallery. There is a new button in the Command Bar titled “Add Phone Photos” that will help with setting up your PC to be ready to show these photos in Gallery. Clicking this button today will open a URL with a QR code that you can scan with your phone to get started. Add Phone Photos option on the command bar in File Explorer.NOTE: Users may need to opt into OneDrive’s Insider Program to get a version of the OneDrive sync client that handles the protocol invoked when clicking this button. To join the OneDrive Insider Program, open OneDrive settings by bringing up the OneDrive flyout from the system tray; from there, navigate to the About page and turn on the toggle for the OneDrive Insider Program. FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Files, Folders, and Online Storage > File Explorer. Narrator natural voices in Spanish (Spain and Mexico) We are introducing new natural voices in Spanish (Spain and Mexico) that allow Narrator users to comfortably browse the web, read, and write mail, and do more. Natural Narrator voices use modern, on-device text to speech and once downloaded are supported without an internet connection. To use one of the natural voices, add it to your PC by following these steps: Open Narrator Settings by pressing the WIN + Ctrl + N hotkey. Under Narrator’s voice, select the Add button next to Add natural voices. Select the voice you want to install. You can install all voices, but you must install them separately. The new Spanish (Spain) voices are Microsoft Alvaro and Microsoft Elvira. The new Spanish (Mexico) voices are Microsoft Jorge and Microsoft Dalia. To start the download of the selected voice, select Install. The new voice will download and be ready for use in a few minutes, depending on your internet download speed. When the new voice has downloaded, in Narrator settings select your preferred voice from the drop-down menu in Narrator’s voice > Choose a voice. Note: If your display language is not set to Spanish , then in step 3 you will first need to select “Choose a different language” and then select the appropriate language followed by the specific voice. FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (Win + F) under Accessibility > Narrator. Changes and Improvements [Lock screen] We have updated the network flyout on the Lock screen to align with Windows 11 design principles. Network flyout on Lock screen now aligns to the Windows 11 design principles.[File Explorer] We are beginning to roll out the ability to tear out and merge tabs in File Explorer. This feature is beginning to roll out, so not all Insiders in the Dev Channel will see it right away. Gallery in File Explorer, which began rolling out with Build 23435, is now available for all Insiders in the Dev Channel. [Settings] It is easier to control whether to use cellular when Wi-Fi is available but poor, using a new toggle which has been added to Settings > Network & Internet > Cellular. Fixes [File Explorer] Fixed an issue where pressing Shift + F10 wasn’t opening the context menu in File Explorer. Fixed an issue where access keys appeared inconsistently if no button was pressed. We fixed the following issues for Insiders previewing the Windows App SDK version of File Explorer Fixed an issue that was causing explorer.exe to crash when opening the context menu for some Insiders. This same issue is believed to be the cause of some Insiders seeing an older design instead of the updated one. We fixed the following issues for Insiders with Gallery in File Explorer: Fixed an explorer.exe crash in the last flight related to loading/interacting with the scrollbar in Gallery. Fixed an issue where Gallery may require clicking twice on the node in the navigation pane for initial load. Fixed an issue where minimizing and reopening File Explorer would lose your scroll position in Gallery. Hovering your mouse over pictures in Gallery should now show a tooltip with information about the picture. Live updates (including filtering) are now enabled and no longer require using the Refresh button manually. Fixed an issue where some file types (e.g., .heic) were not rendered correctly or performantly. We fixed the following issues for Insiders with the modernized details pane in File Explorer: Made the background for thumbnails a little lighter in light mode so it doesn’t stand out as much. If you have Narrator running when you open the details pane, it should now announce the file name. If the setting to show file name extensions has been enabled, that will now be reflected in the details pane too. [Taskbar] Fixed an issue that was causing the taskbar to get cut off when switching to and from the tablet-optimized taskbar. [Search on the Taskbar] We have fixed the issue causing Insiders to see an empty tooltip displayed momentarily in certain cases including while the gleam is hovered if the new hover behavior for the search box and search highlight gleam is enabled. [Other] Fixed an issue where Narrator with Braille support wasn’t reading numbered lists correctly in Microsoft 365 apps. NOTE: Some fixes noted here in Insider Preview builds from the Dev Channel may make their way into the servicing updates for the released version of Windows 11. Known issues [Dev Drive] On a reboot, additional filters beyond AV might be attached to your Dev Drive. To check what filters are attached, please run ‘fsutil devdrv query :’ in Windows PowerShell. If you are seeing more than your AV filters, you can run ‘fsutil volume dismount :’ and then ‘fsutil devdrv query :’. After those steps, you should only see your AV filters. There might be variable performance on different hardware. If you notice slower performance on your machine, please file feedback! [Search on the Taskbar] [NEW] Navigating the search flyout on the taskbar with the keyboard arrow keys will not work as expected. Narrator customers may not be able to navigate down the left side panel of the search flyout. Text scaling may not work in the search flyout. [File Explorer] Insiders may experience a File Explorer crash when dragging the scroll bar or attempting to close the window during an extended file-loading process. Insiders who have Gallery in File Explorer will see the following issues: Thumbnail loading performance for dehydrated cloud files and memory usage in large collections are known issues we are focused on improving. Please capture Performance traces in Feedback Hub for any performance-related issues. Rebuilding your Indexer can help if thumbnails are missing for cloud files; Search for “Indexing Options” and look in Advanced settings to find the rebuild tool. Insiders will have issues with the following commands on recommended files in File Explorer: Clicking on the Share command will currently bring up the Windows share sheet (non-OneDrive). [Taskbar & System Tray] The taskbar may not show the correct apps if you’re using multiple desktops. [Notifications] The copy button for quickly copying two-factor authentication (2FA) codes in notification toasts (first introduced in Build 23403) is currently not working in this build. A fix is coming in a future flight. [Backup and Restore] Backups of a PC that was set up using a restore may not show up in subsequent restores. Restore of solid color desktop backgrounds are not yet supported. You can find the official blog post here.

Mouse gestures are now available for testing in Microsoft Edge by Taras Buria Earlier this year, Microsoft confirmed that it plans to add mouse gestures support to the Edge web browser, allowing users to perform quick actions and access various features faster. Later, a screenshot revealed that Edge would let you customize more than 14 different gestures. If you have been waiting for this feature, good news: mouse gestures are now available for testing in preview versions of Microsoft Edge. Microsoft has not announced mouse gestures yet, and enabling them requires adding a command to the browser's shortcut. However, the feature is available for everyone to try, unlike the other changes Microsoft frequently rolls out in waves (controlled feature rollout). Note that mouse gestures are available in Microsoft Edge 114 (and newer), which is coming to the Stable Channel this week. For now, mouse gestures are only available in Edge Beta, Dev, and Canary. Here is how to enable them (via Deskmodder). Enable mouse gestures in Microsoft Edge Go to edge://settings/help and ensure you have Edge 114 or newer. Right-click your Microsoft Edge shortcut and select Properties. You can also right-click Microsoft Edge on the taskbar, then right-click Microsoft Edge in the jump list, and then press Properties. Click the Target field in the Properties window and place one space after the path, then paste the following command: --enable-features=msEdgeMouseGestureDefaultEnabled,msEdgeMouseGestureSupported Click Ok to save the changes. Launch Microsoft Edge using the modified shortcut. Now you can use mouse gestures to perform various actions by moving the mouse while holding the right-click button. Microsoft Edge will highlight your mouse track and show a hint indicating what action the gesture will trigger. You can customize gestures by navigating to edge://settings/mouseGesture or Menu > Settings > Appearance > Mouse Gesture. Unfortunately, the feature does not support custom shortcuts, so there is room for improvement. Still, it is great to see Microsoft implementing a much-requested feature, especially after rejecting it for many months.

Statcounter: Windows 11's climb slowed down in May 2023 by Taras Buria Several days ago, when detailing performance improvements in the latest Windows 11 update, Microsoft revealed that over one billion computers run its operating system. Unfortunately, the company did not provide extra details, such as how many devices have upgraded to Windows 11. Still, developers and customers are not in the complete dark—Statcounter's monthly reports provide regular insights into how many users each Windows version and other operating systems. Click here to learn more about Statcounter's methodology. Remember that data from third parties is never 100% accurate. According to the May 2023 report from Statcounter, Windows 10 remains the dominant operating system among Windows users. Approximately 71.9% (+0.54 points) of all customers continue using it for their daily computing needs. Windows 11, which soon turns two, slowed down a bit: 22.95%, with a slight dip compared with the previous month (-0.16 points). It will be interesting to see how the just-released "Moment 3" update will affect Windows 11's market share and if the announced at the Build conference features are tempting enough for Windows 10 customers to pull the trigger and update. Together, Windows 10 and 11 hold 94.85% of the entire market. As expected, Windows 7 took a significant nosedive when Microsoft ended the Extended Security Update program in January 2023. Still, a considerable number of users continue operating Windows 7 for all sorts of tasks. Statcounter claims the OS has a 3.61% market share (-0.17 points). Those not planning to upgrade from Windows 7 soon will be glad to learn that Mozilla is ready to continue supporting the now-dead OS for more than one extra year. Even though Windows 7 no longer receives updates, it still has a mainstream browser with regular patches and security fixes. Windows 10: 71.9% (+0.54 points) Windows 11: 22.95% (-0.16 points) Windows 7: 3.61% (-0.17 points) Windows 8.1: 0.72% (-0.13 points) Windows 8: 0.37% (-0.06 points) The honorable mention goes to Windows XP, which will soon mark ten years since the end of its extended support. Per Statcounter's findings, about 0.32% of Windows users are still rocking XP and using it to access the internet. A decade in no-update mode is nothing for a true fan! You can find more information about the Statcounter May 2023 report on the official website. A similar report covering the latest browser stats is available here.

Rufus 4.1 restores some missing features, adds improved compatibility by Taras Buria Pete Batard, developer of the popular third-party tool Rufus, has released a new update with several improvements. Version 4.1 is now available for download from GitHub with improved compatibility with the Windows Dev Kit 2023 platform and some previously missing features, such as MS-DOS drive creation using binaries from Microsoft. Here are the release notes for Rufus 4.1: Add timeouts on enumeration queries that may stall on some systems Restore MS-DOS drive creation through the download of binaries from Microsoft Update the log button icon Fix UEFI:NTFS incompatibility with Windows Dev Kit 2023 platform (pbatard/uefi-ntfs#37) Fix more GRUB out of range pointer errors with Ubuntu/Fedora when booting in BIOS mode You can download Rufus 4.1 from Neowin, the official website, GitHub, or the Microsoft Store. Rufus is fully open-source, so enthusiasts with the necessary skills can contribute to the project's development on GitHub. For those unfamiliar, Rufus is a small app that lets you create bootable USB drives with Windows, Linux, and other operating systems. In addition to its primary feature, the program allows downloading ISO files directly from Microsoft, which makes Rufus your all-in-one program for clean-installing and servicing operating systems on various PCs. It also has a few extra aces up its sleeve, such as removing system requirements for Windows 11 (TPM, SecureBoot, UEFI, 4GB of RAM, etc.), creating a local account, disabling BitLocker, flashing BIOS or other firmware from DOS, and more. You can use Rufus on any PC running Windows 8 and newer (installable, portable, x86, x64, and ARM64). Windows 7, unfortunately, is no longer supported—the OS was dropped in version 4.0, released in late April 2023. However, Rufus can still make Windows 7-based bootable USB drives, assuming the app runs on a more modern Windows version. Check out our guide showing how to create bootable USB drives using Rufus.

The ASUS ROG Ally is supposed to get better battery performance before its June 13 launch by John Callaham The upcoming ASUS ROG Ally has generated a lot of buzz well before its official launch date of June 13. However, not all of that buzz has been positive. Review units of the Windows 11 portable gaming PC were sent out to media outlets well before launch, and many have complained about certain aspects of the device. ASUS has previously said it plans to make improvements and add new features to the ROG Ally before the $699.99 PC actually ships to ordinary non-media gamers. Now The Verge reports that the device will be getting improvements in one specific area targeted by those early reviews: its battery life. Some reviews said that the ROG Ally lasted around four hours on a single charge, at most. Even ASUS's global marketing director Galip Fu admits that 10 percent of the people who preordered it canceled after those early reviews, even though many of them were very positive about other aspects of the portable gaming PC. Fu stated that ASUS didn't pay enough attention to improving the device's battery life at its lower wattage levels like 9W or 15W. He says that after putting in some software changes, the ROG Ally should get a 10 to 20 percent boost in battery life. One of those software changes will let owners turn off one of the cores inside the device's AMD Z1 Extreme's CPU during gameplay, One thing ASUS won't be doing is adding a bigger battery inside the ROG Ally. Fu says that would "drastically increase the overall weight of the device." However, he does say that ASUS wants to release a product that will rival the success of Valve's Steam Deck gaming device. He stated, "We’re trying to keep up for all the supporters we have of ROG Ally. We will not let them down.” Hopefully, that means a better overall portable gaming PC at launch, and, if it's successful, an even better second gen ROG Ally in the future. Source: The Verge

WinRAR's Twitter post on Windows 11 RAR support is anything but fine by John Callaham Last week at Build 2023, Microsoft very casually mentioned it would add support for opening files in a number of formats to Windows 11, including opening RAR files. This move was so unexpected we decided to contact the company behind the popular file archive program WinRAR to get its reaction. In the email response we received, Louise Cusworth of the WinRAR sales team stated that the company felt "honoured with Microsoft's decision." However, Cusworth did add, "Are we concerned? Of course we are, because we are a small company and Microsoft is a big international multi-billion dollar company with a lot of power. " She also stated that this developer creates "both challenges and benefits for our business." Well, it would appear that WinRAR might be a bit more concerned than Cusworth let on in her statement to us last week. The official WinRAR Twitter page posted a new message stating "Us right now. #Windows11" . The well-known "This is fine" meme image of a cartoon dog surrounded by fire is right below it. Us right now. #Windows11 pic.twitter.com/t8WnXaWyZa — WinRAR (@WinRAR_RARLAB) May 30, 2023 Of course. WinRAR's business model was already interesting. According to its own rules, you could download the archive program and use it for free for a 40-day trial period before you technically had to pay for it. However, the truth is that most people can simply ignore that request and use WinRAR for free with little to no issues. Having said that, Windows 11's RAR support is only supposed to allow for the opening of those archive files. That means people who want to compress files in that format will still need a third party app like WinRAR. We would like to believe that loophole will keep the company going for some time. By the way, there's a new version, 6.22, of WinRAR that you can download and use right now. It's mainly a bug fixing update that addresses a few outstanding issues.

Check out the classic Windows XP and Windows 11 wallpapers with generative AI fill effects by John Callaham Generative AI is being used for all sorts of tasks right now. That includes creating artwork with just some text prompts. However, it's also used to help create wallpapers. Today, Microsoft's Michael Gillett has uploaded new versions of well-known Windows wallpapers that were enhanced with generative AI. Gillett's day job is at Microsoft where he is a Partner Technology Strategy Manager. However, he also runs Wallpaperhub.app, which collects and stores Microsoft-themed wallpapers. Today, via a post on Twitter, he announced he has uploaded versions of the classic Windows XP "Bliss" default wallpaper, and the newer but still cool Windows 11 "Bloom" wallpaper. It's time to use AI for wallpapers! Here are the default #Windows11 Bloom wallpaper expanded to show what's beneath and the classic #WindowsXP Bliss with more landscape visible 😍 Download Generative Bloom: https://t.co/gy72oGzcil Download Generative XP: https://t.co/gtnw8m9vrh pic.twitter.com/58cRJQRVF0 — Michael Gillett (@MichaelGillett) May 31, 2023 The new wallpapers used generative AI fill to show what's beneath both of the original versions. While they certainly look different, the new versions definitely look like natural extensions of Microsoft's creations. In the case of the Windows XP wallpaper, generative AI fill created a lake below the green landscape. You can download "Generative Bloom" and Generative XP" at the Wallpaperhub.app site now. Some users have already asked the AI art creator Midjourney to generate some "Windows 12" wallpapers that actually look pretty good. Microsoft is currently working on using AI to create new wallpaper visual effects. The first reports on this feature hit the internet earlier this month, as some users found some programming strings in a Windows 11 Canary channel build that were labeled as "Depth effects," "Parallax Background," and "WallpaperMotion." Later in May, Twitter user Albacore posted a short video on Twitter that showed off these new parallax effects on a Windows 11 wallpaper. Microsoft didn't mention this new feature last week at its Build 2023 developer conference, but hopefully, we will be learning more about these kinds of features officially in the near future.

Windows 11 gets widgets for monitoring CPU, GPU, RAM, and more, here is how to enable them by Taras Buria Monitoring system resources in Windows 10 and 11 is easy: you can use Task Manager, Resource Monitor, or Game Bar or opt for one of the multiple third-party apps. If that is not enough, Microsoft has another method for you: Windows Widgets. Windows 11 has received a batch of new widgets that let you keep an eye on CPU, GPU, RAM, and network utilization. Moreover, there are a few neat additions, such as the ability to end the most taxing processes, monitor GPU temperature, toggle between graphics cards and network adapters, and more. The new widgets are a fantastic addition, and they are available to all Windows 11 users, not just Windows insiders. Here is how to use them. Windows 11 Widgets for monitoring CPU, GPU, RAM, and more Performance monitoring widgets are a part of the new Dev Home app Microsoft announced at its annual Build developer conference. Dev Home is currently in the preview stage, but you can download it from the Microsoft Store for free and without signing up for unstable Windows 11 builds. In addition to convenient widgets, Dev Home provides extra capabilities and performance improvements for app-makers. Head to the Microsoft Store and download the Dev Home Preview app. You can also get it from GitHub. Press Win + W to open Windows Widgets. The system will notify you that there are new widgets available. Click Add it now. Alternatively, press the "+" button and select a widget. The current Dev Home release offers the following widgets: CPU, GPU, RAM, network, SSH keychain, and various tools for GitHub. Click the plus button to add a widget. Now you can monitor your system's performance by pressing Win + W or clicking the widget button on the taskbar. Neat! It is worth mentioning that the Dev Home widgets in their current form are somewhat unstable and raw (hence the "PRE" badge): they often stop responding or disappear from the board. Also, there is no proper resizing support, so the large variant is the only viable option. One can only hope Microsoft will improve the situation with future updates to make Windows 11's widget experience more delightful. Performance monitoring widgets are not the only great widget-related addition to Windows 11. Microsoft recently revealed that the operating system would finally let you remove the news feed. Also, rumors claim Microsoft wants to allow placing widgets directly on the desktop.

Microsoft temporarily fixed broken webcams on ARM PCs by lowering their image quality by Taras Buria Last week, Surface Pro X owners suddenly discovered that their ARM-powered computers could no longer use cameras and camera-related features, such as Windows Hello. Any attempt to open an app utilizing integrated cameras resulted in the "0xA00F4271 (0x80004005)" error. Fortunately, Microsoft deployed a temporary fix relatively quickly, albeit not without a huge asterisk. The updated Windows Release Health dashboard contains all the details about the issue that crippled cameras in ARM-based Windows PCs. According to Microsoft, the bug affects devices with Qualcomm 8cx Gen 1, Gen 2, Microsoft SQ1, and Microsoft SQ2 processors running Windows 11 version 22H2 and 21H2, and Windows 10 22H2. In other words, it is not Surface-exclusive. At the same time, external USB cameras continue operating without issues. A few days ago, users started reporting that integrated cameras work again, thanks to Microsoft deploying a "critical troubleshooter" to mitigate the issue on most affected Windows devices. That troubleshooter kicked in automatically and did not require any action from the user. You can check your ARM-powered PC by looking for the following entry in the troubleshooting history: Hardware and devices troubleshooter Automatically change system settings to fix a problem on your device Although cameras are working again, Microsoft says the mitigation is temporary. Moreover, the fix is not available on managed devices, with troubleshooters disabled by administrators. Resolving the camera bug on those PCs requires executing the following command with administrator privileges: reg add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Qualcomm\Camera" /v EnableQCOMFD /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f You can use the Command Line method on a non-managed device if it has not yet received the critical troubleshooter. However, Microsoft warns that it is intended for the affected devices only, so do not mess with your system's registry if the integrated cameras are working. Another thing worth noting is that the workaround has a side effect: Microsoft says it might disable some camera features or lower the image quality. The company is working with OEMs on a new camera driver to bring cameras back to their normal behavior.

Microsoft details Windows 11 performance gains it delivered, reiterating it as most reliable by Sayan Sen Microsoft recently released the latest feature update for Windows 11 version 22H2 dubbed Moment 3. Almost simultaneously, a special configuration update via the Controlled Feature rollout (CFR) was also quietly published by the tech giant. A few days after, Microsoft also released a list of performance-related enhancements that it made throughout the year to "more than one billion users worldwide". It is essentially a rundown of what changes were introduced over the past year on Insider channels that have now made their way to the Moment 3 feature. Microsoft's Executive Vice President and Chief Product Officer Panos Panay had once reminded people that its latest OS was all about quality; and once again, the firm has reminded users that Windows 11 is the "most reliable version of Windows ever" in the list of highlights. The blog post says: Among the highlights from the last year: We improved frequently used shell interactions like Taskbar, Notifications, and Quick Settings by as much as 15%! Getting users into productivity faster by improving the time it takes to get to the desktop by 10% and reducing the impact of startup apps by over 50%. Making PCs more sustainable with our new Energy Recommendations and Carbon-Aware Windows Update. We see a 6% average reduction in energy consumption for the users who use the recommended energy settings Windows 11 is the most reliable version of Windows ever, with recent updates continuing to improve reliability. Microsoft Edge starts up faster than ever before and saves memory with features like Sleeping Tabs, which saves up to 83% of memory for background tabs. The new Teams app for Windows is 2x faster while using half the resources. Among the improvements, Microsoft has detailed the enhancements made to startup apps on Windows 11 which can lead to over 50% lesser impact on the system resources. As you can see in the graphic below, the "User initiated app" is able to launch much sooner in the "After" section, whereas, in the "Before" part, it had to wait for the Startup App 4 to initiate. Microsoft has also detailed File Explorer improvements wherein there is up to a 67% reduction in deletion time for bulk files. The average reduction time seems to be around ~40%. There are also improvements to gaming. Microsoft says that high report mouse stuttering issues are greatly reduced. It explains: The Windows input stack was being pushed to its limits with high report rate mice and their input being delivered to not just the game, but also multiple background processes. In turn, that caused a significant amount of time processing input rather than providing as many cycles as possible for rendering the game experience. We set out to reduce the amount of processing time it took to handle input requests by throttling and coalescing background raw mouse listeners and capping their message rate. Prior to these changes, we observed on a Surface Laptop Studio with a 1000 Hz mouse, a test bed of background listeners, and popular games that there was significant stutter. After the improvements, on the same setup, we now deliver a smooth, uninterrupted gaming experience and preserve the low latency, high precision input experience in games while being efficient with input for background listeners! The company has provided a list that summarizes all the improvements made: While the examples above highlight some of the improvements in the February and May updates, there are many other improvements available today, including: Taskbar improvements to ensure Taskbar is readily available after logging in Task View performance improvements when devices are under heavy load Improved performance of Windows Notification Service Improved launch time of Quick Settings and Notification Center Reduced threads, dlls, and graphics device count in Explorer Reduced CPU usage of explorer Reduced memory usage of Notification Center Touch keyboard performance improvements Resource usage reductions in multi-user scenarios Reduced voice access and Narrator latency in larger documents Improved voice typing activation time Improved speed of theme changes Reduced size on disk by leveraging features-on-demand via the Store For developers, there is a lot coming in the May release too. Some highlights that intersect fundamentals: New enhanced kernel minidump format for better debugging Live kernel dumps can now be collected directly via Task Manager New richer, more actionable third-party reliability data views in Partner Center Windows Performance Analyzer (WPA) is now supported and available on Arm devices You will find more details on the Microsoft blog post linked here.

Microsoft quietly released Windows 11 22H2 Configuration Update that boosts performance by Sayan Sen Microsoft quietly released a Configuration update for Windows 11 version 22H2 last week as it delivered the latest Moment 3 feature update. This configuration update is a part of Microsoft's Continuous Innovation and is released via the Controlled Feature Rollout (CFR) approach. The update brings the latest feature sooner to Windows 11 22H2 users. The full list of changes in this configuration update is given below: Highlights New! This update adds live captions for the following languages: Chinese (Simplified and Traditional) French (France, Canada) German Italian Japanese Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal) Spanish Danish English (Ireland, other English dialects) Korean To turn on live captions, use the WIN + Ctrl + L keyboard shortcut. You can also use the Quick Settings accessibility flyout menu. When you turn it on for the first time, Windows will ask you to download the required speech recognition support. Speech recognition support might not be available in your preferred language, or you might want support in other languages. You can download speech recognition support from Settings > Time & Language > Language & region. New! This update redesigns the in-app voice access command help page.Every command now has a description and examples of its variations. The search bar allows you to quickly find commands. The new categories provide further guidance. You can access the command help page on the voice access bar from Help > View all commands or use the voice access command “what can I say?” Note that the help page might not include all commands. Also, the supplementary information might be inaccurate. We plan to update this in the future. For a list of all Voice Access commands, see Use voice access to control your PC & author text with your voice. New! This update adds voice access command support for the following English dialects: English (United Kingdom) English (India) English (New Zealand) English (Canada) English (Australia) When you turn on voice access for the first time, Windows will ask you to download a speech model. You might not find a speech model that matches your display language. You can still use voice access in English (US). You can always choose a different language from Settings > Language on the voice access bar. New! This update adds new text selection and editing voice access commands. Some examples are in the table. To do this Say this Select a range of text in the text box “Select from [text 1] to [text 2]”, e.g., “Select from have to voice access” Delete all the text in a text box “Delete all” Apply bold, underline, or italic formatting for the selected text or the last dictated text “Bold that,” “Underline that,” “Italicize that” New! This update adds a VPN status icon, a small shield, to the system tray. It displays when you are connected to a recognized VPN profile. The VPN icon will be overlayed in your system’s accent color over the active network connection. New! You can now choose to display seconds in the clock on the system tray. To turn this on, go to the Taskbar behaviors section in Settings > Personalization > Taskbar. You can also right-click the taskbar to quickly get to taskbar settings. New! This update provides a copy button for you to quickly copy two-factor authentication (2FA) codes. These are in notification toasts you get from apps installed on your PC or from phones linked to your PC. Note that this feature only works for English. New! This update adds access key shortcuts to File Explorer’s context menu. An access key is a one keystroke shortcut. You can use it to quickly run a command in a context menu using your keyboard. Each access key corresponds to a letter in the display name of the menu item. To try this out, you can click on a file in File Explorer and press the menu key on your keyboard. New! This update adds multi-app kiosk mode, which is a lockdown feature. If you are an administrator, you can specify the apps that can run on a device. Other apps will not run. You can also block certain functionalities. You can configure distinct types of access and apps to run for different users on one device. Multi-app kiosk mode is ideal for scenarios in which multiple people use the same device. Some examples are frontline workers, retail, education, and test taking. Some lockdown customizations include: Limit access to Settings, except certain pages, such as Wi-Fi and screen brightness Show only the apps that are allowed on the Start menu Block certain toasts and pop-up windows Currently, you can enable multi-app kiosk mode using PowerShell and WMI Bridge. To learn more, see Set up a multi-app kiosk on Windows 11 and AssignedAccess CSP. Support for Microsoft Intune, mobile device management (MDM), and provisioning package configuration is coming soon. New! This update introduces live kernel memory dump (LKD) collection from Task Manager. Using LKD, you can gather data to troubleshoot an issue while the OS continues to work. This reduces downtime when you must investigate an unresponsive program or high-impact failures. To learn more, see Task Manager live memory dump. To capture an LKD, go to Task Manager > Details. Right-click the System process. Select Create live kernel memory dump file. This capturesa Full live kernel or Kernel stack memory dump. The dump will be written to a fixed location: %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Windows\TaskManager\LiveKernelDumps. You can also go to the Task Manager Settings page to view or edit the settings for live kernel memory dumps. New! This update replaces the settings for Show the touch keyboard when there’s no keyboard attached. These are located at Settings > Time & language > Typing > Touch keyboard. A new dropdown menu gives you three options to control whether tapping an edit control should open the touch keyboard. The options are: Never. This suppresses the touch keyboard even when no hardware keyboard is attached. When no keyboard attached. This shows the touch keyboard only when you use the device as a tablet without the hardware keyboard. Always. This shows the touch keyboard even when the hardware keyboard is attached. New! This update enables Content Adaptive Brightness Control (CABC) to run on laptops and 2-in-1 devices. This feature dims or brightens areas of a display based on the content. It tries to strike a balance between saving battery life and providing a good visual experience. You can adjust the feature setting from Settings > System > Display > Brightness & color. Thedrop-down menu gives you three options: Off, Always, and On Battery Only. For battery powered devices, the default is On Battery Only. Because the device manufacturer must enable CABC, the feature might not be on all laptops or 2-in-1 devices. New! This update adds a USB4 hubs and devices Settings page. You can find it at Settings> Bluetooth & devices > USB > USB4 Hubs and Devices. This new page provides information about the system’s USB4 capabilities and the attached peripherals on a system that supports USB4. This information helps with troubleshooting when you need manufacturer or system administrator support. Some features include: You can view the tree of the connected USB4 hubs and devices. You can copy details to the clipboard to share them. If your system does not support USB4 with the Microsoft USB4 Connection Manager, this page will not appear. On systems that support USB4, you will see USB4 Host Router in Device Manager. New! This update adds a presence sensor privacy setting in Settings > Privacy & security > Presence sensing. If you have a device that has compatible presence sensors, you can now choose the apps that can access those sensors. You can also choose the apps that do not have access. Microsoft does not collect images or metadata. The device hardware processes your information locally to maximize privacy. New! This update improves the performance of search within Settings. New! This update changes the default print screen (prt scr) key behavior. Pressing the print screen key opens the Snipping Tool by default. You can turn off this setting from Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard. If you have previously changed this setting, Windows will preserve your preference. New! This update introduces a limit of 20 most recent tabs in Settings > Multitasking. This affects the number of tabs that appear when you use ALT + TAB and Snap Assist. New! This update improves the cloud suggestion and the integrated search suggestion. This helps you to easily type popular words in Simplified Chinese using the Input Method Editor (IME). The cloud suggestion adds the most relevant word from Microsoft Bing to the IME candidate window. The integrated search suggestion gives you additional suggestions that are like what you see on a Bing search page. You can insert a suggestion as text or search for it directly in Bing. To turn on these features, select a chevron button in the upper right of the IME candidate window. Then select the Turn on button. New! This update improves your computer’s performance when you use a mouse that has a high report rate for gaming. To learn more, see “Reduced game stutter with high report rate mice” in Delivering Delightful Performance for More Than One Billion Users Worldwide. You can view the official support article here.

Navigating Microsoft's AI Frontier: Unveiling tech giant's path with caution and critique by Fiza Ali Artificial Intelligence (AI) has taken centre stage in the technology landscape, promising to revolutionize industries and transform our interactions with machines. As a major player in the tech industry, Microsoft has wholeheartedly embraced AI and is making significant strides in integrating it across its products and services. Similar to Shakespeare's Prospero in The Tempest, the Redmond tech giant has harnessed the capabilities of AI to enhance productivity in the digital realm. While there are certainly appealing possibilities, it's important to critically evaluate Microsoft's claims and address the potential concerns that come with this AI-driven future. The company has leveraged AI in its productivity suite, particularly with Microsoft 365 Copilot. AI-powered features for its productivity apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, such as intelligent writing assistance, real-time language translation, and automated data analysis aim to enhance efficiency and streamline workflows. While these advancements may have their merits, it is crucial to remain cautious. The effectiveness of these features heavily relies on the quality and diversity of the underlying data they are trained on. Biases and limitations within the datasets could potentially lead to flawed outputs and reinforce existing inequalities. AI is also transforming the way we interact with personal computing devices, and Microsoft appears to be aiming to be at the forefront of this revolution. With the release of Windows 11, the company has introduced AI-driven enhancements that claim to improve the user experience. Although controversial, the redesigned Start Menu, for instance, leverages AI algorithms to personalize content based on user preferences. While personalization may seem enticing, it's important to question the extent to which AI can truly understand and cater to individual needs. There is a risk of creating echo chambers and limiting users' exposure to diverse perspectives, hindering personal growth and intellectual curiosity. In addition, AI-powered voice assistants have been widely regarded as underwhelming in terms of functionality and intelligence. Microsoft's CEO, Satya Nadella, himself has admitted that voice assistants in general, including Cortana, "were all dumb as a rock." Azure, Microsoft's cloud computing platform, positions itself as a powerhouse for AI-driven innovations. By integrating AI capabilities into Azure services, the company enables developers and businesses to leverage machine learning models and computer vision algorithms without requiring extensive AI expertise. While this accessibility is commendable, it also raises concerns about data privacy, security, and the potential for misuse. Additionally, the recent collaboration with NVIDIA to host AI and metaverse services on Azure raises questions about the concentration of power and control in the hands of a few tech giants. While Microsoft claims a commitment to ethical AI development, decisions such as laying off its Ethical AI team, raise doubts about the company's true dedication to responsible AI practices. Ethical considerations, transparency, and accountability must be at the forefront of AI development to prevent unintended consequences and ensure the technology serves the best interests of individuals and communities. The tech giant is also exploring the possibilities of techno-humanism. Microsoft’s HoloLens, to which the company is reportedly committed even after laying off the Mixed Reality Toolkit team, for example, is a wearable device that uses augmented reality to enhance the user’s perception of the world around them. As such companies continue to explore the possibilities of integrating technology and humanity, it is essential that they consider the ethical implications of their actions as well. As we navigate Microsoft's push into the AI era, it's crucial to approach it with a balanced perspective. While there are undoubtedly exciting possibilities, it's essential to remain critical and address the potential risks and limitations of AI. We must hold technology companies accountable for the societal impact of their AI-driven innovations, ensuring that the technology serves as a tool for empowerment rather than exacerbating inequalities or compromising privacy and autonomy. Furthermore, Microsoft's bold leap toward the AI era calls for vigilance and careful evaluation. As we shape the future of technology, it is also crucial to maintain a healthy balance between AI's promises and its realistic limitations. By doing so, we can work towards a future where AI truly enhances our lives, serves our best interests, and respects our fundamental rights and values. Nevertheless, Microsoft's push into the AI era does compel one to reimagine what is possible and shape a future where technology and humanity coalesce in extraordinary ways.

Microsoft Weekly: new Windows 11 features, cracked XP, Build news, and more by Taras Buria Here is your weekly Microsoft news recap, bringing the most interesting and exciting stories from the last seven days. And with Microsoft's annual developer conference now over, there are a lot of things to review: new Windows 11 features and updates, AI everywhere, new tools for app developers, and many more. This time, we have quick links, so you can jump to the section that interests you the most: Build Announcements Windows 11 Microsoft Store Edge More Updates! Windows Insider Program Gaming Trivia Windows 11, AI-powered tools and features, and more During the Build 2023 conference (you can check out our complete Build coverage here), Microsoft unveiled many new features for developers and regular Windows 11 users. Many of them harness the power of artificial intelligence to deliver a better experience and previously unavailable features. Windows 11 The biggest Windows 11-related announcement during Build was Windows Copilot—a feature to make "every user a power user." Windows Copilot is a new AI-powered assistant on your Windows 11 PC that will help you get things done, control various settings, get answers to complex questions, and more (consider it Cortana 2.0, but actually good, supposedly). Windows Copilot will be available for testing next month, and you can sign up for updates here. Microsoft also announced a batch of smaller but necessary changes. Windows 11 will soon get taskbar labels and "never combine" mode (both features are already available for testing in the Windows Insider program), native RGB controls, support for more archive formats, such as RAR, 7-zip, GZ, TAR, and more. The latter is a significant change, especially for developers, but the WinRAR team says it is honored and a bit concerned with Microsoft's decision. And yes, there was a teaser of the upcoming File Explorer redesign. Another long-anticipated change is the ability to remove news from Windows Widgets. Microsoft announced it would soon allow Windows 11 customers to switch between three modes: mixed, widgets-only, and news-only. Developers will be happy to learn about the new Dev Home app tailored for app-makers. It is a storage volume with a file system focused on performance and security. Based on ReFS, it delivers up to 30% performance uplifts in various tasks. In addition, Dev Home features integrations with WinGet, GitHub, and more. Microsoft Store Let's kick off the Microsoft Store section with the Microsoft Store App Awards 2023 winners. It features winners selected by the community vote and honorable mentions picked by editors. Moving on to the new features, the Microsoft Store will soon use AI to analyze reviews and generate summaries to help you learn what other customers think about the app or game without scrolling hundreds or thousands of reviews. The store will also get a dedicated AI hub to recognize apps that use artificial intelligence. And if you are a Windows app developer, Microsoft Partner Center will help you reach more people with AI-picked keywords for your project. That is not all Microsoft announced for its app marketplace. Developers will soon be able to promote their applications in the Bing search results, and the store will feature a new ad spot. In addition, the recently launched Microsoft Store Ads program is expanding to more countries and regions. And finally, Microsoft has prepared new features for progressive web apps and opened Android app submissions to all developers, allowing them to expand their audiences with Windows 11 customers. Microsoft Edge Microsoft did not forget to treat its browser with a few upgrades. The browser will soon be redesigned with Mica and rounded corners, the Workspaces feature, and a dedicated mode for businesses and organizations. Other news from the Build conference: Improvements for Microsoft Designer and Bing Image Creator Improvements for Windows on ARM Microsoft Fabric—a new unified end-to-end analytics solution Public Preview of GitHub Advanced Security for Azure DevOps Updates—lots of them! As usual, this week, we received many software updates for apps, games, operating systems, firmware, and more. Microsoft announced the "Moment 3" update and later shipped it to those willing to get new Windows features as soon as they become available (make sure your PC meets the requirements). Check out our full review if you want to know what is new in the release. Here are the smaller Windows updates Microsoft released this week: KB5026436 for Windows 11 with fixes for SMB, LSASS, printers, and more KB5026435 for Windows 10 with notification and search box improvements Updated ISO files for Windows 11 and 10 Surface Firmware Updates: Surface Laptop 3 and Surface Pro 9 Surface Book 3 and Surface Laptop Go 2 Another noteworthy release this week is Microsoft's updated Windows 11 virtual machines. They are available for free during the evaluation period and provide access to various developer tools for making Windows apps. The VMs are available in four "flavors" for different virtualization software. As usual, this week, we reported a few notable changes in Microsoft Edge's Canary Channel, where the company tests the waters for new features before shipping them to the general public. Users noticed a new gaming mode and the built-in VPN with an increased monthly data limit. In addition, an upcoming Edge update will introduce a taskbar-like sidebar you can permanently fix on the desktop. App updates: A big update for PowerToys with a new tool that lets you control several PCs with one mouse Changes in Google Chrome Canary that disable the recently introduced Mica material SwiftKe and Bing for Android with the latest Bing Chat features Authenticator Lite support in Outlook for iOS and Android Not all updates were good: some users reported various issues with the latest cumulative updates for Windows 10, such as blue screens of death with the PROCESS1 INITIALIZATION FAILED error code. Check out Microsoft's recommendations on how to resolve the issue on affected systems. Also, Microsoft confirmed problems with copy/save on Windows 11 and bugs with 32-bit apps on Windows 10. Insider builds and hidden features Microsoft treated insiders with many updates after a disappointing no_build week. Here are the latest Windows 11 builds to test: Canary: 25370 with TPM improvements, WPA3 support for Phone Link, and more. Canary: 25375 with Microsoft Endpoint DLP on WoA. Dev: 23466 with new features announced at Build 2023. Beta: KB5026440 with various fixes. New and exciting features in the latest Windows 11 builds are rolling out gradually. If you do not want to wait to get them, check out our recent guides: How to enable taskbar labels and "never combine" mode How to enable Windows 11's new method to close apps and terminate processes Gaming This week, we updated our list of the most anticipated games coming soon to the Xbox consoles in 2023, such as Mortal Kombat1, Layers of Fear, and others. Also, John Callaham published a look back at the original Xbox One unveiled ten years ago and its initial lukewarm reception. It is an interesting story showing how bad decisions and wrong priorities almost sunk Microsoft's ambitious project. Microsoft continues making its games more cloud-friendly. This week, the company announced several titles for the Ukrainian-based cloud streaming service called Boosteroid. The initial list of supported games is a bit slim, but Microsoft promises to add more soon. And to back its promise, Microsoft released three more Xbox titles on NVIDIA's GeForce Now. Cloud gaming is one reason the UK's CMA denied the approval of the Microsoft-ABK deal. To deal with the issue, Microsoft filed an appeal against the ruling. In addition to releasing new games, Microsoft is constantly working on ensuring the platform is safe and friendly for all. The latest Xbox Transparency Report highlights Microsoft's proactive measures and moderation tools that prevent all sorts of nastiness from ruining the fun for gamers. Deals: Deals with Gold this week let you save up to 90% on RIDE, Dying Light, WWE 2K23, and more. Trivia This week, I tested Microsoft's claim that enabling seconds on the system clock will make your computer consume more power. Check out this article for our findings. Another noteworthy piece is the story about the cracked Windows XP activation algorithm. The OS released more than 21 years ago still generates a lot of interest from the community and leads to all sorts of interesting headlines. And there goes another week in the world of Microsoft and everything around it. As usual, you can check out more news here and sign up for the Neowin Newsletter to get the latest stories regularly delivered directly to your inbox.

Microsoft says this Windows 11 taskbar setting can worsen your battery life, is it true? by Taras Buria Earlier this week, Microsoft released the Windows 11 "Moment 3" update with a few quality-of-life improvements and new features (check out our full review here). One of the most notable changes in the release is the ability to enable seconds for the system clock. However, Microsoft warns that enabling the feature will result in higher power consumption and lower battery life. I decided to conduct a small (and limited) experiment to see if the claim is true, and if it is true, see how significant is the battery life impact. Jump to results. Restoring the missing feature in a better form The system tray seconds feature is one of those returning capabilities Microsoft initially removed when upgrading from Windows 10 to 11. Although I firmly believe no one should praise Microsoft for restoring things it earlier took away for no reason, I think the company deserves some credit for making it much more user-friendly. In Windows 10, enabling seconds requires a deep dive into the system's registry and a complete restart, while in Windows 11, a single tick in the Settings app is all it takes. Many Windows 10 users do not even know you can make the taskbar display seconds, plus very few want to mess with the system's internals. In this regard, Windows 11 offers a much better experience, so thank you, Microsoft. It is also worth noting that despite having a brand-new, entirely rewritten taskbar, Windows 11 uses the same registry key for disabling or enabling seconds in the tray clock. Therefore, I was curious to see if there is a difference in power consumption between Windows 10 and 11 with seconds on and off. How to enable seconds for the system clock in Windows 11? If you want to enable clocks for the system clock without installing third-party apps like ElevenClock (one of our picks for must-have Windows 11 apps), update to the Windows 11 "Moment 3" update (build 22621.1778 or later, KB5026446) and do the following: Open the Settings app and go to Personalization > Taskbar. Expand the Taskbar behaviors section and place a checkmark next to the "Show seconds in system tray clock" option. Alternatively, use the Registry Editor method, which is the same for Windows 10 and 11 (assuming you are on the latest "Moment 3" update): Press Win + R and type regedit. Go to HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced and double-click the ShowSecondsInSystemClock value. If the value is missing, click Edit > New > DWORD (32-bit) value and name it ShowSecondsInSystemClock. Change Value Data from 0 to 1. Restart your computer. How did I test it? I clean-installed the latest Windows 11 update on my 14-inch HP Pavilion x360 with 11th Gen Intel Core i3 and 16GB of RAM, charged it 100%, set brightness to max, enabled flight mode, disconnected from the charger, and left it idling with only stopwatch running. Once the battery was dead, I charged it back to 100%, restarted, enabled seconds on the system clock, and did all over again. Rinse and repeat three times. Once I finished experimenting with Windows 11, I purged the OS, replaced it with Windows 10, and did the same testing. I understand that such a test probably requires more than one device for better results, but I could not source one, so it is what it is. My goal was to take one device, put it into a "sterile" environment, and see how toggling on or off one feature affects the battery life. The results The results proved that turning on seconds on the system clock indeed increases the power draw. On average, Windows 11 showed a 1.892% standby time downgrade when running the system clock with seconds off. I know a 43Wh battery is not great. And here is Windows 10 with almost identical results and an average 1.902% downgrade: Pretty much the same resultIn conclusion Yes, turning on seconds on the taskbar clock indeed makes your tablet or laptop consume more battery. Should you worry about it? Probably not, since the difference is negligible. Besides, Windows 10 shows the same difference in power consumption, so if it were not bothering you when running Windows 10, it would not bother you after upgrading to Windows 11. Too many extra things affect your battery life during daily use, so you are extremely unlikely to spot a 2% difference.

Windows 11 has a new way to close apps and end processes, here is how to enable it by Taras Buria Probably every Windows user knows how to close a running app: hit the X button in the upper-right corner or right-click the app's icon on the taskbar and select "Close window." But if a program stops responding, closing it takes more steps as you need to open Task Manager and terminate the misbehaving process. An upcoming feature update will make the process much easier by introducing a new method to close apps in Windows 11. Here is what you need to know about it and how to get it. End Task and Close window Windows 11 version 23H2 introduces a new entry to jump lists (context menus that appear on the screen when you right-click an icon on the taskbar) called "End task." It sits next to the "Close window" option, which may look identical at first sight. However, the "End task" feature is different. Unlike "Close window," "End task" terminates the entire app and its related processes, not just exits one or several windows (this may differ depending on a specific app and its settings). For example, clicking "Close window" on Teams will leave the app running in the background with no open windows, while the "End task" option will shut down all Teams' processes (watch the Teams icon in the notification area disappearing on the GIF below). Don't worry if that sounds confusing—you will not have to explain two seemingly identical buttons to your grandma. Microsoft says the "End task" feature is primarily intended for developers and thus keeps it disabled by default. Turning it on requires enabling Developer Mode first, which you should be aware of and understand. How to turn on Windows 11's new "End task" option? The "End task" option is currently available for testing in Windows 11 preview builds from the Dev Channel (Canary is not supported). You must update to build 23466 or newer, then flick two switches in the Developer section. Open the Settings app and navigate to System > For developers. Turn on Developer Mode and confirm the action. Switch on the End task toggle. Now you can right-click any running app and terminate it with the corresponding option. It is worth noting that there is a way to get the "End task" feature without enabling Developer Mode. It involves a third-party app called ViveTool, which Windows insiders often use to discover hidden features and customize various settings. Caution: Back up important data before using the ViVeTool app. Tinkering with the OS using such programs may result in bugs and instabilities in already unstable Windows builds, so be ready for troubleshooting if something goes wrong. Remember that stable Windows releases are the only way to keep your PC as reliable as possible. Download ViVeTool from GitHub and unpack the files in a convenient and easy-to-find folder. Press Win + X and select Terminal (Admin). Switch Windows Terminal to the Command Prompt profile with the Ctrl + Shift + 2 shortcut or by clicking the arrow-down button at the top of the window. Navigate to the folder containing the ViVeTool files with the CD command. For example, if you have placed ViVeTool in C:\Vive, type CD C:\Vive. Type vivetool /enable /id:42592269,42105254 and press Enter (via @thebookisclosed). Close Windows Terminal. Press Win + R and type regedit. Copy the following path and paste it into the Registry Editor's address bar: HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion Open the DeveloperSettings key under CurrentVersion. If the key is missing, right-click CurrentVersion and select New > Key. Rename the key to DeveloperSettings. Click Edit > New > DWORD (32-bit) value and rename it to TaskbarEndTask. Open the new value and change its value data from 0 to 1. Restart your computer. Now you can terminate running applications by right-clicking them on the taskbar and selecting "End task." To disable the setting, open Registry Editor, navigate to HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\DeveloperSettings, and change TaskbarEndTask value data from 1 to 0. You cannot disable the feature in the Settings app (it will be grayed out) without enabling Developer Mode first, so using Registry Editor is a must here. Do you plan to use Windows 11's new way to close apps? Let us know in the comments. Bonus: Did you notice that the screenshots above show the taskbar in "never combine" mode with labels? That feature is finally coming soon to Windows 11 later this year. Learn how to enable it in our dedicated guide.

WinRAR on Windows 11 getting RAR support: "We feel honoured with Microsoft's decision" by John Callaham Microsoft made a lot of big announcements during its Build 2023 developers conference this week. That included reveals like Windows Copilot, a redesign of its Edge browser, and adding Bing Search to ChatGPT. However, one reveal that Microsoft casually mentioned deep inside in a blog post managed to get a lot of attention from users and the media online. Windows 11 will soon add native support for opening a number of archive file types, including RAR. As we mentioned when we first posted on this development, the RAR format remains very popular for Windows PC users 30 years after it was first created by Eugene Roshal, and 28 years after he created the archive program WinRAR. It's been used by millions of people since then to both open and compress files in the RAR format. Now that Windows 11 will soon have the ability to open RAR archives on its own, we wondered how win.rar GmbH, the Germany-based company that owns and updates the WinRAR program, felt about this new development. We asked the company for a statement and received one via email from Louise Cusworth of the WinRAR sales team: It's taken Microsoft 30 years to implement support for RAR files into the Windows OS, and we were taken by surprise by the announcement, but now we're wondering if they're considering providing the RAR engine in 30 years, too? Microsoft announced many other features for the next Windows 11 release, but obviously the part about the support for different archives and for .rar, in particular, created a big splash on the internet. First of all, we feel honoured with Microsoft's decision. This will hopefully make RAR compression even more popular and more accessible to those users who are not familiar with WinRAR. Are we concerned? Of course we are, because we are a small company and Microsoft is a big international multi-billion dollar company with a lot of power. However, others might be even more concerned about Microsoft's decision. When searching on Google for "how to open rar files", we see the advertisements of our competitors; this could become obsolete in the future, but we simply don't know. Although users will still need WinRAR to create RAR files, they'll no longer need it to open their .rar files (which was never exclusive to WinRAR anyway), but, hopefully, there are enough people out there who will continue to support a small software company like us, so that we can continue to develop WinRAR for a long time to come! Your article and the many others that are now popping up online, introduce both challenges and benefits for our business. We need to keep developing WinRAR to make it even more attractive to users, and we have just released the Beta version for WinRAR 6.22 and are currently working on a major upgrade, which will hopefully be ready by the end of the year. We want to thank Louise for this statement. It will certainly be very interesting to see if people will continue to use WinRAR and if Microsoft also decides to add native support for archiving files in the RAR format for future Windows releases.

Windows 11 Beta Channel (KB5026440) fixes issues with SMB, memory leak, audio, NTFS, LSASS by Sayan Sen Today, Microsoft has released builds 22621.1825 and 22631.1825 (KB5026440) to the Beta Channel for Windows 11 Insiders. The company writes in its blog post: Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22621.1825 and Build 22631.1825 (KB 5026440) to the Beta Channel. Build 22631.1825 = New features rolling out. Build 22621.1825 = New features off by default. The new builds have several bug fixes, like those related to the Server Message Block (SMB), a memory leak, Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS), NTFS, an audio issue, and more. Aside from these, OneDrive capacity display in Settings has been fixed as well. The full changelog is given below: Fixes for BOTH Build 22621.1825 & Build 22631.1825 New! This update provides the full amount of storage capacity of all your OneDrive subscriptions. It also displays the total storage on the Accounts page in the Settings app. This update addresses an issue that affects dot sourcing. It fails files that contain class definition in Windows PowerShell. This update addresses an issue that affects exe. It stops working after you sign out. This issue occurs after you upgrade your machine to Windows 11 Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) and sign in to that machine. This update addresses an issue that affects Server Message Block (SMB). You cannot access the SMB shared folder. The errors are, “Not enough memory resources” or “Insufficient system resources.” This update addresses a memory leak. It occurs every time you print a rich text document. This update addresses an issue that affects audio playback. It fails on devices that have certain processors. This update addresses an issue that affects the Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS). It stops working. This occurs when you use Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD). This update addresses an issue that affects the touch keyboard. Sometimes, it does not show the correct layout based on the current input scope. This update addresses a multi-function label printer issue. It affects the installation of some of them. This update addresses an issue that might affect a large reparse point. You might get a stop error when you use NTFS to access it. This issue occurs after a canceled FSCTL Set operation changes the reparse tag. This update addresses an issue that affects Narrator. It now announces text attributes correctly for words, such as “misspelled,” “deletion change,” and “comment.” This update addresses an issue that affects a computer when it renders a halftone bitmap. The computer stops working. This update addresses an issue that affects devices that have multiple, discreet GPUs. You cannot choose the high-performance GPUs from the default graphics settings page. This update changes the international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) ranges for certain mobile providers. This update addresses an Event Viewer issue. It affects the rendering of a forwarded event log. This update addresses an issue that affects the Chinese and Japanese Input Method Editor (IME). When you search within the Emoji Panel (Windows key + period (.)), search might fail for some of you. This update addresses an issue that affects the Chinese and Japanese Handwriting Panel. It does not show text prediction candidates or stops responding. This occurs when you select a word from the candidate list of the Handwriting Panel. This update addresses an issue that stops your device from working when it resumes from Modern Standby. The error is 0x13A KERNEL_MODE_HEAP_CORRUPTION. This update addresses an issue that affects the Windows Firewall. The firewall drops all connections to the IP address of a captive portal. This occurs when you choose the Captive Portal Addresses option. This update addresses an issue that affects devices that are joined to Azure Active Directory (Azure AD). The Windows Firewall cannot apply the correct domain and profile for them. This update addresses an issue that affects the runas It stops working. The device behaves as if you did not sign in to your account. This update changes the support phone number for Microsoft India for Windows activation. This update addresses an issue that affects applications that perform certain actions in a callback. The applications might stop working. These actions include closing a Window (WM_CLOSE). This update addresses an issue that affects the use of the Event Viewer. The issue limits the number of event sources that users who are not administrators can access. This update addresses an issue that affects the Storage Spaces Direct (S2D) cluster. It might not come online. This occurs after a periodic password rollover. The error code is 1326. This update addresses an issue that affects access to Tab settings for IE mode sites. The update addresses an issue that sends unexpected password expiration notices to users. This occurs when you set up an account to use “Smart Card is Required for Interactive Logon” and set “Enable rolling of expiring NTLM secrets.” This update addresses an issue that affects the touch keyboard. It shows the wrong layout for the French-Canadian language. You can find the official blog post here.

Windows 11 Insider Canary build 25375 adds Microsoft Endpoint DLP on Windows on Arm by John Callaham Microsoft has released the latest Windows 11 build for Insiders on the Canary channel today. The new build 25375 adds support for Microsoft Endpoint DLP on Windows on Arm. Here is the changelog: What’s new in Build 25375 Support for Microsoft Endpoint DLP on Windows on Arm (Arm64) builds You can now extend Microsoft Endpoint Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policies and actions to endpoints running Windows on Arm (Arm64) which allows you to detect and protect sensitive data in files part of your digital ecosystem. This enables you to introduce policy controls for scenarios such as when an information worker using a Windows endpoint powered by Arm chipset from accessing sensitive files and trying an egress action such as copying to a USB, or copy to clipboard, notepad, etc. As part of your DLP Policy definition, you can leverage the current conditions and actions that are already available for use and there is no additional setting involved. Ensure your ARM64 endpoints are onboarded to Microsoft Endpoint DLP by using any of our supported onboarding methods. For developers You can download the latest Windows Insider SDK at aka.ms/windowsinsidersdk. SDK NuGet packages are now also flighting at NuGet Gallery | WindowsSDK which include: .NET TFM packages for use in .NET apps as described at aka.ms/windowsinsidersdk C++ packages for Win32 headers and libs per architecture BuildTools package when you just need tools like MakeAppx.exe, MakePri.exe, and SignTool.exe These NuGet packages provide more granular access to the SDK and better integration in CI/CD pipelines. SDK flights are now published for both the Canary and Dev Channels, so be sure to choose the right version for your Insider Channel. Remember to use adaptive code when targeting new APIs to make sure your app runs on all customer machines, particularly when building against the Dev Channel SDK. Feature detection is recommended over OS version checks, as OS version checks are unreliable and will not work as expected in all cases. You can check out the full blog post here.

How to enable taskbar labels and the 'never combine' feature in Windows 11 by Taras Buria Microsoft is finally ready to address one of the most popular taskbar-related complaints from Windows 11 customers as the OS approaches its second birthday. The Windows 11 preview build released during a keynote at the Build 2023 developer conference brings the much-requested taskbar labels and the ability to ungroup running apps (the "never combine" option). Here is what you need to know about these features and how to enable them. Windows 11 taskbar labels and ungrouping Taskbar labels and ungrouping are available in Windows 11 build 23466 (Dev Channel). However, even though Microsoft publicly announced these two much-anticipated features, they are not available to all insiders with the latest Dev build. Here is how to force-enable them if waiting is not your option. Download the ViVeTool app from GitHub and extract the files in a convenient and easy-to-find folder. Press Win + X and select Terminal (Admin). Switch Windows Terminal to the Command Prompt profile with the Ctrl + Shift + 2 shortcut or by clicking the arrow-down button at the top of the window. Navigate to the folder containing the ViveTool files using the CD command. For example, if you have placed ViveTool in C:\Vive, type CD C:\Vive. Type vivetool /enable /id:29785186 and press Enter. Restart your computer. Now you can turn on the never combine option and taskbar labels. To do so, head to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar behaviors. Scroll down and select the option you need from the Combine taskbar buttons and labels drop-down: Always: the default option with no labels (icons only). When taskbar is full: this option enables labels and hides them when you fill the entire taskbar with applications. Never: taskbar labels are always visible. It is worth noting that Windows 11 has also received a separate toggle for displaying labels for pinned, non-running applications. By default, the never combine option enables labels only for the open programs, leaving pins in the icon-only mode. To change that, place a checkmark next to the Show labels on taskbar pins option. Keep in mind that running unstable Windows 11 preview builds for your daily computing is not a very good idea—you may encounter bugs and quite severe issues. The features currently available in Dev builds are expected in the Stable Channel in the second half of this year. Alternatively, you can opt for third-party apps like Start11 or StartAllBack. Which option do you prefer? Combined or never combined with labels? Let us know in the comments. Source: @PhantomOfEarth | Twitter

Microsoft: File copy/save on Windows 11, Windows 10 32-bit apps failing, Office affected too by Sayan Sen Microsoft has warned IT and system admins that a file copying, saving, and attaching issue is affecting applications on Windows 11 as well as Windows 10. Thankfully, File Explorer is unaffected, however, 32-bit applications are. Microsoft says that 32-bit apps that are large address aware and use the CopyFile API are affected. This API essentially helps copy a new file to an existing file and keeps track of the progress. Hence, with this functionality broken at the moment, copying and saving have become a major issue at the moment for affected applications. Microsoft has also added that 32-bit versions of Office apps like Word and Excel are affected as well, and users may receive a "Document not saved" error. Microsoft explained the issue in detail on its Windows health support page: You might have intermittent issues saving, or copying, or attaching files using 32-bit apps which are large address aware and using the CopyFile API. Windows devices are more likely to be affected by this issue when using some commercial/enterprise security software which uses extended file attributes. We are not receiving reports that copying files using File Explorer is affected, but CopyFile API used within apps might be affected. Microsoft Office apps such as Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel are only affected when using 32-bit versions and you might receive the error, "Document not saved." This issue is unlikely to be experienced by consumers using Windows devices in their home or on non-managed comercial device. Note: Apps are not affected by this issue if they are 64-bit or 32-bit and NOT large address aware. There is a positive though. Microsoft says the issue is intermittent which means redoing the same action could likely work out. The company lists this as a potential workaround: Workaround: To mitigate the issue, you can attempt to save or copy again. Since the issue is intermittent, it is likely to succeed on a subsequent try. The above workaround is only for Windows 11 22H2 though. For other versions of Windows 11 and Windows 10, Microsoft recommends doing a known issue rollback (KIR): Workaround: To mitigate the issue, you can attempt to save or copy again. Since the issue is intermittent, it is likely to succeed on a subsequent try. Important: If the resolution below does not resolve intermittent save or copy issues in your environment, then you might be experiencing a different issue with similar symptoms. Resolution: This issue is resolved using Known Issue Rollback (KIR). Enterprise-managed devices that have installed an affected update and have encountered this issue can resolve it by installing and configuring a special Group Policy. The special Group Policy can be found in Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> . Group Policy downloads with Group Policy name: Download for Windows 11, version 21H2 - KB5023774 230222_032017 Known Issue Rollback Download for Windows 10, version 22H2; Windows 10, version 21H2 - KB5023773 230222_032013 Known Issue Rollback Important: You will need to install and configure the Group Policy for your version of Windows to resolve this issue. In somewhat related news, Microsoft recently resolved a SMB file copy issue on Windows 11 21H2 with the KB5026436 preview update.

Microsoft: You can now get Windows 11 Moment 3 but your PC must meet system requirements by Sayan Sen Microsoft began rolling out Moment 3 earlier today. Moment 3 is the latest feature update for Windows 11 version 22H2 and is now available for download as a preview release under KB5026446 (Build 22621.1778); the changelog, as expected, is very long. Microsoft releases such Moment updates every three months or so and these add new features. Officially the tech giant refers to it as Continuous Innovation. Along with that, Microsoft has also announced that Windows 11 22H2 is now ready for broader deployment, stating that the operating system is now "broadly available to all users with eligible devices who check for updates". Of course, to get it a device has to meet the system requirements of Windows 11 22H2. Microsoft has, in the past, erroneously pushed out Windows 11 on unsupported PCs, though later, it fixed it. On the Windows health dashboard website, the company has updated the status for Windows 11 22H2. Microsoft explains: Windows 11, version 22H2 is broadly available to all users with eligible devices who check for updates. Microsoft is delivering continuous innovation to Windows 11 more frequently. If you’re using Home or Pro consumer devices or non-managed business devices running Windows 11, version 22H2, you can get some of these newest experiences as soon as they’re ready for your device. To do so, open Settings > Windows Update. Select Get the latest updates as soon as they are available, and set the toggle to On. Note that the toggle won't be enabled for managed devices. These are managed by Windows Update for Business or Windows Server Update Services (WSUS). If you want a brief rundown of all the new features and improvements that Moment 3, you can find it here, though for a more in-depth look, refer to this article instead. Meanwhile, for users still on Windows 10 21H2, Microsoft has confirmed that it will soon force-update such computers to Windows 10 22H2, and of course, there was a reminder about Windows 11 as well.

Microsoft releases Windows 11 22H2 KB5026446 (Moment 3) with a long list of changes by Sayan Sen Microsoft released its latest feature update for Windows 11 yesterday as it began rolling out Windows 11 22H2 Moment 3. The company has since published a changelog for the update delivered under KB5026446 (Build 22621.1778). Among the changes is OneDrive storage capacity display now in the Settings app, Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) audio support, and more. Aside from these, there are a whole bunch of other changes too, and as expected, the changelog is really long. Find the full list of changes below: Highlights New! This update provides the full amount of storage capacity of all your Microsoft OneDrive subscriptions. It also displays the total storage on the Accounts page in the Settings app. New! This update adds Bluetooth® Low Energy (LE) Audio. Your computer must support Bluetooth LE Audio to use this feature. This update improves audio fidelity and battery life when you pair your computer with Bluetooth LE Audio earbuds and headphones. This update addresses an issue that affects Narrator. It now announces text attributes correctly for words, such as "misspelled," "deletion change," and "comment." This update addresses an issue that affects access to Tab settings for IE mode sites. This update addresses a multi-function label printer issue. It affects the installation of some of them. This update addresses an issue that affects audio playback. It fails on devices that have certain processors. This update addresses an issue that affects the touch keyboard. It shows the wrong layout for the French-Canadian language. This update addresses an issue that affects the touch keyboard. Sometimes, it does not show the correct layout based on the current input scope. This update addresses an issue that affects the Chinese and Japanese Input Method Editor (IME). When you search within the Emoji Panel (Windows key + period (.) ), search might fail for some of you. Improvements This non-security update includes quality improvements. When you install this KB: This update addresses an issue that affects searchindexer.exe. It stops working after you sign out. This issue occurs after you upgrade your machine to Windows 11 Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) and sign in to that machine. This update addresses an issue that affects Server Message Block (SMB). You cannot access the SMB shared folder. The errors are, “Not enough memory resources” or “Insufficient system resources.” The update addresses an issue that sends unexpected password expiration notices to users. This occurs when you set up an account to use “Smart Card is Required for Interactive Logon” and set "Enable rolling of expiring NTLM secrets." This update addresses an issue that affects the Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS). It stops working. This occurs when you use Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD). This update addresses an issue that affects the Storage Spaces Direct (S2D) cluster. It might not come online. This occurs after a periodic password rollover. The error code is 1326. This update addresses an issue that affects dot sourcing. It fails files that contain class definition in Windows PowerShell. This update addresses an issue that affects the use of the Event Viewer. The issue limits the number of event sources that users who are not administrators can access. This update addresses an Event Viewer issue. It affects the rendering of a forwarded event log. This update addresses a memory leak. It occurs every time you print a rich text document. This update addresses an issue that affects a computer when it renders a halftone bitmap. The computer stops working. This update addresses an issue that affects devices that have multiple, discreet GPUs. You cannot choose the high-performance GPUs from the default graphics settings page. This update addresses an issue that stops your device from working when it resumes from Modern Standby. The error is 0x13A KERNEL_MODE_HEAP_CORRUPTION. This update addresses an issue that affects applications that perform certain actions in a callback. The applications might stop working. These actions include closing a Window (WM_CLOSE). This update changes the support phone number for Microsoft India for Windows activation. This update changes the international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) ranges for certain mobile providers. This update addresses an issue that affects the Windows Firewall. The firewall drops all connections to the IP address of a captive portal. This occurs when you choose the Captive Portal Addresses option. This update addresses an issue that affects devices that are joined to Azure Active Directory (Azure AD). The Windows Firewall cannot apply the correct domain and profile for them. This update addresses an issue that affects Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC). It might create audit events that you do not need. This occurs when you choose the Disabled: Script Enforcement option. This update addresses an issue that affects the Chinese and Japanese Handwriting Panel. It does not show text prediction candidates or stops responding. This occurs when you select a word from the candidate list of the Handwriting Panel. This update addresses an issue that affects the runas command. It stops working. The device behaves as if you did not sign in to your account. This update addresses an issue that might affect a large reparse point. You might get a stop error when you use NTFS to access it. This issue occurs after a canceled FSCTL Set operation changes the reparse tag. This update addresses a known issue that might affect some speech recognition apps. They might have sporadic speech recognition, expressive input, and handwriting issues. This occurs when the display language is Chinese or Japanese. The apps might not recognize certain words. They might not receive any input from speech recognition or affected input types. This issue is more likely to occur when the apps use offline speech recognition. For app developers,this issue only affects speech recognition that uses Speech Recognition Grammar Specification (SRGS) in Windows.Media.SpeechRecognition. This issue does not affect other types of speech recognition. You can find the official support article on Microsoft's website here.