News: Software News

MS-DEFCON 3: Cleanup time

Tue, 22 Apr 2025 18:09:24 +0000

By Susan Bradley

After every Patch Tuesday, there is a period I call “cleanup time.”

By the end of the week, side effects start to pop up. Even though Microsoft does not usually document its patches well, we at least know which updates have been released and have had a chance to read through the release notes.

This time, side effects appear to be widespread. I have therefore set the MS-DEFCON level to 3. Patch as necessary but check your results carefully.

Microsoft noted that Windows 11 24H2 users have seen blue screens of death (BSOD), which has been mitigated with a known rollback fix. I have not experienced that problem.

I have been monitoring Windows patches and their side effect for about half of Microsoft’s existence. There have always been times when patch quality control was nonexistent, when documentation should have been better, and when I got better information from the attack community than I did from Microsoft. But this week I found the company’s lack of communication on something that made a visible change to the operating system of greater than usual concern.

A sloppy mitigation fix for Windows

Microsoft is once again in the position wherein it must code updates with a risk model that the vast majority of consumers will never experience. One vulnerability, CVE-2025-21204, is described in KB5055523 as follows:

[OS Security] After installing this update or a later Windows update, a new %systemdrive%\inetpub folder will be created on your device. This folder should not be deleted regardless of whether Internet Information Services (IIS) is enabled on the target device. This behavior is part of changes that increase protection and does not require any action from IT admins and end users.

Also see CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access (‘Link Following’) at Mitre’s Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) site, which provides the following description:

The product attempts to access a file based on the filename, but it does not properly prevent that filename from identifying a link or shortcut that resolves to an unintended resource.

Under “Common Consequences,” the CWE says:

An attacker may be able to traverse the file system to unintended locations and read or overwrite the contents of unexpected files. If the files are used for a security mechanism then an attacker may be able to bypass the mechanism.

What does all that mean? Businesses are being attacked with toe holds gained via malicious URLs, or spoofed emails. Once in, and if the computer being accessed is not properly protected, the attacker can use a set of tricks to gain access to the Windows Update stack, which then allows elevation of privileges locally. That’s where the bypass described above comes into play — instead of the filename resolving to a local file, the vulnerability hides the fact that the filename actually points to a link or shortcut that should otherwise not be accessible.

I have written about this before in connection with the aforementioned %systemdrive%\inetpub folder, which started appearing on client PCs (as opposed to servers). Historically, this folder was not needed on client PCs unless they were being used for Web development purposes and so on most PCs was not there. That history led many pundits to suggest that the folder could be safely removed, which Microsoft’s guidance in KB5055523 clearly says is not the case.

What makes this worse is that the folder will not be automatically restored when the PC reboots, but it is needed for the workaround for this vulnerability. Just re-creating the folder yourself won’t do the trick because it will not have the required permissions to make the workaround work. If you did remove the folder, don’t re-create it — restore it from the recycle bin.

Microsoft’s handling of this was far from ideal. The patch was applied if you accepted March updates. But at the time the patch was applied and the folder created, there was no notification about the folder or the fact that it should not be deleted. Folks started noticing this right away which led to a lot of bogus information showing up on the Web. Microsoft did not provide documentation until several days later, when it was too late to undo the deletion for many users. Worse, the April updates do not check to make sure that workaround patch is applied and thus installation of the April patches is not blocked, as it might be for other serious missing patches.

This is the best you could do, Microsoft? Really? Quietly create a folder, don’t tell anyone about it until the real world starts seeing it and deleting it, and then fail to put mitigation in a subsequent patching regimen?

The only good news from this sloppy work is that it will probably manifest only for business users. Nonetheless, if you see that folder on your PC, even if you are a consumer, don’t delete it. It actually does have a purpose, and it actually is required.

Out-of-band fixes for Windows

For years, “out of band” has meant that a given update was fixing an active attack for a security issue on an emergency basis. Now the term has been applied to additional after-the-fact updates that must be installed if the original security update affected you.

In April, Microsoft released out-of-band updates for Windows and Office bugs, including fixing an issue where audit logon/logoff events in the local policy of Active Directory Group Policy were not displayed as enabled even though they were functioning correctly. This issue was addressed through out-of-band updates for various Windows versions, including:

Windows 11 23H2 and 22H2 (KB5058919)
Windows Server 2022 (KB5058920)
Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2019 and Windows Server 2019 (KB5058922)
Windows 10 LTSB 2016 and Windows Server 2016 (KB5058921)
Azure Stack HCI, version 22H2 (KB5058920)

This fix must be manually installed; it is not available through Windows updates, only from the Windows catalog.

I am assuming that most consumers don’t care about audit logon/logoff events — you know when you logged on. Therefore, this is a “skip it” update. Businesses will need to decide if they want the fix now or will just wait until May when it’s rolled up into that update.

Out-of-band fixes for Office

If you use one of the “boxed” versions of Office, such as 2016, that uses individual updates — and not the Microsoft 365 click-to-run version — you’ll want to handle the April updates carefully. After installing KB5002700, you’ll find that Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft Outlook stop responding. You then must install KB5002623 to fix this issue. But this update is neither on Windows update nor on the Microsoft catalog site, where it could be used along with business patching platforms. Instead, it’s on the Microsoft download center.

You have a couple of options:

Place the update on a network share. Before installing all the updates to the workstations, script this extra update to be installed right after installing the April Office updates.
Instruct your patchers to find the patch on a network share and manually install it.

Issues installing 24H2

As you are aware, I work in the accounting profession in real life, where things are busy between January and April. Although I install security updates during this time, the last thing I want to do is to install feature updates. Some of my fellow accountants did so during tax season and ended up scrambling to get new printer driver or hauling an old printer from the basement to get things working. Because the 24H2 release is a major release, it takes time. It’s disruptive. It can have side effects.

In addition, some readers are struggling trying to get 24H2 installed. They’ve manually installed the ISO, and it gets to a certain point, stops and rolls back. The cryptic log files merely point to a driver, providing little helpful information. Use the Windows 11 Installation Assistant or review SetupDiag looking for clues. I’m hoping to set aside time and dig through cryptic log files and see if we can get to the bottom of this.

Now that I’m winding down from tax season, I will start working on my project to migrate the office PCs from Windows 11 23H3 to 24H2. I’ll be taking notes and reporting to you.

Server broker still broken

I thought that the event viewer error in Windows 10 22H2 was fixed in the April updates. I received a notification that the System Guard Runtime Monitor service had been fixed:

The Windows Event Viewer might display an error related to SgrmBroker.exe, on devices which have installed Windows updates released January 14, 2025 or later. This error can be found under Windows Logs, System as Event 7023, with text similar to “The System Guard Runtime Monitor Broker service terminated with the following error.”

It turns out they were fixed, but only for Windows Server 2022. KB5055526, released on April 8, fixed the issue. Yet it was not fixed in Windows 10. I’ll let you know if a fix is released for Windows 10.

Server 2025 can’t serve

The new kid on the block is having some side effects. As noted by Microsoft in its Windows Health Release dashboard but not on its public site:

Domain controllers manage network traffic incorrectly after restarting.

I’d call that interesting at the least but more likely worrisome. Servers that handle Active Directory have the domain controller role. It’s extremely important for them to handle such traffic. The underlying issue is caused by the Windows firewall switching to a public profile rather than domain or work. This is not new: Many have seen it happening for a long time and have recommended setting network location services to a delayed start for awhile.

Microsoft recommends that you can restart the network adapter. This can be done manually in various ways, such as using the following command via PowerShell:

Restart-NetAdapter *

Many deal with this issue by setting Network Location Awareness Automatic to Delayed, as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Startup type Delayed

Install updates immediately?

Time and time again, Microsoft showcases that we need to be methodical and patient when updates are concerned. Have a backup. Have another device just in case. Have a plan B. Ensure that you are aware that sometimes the risks of updates are just as great as the risks of attacks.

Resources

Susan’s Master Patch List
The MS-DEFCON System explained
BlockAPatch — Tools to help you hide or block updates
Steve Gibson’s excellent InControl to manage feature releases

Source

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How to change the default folder for downloads on Windows 11

Tue, 22 Apr 2025 17:55:18 +0000

Do you want to set a different drive or location for all your downloads? Here's how on Windows 11.

On Windows 11, when you download a document or another type of file, by default, it's stored in the "Downloads" folder located in the home folder for that specific account. However, you can always change the default location of the folder to another path or a different drive.

Although it usually makes sense to download files in the default location,

over time, this can take up a lot of space, potentially affecting system performance, especially on devices with limited capacity. Redirecting downloads to another drive can help manage storage more effectively.

It can also help with file organization if you're setting up secondary (internal or external) storage on the computer.

Regardless of the reason, Windows 11 allows you to change the default location of the "Downloads" folder to use another path or a totally different drive.

In this how-to guide, I'll outline the easy steps to change the default location to download files on Windows 11.

How to change the Downloads folder location on Windows 11

To redirect the downloads to another location on Windows 11, use these steps:

Open File Explorer.
Type the following path variable in the address bar and press Enter: %HOMEPATH%
Right-click the Downloads folder and choose the Properties option.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

Click the Location tab.
Click the Move button.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

Select the new destination path on the same drive or a different one.
Click the New folder option.
Confirm the "Downloads" name for the folder.
Select the newly created folder in the new location.
Click the Select Folder button.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

Click the Apply button.
Click the Yes button to relocate the files to the folder location.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

Quick note: If you choose the "No" option, the files will stay in the current location. Usually, the "Yes" option is the safest.

Click the OK button.

Once you complete the steps, the default location will be relocated to the new path or storage. As a result of these changes, apps like your web browser will download files in the new location by default.

If you want to revert the changes, you can use the same steps mentioned above, but this time, you will have to access the "Downloads" folder properties from the new location.

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How to show app labels in the Taskbar for Windows 11

Tue, 22 Apr 2025 17:54:01 +0000

Yes, you can show app labels in the Taskbar, and here's how on Windows 11.

On Windows 11, you can display labels for apps in the Taskbar, and in this guide, I'll walk you through how to enable this configuration quickly and easily.

In earlier versions of the operating system, having labels next to Taskbar icons made it simple to identify open apps and documents at a glance. However, with the initial release of Windows 11, Microsoft introduced a modern Taskbar design that removed several legacy features, including the ability to ungroup icons and show labels.

Thankfully, starting with the release of Windows 11 version 23H2, the company has listened to user feedback and brought back this functionality. You can now ungroup icons and show labels on the Taskbar once again, restoring a feature that enhances usability and gives you better control.

In this how-to guide, I'll explain the steps to enable or disable labels for apps in the Taskbar for Windows 11.

Warning: This is a friendly reminder that editing the Registry is risky and can cause irreversible damage to your installation if you don't do it correctly. Before proceeding, it's recommended that you make a .

How to show app labels in the Taskbar from Settings

To show labels for apps in the Taskbar, use these steps:

Open the Settings app.
Click on Personalization.
Click the Taskbar page.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

Click the Taskbar behaviors setting.
(Option 1) Select the "Never" option to show app labels for the "Combine taskbar buttons and hide labels" setting.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

(Option 2) Select the "When the taskbar is full" option to show app labels but hide them when the Taskbar no longer has space for the "Combine taskbar buttons and hide labels" setting.
(Option 3) Select the "Always" (default) option to hide app labels for the "Combine taskbar buttons and hide labels" setting.

Once you complete the steps, the Taskbar will show labels for apps running in the system according to your configuration.

How to show app labels in the Taskbar from Registry

To control the option to show labels for apps in the Taskbar through the Registry, use these steps:

Open Start.
Search for regedit and click the top result to open the Registry Editor.
Navigate to the following path: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
Right-click the TaskbarGlomLevel DWORD and click the Modify option.
(Option 1) Set the value to 2 to always show labels.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

(Option 2) Set the value to 1 to show labels but hide when there's no space in the Taskbar.
(Option 3) Set the value to 0 to always hide labels (default behavior).

After you complete the steps, the Taskbar will show text labels for apps according to your configuration.

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Windows 10 KB5055612 fixes GPU issues in WSL and improves security

Tue, 22 Apr 2025 17:51:40 +0000

It is time for this month's optional non-security updates for Windows 11 and 10. Windows 10 is the first to receive April's C-update under KB5055612 (build number 19045.5796), which, slightly confusingly, contains security improvements to the Windows Kernel Vulnerable Driver Blocklist and a single fix for GPU paravirtualization support in Windows Subsystem for Linux 2.

For reference, this update was released in the Insider Program (Release Preview) last week.

Here is the changelog:

Improvements

[Graphics] Fix: The check for GPU paravirtualization was case-sensitive in Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 (WSL2). This issue might potentially cause GPU paravirtualization support to fail.

[OS Security] Updates to the Windows Kernel Vulnerable Driver Blocklist (DriverSiPolicy.p7b). Additions have been made to blocklist drivers with security vulnerabilities that have been used in Bring Your Own Vulnerable Driver (BYOVD) attacks.

Known issues in KB5055612 remain the same as before (minus the bug with a Windows Update error, which is now fully fixed). One affects systems with certain versions of Citrix software, and one is about the Windows Event Viewer displaying a SgrmBroker.exe error (Microsoft says you can safely ignore it).

You can download KB5055612 from Windows Update or the Microsoft Update Catalog. Keep in mind that today's release is optional, so feel free to skip it if you do not need or want anything from its changelog. Changes in KB5055612 will be included in the following mandatory Patch Tuesday updates.

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Microsoft fixes that Windows Update error it told you to ignore

Tue, 22 Apr 2025 17:50:36 +0000

Last week, Microsoft acknowledged a Windows 10 update bug in which the operating system would show an "0x80070643 – ERROR_INSTALL_FAILURE" message when attempting to install a WinRE update with another update in a pending reboot state. At the time, Microsoft told affected users that they could solve the problem by simply ignoring it. Now, the company has a proper resolution for the issue.

Microsoft has updated its official documentation with a new message about the 0x80070643 error. It says that as of April 21, 2025, the bug no longer appears. Those installing KB5057589 after 2 PM PT will not observe the error. As for those who already have the update installed, it will not be offered again. In other words, there is nothing to do on your side if you use Windows 10. However, you can check the status of the update with the DISM /Online /Get-Packages command.

Here is the updated message that Microsoft posted on the Windows Health Dashboard website:

If you install KB5057589 after 2 PM PT on April 21, 2025, you will not observe the incorrect error message about the install failure. If you have already installed this update, you will not see this update offered again and can check the status of this update with the Dism /Online /Get-Packages command.

Note that the problem only affected Windows 10 version 22H2, version 21H2, and Windows Server 2022. It was not observed on systems running any client or server Windows 11 version.

As a reminder, mainstream support for Windows 10 is ending on October 14, 2025, and Microsoft is urging everyone with eligible devices to upgrade to Windows 11 and use its improved features and enhanced security. As for those with unsupported devices, Microsoft suggests recycling and buying a new PC.

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Microsoft now lets you set Copilot as new tab page in Edge

Tue, 22 Apr 2025 17:48:01 +0000

It appears that the current Copilot integration in Microsoft Edge is not enough for the company. Microsoft is now experimenting with letting users set Copilot as their new tab page in Edge. By default, Microsoft Edge has Copilot in a sidebar for quick responses, but with the latest updates, you can have it on the new tab page instead of the current one with a Bing search bar, quick links, backgrounds, and a news feed.

Here is how to enable it:

Download Microsoft Edge 137.0.3274.0 or newer (currently available in the Edge Insider program)
Go to edge://flags, a page with all the experimental features and flags in Microsoft Edge.
Find and enable the following flags:
NTP Composer—set to "Enabled with experimental features"
NTP Composer Chat Ranking—set to "Enabled"
NTP Composer Focus—set to "Enabled"
NTP Composer Use Copilot Search—set to "Enabled"
Restart Microsoft Edge and open a new tab. You will see the Copilot interface with a quick Office link, some suggestions, a settings button, and more.

It is worth reminding that features on the edge://flags page are experimental. They are often raw, unfinished, buggy, and overall not ready for their public debut. However, if you feel adventurous, you can try it on Microsoft Edge version 137, which is currently available for insiders in the Dev and Canary channels.

In other Edge-Copilot news, Microsoft recently launched Copilot Vision for its browser. With Copilot Vision, you can let Copilot see your current tab and offer useful information and insights about it. Copilot Vision is also coming to Windows 11, and you can try it in recent preview builds.

Do you like the idea of having Copilot as the default new tab page in Microsoft Edge? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Source: Deskmodder

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Copilot can now create PowerPoint slides from your documents, here's how to do that

Tue, 22 Apr 2025 07:37:48 +0000

Microsoft has just announced a new feature for Copilot in PowerPoint for Windows that lets you quickly create a PowerPoint slide using a document and a prompt. This can help save you lots of time while making presentations. In this guide, I’ll show you how you can get started using this feature.

Please note that this feature is only available to PowerPoint for Windows users with a Copilot license running Version 2502 (Build 18526.20144). Additionally, this feature is currently available only in English (US). Additional language support is coming soon!

To get started, you need to open PowerPoint on a Windows device and open up a presentation that you’ve been working on. Next, look for the Copilot button above your slide and press ‘Add a slide’.

If you cannot find the Copilot button above your slide, head to the Home tab and select New Slide with Copilot.

Now, you should have the opportunity to enter a prompt explaining to Copilot what you want the slide to be about; you can also upload a document for the slide to reference by pressing ‘Reference a file’. If you are stuck on what to type in the prompt, Microsoft provides some ready-made prompt ideas.

If you are referencing a larger file and want the slide to contain specific information, you can direct Copilot to a specific section or topic within the file. When creating your prompt, it’s also best to be concise and focus on one or two topics or key points.

Once you are happy, press the Send arrow in the lower-right, and Copilot will make a draft slide for you to look at. You can edit the slide, ask Copilot to rewrite your text, or start over with a new prompt to generate a new slide.

Prior to this feature being available, creating slides was only possible from Copilot chat. The new implementation is more efficient and fits in like any other PowerPoint feature. With that said, Microsoft does list a known issue with this feature. It writes: "Copilot does not currently support prompts requesting specific slide formatting like font, colors, background, and images."

If you're interested in using Copilot in other ways, check out a recent article explaining how voice notes can be turned into documents.

Let us know in the comments if this feature is available for you.

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Windows 11 gets new AI features and accessibility improvements in build 26120.3872 KB5055640

Tue, 22 Apr 2025 04:48:30 +0000

In addition to the latest Dev build, Microsoft is rolling out a big update for Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel. Despite the clear channel hierarchy, build 26120.3872 (KB5055640) is a carbon copy of build 26200.5562 (KB5055642). Therefore, the changelog is identical with its new Copilot+ PC features, Voice Access improvements, and more.e

Here are the release notes:

New Copilot+ PC experiences

New text actions in Click to Do

We are beginning to roll out two new text actions in Click to Do!

Practice in Reading Coach: Improve your reading fluency and pronunciation with the “Practice in Reading Coach” Click to Do action. Simply select the text recognized by Click to Do on your screen, choose the Practice in Reading Coach action, and read the text out loud. The Reading Coach provides feedback and guides you on where to make improvements. To use this feature, install the free Microsoft Reading Coach application from the Microsoft Store.

Read with Immersive Reader: Enhance your reading experience with the “Read with Immersive Reader” Click to Do action. This feature displays recognized text in a distraction-free environment, allowing you to focus on reading. Originally designed to meet the needs of readers with dyslexia and dysgraphia, Immersive Reader helps readers of all ages and abilities improve their reading and writing skills using proven techniques. Customize the text by changing its size, spacing, font, or background theme. You can also have the text read out loud, use syllable break to split words, and highlight nouns, verbs, and adjectives to aid grammar learning. The picture dictionary option provides visual representations of unfamiliar words for instant understanding. Install the free Microsoft Reading Coach application from the Microsoft Store to access this feature

Text actions in Click to Do are rolling out to Windows Insiders on Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs, with support for AMD and Intel-powered Copilot+ PCs coming soon. You can learn more about using Click to Do here.

Finding photos saved in the cloud via the Windows search box, now available for Windows Insiders in the EEA

Windows Insiders in the European Economic Area can now find photos saved in the cloud with improved Windows Search to the Windows search box on the taskbar. Just use your own words to find photos stored and saved in the cloud by describing what they are about like “European castles” or “summer picnics” in the search box on your taskbar. In addition to photos stored locally on your Copilot+ PC, photos from the cloud will now show up in the search results together. In addition to searching for photos, exact matches for your keywords within the text of your cloud files will show in the search results.

Improved Windows Search experiences in the Windows search box on the taskbar continue to gradually roll out to Windows Insiders on Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs, including finding photos saved in the cloud, so you may not see these experiences right away. Support for AMD and Intel-powered Copilot+ PCs is coming soon. See here for more details.

New features gradually being rolled out to the Dev Channel with toggle on

Improvements for voice access

We’re beginning to roll out several improvements for voice access in this build.

Add custom words to the dictionary: We are introducing the ability for you to add your own words to the dictionary in voice access. Adding your own words, including difficult to pronounce words, to the dictionary in voice access will help improve dictation accuracy. It increases the probability of recognizing these words more accurately by creating a bias that helps voice access become more context aware and proactively understanding your specific vocabulary. The feature will be available in all the currently supported voice access languages i.e. English, French, German, Spanish and Chinese.

You can add your own words to the dictionary in voice access in a few ways:

After spelling a word using “Spell that” command or making a correction using “Correct that”

Anywhere when you want to manually add a word by using “Add to Vocabulary” command.

Directly through the settings menu in voice access.

Discoverability voice access features: Voice access will now support an immersive in-product experience to announce new features and improvements. It will help you quickly discover and learn more about new features in voice access to try out. You can launch or dismiss this new experience from the settings menu.

And we are also including voice access under the Accessibility flyout via quick settings in the system tray of the taskbar.

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out to the Dev Channel with toggle on

[Improved Windows Search]

Improved Windows Search is currently available in preview for Windows Insiders on Windows 11, version 24H2 in the Dev and Beta Channels on Copilot+ PCs.

You can now turn off searching for content saved in the cloud on your Copilot+ PC via Settings > Privacy and Security > Search permissions to access this setting. Please note this currently works only for the Windows search box on the taskbar. However, in a future update this setting will also apply to search in File Explorer.

[File Explorer]

We’re starting to roll out the change so that when you launch File Explorer folders from outside of File Explorer (for example, from an app or from the desktop), by default they will now open in a new tab if you have an existing File Explorer window. If you’d prefer that they continue opening in a new window, you can change this in File Explorer folder options, under General > Browse Folders.

[Widgets]

We are trying out improvements to the notification settings page in widgets on Windows 11 by introducing the ability to control the notifications per feed or dashboard. This change is currently rolling out to Windows Insiders in the European Economic Area (EEA).

[Windows Security]

We are beginning to roll out a change in the Windows Security app where will show more details such as manufacturer and manufacturer version for Pluton TPM chips if your PC has one under Device security > Security processor details.

[Settings]

We’ve updated the dialog when renaming your printer under Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners to match the Windows 11 visuals.

Updated dialog for renaming your printer.

[Other]

When running the pnputil /enum-drivers command, we’re adding a new field that enumerates driver package catalog attributes, indicating the driver type and if the driver is attestation-signed.

Fixes gradually being rolled out to the Dev Channel with toggle on

[Start menu]

Fixed an issue which was causing Start menu to crash when creating folders recently for some Insiders.

Mitigated an issue after the last flight, where if you press the Windows key to open Start and start typing to search, focus was not transferred to search and so your search wouldn’t work.

[Windowing]

Fixed an issue where the colors used for the snap layouts at the top of the screen weren’t displayed correctly for some Insiders, making some text unreadable.

[Search on the Taskbar]

Mitigated an issue causing search to load very slowly, sitting at a blank screen for 15 – 20 seconds, for some people recently.

[Input]

Fixed an issue where voice typing wouldn’t start from the touch keyboard when using the Chinese (Simplified) narrow layout.

[Task Manager]

Fixed an issue causing search and other options such as filtering in Task Manager to not work in the previous flight.

[Voice Access]

Fixed an issue which could voice access to freeze with error “working on it” when dictating.

[Other]

Mitigated an underlying issue which was leading to third party screen readers not working in certain scenarios (such as navigating browsers) for some Insiders after the last flight.

We did some work to improve the performance of loading early boot UI including the BitLocker PIN, BitLocker Recovery key, and boot menu screens.

Fixes for everyone in the Dev Channel

[General]

We have mitigated the issue causing some apps like Spotify to not install from the Microsoft Store with an 0x80070032 error.

Fixed an issue causing the previous flight in the Dev Channel to fail to install with error 0x80070306 for some Insiders.

Here is the list of known bugs:

[General]

After you do a PC reset under Settings > System > Recovery, your build version may incorrectly show as Build 26100 instead of Build 26200. This will not prevent you from getting future Beta Channel updates, which will resolve this issue.

Quick Assist will not work for non-administrator users.

After installing this update, Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) may not work, and you may not be able to use the “Fix problems using Windows Update” option under Settings > Recovery. These issues will be fixed in another update soon.

Some apps may appear blank after installing this update. Closing and re-launching the app may correct the issue.

[NEW] Windows Sandbox may fail to launch with a 0x800705b4 error. If you hit this, you can try reinstalling Sandbox by unchecking Sandbox under “Turn Windows features on or off” to uninstall it then reboot, go back to “Turn Windows features on or off” and check Sandbox to reinstall it and reboot again.

[Recall (Preview)]

[REMINDER] You are always in control and can always choose to remove Recall anytime via “Turn Windows features on or off”. Removing Recall will delete entry points and binaries. Like any feature, Windows sometimes keeps temporary copies of binaries for serviceability. These Recall binaries are not executable and are eventually removed over time.

[REMINDER] Make sure you update Microsoft 365 apps to the latest version so you can jump back into specific documents.

The following known issues will be fixed in future updates to Windows Insiders:

Some Insiders may experience an issue where Recall is unable to automatically save snapshots, and the setting can’t be turned on in Settings. We’re working on a fix for this issue.

[Click to Do (Preview)]

[REMINDER] The intelligent text actions are now locally moderated to ensure the safety of prompts and responses and has replaced the cloud endpoint. Now that these intelligent text actions are fully local, they are also available in Click to Do in Recall.

[REMINDER] If any of your actions on image entities are no longer appearing, please ensure you have the latest updates for the Photos and Paint app from the Microsoft Store.

The following known issues will be fixed in future updates to Windows Insiders:

In small cases, Click to Do may fail to launch. Trying again should get Click to Do to launch.

There is an issue where images that are used with Click to Do image actions are stuck in your temp folder on your PC. This issue will be fixed in the next flight. You can manually clear your temp folder under C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Temp.

We’re investigating reports that the Click to Do icon is incorrectly showing up on non-Copilot+ PCs. If you happen to see this on your non-Copilot+ PC, please file feedback in Feedback Hub and let us know.

[Improved Windows Search]

[REMINDER] For improved Windows Search on Copilot+ PCs, it is recommended that you plug in your Copilot+ PC for the initial search indexing to get completed. You can check your search indexing status under Settings > Privacy & security > Searching Windows.

[Start menu]

[NEW] We’re investigating reports that clicking your profile picture isn’t opening the Account Manager for some Insiders after the last flight.

[Task Manager]

After adding the new CPU Utility column, you may notice that System Idle Process always shows as 0.

The CPU graphs in the Performance page are still using the old CPU utility calculations.

You can find the official announcement here.

Source

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RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Microsoft adds more AI features to Windows 11 in build 26200.5562 (KB5055642)

Tue, 22 Apr 2025 04:46:03 +0000

It is Monday, and Microsoft has a big new Windows 11 preview build for Windows Insiders to try in the Dev Channel. Build 26200.5562 (KB5055642) is now rolling out with new Copilot+ PC experiences, improved Windows Search for more users, enhancements to Voice Access, and more.

Here is the changelog:

New Copilot+ PC experiences

New text actions in Click to Do

We are beginning to roll out two new text actions in Click to Do!

Practice in Reading Coach: Improve your reading fluency and pronunciation with the “Practice in Reading Coach” Click to Do action. Simply select the text recognized by Click to Do on your screen, choose the Practice in Reading Coach action, and read the text out loud. The Reading Coach provides feedback and guides you on where to make improvements. To use this feature, install the free Microsoft Reading Coach application from the Microsoft Store.

Read with Immersive Reader: Enhance your reading experience with the “Read with Immersive Reader” Click to Do action. This feature displays recognized text in a distraction-free environment, allowing you to focus on reading. Originally designed to meet the needs of readers with dyslexia and dysgraphia, Immersive Reader helps readers of all ages and abilities improve their reading and writing skills using proven techniques. Customize the text by changing its size, spacing, font, or background theme. You can also have the text read out loud, use syllable break to split words, and highlight nouns, verbs, and adjectives to aid grammar learning. The picture dictionary option provides visual representations of unfamiliar words for instant understanding. Install the free Microsoft Reading Coach application from the Microsoft Store to access this feature

Text actions in Click to Do are rolling out to Windows Insiders on Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs, with support for AMD and Intel-powered Copilot+ PCs coming soon. You can learn more about using Click to Do here.

Finding photos saved in the cloud via the Windows search box, now available for Windows Insiders in the EEA

Windows Insiders in the European Economic Area can now find photos saved in the cloud with improved Windows Search to the Windows search box on the taskbar. Just use your own words to find photos stored and saved in the cloud by describing what they are about like “European castles” or “summer picnics” in the search box on your taskbar. In addition to photos stored locally on your Copilot+ PC, photos from the cloud will now show up in the search results together. In addition to searching for photos, exact matches for your keywords within the text of your cloud files will show in the search results.

Improved Windows Search experiences in the Windows search box on the taskbar continue to gradually roll out to Windows Insiders on Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs, including finding photos saved in the cloud, so you may not see these experiences right away. Support for AMD and Intel-powered Copilot+ PCs is coming soon. See here for more details.

New features gradually being rolled out to the Dev Channel with toggle on

Improvements for voice access

We’re beginning to roll out several improvements for voice access in this build.

Add custom words to the dictionary: We are introducing the ability for you to add your own words to the dictionary in voice access. Adding your own words, including difficult to pronounce words, to the dictionary in voice access will help improve dictation accuracy. It increases the probability of recognizing these words more accurately by creating a bias that helps voice access become more context aware and proactively understanding your specific vocabulary. The feature will be available in all the currently supported voice access languages i.e. English, French, German, Spanish and Chinese.

You can add your own words to the dictionary in voice access in a few ways:

After spelling a word using “Spell that” command or making a correction using “Correct that”

Anywhere when you want to manually add a word by using “Add to Vocabulary” command.

Directly through the settings menu in voice access.

Discoverability voice access features: Voice access will now support an immersive in-product experience to announce new features and improvements. It will help you quickly discover and learn more about new features in voice access to try out. You can launch or dismiss this new experience from the settings menu.

And we are also including voice access under the Accessibility flyout via quick settings in the system tray of the taskbar.

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out to the Dev Channel with toggle on

[Improved Windows Search]

Improved Windows Search is currently available in preview for Windows Insiders on Windows 11, version 24H2 in the Dev and Beta Channels on Copilot+ PCs.

You can now turn off searching for content saved in the cloud on your Copilot+ PC via Settings > Privacy and Security > Search permissions to access this setting. Please note this currently works only for the Windows search box on the taskbar. However, in a future update this setting will also apply to search in File Explorer.

[File Explorer]

We’re starting to roll out the change so that when you launch File Explorer folders from outside of File Explorer (for example, from an app or from the desktop), by default they will now open in a new tab if you have an existing File Explorer window. If you’d prefer that they continue opening in a new window, you can change this in File Explorer folder options, under General > Browse Folders.

[Widgets]

We are trying out improvements to the notification settings page in widgets on Windows 11 by introducing the ability to control the notifications per feed or dashboard. This change is currently rolling out to Windows Insiders in the European Economic Area (EEA).

[Windows Security]

We are beginning to roll out a change in the Windows Security app where will show more details such as manufacturer and manufacturer version for Pluton TPM chips if your PC has one under Device security > Security processor details.

[Settings]

We’ve updated the dialog when renaming your printer under Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners to match the Windows 11 visuals.

Updated dialog for renaming your printer.

[Other]

When running the pnputil /enum-drivers command, we’re adding a new field that enumerates driver package catalog attributes, indicating the driver type and if the driver is attestation-signed.

Fixes gradually being rolled out to the Dev Channel with toggle on

[Start menu]

Fixed an issue which was causing Start menu to crash when creating folders recently for some Insiders.

Mitigated an issue after the last flight, where if you press the Windows key to open Start and start typing to search, focus was not transferred to search and so your search wouldn’t work.

[Windowing]

Fixed an issue where the colors used for the snap layouts at the top of the screen weren’t displayed correctly for some Insiders, making some text unreadable.

[Search on the Taskbar]

Mitigated an issue causing search to load very slowly, sitting at a blank screen for 15 – 20 seconds, for some people recently.

[Input]

Fixed an issue where voice typing wouldn’t start from the touch keyboard when using the Chinese (Simplified) narrow layout.

[Task Manager]

Fixed an issue causing search and other options such as filtering in Task Manager to not work in the previous flight.

[Voice Access]

Fixed an issue which could voice access to freeze with error “working on it” when dictating.

[Other]

Mitigated an underlying issue which was leading to third party screen readers not working in certain scenarios (such as navigating browsers) for some Insiders after the last flight.

We did some work to improve the performance of loading early boot UI including the BitLocker PIN, BitLocker Recovery key, and boot menu screens.

Fixes for everyone in the Dev Channel

[General]

We have mitigated the issue causing some apps like Spotify to not install from the Microsoft Store with an 0x80070032 error.

Fixed an issue causing the previous flight in the Dev Channel to fail to install with error 0x80070306 for some Insiders.

Here is the list of known bugs:

[General]

After you do a PC reset under Settings > System > Recovery, your build version may incorrectly show as Build 26100 instead of Build 26200. This will not prevent you from getting future Beta Channel updates, which will resolve this issue.

Quick Assist will not work for non-administrator users.

After installing this update, Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) may not work, and you may not be able to use the “Fix problems using Windows Update” option under Settings > Recovery. These issues will be fixed in another update soon.

Some apps may appear blank after installing this update. Closing and re-launching the app may correct the issue.

[NEW] Windows Sandbox may fail to launch with a 0x800705b4 error. If you hit this, you can try reinstalling Sandbox by unchecking Sandbox under “Turn Windows features on or off” to uninstall it then reboot, go back to “Turn Windows features on or off” and check Sandbox to reinstall it and reboot again.

[Recall (Preview)]

[REMINDER] You are always in control and can always choose to remove Recall anytime via “Turn Windows features on or off”. Removing Recall will delete entry points and binaries. Like any feature, Windows sometimes keeps temporary copies of binaries for serviceability. These Recall binaries are not executable and are eventually removed over time.

[REMINDER] Make sure you update Microsoft 365 apps to the latest version so you can jump back into specific documents.

The following known issues will be fixed in future updates to Windows Insiders:

Some Insiders may experience an issue where Recall is unable to automatically save snapshots, and the setting can’t be turned on in Settings. We’re working on a fix for this issue.

[Click to Do (Preview)]

[REMINDER] The intelligent text actions are now locally moderated to ensure the safety of prompts and responses and has replaced the cloud endpoint. Now that these intelligent text actions are fully local, they are also available in Click to Do in Recall.

[REMINDER] If any of your actions on image entities are no longer appearing, please ensure you have the latest updates for the Photos and Paint app from the Microsoft Store.

The following known issues will be fixed in future updates to Windows Insiders:

In small cases, Click to Do may fail to launch. Trying again should get Click to Do to launch.

There is an issue where images that are used with Click to Do image actions are stuck in your temp folder on your PC. This issue will be fixed in the next flight. You can manually clear your temp folder under C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Temp.

We’re investigating reports that the Click to Do icon is incorrectly showing up on non-Copilot+ PCs. If you happen to see this on your non-Copilot+ PC, please file feedback in Feedback Hub and let us know.

[Improved Windows Search]

[REMINDER] For improved Windows Search on Copilot+ PCs, it is recommended that you plug in your Copilot+ PC for the initial search indexing to get completed. You can check your search indexing status under Settings > Privacy & security > Searching Windows.

[Start menu]

[NEW] We’re investigating reports that clicking your profile picture isn’t opening the Account Manager for some Insiders after the last flight.

[Task Manager]

After adding the new CPU Utility column, you may notice that System Idle Process always shows as 0.

The CPU graphs in the Performance page are still using the old CPU utility calculations.

You can find the official announcement here.

Source

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RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Nvidia shares hotfix driver for Windows Sleep temperature bug, Modern Standby black screen

Tue, 22 Apr 2025 04:44:24 +0000

Earlier today, we reported on a new Nvidia driver issue wherein the temperature would get stuck at times and not move. The problem seemed to be a reporting issue that we hoped Nvidia would fix soon as it affected every Nvidia GPU owner and not just ones on the latest GeForce RTX 50 series.

As it turns out, the company has now released a new hotfix driver that fixes the issue. The new driver, version 576.15, is based on the previous driver package, version 576.02, which broke the temperature reading.

In the release notes, Nvidia mentions that the problem occurred after the PC woke from the Sleep state. Hence, perhaps Windows too had a part to play in this. Similar to that, the driver also resolves a Modern Standby bug that led to black screening.

Aside from these, the driver also fixes several other bugs, like shadow flickering and brings crash fixes for games. The full changelog is given below:

GeForce Hotfix Display Driver version 576.15 is based on our latest Game Ready Driver 576.02.

This hotfix addresses the following:

[RTX 50 series] Some games may display shadow flicker/corruption after updating to GRD 576.02 [5231537]

Lumion 2024 crashes on GeForce RTX 50 series graphics card when entering render mode [5232345]

GPU monitoring utilities may stop reporting the GPU temperature after PC wakes from sleep [5231307]

[RTX 50 series] Some games may crash while compiling shaders after updating to GRD 576.02 [5230492]

[GeForce RTX 50 series notebook] Resume from Modern Standy can result in black screen [5204385]

[RTX 50 series] SteamVR may display random V-SYNC micro-stutters when using multiple displays [5152246]

[RTX 50 series] Lower idle GPU clock speeds after updating to GRD 576.02 [5232414]

To download the GeForce Hotfix Display Driver version 576.15, head over to this page here on Nvidia's official website.

Source

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In depth with Windows 11 Recall—and what Microsoft has (and hasn’t) fixed

Mon, 21 Apr 2025 19:18:09 +0000

Original botched launch still haunts new version of data-scraping AI feature.

Microsoft is preparing to reintroduce Recall to Windows 11. A feature limited to Copilot+ PCs—a label that just a fraction of a fraction of Windows 11 systems even qualify for—Recall has been controversial in part because it builds an extensive database of text and screenshots that records almost everything you do on your PC.

But the main problem with the initial version of Recall—the one that was delayed at the last minute after a large-scale outcry from security researchers, reporters, and users—was not just that it recorded everything you did on your PC but that it was a rushed, enabled-by-default feature with gaping security holes that made it trivial for anyone with any kind of access to your PC to see your entire Recall database.

It made no efforts to automatically exclude sensitive data like bank information or credit card numbers, offering just a few mechanisms to users to manually exclude specific apps or websites. It had been built quickly, outside of the normal extensive Windows Insider preview and testing process. And all of this was happening at the same time that the company was pledging to prioritize security over all other considerations, following several serious and highly public breaches.

Any coverage of the current version of Recall should mention what has changed since then.

Recall is being rolled out to Microsoft’s Windows Insider Release Preview channel after months of testing in the more experimental and less-stable channels, just like most other Windows features. It’s turned off by default and can be removed from Windows root-and-branch by users and IT administrators who don’t want it there. Microsoft has overhauled the feature's underlying security architecture, encrypting data at rest so it can't be accessed by other users on the PC, adding automated filters to screen out sensitive information, and requiring frequent reauthentication with Windows Hello anytime a user accesses their own Recall database.

Testing how Recall works

I installed the Release Preview Windows 11 build with Recall on a Snapdragon X Elite version of the Surface Laptop and a couple of Ryzen AI PCs, which all have NPUs fast enough to support the Copilot+ features.

No Windows PCs without this NPU will offer Recall or any other Copilot+ features—that's every single PC sold before mid-2024 and the vast majority of PCs since then. Users may come up with ways to run those features on unsupported hardware some other way. But by default, Recall isn't something most of Windows' current user base will have to worry about.

Microsoft is taking data protection more seriously this time around. If Windows Hello isn't enabled or drive

encryption isn't turned on, Recall will refuse to start working until you fix the issues.

Credit: Andrew Cunningham

After installing the update, you'll see a single OOBE-style setup screen describing Recall and offering to turn it on; as promised, it is now off by default until you opt in. And even if you accept Recall on this screen, you have to opt in a second time as part of the Recall setup to actually turn the feature on. We'll be on high alert for a bait-and-switch when Microsoft is ready to remove Recall's "preview" label, whenever that happens, but at least for now, opt-in means opt-in.

Enable Recall, and the snapshotting begins. As before, it's storing two things: actual screenshots of the active area of your screen, minus the taskbar, and a searchable database of text that it scrapes from those screenshots using OCR. Somewhat oddly, there are limits on what Recall will offer to OCR for you; even if you're using multiple apps onscreen at the same time, only the active, currently-in-focus app seems to have its text scraped and stored.

This is also more or less how Recall handles multi-monitor support; only the active display has screenshots taken, and only the active window on the active display is OCR'd. This does prevent Recall from taking gigabytes and gigabytes of screenshots of static or empty monitors, though it means the app may miss capturing content that updates passively if you don't interact with those windows periodically.

All of this OCR'd text is fully searchable and can be copied directly from Recall to be pasted somewhere else. Recall will also offer to open whatever app or website is visible in the screenshot, and it gives you the option to delete that specific screenshot and all screenshots from specific apps (handy, if you decide you want to add an entire app to your filtering settings and you want to get rid of all existing snapshots of it).

Here are some basic facts about how Recall works on a PC since there's a lot of FUD circulating about this, and much of the information on the Internet is about the older, insecure version from last year:

Recall is per-user. Setting up Recall for one user account does not turn on Recall for all users of a PC.
Recall does not require a Microsoft account.
Recall does not require an Internet connection or any cloud-side processing to work.
Recall does require your local disk to be encrypted with Device Encryption/BitLocker.
Recall does require Windows Hello and either a fingerprint reader or face-scanning camera for setup, though once it's set up, it can be unlocked with a Windows Hello PIN.
Windows Hello authentication happens every time you open the Recall app.
Using a Windows Hello PIN to unlock Recall is available as a fallback option, but you cannot set up Recall without having a fingerprint or face scan registered.
Enabling Recall and changing its settings does not require an administrator account.
Recall can be uninstalled entirely by unchecking it in the legacy Windows Features control panel (you can also search for "turn Windows features on and off").

If you read our coverage of the initial version, there's a whole lot about how Recall functions that's essentially the same as it was before. In Settings, you can see how much storage the feature is using and limit the total amount of storage Recall can use. The amount of time a snapshot can be kept is normally determined by the amount of space available, not by the age of the snapshot, but you can optionally choose a second age-based expiration date for snapshots (options range from 30 to 180 days).

You can see Recall hit the system's NPU periodically every time it takes a snapshot (this is on an AMD Ryzen

AI system, but it should be the same for Qualcomm Snapdragon PCs and Intel Core Ultra/Lunar Lake systems).

Browsing your Recall database doesn't use the NPU.

Credit: Andrew Cunningham

It's also possible to delete the entire database or all recent snapshots (those from the past hour, past day, past week, or past month), toggle the automated filtering of sensitive content, or add specific apps and websites you'd like to have filtered. Recall can temporarily be paused by clicking the system tray icon (which is always visible when you have Recall turned on), and it can be turned off entirely in Settings. Neither of these options will delete existing snapshots; they just stop your PC from creating new ones.

The amount of space Recall needs to do its thing will depend on a bunch of factors, including how actively you use your PC and how many things you filter out. But in my experience, it can easily generate a couple of hundred megabytes per day of images. A Ryzen system with a 1TB SSD allocated 150GB of space to Recall snapshots by default, but even a smaller 25GB Recall database could easily store a few months of data.

Fixes: Improved filtering, encryption at rest

For apps and sites that you know you don't want to end up in Recall, you can manually add them to the exclusion lists in the Settings app. As a rule, major browsers running in private or incognito modes are also generally not snapshotted.

If you have an app that's being filtered onscreen for any reason—even if it's onscreen at the same time as an app that's not being filtered, Recall won't take pictures of your desktop at all. I ran an InPrivate Microsoft Edge window next to a regular window, and Microsoft's solution is just to avoid capturing and storing screenshots entirely rather than filtering or blanking out the filtered app or site in some way.

This is probably the best way to do it! It minimizes the risk of anything being captured accidentally just because it's running in the background, for example. But it could mean you don't end up capturing much in Recall at all if you're frequently mixing filtered and unfiltered apps.

New to this version of Recall is an attempt at automated content filtering to address one of the major concerns about the original iteration of Recall—that it can capture and store sensitive information like credit card numbers and passwords. This filtering is based on the technology Microsoft uses for Microsoft Purview Information Protection, an enterprise feature used to tag sensitive information on business, healthcare, and government systems.

This automated content filtering is hit and miss. Recall wouldn't take snapshots of a webpage with a visible credit card field, or my online banking site, or an image of my driver's license, or a recent pay stub, or of the Bitwarden password manager while viewing credentials. But I managed to find edge cases in less than five minutes, and you'll be able to find them, too; Recall saved snapshots showing a recent check, with the account holder's name, address, and account and routing numbers visible, and others testing it have still caught it recording credit card information in some cases.

The automated filtering is still a big improvement from before, when it would capture this kind of information indiscriminately. But things will inevitably slip through, and the automated filtering won't help at all with other kinds of data; Recall will take pictures of email and messaging apps without distinguishing between what's sensitive (school information for my kid, emails about Microsoft's own product embargoes) and what isn't.

The upshot is that if you capture months and months and gigabytes and gigabytes of Recall data on your PC, it's inevitable that it will capture something you probably wouldn't want to be preserved in an easily searchable database.

One issue is that there's no easy way to check and confirm what Recall is and isn't filtering without actually scrolling through the database and checking snapshots manually. The system tray status icon does change to display a small triangle and will show you a "some content is being filtered" status message when something is being filtered, but the system won't tell you what it is; I have some kind of filtered app or browser tab open somewhere right now, and I have no idea which one it is because Windows won't tell me. That any attempt at automated filtering is hit-and-miss should be expected, but more transparency would help instill trust and help users fine-tune their filtering settings.

Recall's files are still clearly visible and trivial to access, but with one improvement: They're all actually encrypted now.

Credit: Andrew Cunningham

Microsoft also seems to have fixed the single largest problem with Recall: previously, all screenshots and the entire text database were stored in plaintext with zero encryption. It was technically, usually encrypted, insofar as the entire SSD in a modern PC is encrypted when you sign into a Microsoft account or enable Bitlocker, but any user with any kind of access to your PC (either physical or remote) could easily grab those files and view them anywhere with no additional authentication necessary.

This is fixed now. Recall's entire file structure is available for anyone to look at, stored away in the user’s AppData folder in a directory called CoreAIPlatform.00\UKP. Other administrators on the same PC can still navigate to these folders from a different user account and move or copy the files. Encryption renders them (hypothetically) unreadable.

Microsoft has gone into some detail about exactly how it's protecting and storing the encryption keys used to encrypt these files—the company says "all encryption keys [are] protected by a hypervisor or TPM." Rate-limiting and "anti-hammering" protections are also in place to protect Recall data, though I kind of have to take Microsoft at its word on that one.

That said, I don't love that it's still possible to get at those files at all. It leaves open the possibility that someone could theoretically grab a few megabytes' worth of data. But it's now much harder to get at that data, and better filtering means what is in there should be slightly less all-encompassing.

Lingering technical issues

As we mentioned already, Microsoft's automated content filtering is hit-and-miss. Certainly, there's a lot of stuff that the original version of Recall would capture that the new one won't, but I didn't have to work hard to find corner-cases, and you probably won't, either. Turning Recall on still means assuming risk and being comfortable with the data and authentication protections Microsoft has implemented.

We'd also like there to be a way for apps to tell Recall to exclude them by default, which would be useful for password managers, encrypted messaging apps, and any other software where privacy is meant to be the point. Yes, users can choose to exclude these apps from Recall backups themselves. But as with Recall itself, opting in to having that data collected would be preferable to needing to opt out.

You need a fingerprint reader or face-scanning camera to get Recall set up, but once it is set up, anyone with

your PIN and access to your PC can get in and see all your stuff.

Credit: Andrew Cunningham

Another issue is that, while Recall does require a fingerprint reader or face-scanning camera when you set it up the very first time, you can unlock it with a Windows Hello PIN after it's already going.

Microsoft has said that this is meant to be a fallback option in case you need to access your Recall database and there's some kind of hardware issue with your fingerprint sensor. But in practice, it feels like too easy a workaround for a domestic abuser or someone else with access to your PC and a reason to know your PIN (and note that the PIN also gets them into your PC in the first place, so encryption isn't really a fix for this). It feels like too broad a solution for a relatively rare problem.

Security researcher Kevin Beaumont, whose testing helped call attention to the problems with the original version of Recall last year, identified this as one of Recall's biggest outstanding technical problems.

"In my opinion, requiring devices to have enhanced biometrics with Windows Hello but then not requiring said biometrics to actually access Recall snapshots is a big problem," Beaumont wrote. "It will create a false sense of security in customers and false downstream advertising about the security of Recall."

Beaumont also noted that, while the encryption on the Recall snapshots and database made it a "much, much better design," "all hell would break loose" if attackers ever worked out a way to bypass this encryption.

"Microsoft know this and have invested in trying to stop it by encrypting the database files, but given I live in the trenches where ransomware groups are running around with zero days in Windows on an almost monthly basis nowadays, where patches arrive months later... Lord, this could go wrong," he wrote.

But most of what’s wrong with Recall is harder to fix

Microsoft has actually addressed many of the specific, substantive Recall complaints raised by security researchers and our own reporting. It's gone through the standard Windows testing process and has been available in public preview in its current form since late November. And yet the knee-jerk reaction to Recall news is still generally to treat it as though it were the same botched, bug-riddled software that nearly shipped last summer.

Some of this is the asymmetrical nature of how news spreads on the Internet—without revealing traffic data, I'll just say that articles about Recall having problems have been read many, many more times by many more people than pieces about the steps Microsoft has taken to fix Recall. The latter reports simply aren't being encountered by many of the minds Microsoft needs to change.

But the other problem goes deeper than the technology itself and gets back to something I brought up in my first Recall preview nearly a year ago—regardless of how it is architected and regardless of how many privacy policies and reassurances the company publishes, people simply don't trust Microsoft enough to be excited about "the feature that records and stores every single thing you do with your PC."

Recall continues to demand an extraordinary level of trust that Microsoft hasn't earned. However secure and private it is—and, again, the version people will actually get is much better than the version that caused the original controversy—it just feels creepy to open up the app and see confidential work materials and pictures of your kid. You're already trusting Microsoft with those things any time you use your PC, but there's something viscerally unsettling about actually seeing evidence that your computer is tracking you, even if you're not doing anything you're worried about hiding, even if you've excluded certain apps or sites, and even if you "know" that part of the reason why Recall requires a Copilot+ PC is because it's processing everything locally rather than on a server somewhere.

This was a problem that Microsoft made exponentially worse by screwing up the Recall rollout so badly in the first place. Recall made the kind of ugly first impression that it's hard to dig out from under, no matter how thoroughly you fix the underlying problems. It's Windows Vista. It's Apple Maps. It's the Android tablet.

And in doing that kind of damage to Recall (and possibly also to the broader Copilot+ branding project), Microsoft has practically guaranteed that many users will refuse to turn it on or uninstall it entirely, no matter how it actually works or how well the initial problems have been addressed.

Unfortunately, those people probably have it right. I can see no signs that Recall data is as easily accessed or compromised as before or that Microsoft is sending any Recall data from my PC to anywhere else. But today's Microsoft has earned itself distrust-by-default from many users, thanks not just to the sloppy Recall rollout but also to the endless ads and aggressive cross-promotion of its own products that dominate modern Windows versions. That's the kind of problem you can't patch your way out of.

Source

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years.

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RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

How to change the default screenshot folder in Windows 10 and 11

Mon, 21 Apr 2025 19:14:06 +0000

Windows 10 and 11 have plenty of ways to take screenshots, and the Snipping Tool app is by far the most convenient of them all (or PrintScreen if you need a quick screen grab). Snipping Tool saves every screenshot and screen recording on drive C by default, namely in your Pictures > Screenshots of your profile folder. If that is not okay and you want to have the Screenshot folder in another place, here is how to do that.

If your drive C has limited space or you have another reason to change the location of the default screenshot folder in Windows 10 or 11, doing it is very easy. You can select a new location from the Snipping Tool app, File Explorer itself, or the system registry if you feel a bit adventurous.

Note: This guide only applies to the default screenshot-taking app, Snipping Tool. If you use third-party apps like Snagit or ShareX, refer to their settings to change where those apps store taken screenshots by default.

How to change the default screenshot folder in Windows 10 and 11—option 1

Microsoft only recently updated the Snipping Tool app with a built-in option to change where the app stores screenshots and screen recordings. Here is how to do that.

Note: Snipping Tool settings do not affect where Windows stores screenshots taken with the Win + PrintScreen button. If you take screenshots this way and want to change the default folder, jump to option 2.

Open the Snipping Tool app and click the three-dot button in the upper-right corner of the window. Note that you might need to resize the app for more convenience.
Scroll down and find the "Automatically save original screenshots" option.
Press the arrow-down button next to it, and you will see the "Screenshots are saved to" option. Click the "Change" link and specify where you want to store your screenshots.

Note that Snipping Tool stores screen recordings in another folder. If you want to change it as well, scroll further down and do the same steps for the "Automatically save original screen recordings" option.

Tip: You can turn on automatic screenshot and screen recording saving. In such a case, screenshots and screen recordings will be copied to your clipboard, and you will have to save them manually each time, wherever you want.

Change the default screenshot folder in Windows—option 2

This method only works for screenshots, not screen recordings. It applies to both Snipping Tool and the Win + PrintScreen shortcut.

Open File Explorer and navigate to the Pictures folder in your profile. It is pinned by default to the nav pane. Alternatively, go to 😄 > Users > Your Username > Pictures. You will find the Screenshot folder there.
Right-click the Screenshot folder and click Properties.
Go to the Location tab and click Move.
Specify the new folder for your screenshots. Upon saving, Windows will ask you whether you want to move existing screenshots to the new location.

Should you change your mind, repeat the same steps but click Restore Default in step 3. Windows might tell you that the folder does not exist and ask you to create it. Click Yes.

While Windows 10 and 11 do not allow you to do the same for the Screen Recordings folder, you can move the entire Video user folder to a new location. The process is the same as described above, just make sure you right-click the Videos folder (the one hosting the Screen recordings directory).

Change the default screenshot folder in Windows 10 and 11—option 3

Now, here is a method for those who do not mind getting their hands dirty, figuratively speaking. You can change the default screenshot location (this does not work for screen recordings) using the system registry.

Warning: Back up important data before messing around with the system registry. We also recommend creating a system restore point in case unexpected things happen.

Create a new folder where you want to store screenshots.
Press Win + R and type regedit to launch Windows Registry Editor.
Paste the following into the address bar: Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders.
Find the {B7BEDE81-DF94-4682-A7D8-57A52620B86F} value and double-click it

Tip: If the value does not exist, click Edit > New > String Value and rename it to that long cryptic name in braces.
Change the value data to the path of your new folder. For example, D:\Screenshots, and press Ok.

Note that this change will not move your existing screenshots to a new folder.

That is it. That is how you change the default screenshot location in Windows 10 and 11.

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I think NVIDIA is doing this on purpose now... New driver issues. BEWARE!!! [Video]

Mon, 21 Apr 2025 19:12:37 +0000

JayzTwoCents (4.19M subscribers)

April 23, 2025

Video length: 11m 23s

"DO NOT INSTALL DRIVER 576.02 WITHOUT WATCHING THIS FIRST! UPDATE: Nvidia has relesed driver 576.15 to address this issue, we have not tested this driver yet."

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Nvidia fixes Windows 11 24H2 driver issues but completely breaks GPU temperature reading

Mon, 21 Apr 2025 19:10:27 +0000

Nvidia's RTX 5000 series desktop launch has been one of the worst in the company's history, and we are not exaggerating when we say that. That is because the 50-series has been plagued with misleading marketing claims, burnt and melted power connectors, and loads of display issues related to the graphics driver.

The company has been continuously fixing such problems, and the latest driver version, 576.02, also resolves a variety of such issues, including ones on Windows 11 24H2 that are related to "general stability, and black screens."

However, as Neowin reader LiLmEgZ pointed out in the article comments, users are still encountering plenty of problems despite the driver package being packed with bugfixes. One such problem is related to temperature sensor data reading as the GPU temperature on the Nvidia App gets stuck at certain temperature points.

For example, the feedback thread on the GeForce forum that talks about this mentions that the user's Asus ROG Astral RTX 5090 read a constant 25 degree Celsius. It looks like a reboot is necessary to fix the problem. The user goku5993 writes:

Wrong temperature reading in new Drivers

Astral 5090. When I turn on PC all my temperature programs is on 25 degrees. I need to restart PC and this is fixed…

Other commenters on the thread also encountered the same problem on 5080, 5070, and it is not just isolated to 50-series either as RTX 40-series and RTX 30-series GPU owners are also affected.

Another user marioho writes:

The temperature that Nvidia's api broadcasts gets stuck after boot, but it should still report the correct temp via NVIDIA Overlay.

It's a tremendous issue though if you use third party tools like Afterburner or Fancontrol to manage your fan curves, as they'll be always reading the same cold boot temp and won't ramp up the fans as needed.

Restarting the PC fixes it, as a restart in modern Windows is a true reboot. Shutting the PC down via the usual Windows shortcut won't do it if you have Fast Boot enabled (it is enabled by default by the way) as it saves some aspects of the OS state on your drive, and that will get you a broken Nvidia temp when it resumes the session later.

If you are on Nvidia's 576.02 driver and are having to deal with this problem, the best thing to do would be to roll back to the previous driver version, as users say this fixes the problem. This workaround is reminiscent of what even the game devs had suggested recently due to GeForce driver issues.

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Microsoft explains TPM benefits and why it makes Windows 11 better than 10

Sun, 20 Apr 2025 06:03:31 +0000

It is not surprising to anyone that Microsoft wants Windows 10 users to upgrade to Windows 11. It even suggests that those who are unable to upgrade due to ineligible hardware dump their PC and get a new one with Windows 11, although that is hardly something the environment will appreciate, especially if you use an SSD over an HDD.

As Windows 10's end-of-support date approaches, most people will be looking to make the jump, and Microsoft is also looking forward to that. The TPM 2.0 is one of the system requirements for Windows 11, and Microsoft has explained why that is and how it helps make Windows 11 a better OS than Windows 10.

The company has highlighted the advantages under the following headers in a recent blog post that it published. They have been put forth in simple words so that most users can understand them:

Protects your data: TPM can encrypt your data, making it difficult for hackers to access sensitive information. This is especially critical for things like personal details, financial data, and confidential files.

Ensures trusted software: TPM verifies the integrity of your system’s software and firmware. This feature, called secure boot, helps stop malicious software from launching during startup.

Guards against physical tampering: If someone tries to physically tamper with your device’s hardware, TPM can detect changes and prevent your system from booting, keeping your device secure from physical attacks.

Supports advanced security features: Many of Windows 11’s most powerful security features rely on TPM. These tools help keep your data safe, even if your device is lost or stolen.

Ironically, despite boasting about the security side of Windows 11, Microsoft recently deprecated a VBS feature on Windows 11 versions 23H2, 22H2, and 21H2.

Following that, Microsoft also mentions the other benefits of Windows 11 aside from the security aspect. It writes:

Stronger security: With TPM, Windows 11 ensures the integrity of your software and that your data stays encrypted. This is vital in today’s world, where cyber threats are more sophisticated than ever.

Better user experience: Along with security, Windows 11 brings a host of new features designed to improve performance and usability. The updated interface, better compatibility, and overall smoother experience make it a worthwhile upgrade.

Ready for the future: Upgrading to Windows 11 ensures that your system is ready for future updates and security features.

Microsoft lists "improved performance" as one of the points, although this is certainly debatable. You can find the blog post here on Microsoft's website.

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Microsoft removing "major" Classic Teams feature before the app is gone for good

Sat, 19 Apr 2025 18:35:20 +0000

Back in March 2024, Microsoft began pushing the New Teams app via an automatic update over the classic version of the app. Later in the same year, in May, the company penned a lengthy post detailing all the differences between the two apps. You can find it in our dedicated piece here.

Support for Classic Teams ended in October 2024, and the availability of the app will also end soon on July 1, 2025. As such, the company today shared that it is removing a feature on the Microsoft 365 Admin Center portal. The change has been labelled a "Major change" as it is retiring the option to open a file in Classic Teams. It does not say, however, why it is removing it.

Microsoft has assured, though, that this option will remain in the new Teams. It writes:

We will retire the option to open a file in classic Microsoft Teams starting April 15, 2025, and ending April 30, 2025. Instead, we recommend opening the file in the appropriate app (Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, or Microsoft PowerPoint) in the desktop or web, where we will continue to invest our development resources. This retirement is to address certain security vulnerabilities that surfaced recently with classic Teams. NOTE: This retirement will not affect file open options for the new version of Microsoft Teams.

This message applies to classic Teams for Windows desktop, classic Teams for Mac desktop, and classic Teams for the web.

The company adds that this change began rolling out a few days back on the 15th and will continue till April 30, 2025. It will be deployed automatically, and that no admin action is required. However, it does encourage the administrators to notify users about this ongoing change. If you have access to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center portal, you can view the message under ID MC1058266.

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Microsoft's Copilot is trying to appeal to the masses — now power users are leaving it behind

Sat, 19 Apr 2025 18:32:30 +0000

AI enthusiasts are choosing to use ChatGPT over Copilot, all while Microsoft attempts to appeal to a wider audience in a way that I don't think wants Copilot in its current form.

Copilot hasn’t had an easy life. Since its inception as Bing Chat in 2023, the AI tool has taken many twists and turns to get to where it is today. For the most part, Microsoft hasn’t had a clear vision for Copilot, constantly changing strategy, adding and removing features, and redesigning its UI almost half a dozen times in just a couple of years.

When Copilot first launched as Bing Chat, it garnered much attention. For a short while, it was a better version of ChatGPT, based on the same AI models but with access to the Internet for more up-to-date answers and results, which was a game-changer at the time.

Of course, OpenAI and its rivals eventually caught up by offering the same kind of internet access, so Bing Chat no longer had an edge in that department. It’s clear that interest quickly waned from there, and it wasn’t long before Microsoft moved to relaunch Bing Chat under a new name, Copilot.

Copilot has had a bit of an identity crisis over the last couple of years.

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

At first, it was an extensible platform with support for plugins, which allowed Copilot to access third-party apps and services. It was also a competent Windows assistant, capable of configuring system settings like Bluetooth and Dark Mode when asked.

It also supported different conversation styles, letting users choose what kind of response they wanted to receive. This was an excellent feature for those using Copilot as a tool to assist them with code or data management, as many were. It had become a great, free tool for power users and technology enthusiasts.

But as time has progressed, Copilot has lost a lot of this functionality, and I think that’s because Microsoft has chosen to take Copilot down a completely different path. It’s no longer interested in appealing to AI enthusiasts and power users; instead, it wants Copilot to appeal to the masses.

Microsoft knows your Grandma is never going to use ChatGPT, Gemini, or DeepSeek, but it reckons she might use Copilot, if the service is simple and easy enough to use. In the last half a year, we’ve seen Microsoft reposition Copilot as your “AI friend”, not an “AI tool” like so many other AI services are.

Suleyman's Copilot

Suleyman's Copilot is quite different from the Copilot we first had.

(Image credit: Windows Central)

This attempt to reposition Copilot began shortly after Mustafa Suleyman took over as CEO of AI at Microsoft. Since then, we’ve seen the company talk about Copilot like a digital friend, marketing it as something you’ll want to talk to about your day, relationships, feelings, emotions, and more.

When the new Copilot experience launched last year, many users immediately noticed a regression in features and capabilities. Users even noted that Copilot's responses were now less in-depth and technical than before, which caused many power users to jump ship to ChatGPT.

Microsoft has since added a "Think Deeper" mode to Copilot to help address this, but it appears the competition still has Copilot beat when it comes to technical and in-depth analysis and responses.

I recently came across a tweet asking people which AI service they'd want to delete from existence. The majority of responses were for Copilot to be deleted, citing that both ChatGPT and Copilot don't need to exist together, as Copilot is based on ChatGPT technology and is perceived to have worse responses.

When asked which AI service they'd want to delete from existence, many people chose Copilot.

(Image credit: Windows Central)

In the eyes of AI enthusiasts, Copilot doesn't offer anything unique that makes it worth using over the competition. Of course, that's only true in regard to the AI model that powers it under the hood. Surface-level, Copilot is often the first to offer new, real-world experiences and capabilities powered by AI.

Features like Copilot Vision for Windows and Edge, which lets Copilot view your screen and help out with suggestions or tutorials while you work. The same goes for things like Copilot Memories, which lets Copilot build a profile about you and remember who you are while you chat with it.

While other AI services are attempting to bring similar features to market, Copilot is often doing it first. Microsoft is pushing ahead with building features that enrich Copilot as a service and entity, and is putting much less emphasis on the magic that powers things under the hood.

Is there more value in an AI friend or AI tool?

Will this direction ultimately be Copilot's downfall?

(Image credit: Windows Central)

This shift in focus is a clear attempt to appeal to a more general population, and is less interested in catering to AI enthusiasts who just want to utilize Copilot as a tool for access to the latest LLMs. But I'm not convinced Microsoft is executing this shift correctly.

Realistically, I don't think society is ready to embrace an AI friend like Microsoft is hoping we are. Perhaps I'm in the minority, but I don't find value in talking with an AI about anything personal in my spare time. I use it as a tool to assist me in tasks, and if anything, I want to talk to AIs less.

My ideal AI is one that understands my intent without me needing to ask for it first. I simply don't want to spend any time typing out or speaking commands for it to do anything useful. It should be working for me automatically in the background at all times.

No AI assistant is capable of this, at least not yet. Microsoft is, in my opinion, taking Copilot in the wrong direction. It should be working to make Copilot more invisible, not more openly present and personal. I don't value an AI friend, but I do value an AI tool.

Ideally, Copilot should be an AI experience that is woven throughout the Windows OS, not an app that sits on top of the OS that I have to go to, to do anything with. It should be ubiquitous and automatic, with the ability for me to guide it if necessary.

Microsoft is uniquely positioned to realize this. OpenAI doesn't have an OS platform like Microsoft does, so ChatGPT can't be ubiquitous like Copilot could be. Hopefully, that's the end goal, as I believe that's the best way AI can appeal to the masses, and the only way Copilot is going to succeed.

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A long-requested Windows 10 taskbar feature comes back to Windows 11 in the latest build

Sat, 19 Apr 2025 07:52:56 +0000

Windows enthusiasts and sharp-eyed insiders recently discovered that Microsoft was about to restore the calendar clock in Windows 11. This long-standing omission took Microsoft over three years to address, but it is finally here. The latest Windows 11 preview build from the Beta Channel has a hidden toggle that lets you turn on or off a clock in the calendar flyout.

Image credit: @Phantomofearth on X

A calendar flyout clock has been around in Windows since the dawn of dinosaurs. Still, in 2021, when Microsoft released Windows 11 with its reworked and half-baked taskbar, customers discovered that the tray calendar not only lost the ability to show their events but also its clock. Fast forward to 2025, and we finally have the calendar clock returning to the operating system.

As you can see in the screenshot, Microsoft is also adding a toggle that lets you turn off the clock. Windows 10 never had this option before, and it is nice to see Microsoft adding more customization to the operating system.

The update is hidden by default, but you can make it work using the ViVeTool app:

Download ViveTool from GitHub and unpack the files in a convenient and easy-to-find folder.
Run Command Prompt as Administrator.
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:42651849,48433719 and press Enter.
Restart your computer and go to Settings > Date & Time.

Confusingly, Microsoft decided to remove the calendar clock from Windows 10. Whether Windows 10 is running out of juice in its clock or not, it is very hard to find a reasonable explanation for this decision. Regardless, if you are upset about Windows 11's crippled taskbar calendar, at least one missing feature is finally on its way back to the operating system.

More substantial changes in recent Windows 11 preview builds include a big rework for the Start menu, which now features a single view, lets you turn off the recommended section for good (properly turn it off, finally), app categories, and other changes. You can read more about it in our dedicated article.

Source: @Phantomofearth on X

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Microsoft fixes File Explorer dark mode bugs and more in Windows 11 Beta build 22635.5240

Fri, 18 Apr 2025 17:54:01 +0000

Microsoft is finishing this week with a fresh build for Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel. Build 22635.5240 (KB5055645) for Windows 11 version 23H2 is now available fr download with only three fixes (one for dark mode in File Explorer, one for Voice Access, and one for the incorrect storage size shown in the Settings app). Also, there will be no updates in the Dev Channel for Windows 11 version 24H2 insiders this week.

Here is the changelog:

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on

[General]

This update includes a small set of general improvements and fixes that improve the overall experience for Insiders running this build on their PCs.

Fixes gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on

[File Explorer]

Fixed an issue where the Organize and New Folder options might not be visible in the Save Dialog when using dark mode.

[Settings]

Fixed an issue where the total storage size shown in System > About may not be displayed correctly.

[Voice Access]

Fixed an issue which could voice access to freeze with error “working on it” when dictating.

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Microsoft Edge gets fixes for the setup experience and security issues

Fri, 18 Apr 2025 17:50:52 +0000

Earlier this month, Microsoft released Edge 135 in the Stable Channel. Following that, Microsoft issued a few small updates for the browser to address various bugs and security issues. Now, Edge 135 has received yet another small update.

Version 135.0.3179.85 is now available for download with two fixes and two security updates. Fixed bugs include a problem with the initial setup experience failing to open a welcome page and the Copilot icon disappearing on systems with certain policies applied.

Here is the changelog:

Fixed an issue which caused the first-run experience (FRE) page edge://welcome-new-device to open and fail with an error message page that didn’t close.

Fixed an issdue which may have caused the Copilot icon on the toolbar to disappear when the HubsSidebarEnabled policy was enabled.

As for security updates, two patches are included with version 135.0.3179.85:

CVE-2025-3619: Heap buffer overflow in Codecs in Google Chrome on Windows prior to 135.0.7049.95 allowed a remote attacker to potentially exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: Critical)
CVE-2025-3620: Use after free in USB in Google Chrome prior to 135.0.7049.95 allowed a remote attacker to potentially exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: High)

You can update your Microsoft Edge installation by heading to edge://settings/help. The browser will also notify you about a pending update with a notification on the toolbar.

As for more substantial updates, earlier this week, Microsoft launched Copilot Vision in Edge. This feature enables Copilot to see the content of your tabs and provide you with guidance and additional information. Also, Microsoft published an update on replacing Edge's built-in PDF reader with one from Adobe.

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Ubuntu 25.04 now available with GNOME 48 and Linux kernel 6.14

Fri, 18 Apr 2025 17:49:25 +0000

Canonical has just released Ubuntu 25.04, codenamed Plucky Puffin, for the general public. This is a stable release, but not a long-term support version, so it’s only going to be alive for 9 months before support is dropped. These non-LTS releases are great for people who want a stable experience, but also want to try cutting-edge features.

The key highlight in this update is GNOME 48, which brings with it notification stacking, digital well-being settings, triple buffering patches for smoother performance (which Canonical contributed), and more. This version of Ubuntu also includes an app called Papers, a PDF reader for a more modern and user-friendly experience.

To help support timezone detection, weather forecasts, and night light features on the desktop, Ubuntu 25.04 ships with the BeaconDB geolocation service. Canonical made this change because Mozilla retired its geolocation service, which had previously been relied upon.

Another big change in this update is the inclusion of Linux 6.14. Canonical said that it includes a new NTSYNC driver that emulates WinNT sync primitives, enabling better performance potential for Windows games running on WINE and Proton (Steam Play). Canonical also said:

“Kernel developers can now make use of a new scheduling system, sched_ext, which provides a mechanism to implement scheduling policies as eBPF programs. This enables developers to defer scheduling decisions to standard user-space programs and implement fully functional hot-swappable Linux schedulers, using any language, tool, library, or resource accessible in user-space.”

In terms of hardware support, Canonical has made a new ISO image available with 25.04 that enables it to work on ARM64 devices, and Qualcomm has said this paves the way for Ubuntu to eventually run on Snapdragon chips. Ubuntu 25.04 also brings full-featured support for the Intel Core Ultra 200V series with built-in Arc GPUs and Intel Arc B580 and B570 "Battlemage" discrete GPUs, Canonical said:

“The new additions include improved GPU and CPU ray tracing rendering performance in applications with Intel Embree support, such as Blender (v4.2+). Ray tracing hardware acceleration on the GPU improves frame rendering by 20-30%, due to a 2-4x speed-up for the ray tracing component. These GPUs now also have support enabled for hardware accelerated video encoding of AVC, JPEG, HEVC, and AV1, thus improving performance when using these formats when compared to software encoding.”

The new update is available for download now on Ubuntu.com. If you have Ubuntu installed already, you can upgrade to this version, too. If you are on an LTS release and want to upgrade, you’ll need to take extra steps outlined here.

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Google brings ChromeOS M135 to the stable channel, with improved mouse support and more

Fri, 18 Apr 2025 17:47:51 +0000

Last February, we reported on Chrome 133, which brought features like Bluetooth Microphone Super Resolution and the accessibility feature Bounce Keys. A month later, Google brought M134, which continued the accessibility focus with Slow Keys and introduced features like Fast Pair for mice and Mouse Keys, along with the big news of Gemini integration.

Now, ChromeOS M135 is hitting the stable channel, and it's bringing some interesting updates, building on some of the things we've seen before.

One thing you might notice, especially if you're using ChromeOS Flex on older hardware, is the arrival of the Android Bluetooth stack, code-named Fluoride. This was already rolling out to regular ChromeOS devices starting with version 122, and now it's making its way to Flex.

Google says the transition should be seamless, keeping your already paired Bluetooth gadgets connected without a fuss. If things go sideways, you can always file feedback or temporarily disable it using a flag in the Chrome settings: chrome://flags/#bluetooth-use-floss.

Building on the accessibility features we've seen in recent updates, M135 includes some enhancements to Face control. This feature lets you interact with your Chromebook using facial movements. Google has apparently made it more obvious when Face control is active, adding a "Face control active" message that's easy to spot and includes a clear button to turn it off. You'll also get a notification when Face control gets turned on, which is a nice touch.

Mouse Keys, another accessibility feature released in M134, is also part of this update, allowing you to control your mouse pointer using your keyboard.

We saw Fast Pair for mice show up in M134, and it's still a part of the M135 update. Here's how the feature works: if you have a mouse that supports Fast Pair, you just bring it close to your Chromebook, and you should get a prompt asking if you want to connect it. One click and you're good to go.

And finally, something new in M135 is image content search. Instead of having to remember the exact filename of a picture, you'll be able to search for images based on what's actually in the photo directly within the Launcher.

As usual, Google says that this update will be "progressively rolling out over the coming days." If you do encounter any issues when using M135, the company wants you to report them here.

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NVIDIA drops another "horrible driver" — The latest update still hasn't fixed GPU stability issues for all

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 18:25:41 +0000

NVIDIA's Game Ready driver version 576.02 arrived yesterday with a massive list of bug fixes, but some users continue to report the same stability issues.

NVIDIA's RTX 5060 Ti launched yesterday, and with it came a new Game Ready driver that supports the new GPU.

The biggest news surrounding the new 576.02 driver, however, is the extensive list of bug fixes.

NVIDIA focused on solving specific problems in specific games — flickering, crashing, stuttering, banding, artifacting, etc. — but it also called out fixes for more general issues.

Here's a look at the problems NVIDIA claims to have solved.

A look at specific gaming bugs supposedly fixed by NVIDIA Game Ready driver 576.02.

(Image credit: NVIDIA)

A look at general bugs supposedly fixed by NVIDIA Game Ready driver 576.02.

(Image credit: NVIDIA)

These fixes couldn't come at a better time. At least, that would be the case if NVIDIA's fixes were concrete.

That doesn't seem to be the case, as reports online of issues with the new driver installed begin to pile up once again.

I waded into the NVIDIA subreddit's driver megathread to check in on user status.

Judging by the feedback, the new drivers have solved issues for some users but not for others. And there doesn't seem to be a clear pattern.

One potential remedy for certain games appears to involve deleting the game's shader cache following the driver update.

This move seems to have solved problems in Monster Hunter Wilds and Path of Exile 2, but your experience may vary.

In any case, it appears that NVIDIA has failed to completely clean up the issues that have been plaguing its GeForce cards for the majority of 2025.

NVIDIA's current driver issues explained

Since the launch of NVIDIA's RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 in January — which came with a new 572.16 driver — users have reported everything from black screens and GPU detection failure to outright game and system crashes.

NVIDIA was quick to announce it was investigating reported issues with the RTX 50-series in February.

It's not just those with an RTX 50-series GPU, either. NVIDIA's driver issues have been experienced by RTX 40-series and 30-series users, and the solution was to roll back to a driver from before the 50-series launch.

The driver, version 566.36, was released in December 2024, and it remains stable. But there's a big problem.

The stable driver was released before NVIDIA added DLSS 4 support, which means it doesn't provide access to new features like Multi Frame Generation (MFG) or full support for new games.

But considering a lot of the issues seemed to stem from DLSS and G-Sync, playing without the features was better than not playing at all.

With certain game developers recommending in patch notes to use an older driver, and with Gamers Nexus replicating many of the issues reported online, NVIDIA clearly had to perform some major surgery on its support system.

I was hopeful when I saw the long list of 576.02 bug fixes, but gamers aren't in the clear quite yet.

I'm curious to know your experience with the new NVIDIA driver. What are/were your issues? Did the new driver fix them? What GPU are you using? Be sure to let me know in the comments section below!

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Microsoft Edge 137 is out in Dev Channel with WebUI improvements and more

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 18:19:38 +0000

Following the release of Copilot Vision in Microsoft Edge and Edge 136 in the Beta Channel, Microsoft is bringing Edge 137 from the Canary Channel to Dev. Edge Insiders can download build 137.0.3255.0 with WebUI improvements and a typically long list of various fixes, small patches, and other changes. Here is the changelog:

Added Features:

Added a row of buttons to the tab search app in Web UI.

Improved Behavior:

Resolved a corner case crash issue with Settings Navigation on Android.

Resolved an issue where a crash occurred after logging into an AAD/MSA account on iOS.

Resolved an issue where browser would crash on Android after switching the theme, and then changing the position of the address bar on the Appearance and Layout page.

Resolved a crash issue in Start, Home, and NTP within the settings.

Changed Behavior:

Resolved an issue by updating the color of the loading screen in the Game Assist widget.

Resolved an issue when setting the page color to desert or white caused most of the Settings navigation bar to become invisible on edge://settings/appearance.

Resolved an issue where items in a subfolder would open after clicking 'Open all () in new tab group' under Favorites.

Resolved an issue where text overlapped with the 'Import Favorites' folder in the Favorites bar.

iOS:

Resolved an issue where the PDF continued to be read after exiting the PDF read-aloud feature on iOS.

Android:

Resolved an issue where the Copilot error page supported half-screen view on Android.

Fixed an issue where the refresh button in the web search box was unresponsive on Android.

Fixed an issue where the new chat icon was missing in the upper right corner of the page after entering Copilot from NTP on Android.

Mac:

Resolved an issue where avatars failed to load on the 'Choose an account' screen on Mac.

Microsoft Edge Dev is available on Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android. You can download it from the official website. Version 136 is expected in the Stable Channel during the week of May 1, 2025.

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Microsoft is making Windows 11 23H2, 22H2 less secure than 24H2 by killing a VBS feature

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 18:17:55 +0000

Microsoft is planning to remove a security feature on versions of Windows 11 older than 24H2. The company has confirmed that it is deprecating VBS enclaves on the likes of Windows 11 23H2 and 22H2. The same is happening to Server 2022 and 2019/2016 as well. This essentially makes the older versions of Windows 11 and Windows Server less secure.

The company writes:

VBS enclaves are being deprecated on Windows 11, version 23H2 and earlier versions of Windows. Support for VBS enclaves will continue for Windows 11, version 24H2 and later.

VBS enclaves are being deprecated on Windows Server 2022 and earlier versions of Windows Server. Support for VBS enclaves will continue for Windows Server 2025 and later.

VBS enclaves was released in July last year where the company also talked about the system requirements of the feature. As the name suggests, VBS enclaves is based on VBS or Virutalization-based Security.

VBS is an essential security feature on Windows 11 which Microsoft has pointed out several times in the past. So we are unsure why the company is removing one of the VBS features on the slightly older OSes. Microsoft also does not state the reason.

The tech giant typically removes older standards to improve the security of its software or introduces newer and improved ones. For example, it updated the way it collects user data on Edge recently, and is also gradually killing off ActiveX on Office apps.

For those of you wondering how VBS enclaves helps, the feature is meant to improve the memory safety of apps by creating virtual trust levels (VTL) inside a software-based Trust Execution Environment (TEE).

However, it is not infallible as Microsoft had to patch CVE-2025-21370 VBS enclaves local elevation of privilege (LPE) vulnerability back in January. On the topic of memory safety, Microsoft also began integrating Rust in the Windows kernel back in 2024 on Windows 11 version 23H2.

You can view the list of deprecated features here on Microsoft's official website.

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