As Microsoft celebrates its 50th anniversary, let's take a trip down memory lane. Windows has evolved dramatically over the decades, but some intriguing facts remain unknown to many. Here are some insights into its history that might surprise you.

1. Windows' original name was Interface Manager

Before it became known as "Windows," Microsoft's graphical user interface was initially called "Interface Manager." (Source and 2)

Microsoft has its reasons why it wants people to use a Microsoft Account instead of local accounts. The company explained in detail all about it back in 2024.

Naturally, when things like this happen, enthusiasts go digging for ways to work around such issues. Interestingly, as it turns out, another bypass method had already existed for a while now and it is finally becoming popular.

This new method was discovered by a user ThePineapple and they have also published a detailed step-by-step guide on how to implement it. They explain:

The WinJS-Microsoft-Account-Bypass repo offers a method to skip the Microsoft Account requirement during Windows 11 OOBE. By accessing the Developer Console, users can trigger a hidden local account setup screen. This offline technique works across all Windows 11 versions, including S-Mode, allowing local account creation.

The bypass uses a CXH (cloud experience host) URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) string during the OOBE to invoke the hidden local account setup screen. The detailed guide is given below:

1. Start Windows 11 Setup

• Begin the Windows 11 Setup Process.
• Select your region and keyboard layout.

2. Stop at the Secondary Keyboard Layout Screen

• When you reach the Secondary Keyboard Layout screen, do not click Skip.
• If you accidentally skipped and reached the Network Setup Screen, don't stress. I have a guide in the troubleshooting section.

3. Open the Developer Console

• Press Ctrl + Shift + J to open the Developer Console.
• Your screen will go dark and will appear with a prompt (indicated by a > symbol) at the top left of the screen.

4. Enter the Restart Command

• Type the following command exactly as shown:

  WinJS.Application.restart("ms-cxh://LOCALONLY")

Note: This command is case-sensitive. You can use Tab-completion to help:

• After typing WinJS.A, press Tab to auto-complete Application.
• After typing res, press Tab to auto-complete restart.

5. Exit the Developer Console

• After entering the command, press Enter to execute it.
• Press Escape to exit the Developer Console and return to the OOBE interface.

Note: If the Escape key doesn't close the Console, click anywhere on the screen to ensure the console is focused and then press the key again.

6. Local Account Setup

• The Secondary Keyboard Layout screen will refresh, and a Windows 10-style local account setup screen will appear.
• Enter your desired username, password, and security questions and click Next.

7. Complete the Setup

• The Setup will go black and will then log you in to your newly created account. Allow Windows 11 a few moments to configure the user.
• Continue with the remaining privacy setting prompts.
• Once finished, you will have successfully created a local account in Windows 11.

A video guide has also been shared although you may want to turn down the volume first:

You can view the project here on its GitHub repo.

Thanks to d5aqoëp for the tip!!!!

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Microsoft has just released value tokens in Excel for Windows for Microsoft 365 Insiders running Version 2502 (Build 18623.20020). Value tokens are small badges that appear in cells next to data, they give you a visual representation of the type of data stored in cells so you can quickly figure out what’s what.

Over time, the Redmond giant has developed Excel to handle more data types than just plain text, numbers, and errors. It also supports stocks, geography, currencies, and formatted number values, and more, but they haven't been clearly differentiated in the formula bar. Microsoft hopes to solve this with value tokens.

To get started using the feature, follow these instructions.

• Open a new or existing Excel spreadsheet.
• Select a cell and enter a geography, currency, or another data type.
• Select Data > Data Types, select the data type you want (e.g., Currencies, Geography), and notice that a value token appears in the cell.

 

In the future, we plan to more deeply integrate value tokens into Excel’s formula editing experience. We’d love your feedback to make this happen!

To use this new feature, you must be running Excel for Windows running Version 2502 (Build 18623.20020). Microsoft plans to bring the feature to Excel users on macOS, iOS, Android, and the web soon, so that Excel spreadsheets look the same no matter which platform they’re opened on.

If you do try out this new feature and find anything that’s broken or could be better, Microsoft wants to hear from you via Help > Feedback in Excel.

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Windows 11 builds 26200.5516 and 26120.3653 remove the bypassnro.cmd script from the operating system. Microsoft says the change is to ensure that "all users exit setup with internet connectivity and a Microsoft Account." Yes, Microsoft does not want you to use its operating system without an account.

In the most recent Windows 11 builds, attempts to execute the bypassnro command return the following error:

'oobe\bypassnro' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.

Fortunately, not all hope is lost. Enthusiasts quickly discovered that it is still possible to restore the script. Here is how:

1. On the Windows 11 setup screen, press Shift + F10 and type regedit and press Enter.
2. Go to Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\OOBE.
3. Click Edit > New > DWORD (32-bit) and rename the new value to BypassNRO.
4. Open the value and change its value data to 1.
5. Restart your system. You can now setup your computer without an active internet connection or a Microsoft Account.

Of course, OOBE\bypassnro is not the only way to skip some of Windows 11's requirements. Still, it is one of the easiest and most popular ones, so quite a lot of users will be upset about its demise. Luckily, for now, it is possible to bring it back. There is just no info on whether this method will last.

Source: @phantomofearth X

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Microsoft is starting to test Quick Machine Recovery, a feature designed to prevent incidents like last year’s Crowdstrike catastrophe. It’s rolling out in its latest Windows Insider Preview build (6120.3653) and allows IT professionals to remotely recover Windows 11 devices even if they won’t boot.

Microsoft first announced Quick Machine Recovery last year as part of its Windows Resiliency Initiative, which came in direct response to the Crowdstrike outage. Last July, Crowdstrike rolled out a faulty kernel-level update that caused the Blue Screen of Death to appear across millions of Windows devices, impacting banks, airlines, TV broadcasters, and more. IT admins struggled to quickly get them back online because many needed physical access to the machines to issue a fix.

But Quick Machine Recovery should at least help prevent similar outages. It prompts a device to enter the Windows Recovery Environment, where the machine can access the network and provide Microsoft with diagnostic information. Microsoft can then remotely deploy fixes via the Windows Update system.

The feature is enabled by default for home users, and Windows Insiders can try it out now using a simulated environment.

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Microsoft has confirmed that it's removing a popular command line that allowed users to bypass connecting to the internet and signing into a Microsoft Account when setting up a new Windows 11 PC.

When Windows 11 version 22H2 launched, Microsoft made it so that both Windows 11 Home and Windows 11 Pro required an internet connection and Microsoft Account during setup, but users quickly discovered workarounds.

The most popular workaround is the command "bypassnro", which when entered into a command prompt while in the Windows setup experience would enable the ability to skip connecting to the internet, therefore bypassing the Microsoft Account requirement.

As noted in the latest Windows 11 preview build, the company is removing the command to "ensure that all users exit setup with internet connectivity and a Microsoft Account."

This change will be controversial among Windows users who don't want to use a Microsoft Account on Windows 11. Going forward, there will be no easy way to bypass this requirement on a new Windows 11 PC.

There are still ways to bypass these requirements, including setting up an unattend.xml installation, which bypasses the setup phase, but this requires a lot more work and includes creating a new Windows installation image from scratch.

Currently, it's also possible to manually re-add the bypassnro command to your system by typing the following into a command prompt: "reg add HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\OOBE /v BypassNRO /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f shutdown /r /t 0"

Here is the changelog:

Improved Windows Search for AMD and Intel®-powered Copilot+ PCs

 

Local Semantic Search

 

We are making finding your documents, photos, and settings across Windows 11 easier on AMD and Intel®-powered Copilot+ PCs by introducing semantic indexing along with traditional indexing. Whether it’s searching in File Explorer, in the Windows search box on your taskbar, or in Settings – just type what’s on your mind to find it on your Copilot+ PC. You no longer need to remember file names, exact words in file content, or settings names. For example, you can use your own words to find images by typing “bridge at sunset”, documents by describing what they are about like “Europe trip budget”, or settings like “change my theme”. Thanks to the power of the 40+ TOPS NPU onboard Copilot+ PCs, these search improvements work even when you’re not connected to the internet.

 

You can go to Settings > Privacy & security > Searching Windows to adjust which locations are indexed on your PC or turn on “Enhanced” to index your entire PC.

 

Searching for settings like “change my theme” will work within the Settings app for now. In a future flight, you will be able to do this within the Windows search box on the taskbar.

 

These experiences are supported in select languages (Chinese, English, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish) and document formats. Supported file formats include .txt, .pdf, .docx, .doc, .rtf, .pptx, .ppt, .xls, .xlsx for documents and .jpg/.jpeg, .png, .gif, .bmp, .ico for images. See here for more details.

 

You can learn more about semantic search on Copilot + PCs here.

 

Find photos saved in the cloud with improved Windows Search

 

We are also announcing support for also finding photos saved in the cloud with improved Windows Search for AMD and Intel®-powered Copilot+ PCs. 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 at the top right corner of File Explorer or also in the Windows search box. 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.

 

You can try this experience out today with your personal OneDrive when signed in with your Microsoft account and connected to the internet. If you are signed into OneDrive with a work or school account (Entra ID), you will only see matches for keywords you are searching for within the text of your cloud files in the search results – not photos. Third-party cloud providers will be able to support this experience with their services as well with documentation coming soon.

 

We’re excited to introduce a new way to find your cloud content in Windows and will continue improving search results and capabilities over time.

 

These improved Windows Search experiences continue to gradually roll out to Windows Insiders on Copilot+ PCs, including finding photos saved in the cloud, so you may not see these experiences right away.

 

You can learn more about semantic search on Copilot + PCs here.

 

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

 

Introducing speech recap in Narrator

 

We are always working to make Narrator more intuitive, efficient, and helpful for users who rely on it every day. With that in mind, we are introducing a new feature—speech recap —designed to help you keep track of what Narrator has spoken and access it for quick reference. With speech recap, you can quickly access spoken content, follow along with live transcription, and copy what Narrator last said—all with simple keyboard shortcuts.

 

You can open the speech recap window with Narrator key + Alt + X and can find the last 500 strings Narrator had spoken. Note that we refresh the text in this window every time Narrator starts. You can use standard reading commands and arrow keys to read the contents in speech recap window and copy text required for reference.

 

Need to save or share something Narrator just said last? You can copy it instantly without opening the speech recap window. Use Narrator key + Control + X to copy the last spoken phrase to your clipboard.

 

Few scenarios where you can use speech recap and related shortcuts include referring to a hint you heard when opening a new window, copying an error code that was spoken or adding Narrator speech to training materials.

 

Live transcription of Narrator speech is useful for Assistive Technology (AT) trainers, teacher of students with visual impairments (TSVI) who support students in class and for professionals who are hard of hearing and want to use Narrator. To see live transcription of Narrator audio, use the same command Narrator key + Alt + X to open the speech recap window and snap it to the portion of the screen you want to view it. As you do tasks, you can see real-time transcriptions of Narrator speech.

 

These keyboard shortcuts follow a simple patten making it easy to learn:

 

• Control + Windows key + Enter = Turn Narrator on/Off
• Narrator key + X = Re-hear what Narrator said last
• Narrator key + control + X = Copy what Narrator said last
• Narrator key + Alt + X = Open Speech recap window for history and live transcriptions

Here is the rest of the changelog:

[General]

 

We’re previewing a new, more streamlined UI for unexpected restarts which better aligns with Windows 11 design principles and supports our goal of getting users back into productivity as fast as possible. We’ve simplified your experience while preserving the technical information on the screen. As a reminder, for Windows Insiders this appears as a “green screen”. This is beginning to roll out to Windows Insiders on Windows 11, version 24H2 and higher in the Beta, Dev, and Canary Channels.

 

[Copilot on Windows]

 

• You can now launch Copilot on Windows with Win + C. You can personalize your Copilot key and Win + C experience at any time with the existing “Customize Copilot key on keyboard” under Settings > Personalization > Text input.
• To access the press to talk feature and start a conversation with Copilot on Windows, press and hold the Copilot key for 2 seconds. For PCs without the Copilot key, press and hold Win + C for 2 seconds. To end your conversation, press the Esc key. If there is no speaking for several seconds, Copilot will automatically end the conversation. When the conversation is over, the microphone on the screen will disappear. As announced previously, you can also press and hold Alt + Spacebar to talk with Copilot on Windows. Press to talk allows you to interact with Copilot using your voice, providing instant responses while staying in your current workflow and continuing tasks without interruption. Press to talk is supported in the latest Copilot app update (version 1.25033.139.0 and higher). This update is beginning to roll out across Insider Channels via the Microsoft Store.
• Developers can get the same trigger for press to talk for their apps that support the Copilot key by using Handle Microsoft Copilot hardware key state changes. Note, the enterprise-focused Microsoft 365 Copilot app does not have this support today.
• Win + C and press to talk are gradually rolling out so not all Insiders will get the update right away. We are excited to be previewing improvements with our Insiders to ensure all our customers have a great Copilot experience for Windows.

 

[Click to Do (Preview)]

 

• On your Copilot+ PCs, you can now access Click to Do from the Start menu including the ability to pin it to Start and your taskbar.

  

• Click to Do can now perform intelligent text actions in Spanish and French in addition to English. We will continue to roll out support for additional languages in future updates. Text actions are currently available on Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs and coming soon for AMD and Intel®-powered Copilot+ PCs.
• Click to Do has a text action to create a bulleted list. Currently available in English, Spanish, and French and on Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs and coming soon for AMD and Intel®-powered Copilot+ PCs.
• We are providing policies for managing Click to Do in a commercial environment. IT admins can learn more here.

 

[Windows Share]

 

• When you share links or web content using the Windows share window, you will see a visual preview for that content.

  

• In the Windows share window, we are adding the ability to quickly edit and enhance images while sharing. This includes in-line image editing capabilities, such as cropping, rotating, and applying filters, as well as the ability to compress images to reduce file size for easier sharing. This ability works only for local images stored on your PC. Supported image formats: .jpg, .jpeg, .dib, .png, .tif, .tiff, and .bmp.

  

[Other]

 

• We’re removing the bypassnro.cmd script from the build to enhance security and user experience of Windows 11. This change ensures that all users exit setup with internet connectivity and a Microsoft Account.

 

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

 

[Taskbar]

 

• Fixed an issue where the taskbar icons weren’t increasing in size as they should when using your PC in a tablet posture.

 

[File Explorer]

 

• Did some more work to improve the performance of extracting zipped files in File Explorer, particularly in the case where you’re unzipping a large number of small files.
• Fixed an issue causing File Explorer to be very slow to close for some Insiders when closing using the X button. This may also have impacted the other title bar buttons.
• Fixed an issue where if the search indexer was hung, it could lead to File Explorer also hanging.
• Fixed an issue where the date for files and folders in Home may be unexpectedly blank.
• Fixed an issue which was impacting File Explorer launch reliability.
• Fixed an issue where if you had disconnected network drives when doing a search from Home it might prevent searches from executing and you’d remain on Home.

 

Fixes for everyone in the Dev Channel

 

[General]

 

• Fixed the issue causing the toggle to get the latest updates as they are available via Settings > Windows Update to not render correctly and is automatically turned off by itself.

Known issues include the following:

[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 Dev Channel updates which will resolve this issue.

 

[Recall]

 

[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.
• Recall can be enabled or disabled from “Turn Windows features on or off”. We are caching the Recall binaries on disk while we test add/remove. In a future update we will completely remove the binaries.

 

[Click to Do]

 

[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.

 

[REMINDER] The intelligent text actions leverage the power of Microsoft’s secure cloud to improve your text results by ensuring prompts and responses are safe and appropriate. This data is automatically deleted. Local moderation to ensure the safety of prompts and responses will be added in the future, replacing this cloud endpoint.

 

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

 

• Sometimes additional context is given when using more intelligent text actions powered by Phi Silica.

 

[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.

 

[File Explorer]

 

• We’re working on the fix for an issue causing File Explorer to be very slow to close for some Insiders when closing using the X button. This may also have an impact on the other title bar buttons.
• We’re working on the fix for an issue causing File Explorer to crash when moving or renaming certain files.

 

[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.

 

[Widgets]

 

• [NEW] Windows Insiders in the European Economic Area (EEA) with the new Lock screen widgets experience may see the weather widget temporarily unavailable.
• Fixed an issue causing File Explorer to crash when moving or renaming certain files.

You can find the official announcement here.

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The full changelog is given below:

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

Introducing quick machine recovery

 

Quick machine recovery (QMR), part of the Windows Resiliency Initiative announced at Ignite 2024 is now available in the latest Windows Insider Preview build. This feature, when enabled, addresses widespread boot issues on Windows 11 devices by automatically detecting and applying fixes directly from the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) thereby reducing the system downtime and manual intervention. When a critical boot failure occurs, the device enters WinRE, connects to the network, and sends diagnostic data to Microsoft, which can then deploy targeted remediations via Windows Update. IT admins are encouraged to enable, customize, or test this feature, which is enabled by default for home users. Windows Insiders can start testing it today and provide feedback via Feedback Hub to refine the feature further. In the Feedback Hub app on your Windows device, select Recovery and Uninstall > Quick Machine Recovery. Keep an eye out for a test remediation package coming your way in the next few days, allowing you to experience the quick machine recovery in action.

 

Introducing speech recap in Narrator

 

We are always working to make Narrator more intuitive, efficient, and helpful for users who rely on it every day. With that in mind, we are introducing a new feature—speech recap —designed to help you keep track of what Narrator has spoken and access it for quick reference. With speech recap, you can quickly access spoken content, follow along with live transcription, and copy what Narrator last said—all with simple keyboard shortcuts.

 

You can open the speech recap window with Narrator key + Alt + X and can find the last 500 strings Narrator had spoken. Note that we refresh the text in this window every time Narrator starts. You can use standard reading commands and arrow keys to read the contents in speech recap window and copy text required for reference.

 

Need to save or share something Narrator just said last? You can copy it instantly without opening the speech recap window. Use Narrator key + Control + X to copy the last spoken phrase to your clipboard.

 

Few scenarios where you can use speech recap and related shortcuts include referring to a hint you heard when opening a new window, copying an error code that was spoken or adding Narrator speech to training materials.

 

Live transcription of Narrator speech is useful for Assistive Technology (AT) trainers, teacher of students with visual impairments (TSVI) who support students in class and for professionals who are hard of hearing and want to use Narrator. To see live transcription of Narrator audio, use the same command Narrator key + Alt + X to open the speech recap window and snap it to the portion of the screen you want to view it. As you do tasks, you can see real-time transcriptions of Narrator speech.

 

These keyboard shortcuts follow a simple patten making it easy to learn:

 

• Control + Windows key + Enter = Turn Narrator on/Off
• Narrator key + X = Re-hear what Narrator said last
• Narrator key + control + X = Copy what Narrator said last
• Narrator key + Alt + X = Open Speech recap window for history and live transcriptions

 

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Accessibility > Narrator.

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

[General]

 

• We’re previewing a new, more streamlined UI for unexpected restarts which better aligns with Windows 11 design principles and supports our goal of getting users back into productivity as fast as possible. We’ve simplified your experience while preserving the technical information on the screen. As a reminder, for Windows Insiders this appears as a “green screen”. This is beginning to roll out to Windows Insiders on Windows 11, version 24H2 and higher in the Beta, Dev, and Canary Channels.

[Copilot on Windows]

 

• You can now launch Copilot on Windows with Win + C. You can personalize your Copilot key and Win + C experience at any time with the existing “Customize Copilot key on keyboard” under Settings > Personalization > Text input.
• To access the press to talk feature and start a conversation with Copilot on Windows, press and hold the Copilot key for 2 seconds. For PCs without the Copilot key, press and hold Win + C for 2 seconds. To end your conversation, press the Esc key. If there is no speaking for several seconds, Copilot will automatically end the conversation. When the conversation is over, the microphone on the screen will disappear. As announced previously, you can also press and hold Alt + Spacebar to talk with Copilot on Windows. Press to talk allows you to interact with Copilot using your voice, providing instant responses while staying in your current workflow and continuing tasks without interruption. Press to talk is supported in the latest Copilot app update (version 1.25033.139.0 and higher). This update is beginning to roll out across Insider Channels via the Microsoft Store.
• Developers can get the same trigger for press to talk for their apps that support the Copilot key by using Handle Microsoft Copilot hardware key state changes. Note, the enterprise-focused Microsoft 365 Copilot app does not have this support today.
• Win + C and press to talk are gradually rolling out so not all Insiders will get the update right away. We are excited to be previewing improvements with our Insiders to ensure all our customers have a great Copilot experience for Windows.

 

[Click to Do (Preview)]

 

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

 

• On your Copilot+ PCs, you can now access Click to Do from the Start menu including the ability to pin it to Start and your taskbar.

• Click to Do can now perform intelligent text actions in Spanish and French in addition to English. We will continue to roll out support for additional languages in future updates. Text actions are currently available on Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs and coming soon for AMD and Intel®-powered Copilot+ PCs.
• Click to Do has a text action to create a bulleted list. Currently available in English, Spanish, and French and on Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs and coming soon for AMD and Intel®-powered Copilot+ PCs.
• We are providing policies for managing Click to Do in a commercial environment. IT admins can learn more here.

 

[Windows Share]

 

• When you share links or web content using the Windows share window, you will see a visual preview for that content.

• In the Windows share window, we are adding the ability to quickly edit and enhance images while sharing. This includes in-line image editing capabilities, such as cropping, rotating, and applying filters, as well as the ability to compress images to reduce file size for easier sharing. This ability works only for local images stored on your PC. Supported image formats: .jpg, .jpeg, .dib, .png, .tif, .tiff, and .bmp.

[Other]

 

• We’re removing the bypassnro.cmd script from the build to enhance security and user experience of Windows 11. This change ensures that all users exit setup with internet connectivity and a Microsoft Account.

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

[Taskbar]

 

• Fixed an issue where the taskbar icons weren’t increasing in size as they should when using your PC in a tablet posture.

 

[File Explorer]

 

• Fixed an issue where if the search indexer was hung, it could lead to File Explorer also hanging.
• Fixed an issue where the date for files and folders in Home may be unexpectedly blank.
• Fixed an issue which was impacting File Explorer launch reliability.
• Fixed an issue where if you had disconnected network drives when doing a search from Home it might prevent searches from executing and you’d remain on Home.
• Fixed an issue causing File Explorer to crash when moving or renaming certain files.

 

[Windowing]

 

• Fixed an explorer.exe crash related to snap layouts which could happen when dragging a window or hovering over the maximize button in a window.

 

[Windows Update]

 

• Fixed an issue which could result in you seeing a message asking for you to reboot to install a cumulative update that was already installed.
• Fixed an issue where an installed cumulative update may unexpectedly not show in Settings> Windows Update > Update History.

 

[Settings]

 

• Fixed an issue causing Settings to crash for some Insiders when going to System > Power & Battery in the latest flights.
• Fixed an issue where text in the Advanced Camera Options in Bluetooth & devices > Cameras might not load correctly.

 

Known issues

 

[General]

 

• [REMINDER] When joining the Beta Channels on Windows 11, version 24H2 – you will be offered Build 26120.3360 After installing that update, you will be offered the most recent update available. This 2-hop experience to get onto the latest 24H2-based flight in the Beta Channel is just temporary.
• After you do a PC reset under Settings > System > Recovery, your build version may incorrectly show as Build 26100 instead of Build 26120. This will not prevent you from getting future Beta Channel updates which will resolve this issue.

 

[Recall (Preview)]

 

• [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.
• Recall can be enabled or disabled from “Turn Windows features on or off”. We are caching the Recall binaries on disk while we test add/remove. In a future update we will completely remove the binaries.

 

[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:

 

• Sometimes additional context is given when using more intelligent text actions powered by Phi Silica.

 

[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.

 

[File Explorer]

 

• We’re working on the fix for an issue causing File Explorer Home to crash for some Insiders. If you launch File Explorer to a different folder (for example, using search or the Run dialog), you should be able to navigate your folders.

 

[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.

 

[Widgets]

 

• [NEW] Windows Insiders in the European Economic Area (EEA) with the new Lock screen widgets experience may see the weather widget temporarily unavailable.

You can view the official blog post here on Microsoft's website.

Source

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This includes called WinFlash64.exe, which is to update the BIOS. The result has been chaotic, as users attempting to apply BIOS updates may encounter error messages indicating that the update process has failed. The bug affects Windows 11 24H2, 23H2, and 22H2, along with Windows 10 22H2.

This issue arises from Microsoft’s security blocklist, which has led the operating system to label the BIOS update as a ‘vulnerable driver.’ Consequently, Windows declines to execute the firmware update. This affects users with various ThinkPad models trying to utilize Lenovo's BIOS Update Utility or the Lenovo Vantage app. This situation marks an unusual turn of events, BIOS updates inherently carry some risks, but it is rare for them to be directly flagged in this manner by the operating system. BIOS updates may sometimes be necessary to ensure the smooth operation of a computer.

Lenovo is currently advising users to use Windows Update as an alternative method for applying BIOS updates to bypass this issue. This workaround relies on the operating system's ability to find the appropriate patches and deliver them through Windows Update. If no updates appear, users are left periodically checking for new patches, hoping to resolve the matter.

Fortunately, Lenovo is actively addressing the situation. A new BIOS version, v1.61, has been released and should be compatible with the company’s BIOS Update Utility. If successful, this update will stabilize the installation process for affected ThinkPad models.

Source: Techradar

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The company now says this bug has been fixed, and clicking the "Go to classic Outlook" button will no longer crash New Outlook for Windows.

"Some users have reported that the 'go back to classic Outlook' button in new Outlook for Windows does not open a support article on how to download classic Outlook for Windows," Redmond said when it acknowledged the problem on March 12, adding that "the application just closes, and classic Outlook is not installed."

Those who don't want to risk crashing their email client can also download the standalone Outlook classic client for Windows or install it from the Microsoft Store.

Contact your IT admin for assistance if you use a work or school account and can't restore classic Outlook using the above steps.

Last month, Microsoft addressed another known issue that broke email drag-and-drop in Outlook after installing recent Windows 24H2 updates.

Since the start of the year, it has fixed other Outlook issues, including one that led to Classic Outlook and Microsoft 365 applications crashing on Windows Server 2016 or Windows Server 2019 systems and another one that triggers classic Outlook crashes when writing, replying to, or forwarding an email.

Microsoft announced in December that the new Microsoft 365 desktop client app installed on Windows devices will deploy the new Outlook in addition to the classic Outlook client. It also advised admins to edit their configurations and exclude the new Outlook app before new installations where it's not needed.

You can find more information on blocking users from switching to the new Outlook and controlling other features and capabilities on Microsoft's support website.

In January, Redmond also began force-installing the new email client on Windows 10 systems, starting with the KB5050081 non-security preview update. This move was first revealed in early January when the company said the new email client would be automatically installed for all Windows 10 users after installing the February 2025 security updates.

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As the company explained when it acknowledged the issues on Monday, affected users experience RDP disconnections after 65 seconds when establishing UDP connections from Windows 11 24H2 to RDS hosts on systems running Windows Server 2016 earlier.

While Windows Server 2025 devices aren't directly impacted as RDS hosts, they may still trigger sudden Remote Desktop disconnects when acting as RDP clients connecting to older servers.

"After installing the January 2025 Windows preview update (KB5050094) and later updates, users might experience unexpected disconnections with Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) sessions, including Remote Desktop Services (RDS)," the company said in a Monday entry to the Windows release health dashboard.

"We've observed a significant increase in reports of this issue following the release of the March 2025 Windows security update (KB5053598)."

Today, Microsoft said the known issue will be fixed for Windows 11 24H2 and Windows Server 2025 users after installing the KB5053656 preview update released on Thursday.

"We recommend you install the latest update for your device as it contains important improvements and issue resolutions, including this one," it said.

The fix will be generally available with next month's cumulative updates. Until then, IT admins can also deploy it on enterprise-managed devices using a Known Issue Rollback group policy.

Issues still waiting for a fix

Earlier this week, Redmond warned of another known issue triggering Remote Desktop freezes on Windows Server 2025 after installing security updates released since the February 2025 Patch Tuesday.

This issue also affected Windows 11 24H2 systems, but Microsoft resolved it roughly with the KB5052093 optional update released on February 25. The company says the fix will roll out to affected Windows Server 2025 devices with a future Windows update.

Veeam also revealed on Tuesday that Microsoft is helping investigate an issue leading to connection errors on Windows 11 24H2 systems when attempting to restore data from Backup & Replication servers or SMB network shares.

On Wednesday, Microsoft fixed another Windows bug causing USB printers to start printing random text after installing updates released since late January 2025.

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If you hadn’t heard of Signal before this week, chances are you’re well aware of it now. The messaging app was thrust into the news on Monday when The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, was mistakenly added to a group chat involving top military officials planning an airstrike. Even though it entered the discourse for extremely unusual reasons, Signal has been, and remains, a well-regarded messaging platform for secure communication. It’s not foolproof — emphasis on fool, in this case — but it’s worth understanding what it is and how it works, even if you’re not a person who deals with highly confidential information.

Signal is a messaging app. You download it to your iOS or Android device, link your phone number, and you’re ready to go — just like other services like WhatsApp or Telegram. The thing that makes Signal different is its emphasis on privacy. Communication on the platform is end-to-end encrypted by default, and the app offers additional protections to keep your private discussions private.

Aside from, say, walking over to someone and whispering in their ear, end-to-end encryption is the best way to communicate with someone else and ensure that your messaging remains private. Encryption disguises the contents of your message so that it’s effectively unreadable by anyone without the key necessary to decrypt it. End-to-end encryption means that the message you’re sharing is basically unreadable on every step of the journey between your device and the recipient’s. It’s decrypted only when it reaches its intended destination.

By comparison, standard SMS text messages are unencrypted as they move across cellular networks — from towers to servers to the person you’re texting. Your phone might store them as encrypted files, but the ISPs handling the messages have access to them and may keep copies stored on their servers. That’s where your message is vulnerable to sophisticated hacks like Salt Typhoon or a court order served on the ISP. Messages that are end-to-end encrypted can’t be compromised in the same way, since they’re effectively impossible to read without the key. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has an excellent explainer on encryption and lots of other resources on privacy best practices.

End-to-end encryption is becoming a standard feature in more chat platforms, and that’s a good thing. It’s part of WhatsApp as well as iMessage on iPhones and RCS chats on Google Messages. Right now, messages between Android and iPhone users don’t support end-to-end encryption, although that’s changing soon. But even if your messages themselves are end-to-end encrypted, tech companies can access and store other information about you. For example, WhatsApp saves things like your profile information and address book and will provide those things to law enforcement if presented with a search warrant.

Signal is run by a nonprofit and notably saves only two pieces of information about its users: when they created their Signal account, and when they last used Signal. Law enforcement can’t get more information than that from Signal about its users because the company simply doesn’t have it. That’s why it’s popular with journalists, activists, and people who are privacy-conscious. Bear in mind that if law enforcement, hackers, or a foreign adversary gets their hands on the person you messaged — that is, the other endpoint — there’s a good deal more information they can glean, even if you have disappearing messages set up.

The short answer is anybody. Obviously, people with certain kinds of jobs have more to risk in their communication, but you don’t need to be a reporter or a government official to want a little more assurance of privacy. Law enforcement in Nebraska obtained the private Facebook chat history between a mother and her 17-year-old daughter to aid in prosecuting them on charges of carrying out an abortion illegally. Because the chat was unencrypted, Meta had the messages in question and turned them over to officials when it received the request. If the messages had been encrypted, Meta wouldn’t have been able to comply.

Because most of your Signal account information is stored locally on your device, transferring your account to a new device requires a few extra steps as well as access to your old device. When your information is stored in the cloud, it’s less secure but much easier to port to a new device. And this might be a given, but the person you’re communicating with needs to have a Signal account as well.

This week’s news highlights one more important aspect of using Signal or any other communication platform: it can’t protect you from you. Signal’s messaging protocol is highly secure, but there’s still room for human error in the event that you add the wrong person to a chat. That said, you can take some extra steps to avoid potential mistakes. 404 Media has a good tip on using Signal’s nickname feature to avoid mistaking one display name for another.

Signal has some extra privacy options you can enable in the app’s settings.

Another timely concern is how secure your data is when someone else has access to your phone — particularly a border agent. There’s no bulletproof method to securing information on your phone, and the regulations around how immigration officials can access your phone and what they can do with it aren’t exactly crystal clear. But it’s a good idea to keep your digital footprint as small as you can and take steps to limit what someone might find on your phone with a cursory search.

Signal provides a disappearing messages option that removes them from your device after a certain amount of time. There are also options to hide the app’s contents in the app switcher view, and you can set up the app to require your screen lock credentials every time you reopen it. A little extra caution can go a long way.

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Included in this beta is the Linux 6.14 kernel, this is extremely new, having been released on Sunday, March 24th. The kernel in Linux is the core that includes most hardware drivers so keeping this up to date ensures new hardware will work properly in Ubuntu.

It also includes the brand new GNOME 48 which came out just last week and features notification stacking, performance improvements, new fonts, digital well-being settings, an updated image viewer, and much more. Ubuntu is one of the easiest ways to try out the latest and greatest GNOME release.

Other than these, core applications of Ubuntu have also been updated. Included are Firefox 136, LibreOffice 25.2, Thunderbird 128, and GIMP 3.0 (this is a major upgrade). The Evince PDF reader has been replaced by a fork called Paper which has been updated to use GTK4 and is partially written in the memory-safe programming language, Rust.

The Ubuntu 25.04 beta isn’t just available for desktop, but for Server, Cloud, and the various spins such as Kubuntu. You can find download links for all of the different versions on this mailing list announcement.

While Canonical has been pushing daily images of this release since development began, this beta release will spark interest among a wider audience who can test it out on a wider array of hardware so that bugs can be fixed before the final release next month. To learn how to report issues, check out this relevant Ubuntu Help page.

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Microsoft announced the new Windows Roadmap website in a post on the Tech Community forum. The company says the goal here is to make it easier for users to see what features are currently available to everyone, what is there in the Insider program, what is rolling out gradually, and more.

Also, the site will help you learn how to access new features, what is coming to different device types (Copilot+ PCs or regular PCs), and check updates on certain things, among other things.

Another great thing about Windows Roadmap is that it shows estimated release dates for each feature, so you can better understand when to expect new features or changes. There are also filters for specific versions, like 23H2 and 24H2, insider channels, and more. Each entry has a detailed description, additional notes, and a link to its announcement post as well.

As of right now, the Windows Roadmap website primarily focuses on the consumer side of Windows 11 because that is where Microsoft ships the most changes, new features, and improvements. However, Microsoft says that the current version is just the beginning, so expect more changes as the company evaluates feedback from users.

You can access the Windows Roadmap website here. The current version hosts plenty of features like Super Resolution in the Photos app, File Explorer improvements, Click to Do, Reall, improved Windows Search (now rolling out as part of the latest non-security update), and more.

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Every 3D object, with light shining at it, casts a shadow. As a 3D engine, it’s important for Babylon.js to support this, and now it does thanks to Adobe. In a demonstration video, Microsoft showed a before and after scene of a trophy. In the after image, the trophy is casting a realistic-looking shadow. Developers that rely on Babylon.js will be able to use this feature to cast shadows of buildings, and more.

In this update, another lighting feature called Area Lights has been added. It allows you to specify a 2D shape and emit light from it. At first glance, you may wonder what purpose this could serve, but it’s a frequently requested feature and after seeing the demo, you can definitely see how it might be used in a game.

Another new feature in Babylon.js includes an alpha implementation of the Node Render Graph which gives full control over the rendering pipeline. This lets you customize the render pipeline without having to write render process code.

Other improvements include:

• Lightweight viewer: This viewer can render scenes with the same quality as the full renderer but comes in a bundle with a smaller footprint. This can be added to any webpage and if it needs dependencies, it will import them on the fly based on which model is loaded.
• Viewer configurator: To go along with the lightweight viewer, Babylon.js 8.0 introduces an easy-to-use configurator. Microsoft says: “The Viewer Configurator is a simple tool that allows you to customize the Viewer to your exact specifications and give you the simple .html properties to set so it looks the same in your website!”

Finally, this update brings all the core engine shaders to GLSL (OpenGL Shading Language) and WGSL (WebGPU Shading Language), providing direct support for WebGPU without a conversion layer thus making Babylon.js 2x smaller than before. You can also create custom WGSL shaders using the Node Material Editor in this update. To learn more, check out Microsoft’s announcement.

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On Windows 11, you can create an answer (or autounattend.xml) file to install the operating system without going through every step during the setup and Out-of-box Experience (OOBE), and in this guide, I'll show you how.

When you want to perform a clean installation of Windows 11, you typically have to complete the Windows Setup process, which takes care of the installation settings, including language preferences, product key, and partition layout. Also, after the installation, you have to complete the Out-of-box Experience to configure settings like keyboard layout, account, and privacy settings.

Although this process is relatively straightforward, you still have to spend time managing the installation and answering questions. If you want to automate the process, you can create an answer file with instructions to complete every on-screen prompt, which you can integrate onto a bootable media. Then, during the setup, the system can automatically read the answers to install Windows 11.

In this how-to guide, I'll explain the steps to create an answer file to install Windows 11 on your computer.

Create an answer file for an unattended install of Windows 11

Creating an answer file to do an unattended installation of Windows 11 isn't complicated. You have to install the DISMTools app, use the easy-to-use wizard to create the unattended file, and finally, integrate the ".xml" file into the Windows 11 bootable media.

It's important to note that you can use different tools to complete this process, but I have found that using the DISMTools offers the simplest experience for creating this file. However, it's a third party, non-Microsoft tool. As such, use it at your own risk.

Install DISMTools

To install DISMTools on Windows 11, use these steps:

Here is what is rolling out gradually (it will take a while for these changes to propagate to all users):

• [Improved Windows Search]
  • New! Finding your documents, photos, and settings across Windows 11 is easier on Copilot+ PCs with improved Windows Search, powered by semantic indexing models along with traditional lexical indexing. Whether it’s searching in File Explorer, in the Windows Search on your taskbar, or in Settings – just type what’s on your mind to find it on your Copilot+ PC. You no longer need to remember file names, exact words in file content, or settings names. Searching for settings like “change my theme” will work within the Settings app for now. Thanks to the power of the 40+ TOPS NPU onboard Copilot+ PCs, these search improvements work even when you’re not connected to the internet. For more info, see semantic search on Copilot+ PCs. Available on Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs, with support for AMD and Intel-powered Copilot+ PCs coming soon.
  • New! Locating your photos stored and saved in the cloud is getting simpler on Copilot+ PCs You can use your own words in the search box at the upper-right corner of File Explorer like “summer picnics”. In addition to photos stored locally on your Copilot+ PC, photos from the cloud will now show up in the search results together. Exact matches for your keywords within the text of your cloud files will also show in the search results. You can try this experience out today with your personal OneDrive when signed in with your Microsoft account and connected to the internet. To learn more, see semantic search on Copilot+ PCs. Available on Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs, with support for AMD and Intel-powered Copilot+ PCs coming soon.
• [Input]
  • New! The Gamepad keyboard layout is now available for the touch keyboard in Windows 11. This includes button accelerators (e.g., X button for backspace, Y button for spacebar). Additionally, the keyboard keys have been vertically aligned to improve controller navigation patterns.
  • New! A new experience to improve the discoverability of the emoji and more panels in Windows 11 with the introduction of a new system tray icon on the taskbar. This change will initially be available to a small group of devices.
  • Fixed: Improved ctfmon.exe reliability, by addressing a system restart which could impact typing.
  • Fixed: ctfmon.exe might restart when copying data from certain apps.
• [Live captions]
  • New! This update enhances communication on AMD and Intel®-powered Copilot+ PCs with live captions and real-time translation. Live captions support translating more than 44 languages into English, including speakers in real-time video calls, recordings, and streamed content.
  • New! On Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs, we’re bringing the ability to do real-time translation to Chinese (Simplified). Supported languages include Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, German, Greek, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish, and Swedish.
• [Voice access]
  • New! Natural language commanding in voice access provides users with the flexibility to speak commands naturally, using filler words and synonyms, rather than rigid, predefined commands. Available initially on Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs.
  • New! Introducing Chinese support for voice access. You can now use Voice access to navigate, dictate, and interact with Windows using voice commands in Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese.
• [Widgets] New! Support for lock screen widgets (previously referred to as “Weather and more”) arrives on devices in the European Economic Area (EEA). You can add, remove, and rearrange lock screen widgets such as Weather, Watchlist, Sports, Traffic, and more. Any widget that supports the small sizing option can be added. To customize your lock screen widgets, navigate to Settings > Personalization > Lock screen.
• [Windows Studio Effects] New! An icon will appear in the system tray when you use an app that supports Windows Studio Effects. This only occurs on a device that has a neural processing unit (NPU). Select the icon to open the Studio Effects page in Quick Settings. To view the app that is using the camera, hover over the icon for a tooltip.
• [Application installation] Fixed: The MsiCloseHandle API experiences prolonged execution time when handling MSI files containing a large number of files.
• [Authentication]
  • Fixed: Kerberos authentication stops responding in certain scenarios when RC4 is used for encryption.
  • Fixed: FIDO Cached Credential Logon might stop responding in certain cases when a device is Hybrid Domain Joined.
  • Fixed: Opening certain apps after a password change could result in an unexpected lockout if the account lockout policy is enabled.
• [Boot menu] Fixed: If an update stops responding and rolls back, it might result in an unnecessary and non-functional boot menu entry. This fix stops devices from encountering this issue in the future. If you have already encountered this issue, you can manage extra boot entries in the Boot section of System Configuration (msconfig).
• [Color profile]
  • Fixed: Under Settings > System > Display > Color profile, go to Color management, it might not display the expected color profile list for the selected monitor.
  • Fixed: The color profile settings might not be applied after resuming from sleep.
• [File Explorer] Fixed: In some cases, the See more menu in the File Explorer command bar opens in the wrong direction.
• [General reliability] Fixed: An underlying issue might lead to your PC experiencing a bugcheck (blue screen) with PDC_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT when resuming from sleep.
• [Network] Fixed: The description of the virtual NIC doesn't display correctly in Network Connections (ncpa.cpl), showing invalid characters
• [Screen orientation] Fixed: Screen might unexpectedly change orientation coming out of sleep on 2-in-1 devices.
• [Search on Taskbar]
  • In the European Economic Area (EEA), Windows Search has been updated with improved support for web search providers including increased discoverability and merged results in the All scope.
  • In the EEA, the Microsoft Bing app's web search provider in Windows Search now opens search results with the default browser.
• [Settings] Fixed: For Japanese users, the name displaying at the top of Settings > Accounts shows First Name Last Name instead of Last Name First Name.
• [Deprecation]
  • Suggested actions, which appear after you copy a phone number or future date in Windows 11, are now deprecated and being removed.
  • The Location History feature, an API that Cortana used to access 24 hours of device history when location was enabled, is being removed. With the removal of the Location History feature, location data will no longer be saved locally. The corresponding settings are also being removed from the Settings > Privacy & security > Location page.

• [Task manager] Task Manager will now calculate CPU usage differently for Processes, Performance, and Users pages. It will use standard metrics to display CPU workload consistently across all pages and align with industry standards and third-party tools. To ensure backward compatibility, an optional column named CPU Utility is available (hidden by default) on the Details tab, showing the previous CPU value from the Processes page.

These changes are available to all, right here and right now:

• [Direct 3D Ecosystem] Fixed: This update addresses an issue where certain third-party apps might stop responding on the graphics settings page.
• [Display kernel] Fixed: This update addresses an issue affecting High Dynamic Range (HDR) content playback on Dolby Vision capable displays, where users might see regular HDR instead of Dolby Vision, missing specific content indicators.
• [Cryptography] Fixed: This update addresses an issue that was impacting Credential Roaming, preventing certificates and keys from being roamed into Active Directory and made available on users' machines.
• [File system (filters) Fixed: This update resolves an issue for users with profiles redirected to a network Virtual Hard Disk (VHD or VHDX), where a specific failure could cause the system to become unresponsive.
• [Graphics] Fixed: There is an issue where certain third-party apps might render the graphics settings page unresponsive.
• [Local Administrator Password Solution (LAPS)] This update addresses an issue with Windows LAPS. LAPS settings would not be preserved after an in-place upgrade.
• [OOBE] Fixed: Addresses an issue that prevents the ESP from running every time a new user logs onto the device even when configured by policy
• [PowerShell] Fixed: This update resolves an issue where critical PowerShell modules required for device configuration weren't run under Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC) policies.
• [Remote desktop] Fixed: Remote Desktop won't use UDP, only TCP.

You can download KB5053656 in Settings > Windows Update or from the Microsoft Update catalog using this link. As usual, non-security updates are optional, so feel free to skip them if you do not need or want anything from their changelogs. After all, it is a preview update of what will soon arrive as a mandatory update, so some rough surfaces might still be there.

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Microsoft informed about it on the Microsoft 365 admin center portal. The tech giant has explained how it will work and when the feature will be available. It writes:

We are introducing a new Startup Boost task from the Microsoft Office installer to optimize performance and load-time of experiences within Office applications. After the system performs the task, the app remains in a paused state until the app launches and the sequence resumes, or the system removes the app from memory to reclaim resources. The system can perform this task for an app after a device reboot and periodically as system conditions allow.

 

When this will happen:

 

General Availability (Worldwide, GCC, GCC High, DoD): We will begin rolling out mid-May 2025 and expect to complete by late May 2025.

 

How this will affect your organization:

 

New tasks will be publicly visible in the Windows Task Scheduler.

 

• Task Names: Office Startup Boost and Office Startup Boost Logon.
• Task Description: This task ensures that Office applications can take advantage of preloading performance enhancements.

 

Initial roll-out will be on Microsoft Word and support for additional applications will come in future updates.

 

..

 

This rollout will happen automatically with no admin action required.

 

You can disable this Startup Boost task like any other scheduled task. Please note that Office Installer will automatically recreate all scheduled tasks when it applies an update, so users who disable this task will need to disable it again after an Office update.

Additionally, the company has stated that the feature will only work on systems with 8 GB of memory or more and 5 GB of disk space or more. Thus, it appears to be some form of caching, which will help load these tasks up fast. The tech giant explains:

Startup Boost is only available when your PC has enough resources to run without impacting system performance. This includes having at least 8 GB of available RAM, and at least 5 GB of available disk space. Additionally, Startup Boost will be disabled when Energy Saver mode is active.

 

Startup Boost is an optional performance feature. It is safe to disable. When disabled, Microsoft Office applications will be fully functional but may take longer to load. Customers can disable Startup Boost entirely by preventing the process from starting. To disable the feature, use the in-app setting, e.g., Word > Options > General > Startup Boost (under Start up Options).

IT admins and system admins who have access to the Microsoft 365 admin center portal will be able to view the message under ID MC1041470.

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Vivaldi is not the first browser to offer a built-in VPN for its users (Microsoft Edge used to have one, and Opera has a built-in VPN). However, Vivaldi places a big focus on privacy and security, hence the choice of Proton with its privacy protections, advanced features, and over 11,500 servers across 117 countries.

Here is what Vivaldi says in the announcement about its partnership with Proton:

With this partnership, Proton VPN and Vivaldi provide users with a secure, powerful, and tailored online experience that challenges the status-quo, providing a viable European alternative that helps people retake control of their digital lives. Both companies have long advocated for strong security practices and have been a leading voice in fighting for privacy rights the world over.

By integrating Proton VPN into its browser, Vivaldi offers private, no-logs connections with a convenient user experience that does not require installing additional extensions or applications. Just click the VPN button in the upper-right corner of the screen, sign in with your Vivaldi account, and hit "Connect." You can also select the target country or server.

Proton VPN is available for free for all users with Vivaldi accounts. While there are no bandwidth limits, certain features are only available with a paid version (Proton VPN itself has a free tier). Also, for now, Proton VPN for Vivaldi is only available on desktop computers.

You can download Vivaldi from the official website. More information about Vivaldi's partnership with Proton is available here.

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Zorin Group is positioning its Ubuntu-based distro as the "ideal replacement," especially for devices that can’t handle Windows 11’s system requirements. If you’re in that boat, though, Paul also suggests giving Linux Mint a shot.

With 17.3, there is now an expanded database containing over 150 alternatives to Windows applications. Zorin OS allows you to run Windows applications thanks to the Wine compatibility layer, but there's nothing better than native applications on native platforms. Now, when you launch a Windows installer for an app, Zorin OS 17.3 will suggest native alternatives.

For example, Obsidian, the popular "file over app" note-taking application, ships with variants for Linux, macOS, and Windows. If you try to run the Windows .exe file on Zorin OS 17.3, the system will recommend the Linux version.

You've probably heard about the recent controversial policy changes Mozilla made. If you somehow haven't, here's a brief recap: Last month, Mozilla modified its Terms of Use for Firefox, stating that by using Firefox, you granted it a "nonexclusive, royalty-free license" to utilize information input through the browser. That's not all. In the Mozilla Bedrock project, the following code block was also removed:

Does Firefox sell your personal data?

 

Nope. Never have, never will. And we protect you from many of the advertisers who do. Firefox products are designed to protect your privacy. That's a promise.

This did not sit well with many, and Zorin Group is one of them. That's why, in 17.3, Zorin OS is ditching Firefox as its default browser in favor of a lightly modified Brave. Zorin Group says the following requirements were set when considering a replacement for Firefox:

• Free and Open Source software.
• A general-purpose, full-featured web browser. It should support common use cases, including playing copyright-protected content from popular streaming services.
• Privacy-respecting.
• Popular and recognizable.
• Mature and well-maintained. This is especially important for reliability and the quick availability of security patches.

Moving on, the Zorin Connect app has received a redesigned interface that adapts to your Android device's theme, alongside other improvements. For example, the "Remote Input" functionality now includes new features like middle-click, compose and send text, and a gyroscope mouse option.

Other improvements to the Zorin Connect app include the following:

• Share web links to disconnected computers, to be opened when they connect later
• Allow having different home screen widgets for different computers
• Send album art for playing media from phone to computer
• Direct Share targets in Android share dialogs
• Allow filtering notifications from a Work Profile
• Added more fine-grained notification channels
• Search by app name in the notification plugin settings
• Added the option to cancel a pairing request after sending it
• Accessibility improvements
• Bug fixes & performance enhancements

If you're a touchscreen user, you'll notice that in 17.3, you can now open the on-screen keyboard from the panel once you enable the "Screen Keyboard Button in Panel" option under "Interface" in Zorin Appearance.

Other changes Zorin OS brings include updates to pre-installed apps. The latest NVIDIA 570 drivers are now included in the .iso files, bringing support for the newest NVIDIA RTX 5000 series graphics cards. Zorin Group promises software updates and patches until June 2027 for users of the Zorin OS 17 version series.

For existing Zorin OS users, there are two recommended ways to get Zorin OS 17.3. If you're on Zorin OS 17, you can upgrade to 17.3 using the Software Updater. If you're on version 16, you'll need to follow this guide on how to upgrade.

As with other Zorin OS versions, 17.3 comes in three editions: Pro (which costs $47.99), Core, and Education.

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The Game Bar that Windows users can pull up (Win key + G) as a handy overlay now has a refreshed look. As seen below, the new design has affected the bar as well as its widgets, including the Home Bar, Capture widget, Performance widget, Resource widget, and Widget Store.

Those using controllers or handheld gaming PCs with Game Bar Compact Mode will also find it easier to use the Widget Store now.

The Stream Your Own Game collection for Game Pass Ultimate members is getting larger with these titles:

Recently added:

 

• Assassin’s Creed Shadows
• Gotham Knights
• Party Animals
• Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League
• The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria
• The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
• Wobbly Life

 

Coming soon:

 

• Planet Coaster 2
• Planet Zoo: Console Edition
• Raft
• Shredders
• The Thing: Remastered
• And more

Over on the Xbox Cloud Gaming side, Assassin’s Creed Shadows players are now able to jump into other games in the series (Origins, Valhalla, Odyssey, and Mirage) directly without having to return to the Xbox.com/play home page. This "immersive and frictionless experience" is only available for Assassin’s Creed Shadows right now, but Microsoft says more cloud-supported games will receive the feature later.

Aside from all these, Microsoft also announced today an expansion to its free-to-play benefits program for Xbox and PC Game Pass subscribers. This includes goodies hitting games such as Call of Duty: Warzone, The Finals, and War Thunder. Find more details here.

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Microsoft Edge's Sidebar just got a big boost for AI users. Copilot within the Sidebar can now show previous conversations and it supports Think Deeper.

The addition was spotted by Leo Varela, who shared screenshots on Reddit. The new features are rolling out gradually, so you may not have them at this time.

For example, I am able to view previous conversations within Copilot in the Edge Sidebar but Think Deeper support has not rolled out to my browser yet.

These additions make Copilot in the Sidebar more comparable to its web and Android versions in terms of features. In fact, Copilot in the Sidebar now beats its web counterpart because it can show previous conversations.

At least for me, Copilot on the web does not show a way to review previous conversations.

What is Think Deeper?

Think Deeper is a Copilot feature powered by OpenAI's o1 model. It is designed for complex tasks that require context and comparison.

For example, Think Deeper can break down the pros and cons of buying an electric car or renovating a home.

"After installing the January 2025 Windows preview update (KB5050094) and later updates, users might experience unexpected disconnections with Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) sessions, including Remote Desktop Services (RDS)," the company said in a new entry on the Windows release health dashboard.

"We've observed a significant increase in reports of this issue following the release of the March 2025 Windows security update (KB5053598)."

Affected users may experience unexpected RDP disconnections after 65 seconds when establishing UDP connections from Windows 11 24H2 PCs to RDS hosts on systems running Windows Server 2016 earlier.

While Windows Server 2025 systems are not directly affected as RDS hosts, users may still experience disconnects when acting as RDP clients connecting to older servers.

Fixed via Known Issue Rollback

Microsoft has resolved these Remote Desktop issues via Known Issue Rollback (KIR), a Windows feature designed to reverse buggy non-security updates delivered via Windows Update.

To resolve the known issue on impacted Windows enterprise-managed devices, admins must install and set up the Windows 11 24H2 and Windows Server 2025 KB5053598 250314_20401 Known Issue Rollback group policy.

After installation, the Group Policy can be found under Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates.

To deploy the Known Issue Rollback on affected endpoints, you must go to the Local Computer Policy or the Domain policy on the domain controller using the Group Policy Editor to choose the Windows version that needs to be targeted. Next, restart impacted devices to apply the group policy setting.

IT admins can find additional guidance on deploying and configuring KIR Group Policies on the Microsoft support website.

Redmond says a permanent fix will roll out automatically with a future Windows update, and organizations will no longer need to install and configure the Group Policy to address this known issue once the update is released.

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The updated user interface uses Microsoft's Fluent 2 design language with fewer elements and concepts on each screen to reduce user load and make the process faster. Also, Microsoft re-ordered certain steps so that the flow is easier and more logical.

As new authentication methods, like passkeys, became available, we decided to redesign the sign in user experience as well. The new experience takes advantage of Microsoft's “Fluent 2” design language to help users seamlessly transition between authentication and product experiences.

Thanks to the new design language, the updated sign-in experience scales better to various screen sizes and device form factors, from big desktop monitors and TVs to small mobile devices. Microsoft also implemented the long-requested dark mode—the system can detect your system mode and adjust to it accordingly. Microsoft says dark mode for MSA sign-in will be available first on gaming apps and later arrive on consumer apps and services.

Microsoft's goal with the latest redesign is to create an "unmistakably Microsoft" look and feel (spare your jokes about UI inconsistencies in Microsoft products) with consistent colors, branding, buttons, links, and logos across the UI. There is also a new background that will stay the same for each product.

The new sign-in experience is already available on Xbox. Microsoft says the rollout will happen through April 2025, and you will see the updated user interface first on web and mobile apps. Later, it will show up in Windows apps and more. Note that the rollout is gradual, which means you might not have it right here and right now.

Updates to the full set of Microsoft consumer experiences are happening in waves throughout March and April 2025. We prioritized redesigning and improving the most common and highly used screens, used in roughly 95% of sign in sessions.

The change also does not apply to Microsoft Entra accounts (work and school Microsoft Accounts). However, Microsoft plans to redesign the sign-in experience for Microsoft Entra in the future after taking into account all the knowledge it gained from the consumer upgrade.

You can read more about the redesign in a post on the official Tech Community forum.

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Here is the changelog:

[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.

Here is what was fixed:

[File Explorer]

 

• Fixed an issue where File Explorer might be blank and not render if you ALT + Tab to it from a minimized state in the latest Canary builds.
• Fixed an issue where the see more menu “…” in the command bar was drawing in the wrong direction at some resolutions.
• As part of our ongoing commitment to improving File Explorer accessibility, this release includes increased support for the text scaling (via Settings > Accessibility > Text size) across File Explorer, File Open/Save dialogs and the copy dialogs.

 

[Input]

 

• Fixed an issue which could cause a ctfmon.exe crash when copying content from certain apps.
• Fixed an issue where GetRawInputData was unexpectedly failing to read data in some cases, with lastWin32Errror invalid handle error.

 

[Login and Lock]

 

• Fixed an issue where clicking Sign in Options was crashing for some Insiders.

 

[Settings]

 

• Fixed an issue which could cause Settings to crash when interacting with Bluetooth & Devices > Cameras.
• Fixed an issue causing some unexpected space at the top of System > Sound, and some other Settings pages.

 

[Printing]

 

• Fixed an issue where non-admin users couldn’t uninstall printers that they’d added.
• Fixed an issue which was causing some Insiders to unexpectedly see a message saying a Send to OneNote driver for printing wasn’t working.

 

[Other]

 

Fixed an issue which was causing certain apps to fail to install in Builds 27813+.

 

• Fixed an underlying issue which was causing some Insiders to unexpectedly get bugchecks with UNSUPPORTED_PROCESSOR when upgrading or clean installing the latest builds.
• Fixed an issue where when using CopyPixels the pixels may be unexpectedly inverted in certain cases.
• Fixed an issue in the latest Canary builds where traffic routing might not work correctly when network adapters were connected.

And here is the list of known bugs:

[General]

 

• [IMPORTANT NOTE FOR COPILOT+ PCs] If you are joining the Canary Channel on a new Copilot+ PC from the Dev Channel, Release Preview Channel or retail, you will lose Windows Hello pin and biometrics to sign into your PC with error 0xd0000225 and error message “Something went wrong, and your PIN isn’t available”. You should be able to re-create your PIN by clicking “Set up my PIN”.
• [NEW] The toggle to get the latest updates as they are available via Settings > Windows Update is not rendering correctly and gets turned off by itself. This is just a visual issue and will be fixed in a future flight soon.

 

[Taskbar]

 

• We’re working on the fix for an issue where the taskbar icons aren’t increasing in size as they should when using your PC in a tablet posture.

You can find the announcement post here.

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