Microsoft has updated the official documentation with new details about the compatibility problems with the Voicemeeter app. Thanks to developers releasing a new version with a fixed driver, Voicemeeter is no longer causing blue screens of death on Windows 11 version 24H2. Therefore, Microsoft is lifting the block and letting users update to the latest release.

Note, however, that updating to Windows 11 version 24H2 with the Voicemeeter app installed is only possible after updating the latter to version 1.1.1.8, 2.1.1.8, or 3.1.1.8. The block is marked as "External," which means lifting it requires changes from third parties. In this case, you need the updated vbvoicemeetervaio64_win10.sys driver version 3.3.1.9 or newer (part of the latest Voicemeeter version).

If you still cannot get to Windows 11 version 24H2 after updating Voicemeeter, try restarting your system to speed up the block removal (that is the official guidance from Microsoft). If you are still having no luck, check out other known issues in Windows 11 24H2, which are still plenty.

The latest version is still new and is rolling out gradually. Due to it being a major update with a full OS swap, it has quite a lot of known bugs and compatibility issues that are waiting for fixes. Those include an update hold on certain ASUS devices, apps freezing when the camera is in use, games with anti-cheat software causing blue screens of death, and more.

If your device is not affected by any of those known bugs and you want to update right now, check out this guide (if you have a supported system) or this guide (if your computer is unsupported).

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Future Windows 11 updates will let you share a local file from the Recommended section of the Start menu. Just right-click the file and hit "Share." Jump lists are also getting a similar treatment, with a Share button showing up next to the button responsible for pinning files in jump lists.

If you are on the latest Windows 11 Beta build and you want to try the new Share buttons, here is how to enable them using the ViVeTool app:

1. Download ViveTool from GitHub and unpack the files in a convenient and easy-to-find folder.
2. Press Win + X and select Terminal (Admin).
3. Switch Windows Terminal to the Command Prompt profile with the Ctrl + Shift + 2 shortcut or by clicking the arrow-down button at the top of the window.

    

   
4. 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.
5. Type vivetool /enable /id:46493758 and press Enter. This turns on sharing from the Start menu.
6. Type vivetool /enable /id:45738940 and press Enter. This enables sharing from jump lists.
7. Restart your computer.

To revert the changes, repeat the steps above and replace /enable with /disable on steps 5 and 6.

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Here is what Valve said in the release notes:

This version of the Steam client will no longer run on Windows 7 or Windows 8. Users on these OS versions will not automatically update to this new version of the Steam Client. See the Windows 7 and Windows 8 Support FAQ for additional details.

It is worth noting that Steam still works on Windows 7, 8, and 8.1. Therefore, you can still access your library and play games if updating to Windows 10 is not an option. However, Valve will not provide you with tech support in case something happens, and there is a high chance that Steam will soon stop working on pre-Windows 10 releases altogether.

Valve dropped Windows 7 and 8/8.1 support in January 2024, one year after when Microsoft ended the Extended Security Update program for those operating systems. As a result, Google and other mainstream browsers ditched Windows 7 as well. Since Valve relies on Chrome, it should align its Steam support with what Google does to the browser. Also, Steam requires some features and security updates that are only present on Windows 10 and newer.

According to Valve, Windows 7 still has a small chunk of users. According to the Steam Hardware and Software Survey results for October 2024, roughly 0.28% of all Windows users on Steam run Windows 7. Sadly, those wanting to move away from Windows 7 or its failed successor are in a tricky situation as Microsoft closed the ability to update to Windows 10 for free. Now, the only choice is to buy a new license or an entirely new PC with Windows 10 or 11 preinstalled.

Via VideoCardz

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Here is what Microsoft says in the now-updated support document:

Support for Windows Mail, Calendar, and People will end on December 31, 2024. We're currently in the process of moving existing users to the new Outlook for Windows. After December 31, 2024, users will no longer be able to send and receive email using Windows Mail and Calendar. Any local emails, calendar events, and contacts stored in Mail, Calendar, and People will remain exportable following the steps in Export emails and contacts from Windows Mail or People and import to new Outlook.

Until recently, the document only mentioned the end of support without an explicit explanation of how it would affect the apps' core features. Now, we know that Microsoft will force everyone to use the new Outlook for Windows by cutting off the old UWP Mail and Calendar clients from the days of Windows 10.

In its support document, Microsoft says that with the new app, everyone "gets the best of Outlook" for free. In reality, though, the new Outlook is universally hated for being a slow web app, lacking features, and providing an overall bad user experience. Sadly, Microsoft is completely tone-deaf to the user's voice and just shoves the disliked application down everyone's throat. For many, switching to a different email client will be a much better option than the new Outlook for Windows with all of its shortcomings.

Via WinFuture

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Here is the official changelog:

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

 

[General]

 

• If you hold Shift and CTRL when clicking on a jump list item in Start menu or taskbar, this will now launch that item as admin, just like if you were to do Shift + CTRL and click the app icon itself. For example, if you right-click on Windows Terminal, and hold Shift and CTRL when you click PowerShell, it would open a PowerShell window as admin.
• Fixes gradually being rolled out to the Dev Channel with toggle on*

 

[File Explorer]

 

• Fixed an issue causing the See More (“…”) menu to open in the wrong direction (and potentially display offscreen as a result).

 

[Input]

 

• Fixed an underlying issue which could cause the mouse to unlock from a game window on a system with multiple monitors after opening and closing Game Bar, so you couldn’t use it within the game.

 

[Windowing]

 

• Fixed a recent issue causing windows to potentially unexpectedly move around after waking from sleep if you had multiple monitors.

 

[Other]

 

• Fixed an underlying issue which could lead to Registry Editor going unresponsive if you pressed Alt after clicking on the license information in the About section.

If you plan to update to today's build, beware of the following known issues:

[Narrator]

 

• [NEW] [IMPORTANT] There is an issue in this build which will cause Narrator to crash on launch if you use one of the natural voices (like Jenny). If you are a Narrator user, we recommend pausing updates from Settings under Windows Update > “Pause Updates”. If you do install this update and encounter this issue, switching to another voice, like Microsoft David, in Settings under Accessibility > Narrator will stop the crashes. As Narrator is crashing, you will need to use a secondary screen reader, or have someone assist in order to do this.

 

[Desktop]

 

• We’re working on the fix for an issue where your desktop background may not show correctly sometimes with multiple monitors (showing big black areas).

The build announcement post is available on the official Windows Blogs website.

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Here are the changes that Microsoft is rolling out gradually to Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel with build 22635.4445 (KB5046745):

[File Explorer]

 

• We’ve added a New Folder option in the context menu when right-clicking locations in the navigation pane.

 

[Taskbar]

 

• Fixed a few issues impacting explorer.exe reliability in the latest flights related to the taskbar, including an issue impacting some Insiders which could cause explorer.exe to crash sometimes when right clicking apps in the taskbar.
• Fixed an issue on secondary monitors for left aligned taskbar users, where the widgets text in the taskbar might overlap the date and time.

 

[File Explorer]

 

• We fixed an issue where the date/time properties of files were unexpectedly updated in some cases after copying them.
• We fixed an issue where the Details Pane icons weren’t responding correctly to theme changes, making it hard to see if you switched from dark to light or vice versa.
• We fixed a black flash in File Explorer that appeared when duplicating a tab.
• We made a change to help improve performance of context menu launch and File Explorer navigation.
• We fixed an issue where when you did a search it may unexpectedly trigger the search happening repeatedly.

 

[Other]

 

• Fixed an underlying issue which could result in Snipping Tool screenshots being distorted on certain displays.

You can find the complete changelog in a post on the official Windows Blogs website.

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Broadcom has a new subscription tier for VMware virtualization software that may appease some disgruntled VMware customers, especially small to medium-sized businesses. The new VMware vSphere Enterprise Plus subscription tier creates a more digestible bundle that's more appropriate for smaller customers. But it may be too late to convince some SMBs not to abandon VMware.

Soon after Broadcom bought VMware, it stopped the sale of VMware perpetual licenses and started requiring subscriptions. Broadcom also bundled VMware's products into a smaller number of SKUs, resulting in higher costs and frustration for customers that felt like they were being forced to pay for products that they didn't want. All that, combined with Broadcom ditching some smaller VMware channel partners (and reportedly taking the biggest clients direct), have raised doubts that Broadcom's VMware would be a good fit for smaller customers.

“The challenge with much of the VMware by Broadcom changes to date and before the announcement [of the vSphere Enterprise Plus subscription tier] is that it also forced many organizations to a much higher offering and much more components to a stack that they were previously uninterested in deploying," Rick Vanover, Veeam's product strategy VP, told Ars.

On October 31, Broadcom announced the vSphere Enterprise Plus subscription tier. From smallest to largest, the available tiers are vSphere Standard, vSphere Enterprise Plus, vSphere Foundation, and the flagship VMware Cloud Foundation. The introduction of vSphere Enterprise Plus means that customers who only want vSphere virtualization can now pick from two bundles instead of one.

“[T]o round out the portfolio, for customers who are focused on compute virtualization, we will now have two options, VMware vSphere Enterprise Plus and VMware vSphere Standard," Prashanth Shenoy, vice president of product marketing in the VMware Cloud Foundation division of Broadcom, explained in a blog post.

SMBs considering ditching VMware

Broadcom's VMware sales changes have led many customers seriously investigating other options, including rival virtualization software—and even moving away from virtualization altogether.

But the new subscription tier could be viewed as a plus for SMBs that were being forced to buy more VMware products than desired and typically have smaller IT budgets than enterprise-sized firms. "This new option will find many customers where they are—and in my opinion make them rethink any migration options," Vanover said. "So much depends on pricing, but this at face value is a very positive move. You never want to lose a customer; this is a step in that direction.

Broadcom, which closed its VMware acquisition last November, has already pushed customers towards its rivals. As such, Gartner has pointed to Broadcom's changes as being drivers for the small but notable revirtualization and devirtualization (which Gartner says is smaller and growing more slowly than revirtualization) IT trends. The new vSphere subscription tier may not be enough to sway recalcitrant SMBs. "Many clients are looking.. at this [as] a wake-up call to how dependent they had become on a single vendor and are looking for more diversity in their on-premises environments, said Tony Harvey, a senior director analyst at Gartner.

Ultimately, the price points that Broadcom is able to offer through the subscription tier will be decisive.

"[SMBs] are a very cost-conscious customer and will put forth the work to move as a matter of necessity," Vanover said. "I know of many very happy customers running Microsoft Hyper-V, which is very attractive to the SMB. Will they move? This remains to be seen. Veeam telemetry shows that there are changes in the market, but is the sky falling on VMware in the SMB? We do not yet know.”

Broadcom may have stymied some frustration from SMBs with the vSphere Enterprise Plus subscription tier. But the company's focus is likely to remain on larger shops.

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The latest Language Experience Pack for Windows 11 build 27747, which was released earlier this week for testing in the Canary Channel, spilled some beans at the upcoming lock screen widget improvements for Windows 11. As discovered by @xenopanther on X, Microsoft wants to let users add or remove separate lock screen widgets:

It is worth noting that Microsoft might also be planning to let users add third-party widgets to the lock screen. As of right now, there are a bunch of third-party widgets that you can place in the Widget Board (there is still no way to place them on the desktop despite earlier rumors), so making them accessible on the lock screen can make widgets so much more useful, especially for customers with laptops and tablets.

Sadly, like it usually goes with context-less discoveries like this, we can only guess what is the grand plan here. Either way, it is good to see Microsoft implementing improvements to the widget area, which, frankly, has potential, but feels quite neglected these days.

As a reminder, you can turn off lock screen widgets in Settings > Personalization > Lock Screen > Lock Screen Status > None.

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The AI-powered Rewrite feature in a new preview version of Notepad. Credit: Microsoft

Among the decades-old Windows apps to get renewed attention from Microsoft during the Windows 11 era is Notepad, the basic built-in text editor that was much the same in early 2021 as it had been in the '90 and 2000s. Since then, it has gotten a raft of updates, including a visual redesign, spellcheck and autocorrect, and window tabs.

Given Microsoft's continuing obsession with all things AI, it's perhaps not surprising that the app's latest update (currently in preview for Canary and Dev Windows Insiders) is a generative AI feature called Rewrite that promises to adjust the length, tone, and phrasing of highlighted sentences or paragraphs using generative AI. Users will be offered three rewritten options based on what they've highlighted, and they can select the one they like best or tell the app to try again.

Rewrite appears to be based on the same technology as the Copilot assistant, since it uses cloud-side processing (rather than your local CPU, GPU, or NPU) and requires Microsoft account sign-in to work. The initial preview is available to users in the US, France, the UK, Canada, Italy, and Germany.

If you don't care about AI or you don't sign in with a Microsoft account, note that Microsoft is also promising substantial improvements in launch time with this version of Notepad. "Most users will see app launch times improve by more than 35 percent, with some users seeing improvements of 55 percent or more," reads the blog post by Microsoft's Windows apps manager Dave Grochocki.

Microsoft is also adding generative fill and erase features to Paint in this update; the Paint app has already picked up several AI-powered image-generation and editing features. The generative fill addition allows users to select part of an existing image and type a prompt to fill in that area of the image with something AI-generated. Generative erase does the opposite, removing objects from a selected area of the image and attempting to recreate the background. The difference between the two is that generative fill is only available on Copilot+ PCs with Snapdragon X Elite chips in them, while generative erase will work on any Windows 11 PC.

On the technical end of things, a new Windows Insider Canary channel build released yesterday adds some new features to Prism, Microsoft's rebranded x86-to-Arm app translation layer for Arm-powered Windows PCs like the Snapdragon X Elite-powered Surface Pro and Surface Laptop.

This Prism update adds support for newer x86 CPU instructions important for running games and high-end professional apps, including support for the AVX and AVX2 extensions. Microsoft says these extensions are already available in Windows 11 24H2 specifically to support Adobe's Premiere Pro app, but this new update will enable these extensions (among others) for all apps.

Prism still doesn't support AVX512 extensions, though even modern Intel processors have mostly dropped support for these over the last few years. The new extensions are only available to fully 64-bit Intel apps, and not 32-bit apps or "a 64-bit app that uses a 32-bit helper to detect CPU feature support."

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Microsoft has updated the official KB5044380 article and acknowledged that the update is breaking OpenSSH (Open Secure Shell), preventing SSH connections:

Following the installation of the October 2024 security update, some customers report that the OpenSSH (Open Secure Shell) service fails to start, preventing SSH connections. The service fails with no detailed logging, and manual intervention is required to run the sshd.exe process.

According to Microsoft, the bug affects all users with KB5044380, including enterprise, IoT, education, and home customers. However, Microsoft also added that the number of impacted devices is "limited."

Another good thing is that there is a workaround, which you can apply to temporarily resolve the problem. The company says that updating permissions on the affected directories should fix the problem. You can do so by executing the following command in elevated PowerShell:

$directoryPath = "C:\ProgramData\ssh" $acl = Get-Acl -Path $directoryPath $sddlString = "O:BAD:PAI(A;OICI;FA;;;SY)(A;OICI;FA;;;BA)(A;OICI;0x1200a9;;;AU)" $securityDescriptor = New-Object System.Security.AccessControl.RawSecurityDescriptor $sddlString $acl.SetSecurityDescriptorSddlForm($securityDescriptor.GetSddlForm("All")) Set-Acl -Path $directoryPath -AclObject $acl

Microsoft also recommends doing the same for C:\ProgramData\ssh\logs.

As of right now, Microsoft is investigating the issue, and a resolution will be available in a future Windows Update.

Although the bug does not affect Windows 11 version 24H2, it has its own share of problems with the latest non-security update. Microsoft recently confirmed that Task Manager in KB5044384 is not displaying the correct number of running applications and processes. Microsoft also paused the rollout of the new controller keyboard due to unknown issues and bugs (it is now available in Canary builds).

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Here is the full changelog:

Added Features:

 

• Included avatar entry in the overflow menu on iOS and iPadOS.
• Added a profile settings page with a quick sign-in button in WebUI2.
• Added a new tab for Cached Data in Workspaces.

 

Improved Behavior:

 

• Resolved an issue where Game Assist would crash when switching to a tab from another application.
• Resolved an issue where browser would crash after right clicking the ‘Quit app’ option in the site icon.
• Resolved an issue where clicking the overflow menu button in InPrivate mode caused browser to crash on iOS and iPadOS.

 

Changed Behavior:

 

• Resolved an issue where the height of the Favorites hub popup differed from that of the History popup.
• Resolved an issue where a red dot would appear on the Share button on the privacy page.
• Fixed an issue where the window caption controls were misaligned when horizontal tabs were hidden in the tab center.
• Resolved an issue where, in ‘Internet Explorer mode’, split screen web content was overlapping with the search flyout.
• Resolved an issue where certain webpages failed to display the tab icon after a URL change, despite having ‘favicon URL’ in their tab groups.

 

iOS and iPadOS:

 

• Resolved an issue where the contents of the address bar were not centered on iOS and iPadOS.
• Resolved an issue when switching between horizontal and vertical modes on the zip screen caused the wallpaper to flash on iOS and iPadOS.
• Resolved an issue where the feedback button was hidden in Safe Mode on iOS and iPadOS.

 

Android:

 

• Resolved an issue where the reading icon continued to appear while scrolling down the page on Android, even after the reader button was turned off.
• Fixed an issue where the Forward and Backward buttons did not display correctly on the New Tab Page (NTP) in Android.
• Fixed an issue where browser remained in InPrivate mode when put in the background and continued to use InPrivate mode for voice searches on Android.

Microsoft Edge 132 Dev is available for all supported platforms (minus iOS and iPadOS) on the official Edge Insider website. Version 132 is expected in the Stable Channel on the week of January 9, 2025.

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Meanwhile, cautionary banners about the upcoming end of life (EOL) of Windows 10 are being plastered all over the place on various Microsoft pages on its official site. As Neowin discovered while browsing, one such place is a support article about creating Windows installation media.

The page has been changed with separate subsections for Windows 11 and Windows 10 and gone are links to download Windows 7 and Windows 8.1. Under the Windows 10 section, a new banner cautioning users about its EOS is up, and it also encourages users to move on to Windows 11.

It says:

Support for Windows 10 will end in October 2025

 

After October 14, 2025, Microsoft will no longer provide free software updates from Windows Update, technical assistance, or security fixes for Windows 10. Your PC will still work, but we recommend moving to Windows 11.

The banner has a "Learn more" link that directs to a page we have already covered in the past.

Another support document was recently put up by Microsoft where it recommended users buy a new PC if they wanted to update to Windows 11 from older systems. A sponsored study was also highlighted that showed ridiculous performance numbers in favor of Windows 11 vs 10. And back in February, a new advert was released explaining to users why upgrading to Windows 11 is the better thing to do.

Aside from the banner itself, some changes to the guide itself have also been made under the subsections for Windows 11/10 that we mentioned above. Steps on how to use the official Media Creation Tool (MCT) have been added. Some additional information on the requirements like for the product key and VM have been put in, although Microsoft has also removed some details related to DVDs.

Here is the previous version:

• A USB flash drive, external hard drive, or DVD. A blank USB flash drive or external hard drive with at least 8 GB of space, or a blank DVD (and DVD burner). We recommend using a blank USB or blank DVD because any content on it will be deleted. When burning a DVD from an ISO file, if you're told the disc image file is too large, you'll need to use dual layer (DL) DVD media.
• A product key. Your 25-character product key (not required for digital licenses). For help finding it, go to Find your Windows product key.

Here is the updated version of the page:

• A USB flash drive. A blank USB flash drive with at least 8 GB of space. It's recommended to use a blank USB flash drive because any content on the drive is deleted. For VMs, a USB flash drive isn't required. Instead, an ISO can be created for use in VMs. An ISO can also be used to create the installation media on a DVD.
• A product key. A 25-character product key might be needed (not required for digital licenses). For help with finding the product key, go to Find your Windows product key. Many modern devices contain the product key embedded in the firmware of the device. If the product key is embedded in the firmware of the device, the product key doesn't need to be entered in manually. Instead, if the product key in the firmware matches the version and edition of Windows being installed, the product key is automatically applied.

You can find the support article here on Microsoft's website.

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Windows 11's context menu is already riddled with redundant stuff. Instead of adding new options to the "Open with" submenu, as it should be, Microsoft is cramming more and more "Edit with" options directly in the main menu. As a result, in addition to the standard "Open with" submenu, we now have four extra options for Notepad, Photos, Clipchamp, Photos (recent addition), and now Paint.

With the latest Paint update for Windows Insiders, which was announced on November 7, Microsoft added a new "Edit with Paint" option. It is not mentioned in the announcement blog post, but users quickly discovered that right-clicking a file after installing Paint version 11.2410.28.0 presents them with a new "Edit with Paint" option.

Fortunately, it only appears when you open context menus for image files, unlike Notepad, which Windows 11 suggests using for editing exe, PDF, video, and other completely unrelated files.

For now, the new Paint version with its redundant context menu entry is only available for Windows Insiders. Also, like it was with Notepad, Clipchamp, Photos, and other context menu-intruding apps, adding Paint's CLSID to a certain part of Windows Registry will remove the "Edit with Paint" entry from Windows 11's menus.

Other changes in the latest Paint update include generative fill, which lets you add AI-generated parts to your images, generative erase, some changes to Cocreator, and other improvements. You can learn more about them here.

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What you need to know

• Microsoft is adding new AI-generated theme support to the new Outlook app on Windows and third-party platforms.
• However, the feature requires an active subscription to Copilot Pro, meaning you must pay to access the AI-generated themes.
• Outlook already has a basic selection of free themes.

The new Outlook isn't great, that's just a fact of life. It's heavier and slower than the Windows Mail app it replaced, all while missing features and being less capable than the full Win32 Outlook that it will also eventually replace. Today, however, Microsoft has a big announcement. It's adding AI-generated themes to the new Outlook!

AI-generated themes use Copilot to generate a design based on weather or locations. Microsoft says this new feature is designed to "make Outlook more beautiful and approachable." The new Outlook already had a selection of free themes, but these new AI-generated themes will take into account more dynamic aspects of your life, such as the current weather or where your location is currently set.

"This personalization becomes magical when it evolves over time, considering your unique context or your own personal touch along the way. If you choose, you can make your Themes by Copilot dynamic by selecting how often you want it to update – every few hours, every day, weekly, or monthly," says Microsoft. No two AI-generated themes will be the same.

As per Android Authority's latest report, Google is planning to skip the Android TV 15 update in favor of Android TV 16, which will be released in 2026. If true, then Google may be shifting Android TV to a bi-yearly release schedule. One of the major factors could be that people typically don't replace their TVs every year. The usual time frame is 5 to 10 years.

Moreover, TVs don't rely much on software updates, as the underlying code is based on Android. This means you get all the necessary apps and games from the Play Store, ensuring that you download the apps that are tailored for Android TVs for a smooth user experience.

As the name suggests, the Android TV 14 update is based on Android 14, whereas the Android TV 16 update will be based on Android 16. The original report doesn't completely rule out the possibility of Android TV 16 using Android 15 code, but that's highly unlikely.

Mishaal adds that "Google privately announced this decision at its annual Android TV partner conference, but when I asked Google for comment earlier this year, a spokesperson informed me the company had nothing to share about Android TV’s future release cadence."

It may be that Google wants to keep the Android TV updates in line with the regular Android schedule, as Android 14 was the last major version, released in October 2023. As far as features are concerned, it is too early to tell what Android 16 will bring, and it's a hard guess since Android TV updates don't integrate all the features we see on smartphones and tablets.

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In the midst of Microsoft’s pushing Windows 11 24H2 and updates for Windows 10, caution is in order.

As a result, I’m raising the MS-DEFCON level to 2. Keep 24H2 at bay, and give me a few weeks to understand and fully vet next week’s updates.

We’ve known for some time that Extended Security Update (ESU) plans would be offered for Windows 10 in October 2025, when regular support ends. What we did not know until recently was the cost for consumers. Last week, on Halloween, Microsoft gave us a treat by announcing a price of $30 for one year. Exact details about obtaining these ESU plans will be disclosed later next year.

One thing we don’t know yet is what the installation mechanism will be. Thinking back to Windows 10, I suspect that Microsoft will likely require a Microsoft account in order to get the ESU product key, although it may be possible without a Microsoft account. As soon as the ESU is available, I will obtain an ESU key for one of my Windows 10 PCs and walk everyone through the entire process.

The $30 cost is good, considering that the business ESU will cost $61 for the first year. But the consumer plan is good for only one year, with no information about subsequent years. I suspect the one-year consumer plan is intended as a bridge to Windows 11. Businesses needing more time to complete their transition to Windows 11 will probably opt for the Business ESU for maximum flexibility.

I’m repeating myself, but it’s important to defer two major releases.

The new Photo app for iOS and iPadOS is not ready for prime time. Therefore, I continue to recommend deferring iOS and iPadOS 18.1 until those problems settle down. Unless you are anxious to give Apple Intelligence a whirl, there are no compelling reasons to move to iOS and iPadOS 18 at all, especially if your iPhone is more than a year old. You’ll be prompted to update, but you can opt to stick with iOS and iPadOS 17. Of course, if you buy an iPhone 16 now, iOS and iPadOS 18.1 will come with it.

I’m sure you can guess my other word of caution. Unless you have a specific need to test, don’t upgrade to Windows 11 24H2. For now, I still see no compelling reason to make the leap, especially because it is a big update (a complete OS replacement) that takes a couple of hours. For consumers, there are still too many blocking issues that keep me from recommending it.

As mentioned above, defer next week’s updates, using your preferred tool at BlockAPatch.com.

Businesses running macOS Sequoia may be aware that version 15 was causing issues with security tools and networking. The recent release of 15.1 has been triggering some connectivity issues as well. You may need to forget Wi-Fi and reset it to restore the wireless connection.

Generally speaking, when Windows Server versions get released, it’s a sign that you should be reaching out to your server vendors to find out when they will be supporting the operating system. Because Windows Server 2025 and System Center 2025 are now in general release, you should consider beginning testing of the operating system and determine when you will start supporting or deploying it. I would also recommend reviewing the tech notes from both HP and Dell before deploying. Already there are some issues you can safely ignore. But there are also reports that some Servers using third-party patching tools are accidentally getting updated to Server 2025s

I recommend deferring updates until later in the month. If you have not updated SharePoint 2016 to 2019 for CVE-2024-38094, I’ll urge you to do so immediately. This bug, patched in July, is now under active attack. Ensure you install the following updates:

Resources

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Telegram began working on a Windows on ARM build based on a feature request on its GitHub page. Due to technical issues, they were unable to proceed further. After a few fixes from Microsoft, they were able to successfully compile their source code for the Windows on ARM platform. As part of the v5.7.2 release, you can now download the initial Telegram for Windows on ARM build here.

Slowly but steadily, Microsoft has been working to improve compatibility issues in Windows on ARM for developers. In the latest Canary Channel Insider Preview build, released last night, Microsoft included a major feature update to the Prism emulator for Windows on ARM. This update will allow even more 64-bit x86 (x64) applications to run under emulation.

Microsoft already shipped this new Prism update in the recently released Windows 11, version 24H2, to enable Adobe Premiere Pro 25 to run on Windows on ARM PCs. With this new Canary build, Microsoft is extending this capability to any x64 application under emulation. Some games and creative apps that were not working on ARM PCs due to CPU requirements will now work using the latest Prism update.

Over the past few months, Windows on ARM has been gaining momentum, with several third-party app developers releasing native apps. Several popular apps, including Chrome, Spotify, Zoom, WhatsApp, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom, Blender, Affinity Suite, DaVinci Resolve, Arc browser, NordVPN, ProtonVPN, and many more, now run natively on ARM. Several other popular apps, including Slack and Google Drive, are also coming soon.

The increased availability of native apps and improved emulation capabilities will likely attract more users and developers to the Windows on ARM platform in the future.

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First up, a look at What's new

New Processor Feature Support in Prism

 

In today’s Canary Channel Insider Preview build, we’re previewing a major feature update to Prism, our emulator for Windows on Arm, that will make it possible for more 64-bit x86 (x64) applications to run under emulation by adding support for more CPU features under emulation.

 

This new support in Prism is already in limited use today in the retail version of Windows 11, version 24H2, where it enables the ability to run Adobe Premiere Pro 25 on Arm. Starting with Build 27744, the support is being opened to any x64 application under emulation. You may find some games or creative apps that were blocked due to CPU requirements before will be able to run using Prism on this build of Windows.

 

At a technical level, the virtual CPU used by x64 emulated applications through Prism will now have support for additional extensions to the x86 instruction set architecture. These extensions include AVX and AVX2, as well as BMI, FMA, F16C, and others, that are not required to run Windows but have become sufficiently commonplace that some apps expect them to be present. You can see some of the new features in the output of a tool like Coreinfo64.exe.

 

 

Note that in today’s preview, only x64 applications can use these new CPU features. If you have a 32-bit app or a 64-bit app that uses a 32-bit helper to detect CPU feature support, that app won’t detect the new features in Prism.

 

We welcome any feedback from Insiders who are interested in trying out apps and games using this early preview of Prism. Please submit any feedback on compatibility issues or performance regressions through the Feedback Hub (Win + F) under Apps and the specific app you’re seeing issues with (if you don’t see the app listed, use “All other apps”) to help us to ensure that this updated Prism provides a great experience.

 

Thanks for helping us improve emulation on Windows. We’re excited to see customers able to run more apps and games that they care about on Windows on Arm!

Changes and Improvements

[Start menu]

 

• “All apps” is now just “All” on the Start menu.

   

[Input]

 

• We’re beginning to roll out a new Gamepad keyboard layout for the on-screen keyboard in Windows 11 that supports the ability to use your Xbox controller to navigate and type. This includes button accelerators (example: X button for backspace, Y button for spacebar) additionally the keyboard keys have been vertically aligned for better controller navigation patterns.

   

 

[Task Manager]

 

• We’ve updated the design of the Disconnect and Logoff dialogs in Task Manager to now support dark mode and text scaling.

• In the Performance section we now label listed disks with their type.

   

[Settings]

 

• The detach virtual hard disk (VHD/VHDx) button we added under Settings > System > Storage > Disks & Volumes introduced with Build 27686 is now back with this build after being temporarily disabled starting with Build 27718.

Here are the Fixes that have been implemented in this build

[General]

 

• We fixed the issue causing some Insiders with PCs that have older NVIDIA GPUs (like the GTX 970, Quadro K620, etc.) to experience issues where their displays appear stuck at a black screen and unresponsive or seeing their GPUs showing errors in Device Manager and not working correctly.

   

[Input]

 

• Fixed an underlying issue causing the Emoji Panel and Clipboard History to not open in certain surfaces anymore, including in Registry Editor.

• Fixed an underlying issue which could lead to clipboard history not displaying items you’d copied.

   

[Windows Sandbox]

 

• Fixed an issue impacting performance of Windows Sandbox for some Insiders after the latest updates.

   

[Graphics]

 

• Fixed an which could lead dynamic refresh rate to get stuck at 60Hz on first boot.

   

[Other]

 

• Fixed an issue causing some Insiders to see a bugcheck with error PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA starting in Build 27723.

• Fixed an issue causing remote desktop connection (mstsc.exe) to crash in the previous flight.

• Fixed a msmpeg2vdec.dll related issue in the last couple flights which was leading to some apps crashing.

• Fixed an issue where rotation info about JPGs couldn’t be queried via APIs (for example, via PowerShell).

• Fixed an underlying issue which was causing the Get-WindowsCapability command to get into a state sometimes where it would fail unexpectedly until rebooting your PC.

• Fixed an issue causing mica to not work correctly when using a slideshow for your desktop background.

• Fixed an issue which could lead to certain apps not detecting a scanner, although one was connected.

There are still Known issues to be aware about, which are listed below.

[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”.

• We’re investigating reports that some Insiders are still experiencing rollbacks (with error code 0xc190010) when attempting to install the latest Canary builds.

   

[Desktop]

 

• [NEW] We’re working on the fix for an issue where your desktop background may not show correctly sometimes with multiple monitors (showing big black areas).

For those of you living on the cutting edge of Windows 11 Previews, there are certain things you should be aware about, and Microsoft has that covered in great detail, below.

Reminders for Windows Insiders in the Canary Channel

• The builds we release to the Canary Channel represent the latest platform changes early in the development cycle and should not be seen as matched to any specific release of Windowsand features and experiences included in these builds may never get released as we try out different concepts and get feedback. Features may change over time, be removed, or replaced and never get released beyond Windows Insiders. Some of these features and experiences could show up in future Windows releases when they’re ready.

• Many features in the Canary Channel are rolled out using Control Feature Rollout technology, starting with a subset of Insiders and ramping up over time as we monitor feedback to see how they land before pushing them out to everyone in this channel.

• Some features may show up in the Dev and Beta Channels first before showing up in the Canary Channel.

• Some features in active development we preview with Windows Insiders may not be fully localized and localization will happen over time as features are finalized. As you see issues with localization in your language, please report those issues to us via Feedback Hub.

• To get off the Canary Channel, a clean install of Windows 11 will be required. As a reminder – Insiders can’t switch to a channel that is receiving builds with lower build numbers without doing a clean installation of Windows 11 due to technical setup requirements.

• The desktop watermark shown at the lower right corner of the desktop is normal for these pre-release builds.

• Check out Flight Hub for a complete look at what build is in which Insider channel.

You can find the official blog post here.

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Paint (version 11.2410.28.0):

The new Generative fill feature in Paint will allow users to make edits and additions with a text description while maintaining the existing art style of their project. To use this feature, users can use the Selection tool in the Paint toolbar to make a Rectangle or Free-form selection. A small menu will pop up alongside the selection, where they can click the Generative fill option, use the text box to describe what they want to add, and select Create.

If the generated image is not good, users can simply click the Try again button. They can also use the arrow buttons to cycle through the generated options and click the Keep button to apply it to their image. This new Generative fill feature will be available on Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs initially.

The new Generative erase will help users remove unwanted objects from the canvas and fill in the space based on the surrounding parts of the image. To use this feature, users can select Generative erase on the left side of the canvas while using the eraser tool. Once selected, they can manually brush over one or multiple areas of the canvas to select the content they want to remove.

They can use the "Add area to erase" and "Reduce area to erase" options as needed. Once the selection is complete, users can click Apply to remove the object. Users can also use rectangular or free-form selection tools to specify an area for the Generative erase feature. Unlike Generative Fill, the new Generative erase feature will be available to users on all Windows 11 PCs.

With this new Paint app update, Microsoft has improved the diffusion-based model for Cocreator to deliver better results faster on Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs.

After launching the Image Creator preview feature in Paint last year, Microsoft is now expanding the preview to additional markets. With this expansion, Image Creator preview is available in the United States, France, the UK, Canada, Italy, and Germany.

Notepad (version 11.2410.15.0):

This new Notepad app update brings the ability to rewrite text content in Notepad using the power of AI. Users will be able to rephrase sentences, adjust the tone, and modify the length of their content as needed.

To use this new feature, users simply need to select the text they want to rewrite, right-click and select the Rewrite option, select Rewrite from the menu bar, or use the Ctrl + I keyboard shortcut. Notepad will offer three variations of the rewritten text, and users can select one. Users can also hit Retry to get other suggestions.

The new Notepad Rewrite feature is now available in preview in the United States, France, the UK, Canada, Italy, and Germany. Microsoft also mentioned that they have improved Notepad launch performance. Users can expect improved launch time by up to 55%.

These exciting new features in Paint and Notepad leverage the power of AI to make creative tasks easier and more efficient.

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Now, Microsoft is testing a new Microsoft 365 consumer plan that includes AI features at a higher subscription cost. This plan is currently being tested in Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand. In Australia, the annual cost of the new Microsoft 365 Family with AI subscription will be $AU179, compared to $AU139 for the plan without AI features.

The issue is that Microsoft is migrating all existing Microsoft 365 plan users to this new, more expensive plan. Although the updated price will take effect during their next renewal, this change may annoy those who don't need or want AI features. Microsoft still offers an AI-free Microsoft 365 plan at the original price, but users must cancel their current subscription and purchase the cheaper option separately.

This updated plan provides Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscribers with 60 AI credits per month, usable across various applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Forms, OneNote, Designer, Notepad, Photos, and Paint. Each specific request for a Copilot or equivalent AI service action, such as generating text, a table, or an image, will consume one credit. However, the AI benefits are exclusive to the subscription owner and cannot be shared with other Microsoft 365 Family members. Other family members can purchase a Copilot Pro subscription individually to access AI features.

Microsoft has stated that unused AI credits do not carry over to the next month. These credits reset on the first of each month, regardless of usage. If 60 AI credits are insufficient, consumers can purchase a dedicated Copilot Pro plan for more extensive access to AI features in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Forms, Designer, Notepad, Photos, and Paint.

While currently being tested in select markets, this plan may expand to other regions, including Europe and the US, in the future. Microsoft's statement to ZDNet regarding this new Microsoft 365 consumer plan is: "The company has rolled out changes in six markets to listen, learn, and improve. We don't have anything more to share today."

This move by Microsoft to bundle AI features into a more expensive plan has raised concerns about potential price increases for all users. While the company claims it is listening to feedback, it remains to be seen how this new plan will be received by consumers globally.

via: ZDNet

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However, one can say it hasn't been a smooth landing, as with most other such Windows feature updates, since IT and system admins are already crying major foul as they find that their systems are automatically being in-place upgraded to Windows Server 2025 from Server 2022.

The issue, weirdly, is being caused by KB5044284, which is the October Patch Tuesday update for Windows 11, and not a Server release, and there appears to be a case of mistaken identity as a Heimdal employee has explained on a Reddit post.

After the issue was identified, Heimdal blocked KB5044284, and the firm blamed Microsoft for the misclassification of the said update. The employee writes:

Andrei from Heimdal here, man, I'm really sorry for the havoc that was created with this update, our team (thanks for raising this with them - I have a feeling you were the first to bring it up to our Customer Success team) managed to pinpoint this and blocked this update across all server policies to avoid any further upgrades from 2022 to 2025

 

..

 

Here's the official com. that just went out a while ago:
On 5th Nov 12.16UTC, Heimdal was notified by a customer about unexpected upgrades related to Windows Server 2025 in their environment. Due to the limited initial footprint, identifying the root cause took some time. By 18:05 UTC, we traced the issue to the Windows Update API, where Microsoft had mistakenly labelled the Windows Server 2025 upgrade as KB5044284.

 

Our Analysis and Fix:
Our team discovered this discrepancy in our patching repository, as the GUID for the Windows Server 2025 upgrade does not match the usual entries for KB5044284 associated with Windows 11. This appears to be an error on Microsoft's side, affecting both the speed of release and the classification of the update. After cross-checking with Microsoft’s KB repository, we confirmed that the KB number indeed references Windows 11, not Windows Server 2025.

 

Currently, we can see that approximately 7% of our customers have been impacted by this upgrade. To prevent further unintended upgrades, we have immediately blocked KB5044284 across all server group policies.

It is noteworthy here that Microsoft did not offer any particular KB number for Windows Server 2025 release, as it was released as build 26100.1742.

For those who may not be familiar with it, Heimdal offers a Patch and Asset Management Module (AMM) for IT professionals, wherein updates can be managed and deployed via Group Policy settings.

It is unclear at the moment if other such AMMs are affected by this too.

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The Control Panel is not new and has been an integral part of Windows since the early days. It is one of the several native Windows utilities that helps users configure and customize the OS. It has been around since Windows 1.0 and is generally an extremely useful tool for accessing various applets that help tweak Windows.

Curiously, for some reason, Microsoft had apparently intentionally crippled the performance of the Control Panel on Windows 95 and Windows 98, or at least some aspects of it. The issue was discovered by X user Viorin (@oerg866), who found a "hard-coded 8-second delay" when adding new hardware via sysdm.cpl or the Add New Hardware control feature.

This feature was helpful as users could manually add devices in case Windows Plug and Play (PnP) failed to identify and install the necessary driver.

After "patching" it, the user reports that the 8-second delay was reduced to around 300 milliseconds, which meant new hardware was being added much faster. Viorin found this interesting quirk while testing their QuickInstall open-source framework, which is used to create installation images for Windows 98, inside 86Box (an IBM PC emulator) and shared their finding on X:

It is unclear why Microsoft had put in the delay. It could be bad coding, but it is more likely that it was some other issue the tech giant had noticed on systems back then, which prompted the engineers to put in the delay to work around it. What would be interesting is to know if other aspects of the classic Control Panel also had such performance brakes put in place.

Via: WinFuture

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Michael Reinders spotted a new change in Word, where the app would display a quite big Copilot UI every time you open a new document. The idea is to make AI-powered features available right away with no need to open additional ribbon tabs or submenus (quite a lot of people will probably dislike such a decision).

Available options in the new user interface include the following:

• Write an article based on a provided file
• Draft an email about something
• Produce a summary of a certain file
• Describe what you would like to write

It is worth noting that many Copilot features are already available in Word for users with Microsoft 365 Copilot or Copilot Pro licenses. They include drafting with Copilot, document summarization, asking questions about a document, chatting with the assistant, and more. The main idea is likely to make some of those features more prominent and accessible. Microsoft has not announced the new UI so far, which might indicate limited testing before a broader rollout.

Other Copilot upgrades for Microsoft's existing productivity apps include data cleaning in Excel, quick actions for Copilot in OneNote on Windows, coaching with Copilot, and Copilot for OneDrive. However, one app that has so far been immune to the spread of Copilot is Notepad, which still has no AI magic inside it, for better or for worse.

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For those who may not be familiar, Answer files are XML files that essentially allow users to pre-configure, modify, and automate Windows settings in images during the Windows Setup. Other third-party apps like NTLite also come with this functionality.

The author of the app has laid out the features of the utility:

• Windows 10/11 Pro is installed by default

• Bypasses Windows 11 system requirements

• Disables Windows Defender services by default

  • prompted to enable after Windows installation

• Disables User Account Control by default

  • prompted to enable after Windows installation

• Allows execution of PowerShell scripts by default

• Skips forced Microsoft account creation during Windows setup

• Removes preinstalled bloatware apps except Microsoft Edge, Notepad and Calculator

  • Copilot and Recall is Disabled.

• Sets privacy-related registry keys to disable telemetry

• Limits Windows Update to install only security updates for one year

• Optimizes registry with various optimization and customization-related keys

  • See the "Set-RecommendedHKLMRegistry" and "Set-RecommendedHKCURegistry" functions for more information

• Disables unnecessary scheduled tasks

• Configures Windows services for optimal performance

• Enables the Ultimate Performance power plan

Alongside the features, instructions on how to use it have also been provided:

Use the UWScript.ps1 file once Windows is installed to reapply or revert settings in case Windows Update resets some of the settings or if you encounter any issues.
It can also be used to achieve a similar experience to UnattendedWinstall on an existing Windows installation without reinstalling Windows.

 

---

 

Before Running the Script

 

Ensure you open PowerShell as an administrator. Additionally, set the execution policy to allow script execution by running the following command:

Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned

Running PowerShell with elevated permissions and enabling script execution will ensure that UWScript.ps1 can apply the necessary system changes.

You can find it here on its official GitHub repository. Though as always for third-party apps, the best place to try it is often in a VM.

The developer has confirmed that it works with the latest version of Windows 11 as well, version 24H2. Windows answer files can not be used for in-place upgrades though. Hence, if you are looking for that, you can use Rufus which fixed an in-place upgrade-related bypass bug recently.

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Microsoft had assured back then that "Windows 11 Arm-based PCs supports the majority of printers" and that it was compatible with Mopria standard.

However, several users online have been reporting that printer compatibility is broken. The issue seems to exist for all printer vendors as users of HP, Canon, Brother, among others, have all reported problems since upgrading to Windows 11 24H2.

Most of the problems seem to be the inability to install the printer driver or use the printer. This particular issue is mainly on Arm-based Copilot+ PCs. Besides that, certain features are also apparently not working. The HP SUPD (Smart Universal Printing Driver) also does not resolve the issue. There are several threads online regarding these issues that users have posted.

Microsoft has recently acknowledged this problem and has since put up a support article regarding how to work around it. The company writes:

Some ARM PCs (for example, Copilot+ PCs) may not be able to add or install a printer using the included installer or the installer from the manufacturer’s website. Windows instead suggests:

 

• Connecting your printer by opening Settings , then selecting Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners > Add device.
• Connecting your printer via USB.

In a separate linked article, detailed steps of the same have also been provided:

Notes: We are aware of some ARM PC’s (for example Copilot+ PC’s) not being able to add/install a printer using the included installer or by downloading the installer from the manufacturer’s website.

 

• To fix this, go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners and click on "Add device" instead to add the printer manually, unless the manufacturer has specific guidance for Windows on ARM PCs.
• To find out if you have an ARM device, go to Settings > System > About, and look for "System type" property under "Device specifications". ARM devices have "ARM based processor" under system type.

Besides Arm PCs, it looks like AMD64 (Intel and AMD) systems are also having printer-related issues on Windows 11 24H2, although these may not be as widespread as Arm. Some of the reported problems include printer sharing bugs, print requests being stuck in queue, and printer devices disappearing, among others.

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