However, much to the delight of users, Microsoft had claimed that Windows 11 was designed to get the best out of hardware even briefly detailing how it was being done. However, complaints persisted that this was not the case and as such, the Windows developer team stated during a Q&A on Reddit that it was focusing on improving performance in 2022 especially pertaining to the UI.

Still, though, many were not so satisfied with the performance. Neowin also tested performance differences between Windows 11 and 10 last year on both in-place upgrade and clean installed PCs, and truth be told we did not notice much of a gap between the two operating systems except on a few occasions.

However, our systems were relatively top-notch and the experience may well vary depending on the sort of device. A user on Reddit claims that Windows 11's upcoming feature update for 2024, version 24H2, is working smoothly on their decade-old Celeron processor, an N2940, that belongs to the Bay Trail family. It is not officially Windows 11-compatible.

The user Bambamito has apparently been testing the performance of Windows 11 and Windows 10 on their system, which aside from the slow Bay Trail chip, sports just 4 Gigs of system memory, an SSD, and an HDD. They say:

performance experience increased! atleast in my experience. opening explorer is a lot quicker (opens in one click no hesitation: same ssd cuz i never reinstalled), scrolling through chrome is smoother and playing youtube videos loads faster (i always watch on 1080 btw)... overall ui smoothness increased.

 

on very lowend unsupported devices, windows 11 24h2 definitely gives a performance increased in terms of ui experience and its smoother.

The user has unfortunately not provided any hard data to back this up though we have no reason to believe why they would lie with such a claim.

Some others on the thread agreed with this take. For example, user iamfromreallife says:

Yep, I've been trying windows 11 on and off and always found it sluggish and always returned to win 10. Now on 24h2 and this thing is finally feeling fast. Only desktop switch animation needs work. I finally deleted my win10 partition.

Yet another user irosemary says:

I had also tried out the preview for W11 24H2 and found it very fast and snappy. It finally felt like a mature OS.

 

I'm running on a bleeding edge computer (7800x3d + 4090 Liquid Cooled) and W11 never felt that snappy until 24H2.

Keep in mind though that such user claims have often surfaced from time to time like what happened with 22H2, and it is often not possible to verify such things properly.

However, compared to 22H2 or 23H2, the 2024 feature update does have a big change when it comes to bypassing the OS requirements. Microsoft is making instructions like PopCnt and SSE4.2 mandatory and thus really old PCs won't be able to bypass them.

On the supported side of things, AMD users, especially, can expect a decent performance bump on Windows 11 24H2, with the latest OS updates and firmware updates installed.

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It all started in early September when Mozilla flagged every version of the uBlock Origin Lite extension as violating its policies. Reviewers then claimed the extension apparently collected user data and contained "minified, concatenated or otherwise machine-generated code." The developer seemingly debunked those allegations, saying that "it takes only a few seconds for anyone who has even basic understanding of JavaScript to see the raised issues make no sense."

Raymond Hill decided to drop the extension from the store and move it to a self-hosted version. This means that those who want to continue using uBlock Origin Lite on Firefox should download the latest version from GitHub (it can auto-update itself).

The last message from the developer in a now-closed GitHub issue shows an email from Mozilla admitting its fault and apologizing for the mistake. However, Raymond still pulled the extension from the Mozilla Add-ons Store, which means you can no longer find it on addons.mozilla.org.

It is worth noting that the original uBlock Origin for Firefox is still available and supported. The Lite version is a Manifest V3-based extension with a lighter and more efficient load on resources, such as processor and memory. Hill recently recommended switching to uBlockOrigin Lite after Chrome started flagging the extension as unsupported (there is a way to circumvent that). Contrary to Chrome, Mozilla does not plan to drop the Manifest V2-based extensions in the near future, so uBlock Origin will continue to exist and work on Firefox and other browsers with MV2 support.

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To better understand the issue, Microsoft had urged users to share more feedback about it via the Feedback Hub. Today, the company has issued an update on the problem, adding that USB and Bluetooth device failures can occur as a result of KB5043145.

In case you are having problems with USB connections or Bluetooth, the company says a yellow exclamation mark is displayed against the devices in Device Manager (DEVMGMT).

The company writes:

This issue also causes USB and Bluetooth connections to fail in some devices. Hardware connected via USB and Bluetooth, such as keyboards, memory sticks, printers, and wireless mouses, no longer work after installing the update. In these cases, the USB Host Controller under the Device Manager displays a yellow exclamation mark.

For now, Microsoft has issued a Group Policy fix for IT admins and system admins that will allow affected managed user devices to roll back the update via Known Issue Rollback (KIR). This is the classic Microsoft technique to "mitigate" a problematic update when a major issue or bug pops up on Windows PCs.

Meanwhile, the KB5043145 update has also been pulled for consumer PCs though it can take up to a full day for the resolution to take effect.

The company explains:

Resolution:

 

This issue is resolved using Known Issue Rollback (KIR). Please note that it might take up to 24 hours for the resolution to propagate automatically to consumer devices and non-managed business devices and business devices that are not managed by IT departments. Restarting your Windows device might help the resolution apply to your device faster.

 

For enterprise-managed devices managed by IT departments that have installed the affected update and encountered this issue, IT administrators can resolve it by installing and configuring the Group policy listed below. The special Group Policy can be found in Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> .

 

For information on deploying and configuring these special Group Policy, please see How to use Group Policy to deploy a Known Issue Rollback.

 

Group Policy downloads with Group Policy name:

 

• Download for Windows 11 23H2 and Windows 11 22H2: Windows 11 22H2 KB5043145 240904_041021 Known Issue Rollback

 

Important: You will need to install and configure the Group Policy for your version of Windows to resolve this issue. You will also need to restart your device(s) to apply the group policy setting.

As always, Microsoft says that it is looking to fix the issue in a future update.

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In September 2024, Windows 11 increased its market share by 1.74 points, which is quite a significant jump, considering the operating system was losing market share only a few months ago. Year-over-year growth is 9.73 points (Windows 11 was at 23.64% in September 2023).

With Windows 11 steadily gaining more users each month, Windows 10 is slowly decreasing in popularity. However, the ten-year-old operating system still supremely outmatches its successor two to one. Statcounter says Windows 10 has a 62.79% market share, and in September 2024, it went down by 1.35 points (-8.83 points year-over-year).

This trend is expected to continue as Windows 10 enters its final year of mainstream support. Microsoft is also expected to launch a big new feature update for Windows 11 later this month, which, alongside new processor launches from Intel and AMD, can also help the operating system speed up its adoption rate.

In total, Windows 10 and 11 hold 96.16% of the market, with the remaining 3%+ taken mostly by Windows 7. The latter has a steady 2.85%.

1. Windows 10: 62.79% (-1.35 points)
2. Windows 11: 33.37% (+1.74 points)
3. Windows 7: 2.85% (-0.2 points)
4. Windows 8.1: 0.36% (-0.05 points)
5. Windows XP: 0.34% (-0.06 points)

You can find more information about Statcounter's findings on the official website. Keep in mind that the data may not be 100% as only Microsoft can provide accurate breakdowns of its operating system segmentation. Sadly, it won't do it, so developers and users have to rely on third-party analytics services.

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If you miss the ability to make taskbar icons smaller in Windows 11, this discovery will make you very happy. In the latest Beta build, just released under version 22635.4291, enthusiasts discovered traces of a new setting that will soon let you switch to a smaller taskbar and its icons.

Small taskbar icons were among the features Microsoft lost during the initial Windows 11 release three years ago, alongside other features the company deemed unimportant. Now, with Windows 11 entering its fourth year, Microsoft continues restoring old taskbar and Start menu features.

Sadly, Windows 11's small taskbar does not work fully yet. @PhantomOfEarth discovered feature IDs in build 22635.4291, which enable the new "Show smaller taskbar icons" option in the Settings app. As of right now, the small taskbar feature does not work as it should (icons become smaller, but the taskbar size remains unchanged), so users will have to wait for the next few builds for much-needed improvements.

If your computer already runs Windows 11 build 22635.4291, you can try the new taskbar option by enabling it with the ViVeTool app (do it at your own risk and keep in mind that unannounced features are often raw, unstable, and unfinished).

1. Download ViveTool from GitHub and unpack the files in a convenient and easy-to-find folder.
2. Run Command Prompt as Administrator and 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.
3. Type vivetool /enable /id:29785184,48433719 and press Enter.
4. Restart your computer.

Now, you can go to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar and toggle on the "Show smaller taskbar icons" option.

Are you excited about this change, or do you prefer the standard-sized taskbar on Windows 11? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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Here are the changes that are rolling out gradually to all users willing to pull the trigger on the latest non-security update:

• [Settings] New! There is a new energy recommendation to turn off high dynamic range (HDR). This helps to conserve energy on devices that have HDR displays. Go to Settings > Power & battery > Energy recommendations.
• [Battery life] New! When your device's battery power is running low, a pop-up window will appear that asks you to plug in your device. This occurs when the battery level reaches 20% and while Energy Saver is set to “Always On”.
• [Start menu] New! The "Sign out" option is now on the account manager when you open the Start menu. To change to a different user, select the ellipses (...). A list of other users appears to make it easier to switch.
• [Taskbar] New! You can now share local files directly from the search results that appear in the Search box on the taskbar.
• [Lock screen] New!Media controls now show in the lower part of the lock screen at its center when media is playing.
• [Mouse] New! This update adds the option to turn off enhanced mouse pointer precision to Settings > Bluetooth & Devices > Mouse. There is also a new option to change the direction in which the mouse scrolls.

And here are the changes that are rolling out to all users:

• [Copilot Pro subscription] New! You can now manage your Copilot Pro subscription in Settings. Sign in to your Microsoft account and go to Settings>Accounts.

• [Screen readers] The NonVisual Desktop Access (NVDA) app and other screen readers fail to narrate all the screen content from some apps. This occurs when those apps run with administrator privileges.

In addition, KB5043178 includes the following fixes:

• [Open Source Software] This update adds attributions to credits.txt files for Rust OSS components.

• [Input Method Editor (IME)] When a combo box has input focus, a memory leak might occur when you close that window.

• [WebView2 apps] They do not detect input from Xbox 360 and Bluetooth controllers.

   

• [Task Manager]

   

  • Its Settings page might have a white background when it should not.

  • It stops responding when you switch from a high contrast theme to a normal theme.

Before you install KB5043178, mind the fact that there is one known issue in this update affecting those playing Roblox on ARM-based Windows PCs:

You can download the latest Windows 11 version 24H2 preview update in Windows Update. Alternatively, get it from the Microsoft Update Catalog using this link. KB5043178 is available for x86 and ARM64 systems, including Copilot+ PCs.

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Here are the changes that Microsoft is rolling out to Insiders in the Beta Channel with the "Get the latest updates as soon as they're available" toggle on:

[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]

 

• Tailored Experiences is becoming Personalized offers in OOBE. The new setting can be found on the Recommendations and offers page under Settings > Privacy & security. Personalized offers will let users opt-out of allowing Windows to use info about their devices and how they use them to enhance Windows.

 

FIXES:

 

[General]

 

• Fixed a few issues which could cause explorer.exe crashes, including one causing sporadic explorer.exe crashes when using ALT + Tab in recent builds.

 

[Start menu]

 

• Fixed an issue where if you clicked or tapped on a letter on Start menu’s All apps list, the All apps list may break and not display correctly.

Here are the fixes that are available to all Beta Channel Insiders:

[Other]

 

This update includes fixes for the following issues:

 

• [Microsoft Defender for Endpoint] Work Folders files fail to sync when Defender for Endpoint is on.
• [Outlook and other encrypted email apps] This issue prompts for your PIN each time you open an encrypted email.
• [Microsoft Edge] It sometimes stops responding when you use IE mode.
• [Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)] There is inconsistent data between TCP_INFO_v1 and GetPerTcpConnectionEstats. File synchronization services use TCP connection performance analysis tools. This issue affects how accurate those tools are.
• [Country and Operator Settings Asset] This update brings COSA profiles up to date for certain mobile operators.
• [Task Manager] It stops responding when you switch from a high contrast theme to a normal theme.

As for the Snipping Tool update, it now lets you change the default folders for screenshots and screen recordings:

Snipping Tool Update

 

We are rolling out an update for Snipping Tool (version 11.2408.15.0 and newer) to Windows Insiders in the Beta and Release Preview Channels that introduces the ability to change the folder that original screenshots and screen recordings are automatically saved to. Just go to app settings in Snipping Tool to select a new default folder to try it out!

Full release notes for Windows 11 build 22635.4291 are available here.

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Here is the official 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.

 

[Mobile Hotspot]

 

The Windows Mobile Hotspot has been enhanced to support 6 GHz connections. The new band requires chips that support the feature and updated drivers; not all chips that support 6 GHz Wi-Fi in general will support the 6 GHz mobile hotspot. The change will be visible under Settings > Network & internet > Mobile hotspot when you edit the mobile hotspot properties. For compatibility with existing devices, the mobile hotspot will only use 6 GHz when explicitly enabled.

 

6 GHz showing under mobile hotspot properties in Settings on PCs that have the right hardware and drivers.

 

[Other]

 

This update includes fixes for the following issues:

 

• [Open Source Software] This update adds attributions to txt files for Rust OSS components.
• [Task Manager]
  • Its Settings page might have a white background when it should not.
  • It stops responding when you switch from a high contrast theme to a normal theme.
• [Input Method Editor (IME)] When a combo box has input focus, a memory leak might occur when you close that window.
• [WebView2 apps] They do not detect input from Xbox 360 and Bluetooth controllers.

Known issues in Windows 11 build 26120.1912 include the following:

[Start menu]

 

If you click or tap on a letter on Start menu’s All apps list, the All apps list may break. If you encounter this issue, please try rebooting or restarting explorer.exe to fix it.

If your system is enrolled in the Dev Channel, head to Settings > Windows Update and click "Check for updates." Full release notes can be found in a post on the official Windows Blogs website.

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As a bit of background, Lefebvre said last month that while Linux Mint ships with the Mint-Y default theme, other distributions of Linux that use Cinnamon tend to stick to the default theme which has grown comparatively ugly over time.

Lefebvre said the ideal situation is for each distro to use its own Cinnamon theme to spruce things up a bit but as that is not happening in some cases, Cinnamon 6.4 will include a "much-improved default theme."

The new theme that has been created is described as being much darker and contrasted than before with objects being rounded and a gap being introduced between applets in the panel to make things more spacious. Here's what the notification area and calendar applet will look like with the new theme:

Another area that got updated is the dialog boxes. They have rounded edges and rounded buttons with the most dangerous button being marked in red to alert the user. Here's what that looks like:

The creator of the theme also reworked the Force Quit dialog box. It used to be a Gtk window but was rewritten in Clutter to match the rest of Cinnamon, here's what it looks like now (it's a bit inconsistent how the red button has now moved to the left side compared to the image above):

The media-buttons on-screen display (OSD) has been updated to look more modern:

Here's how the Workspace OSD looks:

This new theme is not fully complete yet, the developer working on it is also working on improving the appearance of notifications, animations, the main menu, pkexec/logout dialogs, and a new status applet. As each of these features is completed, it will be shared in the Linux Mint monthly news.

There was also an announcement regarding the backend of Linux Mint, that the transition towards Aptkit and Captain is now finished. Beginning with Linux Mint 22.1, due in December, none of the Mint projects will depend on aptdaemon, synaptic, gdebi, or apturl.

The benefits of this, according to Lefebvre will be that there won't be any more translation issues, there will be no more bugs or papercuts as it won't depend on unmaintained components that are upstream, and the new setup has a redefined scope with anything the Mint project didn't like being removed (or added if needed).

For anyone out there looking at the default Cinnamon theme and thinking they don't like it, Linux Mint itself will probably not use it by default, instead staying on the Mint-Y theme which has been designed to fit the Mint vision of how a desktop should look. If Linux Mint did switch to it, then it would be a matter of going and choosing the old theme from the settings, it's quite straightforward in Mint to do that.

Source: Linux Mint

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Copilot now supports both light ("Day") and dark ("Night") themes, catering to individual preferences. Users can interact with Copilot in various ways: by typing text prompts, uploading images with accompanying descriptions, or even using voice commands.

Speaking of voice commands, Copilot now offers four distinct voices:

• Meadow
• Wave
• Grove
• Canyon

These voices enhance the user experience, especially with the brand-new "Copilot Daily" feature.

Copilot Daily is an innovative, voice-based feature that uses AI to generate personalized daily updates. It starts with general information and then proceeds to deliver news from popular sources, including Reuters. Users can tap on the news source to open the corresponding article for further reading. Concluding in just 5 minutes with a friendly "Thanks for tuning in today, see you again tomorrow" message, Copilot Daily is designed to be a quick and engaging way to stay informed. Microsoft seems to envision it as a daily ritual for users to get their news fix, potentially becoming a key feature that attracts and retains users.

Earlier this year, Microsoft created a new AI division led by Mustafa Suleyman, co-founder of Inflection AI. The redesigned Copilot appears to be the work of this new team, as it bears a resemblance to Inflection AI's Pi.

Microsoft Copilot redesign

With its fresh look and new features, the revamped Copilot aims to enhance user experience and engagement, potentially making it an indispensable tool for daily updates and information. You can access to new Copilot experience by visiting copilot.microsoft.com.

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However, it is worth noting that Windows Terminal 1.21.2701.0 is currently available only on GitHub—Microsoft detected a "pretty annoying hanging issue" on systems with Windows 11 version 23H2, so it paused the rollout. A fix for affected customers will be available soon via Windows Update.

Here is the changelog for Windows Terminal 1.21.2701.0:

Changes:

 

• Alt+Keypad Plus is no longer eaten unless EnableHexNumpad is enabled in the registry.
• You can now configure the default input scope for the IME with an option on the Startup page or the JSON key defaultInputScope (enum default (default), alphanumericHalfWidth); this should allow you to force Terminal to accept English input even if you usually type in a different language.

 

Bug Fixes:

 

• You can now successfully input more than one Emoji at once on Windows 10.
• In cmd and python (and other users of console line input), choosing a command from history will no longer insert it back into history a second time.
• Some localizations have been updated for correctness.
• Terminal has gotten much better about transferring focus to windows spawned by (and under, or above) hosted console applications.
• The search box will no longer cover up search results in the top right (unless there's nowhere to scroll).
• We will try much harder to keep your scroll position from changing when you have the search box open but are not looking at the results.

And here are the changes and fixes in Windows Terminal Preview 1.22.2702.0:

Changes

 

• wt x-save was accidentally turned off in the Preview build, and has been turned on.
• The Command Prompt "quick fix" feature was accidentally turned off in the Preview build, and has been turned on.
• RIS (ESC c) will now return the color scheme to your preferred default if the application has modified it.
• Alt+Keypad Plus is no longer eaten unless EnableHexNumpad is enabled in the registry.
• The tab switcher will now display each tab's color, if one is set, in addition to the other information about the tab.
• You can now configure the default input scope for the IME with an option on the Startup page or the JSON key defaultInputScope (enum default (default), alphanumericHalfWidth); this should allow you to force Terminal to accept English input even if you usually type in a different language.

 

Bug Fixes

 

• The "Clear Buffer" command now clears the buffer again. Novel!
• In cmd and python (and other users of console line input), choosing a command from history will no longer insert it back into history a second time.
• The experimental.colorSelection actions will once again work (after we broke them in the action refactoring).
• Some localizations have been updated for correctness.
• Terminal has gotten much better about transferring focus to windows spawned by (and under, or above) hosted console applications.
• We will try much harder to keep your scroll position from changing when you have the search box open but are not looking at the results.

You can find more details about the latest Windows Terminal updates, including links to manual downloads, in the official Windows Terminal GitHub repository.

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Brandon LeBlanc, Senior Program Manager on the Windows Insider Program Team, replied to one of the users complaining about the no-build situation in the Canary Channel. According to Brandon, the team is working on a new build, but needs "one more" (probably week). While Brandon did not specify the exact reason for such a long delay, it is likely due to bugs:

Of course, there is no guarantee that Windows Insiders will get a new Canary build next week, and things can still slip into yet another no-build week. Still, the hope is not lost—at least we now have a word from the Windows Insider Team about what is going on.

The last Windows 11 preview build in the Canary Channel was released on August 30, 2024, which means the next week will mark one month of no new updates. Build 27695 added a new position for widgets on systems with the left-aligned taskbar, Windows Local Administrator Password Solution (LAPS) improvements, notification improvements, File Explorer fixes, and more. Later on, Microsoft updated the release notes to mention a redesigned user interface for viewing Wi-Fi passwords.

You can find the complete list of changes and new features in Windows 11 build 27695 in our dedicated article.

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The changelog includes mostly fixes and small improvements, such as a patch for black screens and performance slowdowns in Windows virtual machines. The latest version also adds support for multi-window layout, 3D acceleration for ARM-based virtual machines, UEFI SecureBoot fixes, and more.

Here are the official release notes:

This is a maintenance release. The following items were fixed and/or added:

 

• GUI: Added multiple window layout and translation related fixes
• GUI: Fixed an issue that meant VMs created using Unattended Install were not removed cleanly
• GUI: Added an option to change the remote display security method
• GUI: Removed the BETA label from the macOS/Arm UI
• NAT: Fixed slow performance on Windows host (bugs #22164 and #22180)
• NAT: Fixed DHCP problems with certain guests when domain is empty
• 3D: Fixed enabling 3D acceleration in the VM settings
• 3D: Fixed black screen with Windows VMs
• 3D: Fixed rendering issues caused by incorrect view handling
• 3D: Added possibility to enable 3D acceleration function for Arm platform VMs
• GCM: Fixed problem with loading saved state created by 7.0.x
• API: Fixed an issue with incorrect handling of NVRAM state with legacy BIOS and its removal on VM deletion
• API: Fixed UEFI Secure Boot state querying when the VM was never started
• Guest Additions: Fixed error message on automatic upgrading
• SDK: Fixed building code using the XPCOM bindings (bug #22174)

VirtualBox 7.1.2 is available for free download from the Neowin software stories page or the official website. Supported platforms include Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10, 11, Windows Server 2008 R2 and newer, macOS (both Intel and Apple Silicon, macOS 10.12 and up), Linux, and Solaris.

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However, that evidently did not happen and users should be glad Microsoft chose not to irrespective of whether it actually wanted to release Windows 11 24H2 as the September C-release or not. That is because the company has confirmed that KB5043145 is causing major issues on several systems, ranging from devices that keep rebooting to blue screens or green screens of death (BSOD / GSOD) or booting into BitLocker Recovery via the Windows Automatic Repair Tool.

Microsoft writes:

Microsoft has received some customer reports of devices restarting multiple times or becoming irresponsive with blue or green screens after trying to install the September 2024 non-security preview Windows update (KB5043145).

 

According to the reports, some devices automatically open the Automatic Repair tool after repeated reboot attempts. This tool tries to diagnose and resolve common issues that might prevent your device from booting properly. In some cases, BitLocker recovery can also be triggered.

 

Affected platforms:

 

Client: Windows 11, version 23H2, Windows 11, version 22H2
Server: none

 

Next steps: We are currently investigating this issue. We will provide an update when more information is available.

If you recall, similar issues related to repeated restarts and BitLocker recovery-booting had popped up earlier this year in June and July respectively, and now it looks like this latest issue has combined the two into one causing double trouble for affected users.

Microsoft has urged such users to raise an issue on Feedback Hub. The company is clearly trying to still understand the problem and thus looking to collect more details as it says:

If you have experienced this issue, please use Feedback Hub to file a report and provide more details. This information helps us expedite our investigation. To learn how to use Feedback Hub, see Send feedback to Microsoft with the Feedback Hub app.

You can also visit Feedback Hub and search for "KB5043145" to upvote some of the posts that reflect your issue.

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Here is the changelog for build 26296:

Windows Admin Center (WAC)

 

Beginning with build 26252, Windows Server 2025 preview customers can download and install Windows Admin Center right from the Windows Server Desktop using the in-OS app that takes care of downloading and guides you through the installation process.

 

Note: You must be running a desktop version of Windows Server 2025 Datacenter or Standard preview to access this feature.

 

Windows Server Flighting is here!

 

If you signed up for Server Flighting, you should receive this new build automatically later today. For more information, see Welcome to Windows Insider flighting on Windows Server - Microsoft Community Hub.

 

The new Feedback Hub app is now available for Server Desktop users! The app should automatically update with the latest version, but if it does not, simply Check for updates in the app’s settings tab.

Known bugs in this build include the following:

• Sysprep unable to generalize images. There is a known issue in build 26280.5000 that prevents images from being generalized via sysprep. The issue is understood and will be fixed in a future release.
• Flighting: The label for this flight may incorrectly reference Windows 11. However, when selected, the package installed is the Windows Server update. Please ignore the label and proceed with installing your flight. This issue will be addressed in a future release.
• WinPE - Powershell Scripts: Applying the WinPE-Powershell optional component does not properly install Powershell in WinPE. As a result, Powershell cmdlets will fail. Customers who are dependent on Powershell in WinPE should not use this build.
• If you are validating upgrades from Windows Server 2019 or 2022, we do not recommend that you use this build as intermittent upgrade failures have been identified for this build.
• This build has an issue where archiving eventlogs with "wevetutil al" command causes the Windows Event Log service to crash, and the archive operation to fail. The service must be restarted by executing "Start-Service EventLog" from an administrative command line prompt.
• If you have Secure Launch/DRTM code path enabled, we do not recommend that you install this build.

You can find download links and activation keys in the announcement post on the official Tech Community forums.

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• Windows 11 version 24H2 Enterprise / LTSC 2024
• Windows Server 2025 (Server edition based on version 24H2)
• Azure Stack HCI version 24H2.

All images include KB5043080, which bumps the build number to version 26100.1742.

If you are interested in downloading Windows 11 version 24H2 evaluation images, download them using this this link (Enterprise) or this link (Enterprise LTSC). If you need languages other than English, Server Edition, or Azure Stack HCI, check out the links provided by user Bob Pony on X:

Evaluation images do not require activation, but you can only use them for 90 days. If you want a regular ISO with a consumer version, the wait should be over pretty soon, as there are already signs of Microsoft getting ready to publish Windows 11 version 24H2 images:

While we wait for the release of Windows 11 version 24H2, check out our overview of new features and changes. Alternatively, you can download the update to your computer right now using this guide.

Credit for the EN-US links goes to Neowin user d5aqoëp.

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What you need to know

• Microsoft has detailed how it's improved Recall's security with encryption and Windows Hello authentication.
• Recall's data is now isolated in a VBS Enclave, meaning it's no longer readable by third-party apps and users.
• Snapshots will now automatically filter out sensitive information like passwords and credit card details.
• Recall never uploads data to the cloud, and can be uninstalled from the system if you don't want it.

Microsoft is finally ready to detail how it’s updating Windows Recall to ensure it’s a secure experience that can’t be easily hacked or tampered with. After the monumental failure that was Recall's original debut, the company is now confident that Recall is a safe experience that users should feel comfortable using.

Originally, Windows Recall was discovered to be storing data in an unencrypted state, making it ripe for third-party attackers to scrape sensitive information collected by the Recall process. Microsoft has now addressed this concern, moving to encrypting the data and ensuring the user is actively present to access it. 

The company has published a detailed article detailing all the security improvements it’s making to Windows Recall, but it boils down to four key changes:

• Recall data is now stored in an encrypted state in isolation via a VBS Enclave
• Snapshots will now automatically filter out passwords, credit cards, and national IDs
• Access to Recall data requires Windows Hello authentication every time
• Recall is optional, off by default, and can be uninstalled

What you need to know

• A few weeks ago, Microsoft issued a statement claiming the option to remove Recall from Windows 11 was appearing as just a bug, and that it would be fixed in a forthcoming update.
• Turns out that's not true, as Microsoft has today confirmed that you will in fact be able to remove Recall from the OS if you don't want it.
• Removing it will uninstall the app as a system component via the "Turn Windows features on and off" interface.

Microsoft is now gearing up to begin shipping Windows Recall to Copilot+ PCs later this year, and as part of that effort it has finally unveiled how it’s improved the security around Recall and the data it collects. Such improvements include storing the data in an encrypted VBS Enclave, making it difficult for attackers to read that data, and automatically censoring sensitive data such as passwords and credit cards.

Recall is now also shipping as off by default, meaning the user has to opt-in to take advantage of it. If the user chooses not to, Recall will remain dormant until the user manually turns it on down the line. However, if you know you aren’t’ ever going to do that, we have some good news.

Microsoft has now confirmed that Windows Recall is removable from the OS if it’s something you’re not comfortable with having installed on your device.  This comes after the company originally issued a statement saying the ability to remove Recall was just a bug. Turns out that may not have been correct, or the company has just had a change of heart.

I recently had an opportunity to sit down with Microsoft's VP of Enterprise and Security, David Weston to talk about Recall, and he had this to say about the setup and safety of Recall:

"By default, users need to opt-in in the OOBE experience to get [Recall.] If you do opt-in, it's always visually clear that it's on and in your control, pausing it, deleting it all those basic functionality things. The additional thing we've added is you can remove the bits completely if you just want it out of your life. Another thing to emphasize is to turn it on, the user has to be logged in with Hello. There's no way to turn this on without the user being present."

To remove Windows Recall, the user will need to head to the “Turn Windows features on or off” interface which can be found by simply searching for it in Windows Search. Once you’ve got that interface open, just uncheck “Recall” and click OK. The app and related processes will be removed, and a restart will be required.

Microsoft Edge 130.0.2849.5 contains all the small fixes and changes developers implemented in the last four Dev updates. You can check them out using the following links:

• Dev Channel update to 130.0.2808.0
• Dev Channel update to 130.0.2821.1
• Dev Channel update to 130.0.2835.2
• Dev Channel update to 130.0.2849.1

Feature updates and fixes in Microsoft Edge 130 Beta include some notable improvements to the Settings section. It now provides quick links to the most used features on the settings home page and "densely populated pages."

Here is the full changelog:

Feature updates:

 

• Token Binding. Token Binding uses cryptographic certificates on both ends of the TLS connection in an attempt to close the security gap of bearer tokens, which may be lost or stolen. Token Binding is deprecated in Microsoft Edge version 130. Also, the AllowTokenBindingForUrls policy is now obsolete.
• Edge on macOS now seamlessly opens links in Teams. When you set the default browser to Microsoft Edge on macOS and enable the feature, web links from the Teams desktop app are sent via chats, channels, calendar, and other entry points. These links seamlessly open automatically in the profile signed into Teams app and skips the need to reauthenticate in the browser. This feature makes it faster and easier to access content. Administrators can control the availability of this feature using the "Choose Which Browser Opens Web Links" Microsoft 365 policy. Note: This feature is a controlled feature rollout. If you don't see this feature, check back as we continue our rollout.
• Elevating top settings and improving settings page navigability. To make finding browser settings more efficient, Microsoft Edge is introducing three navigation improvements to Edge Settings. We aren’t changing the functionality of any setting, and all the settings stay on the same page as they are today but will be behind clickable sections. These changes are as follows.
  • Introduce quick access to the most used Settings actions on the first place users land when entering Edge Settings (the Profiles page). Clicking the button with the name of the setting navigates users directly to its location.
  • Make densely populated Settings pages (such as Privacy, search, and services, Appearance, Cookies and site permissions, System and performance) easier to navigate by introducing quick access to the most used actions located on that page. Clicking the button with the name of the setting takes users directly to its location.
  • For these densely populated pages, each lengthy section of settings will be a clickable "table of contents" with descriptive subtexts. This helps users locate settings directly and avoid unnecessary scrolling.

 

Note: This feature is a controlled feature rollout. If you don't see this feature, check back as we continue our rollout.

 

Fixes:

 

• Fixed an issue that caused rendering issues on some SharePoint sites.
• Fixed an issue that prevented the briefcase icon from appearing on the edge://settings/sidebar page when Edge Bar was disabled using the StandaloneHubsSidebarEnabled policy.

You can download Microsoft Edge Beta from the official Edge Insider website.

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Starting with Edge 129.0.2792.65, the Edge Sidebar is turned off by default for new and "inactive sidebar users" for a cleaner and less cluttered user interface. However, everyone is still welcome to turn on the sidebar in the browser's settings. To do so, go to Menu > Settings > Sidebar.

Microsoft also said that the change does not affect people who actively use the browser's sidebar. IT Admins can control the sidebar's availability with the HubsSidebarEnabled policy.

For those unfamiliar, the Edge Sidebar provides quick access to built-in tools like a speed test, calculator, unit converter, and more. You can also open tabs in the sidebar and pin your favorite websites.

The update also includes four Chromium security patches:

• CVE-2024-9120 (high severity): Use after free in Dawn in Google Chrome on Windows prior to 129.0.6668.70 allowed a remote attacker to potentially exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page.

• CVE-2024-9121 (high severity): Inappropriate implementation in V8 in Google Chrome prior to 129.0.6668.70 allowed a remote attacker to potentially perform out-of-bounds memory access via a crafted HTML page.

• CVE-2024-9122 (high severity): Type Confusion in V8 in Google Chrome prior to 129.0.6668.70 allowed a remote attacker to perform out-of-bounds memory access via a crafted HTML page.

• CVE-2024-9123 (high severity): Integer overflow in Skia in Google Chrome prior to 129.0.6668.70 allowed a remote attacker to perform an out-of-bounds memory write via a crafted HTML page.

In addition to Edge 129.0.2792.52 in the Stable Channel, Microsoft released version 128.0.2739.97 in the Extended Stable Channel. It contains security patches and "fixed bugs and performance issues."

You can update Microsoft Edge by opening the edge://settings/help page. The browser will check for updates, download them, and prompt you to restart once the update is ready to install.

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Here are the update highlights:

Intel Game On Driver support on Intel Arc A-series Graphics GPUs and Intel Core Ultra with built-in Intel Arc GPUs for:

 

• Delta Force
• Throne and Liberty
• FC25

The update does not fix any issues, so the list of known bugs remains the same as in the previous update. However, there is now a separate section for the recently launched Intel Core Ultra Series 2 processor:

Intel Arc A-Series Graphics Products:

 

• Diablo IV (DX12) may intermittently crash while toggling Ray Tracing settings during gameplay.
• Doom Eternal (VK) may exhibit intermittent flickering corruption in the game menu and during gameplay.
• Blender may experience application crash while rendering certain benchmark scenes.
• Topaz Video AI may experience errors when exporting videos after using some models for video enhancements.

 

Intel Core Ultra with built-in Intel Arc GPUs:

 

• Diablo IV (DX12) may experience an application crash with ray tracing settings enabled.
• Horizon Forbidden West (DX12) may experience color corruption during gameplay.
• Enshrouded (VK) may experience an application crash during gameplay.
• Fortnite (DX12) game may stutter or crash while performing Alt + Tab operations.
• SPECworkstation3.1 may exhibit system instability while running certain workloads.
• PugetBench for Davinci Resolve studio V19 may experience errors intermittently with benchmark preset set to Extended.
• Blender may experience application crash while rendering certain benchmark scenes.
• DirectML-based AI applications may experience slower first token latency.
• 3DMark WildMark Extreme may experience performance drop by 5%.
• Chaos Enscape Benchmark 4.1 may experience visual corruption.
• When enabling or disabling Endurance Gaming, the previous frame rate preset may not retain the desired frame rate. If observed, please select the intended setting to reapply the frame rate mode.

 

Intel Core Ultra Series 2 with built-in Intel Arc GPUs only:

 

• Throne and Liberty (DX12) may experience an application crash after launching the game.
• Star Wars Outlaws (DX12) may experience an application crash while loading to gameplay.
• Final fantasy XVI (DX12) may exhibit texture corruption during gameplay.

The new driver is available for the following processors and graphics cards:

You can download Intel 32.0.101.6079 and 5736 from the official website here. Full release notes are available here (PDF).

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Gradual rollout

These might not be available to all users because they will roll out gradually.

 

• [Taskbar] New! You can now share local files directly from the search results that appear in the Search box on the taskbar.

• [Settings] New! The Delivery Optimization Settings page now matches the Windows 11 design. See Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options > Delivery Optimization.

• [Windows Share] New! This update removes the search box from the Windows Share window.

• [Lock screen] New! Media controls now show in the lower part of the lock screen at its center when media is playing.

• [Start menu] New! The "Sign out" option is now on the account manager when you open the Start menu. To change to a different user, select the ellipses (...). A list of other users appears to make it easier to switch.

Normal rollout

• [Microsoft Edge] It sometimes stops responding when you use IE mode.

• [Windows identity protection] Users no longer need to enter their credentials more than once for Outlook or another encrypted email app. A user will be prompted for their PIN one time only.

• [Copilot Pro subscription] New! You can now manage your Copilot Pro subscription in Settings. Sign in to your Microsoft account and go to Settings>Accounts.

• [Task Manager] It stops responding when you switch from a high contrast theme to a normal theme.

   

Known issues in this update

 

• Microsoft is not currently aware of any issues with this update.

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

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Here is the company's reasoning:

The Teams desktop client needs to be under a supported OS version. This is to ensure that users have the latest updates, capabilities, performance enhancements, security features, and service compatibility. A version that is too far out of date will become incompatible with the service and the Desktop client will be blocked until the OS is updated.

Starting October 15, 2024, the new Teams desktop client will show a banner with a prompt to update from an unsupported operating system to a newer release. This will affect customers with Windows 10 version 21H2 and older, Windows 10 and 11 LTSC (not Modern Lifecycle), and macOS 11. On macOS 12, the banner will show up one month later.

Teams will continue operating on unsupported operating systems, but not for long. On Windows 10 21H2 and older, it will cease operations on January 15, 2025. On Windows 10 and 11 LTSC, that will happen on August 15, 2025. As for macOS, the new Teams will stop working on macOS 11 on November 15, 2024, and on macOS 12 on March 15, 2025.

Launching the new Teams on unsupported operating systems will result in a blocking page with a requirement to update and a link to a support page describing the situation in more detail. You can find the full system requirements for the new Teams here.

Microsoft says IT Admins would "plan a regular OS update cadence" to avoid disruption. More information about the upcoming Teams compatibility changes can be found in MC898394 on the Admin Center.

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The feature, called "Privacy-Preserving Attribution" (PPA) and jointly developed with Meta (formerly Facebook), was announced in February 2022 and was automatically enabled in Firefox version 128, released in July.

NOYB's complaint claims that, despite its name, Mozilla uses the feature to track Firefox user behavior across websites.

"Contrary to its reassuring name, this technology allows Firefox to track user behavior on websites. In essence, the browser is now controlling the tracking, rather than individual websites," the privacy advocate group said.

"While this might be an improvement compared to even more invasive cookie tracking, the company never asked its users if they wanted to enable it. Instead, Mozilla decided to turn it on by default once people installed a recent software update."

According to NOYB, PPA enables Firefox to store data on users' ad interactions and bundle that information for advertisers. Mozilla claims this system enhances privacy by measuring ad performance without individual websites collecting personal data.

However, NOYB says that part of the tracking is done in Firefox, interfering with user rights under the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

"Mozilla has just bought into the narrative that the advertising industry has a right to track users by turning Firefox into an ad measurement tool," Felix Mikolasch, data protection lawyer at NOYB, added.

"While Mozilla may have had good intentions, it is very unlikely that 'privacy preserving attribution' will replace cookies and other tracking tools. It is just a new, additional means of tracking users."

In a July support document, Mozilla described PPA as a "non-invasive alternative to cross-site tracking," designed to help advertisers assess the effectiveness of their ads without sharing information on users' online behavior.

Mozilla also insists that PPA doesn't share browsing information with third parties, including the company itself, and that advertisers only receive aggregated data about ad performance.

"PPA does not involve websites tracking you. Instead, your browser is in control. This means strong privacy safeguards, including the option to not participate," Mozilla says. 

"PPA does not involve sending information about your browsing activities to anyone. This includes Mozilla and our DAP partner (ISRG). Advertisers only receive aggregate information that answers basic questions about the effectiveness of their advertising."

Firefox users can disable the PPA feature by opening the web browser's Privacy & Security settings and unchecking the option labeled "Allow websites to perform privacy-preserving ad measurement."

"There's no question we should have done more to engage outside voices in our efforts to improve advertising online, and we’re going to fix that going forward," a Mozilla spokesperson told Bleeping Computer on Wednesday.

"While the initial code for PPA was included in Firefox 128, it has not been activated and no end-user data has been recorded or sent.

"The current iteration of PPA is designed to be a limited test only on the Mozilla Developer Network website. We continue to believe PPA is an important step toward improving privacy on the internet and look forward to working with NOYB and others to clear up confusion about our approach."

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Here is the official changelog:

Added Features:

 

• Implemented button functionality in the permission prompt on the web UI2.

 

Improved Behavior:

 

• Fixed an issue where browser would crash when opening the Settings page on Xbox.
• Fixed an issue when signing in with both MSA and AAD, then signing out of an account, would cause browser to crash on iOS.
• Resolved an issue that caused a crash when activating Tab Center with existing groups.
• Resolved an issue where browser crashes after being open for a while.

 

Changed Behavior:

 

• Fixed an issue where the shortcut for the ‘Manage Favorites’ menu item on the favorites bar was incorrect.
• Fixed an issue where the Name property was not defined for all the checkboxes and the edit field on the Workspace internals page.
• Resolved an issue where the X button in the search box was not centered when focused using the Tab key in the favorite's hub.
• Fixed an issue where, after removing the search app from the sidebar, clicking on Visual Search did not open the Visual Search page.

 

iOS:

 

• Resolved an issue where the frame and background color became invisible when the page layout was set to Inspirational mode in dark mode on iOS.
• Resolved an issue when after clicking the share button of a downloaded file, a pop-up window appears in the wrong location on iOS.
• Resolved an issue where the Rewards page was unable to load an image on iOS.

 

Android:

 

• Fixed an issue where an exception occurred on the page when editing top sites in landscape mode on android.
• Fixed an issue where the title for most visited sites overlapped on android.
• Resolved an issue where keyboard focus does not navigate to the controls on the Extensions page on android.
• Resolved an issue where the top tab title bar color and the InPrivate tab group background color appeared abnormal on android.

Microsoft Edge Dev 130 is available on Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android. You can download it from the official Edge Insider website. Version 130 is expected in the Stable Channel on the week of October 17, 2024.

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