Apple's latest operating systems also have a sort of "Start menu" (it is called "App library") that lets you browse all the installed apps on your iPhone or iPad. The operating system presents them as a single list or automatically categorized groups like "Productivity," "Entertainment," "Finance," "Games," etc. Microsoft appears to be wanting a similar thing in Windows 11.

@PhantomOfEarth discovered that build 22635.3930 contains new feature IDs that allow you to enable the "Category" view. When turned on, it creates app groups of similar categories, giving customers an alternative way to keep their app lists tidy and well-organized. Sadly, although you can turn it on with the ViVeTool, the initial implementation in build 22635.3930 is raw and far from usable.

With the latest "Category" view, Windows 11's Start menu is poised to feature three alternative UIs for the "All apps" list. The first is the one we have in the Stable version right now (a vertical list in alphabetical order), the second is the new and now much-improved grid view, and the third is the one with categorized applications. Which one you like the most? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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To help organizations migrate from WMIC to PowerShell, Microsoft made WMIC a feature-on-demand (FoD) enabled by default. Windows 11 version 24H2, which is coming later this year, will arrive with WMIC disabled by default. Here is what you need to know about it.

For starters, Microsoft explained how to know that WMIC is missing. Executing a WMIC command on a system with missing, turned off, or uninstalled WMIC will result in the following CLI message:

‘wmic’ is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program, or batch file.

You can fix that error on Windows 11 by doing the following:

1. Go to Settings > System Optional features.
2. Click "View features" next to the "Add an optional feature" option.
3. Type WMIC into the search box and place a checkmark next to it in the result list.
4. Click "Next" to install WMIC in Windows 11.

Once everything is done, you will see WMIC in the list of installed optional features. From there, you can uninstall it whenever you want it.

Turning off WMIC in the next-gen Windows version is one of the final steps during the feature's deprecation. The next and final step is the complete removal of WMIC from future Windows client and server editions. For now, Microsoft does not know when WMIC will be gone for good, and its latest roadmap for WMIC still says the final step is "to be determined."

You can learn more about installing WMIC in a post on the Tech Community forums.

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Like it usually goes with known issues and other important notifications, Microsoft posted a note about the Windows Update Agent API troubles in the official documentation. According to the post, KB5039302 might cause problems with PowerShell or VBScript scripts that use the API, which would return an empty result when querying the properties of certain objects. As a result, users would receive error 0x8002802B "TYPE_E_ELEMENTNOTFOUND."

Microsoft says that the bug is affecting client versions of Windows 11, namely the most recent ones—22H2 and 23H2. Server editions are unaffected. It is also worth noting that error 0x8002802B should not worry organizations with Windows Automatic Updates or regular home users.

Microsoft mitigated the problem using the Known Issue Rollback feature. While most of the time, it can undo the damage without bothering users, in some cases, IT administrators have to apply special Group Policies to mitigate problems using Known Issue Rollback. That is the case with the 0x8002802B error. The necessary policy for fixing the bug is available here, and its application requires restarting affected devices and undoing changes that caused the issue.

This issue is resolved using Known Issue Rollback (KIR). IT administrators can resolve this issue by installing and configuring the special 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, versions 23H2 and 22H2 - Windows 11 22H2 KB5039302 240711_20301 Known Issue Rollback

You can find more information about the latest known bug in Windows 11's June 2024 non-security updates here.

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For those unfamiliar with the format, SVG stands for Scalable Vector Graphics. It allows for high-quality images that can scale without losing details while taking as little space as possible. SVG is a great format for the modern web (and other scenarios), but its handling needs some improvements.

While you can copy-paste SVG files from File Explorer to apps, say, PowerPoint, moving one to a web app is challenging, considering that legacy APIs for working with the clipboard do not support SVG. This forced developers and customers to use rather crude methods that would often make things harder. For example, copying raw SVG content using other apps, implementing special parsers, rendering SVG as static images, or creating special UIs for exporting SVG.

Modern Clipboard APIs handle clipboard events much better, and with Edge 124, they fully support SVG, allowing you to copy-paste scalable vector graphics files in more scenarios, such as app-to-web, web-to-web, or web-to-app.

Since Microsoft is one of the largest contributors to the Chromium project and the web overall, it spent time and effort to update the Clipboard API specification. It also contributed its SVG developments to the Chromium project. As a result, better SVG handling will be available in other browsers, such as Chrome, Opera, Vivaldi, and more. Microsoft did a similar thing with the improved text rendering earlier this year.

You can see a demo of the new SVG support in Microsoft Edge in the video below. The company also made a test page where you can try those improvements yourself.

More information about SVG support in Microsoft Edge 124 is available here.

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Here is the changelog:

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

 

Shared Content in File Explorer Home

 

File Explorer will now provide you with quick access to files that have been shared with you. If you are signed into Windows with your Microsoft account, you will be able to view files that have been shared with your account, such as email, Teams chat, etc. If you are a commercial customer who is signed-in with your Microsoft Entra ID account, you will additionally be able to view files that they have shared with others. You can access this feature by launching File Explorer Home and clicking on the ‘Shared’ tab item.

 

You will also be able to view a broader set of file types in their Recent, Favorites, and Shared sections on the homepage. For example, if you’ve recently opened/edited files in Designer, Loop, Power BI, Forms, etc. these files will now be available in your Recent list.

 

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Files Folders and Online Storage > File Explorer.

 

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

 

[Taskbar & System Tray]

 

• We are trying out a more simplified system tray to highlight the date/time in a shortened form and to show the notifications bell icon based on DND status. Without the notification bell icon, you can get to your notifications by clicking the date and time to Notification Center. You can revert to the long form of the date/time and bell icon visuals by toggling the values in the Settings via Settings > Date and Time under “Show time and day in the system tray” and Settings > System > Notifications under “Notifications”. These settings are also accessible through the context menu shown by right clicking the system tray clock/bell icon button.

• We’ve updated the previews that show when you mouse-over/hover over apps on the taskbar. We have also improved the animations for when these previews show on the taskbar based on Insider feedback.

• Updated the taskbar to now support first letter navigation, so when keyboard focus is set to the taskbar (WIN + T), you can press a letter, and it will jump to the open or pinned app whose name starts with that letter. Pressing the letter multiple times will jump to the subsequent app which starts with that letter, if there are multiple apps for that letter. For those using uncombined taskbar, rather than app name, the first letter navigation will use window name. Along with this, pressing Home and End will now move keyboard focus to the first and last (respectively) items in the taskbar.

 

[Windows Studio Effects]

 

• Windows Studio Effects delivers AI-based camera and audio enhancements on devices equipped with a Neural Processing Unit (NPU). Today, you can access Studio Effects in Quick Settings from the system tray of the taskbar. To further streamline your experience, an icon will now appear in the system tray when using any application with a Studio Effects-enabled camera. Simply click on this icon to launch the Studio Effects page in Quick Settings. Additionally, hovering over the icon will display a tooltip indicating which application is utilizing the camera.

[Windows Share]

 

• We are updating the UI in the Windows share window for sharing content to an Android device that began rolling out with Build 22635.3785. The option is also move to be under “Nearby Share” in the Windows share window. The feature requires you to pair your Android device to your Windows PC using the Link to Windows app on Android and Phone Link on your PC.

[Narrator]

 

• We have made several changes to improve the performance of Narrator scan mode. This is expected to make scan mode responses much quicker, especially while using Microsoft Edge, and reading through large documents. To try out scan mode, turn on Narrator first (Win key + Ctrl + Enter), and then turn scan mode ON by pressing Caps Lock + Spacebar during a Narrator session.

 

[Other]

 

• Updated System Info (msinfo32) to now follow your text size preference under Settings > Accessibility > Text Size.

 

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

 

[Start menu]

 

• Fixed an issue where the All apps list wasn’t being read out by screen readers in recent flights.
• Fixed an issue causing some apps to not be sorted correctly in the All apps list when using certain display languages.

 

[Taskbar & System Tray]

 

• Fixed an issue where keyboard focus might get lost when using Shift + Tab to move through the taskbar.

 

Fixes for everyone in the Beta Channel

 

[Taskbar & System Tray]

 

• We fixed the issue causing you not to be able to view or interact with the taskbar after you install KB5039302. This issue occurs on devices that run the Windows N edition. This edition is like other editions but lacks most media-related tools. The issue also occurs if you turn off “Media Features” from the Control Panel.

 

Known issues

 

[Taskbar & System Tray]

 

Insiders in the Beta Channel who have the more simplified system tray with shortened date/time may see the following known issues:

 

• [NEW] If the “Show notification icon” is greyed out under Settings > System > Notifications – just toggle “Notifications” off and back on again and it should no longer be greyed out.

 

[File Explorer]

 

Insiders in the Beta Channel with the updated Recent, Favorites, and Shared sections on the File Explorer homepage may see the following known issues:

 

• [NEW] Files shared with you may not appear if there has been no interaction with that file.
• [NEW] Keyboard focus may be lost on selection of an unselected tab item.
• [NEW] Narrator may not work as expected when navigating through the Recent, Favorites, and Shared tab items.

 

[Text input]

 

• We’re working on the fix for an issue causing text suggestions for the hardware keyboard to not work properly with the previous flight (selecting one unexpectedly concatenates).

 

[Widgets]

 

Insiders in the Beta Channel who have the new position for the Widgets entry-point on left-aligned taskbars may see the following known issues:

 

• Swipe invocation for Widgets may not work if taskbar is center-aligned instead of left-aligned.
• Unpinning Widgets from the taskbar may not work if taskbar is center-aligned instead of left-aligned.
• The Widgets board is incorrectly positioned when Copilot is in side-by-side mode.

You can check out the full blog post here.

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What you need to know

• Microsoft released Windows 11 Builds 22621.3951 and 22631.3951 to the Release Preview Channels this week.
• The builds include a few new features, including an option to duplicate a tab in File Explorer with a right-click shortcut.
• Following the update, it's possible to drag apps from the Pinned section of the Start menu to pin them to the taskbar.
• The update also includes several fixes and improvements.

Windows 11 has a few new features on the way that are now in testing among Windows Insiders in the Release Preview Channel. Windows 11 Builds 22621.3951 and 22631.3951 shipped this week, bringing a small handful of new features and a lengthy list of fixes and improvements.

File Explorer has a new shortcut through the right-click menu that will let you duplicate a tab. At the moment, right-clicking a tab in File Explorer shows options to close that tab, close other tabs, or close tabs the right of the one you right-clicked.

The taskbar also gained a new function, as it can now have apps pinned to it by dragging those apps from the Pinned section of the Start menu. The third new feature is only available in China, and it's a prompt to turn on Bluetooth and Wi-Fi when you enable Windows Share.

Some of the changes are rolling out gradually, so you may not see them yet even if your PC is on the latest Insider build of Windows 11. All three of the new features in this week's Release Preview builds are part of gradual rollouts.

Microsoft formatted its blog post for this build a bit differently than other similar posts. I've reformatted the company's change log below to make it a bit easier to read:

Windows 11 Builds 22621.3951 and 22631.3951: What's new

Notification for Windows Share in China

• For nearby sharing to work, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth must be on. If they are off when you turn on nearby sharing, Windows will ask you to allow them to be turned on. This feature might not be available to all users because it will roll out gradually.

File Explorer

• When you right-click a tab, you have the choice to duplicate it. This feature might not be available to all users because it will roll out gradually.

Start menu

• You can drag apps from the Pinned section of the menu and pin them to the taskbar. This feature might not be available to all users because it will roll out gradually.

Windows 11 Builds 22621.3951 and 22631.3951: Improvements and fixes

File Explorer

• Improves File Explorer reliability, by addressing multiple crashes and hangs. Also, addressed multiple other issues listed as follows. Fixes for these issues might not be available to all users because they will roll out gradually
  • File Explorer leaks memory leak when interacting with archive folders.
  • The spacing between your desktop icons unexpectedly may become extremely wide.
  • Starting a search from Home in File Explorer may unexpectedly show no results the first time you attempt a search.
  • The address bar dropdown appears unexpectedly sometimes while you are using File Explorer, for example when renaming a file.
  • After a DWM crash, when you open File Explorer it may just show a blank area on top instead of rending the area correctly.
  • File Explorer doesn’t react when using the back and forward buttons on a mouse while hovering over the Recommended Files section of Home.
  • The search box doesn’t show the correct folder name when you are in Gallery.
  • Pictures in File Explorer Gallery might flash or flicker when scrolling.
  • When using the save dialog, if you try to save a file to Gallery in File Explorer shows an error.

End Task

• Updated the logic for the “End Task” option in the taskbar so that it no longer shows a Not Responding dialog to give confirmation before ending the task. This option is available for users who have enabled End Task under Settings > System > For Developers.

FrameShutdownDelay

• The browser ignores its value in the “HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main” registry key.

Group Policy Preferences Item Level Targeting (ILT) and Local Users and Groups

• You cannot choose a group from the target domain for ILT. Also, you cannot choose an account from Local Users and Groups. The forest does not appear. This issue occurs when you deploy multiple forests, and the target domain has a one-way trust with the domain of the admin. This issue affects Enhanced Security Admin Environment (ESAE), Hardened Forests (HF), or Privileged Access Management (PAM) deployments.

Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCPIP)

• The issue causes high CPU usage and loss of packets. It also affects TCP connection success rates.

NetAdapterCx module

• A system stops responding when large amounts of data travel over Wi-Fi. This issue occurs on devices that have certain wireless network cards.

Universal Print clients

• They fail to communicate with the Universal Print service. This affects printing functions. This issue occurs when you turn on Web Proxy Auto Discovery (WPAD).

Print Support App

• When you use the app with a USB device, the app stops responding and does not print. This issue also limits the functions of the user interface.

Autopilot

• Using it to provision Surface Laptop SE devices fails.

Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC)

• A memory leak occurs that might exhaust system memory as time goes by. This issue occurs when you provision a device.
• WDAC fails to verify the policies of some apps.

Windows Kernel Vulnerable Driver Blocklist file (DriverSiPolicy.p7b)

• This update adds to the list of drivers that are at risk for Bring Your Own Vulnerable Driver (BYOVD) attacks.

Bluetooth

• You cannot put calls on hold from Bluetooth peripherals.

Windows Backup

• Backup sometimes fails. This occurs when a device has an Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) system partition (ESP).

Cache manager

• It might stop responding. This occurs when you use Hyperthreading on Windows Server 2022.

Here are the official release notes:

This is a patch release to fix issues in v0.82.0 we deemed important for stability based on incoming rates. See v0.82.0 for full release notes.

 

• #33504 - Fixed a crash when starting PowerToys Run on Windows 11 SV1 (build number 22000).
• #33622 - Fixed PowerToys Run appearing too bright on Windows 10.
• #33744 - Fixed the installation location of DSC files on user-scoped installations, causing winget configure to not work correctly with PowerToys.

In case you missed it, PowerToys 0.82 arrived a few weeks ago with mostly changes and improvements for existing modules, such as Advanced Paste (the new AI-based utility that came in version 0.81), Color Picker, PowerToys Run, and more. You can check out full release notes for PowerToys 0.82 in our dedicated coverage.

PowerToys is an open-source set of tools, which means everyone with the necessary skills can offer their ideas and modules to make the app more convenient for everyone. Some of the upcoming tools include the ability to customize the first week of the year and the first day of the week. Also, there may soon be a tool for making Windows 11's lackluster context menus much less inconvenient.

If you are still using Windows 11 version 21H2, note that it is on its way out. Microsoft recently confirmed that Windows 11 21H2 and 22H2 will be out of support in October 2024. That means those operating systems will stop receiving updates and security patches in less than 90 days. Therefore, it is time to move to something newer.

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The main topics covered are:

• Thunderbird Sync
• Exchange support
• Thunderbird 128's ESR label.
• Customization support

Note: It is not 100% clear when Thunderbird 128 will be released. Previous releases were first offered as standalone installers before they were being made available through the program's automatic updating system.

Thunderbird 128: four release channels

Going forward, Thunderbird 128 will be offered in four different versions. These are:

• Thunderbird Daily -- Updates daily with changes similar to Firefox Nightly.
• Thunderbird Beta -- Gets a major update every four weeks and smaller updates for testing before release to stable.
• Thunderbird Release -- The stable version of the email client. Gets major updates every four weeks.
• Thunderbird ESR -- The Extended Support Release version. Gets major updates once a year, minor updates and security updates regularly.

Thunderbird users who do not want to run development versions have the choice between Release and ESR. The main difference is that ESR is getting major changes once per year while Release once per month.

Thunderbird users who want stability over anything else may pick ESR, even though that means that new features will not be available for several releases.

Thunderbird Sync, Exchange support, and customizations

Thunderbird's development team is working on its own synchronization solution. It will likely not be available when Thunderbird 128 is released. The feature allows users to sync data between Thunderbird clients. This allows you, for example, to sync preferences and other customizations.

Regarding Exchange support is available as a pre-beta version. Most organizations and users may want to wait for a final release before they start using it.

Those who do not mind or want to test the functionality may consult the official Thunderbird Exchange support page. It reveals how to enable the functionality in Thunderbird.

In short:

1. Select Menu > Settings > General.
2. Click on Config Editor at the bottom of the page.
3. Search for experimental.mail.ews.enabled.
4. Activate the toggle icon to set the preference to True.
5. Restart Thunderbird.

Exchange accounts may now be added using Thunderbird's "add account" process.

Regarding customization support, the team says that userChrome customizations continue to be unsupported in Thunderbird 128. Some may break and may need to be adjusted.

Closing Words

Thunderbird 128 will be a major release. Most Thunderbird users may want to wait several months before they upgrade to the new version. This helps sort out any bugs that may pop up after release.

Do you use the open source email client or another product? What is your expectation regarding Thunderbird 128? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

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Developers of the Arc browser claim Arc Max was one of the most highly requested features. With Arc Max, Windows 11 users can organize their tabs with a single click (just hit that "Tidy" button to make things sorted out) and ask questions about the current web page using the Ctrl + F shortcut. Press it and then ask the AI for additional information.

Who hasn’t been to a recipe page that tells you about their family history spanning generations about banana bread? Don’t tell us you’ve never visited a restaurant’s website only to leave without finding information about their closing hours.

To help you with everyday tasks, Arc Max focuses on making small improvements, adding up to a better browsing experience.

Arc Max features are optional, so if you do not want them, the browser lets you turn them off in settings.

Other changes in Arc 1.10.0 for Windows 11 include the ability to rearrange tab spaces (separate collections of tabs, which you can create by clicking the button with a plus icon), skip/rewind controls in Picture-in-Picture, a fix for non-persisting settings across restarts, and a cleaner UI for the Command Bar (that annoying scroll bar is finally gone).

You can check out the full release notes for Arc 1.10.0 here. If you are curious about giving Arc a spin, head to the official website to download it for free. Just keep in mind that as of right now, Arc is only available on Windows 11, but developers are working on bringing it to Windows 10 as well.

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Windows 11 build 26100.1165 is available for x86 and ARM64. The first option is for customers with Intel or AMD-based computers, and the second option is for people rocking Windows PCs with Qualcomm Snapdragon or Microsoft SQ processors (Macs with Apple Silicon chips are also supported).

You can download Windows 11 build 26100.1165 x86 ISO here. VHDX images for ARM-based devices are available here. Keep in mind that Windows 11 preview images still require activation with a genuine license key of a matching SKU. The only official Windows images that do not require activation are Microsoft's official virtual machines, also known as the Windows Developer Environment. You can get those here, but note that those will expire soon. The timebomb is set to July 15, plus Microsoft will remove some of the prebuilt virtual machines on that day due to "ongoing technical issues."

It is worth noting that Windows 11 version 24H2 is already available to some users. Customers with Copilot+ PCs (those powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon X processors) are now running 24H2. Those with Intel or AMD-based computers will get the update in a few months, most likely in September or October. And with Windows 11 24H2 getting nigh, Microsoft is preparing to drop Windows 11 versions 21H2 and 22H2—they will be out of support and stop receiving updates in less than 90 days.

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The full changelog is given below:

For Windows Insiders on Windows 10 in the Beta Channel, we’re beginning to roll out the following improvements

[Search on the Taskbar]

 

• We are beginning to roll out a fix where you will see search box on your secondary monitors when the setting for search on the taskbar is set to “Search box”.

Insiders in the Beta Channel on Windows 10 who want to be the first to get features gradually rolled out to you can turn ON the toggle to get the latest updates as they are available via Settings > Updated & Security > Windows Update. Over time, we will increase the rollouts of features to everyone with the toggle turned on. Should you keep this toggle off, new features will gradually be rolled out to your device over time once they are ready.

This update includes the following features and improvements for Windows Insiders in BOTH the Beta and Release Preview Channels

Items bolded in brackets indicate the area of the change being documented:

 

• [FrameShutdownDelay] The browser ignores its value in the “HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main” registry key.

• [Wi-Fi Protected Access 3 (WPA3)] In the Group Policy editor, HTML preview rendering fails.

• [Group Policy Preferences Item Level Targeting (ILT) and Local Users and Groups] You cannot choose a group from the target domain for ILT. Also, you cannot choose an account from Local Users and Groups. The forest does not appear. This issue occurs when you deploy multiple forests, and the target domain has a one-way trust with the domain of the admin. This issue affects Enhanced Security Admin Environment (ESAE), Hardened Forests (HF), or Privileged Access Management (PAM) deployments.

• [Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)] The TCP send code often causes a system to stop responding during routine tasks, such as file transfers. This issue leads to an extended send loop.

• [Print Support App] When you use the app with a USB device, the app stops responding and does not print. This issue also limits the functions of the user interface.

• [Universal Print clients] They fail to communicate with the Universal Print service. This affects printing functions. This issue occurs when you turn on Web Proxy Auto Discovery (WPAD).

• [Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC)]
  • This update prevents a stop error that occurs when you apply more than 32 policies.
  • A memory leak occurs that might exhaust system memory as time goes by. This issue occurs when you provision a device.
  • WDAC fails to verify the policies of some apps.
• [Windows Kernel Vulnerable Driver Blocklist file (DriverSiPolicy.p7b)] This update adds to the list of drivers that are at risk for Bring Your Own Vulnerable Driver (BYOVD) attacks.

• [Windows Backup] Backup sometimes fails. This occurs when a device has an Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) system partition (ESP).

• [DHCP Option 235 (known issue)] Some Windows devices use this option to find Microsoft Connected Cache (MCC) nodes in their network. But you might not be able to use these nodes when you find them. Instead, these devices download updates and apps from the public internet. Because of this, download traffic increases.

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

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You can check out the changelog below. Note that anything listed with an asterisk is gradually being rolled out.

[Notification for Windows Share in China] * New! For nearby sharing to work, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth must be on. If they are off when you turn on nearby sharing, Windows will ask you to allow them to be turned on. This feature might not be available to all users because it will roll out gradually.

 

[File Explorer] * New! When you right-click a tab, you have the choice to duplicate it. This feature might not be available to all users because it will roll out gradually.

 

[Start menu] * New! You can drag apps from the Pinned section of the menu and pin them to the taskbar. This feature might not be available to all users because it will roll out gradually.

 

[File Explorer] * Improves File Explorer reliability, by addressing multiple crashes and hangs. Also, addressed multiple other issues listed as follows. Fixes for these issues might not be available to all users because they will roll out gradually:

 

• File Explorer leaks memory leak when interacting with archive folders.
• The spacing between your desktop icons unexpectedly may become extremely wide.
• Starting a search from Home in File Explorer may unexpectedly show no results the first time you attempt a search.
• The address bar dropdown appears unexpectedly sometimes while you are using File Explorer, for example when renaming a file.
• After a DWM crash, when you open File Explorer it may just show a blank area on top instead of rending the area correctly.
• File Explorer doesn’t react when using the back and forward buttons on a mouse while hovering over the Recommended Files section of Home.
• The search box doesn’t show the correct folder name when you are in Gallery.
• Pictures in File Explorer Gallery might flash or flicker when scrolling.
• When using the save dialog, if you try to save a file to Gallery in File Explorer shows an error.

 

[End Task] * Updated the logic for the “End Task” option in the taskbar so that it no longer shows a Not Responding dialog to give confirmation before ending the task. This option is available for users who have enabled End Task under Settings > System > For Developers.

 

[FrameShutdownDelay] The browser ignores its value in the “HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main” registry key.

 

[Group Policy Preferences Item Level Targeting (ILT) and Local Users and Groups] You cannot choose a group from the target domain for ILT. Also, you cannot choose an account from Local Users and Groups. The forest does not appear. This issue occurs when you deploy multiple forests, and the target domain has a one-way trust with the domain of the admin. This issue affects Enhanced Security Admin Environment (ESAE), Hardened Forests (HF), or Privileged Access Management (PAM) deployments.

 

[Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCPIP)] The issue causes high CPU usage and loss of packets. It also affects TCP connection success rates.

 

[NetAdapterCx module] A system stops responding when large amounts of data travel over Wi-Fi. This issue occurs on devices that have certain wireless network cards.

 

[Universal Print clients] They fail to communicate with the Universal Print service. This affects printing functions. This issue occurs when you turn on Web Proxy Auto Discovery (WPAD).

 

[Print Support App] When you use the app with a USB device, the app stops responding and does not print. This issue also limits the functions of the user interface.

 

[Autopilot] Using it to provision Surface Laptop SE devices fails.

 

[Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC)]

 

• A memory leak occurs that might exhaust system memory as time goes by. This issue occurs when you provision a device.
• WDAC fails to verify the policies of some apps.

 

[Windows Kernel Vulnerable Driver Blocklist file (DriverSiPolicy.p7b)] This update adds to the list of drivers that are at risk for Bring Your Own Vulnerable Driver (BYOVD) attacks.

 

[Bluetooth] You cannot put calls on hold from Bluetooth peripherals.

 

[Windows Backup] Backup sometimes fails. This occurs when a device has an Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) system partition (ESP).

 

[Cache manager] It might stop responding. This occurs when you use Hyperthreading on Windows Server 2022.

You can check out the full blog post here.

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Added Features:

 

• Added keyboard focus functionality for the hide button for autofill.

 

Improved Reliability:

 

• Resolved an issue causing a crash when restoring tabs from a workspace on Android.
• Fixed a tab crash on iOS that occurred during a change in sync status.
• Fixed an issue where the browser would crash upon selecting 'Join now and activate cash back' if not signed into the MSA account on iOS.

 

Changed Behavior:

 

• Resolved an issue where the extensions menu did not utilize high contrast hover states.
• Fixed an issue where the bottom corner of the side pane appeared to bleed on hover
• Fixed an issue where the auto-open toggle failed to save the user’s initial change.
• Fixed an issue where the ‘Sign in to sync data’ button remained visible in the ‘Tabs from other devices’ menu after MSA login.
• Resolved an issue where two address bars were displayed.
• Resolved an issue where, after deleting some tab groups, all tab groups were listed as currently open.
• Resolved an issue when deleting search results also removed unrelated history records.
• Resolved an issue where the screen reader remained silent upon invoking the Undo button.
• Linux: Resolved an issue with incorrect spacing in the Linux title bar.

 

Android:

 

• Resolved an issue where the URL displayed as ‘chrome-native://new tab/’ on the feedback page for NTP on android.
• Resolved an issue where there was no response after clicking the settings button in Global Speed extension on android.

Microsoft Edge Dev 128.0.2690.1 is available on Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android. You can download it here and run it side-by-side with the Stable release or other preview channels. Version 128 will be available in the Stable channel on the week of August 22, 2024.

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Changes and Improvements

 

[Lock screen]

 

We’re beginning to roll out Weather and more to your lock screen starting with this build in the Canary Channel. Stay informed and efficient with dynamic updates that bring finance, traffic, and sports to your Lock screen, alongside weather. The card design has been improved with acrylic blur, card size, spacing, and font optimizations. To turn on this feature, go to Settings > Personalization > Lock screen. To learn more, see Personalize your lock screen.

 

[Start menu]

 

You can now also pin apps from the Start menu to the taskbar by dragging and dropping items directly to taskbar from the pinned section in the Start menu.

 

[Settings]

 

• Evaluation copy expiry date information is now visible under Settings > System > About.

  

• We are beginning to roll out a new energy recommendation for turning off HDR to conserve energy on PCs with HDR displays under Settings > Power & battery > Energy recommendations.

  

Fixes

 

[Input]

 

Fixed an issue causing Insiders to see errors when attempting to use Voice Typing with certain languages such as Chinese.

 

Fixed an issue where if you went through Windows Setup (OOBE), pinyin would be unexpectedly displayed twice in the list of available input methods.

 

[Task Manager]

 

Fixed an issue causing colors in the Performance section to not display correctly in dark mode.

 

[Settings]

 

• Fixed an issue causing the icons in Settings > Apps > Startup too be way too large for the available space for some users, causing them to be cut off.
• Fixed an issue where Settings > System > Power & Battery unexpectedly had duplicate text when showing a warning about a slow charger.
• Fixed an issue where the Windows Update page in Settings was not displayed correctly for some Insiders after the previous flight (no text shows). If you are impacted by this, the update to this build with the fix should still happen on its own, however you may need to wait a little bit.

Knows bugs in today's update include the following:

[General]

 

[IMPORTANT NOTE] We are investigating reports that some Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev Channels are stuck on Build 26040 or Build 23620. The investigation is ongoing, however if you are impacted by this and really want to get onto the latest build in the Canary or Dev Channel today – you can download the latest ISO here and do a clean install and opt your device back into flighting in the Canary or Dev Channels.

You can learn more about build 26252 in the official blog.

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Besides those, Microsoft also quietly made an update to a major issue that has been plaguing Windows 10 and 11 users for a long while. The company had issued Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) updates KB5034441 (on Windows 10) and KB5034440 (on Windows 11) to address a Secure Boot bypass vulnerability CVE-2024-20666. These are different from the WinRE update Microsoft published earlier this week for Windows 11 24H2 under KB5041137.

However, it would lead to "0x80070643 - ERROR_INSTALL_FAILURE" error message and from time to time, the company has updated it. In March, it released a tweaked PowerShell script and added that users without a WinRE partition do not need the update.

In May, Microsoft acknowledged that an automatic fix was not possible for this and users would need to manually update it.

The company has now updated it again and has published a detailed step-by-step guide on how to determine whether a user needs the update.

KB5034440: Windows Recovery Environment update for Windows 11, version 21H2

IMPORTANT This update is not needed and will not be offered if your Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) meets any of the following conditions:

 

• If the WinRE recovery partition does not have sufficient free space.
• If the WinRE recovery partition was manually updated by using the procedure in Add an update package to Windows RE and is already up to date.
• If the WinRE image has a version greater than or equal to version 10.0.22000.2710. To determine the version of your WinRE image, check the WinREVersion registry value at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion.
• If your running PC does not have a WinRE recovery partition. To verify if you have WinRE enabled, run the following command in an elevated command prompt: reagentc /info. If WinRE is enabled, you will see Windows RE status in the output with a value of Enabled. In this scenario, this update might be needed.

 

---

KB5034441: Windows Recovery Environment update for Windows 10, version 21H2 and 22H2

IMPORTANT This update is not needed and will not be offered if your Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) meets any of the following conditions:

 

• If the WinRE recovery partition does not have sufficient free space.
• If the WinRE recovery partition was manually updated by using the procedure in Add an update package to Windows RE and is already up to date.
• If the WinRE image has a version greater than or equal to version 10.0.19041.3920. To determine the version of your WinRE image, check the WinREVersion registry value at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion.
• If your running PC does not have a WinRE recovery partition. To verify if you have WinRE enabled, run the following command in an elevated command prompt: reagentc /info. If WinRE is enabled, you will see Windows RE status in the output with a value of Enabled. In this scenario, this update might be needed.

A separate note has also been added talking about increasing the free space size of the recovery partition by 250 MB that is necessary for installing the update:

NOTE This update requires 250 MB of free space in the recovery partition to install successfully.

 

If you would like to make sure your device is offered this update, please follow the Instructions to manually resize your partition or use a sample script to increase the size of the WinRE recovery partition.

 

Once your partition has sufficient disk space, click Start > Settings > Windows Update > Check for updates to have the update offered to you and then install it.

You may find more details on Microsoft's official support documents linked down at the source below.

Source: Microsoft (1, 2)

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Here are the release notes:

Gaming Highlights:

 

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

 

• Once Human
• Zenless Zone Zero

 

Game performance improvements on Intel Arc A-Series Graphics Products versus Intel 31.0.101.5594 software driver for:

 

• Diablo IV (DX12) o Up to 30% average FPS uplift at 1080p with Ray Tracing Ultra settings
• Up to 35% average FPS uplift at 1440p with Ray Tracing Ultra settings

Fixed issues in driver 32.0.101.5762 include the following:

Intel Arc A-Series Graphics Products:

 

• Plant vs. Zombies Game of the Year Edition may experience lower than expected performance with 3D acceleration enabled.

 

Intel Core Ultra with built-in Intel Arc GPUs:

 

• Launching a game with Endurance Gaming engaged may result in VSync persisting on after disengaging Endurance Gaming during gameplay.
• Plant vs. Zombies Game of the Year Edition may experience lower than expected performance with 3D acceleration enabled.

You can install driver 31.0.101.5762 if your computer runs 64-bit Windows 10 or 11 with one of the following graphics products from Intel:

Download the Intel 31.0.101.5762 non-WHQL driver here. Full release notes are available here (PDF).

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Highlights

• This update addresses security issues for your Windows operating system.

Improvements

This security update includes improvements that were a part of update KB5039304 (released June 28, 2024). Below is a summary of the key issues that this update addresses when you install this KB. If there are new features, it lists them as well.

 

• Windows Installer. When it repairs an application, the User Account Control (UAC) does not prompt for your credentials. After you install this update, the UAC will prompt for them. Because of this, you might have to update your automation scripts. Do this by adding the Shield icon. It indicates that the process requires full administrator access. To turn off the UAC prompt, set the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Installer\DisableLUAInRepair registry value to 1. For more information, see:

   

  • Application Resiliency: Unlock the Hidden Features of Windows Installer

  • Machine Policies - Win32 apps

     

• Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service (RADIUS) protocol. This issue is related to MD5 collisions. For more information, see KB5040268.

   

If you installed earlier updates, only the new updates contained in this package will be downloaded and installed on your device.

 

For more information about security vulnerabilities, please refer to the Security Update Guide website and the July 2024 Security Updates.

Windows 11 servicing stack update (KB5039333)- 26100.998

This update makes quality improvements to the servicing stack, which is the component that installs Windows updates. Servicing stack updates (SSU) ensure that you have a robust and reliable servicing stack so that your devices can receive and install Microsoft updates.

Known issues in this update

If you would like to install this update on an offline machine, you can download it from Microsoft Catalog. If you have an internet connection it will be available over Windows Update.

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It all started when Microsoft veteran Dave W Plummer posted images of his "Special Edition" copy of Windows 95.

The post caught Silverberg's attention who responded to it and revealed that he has the first copy of Windows 95 from the production line.

I have the first copy on Windows 95 that came off the production line.

 

I've kept very few mementos from my years at Microsoft. But I kept that one. Priceless.

Silverberg then posted some images of the Windows 95 copy upon request from a Windows fan. Along with the Windows 95 copy was a letter congratulating Silverberg and saying:

This is the first Windows 95 unit ever made. It was produced Friday afternoon, July 14, 1995 at 5:15 PM. Enjoy!

 

July 14 was the date when Windows 95 was released to manufacturing (RTM), followed by its retail availability on August 24, 1995. It was the time when cloud installs didn't exist and Microsoft shipped Windows 95 in multiple floppy disks, evident from the floppy icon printed on Silverberg's copy.

The legacy operating system was a major milestone in Microsoft's history as it unified MS-DOS and Windows products, transitioned from 16-bit to 32-bit architecture, and introduced a number of improvements over Windows 3.0/3.1.

Microsoft's new corporate logo introduced in 2012 also finds its roots in commercials of the old operating system. However, Windows 95 might not induce much nostalgia in modern teenagers, some of them posted their reactions publicly as they struggled to use it.

Windows 95 revolutionized desktop computing but over the decades dedicated fans have managed to install the legacy operating system on other devices. We have seen Windows 95 finding a home in a myriad of places, including an iPad, web browser, Apple Watch, and Xbox One.

And who knew Apple indirectly played a small part in Windows 95's story? Its famous startup sound was produced by ambient music composer Brian Eno on an Apple Macintosh machine. A few years ago, Microsoft celebrated its golden days by giving away Windows 95-themed "Ugly" sweaters.

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Here's what's new:

23H2 and 22H2

Highlights

Below is a summary of the key issues that this update addresses when you install this KB. If there are new features, it lists them as well.

 

• Taskbar (known issue) You might not be able to view or interact with the taskbar after you install KB5039302. This issue occurs on devices that run the Windows N edition. This edition is like other editions but lacks most media-related tools. The issue also occurs if you turn off “Media Features” from the Control Panel.

Improvements

Windows 11, version 23H2

 

Important: Use EKB KB5027397 to update to Windows 11, version 23H2.

 

This security update includes quality improvements. Key changes include:

 

• This build includes all the improvements in Windows 11, version 22H2.

• No additional issues are documented for this release.

   

Windows 11, version 22H2

 

This security update includes improvements that were a part of update KB5039302 (released June 25, 2024). Below is a summary of the key issues that this update addresses when you install this KB. If there are new features, it lists them as well.

 

• Windows Installer. When it repairs an application, the User Account Control (UAC) does not prompt for your credentials. After you install this update, the UAC will prompt for them. Because of this, you might have to update your automation scripts. Do this by adding the Shield icon. It indicates that the process requires full administrator access. To turn off the UAC prompt, set the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Installer\DisableLUAInRepair registry value to 1. For more information, see:

   

  • Application Resiliency: Unlock the Hidden Features of Windows Installer

  • Machine Policies - Win32 apps

     

• Remote Desktop MultiPoint Server. A race condition causes the service to stop responding.

   

• Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service (RADIUS) protocol. This issue is related to MD5 collisions. For more information, see KB5040268.

   

If you installed earlier updates, only the new updates contained in this package will be downloaded and installed on your device.

 

For more information about security vulnerabilities, please refer to the Security Update Guide website and the July 2024 Security Updates.

Windows 11 servicing stack update (KB5039338) - 22621.3801 and 22631.3801

This update makes quality improvements to the servicing stack, which is the component that installs Windows updates. Servicing stack updates (SSU) ensure that you have a robust and reliable servicing stack so that your devices can receive and install Microsoft updates.

Known issues in this update

21H2

Highlights

• This update addresses security issues for your Windows operating system.

   

Improvements

This security update includes improvements. Below is a summary of the key issues that this update addresses when you install this KB. If there are new features, it lists them as well.

 

• Windows Installer. When it repairs an application, the User Account Control (UAC) does not prompt for your credentials. After you install this update, the UAC will prompt for them. Because of this, you might have to update your automation scripts. Do this by adding the Shield icon. It indicates that the process requires full administrator access. To turn off the UAC prompt, set the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Installer\DisableLUAInRepair registry value to 1. For more information, see:

   

  • Application Resiliency: Unlock the Hidden Features of Windows Installer

  • Machine Policies - Win32 apps

     

• Republic of Turkey name. The new, official name is the Republic of Türkiye.

• Input Method Editor (IME). The candidate list fails to show or shows in the wrong position.

• Country and Operator Settings Asset (COSA). This update brings profiles up to date for certain mobile operators.

• Remote Desktop MultiPoint Server. A race condition causes the service to stop responding.

• Windows Local Administrator Password Solution (LAPS). Its Post Authentication Actions (PAA) do not occur at the end of the grace period. Instead, they occur at restart.

• Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service (RADIUS) protocol. This issue is related to MD5 collisions. For more information, see KB5040268.

   

If you installed earlier updates, only the new updates contained in this package will be downloaded and installed on your device.

 

For more information about security vulnerabilities, please refer to the Security Update Guide website and the July 2024 Security Updates.

Windows 11 servicing stack update (KB5040572) - 22000.3070

This update makes quality improvements to the servicing stack, which is the component that installs Windows updates. Servicing stack updates (SSU) ensure that you have a robust and reliable servicing stack so that your devices can receive and install Microsoft updates.

Known issues in this update

These updates will be available from Windows Update and should install automatically in most cases. If you would like to download these updates for offline installation, you can get them from the Microsoft Catalog website. You can find the updates for 23H2 and 22H2 here and the update for 21H2 here.

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The problem with the taskbar mostly haunted customers of Windows N (a special SKU with certain media features disabled by default) and other editions with "Media Features" disabled in the Control Panel. In the official release notes for KB5040442, Windows 11's July 2024 Patch Tuesday updates, Microsoft confirmed that the taskbar should be working again. Here is what the company said:

Taskbar (known issue) You might not be able to view or interact with the taskbar after you install KB5039302. This issue occurs on devices that run the Windows N edition. This edition is like other editions but lacks most media-related tools. The issue also occurs if you turn off “Media Features” from the Control Panel.

KB5040442 is a mandatory update since it contains important security updates. That means your system will download and install it without asking for permission. However, you can speed things up by heading to Settings > Windows Update and clicking "Check for updates." Alternatively, go to the Microsoft Update Catalog and download an offline install package.

There is still one known issue that Microsoft has to resolve. In Windows 11 versions 22H2 and 23H2, enterprise users cannot update from Pro to Enterprise edition even with a valid license. Microsoft is working on a fix for that.

In case you missed it, Microsoft recently issued a reminder that Windows 11 versions 21H2 and 22H2 would reach their end of support in less than 90 days. Customers sticking to those versions will be force-updated to version 23H2, which is currently the most recent Windows 11 release.

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The major highlight of the release is security patches.

Highlights

 

• This update addresses security issues for your Windows operating system.

After a couple of weeks without any, known issues are back:

Known issues in this update

Some of the older Windows 10 versions have also received updates today, which have been listed below with their respective release notes (KB) linked as well as links to download them at Microsoft's Update Catalog:

It is noteworthy here that Windows 10 20H2 and Windows 10 1909 reached the end of servicing. Non-LTSC editions of 21H2 have also reached the end of servicing.

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It is worth noting that Firefox 128.0 is available not only in the Release channel but also in the ESR channel, where major updates land every 42 weeks. However, Firefox 128.0 is optional, and users can continue using version 115 until at least September 2024.

What is new in Firefox 128?

Here are the official release notes for Firefox 128.0:

New features:

 

• Firefox can now translate selections of text and hyperlinked text to other languages from the context menu.

  

• For users in the US and Canada, Firefox will now show your recent searches or currently trending searches when you open the Address Bar to get you back to your previous search session or inspire your next one.

  

• Firefox now has a simpler and more unified dialog for clearing user data. In addition to streamlining data categories, the new dialog also provides insights into the site data size corresponding to the selected time range.

  

• Firefox now supports playback of protected content from streaming sites like Netflix while in Private Browsing mode.

• Firefox now supports the experimental Privacy Preserving Attribution API, which provides an alternative to user tracking for ad attribution. This experiment is only enabled via origin trial and can be disabled in the new Website Advertising Preferences section in the Privacy and Security settings.

• On macOS, microphone capture through getUserMedia will now use system-provided voice processing when applicable, improving audio quality.

• Firefox is now available in the Saraiki (skr) language.

   

Fixed:

 

• Firefox now proxies DNS by default when using SOCKS v5, avoiding leaking DNS queries to the network when using SOCKS v5 proxies.

• Various security fixes.

   

Changed:

 

• Firefox now supports rendering more text/* file types inline, rather than requiring them to be downloaded to be viewed.
• The root certificate used to verify add-ons and signed content has been renewed to avoid upcoming expiration.

Enterprise changes in Firefox 128 are available here, and Developer Information is here.

You can install Firefox 128 by clicking Menu > Help > About Firefox or downloading its installer from the official website (also available in the Microsoft Store).

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Unfortunately, unlike regular Game Ready Drivers, version 475.14 will not make your games or GPU run better. This is a security-only release, which aims to patch some critical security issues. There are no optimizations for new games, no new features, and no bug fixes. Also, this driver is not WHQL-certified since it targets now-unsupported Windows versions, which no longer accept WHQL submissions. If you want to get that, update your graphics card and/or Windows versions.

Here is the changelog for Nvidia 475.14:

NVIDIA has released a software security update display driver for GeForce GPUs to be used with Windows 7/8.x which is no longer supported by Game Ready Drivers. Effective October 2021, Game Ready Driver upgrades, including performance enhancements, new features, and bug fixes, are exclusively available for systems utilizing Windows 10 and Window 11 as their operating system. Critical security updates will be available on systems utilizing Windows 7 through September 2024.

For now, there is no information on what exactly driver 475.14 improves. Nvidia will add details to its Security Bulletin once more users get the latest release:

See Security Bulletin: NVIDIA GPU Display Driver – July 2024, which is posted shortly after the release date of this software, and will be posted on the NVIDIA Product Security page.

 

This display driver is not WHQL certified because Microsoft no longer accepts driver submissions for WHQL certification on Windows 7. For information about installing this driver, see the NVIDIA knowledge base article Changes to the display driver installation process under Microsoft Windows 7

Kepler-based graphics cards include the Nvidia GTX 700 Series and the Nvidia GTX 600 Series. GTX 900 and newer are still supported, so owners of those cards can use the latest Game Ready driver (on 64-bit Windows 10 and 11) with optimizations, fixes, and new features.

You can download Nvidia 475.14 from the official website. Full release notes are available here.

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Microsoft deemed CPUs, even a few years older, like the Ryzen 1000 series or Intel 7th Gen CPUs, as incompatible or ineligible to run Windows 11. Microsoft stated that features like VBS (virtualization-based security) would lead to more performance loss on processors without a feature called MBEC (Mode-based execution control). Thus, even some of the relatively newish CPUs also ended up in the not-compatible list.

To help users determine whether their chips were supported or not, Microsoft released the PC Health Check app. However, the utility was far from perfect, as it even gave a Pentium 4 a thumbs up.

A third-party app called WhyNotWin11 was released by GitHub user Robert C. Maehl, and it was mostly free from such inconsistencies.

The app received a new update earlier today, and it now supports new processors. Over time, both AMD and Intel have released new CPUs that Microsoft has added to the supported CPU list. The last update to its list was done earlier this year in March.

Aside from an updated processor list, the new release also fixes a bug related to WMIC ( Windows Management Instrumentation Command-line) for Intel CPUs. If you are wondering, WMIC can provide SMBIOS (system management BIOS) details from Windows itself.

The full changelog for WhyNotWin11 version 2.6.1.0 is given below:

2.6.1.0 comes with the following changes:

 

• Updates Processor List
• Fixes Intel Processors WMIC Values
• Minor Graphical Layout Improvements
• Added Exception for "RDP Display Adapters"
• Reduces FileWrite calls when Outputting Results
• Adds Ability to Skip Specific Checks using /skip or /sc
• Improve Feature Update Compatibility Results on Windows 11

You can download the app from this page on its official GitHub repo

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It is worth noting that Windows 11 21H2 is already out of support for regular consumers. The only versions still getting updates are Enterprise, Education, and IoT Enterprise. As for version 22H2, Microsoft will stop updating Home and Pro editions.

On October 8, 2024, Windows 11, version 21H2 (Enterprise, Education, and IoT Enterprise editions) and Windows 11, version 22H2 (Home and Pro editions) will reach end of servicing. The upcoming October 2024 security update, to be released on October 8, 2024, will be the last update available for these editions. After this date, devices running these editions will no longer receive monthly security and preview updates containing protections from the latest security threats.

The end of support for Windows 11 versions 21H2 and 22H2 also means that users with non-managed devices will be updated to version 23H2 automatically to remain in the supported state.

To help keep you protected and productive, Windows Update will automatically initiate a feature update for Windows 11 business devices not managed by IT departments when these are nearing end of servicing. Moving to Windows 11, version 23H2 keeps your device supported and receiving monthly updates that are critical to security and ecosystem health.

Windows 11 version 23H2 is currently Microsoft's latest release, with the end of support scheduled for November 11, 2025. Although Windows 11 version 24H2 is technically out on Copilot+ PCs, Microsoft has yet to add it to the official Windows Lifecycle documentation.

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