Undeterred by much of that, Microsoft published its guidance for enterprises and organisations earlier this year in March. It offered a basic timeline for the things to come.

Apparently, in a post in the Microsoft 365 message center, much more details regarding the retirement of legacy Outlook clients and web browsers had been published. The phasing out will seemingly begin in July 2024 and August 2024 and continue till October.

The post seems quite useful as well the retired version numbers has been given.

Starting mid-July 2024, legacy Outlook clients will be retired, affecting users with outdated versions on iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows Mail and Calendar applications. From mid-August, outdated browsers will receive an error on Outlook web. Users must update to the latest versions for continued functionality and support.

 

Starting in mid-July, for organizations that use vanity domains and their users are on the following version of clients they will experience functionality diminishing:

 

• Outlook for iOS versions prior to 4.2411,
• Outlook for Android versions before 4.2342,
• Outlook for Mac versions older than 16.73
• Windows Mail and Calendar applications

 

We encourage users to switch to the new Outlook for Windows, and update to the newest versions of Outlook on iOS, Android, and Mac. Our ongoing development efforts and advanced security measures will be focused on these updated platforms.

 

Starting in mid-August, for Outlook on the web and Outlook.com:

 

• If users are using an old browser, they will receive an error page, and prompt to get the newer version of browser to continue using Outlook on the web.
  • Internet Explorer
  • Microsoft Edge Legacy
  • New Microsoft Edge
  • Chrome
  • Safari
  • Mozilla Firefox
  • Opera
• The light version of Outlook on the web will also be retired.

In addition to that, there is a separate section explaining when and how the upcoming changes will take place and how it will affect organizations:

When this will happen:

 

For Outlook iOS, Android, Mac and Windows Mail and Calendar Application, we’ll be gradually rolling this out to customers in mid-July 2024, and the roll out will be completed by late September 2024.

 

For Outlook on the web, we’ll be gradually rolling this out to customers in mid-August 2024, and the roll out will be completed by late October 2024.

 

How this will affect your organization:

 

Once this change has rolled out legacy Outlook clients will no longer be supported.

 

For Outlook iOS, Android, Mac and Windows Mail and Calendar Application, users will no longer be able to send or receive new emails when this change is applied.

 

For Outlook on the web, IsOptimizedForAccessibility parameter will no longer be supported in Set-CASMailbox Cmdlet for Exchange Online User. Outlook on the Web latest supports all the accessibility features. We will no longer redirect to OWA light via this configuration. If users are still on the older browsers, they will see an error page.

 

What you need to do to prepare:

 

We recommend you upgrade your clients from legacy Outlook clients to the latest version of Outlook clients for the latest features and security protections.

You can find this information on M365 admin website (spotted by Borncity) though note that this is not an official Microsoft site.

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Now, a few months after the new Notepad features were made available for Insider testers, Tom's Hardware is reporting that the spellchecking and autocorrect features are beginning to roll out to mainstream users of the app on Windows 11.

Microsoft has, at the time of this writing, not made any official announcements about the new version of Notepad. It's possible the company may be waiting for the app update to roll out to more users before revealing it in a blog post or social media message.

As with other spellchecking features in text apps, the new features on Notepad for Windows 11 will show red colored lines under words which the spellchecker feature detects as possibly being incorrect. The app also can show autocorrect options for those misspelled words.

Tom's Hardware indicates that the new spellchecking features in Notepad for Windows 11 are enabled by default. However, users can go into the app's settings to turn off the feature if they want to.

The new Notepad spellchecking features were added a number of months after Microsoft announced it would deprecate WordPad, its long-running free word processing app. Microsoft will soon remove WordPad from Windows 11 entirely with both the upcoming version 24H2 along with Windows Server 2025, although there is a way to restore the app after it officially goes away.

The new spellchecking features for Notepad for Windows 11 are likely a way for Microsoft to give users a free text editor with some word-processing features that would have been included in the now retired WordPad app.

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What you need to know

• The Microsoft Store will soon feature a search box in its Library section.
• The Library section of the Microsoft Store shows your installed apps and any application you've installed on a device connected to your Microsoft account
• The search box is part of a gradual rollout among Insiders, so it may be a while before it becomes generally available.

Microsoft has a new feature in the works that will make it easier to find your favorite apps on Windows 11. The tech giant is testing a search box within the Library section of the Microsoft Store, allowing you to search for specific apps that you have installed on your PC or that you've installed previously on any device connected to your Microsoft account. The feature should simplify the process of finding apps you've used in the past and checking for updates for specific apps.

The change was spotted by Phantomofearth on X. That post clarifies that the search box can appear in Windows 11 version 22406.1401.1.0 or later. The change appears to be part of a gradual rollout, so you may not see the search box even if you are running the latest Insider build of Windows 11.

Mozilla however has recently revealed that it wants to further extend support for its browser. The firm conducted an AMA (Ask Me Anything) in the Firefox subreddit last month in June where the Firefox leadership team joined in.

The event included:

• Bethel Kidane, Senior Product Marketing Manager
• Andrew Overholt, VP, Engineering, Platform
• Vicky Chin, VP, Engineering, Desktop, Mobile, and Pocket
• Byron Jourdan, Senior Director, Product Management
• Bobby Holley, CTO, Firefox
• Sheila Mooney, Senior Director, Technical Program Management
• Ian Carmichael, Senior Vice President, Firefox
• Aaron Benson, Director, User Experience

Among them, Byron Jourdan, Senior Director, Product Management of Mozilla, under the Reddit username ComprehensiveDoor643 revealed that Mozilla plans to support Firefox on Windows 7 for longer. When asked separately about whether it also included Windows 8 and 8.1 too, Jourdan added that it was certainly the plan, though for how long the extended support would last was still undecided:

We're planning to extend support for Windows 7 users past the currently planned date and give them better options for migrating to a new PC when they choose to.

 

..

 

It does include 8 and 8.1, I should have said that earlier.

 

..

 

The honest answer is that we don't know right now, but on the surface it makes sense for us to support it while usage is still high there.

While Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 does not have the biggest share of users according to the latest Statcounter data, Mozilla seems to want to secure this user base and in return offer older Windows version users an updated browser option.

This is because Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge no longer support these OSs.

Source: Reddit

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In a statement, he said thanks to the people helping out during the Beta phase and said that 109 bug reports had been submitted as of Sunday and that 53 of those have not yet been resolved.

He said that Linux Mint 22 is looking like a solid base for the future but that there are still many bugs to fix. There are bugs related to AppArmor security changes leading to application crashes, there are hardware acceleration playback libraries making Xorg crash, and there are issues with Flatpaks and Mint Install.

Lefebvre said that updates will be sent out to Beta users bit by bit as more bugs are fixed so users should notice their devices becoming more and more stable over time if they apply these updates.

All of the effort that is going into Mint now will be worth it because it's going to be supported until 2029 - in the grand scheme of things, what are a few extra weeks?

If you want to use the Beta, it's best to do so on a secondary machine, especially with all these reported bugs. If you've got the Beta installed, you won't have to do an upgrade when the Stable is released, apply the available updates and you'll be on the latest version.

Have you tried out Linux Mint 22 Beta? How has your experience been with it so far, did you encounter any bugs?

Source: Linux Mint

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While the restored walkthrough mostly remains in its original state, the company has made one change to the section. It has now added a small portion talking about Local account recovery using a password reset disk.

Microsoft has also published a new page on its website about password reset disks and how to set one up. The tech giant writes:

Creating a password reset disk is a precautionary measure that allows you to reset your Windows local account password in case you forget it. The password reset disk is a USB flash drive that acts as a recovery tool, providing you with a way to regain access to your files and settings in case you forget your password.

 

It’s particularly useful because it can save you from the hassle of losing access to your account and data, especially if you do not use a Microsoft account that can reset passwords online.

 

Here are the steps to create a password reset disk.

 

1. Make sure you're signed in with your local account. This option isn't available for Microsoft accounts

2. Plug a USB flash drive into your device

3. In the search box on the taskbar, type Control Panel, and then choose it from the list of results

4. In the Control Panel search box, type create password reset

5. Select Create a password reset disk, and follow the remaining instructions

6. When you're finished, remove the USB flash drive and keep it in a safe place

    

Note: you don't have to create a new disk when you change your password.

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

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On the other hand, the guides include how to Save, Use and Manage Windows 11 Passkeys, how to enable TPM and VBS-powered Enhanced Security Sign-in (ESS), and one which talks about passwordless sign-ins using the Microsoft Account (MSA).

On the topic of MSA, Microsoft recently published a guide on how users can switch from a Local account to a Microsoft account on their Windows PC. After posting the guide though, the company also updated it to then include a separate section for migrating from a Microsoft Account to a Local account.

Microsoft posted the guide despite clearly not liking it as it explained in a portion of the article why it still "recommends a Microsoft Account" over a local one. It wrote:

Important: Microsoft recommends using a Microsoft account, not a local account, when signing in to Windows. Using a Microsoft account in Windows allows for seamless integration of Microsoft services, enhanced security, and sync across devices, unlike a local account.

However, sometime later, we noticed that this portion and the entire section which contained the guide for switching from an MSA to a Local account had been deleted.

Perhaps as a result of the backlash, Microsoft has quietly restored the section back. While it is mostly the same, a new section about recovery using a password reset disk has been added.

You can use the Settings app to switch your Microsoft account to a local account.

 

Important: Microsoft recommends using a Microsoft account, not a local account, when signing in to Windows. Using a Microsoft account in Windows allows for seamless integration of Microsoft services, enhanced security, and sync across devices, unlike a local account.

 

• In the Settings app on your Windows device, select Accounts > Your info, or use the following shortcut:

   

  Your info

   

• Select Sign in with a local account instead. You'll see this link only if you're using a Microsoft account

• Type the username, password, and password hint. The username must be different than any others on the device

• Select Next, then select Sign out and finish. Sign back in with your new local account

   

Warning: when using a local account, it’s a good idea to create a password reset disk. If you don't do this and then forget your password, you won't be able to recover it.

You can find the guide on this page here on Microsoft's official website.

Aside from this, Microsoft has also published a new guide on how users can reset their MSA as well as local account passwords.

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Aside from that, Microsoft has posted a new page which guides users on how to reset Microsoft Account (MSA) or local account passwords. The guide is simple and easy to understand with individual drop-down sections for both Microsoft account and local account password resetting:

Reset your Microsoft account password when you aren't signed in

 

If you forgot your password and need to reset it, you can do so from the Windows sign-in screen. If there are multiple accounts on the device, choose the one you need to reset. After you've entered an incorrect password, look below the password text box:

 

• If you see the I forgot my password option, select it and follow the instructions to reset your password

 

---

 

Change or reset your Microsoft account password when you're already signed in

 

You can use the Settings app to change your password.

 

1. In the Settings app on your Windows device, select Accounts > Sign-in options or use the following shortcut:

    

   Sign-in options

    

2. Select Password > Change, and then follow the instructions. You must enter your old password to create a new one

    

• If you forgot your password, select Forgot my current password and follow the directions to verify your account and create a new one

   

---

 

Reset your local account password if you aren't signed in

 

If you forgot your password and need to reset it, you can do so from the Windows sign-in screen. If there are multiple accounts on the device, choose the one you need to reset. After you've entered an incorrect password, look below the password text box:

 

• If you see the Reset password option, select it and follow the instructions to reset your password
• If you added security questions when you set up a local account, then you can answer security questions to sign back in
• If you created a password reset disk, you can select the option Use a password reset disk instead and follow the instructions

 

---

 

Change or reset your local account password when you're already signed in

 

You can use the Settings app to change your password.

 

1. In the Settings app on your Windows device, select Accounts > Sign-in options or use the following shortcut:

    

   Sign-in options

    

2. Select Password > Change, and then follow the instructions. You must enter your old password to create a new one

    

• If you forgot your password, select I forgot my password and follow the directions to verify your account and create a new one

• Answer your security questions

• Enter a new password

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

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Coming in August, the new Outlook for Windows app, and Outlook for the web, will get an update that will let users get to a folder faster:

When focused on the folder pane, users can now press CTRL + Y to quickly navigate to a folder. Simply press the first letter of the folder name to move focus directly to that folder.

If you use the Mac version of Outlook, the roadmap lists an upcoming update for importing a certain file type in the app:

This feature adds support for importing PST files into Outlook for Mac. Support for OLM data files will include both importing and exporting data.

Unfortunately, the roadmap says this Mac Outlook feature will enter a public preview in February 2025, followed by a full release in March 2025.

All users of Microsoft Teams will get a new feature in August:

Now, meeting organizers can make the list of breakout rooms visible to all meeting participants and allow them to choose which room to join. Enabling this setting in breakout rooms allows participants to move freely from one room to another, simplifying breakout room coordination for meeting organizers and participants.

If you join in Microsoft Teams meeting anonymously via Google's Chrome browser, the roadmap says that in August you should see some performance improvements. Those same improvements should be available for anonymous meeting users for Microsoft's Edge browser in October.

All users of Microsoft Forms should see this improvement later in July, according to the roadmap:

Now you can set specific requirements for answers to open-text questions. You can ensure the answer is an email address, URL, contains certain keywords, must be number or text, etc.

Finally, the Planner app in Teams will get a new feature later this month:

We are introducing a new Recommended view in Planner in Teams to help you discover plans with tasks assigned to you that you haven't viewed yet, enhancing task management efficiency and providing seamless prioritization of your workload.

That's our look back at the last week on the Microsoft 365 Roadmap site. Come back next week as we check out what's new on the roadmap.

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Dubbed "PowerToys New+", the idea is to let users set up customized templates for creating files and folders. The module would place a "New+" item in the context menu, giving users quick access to their templates, such as "Folder for documents", "New job application", "Windows batch project for file processing", "Daily to do list", and more. Each template will have a dedicated icon that will help it differentiate from other templates.

Here is who this tool is for, according to the developer:

Windows power-users, developers and overtime also regular users who find themselves often creating files or folders that contain similar content, such as VS Code development projects, job applications and cover letters, scripts, etc.

The "New+" for PowerToys aims to fix Windows 11's controversial context menu and rather lackluster "New" submenu, where users cannot customize the list of available items, cannot create multiple variants for the same object type or template various folders. Of course, there are ways to make around those limitations, but with PowerToys New+, things should get much easier and more convenient.

The developer of the New+ module wants its project to be capable of replacing the stock "New" submenu, supporting over 20 templates, providing a wizard for creating templates, syncing templates across devices, and even offering a marketplace for customer-made variants.

For now, there is no information on when the first version of the New+ module will be available for testing (if ever). You can track the progress of its development in PowerToys's GitHub repository. Also, there is a detailed document explaining the project in more detail.

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What you need to know

• The AI-generated summary of the new Outlook in the Microsoft Store criticizes the email app.
• The Microsoft Store started including AI-generated summaries of app reviews in July 2023.
• The new Outlook, which is set to replace Mail & Calendar on Windows 11, has received criticism for its design, performance, and feature set.

The Microsoft Store has some criticism for the new Outlook. The store listing for Mail & Calendar, which will be replaced by the new Outlook this year, lists an AI-generated summary criticizing the email app. The text is based on reviews from everyday users and does not paint a pretty picture of the new Outlook.

Microsoft rolled out AI-powered summaries within the Microsoft Store around a year ago. The aim is to make it easier for users to get a gauge of an app without having to scroll through a bunch of reviews. The Microsoft Store looks through the reviews and then uses AI to generate a summary. Of course, that means that an app with a bunch of negative reviews will have a negative summary, which is exactly what's happened with the new Outlook. The Microsoft Store listing for the app states:

"Users highly recommend the Mail and Calendar app over the new Outlook, citing its simplicity, ease of use, and lack of ads. They appreciate the app's ability to handle multiple accounts and create custom background images. Users hope that Microsoft will not discontinue the app and allow offline access."

The AI-generated summary was highlighted on Reddit by ceoadlw. The new Outlook will replace the Mail & Calendar app later this year, so Microsoft still has some time to refine the app.

People hate the new Outlook

What you need to know

• Microsoft shipped firmware updates for the Surface Pro 11 and Surface Laptop 7 recently.
• The updates fix a problem that can cause color distortion when waking a PC from sleep or rebooting a system when HDR is enabled.
• White line flickering and audio playback issues over Bluetooth are also addressed by the updates.
• Following the update, USB 3 devices connected to a USB-C Power Delivery charger should work better as well.

Microsoft's Surface Pro 11 and Surface Laptop 7 launched recently, ushering in the first wave of PCs powered by the Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus. Both of Microsoft's new Surface devices received firmware updates on day one, but those updates included a lone fix. Microsoft has since released a second set of firmware updates for the Surface Pro 11 and Surface Laptop 7.

Firmware updates focus on fixes and general improvements rather than new features. The latest updates for the Surface Pro 11 and Surface Laptop 7 fix an issue that can cause color distortion when waking a PC from sleep or rebooting a system with HDR enabled. Potential white line flickering is also fixed by the update.

Some PCs ran into a bug that would reset customized accessibility settings after a reboot, but that should no longer be the case. An audio playback issue for Bluetooth devices and an issue that can cause audio jittering when a system is under heavy workload have also been fixed.

Lastly, interoperability between USB 3 devices and USB-C Power Delivery charges has been improved.

The change logs for the Surface Pro 11 and Surface Laptop 7 are identical. This week also serves as a good opportunity to bookmark the Surface Pro update history page and the same page for Surface Laptop lineup.

Surface Laptop 7: July 2, 2024 firmware update

• Fixes a problem that causes momentary color distortion when waking from sleep or rebooting with HDR enabled.
• Addresses a potential horizontal white line flicker during the initial device setup.
• Resolves an issue where customized accessibility settings for mouse would reset after reboot.
• Resolves an issue where audio playback fails after connecting a Bluetooth headset.
• Addresses intermittent audio jittering under heavier system workload.
• Improves interoperability with USB 3 devices when connected to a USB-C Power Delivery charger.

Surface Pro 11: July 2, 2024 firmware update

• Fixes a problem that causes momentary color distortion when waking from sleep or rebooting with HDR enabled.
• Addresses a potential horizontal white line flicker during the initial device setup.
• Resolves an issue where customized accessibility settings for mouse would reset after reboot.
• Resolves an issue where audio playback fails after connecting a Bluetooth headset.
• Addresses intermittent audio jittering under heavier system workload.
• Improves interoperability with USB 3 devices when connected to a USB-C Power Delivery charger.

Note that this update is not applicable to the regular Surface Pro 7.

Here is the official changelog:

The following update is available for Surface Pro 7+ devices running Windows 10 October 2022 Update, Version 22H2, or greater.

 

Improvements and fixes:

 

• Addresses data collection regulatory requirements and updates the consent experience for data transmission.
• Resolves an issue that prevented the device from using the USB-C functionality after the system had booted.

Here is the list of new drivers:

Here is extra information about the release:

To get the latest Surface firmware update, head to Settings > Windows Update and click "Check for updates." You can also get it in the form of a manual install package from the official Surface Support website.

The Surface Pro 7+ will remain supported until January 15, 2027. After that date, Microsoft will stop releasing firmware updates, new drivers, security patches, and other changes. Windows, however, may continue receiving updates and new features on the Surface Pro 7+.

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Due to ongoing technical issues, downloads for VMWare and Parallels will be temporarily unavailable starting July 15, 2024.

Windows Development Environment virtual machines are available in four variants: VMware, Hyper-V Gen 2, Parallels Desktop, and VirtualBox. Microsoft updates its official virtual machines roughly every month after releasing Patch Tuesday updates. However, for some reason, Microsoft skipped the June release, leaving its latest Windows Development Environment virtual machines stuck on version 2404.

Although you can still download the latest release for VMware and Parallels, version 2404 has its timebomb set to July 15, 2024. That means that after the specified date, Windows 11 will start nagging you with activation prompts. And since you cannot activate Windows Development Environment even with a genuine key, users will have to wait for Microsoft to release a fixed version for VMware or Parallels or switch to another virtualization software for some time.

As a reminder, Microsoft recently confirmed a problem with Windows 11 running on ARM-powered Macs. Affected customers running Windows 11 in Parallels or another software get the "2024-05 Cumulative Update for Windows 11 Version 23H2 for ARM64-based Systems (KB5037853) Installation Error - 0x800f0845" message.

You can download official Windows 11 virtual machines from Microsoft on the official website. Each virtual machine includes a copy of Windows 11 Enterprise and the full set of development tools for making Windows apps, such as Visual Studio, Windows Subsystem for Linux, Terminal, developer mode, and more.

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Despite not being a developer myself, I can appreciate how Windows 11 really is a powerhouse for those so inclined. One of the big aspects to that is the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), offering seamless integration between Windows and Linux. While still virtualized, WSL is very close to 'native' Linux, with a full kernel, and its file system and apps are interoperable with Windows. 

With the arrival of the new Snapdragon X Plus and X Elite powered Copilot+ PCs, there's a renewed spotlight shining on Windows on ARM. It's not something that developers or other WSL users have necessarily given much time of day before, but that's starting to change. 

So, can you use WSL on a new Snapdragon laptop? Absolutely, and rather well, at that. 

Linux is already well set up for ARM

Because the updates were released on Friday at the end of the normal work week, we had questions about whether Microsoft planned to release new Insider builds this week. That's because the US celebrates July 4 as its Independence Day holiday, and we thought there was a good chance that the Windows Insider team would not be able to release build updates before taking the holiday off.

Today, we posted a message on X to Brandon LeBlanc, the Senior Program Manager on the Windows Insider Team, asking him if there would be no new builds from the team this week. He replied with this:

I think at this point you can assume there won’t be any new flights this week. Should that change, we will of course tweet and announce it like we normally do.

While that's not quite the definite answer we were hoping for, we would think that LeBlanc would know if a new Insider build would be in the works for a release this week. So, unless a huge surprise pops up before the end of the day on Friday, July 5, members of the Windows Insider Program should not expect any new versions to download.

Next week, we should not only get some new builds, but it's also going to be Patch Tuesday on July 9, which means all Windows 10 and 11 users will be getting official updates with security patches and updates for their PCs.

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AMD Software PRO Edition 24 Q2 is now available for download with support for the AMD Radeon PRO W7900 Dual Slot graphics card and a bunch of fixes for various software. Here is the changelog:

Highlights:

 

• Support for AMD Radeon™ PRO W7900 Dual Slot

 

Fixed Issues:

 

• TDR timeout in PTC Creo
• Magic Mask issue in Davinci Resolve
• TDR/Crash issue in Adobe Lightroom Classic

 

NOTES:

 

• AMD Driver is DCH Compliant.
• When installing this driver for the Microsoft Windows operating systems, the user must be logged on as Administrator, or have Administrator rights to complete the installation of AMD Software: PRO Edition 24.Q2

AMD Software PRO Edition 24 Q2 is compatible with the following Radeon PRO GPUs from AMD:

Other supported products include the following:

You can download AMD Radeon Software PRO Edition from the official website.

The driver supports 64-bit Windows 10, Windows 11, Windows Server 2022, and Windows Server 2019.

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Here are the release notes for Microsoft Edge Dev 128.0.2677.1:

Added Features:

 

• Introduced a ‘Take a Tour’ button on the welcome page of workspaces.

 

Improved Reliability:

 

• Resolved a problem that caused the browser to crash when reopening a workspace with an IE Mode tab running in the background.
• Resolved a problem that caused the browser to crash when clicking the ‘x’ on the banner displayed following a file download on iOS.
• Resolved a problem that caused browser to crash when tapping the browser icon on iOS devices.
• Resolved a problem where downloading a suspicious file would cause the browser to crash on android.
• Fixed an issue that caused the browser to crash upon selecting the ‘Organize tabs’ button.

 

Changed Behavior:

 

• Resolved a problem where right clicking on the items in the recently closed group history did not show the options ‘Open in new tab’ and ‘Copy link’ in the context menu.
• Resolved a problem that caused the search bar to vanish.
• Fixed an issue where the ‘Sort’ option icon was not visible and clickable in the collection pane.
• Fixed an issue where the attribution of coupons for the ‘Copy and Autofill’ function was not recognized.
• Fixed an issue where the app pane remained visible when a video was played in fullscreen mode.
• Android: Fixed an issue when clicking the refresh button under the extension on Android did not trigger any response.

Mac:

 

• Fixed an issue that prevented Fullscreen web pages, like YouTube videos, from concealing the sidebar on Mac.
• Fixed an issue that resulted in the edge://settings/help page displaying the error message repeatedly.

Microsoft Edge Dev is available for download from the official Edge Insider website. Version 128 will arrive in the Stable Channel in late August, but before that, Edge Insiders will get to try it in the Beta Channel somewhere on the week of August 1, 2024.

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Microsoft regularly releases updates. Previews are betas.

In the first week of each month, Microsoft issues the non-security Office releases that PKCano documents in the AskWoody blog. In the second week of each month, Microsoft releases its main security patches. Finally, in the last week, Microsoft releases previews of the following month’s non-security fixes.

Previews do not go through the same rigorous testing as the security updates. (Credit where it is due: Microsoft does perform basic testing of its main security updates.) As a result, issues can occur. This is why I strongly recommend that you do not install preview updates when offered for Windows 11 23H2 and Windows 10 22H2. In addition, pause all updates now while I test, vet, and approve. This is the reason I’m raising the MS-DEFCON level to 2.

Recent issues with KB5039302 for Windows 11 23H2 are a clear example of why I recommend care and patience. We reported that Microsoft had acknowledged that the update was triggering machines to reboot — repeatedly. Microsoft pulled the update.

Windows 10 KB5039299 was also released in preview to test certain changes to Copilot. Note that Microsoft has reopened the insider testing for Windows 10. Some say that Windows 10 will get another feature release, but that’s not my take. I think Microsoft is backporting some of the Copilot code to Windows 10. For one thing, we can easily see that Microsoft is making some changes unique to the European Union given the latter’s investigations.

Once again, Microsoft is making these changes gradually and admits it:

The Copilot app is now pinned to the taskbar and behaves like an app. This gives you the benefits of a typical app experience. For example, you can resize, move, and snap the window. … This feature only applies to new Windows 10 PCs and new Copilot+ PCs that ship to the European Economic Area (EEA) and other markets where Copilot is available. … For existing Windows 10 PCs, the timing of availability and delivery method will vary. This might not be available to all users because it will roll out gradually.

I am most concerned about Microsoft not providing official guidance on how to block Copilot in the Edge browser. I can determine how to remove the icon in the system tray on Windows 10. I can find out how to remove the Copilot icon from the right in the browser. But I can’t find out how to remove Copilot from the middle of the search bar in Edge.

Just the other day, a reader reached out to me after rolling back three months of updates because he didn’t want the Copilot icon on his computer. He initially went online to determine how to block it, but instead of finding good information and an easy solution, he found this post on the Microsoft Community site. The “answer” provided by a non-Microsoft contributor was completely wrong, and I felt compelled to respond.

How bad was the response in that post? It mentioned uninstalling Visual Studio Code (VSC) as part of the process. Well, there is a Copilot extension at GitHub for VSC, but our reader did not mention VSC in his original question. It turns out he didn’t have it installed, anyway. Why did the person posting, who is not an employee of Microsoft, suggest this? I think he was confusing the VSC Copilot extension with Windows Copilot. My guess is that he used AI to answer this question. There’s irony for you.

This is a perfect example of why Microsoft should be ashamed of its spotty documentation of how to manage and control Copilot.

Want good information about this? We have it:

Don’t worry: There’s nothing in there about Visual Studio Code.

If you are a business that regularly upgrades from Professional to Enterprise SKUs, I’m sure you are aware that Microsoft sort of broke that process. Normally, it’s an easy flip from Pro; now you get an error message. Microsoft acknowledged the issue in KB5036893 back in April:

After installing this update or later updates, you might face issues while upgrading from Windows Pro to a valid Windows Enterprise subscription.

Resulting from this operation, you might observe the following symptoms: – OS upgrade operations may fail, and this might be shown in the LicenseAcquisition scheduled task in Task Scheduler -> Task Scheduler Library -> Microsoft -> Windows -> Subscription as ‘Access denied error (error code 0x80070005)’ under ‘Last Run Result’.

Microsoft is working on a resolution.

Don’t install preview patches on production machines. Install previews and insider editions only on machines where you’ve accepted the risks, knowing that these are betas and should be treated as such. Make sure you either have a backup of the workstations or have a tested plan to redeploy the operating system quickly.

Now is the time to pause and review your network before the July updates are released.

Resources

Source

Aside from the name change, the app's Package Engine has also undergone a redesign.

RAM usage has also been lowered. There are several other changes too. The full changelog is given below:

Changelog

• WingetUI is now UniGetUI. A new icon completes the rebranding
• The Package Engine has undergone an entire redesign
  • Package managers that support so fetch packages via APIs (WinGet uses COM, NuGet-Based use REST nuget APIs, etc.). This leads to important speed improvements
  • The way in which icons are loaded has been renewed. Package managers that support so will provide the icons directly to the packages.
  • Microsoft Store (winget: msstore) packages show their screenshots on the details page.
  • System WinGet is now used by default. Bundled WinGet is no longer used to fetch or to install packages.
    • WinGet Packages will not show ellipted anymore.
  • Lifecycle of Packages, PackageDetails and InstallationOptions have been modified to not have duplicated instances of the same data in ram. Package data that has been already loaded will not be loaded again, and will be recycled from an older load instead.
  • Widgets for UniGetUI will now load packages faster, and does not rely on the interface as much as it used to.
  • When a package manager is missing a dependency, the user will be prompted to install it.
• Important improvements across the entire interface
  • The Software Pages have been rebuilt with ItemsView in favour of ListView. This decreases the amount of used RAM (70~100mb less aprox.)
  • The Package Details page has been rebuilt with RichTextBlock. Content does not overflow and is overall better presented. Bold, italic and greyed out fonts are used to make the interface more understandable. Text and URLs can be copied.
  • The Logs pages have been rebuilt, to provide more important information better. Different levels of logs have been introduced, easing the process of debugging and understanding issues.
  • The Settings page has been reorganized into more coherent categories
  • Improvements to ContentDialogs. Dialogs that do not prompt the user for a decision have a "Close" button at the top-right corner of the dialog.
• The Package Engine has been internally decoupled from the Interface.
• The System Tray has new, pixel-perfect icons.
• The installer will ensure WinGet and Microsoft.WinGet.Client are present on the system.
• The installer will allow the user to not install Chocolatey
• Tons of bugfixes and improvements.

What's Changed

• [Not priority] Fix random mistakes in README (mainly typos) by @tiagorangel2011 in #2011
• Dotnet runtime bootstrapper by @marticliment in #1970
• Show 'Update' Button in Tray Notification When Only One Update is Available by @CoolSpy3 in #2055
• Update readme.md by @marticliment in #2057
• Fix #1995: [BUG] Notification tray icon by @CoolSpy3 in #2072
• Winget COM API compatibility by @marticliment in #2035
• fix scoop-search autofix error by @ercJuL in #2086
• Update installation step via Scoop by @Goooler in #2079
• Adds additional description to package manager toggles by @turw41th in #2107
• Fixed a bug in package search by @ArtyomZabroda in #2091
• README mistakes by @skanda890 in #2126
• Update Code of Conduct, Contributing Guidelines and Security.md by @skanda890 in #2127
• Update bug-issue.yml and hard-crash.yml to Correct spelling mistakes by @skanda890 in #2130
• Rebrand WingetUI to UniGetUI by @marticliment in #2032
• Fix ParentContainsErrorRecordException if a Windows limited user resets Winget sources by @pomodori92 in #2150
• Add Missing Line Break in CLI Parameters Section of README by @CoolSpy3 in #2175
• Very basic start by @Atrejoe in #2176
• Separate UniGetUI into modules by @marticliment in #2161
• ICU message format for translations by @flatron4eg in #2045
• Use Windows display language instead of regional format by @KimCM in #2285
• Better Package Manager Loggers by @marticliment in #2292
• Keyboard navigation by @marticliment in #2307
• Update licenses, disclaimer on the about page by @marticliment in #2309
• Package data lifecycle optimization by @marticliment in #2317
• Decouple loading and "holding" packages from the UI - Creation of PackageLoaders by @marticliment in #2328
• Replace ListView with ItemsView by @marticliment in #2335
• Move message formatter in LanguageEngine, add locale for message formatter by @flatron4eg in #2326
• Update SECURITY.md by @skanda890 in #2129
• Update bug-issue.yml by @marticliment in #2341
• This removes grammatical mistakes from the code. by @skanda890 in #2340
• Update readme.md by @skanda890 in #2360
• Update translations from Tolgee by @github-actions in #2363
• Add translation string in the installer ("Install Chocolatey") by @mapi68 in #2369
• Update icons and screenshots from the excel file by @github-actions in #2370

To download UniGetUI version 3.1.0, head over to this page on its official GitHub repo.

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In a post on the Microsoft 365 Insider blog, the company stated that it has heard from a number of Word, PowerPoint, and Excel web users that finding the commands for the File menu in those apps can be difficult. It added:

We heard you and are excited to share an overview of the changes we’ve designed to make the File menu more intuitive and lightweight.

One big improvement will let users change the name of a file in those web apps by just selecting the file's title at the top of the browser window. Once selected, the file name can be changed and saved. Also, web app users will be able to see a file's folder structure either by clicking on the cloud icon next to the filename in the upper title bar or by just clicking on the File menu to show the file location.

The familiar Save As command is now no longer needed for files in the web apps. Microsoft says those files will now always be saved and they can be created online or downloaded to a PC. If you want to save a file in a different format, you can now do so with the web apps by clicking on the File menu, followed by Export, instead of Save As. Finally, web users can now see both the Move and Version History commands on the File menu.

These changes are starting to roll out now for the Word, PowerPoint, and Excel web apps for Targeted Release users. All users of these same apps should see the file menu improvements sometime in August 2024.

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Version 126.0.2592.87: July 2, 2024

 

Fixed various bugs and performance issues, improved reliability.

 

Improved reliability

 

• Fixed a browser crash that occurred when an on-premises sync user deleted a Favorite.

This update follows the one that was released a few days ago, where Microsoft fixed another crash-causing bug that would strike when interacting with large drop-down lists. That release also fixed printing issues and patched several security vulnerabilities (no security updates are present in version 126.0.2592.87).

In addition to updating the desktop version of Microsoft Edge, the company released a minor update for Edge on iOS and Android. Sadly, its changelog does not contain much:

Version 126.0.2592.86 (Android and iOS): July 2, 2024

 

Fixed various bugs and performance issues.

Finally, there is an update for Edge Insiders in the Beta Channel. Like its mobile counterpart from the Stable Channel, Edge 127.0.2651.31 only fixes "various bugs" and improves performance.

For those unfamiliar, Microsoft Edge updates itself automatically in the background and applies the latest patches when you restart the browser. However, you can always speed things up by heading to edge://settings/help and relaunching Edge. If you use Microsoft Edge on mobile, get the latest version in the App Store and the Google Play Store.

Microsoft Edge is currently the second most popular browser in the world. According to the latest findings from Statcounter, Edge holds 13.36% of the desktop browser market. On the mobile side, things are much grimmer: only 0.38% of the market uses Microsoft Edge, which is dominated by Chrome and Safari. You can learn more about the latest browser stats in our dedicated coverage.

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Until recently, the new Teams experience on Mac, Windows 10, and the web only supported enterprise accounts. Based on user feedback, Microsoft has now added support for personal accounts on these platforms. The new Microsoft Teams app on Windows 11 already supports all types of accounts. With this expanded support, the new Teams app can be used for personal, work, and school accounts on all platforms.

As expected, the new Teams app on Windows 10, Mac, and the web allows you to access Communities. They are like Facebook Groups where community members can have discussions, share files and photos, join video calls, plan events, and more. Teams supports both public and private communities.

When you use a personal account in Teams, you can create meetings (up to 60 minutes and 100 participants) with anyone. If you have multiple accounts logged in, you can select the Teams account you want to join with when joining a meeting. You can also enter a meeting as a guest without signing in.

The new Teams app for Windows 10 and Mac is available here. You can access the new web experience for Teams for Personal by selecting the "Try the new Teams" toggle on the top left. In the coming weeks, the new Teams for Personal for Web will become the default experience for everyone.

If you have feedback to improve the new Teams experience for personal use, you can post it here.

Source: Microsoft

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Here is what was fixed in the Intel 31.0.101.5594 graphics driver:

Intel Arc A-Series Graphics Products:

 

• Citrix Workspace application may exhibit sluggish behavior when interacting with a virtual desktop.

 

Intel Core Ultra with built-in Intel Arc GPUs:

 

• Citrix Workspace application may exhibit sluggish behavior when interacting with a virtual desktop

Known bugs in the latest non-WHQL driver are the same as before:

Intel Arc A-Series Graphics Products:

 

• No Man’s Sky (VK) may experience an application crash during gameplay while changing window context with Alt + Tab.
• Enshrouded (VK) may experience an application crash during gameplay.
• Doom Eternal (VK) may exhibit intermittent flickering corruption in the game menu and during gameplay.
• 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:

 

• Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection (DX12) may experience an application crash on loading to gameplay.
• PugetBench Extended Preset Benchmark may fail to complete on certain Adobe Premiere Pro Processing Tests.
• Topaz Video AI may experience errors on running certain benchmark tests.
• Procyon AI may experience an application crash while running benchmark with precision float32.
• Launching a game with Endurance Gaming engaged may result in VSync persisting on after disengaging Endurance Gaming during gameplay. A workaround is to relaunch the application.

 

Intel Core Processor (12th -14th Generation) Products:

 

• Dragon Quest X Online (DX9) may experience sporadic application crash during gameplay

You can install driver 31.0.101.5594 if your computer runs 64-bit Windows 10 or 11 with one of the following graphics products from Intel:

Download the Intel 31.0.101.5592 non-WHQL driver here. Full release notes are available here (PDF).

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Turns out Microsoft pushed the update as Copilot+ PCs are starting to arrive, although it did add later that x86 systems were technically compatible too.

Sometimes since then, Microsoft also released SafeOS dynamic updates for Windows 11 24H2. These dynamic updates add improvements to the Windows recovery environment or WinRE and the setup file. Earlier today, we covered the WinRE update earlier today which has been released under KB5041137.

Meanwhile, the dynamic update that improves Windows 11 setup binaries is available under KB5039448. Microsoft writes:

KB5039448: Setup Dynamic Update for Windows 11, version 24H2: June 28, 2024

 

Summary

 

This update makes improvements to Windows setup binaries or any files that setup uses for feature updates in Windows 11, version 24H2.

In a Techcommunity blog post about Windows 10 Dynamic Updates, Microsoft explained Dynamic Updates in more detail regarding its various components and uses. These packages include fixes to Setup.exe binaries, SafeOS updates for Windows Recovery Environment, and more:

As soon as a Windows 10 feature update initiates, whether from media or a Windows Update service-connected environment, Dynamic Update is one of the first steps invoked. Windows 10 Setup reaches out to an Internet-facing URL hosted by Microsoft to fetch Dynamic Update content, then applies those updates to your OS installation media.

 

Content acquired includes:

 

• Setup Updates: Fixes to Setup binaries or any files that Setup uses for feature updates.
• Safe OS Updates: Fixes for the "safe OS" that are used to update Windows recovery environment (WinRE).
• Servicing Stack Updates: Fixes that are necessary to address the Windows 10 servicing stack issue and thus required to complete the feature update.
• Latest Cumulative Update: Installs the latest cumulative quality update.
• Driver Updates: Latest version of applicable drivers that have already been published by manufacturers into Windows Update and specifically targeted for Dynamic Update.

 

In addition to these updates, Dynamic Update will preserve Language Pack (LP) and Features on Demand (FODs) content during the upgrade process. These are not updates to LPs and FODs, but reacquisition to ensure the user has these elements present with the update completes.

These dynamic updates are not pushed through Windows Update and are only available for manual downloading from the Windows Update Catalog website. You can find it here. It is available for both Arm64 and AMD64 devices.

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