Most of us are used to our web browsers with a light or dark mode that may be enabled to automatically switch themes based on the system theme. Sometimes, certain web pages don’t follow your theme and clash with your browser. In Vivaldi 6.6, however, you can go to Settings > Website Appearance and choose for all websites to use a dark theme when the dark theme is enabled in the browser.

Another improvement in this update is faster page translations through Vivaldi Translate. Working with its partner, Lingvanex, Vivaldi has been able to greatly improve the performance and quality of translations. It supports 108 languages and doesn’t collect information about you or the pages you translate.

For people unfamiliar with Vivaldi, it supports web panels down the left side of the browser that let you pin your favorite websites which are openable in panels rather than tabs. Now, due to popular demand, your extensions can be loaded in Web Panels. The company said that extension developers can leverage the Side Panel extension API to extend the functionality of Vivaldi by adding entirely new panels.

Finally, if you use the in-built Vivaldi Mail email client you will now notice expanded search tools to more easily find emails you’re looking for. To use the new tools, start typing in the search box and you will see the new filters appear below the search field if you have too many results.

The new filters let you search within the whole message or just the body or header. You can also choose which folder or mail account to search, the Date range, From, To, CC, Subject, message content, or if there are any attachments. There is also an inverse option to find results that don’t include the filters you select.

To update to the latest version of Vivaldi, just go to the Vivaldi menu > Help > Check for Updates. If the update needs to be installed, you’ll get the option to install it. If you don’t have Vivaldi, just head over to Vivaldi.com to download it.

Source: Vivaldi

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What you need to know

• Windows Package Manager, the command line tool for installing software from various places, has been updated to version 1.7. 
• With this latest update, the tool can now enable Windows Features as a dependency, repair packages, and prompt the system to reboot if one is required after installation completes. 
• It also includes performance enhancements to be more network efficient. 

Slowly, but surely, I'm converting friends and colleagues to using the Windows Package Manager as the preferred way to manage software on a Windows 11 PC. Recent updates have continued to make it better and better, but this latest one should be the tipping point for holdouts. 

After recently getting the ability to upgrade itself, version 1.7 of Windows Package Manager is here, with one feature in particular that I've been craving. If the software you're installing requires a system reboot upon completion, it's now possible to just do that, rather than having to step outside of the terminal environment to do it yourself. 

By adding the flag --allow-reboot to your command, if a system reboot is required it'll just, well, happen. It sounds like a small change, but if you live inside Windows Package Manager, as I do, it's yet another quality of life upgrade that makes software management ever more seamless.

(Image credit: Windows Central)

One of the other big new features is the ability to enable Windows Features if those are required as a dependency for the package you're installing. Again, another time saving quality of life improvement that just makes your life easier. 

The full list of new features reads as follows: 

• The winget repair command is now available and can be used to repair a package that is having issues.
• Winget can enable Windows Features as a package dependency.
• Winget now supports rebooting your machine if the installer return code indicates that a reboot is required. You can do this by passing the --allow-reboot flag.
• WinGet configuration can accept a URL rather than only a local file.
• Performance improvements to be more network efficient with the CDN along with better flows to handle scenarios with elevation requirements.
• Support for Entra Id authentication (formerly Azure Active Directory) for private REST sources. Note: The REST source reference implementation still needs to be updated.

There is also a substantial list of changes that I recommend checking out on the GitHub page if you're interested. There's a lot! 

Windows Package Manager really is the best way to manage software on Windows 11

(Image credit: Windows Central)

I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but Windows Package Manager really is the best way to manage software on a Windows 11 PC. Even my colleagues here at Windows Central are starting to get into using it. 

I like and use Linux regularly, so for me, it comes as second nature to use the terminal to supercharge installing, maintaining and removing software. But the sheer brilliance of Windows Package Manager is that it doesn't rely on repositories in the sense Linux might. Its repository contains manifests, and these tell your system where on the web to go out and grab the software. You're installing from source, the same as you would by downloading in your web browser, only faster. 

I spend all day at the keyboard typing, and it's less of a break from my workflow to just hammer out a few short lines of text in the terminal and go back on my merry way, than have to open the Microsoft Store or countless websites looking for what I need. Oh, and the Windows Package Manager can also pull from the Microsoft Store, too, so there's that. 

The terminal can be scary, but it really doesn't have to be. After a short learning curve, I promise you'll be wondering how you ever lived without it. I've also written a guide on how to use the Windows Package Manager to get you started. 

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While many large companies and organization who use Windows on their PCs manage their own updates, there are also a number of them that allow Microsoft to handle the management of their Windows PCs. For those users, Microsoft has announced it will soon invite people who use Windows 10 Pro to get a free upgrade to Windows 11.

In a blog post, Microsoft said that Windows 10 Pro and Pro Workstation users who use "cloud-domain joined and domain joined non-managed business devices" will see invites to upgrade to Windows 11 starting with the April 2024 security updates. That means those invites should appear during "Patch Tuesday" on April 9.

Microsoft added:

The invitation to upgrade to Windows 11 will appear after signing in and usually following a reboot. It will only show on Windows 10 Pro and Pro Workstation devices that are eligible for Windows 11 and are not managed by IT departments. Once prompted, users will be able to opt to get Windows 11, version 23H2 or stay in Windows 10. Of course, we recommend Windows 11!

Once the invite goes live, those users will have the freedom to set up the schedule for when the Windows 11 upgrade should start, so it does not interfere with normal work operations.

Of course, companies and organizations who manage their own Windows updates, and have yet to upgrade their PCs to Windows 11 22H3, can do so at any time via Windows Autopatch within Intune.

Currently, support for Windows 10 Home and Pro 22H2 is slated to end on October 14, 2025. In theory, non-managed Windows 10 Pro PCs should have plenty of time to make the switch to Windows 11 Pro. Obviously, Microsoft is trying to get as many Windows 10 Pro PCs to upgrade to Windows 11 as they can before end of support date arrives.

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What is new in Microsoft Edge Dev 123.0.2420.6?

Added features:

 

• Added restart functionality in video dubbing.

 

Improved Reliability:

 

• Fixed a browser crash in autofill.
• Fixed a browser crash on android.

 

Changed behavior:

 

• Resolved a problem where clicking app icons did not close the Apps.
• Fixed an issue of Browser essentials button disappear automatically in vertical tabs after applying themes.
• Solved an issue that resulted in a blank area when changing from wide overlay to narrow side by side mode.
• Fixed an issue that made the autofill coupons drop down invisible.
• Fixed a bug that caused the PDF read aloud icon to disappear from the overflow menu.
• Fixed an issue where the Export browsing data confirm button text was too long in some languages.
• Fixed an issue of adding window management permission to site settings in edge://settings.
• Resolved a problem with the toolbar not hiding properly.
• Fixed an issue that made the Copilot toolbar overlap with the “Ask me about the selected text” button.
• Fixed a problem with a white/black block appearing on the extreme right of the toolbar.
• Fixed an issue that placed the Copilot Icon at the end of the App Tower.
• Fixed an issue that made web pages open in normal mode when Dark Reader was installed/uninstalled in InPrivate mode.
• Fixed an issue that placed the X button in the header instead of the tower.
• Fixed an issue where auto open did not work after unpinning an app and turning on auto open setting.
• The issue of the Dark theme for all web pages option appearing in the wrong position has been fixed.
• Fixed a blank page issue on the edge://settings/searchEngines page.
• Fixed an issue where the toolbar’s right-side color was not showing correctly.
• WebView2: Fixed an issue that resulted in an error when updating WebView2.
• Mac: Fixed an issue of casual games auto open toggle appearing for mac but not functioning.
• iOS: Fixed an issue that makes the copilot toolbar compress when slowly moving the page.
• Android:
  • Resolved a problem with the Copilot toolbar vanishing when changing dark/light mode on android.
  • Fixed an issue where the background color changed inconsistently in landscape mode on android.

You can download Microsoft Edge Dev 123 from the official Edge Insider website. It is available on Windows 10, Windows 11, macOS, Linux, and Android. Version 123 is expected in the Stable Channel on the week of March 21, 2024.

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What you need to know

• Microsoft is testing an improved tab actions menu within its Edge browser.
• The revamped menu has options for viewing active windows, tab groups, and workspaces.
• The first appearance of the new menu appeared earlier this month and a newer version was spotted recently, though it's still quite buggy.

Microsoft Edge will soon have an improved tab actions menu that will include options for viewing active windows, tab groups, and workspaces. There appears to be an option for tab search in the works, though that may just be a new name for the current Search tabs feature. The improved menu was spotted and then shared on X (formerly Twitter) by Leo Varela.

Microsoft has been working to improve Edge's Tab actions menu for a while. Varela shared a clip of the first changes to the menu earlier this month. Back then, clicking on the button launched the tab grouping interface automatically. One of the options used to be called "Group similar tabs (Preview), but it is now listed as "Organize tabs." That change brings the naming of the feature in line with similar functionality in Google Chrome.

The update menu looks like it will include some nice features, but it's clearly in its early stages right now. The video shared by Varela shows a buggy interface that includes many elements that do not work.

Where is Edge going?

Microsoft has controversially added several shopping features to Edge as part of a push to monetize the browser.

(Image credit: Future)

I'm a fan of Microsoft Edge and I use it every day, but the browser seems to be in the middle of a war right now. On one hand, Microsoft created an excellent browser based on Chromium that's compatible with most of the web. When the revamped Edge launched a few years ago, it was a clean Chromium browser with a few Microsoft extras built in. Since then, Microsoft has seemingly gone in a different direction.

While there have been some lovely additions, such as the Sidebar and vertical tabs, Microsoft seems determined to monetize the browser at every opportunity, even to the detriment of user experience. Shopping features and prompts plague the browser, at least in the eyes of many. I know that these features can generally be turned off, but I think it worsens the overall experience. Newcomers to Edge have to turn off a bunch of features to get a clean experience.

Microsoft has made other controversial decisions with Edge, such as making it impossible to hide the Sidebar button (apart from having the Copilot button appear instead). While I personally use the Sidebar on Edge frequently, I think Microsoft should make it easy to hide. One of the main criticisms of Chrome is that it's bloated, and Edge receives similar criticism.

It's not like disabled or unused features slow down the browser, but they can result in a crowded interface.

I understand that Microsoft is a business, so it needs to make money, but the company hasn't approached monetizing its browser the right way. A browser should be a gateway to the web and Microsoft's browser should provide the best experience for other Microsoft services, allowing Edge to help people within the Microsoft ecosystem. That in turn brings Microsoft revenue, even if it's not directly through Edge.

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In a post on its support page, Microsoft revealed that the final date for Windows 11 22H2 users to get non-security preview updates will now be extended, in some cases, by over a year.

The message stated that Windows 11 22H2 Home, Pro, Pro Education, and Pro for Workstations editions will continue to get those updates until June 26, 2024. Windows 11 22H2 Enterprise, Education, IoT Enterprise, and Enterprise multi-session editions will get those updates for an even longer period of time, ending on June 24, 2025.

Microsoft says this change was due to "user feedback" so that Windows 11 22H2 users will continue to "take advantage of our continuous innovations." In other words, those PC owners will be able to get more new features for at least a little while longer.

After those two new dates are reached, Windows 11 22H2 users will continue to get monthly security updates for a while longer. The Home and Pro versions will reach the end of official support on October 8, 2024, according to Microsoft's support page.

Enterprise and Education users of Windows 11 22H2 will continue to get security updates until October 14, 2025. That's also the same date for the end of support for Windows 11 22H2 Windows 11 IoT Enterprise users.

While this is not the first time Microsoft has extended certain support updates for Windows users, it is unusual for the announcement to come literally on the last date of the planned updates. It will be interesting to see if Microsoft also plans to make more extensions for future Windows 11 releases.

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What is new in Intel PROSet/Wireless Wi-Fi Software 23.30.0?

Here is the official changelog:

Intel's latest Wi-Fi and Bluetooth drivers are available for systems with the following network adapters:

You can download Intel Wi-Fi driver 23.30.0 from the official website. Full release notes are available here (PDF).

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What is new in Intel Wireless Bluetooth Driver 23.30.0?

Here is the official changelog:

• Improvements to device stability while resuming from hibernate or sleep modes.
• Improved connectivity to a second gaming controller (Dual Sense*)
• Intel® Wireless Bluetooth® 23.30.0 driver has been updated to include functional updates. Users should update to the latest version.

You can download the Intel Wireless Bluetooth driver version 23.30.0 from the official website. It is available for 64-bit Windows 10 and Windows 11 systems with supported Intel network cards (full list below). Full release notes are available here (PDF, via Deskmodder).

Intel's latest Bluetooth driver is available for systems with the following network adapters:

If you do not know what network card is installed in your computer, check out Intel's official help page where the company describes how to identify your wireless adapter and its driver version. You can also use the Intel Driver and Support Assistant tool for automatic detection and driver installation.

To update your Intel Wi-Fi and Bluetooth drivers, download the latest versions from the official website and run the executables, then pray it will go well.

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For those unfamiliar, Bug Bash is a special period during which Windows Insiders help Microsoft spot and resolve bugs in Windows 11 by completing a series of tasks called "quests." Microsoft publishes those quests in the Feedback Hub app, and completing them lets the company gather the necessary data about new features and their performance in Windows 11 preview builds.

A Bug Bash quest may involve trying one of the new features, performing a series of actions, changing specific settings, and other experiments with the operating system. Here is how Microsoft describes the event:

A bug bash is a collaborative event where users, developers, and enthusiasts come together to identify and report bugs in the product. It’s an opportunity to explore new features, test functionalities and contribute to improving the software's quality.

Participation in Bug Bashes is optional, and the only reward you get for helping the software giant is a special badge in your Windows Insider profile.

If you want to take part in making Windows 11 better, update your computer to the latest builds from the Dev and Canary Channels. The first Bug Bash of 2024 also covers Windows Server 2025, which is currently available in preview. As a reminder, you can always find links to the latest WIP builds on Neowin's main page.

Once on the latest build, press Win + F to launch the Feedback Hub app and navigate to the "Quests" section. Complete available quests to send your data and feedback to Microsoft for future improvements. Bug Bashes help Microsoft catch various issues in Windows 11 preview builds and ship better updates in the Stable Channel.

Are you participating in this year's first Bug Bash?

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The February updates have generally been well behaved, with one major exception: gamers.

Otherwise, things have been mostly quiet. That’s why I feel comfortable lowering the MS-DEFCON level to 4. Patches are unlikely to cause most users any problems.

Gamers using a controller on their Windows PCs may find that Windows Explorer fails to load the task bar after the installation of Windows 11 KB5034765 or Windows 10 KB5034763. Some users have reported that the issue clears up if they uninstall and reinstall the offending updates. This typically happens because the files that the system needs to properly work go back to their needed defaults.

We have yet to see any resolution to the issues triggered by KB5034441, the Windows Recovery Environment update. Keep in mind that the failure of KB5034441 to install will not cause damage to your system, other than making Windows update sluggish as it repeatedly attempts to install the update. It will not trigger other side effects.

The Microsoft community post Serial and continuous problems after (KB5034441) Error (0x80070643) hints that the failure of the update to install could be the root cause of other problems. I disagree. The WinRE update patches a specific, hidden partition in your computer — or rather attempts to. It won’t install its code in other areas of the computer. Its failure to install on a Consumer Windows 10 PC is cosmetic, albeit annoying.

It’s infuriating that Microsoft has still not fixed the issue, but this is not a trigger of other core issues in Windows. The Patch Tuesday Megathread (2024-02-13) post at Reddit includes a buried comment from user bdam55, who reports that his contacts in the Windows Servicing organization say there will be no near-term fix for this. Instead they have, in effect, stopped pushing the update. If you’ve hidden it, keep it like that.

If you wondered where your “show desktop” sliver went after installing the February updates, lots of other folks on social media were wondering as well. You can go through the GUI process to turn it back on, but I’ve put up registry keys to make it a bit easier. Simply click on the file, approve the UAC prompt, and install it on your system. The little sliver will immediately come back with no need for a reboot.

The other day, someone asked what I meant when I urged everyone to install all updates in their Web Browsers immediately. Was there a specific setting they were missing?

No. The best way to update your browser to the latest version is to literally just launch the browser, find its update mechanism, and launch it. For many browsers, it’s there under Help | About. When the browser checks its version so it can be displayed, it also checks for updates. The browser handles any updates quietly, after which closing and relaunching the browser will result in a fully updated program. It’s the same process on Macs.

My mantra — to have multiple browsers and keep one for specific uses, such as banking — is also true for devices. Don’t rely just on the browser that ships with the device. These days, you can install many browsers on many devices.

The news about Mozilla reprioritizing its work on Firefox includes a note about the addition of AI features. That makes me want to scold Mozilla, “Not you, too!” The nonprofit has lost market share and still relies heavily on Google to fund its business model. Maybe the race to include AI in everything means that we’ll start to see advertisements touting the absence of AI in some products. It’s still early days for this technology, and we still need to vet the results and let the bugs emerge.

If you have a Windows 11 computer that won’t install KB5034765, the solution is to delete a folder called $WinREAgent, located in your C:\Drive. A thread on Reddit pointed this out as a fix for the issue, noting that the folder is hidden. Viewing hidden files is easy, as described in Microsoft’s support post View hidden files and folders in Windows. My theory is that this is connected to the BitLocker update because — as you may recall — Windows 11 has its WinRE updates included in the monthly cumulative update and not as a separate patch.

This month, Microsoft released .NET updates. They do not contain any new security content and are just regular bug fixes. Once upon a time, I would look in horror at .NET releases, but now they are even better behaved than Windows updates. They are not mandatory, and I am not tracking any side effects if you do install them. I flag them for installation.

Support for PQ3 will start to roll out with the public releases of iOS 17.4, iPadOS 17.4, macOS 14.4, and watchOS 10.4. It is already contained in the corresponding developer preview and beta releases. Although it’s not yet in general release, there is already chatter about PQ3, which promises end-to-end encryption in the iMessage system. According to Apple, this update is intended to guard against hacking threats driven by quantum computing.

Security updates for Microsoft’s on-premises Exchange email server address two known issues:

You’ll want to refer to the Exchange Team blog for more details and workarounds.

SQL is another one of those beasts of code to patch. If you are in the unenviable position of being a database patcher, my recommendation is to bookmark the Microsoft Learn post Latest updates and version history for SQL Server and always have a recovery plan or failover database handy. Compare your version of installed SQL to the supported levels and, as always, check with your vendors before updating.

The remaining February updates have been relatively quiet for Server admins. If you have a Server 2022 that does not have a WinRE partition, KB5034439 will continue to fail.

Last week, ConnectWise, released a security advisory regarding its product ScreenConnect, a program used by many managed service providers to provide remote access and support to clients. Huntress also provided details. Anyone with an on-premises version of ScreenConnect should update immediately.

As the alert from Huntress researchers notse, the exploit is a simple authentication bypass:

Once you have administrative access to a compromised instance, it is trivial to create and upload a malicious ScreenConnect extension to gain Remote Code Execution (RCE). This is not a vulnerability, but a feature of ScreenConnect, which allows an administrator to create extensions that execute .Net code as SYSTEM on the ScreenConnect server.

If you use a consulting firm to assist with your technology, ask them what remote tools they use — and ensure they are patched. If you are a consulting firm, always be aware of vulnerabilities in remote-control tools; add two-factor authentication to all such installations. The bad guys know we connect remotely, and they look for easy ways to piggyback on our access.

Resources

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Something did not go as planned. No need to worry – undoing changes. Please keep your computer turned on

Other users report a similar message in Windows Update:

We could not install this update, but you can try again (0x800f0922)

In addition to the not-so-helpful error message and its cryptic code (you can also find it in the Windows Event Viewer), the update hangs and stops responding at 96% for some users.

Fortunately, there is a workaround for those affected. Microsoft says uninstalling the hidden folder C:\$WinREAgent should fix the issue and force the update to install. Delete the folder, restart your system, and try downloading KB5034765 again. Microsoft is already working on resolving the bug in an upcoming update.

Although the 0x800f0922 error does not affect Windows 10 users, they recently had a fair share of WinRE-related issues as well. In January 2024, Microsoft issued a notification that extending the WinRE partition is necessary to install the latest security update. Otherwise, Windows 10 would throw the "0x80070643 - ERROR_INSTALL_FAILURE" at you. You can check out this article to learn more about mitigating the problem.

Microsoft does not say what causes the 0x800f0922 error on Windows 11 versions 22H2 and 23H2, so we can only guess whether it is related to the recent Windows 10 WinRE issues.

In case you missed it, a few days ago, Microsoft resolved another bug in Windows 11 that was preventing apps from recording, playing, or capturing videos with the WVC1 codec. Fixing that bug requires installing KB5034204 (January 2024 non-security update) or KB5034765 (February 2024 security update).

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Aside from the WHQL certification, this revised version brings support for several new Vulkan extensions including ones that are meant to improve rasterization, shader performance, and graphics pipeline, among others.

AMD has also confirmed that it is delaying the audio synchronization issue when recording AV1-encoded videos. While the previous driver noted "Resolution targeted for Q2", the new driver states "Resolution targeted for Q3".

The full changelog is given below:

New Game Support

 

• Skull and Bones
• Nightingale

 

Expanded Vulkan Extensions Support

 

• VK_KHR_calibrated_timestamps
• VK_KHR_line_rasterization
• VK_KHR_load_store_op_none
• VK_KHR_index_type_uint8
• VK_KHR_shader_expect_assume
• VK_KHR_shader_quad_control
• VK_KHR_shader_subgroup_rotate
• VK_KHR_vertex_attribute_divisor
• VK_KHR_shader_float_controls2
• VK_EXT_primitives_generated_query
• VK_EXT_graphics_pipeline_library
• VK_KHR_maintenance6
• Click HERE for more information about other Vulkan® extension support.

 

Fixed Issues

 

• Improvement to intermittent driver timeout or application crash experienced while playing HELLDIVERS™ 2 on AMD Radeon™ RX 7000 series GPUs. AMD is continuing to investigate additional reports of driver timeouts and application crashes while playing HELLDIVERS™ 2.
• Improvements to excessive stutter while playing various games, including Battlefield™ 2042, Destiny 2, Overwatch 2, Monster Hunter: World, PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS and STAR WARS™ Battlefront™ II.
• Deathloop may experience extended loading times on some AMD Graphics Products, such as the Radeon™ RX 6900 XT.
• Dead Space may experience an application crash after enabling RTAO on some AMD Graphics Products, such as the Radeon™ RX 6800.
• Intermittent application crash when first launching Enshrouded or changing Anti-Aliasing settings on Radeon™ 7000 series graphics products.
• Shadows may appear bright, or reflections may be missing while playing Enshrouded on Radeon™ 7000 series graphics products.
• HDR settings may intermittently fail to take effect while playing certain games such as Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth.
• Intermittent driver timeout or application crash may be considered while playing Counterstrike 2 with FSR enabled on some AMD Graphics Products, such as the Radeon™ RX 7900 XTX.
• Graphics API metric may be incorrectly reported as DirectX® 12 for some Vulkan® games.
• After a system reboot, Parsec host application may experience a crash on some AMD Graphics Products, such as the Radeon™ RX 7900 XTX.
• During Microsoft Teams meetings, the camera may intermittently display looped footage on some AMD Products, such as the AMD Ryzen™ 7 7840U Processor.
• Oculus Rift S may display with a green tint on AMD Radeon™ RX 7000 series GPUs.
• AFMF may be inaccurately displayed on select hybrid graphics configurations, particularly in systems where one of the devices lacks support for AFMF. AFMF must be supported on the displaying GPU to be activated.
• Mouse lag or stutter may be observed when selecting the discrete GPU as the primary display adapter on certain mobile systems, such as an AMD Ryzen™ 9 6900HS Mobile Processor paired with an AMD Radeon™ RX 6800S Mobile GPU.

 

Known Issues

 

• Intermittent driver timeout or application crash may be experienced while playing HELLDIVERS™ 2 with 100% GPU utilization on some AMD Graphics Products, such as the Radeon™ RX 7900 XTX.
• Intermittent application crash or driver timeout may be observed while playing Starcraft II™ on Radeon™ RX 7000 series GPUs.
• Intermittent application crash or driver timeout may be observed while playing Overwatch® 2 with Radeon™ Boost enabled on Radeon™ RX 6000 and above series GPUs. Users experiencing this issue are recommended to disable Radeon™ Boost as a temporary workaround.
• World of Warcraft may experience extended initial loading times with DirectX 12 API on some AMD Graphics Products, such as the Radeon™ RX 6800.
• Shader caching may fail for Windows usernames containing accented characters. [Resolution targeted for 24.3.1]
• FPS performance metric may incorrectly report values while a game is minimized. [Resolution targeted for 24.3.1]
• AMD SmartAccess Video may be incorrectly reported as “Available” on some systems with the Parsec Virtual Display Driver installed.
• Performance drop may be observed while using some DirectML workloads in Topaz AI.
• Audio and video may intermittently become out of sync while recording using the AV1 codec in AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition. [Resolution targeted for Q3]

You can download the driver from this page on AMD's official website.

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Here is the changelog:

Gaming Highlights

 

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

 

• Last Epoch
• Sea of Thieves DirectX 12 Update

 

Game performance improvements on Intel Core Ultra with built-in Intel Arc GPUs versus Intel 31.0.101.5252 software driver for:

 

• Assassin’s Creed Syndicate (DX11) - Up to 65% average FPS uplift at 1080p with Medium settings
• Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (DX11) - Up to 17% average FPS uplift at 1080p with Normal settings
• Divinity Original Sin 2 (DX11)- Up to 25% average FPS uplift at 1080p with Medium settings
• Far Cry 5 (DX11) - Up to 8% average FPS uplift at 1080p with Normal settings
• Halo: The Master Chief Collection (DX11) - Up to 19% average FPS uplift at 1080p with Original settings
• It Takes Two (DX11) - Up to 24% average FPS uplift at 1080p with Medium settings
• Just Cause 3 (DX11) - Up to 18% average FPS uplift at 1080p with Medium settings
• Just Cause 4 (DX11) - Up to 155% average FPS uplift at 1080p with Medium settings
• Palworld (DX11) - Up to 14% average FPS uplift at 1080p with Medium settings
• Rise of the Tomb Raider (DX11) - Up to 9% average FPS uplift at 1080p with Medium settings
• Rust (DX11) - Up to 9% average FPS uplift at 1080p with Medium settings
• SCUM (DX11) - Up to 6% average FPS uplift at 1080p with Medium settings
• Sid Meier’s Civilization VI (DX11) - Up to 27% average FPS uplift at 1080p with Medium settings
• Snowrunner (DX11) - Up to 49% average FPS uplift at 1080p with Medium settings
• Warframe (DX11) - Up to 7% average FPS uplift at 1080p with Medium settings
• XCOM 2 (DX11) - Up to 8% average FPS uplift at 1080p with Medium settings

 

Known Issues:

 

Intel Arc A-Series Graphics Products:

 

• Topaz Video Al may experience errors when using some models for video enhancement

 

Intel Core Ultra with built-in Intel ArcT GPUs:

 

• Diablo 4 (DX12) may exhibit corruption on the terrain during gameplay.
• Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection (DX12) may experience application crash after loading into gameplay.
• Autodesk Maya may experience an application crash while running SPECAPC benchmark.\
• Blender may experience an application crash while rendering some scenes on certain system memory configurations.
• Topaz Video Al may experience errors when using some models for video enhancements.
• Serif Affinity Photo 2 may experience an application crash while running benchmark.
• Procyon Al may experience an application crash while running benchmark with precision float32.

 

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

 

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

We continuously strive to improve the quality of our products to better serve our users and appreciate feedback on any issues you discover and suggestions for future driver releases. If you have an issue to submit, please follow the guidance found here: Default level information for reporting Graphics issues.

 

Intel Arc Control Known Issues:

 

• The "Connector" type in the Display page may incorrectly show DP when using an HDMI display connection.
• Arc Control Studio capture recording file may become corrupted when the mouse cursor is enabled during HDR capture.

You can download the new drivers here and check out the full release notes in PDF format here.

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Here is the changelog:

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

 

[Taskbar]

 

• Fixed an issue which was causing the taskbar to sometimes be very slow to appear sometimes after booting up and logging in for the first time.

 

[Search]

 

• Fixed an issue where if your taskbar was close to being full of app icons, when you tried to open search it would just open and immediately close.

 

New features rolling out for everyone in the Beta Channel

 

New notification badging for Widgets

 

We’re beginning to roll out a new badging experience for Widgets. Widgets badges will notify you when you miss an important notification on your taskbar. Below is an example of a notification badge for Widgets that shows that there are three missed notifications.

 

Widget badging on the taskbar showing three missed notifications.

 

When you open the Widgets board you can see details for the notifications you missed in the top left corner of the board.

 

Missed notifications at the top left of the widgets board.

 

[We are beginning to roll this out to Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel today, so the experience isn’t available to all Insiders just yet.]

 

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Desktop Environment  > Widgets.

 

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out to everyone in the Beta Channel

 

[Widgets]

 

• We’ve made improvements to Widgets so that the icons on the taskbar no longer appear pixelated or fuzzy.

 

Known issues

 

• Microsoft Defender Application Guard (MDAG) for Microsoft Edge users may hit a no network connection issue when browsing inside MDAG. The workaround is to disable the MDAG enterprise policy or uninstall MDAG via “Turn Windows Features on and off” and reboot. As a reminder – MDAG for Edge is a deprecated feature.

You can check out the full blog post here.

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You may already know this, but batteries tend to wear down over time. As you use them and charge them back up, batteries will lose their original designed capacity. You might think, then, that keeping your laptop fully charged all the time is a good thing — but you'd be wrong.

Batteries also wear down more quickly if you constantly keep them fully charged. Thankfully, PC manufacturers have come up with a feature that lets you limit the battery charge on your laptop to 80% (sometimes even less), so if you use your laptop plugged in most of the time, you can prolong its longevity by keeping it below that threshold.

Unfortunately, this feature isn't in Windows 11 itself yet, but most manufacturers offer some version of it. We've compiled instructions on how to enable this feature on all major laptop brands so you don't have to look any further.

How to limit the battery charge on HP laptops

HP has two methods for limiting the battery charge on its laptops: Adaptive Battery Optimizer and Battery Care Function. Both of these are found in the BIOS, and they're mutually exclusive. Adaptive Battery Optimizer automatically adapts the battery charging behavior based on your usage patterns, while Battery Care Function gives you more of a hard limiter. Keep in mind that your BIOS may look different, but the general functionality is usually similar. Also, Adaptive Battery Optimizer is usually enabled by default.

1. Open the Start menu.
2. While holding Shift on your keyboard, click the Power button and then Restart.
   

3. Click Troubleshoot, then Advanced options.
   

4. Choose UEFI Firmware settings to access the BIOS.

   
5. 5. Navigate to the Configuration tab (on some laptops, you may need to choose BIOS Setup first).
   1. Option 1: Select Adaptive Battery Optimizer and set it to Enabled.
   2. Option 2: Select Battery Care Function and set it to 80%.
       
      

How to limit the battery charge on Lenovo laptops

Lenovo laptops make it a little easier to set your battery charging limit, since it uses the Lenovo Vantage app inside Windows. You can set the charge limit to different values, too.

1. Open the Lenovo Vantage app (you can install it from the Microsoft Store).
    
   
2. Cleck Device and then Power.
    
   
   Image credit: Lenovo (YouTube)
3. Scroll down to the Battery settings section.
4. Under Battery charging threshold, set the Stop charging at field to 80%.
    
   
   Image credit: Lenovo (YouTube)

Note that the Lenovo Vantage logo and app may look different depending on your laptop model.

How to limit the battery charge on Dell laptops

Dell laptops also use Windows software to manage battery charging limits with the Dell Power Manager app. It works similarly to Lenovo's solution:

1. Open Dell Power Manager (you may need to install it from the Microsoft Store).
2. In the Battery information tab, click Settings.
    
   
   Image credit: Dell (YouTube)
3. Click Primarily AC Use to automatically limit the maximum charge.

    

   • Alternatively, click Custom and set the Stop charging field to 80%.
      
     
     Image credit: Dell (YouTube)
4. Click OK.

How to limit the battery charge on Surface laptops (and tablets)

Microsoft lets you limit the battery charge using the Surface app on its devices. It's usually enabled by default, but here's how to make sure:

1. Launch the Surface app. You can install it from the Microsoft Store.
    
   
2. Check that the Smart charging field says Currently on.
    
   

   On some devices, smart charging may always be on and not show this indicator.

3. If not, expand the field by clicking it.
4. Click the button to enable smart charging.

Smart charging will limit the maximum battery charge to 80% in most cases, but it will be paused if you frequently drain the battery below 20%.

Alternatively, most Surface devices also have an option in the BIOS settings called Enable Battery Limit Mode. This limits the battery charge to just 50%, which is less than ideal since it will take a

How to limit the battery charge on Asus laptops

Asus laptops come with the MyAsus app, which also provides a way to limit the battery charge. Here's how it works:

1. Launch the MyASUS app (you can download it from the Microsoft Store).
    
   
2. Click Customization on the left-side menu.
    
   
3. Set the Battery Health Charging option to Balanced mode to limit it to 80%. You can use Maximum lifespan mode to limit it to 60%.

How to limit the battery charge on Acer laptops

Acer also includes the Acer Care Center on its laptops and it provides a similar feature. Here's how to use it:

1. Launch Acer Care Center (it may be labeled as just Care Center). You can download the app from Acer's support website.
    
   
   Image credit: Acer (YouTube)
2. Click Checkup (the yellow area).
    
   
   Image credit: Revo Fidel (YouTube)
3. Click the right arrow next to the Battery health area.
    
   
   Image credit: Revo Fidel (YouTube)
4. Set the Battery Charge Limit toggle to On.
    
   
   Image credit: Revo Fidel (YouTube)
5. Click OK to confirm your choice.

How to limit the battery charge on MSI laptops

MSI laptops let you limit the battery charge through the Dragon Center app. Here's how:

1. Launch the Dragon Center app. You can download it from MSI's website.
2. Click the toolbox icon, then choose Battery Master.
    
   
   Image credit: MSI
3. Set the Battery health option to Balanced. You can also set this option to Best for battery to limit the charge to 60%.
    
   
   Image credit: MSI

How to limit the battery charge on LG laptops

LG bundles its laptops with the LG Smart Assistant app, which also lets you limit the battery charge to 80%:

1. Launch the LG Smart Assistant app.

    

   • If you've removed the app, you can download LG Update from the company's support website, then use LG Update to install Smart Assistant.
      
     
2. Click the Power setting icon on the left side (it looks like a battery).
    
   
3. Set the Extend Battery Life toggle to On.

Battery warnings for other laptops

Because the solutions above are exclusive to the respective laptop manufacturers, there's a chance your laptop isn't listed here. However, if you'd like to prevent charging beyond a certain battery level, there are apps that can warn you when you reach 80% battery, or any other level, so you can unplug the laptop. They can't limit the charging capacity per se, but they might be useful if you want to at least be more aware of your battery usage. One great option is Battery Limiter.

Once you've installed the app, simply drag the slider to set the maximum battery charge so you'll hear an alarm when that number is reached.

Keep your battery healthy

Hopefully, in the near future, Windows 11 will add a feature like this that works natively on all laptops so you don't have to navigate all kinds of different settings. Regardless, all these methods work and cover most of the laptop brands you can find, so whatever your laptop is, you can help extend its lifespan by preserving its battery capacity. With fantastic laptops doing more than they ever have before, but also costing a lot of money, it's important to make sure they last as long as possible.

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The official schedule on the GDC website spills the beans at "DirectSR," or super resolution for Windows 11 apps and games. It should be demoed during the "DirectX Start of the Union" session scheduled for March 21, 2024. Here is its description (via The Verge😞

The DirectX team will showcase the latest updates, demos, and best practices for game development with key partners from AMD and NVIDIA. Work graphs are the newest way to take full advantage of GPU hardware and parallelize workloads. Microsoft will provide a preview into DirectSR, making it easier than ever for game devs to scale super resolution support across Windows devices. Finally, dive into the latest tooling updates for PIX.

Gamers can already benefit from different resolution upscalers made by Nvidia, AMD, and Intel. Some of them (looking at you, Nvidia) require the latest and greatest hardware, while options from AMD and Intel work with older hardware, even from other manufacturers. It remains to be seen which approach Microsoft will take.

Microsoft plans to ship a big feature update for Windows 11 in the second half of this year. It will be packed with plenty of AI features, one of which could be DirectSR. Although we do not have official confirmation regarding hardware requirements, reports say that some capabilities will require dedicated hardware with neural processing units. You can already find system files hinting at that, such as the NPUDetect.dll library in Microsoft Paint files.

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Fortunately, Microsoft decided not to ignore the customer outcry. Edge 122, which was released in the Stable Channel last week, introduced a new toggle in the Sidebar settings. You can turn the new button off by heading to Settings > Sidebar and toggling "Show sidebar button." With this change, you are no longer required to use modified shortcuts and special commands to hide the uncalled-for button on the toolbar.

Note that the option will not appear until you turn off the Copilot button in Settings > Sidebar > Copilot > Show Copilot.

In addition to addressing a popular request from users, Microsoft Edge 122 contains another important fix. Edge 121 broke the "Enhance text contrast" flag (turned off by default), which is responsible for improved text rendering in the browser. After updating to Edge 122, you can once again enable better text rendering that "uses the same contrast and gamma settings that are used elsewhere in Windows."

After turning on that flag, Edge will follow your ClearType settings, which you can customize by running ClearType Text Tuner. To do so, press Win + R and type cttune. Alternatively, press Win + S and search for "ClearType." Interestingly, Microsoft Edge is the only Chromium-based browser that supports this feature.

Like most other browsers, Microsoft Edge updates itself in the background. However, you can force-install the latest update by navigating to edge://settings/help. You can check out what is new in the latest Microsoft Edge release in our dedicated article.

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Twitter (now X) owner Elon Musk apparently bought a new laptop and was surprised, in a bad way, to find that they could not install Windows 11 on their new PC without an MSA. Needless to say, they did not appear too thrilled about it.

Musk expressed their disapproval of this requirement via their official X handle stating that it gives Microsoft's AI (Copilot) access to user data.

Responding to one of the replies on the same thread, they labeled this particular requirement as "not cool":

If you want a recall of how it all came to be, like many new changes, Microsoft first started test-driving the MSA requirement in a Windows 11 Insider build back in February of 2022, and expanded that to Insiders as well later on in the year.

Neowin published a guide on how to bypass the MSA requirement, alongside some other ones like the one that works around the internet check (the previous one we published may no longer work).

It is also possible to use third-party software utilities with popular ones like Rufus, or Ventoy, as well as a little less popular ones like WinToUSB.

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Those upgrading from Windows 10 will also get plenty of other features and changes. Here are some quick links to our reviews of the previous Windows 11 updates:

Windows 11 22H2 | Moment 1 | Moment 2 | Moment 3 | Windows 11 23H3

What is new in Windows 11 "Moment 5" Update?

Quick Links

1. Snap Layouts
2. Settings Improvements
3. Accessibility Improvements
4. Other Changes
5. Bonus: Wallpaper

Snap Layouts

In 2021, Windows 11 introduced a new feature called "Snap Layouts," which lets you quickly arrange applications on the screen. With the "Moment 5" update, Snap Layouts are getting smarter. The operating system can now analyze and predict what programs you want to arrange and in what manner.

It works the same as the previous version: hover the cursor over the maximize/minimize button and select the layout you want. You will notice that there are extra options with app icons. Those are your smart suggestions.

Settings Improvements

The Settings app gets quite a few changes and improvements with the "Moment 5" update.

Nearby Share Name

You can now set a separate name for your computer just for the Nearby Share feature. Previously, Windows 11 used your PC name in the "About" section.

Sharing improvements

Microsoft has redesigned the share UI, which now includes more third-party apps, such as WhatsApp, Gmail, and X. In addition, turning on Nearby Share now automatically turns on Bluetooth and Wi-Fi since the feature relies on these wireless protocols.

Screen casting

Press Win + K to cast your screen to another monitor. On the flyout, you will notice two new links: one for troubleshooting and one for connecting to more devices. The former opens your browser with a screen casting support article, and the latter launches display options in the Settings app.

Microsoft also implemented a notification that will suggest you cast your computer to a wireless monitor for "more room."

Phone Link = Mobile Devices

Microsoft has renamed the Phone Link's section in the Settings app to Mobile Devices.

Repair Windows using Windows Update

The Recovery section now has a separate "Fix problems using Windows Update" option, which can reinstall Windows and preserve all your files, apps, and options. Cloud reinstall is not a new thing in the Windows world, but now it has a dedicated button under the troubleshooter section.

Note that this option requires an active internet connection since Windows 11 will attempt to download files for repair from Microsoft's server. Also, reinstalling Windows using a regular USB drive might still be a more effective option in some cases.

Copilot Pro ads

Every Windows update has its irritations, and the Moment 5 is no exception. The Home section in the Settings app now features an extra banner for Copilot Pro, Microsoft's new commercial subscription. Sigh.

Deprecation banners

Speaking of banners, look out for deprecation notifications in apps like Steps Recorder and the old Windows Speech Recognition.

Accessibility Improvements

The "Moment 5" update brings several improvements to existing accessibility features.

Voice Access

Voice Access, a feature that lets you control your computer with your voice, now supports custom shortcuts. Voice shortcuts is a neat tool for automating various actions. You can program a series of actions and then assign a custom shortcut, say, open a file, enter several keystrokes, save the changes, and close the app.

Note: the Voice Shortcuts feature is only available for users in the United States.

In addition, Voice Access now supports more languages, namely Spanish, French, and German, plus you can use Voice Access across multiple displays.

Narrator

You can now interact with the Narrator using Voice Access. Also, it is now easier to preview natural voices before downloading them. Just click any voice and hear how it sounds. Finally, Microsoft improved image description generation and added a new shortcut key for that.

Other changes

New location for Copilot

Microsoft is already changing where the Copilot button sits (just one update after the initial release). It is now located in the bottom-right corner of the screen, right next to the notification center and the system clock. That also means the good-old minimize all windows button is gone.

Fortunately, you can fix this by heading to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar behaviors and toggling on the "Select the far corner of the taskbar to show the desktop" option.

The new Copilot button placement may look odd and a bit random, but the idea is to keep it where the Copilot UI appears on the screen. If you do not like it, you can toggle it off in settings and then invoke Copilot using the Win + C shortcut.

Feature-wise, Copilot is still a bit lame (to put it mildly) when it comes to Windows integration. Still, Microsoft is already working on making it much more useful and capable of doing significantly more with your computer.

A new folder on the Start menu

The Start menu now groups recently added apps into one folder, allowing you to access more apps with fewer clicks.

Windows 365 Improvements

Windows 365 integration in Windows 11 received several improvements, such as a dedicated mode that lets you switch between a local user and Windows 365 and sign in with Windows Hello for Business or another passwordless method.

The Settings app across your Cloud PC will show several banners to let you know that some apps are affected by your local hardware options, such as sound.

Also, Windows 11 now lets you disconnect from a cloud PC from Task View, and it shows your cloud PC name on the recently introduced virtual desktop indicators.

Bonus: Wallpaper

Here is the wallpaper we used in this review. It is the new background picture Microsoft introduced in the recent Windows Server 2025 preview builds.

Light version:

Dark version:

What do you think about the Windows 11 "Moment 5" update?

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By now, you probably know that Windows 11 version 24H2 (its preview builds) requires the POPCNT instruction to boot. CPUs without POPCNT can no longer run 24H2 builds, even with existing modifications. Microsoft recently added a corresponding registry to the Windows registry, refuting some speculation that the POPCNT instruction requirement is a temporary measure or a mistake. The setup experience is now also warning about the missing instructions when installing version 24H2 on old computers.

In 26063, the latest Canary build, the list of compatibility blocks received another value (spotted by Deskmodder). "BlockedBYSSE4.2" is now responsible for checking whether your processor supports the SSE4.2 instruction set. You can check it by launching Registry Editor and heading to Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags\CompatMarkers\GE24H2.

It may be easy to be upset about Microsoft blocking old hardware from running its operating system. However, keep in mind that SSE4.2 is an instruction set that was introduced sixteen years ago. Whether you like it or not, new features require more modern hardware, so it is natural to see old processors no longer being able to run the OS they were never designed to in the first place.

The entire POPCNT story is anything but new in Microsoft's world. Even Windows 10, which is considered a universally "omnivore" in terms of hardware compatibility, had to drop some chips at one point. Starting with the April 2018 Update, Windows 10 cannot run on specific Intel mobile chips due to bugs in the now-unsupported graphics driver.

If you are still determined to run Windows 11 24H2 on unsupported hardware, check out this guide to learn how to make sure your CPU has the necessary instructions.

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Microsoft Teams - Improved Presenter Window and more

The Microsoft Teams meeting and collaboration service got a few upcoming features listed this past week on the roadmap. One of them that's coming in April for the PC and Mac versions will have some improvements for presenters in Teams.

When sharing the screen or content, the presenter will now be able to better keep track of the participants' activity during a meeting. The Improved Presenter Window shows up to four meeting participants (both video and audio), who are active speakers and who raised hands, as well as a preview of the content being shared. Meeting notifications appear in the middle of the screen for better visibility. This gives presenters increased confidence and awareness of what is happening among participants during a meeting.

Another upcoming Teams feature in April, this time for the PC, Mac and mobile versions, will give users an extra video function.

You can now use Teams video clip in channel, in addition to chat. Record yourself, your screen, or an audio-only clip and attach the video clip to your channel post or reply.

Finally, the iOS and Android versions of Teams will get a faster way to sign into a meeting in March:

Users can skip typing the full user principal name (UPN) and sign in faster on shared and managed devices, by using app configuration policies to autofill the domain name.

Other Microsoft 365 apps and services - Outlook gets a new in-person invite feature and more

The new version of Outlook for Windows and the web will get a feature in March that will allow organizers who create events in the app to sent invites to people to attend an event in person.

Also, we wanted to mention that the recent announcement of the new Sticky Notes app in OneNote that's now being tested by Microsoft 365 Insiders now has an entry on the roadmap, which says it should officially roll out in April. It also says that current Windows Sticky Note users will be slowly moved over to the new Sticky Notes app in OneNote.

That's it for this week's look back at the Microsoft 365 roadmap. We will be back next Sunday for another look at the coming week's new entries.

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What is new in Microsoft Edge 122?

Check out the official changelog for the new Stable version of Edge 122:

Fixes

 

• Resolved an issue where PDF text fields and drop downs values were being rendered twice for specific files when using the Microsoft Edge built-in PDF reader powered by Adobe Acrobat.
• Resolved an issue where printing certain PDF files in landscape mode with the 'fit to printable area' option resulted in incorrect printing.

 

Feature updates

 

• Moving Managed Site Indicator (Briefcase icon) into the lock icon in the address bar omnibox. The briefcase icon which signals that a page is managed via admin policies, has been moved into the lock icon in the address bar. End users can view details about the protections for a given page by clicking the lock icon in the address bar and then clicking the briefcase icon. For more information, see Understand Data loss Prevention in Microsoft Edge.
• Deprecation of the image enhancement feature. To improve end user experience, the image enhancement feature is deprecated.
• Configure recommended policies in the Microsoft Edge management service. The Microsoft Edge management service now provides admins with the ability to set recommended policies. This gives end users permission to override their admin's policy configuration.
• Microsoft Edge has rebranded Web Capture to "Screenshot". Microsoft Edge changed the branding for Web Capture with an icon change and renamed the feature to "Screenshot". Users can easily use content from the web by taking a screenshot of a full page or a selected area. They can mark up the screenshot they took with a pen or touch later. Administrators can control availability using the WebCaptureEnabled policy.

You can learn more about the rebranded Screenshot feature in Edge at this Microsoft support site.

Edge 122 Stable has the following policy updates:

New policies

 

• AIGenThemesEnabled - Enables DALL-E themes generation
• EnhanceSecurityModeAllowUserBypass - Allow users to bypass Enhanced Security Mode
• SuperDragDropEnabled - Super Drag Drop enabled
• UrlDiagnosticDataEnabled - URL reporting in Edge diagnostic data enabled
• EdgeOpenInSidebarEnabled - Enable open in Sidebar
• EdgeSidebarCustomizeEnabled - Enable sidebar customize

 

Obsolete policies

 

• EdgeEnhanceImagesEnabled - Enhance images enabled (obsolete)

 

Additional policy changes

 

• DiagnosticData - Send required and optional diagnostic data about browser usage. Supported on Windows since Stable 122 or later.

The new Edge 122 Stable version also "Fixed various bugs and performance issues" according to the support post.

Microsoft Edge will update itself automatically upon the next restart. However, you can force-install the latest release by opening edge://settings/help. The desktop version of the browser is available on Windows 10, 11, macOS, and Linux.

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However, it's not a total loss for Beta Channel users this week. They, and indeed all Windows Insider Program members, can download a new version of the Photos app for Windows 10 and 11. It includes a new AI editing feature, Generative erase, that lets users delete any clutter or background objects they wish to get rid of in their photos

Canary Channel Insider members not only got a new build this week that added support for Wi-Fi 7 to Windows 11, but it also got a shadow update earlier this week that added a number of new functions and features to the Copilot AI assistant. The Dev Channel got updated as well, but this was a small servicing pipeline release with no new features or improvements.

Finally, a new build for Windows Server Preview users was launched this week. It added a Feedback Hub and some nice desktop wallpapers.

If Microsoft sticks with its rumored plans, next week could see the company roll out "Moment 5", the next content and improvement update for Windows 11, on Tuesday, February, 27. Based on earlier Insider builds and a more recent Release Preview build, we could see features like improvements in the Snipping Tool, voice access changes, and more. Some features, like widgets updates, were removed in earlier Insider builds, so we will have to see if they are included in the Moment 5 update.

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For those unfamiliar with Windows Hot Patching, it is a special tool that allows for "patching the in-memory code of running processes without the need to restart the process." In other words, you can install specific updates on the go without restarting the operating system. It is not a new concept for Windows Server, and now Microsoft is testing this feature in the Dev Channel for regular users. You can learn more about it from the official documentation.

The idea is to let users install monthly security updates without interrupting their workflows and asking for a restart. However, you will still need to reboot your system every few months to install a "baseline update" for subsequent releases and the next few months without restarts. Rebooting your system once in three months sounds much more appealing than rebooting it every month.

Windows Central claims Microsoft wants to include Windows Hot Patching for consumer editions in version 24H2, which should arrive in the second half of this year under the "Windows 11 2024 Update" moniker. Also, the feature should only be available for x86 systems at first, and ARM64 devices will get Hot Patching in 2025. However, there is no info on what SKUs will get restart-less updates.

As usual, since the report is unconfirmed, take it with a reasonable grain of salt. Meanwhile, if you want to make Windows install updates faster, check out this article. Our small experiment recently revealed that a little trick can reduce install times by up to 18%.

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What you need to know

• Microsoft is testing a new update method for Windows 11 that will allow the OS to install critical updates without requiring a reboot.
• This method, called "hot patching," has been in use on Windows Server and Xbox for some time.
• Hot patching for Windows 11 is expected to debut with version 24H2 later this year.

If there's one thing Windows users hate about Windows, it's Windows updates interrupting your workflow or gaming session with a popup asking you to restart your PC finish installing the latest security update. It happens at least once a month, because that's how often Microsoft rolls out security updates to Windows PCs.

This may soon be a thing of the past, as the company is now testing an update method called "hot patching" for Windows 11 PCs. Hot patching is already in use on some Windows Server editions, as well as Xbox, and now it appears the company is preparing to bring it to devices running Windows 11. 

The latest Windows 11 Dev Channel build is testing a rebootless security update on PCs with "Virtualization Based Security" enabled. Once installed, the Windows build string will be updated to "ge_release_svc_hotpatch_prod1.240211-0859."

How does it work? According to Microsoft's own documentation, hot patching works by "patching the in-memory code of running processes without the need to restart the process." 

My sources say Microsoft intends to use hot patching on Windows 11 to deliver monthly security updates without requiring the user to restart. However, this doesn't mean you won't be required to restart for a pending update ever again. Hot patching relies on a baseline update that requires a reboot every few months.

This means in an ideal world, only four monthly security updates will require a reboot a year, those being in January, April, July, and October. The other months will be serviced via hot patching, which won't require a reboot. Of course, any major security updates, bug fixes, and feature updates can be delivered at any time if necessary, and will still require a reboot even outside of those set months.

According to my sources, Microsoft is hoping to ship hot patching later this year alongside the release of Windows 11 version 24H2 on x86-64 machines. ARM64 devices will get support for hot patching in 2025, if the schedule doesn't slip. It's unclear if hot patching will be available to all Windows 11 users, or if it will be reserved for Windows 11 commercial editions such as Enterprise, Education, and Windows 365. 

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10th and last one. It's 3:20 am. You're welcome.