The new hotfix driver is based on one of the previous Nvidia driver versions, 551.23, which introduced support for the RTX 4070 Ti Super. It has been a busy couple of months so for Team Green as Nvidia has launched multiple new cards in the form of new Super GPUs, as well as something for the entry-level market too with its RTX 3050 6GB.

As such the company has also released new drivers, with version 551.31 that added RTX 4080 Super support, and version 551.32, a couple of days later, which added RTX 3050 6GB support. These however only apply exclusively to owners of those cards only and driver version 551.23 remains the latest Game Ready WHQL driver for all users.

The full changelog for the GeForce Hotfix driver version 551.46 is given below:

GeForce Hotfix display driver version 551.46 is based on our latest Game Ready Driver 551.23.

 

This hotfix addresses the following issues:

 

• Some users may experience intermittent micro-stuttering in games when vertical sync is enabled [4445940]
• Potential stutter may be observed when scrolling in web browsers on certain system configurations [4362307]
• [Red Dead Redemption 2][Vulkan] Stutter observed on some Advanced Optimus notebooks [4425987]
• [Immortals of Aveum] Addresses stability issues over extended gameplay [4415277]

In order to download this hotfix driver, head over to the official Nvidia website at this link. The driver applies to 64-bit versions of both Windows (10 and 11).

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What just happened? Bitlocker encryption in Windows OS improves data security by protecting system files and personal data using the AES encryption algorithm. It's an important measure for people who need additional security, enabling PC users to safely encrypt and protect data from potential attackers. However, new research shows that it can be easily cracked using inexpensive, off-the-shelf hardware.

In a YouTube video, security researcher Stacksmashing demonstrated that hackers can extract the BitLocker encryption key from Windows PCs in just 43 seconds using a $4 Raspberry Pi Pico. According to the researcher, targeted attacks can bypass BitLocker's encryption by directly accessing the hardware and extracting the encryption keys stored in the computer's Trusted Platform Module (TPM) via the LPC bus.

The attack was possible due to a design flaw found in devices with dedicated TPMs, like modern laptops and desktops. As explained by the researcher, BitLocker sometimes uses external TPMs to store key information, such as the Platform Configuration Registers and Volume Master Key. However, as it turns out, the communication lanes (LPC bus) between the CPU and external TPM remain unencrypted on boot-up, allowing threat actors to sniff any traffic between the two modules and extract the encryption keys.

To carry out his proof-of-concept attack, Stacksmashing used a ten-year-old laptop with BitLocker encryption and then programmed the Raspberry Pi Pico to read the raw binary codes from the TPM to gain access to the Volume Master Key. Thereafter, he used Dislocker with the recently-acquired Volume Master Key to decrypt the drive.

It is worth noting here that this is not the first time we're hearing about somebody bypassing BitLocker encryption. Last year, cybersecurity researcher Guillaume Quéré demonstrated how the BitLocker full volume encryption system can allow users to eavesdrop on any traffic between the discrete TPM chip and CPU via an SPI bus. However, Microsoft claimed that defeating BitLocker encryption is a long and cumbersome process that requires lengthy access to the hardware.

The latest development has now shown that BitLocker can be bypassed much more easily than previously thought, and raises pertinent questions about existing encryption methodologies. It remains to be seen whether Microsoft will root out this particular vulnerability from BitLocker, but in the long run, cybersecurity researchers need to do a better job of identifying and fixing potential security loopholes before they become a problem for users.

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• Apple Devices app is available for PCs running Windows 10 version 19045.0 or higher

Last year, Apple announced its plans to split the popular iTunes app for Windows into three different apps: Apple Music, Apple TV and Apple Devices. The official Apple Music app for Windows will allow you to access millions of songs and podcast content. The official Apple TV app for Windows will allow you to enjoy millions of movies, TV shows and more. The new Apple Devices app for Windows will allow you to manage Apple devices including iPhone, iPad and iPod from your Windows PC.

Apple Devices app for Windows will allow you to:

• Transfer photos, music, movies and more between your Windows computer and your iPhone, iPad or iPod.
• You can sync selected files from specific apps to your iPhone, iPad or iPod.
• Safeguard the information on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch by backing it up. Easily restore the information onto your device whenever needed.

Apple Devices app is available for PCs running Windows 10 version 19045.0 or higher. Download the Apple Devices app for Windows from the Microsoft Store. If your PC is running on an OS that doesn’t support Apple Devices app, then you need to download the iTunes app to manage your Apple devices. Download iTunes for Windows from the Microsoft Store.

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Did you know that Microsoft has an official app for boosting performance in Windows 10 and 11? In October 2022, the company launched the so-called "PC Manager" app with a few built-in utilities made for tweaking performance, speeding things up a bit, and keeping your computer in good shape software-wise. Not the app is out of preview, and you can download it from the Microsoft Store.

Microsoft PC Manager is available on Windows 10 and 11 (x64 and ARM). For those downloading it, Microsoft promises one-click solutions for optimizing performance and RAM usage, cleaning your drives from junk files, troubleshooting parts of the OS, anti-virus protection with the help of the Microsoft Defender platform, pop-up blocker for Windows apps (I wonder if it can block OneDrive's constant nags to enable backups), and more.

The company says the app "adheres to the four product concepts of simplicity, fluency, close to native, efficient and secure, and pure without disturbance." Indeed, the app looks and feels native to Windows 11 and provides quite a lot of features without overwhelming the user.

Besides basic maintenance, the Microsoft PC Manager app offers some extra conveniences, such as a floating toolbar with a RAM usage indicator (sadly, no CPU or GPU tracking, just memory), a link to Snipping Tool, the ability to pin websites for quick access, and more. There is even a sort of built-in Task Manager that lets you browse through running processes, see how much RAM each one consumes, and kill those hogging your computer's resources. You can keep the floating bar on the screen or hide it in a collapsible sidebar.

The Microsoft PC Manager app was initially made for the Chinese market, but it should now be generally available in more regions. Sadly, the localization is still sub-par, with only English and Chinese languages available.

If you are interested in trying the Microsoft PC Manager app, head to the Microsoft Store using this link.

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What is new in Microsoft Edge 123.0.2380.1 Dev?

New features:

• Added Content Security Policy (CSP) in the browser to enable the Suno Plugin to work within the Windows Copilot.

Reliability improvements:

• The problem of the browser crashing when the favorites hub was opened while navigating to a website was fixed.

   

• Fixed an issue that causes browser to crash while clicking add account.

Other changes:

• The issue of the ‘More tools’ menu item not responding to screen reader’s ‘Double tap’ instructions has been fixed.
• Resolved an issue where the 'Subscribe to Copilot Pro' button would not appear after switching to an MSA account without a subscription until the browser was restarted.
• The problem of the font dialog of reading mode not reflecting the selected font type has been resolved.
• Fixed a bug that caused favicons to vanish after updating to the latest build, but they returned after relaunching the browser.
• Resolved a problem where the Ask Copilot button did not work in privacy mode.
• Fixed an issue where the chat page would overlap with the 'ask me' window on Android devices when in landscape mode.
• The issue of the NTP (New Tab Page) background image not working was fixed.
• The problem of games not launching when disconnected from the network was fixed.
• The issue of Narrator announcing extra information while navigating to the ‘Explore more games to play’ button was resolved.
• Resolved an issue where clicking the ‘Get Started’ button would not launch Copilot.
• Fixed an issue where icons would disappear during the installation of the extension.
• iOS: Resolved a problem where an alert would appear and a new tab would open when clicking on a Copilot Pro deep link in Copilot chat.
• Mac: The problem of multiple success messages appearing when logging into Terminal after launching the browser has been resolved.

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

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What you need to know

• New research commissioned by Mozilla reveals the Microsoft uses harmful designs and deceptive tactics to push its Edge browser to Windows users.
• The report details that the tech giant uses misleading UIs and ads, and more to prevent users from using other browsers aside from Microsoft Edge as default on Windows.
• Mozilla points out that this places other browsers like Google Chrome and Firefox at a disadvantage, and calls on regulators to look into the matter.

Even in 2024, browser wars continue to be a thing. Users have varied interests and wants regarding the browser they use on their devices. Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge are arguably the most popular browsers among users, but is it by choice or design?

The folks at Mozilla have openly indicated that it's the latter, further throwing blame at Microsoft. The company pointed out that users don't have free will to use any browser as their default on Windows devices. 

Mozilla tasked Harry Brignull and Cennydd Bowles, alongside researchers and experts, to investigate the matter. As it turns out, Microsoft might be playing a foul game by preventing freedom of choice when selecting default browsers on Windows (via TechRadar). 

In the report "Over the Edge: The Use of Design Tactics to Undermine Browser Choice," the researchers point out how Microsoft has placed its Edge browser on a pedestal across its operating system, leaving its competitors at a disadvantage. 

The report also outlines the deceptive ploys the tech giant leverages to affirm its position in the race for browser dominance, including misleading UIs and ads, alarming notifications that are worded and presented as system warnings, and more.

Microsoft, Google, and Apple were some companies listed as gatekeepers by the EU Commission last year. Microsoft made the list because of its Windows OS and LinkedIn, and Google for its Chrome browser and search engine. The Commission gave the gatekeepers six months to comply with the DMA; failure would attract hefty fines and penalties. One of the requirements under the DMA tasks the companies listed to make their services interoperable.

Interestingly, Microsoft's Bing was initially listed as a gatekeeper service, but the company argued that the search engine hadn't hit the threshold to fall under this category. The Commission investigated the matter and recently concluded that Bing and Edge aren't dominant enough in digital markets, exempting them from DMA regulation. 

Mozilla hoped that the DMA regulation on Microsoft Edge would give Firefox some breathing space and the opportunity to compete on an even playing field. But as it happens, that ship has seemingly sailed off with its competitive advantage. Microsoft's CEO, Satya Nadella, shares the same sentiments regarding search, adding that Google doesn't play fair with Bing. 

It's the same script for Microsoft, just a different play

(Image credit: Future)

This isn't the first time we've learned about Microsoft pushing its browser and search engine down users' throats. Late last year, some users trying to download Google Chrome while using Microsoft Edge were slapped with a survey asking them to detail why they wanted to try another browser.

How can we forget when Microsoft deliberately placed ads on Google Chrome's download page, perhaps to prevent users from transitioning? The fact that Windows 11 and 10 come with Microsoft Edge preinstalled doesn't improve the situation.

Mozilla further makes its case in the in-depth report and pleads with regulators to look into the matter to promote healthy competition.

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Sometimes, Microsoft announced new features to Windows with press releases or even streamed press events. This week, the company revealed a small but still fairly significant change to its Copilot for Windows feature that was apparently based on user feedback.

Shilpa Ranganathan, the Corporate Vice-President for Windows at Microsoft, posted what was, for her at least, a fairly rare message on her X (formerly Twitter) account this week. She revealed that the chat windows for Copilot for Windows will now launch with a larger chat space as the default. She hinted that Microsoft had heard from users they wanted such a larger chat window.

Ranganathan pointed out that the Copilot chat window can still be resized for anyone who wants a larger or smaller window. The default size can also be switched back to " thinner side-by-side window too!"

There may be even more Copilot chat window size options coming in the future. In a reply to a person's X post who asked Ranganathan if the Copilot chat window could take up the entire screen or the full screen on one monitor in a two-monitor desktop PC setup, she wrote, "Good feedback. We are also working on this!"

One other thing about her X post is that the image she shared with the large Copilot window also had a Notepad app running behind it with the message, "So much goodness coming to Copilot in Windows soon." It certainly sounds like Ranganathan is going to be posting more updates and messages about Copilot in the future, so we will be keeping an eye on her X account from now on.

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WinRAR is among the most famous .zip and .rar compression, archiving and extraction software in the world.

More than 30 years ago, WinRAR was released to the public in a command line version. However, it was only two years later, in 1995, that a UI based version was released for the public.

Since then, WinRAR has grown leaps and bounds. It has become among the most well known file archivers out there.

A file archive software, which offers higher compression and quick extraction speed. In addition to great UI and features. WinRAR has many reasons to be famous.

Not to forget, it is regularly updated, with additions and improvements in compression and extractions, bot in terms of sizes and speeds.

Bought WinRAR Yet?

However, WinRAR is also famous for something else. WinRAR is well known to offer the software as a trial version. A trial version, which ideally should work only for 30 days.

But it doesn’t stop working after 30 days and keeps working even after that. This makes the trial version to keep working forever. It has meant that a huge amount of WinRAR users have never bought the software.

This has led to many people buying WinRAR and posting their purchase pics online as a joke. So much so that a whole subreddit on Reddit called r/PaidForWinrar (now inactive) is dedicated for those who paid for the full version of the software.

If that isn’t enough, people regularly post on Twitter (now X) about their achievements of purchasing a WinRAR license. Often re-tweeted by the official WinRAR’s Twitter (now X) handle @WinRAR_RARLAB, like this one:

Not to forget, #iboughtwinrar hashtag is famous on Twitter too.

So how WinRAR even earns if not many are buying it except for jokes? Well, it’s said that WinRAR earns most of it through their industrial licenses by selling it to companies.

However, among all the great things about WinRAR, it has one simple problem. By default, the size of the archived files opened inside WinRAR are shown in bytes instead of Kilobytes (KB) or Megabytes (MB) or Gigabytes (GB). There’s a simple way to fix this.

Change WinRAR file size from Bytes to KB or MB

The simple way to change file size in WinRAR from bytes to KB or MB or MB is this:

• Open WinRAR.
• Click on Options. On top.
• Click on Settings. The very first option.
• Click on File list. Which is the fourth tab.
• Uncheck the option called Exact sizes.
• Click on OK. To save the settings.

That’s it. This is how it looks after the saving:

Conclusion

Years ago, when WinRAR was founded, files were not that big. So, them defaulting to bytes made sense when files sizes were small enough to be counted in bytes. But these days files sizes in Kilobytes (KB) or Megabytes (MB) or more so in Gigabytes (GB) are more common. So it makes more sense in showing them that way.

We must admit. From years, we have been using it the bytes way and frustratingly, we ourselves didn’t know that it was possible to change it. So we must credit Spud096 from GBAtemp for posting the easy fix for it. It’s because of that post that we came to know about this fix and we are able to share it with our readers.

As for WinRAR itself. People can download WinRAR from their official homepage and even purchase / buy a license of it if necessary. After all, it gives the ability for them to post it online showing that they bought the license for one of the most famous software out there.

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What you need to know

• Copilot for Microsoft 365 is an AI tool designed for use by organizations.
• The tool provides all the features of Copilot and Copilot Pro, plus it gives you access to Copilot in Teams, enterprise-grade data protection, and Copilot Studio.
• Now, you can summon Copilot for Microsoft 365 directly on the Windows 11 desktop.

Windows 11 PCs can now summon Copilot for Microsoft 365 directly on the desktop. Windows 11 already supported bringing up Copilot, but it's now possible to have Copilot Pro or Copilot for Microsoft 365 appear at the touch of a button.

If you have a Copilot for Microsoft 365 license, you'll see the option to toggle between "Work" and "Web" within Copilot. As a quick reminder, Bing Chat Enterprise was renamed to Copilot at Ignite 2023.

To use the new feature, you need to be part of an organization that has a Copilot for Microsoft 365 license and Copilot in Windows enabled.

"Today, we are happy to share that the integration of Copilot for Microsoft 365 into the Windows desktop experience is now available," explained Microsoft in a Tech Community post. "This will bring Graph-grounded chat capabilities to Copilot in Windows for users who have a Copilot for Microsoft 365 license and Copilot for Windows enabled."

Copilot in Microsoft 365 is also accessible through Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Edge, and through copilot.microsoft.com.

A more powerful Copilot

Subscribers can now summon Copilot for Microsoft 365 on the Windows 11 desktop. (Image credit: Microsoft)

Microsoft's naming for Copilot can get a bit confusing. On top of the fact that just about every Microsoft service and app has some version of Copilot or Copilot integration, there are also multiple versions of Copilot.

The free version of Copilot is one you've probably seen on your PC, even if summoned by accident. Copilot Pro is aimed at prosumers and power users who need more AI features than the free version of Copilot. Despite the "pro" in the Copilot Pro name, that subscription is not the one aimed at enterprise and business customers. For professional use, you'll have to look at Copilot for Microsoft 365.

Microsoft explained in a blog post earlier this month that "while Copilot Pro is [its] best experience for individuals, Copilot for Microsoft 365 is [its] best experience for organizations."

Copilot for Microsoft 365 used to be restricted to organizations that purchased at least 300 seats. That changed earlier this year when Microsoft made Copilot for Microsoft 365 more accessible. Small businesses can purchase between one and 300 seats for $30 per month per person.

The following plans can get Copilot for Microsoft 365 as an add-on:

• Microsoft 365 E5
• Microsoft 365 E3
• Office 365 E3
• Office 365 E5
• Microsoft 365 A5 for faculty
• Microsoft 365 A3 for faculty
• Office 365 A5 for faculty
• Office 365 A3 for faculty
• Microsoft 365 Business Standard
• Microsoft 365 Business Premium

Microsoft continues to improve the capabilities of its various Copilots. Just this week, the company shared that Copilot for OneDrive is in the works.

Copilot is still relatively new, and Copilot for Microsoft 365 is even newer than the base version of the AI tool. You can expect to see many more features added and improved in the near future.

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The update is available already and should be installed on most systems automatically. Brave Browser users on desktop may select Menu > Help > About Brave to check the current version and install the update immediately.

Brave should display the version 1.62.153 after the update on desktop devices.

Brave Browser 1.62

Brave Browser includes several changes that the company announced previously.

Earlier this week, we reported that Brave Software made the decision to remove the strict fingerprinting protection from the browser. The company said the opt-in feature caused web incompatibilities regularly and that it would bind development resources because of that.

Brave Browser continues to protect against fingerprinting, albeit not as aggressively as before.

The official changelog confirms the removal of "aggressive fingerprinting". Brave 1.62 on my test system still had the strict option, however. It is possible that Brave added the removal of the feature prematurely to the changelog and that it will be removed from stable versions of the browser in the near future.

Brave Browser 1.62 ditches HTTPS Everywhere as well. More precisely, it stops using the HTTPS Everywhere list. This list provided information about HTTP to HTTPS upgrades.

The EFF stopped supporting HTTPS Everywhere in early 2023. Brave switched to using a "not-compatible" list in the browser in early 2023. The removal should not have consequences for users of the browser.

About 10% of Brave users receive access to a new version of the News feed. The updated version displays a "News" header at the bottom of the new tab page and a preview of a single news article.

A click on News scrolls down to the news section. Brave lists several changes on GitHub. These include that articles are opened in new tabs by default, that users are taken back to the scroll position in the news feed after opening articles, and publisher and channel management improvements.

Brave users who want this right away may load chrome://flags/#brave-news-feed-update and set the experimental flag to Enabled to get the new News feed and layout right away.

Brave's implementation of Tor has a few improvements. First, a new setting to only resolve .onion addresses in Tor windows. This is enabled by default.

Automatic redirects for .onion URLs are also only done in Tor windows now in Brave Browser.

The bulk of the changes in Brave Browser 1.62 are Web3 and AI changes. Brave Leo, the integrated AI that Brave introduced in version 1.60, received several updates.

Notable, the ability to react to page content changes during conversations, the formatting of code responses, and new context indicators. Claude AI, which is also available in Brave, supports Claude Instant now.

Claude Instant is a free but rate-limited version of Claude. Anthropic, creators of Claude, described it as a "lighter, less expensive, and much faster option". Similarly, Mixtral 8x7B is also available as a new free but rate limited option.

Brave Browser 1.62 was updated to the latest Chromium build. This ensures that all recently reported security issues are also fixed in the new browser version.

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Microsoft is resorting to pop-ups again to tell Windows 10 users to upgrade

Windows Latest reports that Windows 10 users are being greeted by an annoying full-screen pop up (refer to the screenshot below), which highlights the free upgrade to Windows 11. The pop-up displays 4 screens, three of which highlight the improvements in Windows 11, while the last screen allows the user to continue with Windows 10.

The pop-up screen is displayed after a Windows update is installed on the computer, and the culprit in question appears to be the KB5034203 update (OS Build 19045.3996). It is available as an optional preview update for Windows 10 users.

Microsoft previously announced that Windows 10 will reach end of support on October 24, 2025. The operating system may be on its last lap, but that has not stopped the Redmond company from porting over features from Windows 11. Microsoft brought its Copilot AI to Windows 10 last year, and is testing a new Weather Widget for the lock screen, this is identical to the one on Windows 11's lock screen.

This might be an interesting strategy from the company, if users get a taste of the features before upgrading, it might make it easier to help them move to Windows 11.

Windows 11 is still behind Windows 10

Windows 11 debuted in October 2021, and over the course of 2 years, it has accumulated over 400 million users (monthly active users). It is expected to cross the 500 million mark in early 2024. The operating system attracted more users in September 2023, when Microsoft introduced Copilot, but it may not be as widely be used as you might think.

Microsoft had revealed last year, that over 1 Billion PCs were running on Windows 10 or 11, though the exact breakdown of the numbers remains a mystery. Statcounter says that Windows 10 still dominates the PC market with a 66.43% share. In comparison, Windows 11 just has a 27.89% share. According to Steam's Hardware & Software Survey for January 2024, Windows 11 boasted a user base of 44.24%, while 51.43% of gamers who took the survey were on Windows 10.

It is likely that the numbers could rise rapidly when Windows 10 reaches its end of life. That said, there may be some hurdles for users to migrate to the new OS. An analysis by Canalys Research revealed that at least 240 million Windows 10 PCs can't be upgraded to Windows 11, due to hardware limitations like the TPM 2.0 requirement. You may of course bypass these artificial restrictions by using third-party tools, but the majority of users will be unaware of such workarounds. So, users may have to stay with Windows 10, or upgrade some parts of their PC, or may have to buy a new computer entirely, to use the latest operating system, browsers, and other apps.

The above screenshot is from one of the computers we have at home, it shows a banner that offers the free upgrade to Windows 11. I haven't received the optional update, nor have I noticed the full-screen pop-up that advertises the upgrade. However, Windows 10 does display some notifications in the Action Center from time to time, pestering me about switching to Windows 11.

Which operating system do you use? Windows 10 or Windows 11? What's keeping you from upgrading to Windows 11?

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Here’s all you need to know about its features, pricing, support, ease of use, and more.

AIDA64 Features

Let’s look at its main functions in depth:

1. Computer Analysis

The AIDA64 Extreme tool analyzes your computer and covers the DMI, IPMI, Overclock, Power Management, and Sensors. While information about the system is also available in Windows Settings, it’s often insufficient.

This tool presents an in-depth analysis of every component of your system. For example, it gives every detail of every cache component while the System information window only mentions the number of caches.

2. Motherboard Analysis

This section explains the details of components that are either a part of the motherboard or critically attached to it. It covers the CPU, CPUID, Motherboard, Memory, SPD, Chipset, BiOS, and ACPI. Interestingly, you won’t have to reboot the system to know the status of Secure Boot, UEFI Boot, BiOS update date, etc.

3. Operating System

The Operating System analysis has the Service Manager, Device Manager, Task Manager, and other processes all at the same place. The advantage is that you have all of them at the same interface. While testing the tool, I was able to control the processes, drivers, and services easily.

4. Server

This tool remotely manages server systems. It has the local group policy editor and accounts panel integrated into the app. You can share files, and manage logins, accounts, Server policies, Global groups, and Users through the Server panel.

5. Display

The Display section is an excellent option for analyzing display-related components and managing the graphics. It displays information for the GPU, Windows video, and Monitor.

If you have OpenGL, Vulkan, Mantal, or any other app installed on your system, you can conveniently control it from the panel. You can also manage and add fonts from the application.

6. Multimedia

The Multimedia section analyzes the system audio and video. It also lists the Audio and Video codecs and has an additional section for HD Audio.

Other than this, the software controls PCI/PnP audio. Lastly, it reviews and fixes DLL files associated with the multimedia.

7. Storage

When I need to check the storage in my system, I usually hop onto the This PC section. However, to read the details of each drive, I need to open its properties individually.

With the AIDA64 Extreme app, I can check all the information related to the drives and storage in one panel. The details are displayed in a tabular form. It covers everything, including external drives.

8. Network

The Network section for AIDA64 Extreme is similar to the default Network & Internet Settings. It allows you to check the status of the Wireless Adapter, Bluetooth, VPN, and Proxy.

You can alter the Internet settings and the default page for Microsoft Edge. Other than this, you can route the IP addresses.

9. DirectX

The DirectX menu manages the DirectX files, audio, and video. The interesting part is that you can check or uncheck DirectX fields to enable or disable certain properties.

10. Devices

The Devices section can update and uninstall system drivers and other external devices. It checks Windows, Physical, PCI, USB, Device resources, Input, and Printers.

11. Software

The Software section allows you to control applications. It’s similar to the Programs and Features menu on your Windows OS. You can control the AutoStart programs, Scheduled applications, and also uninstall programs with one click.

Furthermore, you can hop on to this panel to verify software licenses and change the default types of files associated with the applications.

12. Security

The Security Menu manages Windows Security, Windows Update, external anti-virus, external Firewall, Anti-spyware, and Anti-trojan software products. It works with both internal and third-party security systems. The advantage is that you have all the options in the same panel.

13. Config

This menu deals with the items related to System Configuration. This includes the Control Panel, Recycle Bin, System Files, System Folders, and Event Logs.

14. Database

There are a lot of ODBC database files in the system. You can manage them with ease thanks to this app.

15. Benchmark

The Benchmark section mentions the traits of different versions of processors. You can use this information to compare your processor with the other options.

Support

When I clicked on the support link, it redirected me to an online forum. The forum is moderately active and is managed by a staff of 4 moderators. You’ll get a reply in an hour or 2 if the topic is relevant.

I suggest you check through other answers in the forum for quicker resolution.

AIDA64 Pricing

AIDA64 offers a 30-day free trial. You can use all the features of the app during this period. Best of all, it won’t ask for your credit card.

To continue using it, you’ll have to subscribe:

• Full version price: $59.95 per year
• Extra year (2-year price): $89.93 per year
• Student discount: $41.96 per year

To get the discount, you’ll need to upload your student ID card.

AIDA64 Review – Verdict

Overall, AIDA64 Extreme allows easier access to all systems in the computer. I strongly recommend using this software for gaming and other high-end PCs.

While the generous free trial is nice, the full version is on the expensive side.

Did you try this software? If yes, then please let me know your opinion in the comment section below. Hopefully, this AIDA64 Extreme review will help you reach an informed decision.

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Microsoft's press release about Windows XP did admit that the OS was previously under development with the code name "Whistler." As you can read in our earlier look at the history of Windows XP, Microsoft originally had its consumer and its business Windows teams as separate units. However, in 2000 Microsoft decided to merge those two units into one to work on Whistler, It would finally bring the Windows NT kernel to the consumer version and ditch the old MS-DOS architecture.

So, where did the final "Windows XP" name come from? Well, Microsoft was trying to ditch its date-based naming system for Windows that started with Windows 95 and continued with Windows 98. However, Microsoft used the Windows 2000 name for its business version of the OS, which forced the company to name the next consumer version Windows Millenium, shorted to Windows Me.

So for the next OS version, Microsoft went with Windows XP, which the company said was short for "eXPerience." Both the consumer and business versions of the OS would use the "XP" name. The company would eventually release a number of different XP versions.

That included Windows XP Starter, which was made for lower-end PCs that could only run a few programs at a time. There was also Windows XP Media Center Edition, which, as the name implies, was made specifically for media hardware devices like TV set-top boxes.

The XP branding wasn't just for Windows. Microsoft also decided to add that name to the next version of its Office productivity suite. Yes, we got Office XP in 2001 as well, in place of the previous "Office 10" code name.

Just as an aside, Microsoft seemed to have the letter "X on the brain in 2001. The company launched the first Xbox game console in the same year that Windows XP and Office XP launched. We are a little surprised that we didn't get "XP Games" as the name. But we digress.

The announcement of both Windows XP and Office XP 23 years ago today was a fairly major turning point in Microsoft's history. XP ended up being a huge success for the company, as big if not bigger than Microsoft 95. Windows XP was also helped by the fact Microsoft took much, much longer to release the next version of the OS, Windows Vista.

There was a gap of over five years between the release of XP and Vista (which entered general availability in January 2007). Then, Vista ended up not being well received by PC owners, and Windows XP got its support extended while Microsoft tried to release Windows 7, which it did in late 2009.

Microsoft finally ended its official support for Windows XP in April 2014, over 12 years after it launched in the fall of 2001. Ironically, Windows 7 ended up having a fairly long support life span as well, thanks to the failure of Microsoft's Windows 8/8.1 operating system.

According to the most recent numbers from Statcounter, there are still 0.57 percent of Windows-based PCs that are running Windows XP, close to 10 years after it ended its official support time period. That means there are likely still lots of PCs running that OS that was officially announced over two decades ago. Heck we even have trains in Germany that are running on the much older Windows 3.11, for goodness sakes.

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Today, the Office Insider blog announced some new audio features that are rolling out to Clipchamp users. One lets the user insert an audio recording into their video. They can click on the Audio option in the app's Record and Create tab, and then they start recording their audio clip, up to 30 minutes in length. After the recording is done, they can make edits to it in the app's timeline. This feature is available for all Personal account users.

Clipchamp also has some improvements to its text-to-speech feature. Microsoft stated:

You can now add a text to speech track item, and then change the language, voice, emotion, pitch, as well as edit the script from the property panel.

The app also lets users change the speed of the text-to-speech audio as well. This is now available for all Personal Clipchamp accounts, and it has just started rolling out for commercial accounts.

Microsoft also revealed an upcoming Clipchamp audio feature called silent removal. If you have an audio track that might have some extended periods of no sound in them, the feature will remove some or all of these silent parts of your track automatically.

This will be rolled out later in February as a public preview for Personal Clipchamp accounts. When it comes out of its public preview testing period, it will be available only for Clipchamp Premium subscribers.

Just a heads up: Clipchamp Premium costs $11.99 a month or $119.99 a year. It also includes features like 4K video resolution support, premium stock images, videos, and audios, more filters and effects and backup features.

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As such, more rumors started building up around this development though some of them, as Neowin pointed out, did not make much sense due to the lack of matching evidence. More recent reports paint a different picture since apparently, Microsoft has had a change of heart and as such, Windows "12" may not be happening in 2024.

Still, there is mixed evidence about the matter. Microsoft seems to have confirmed that a "New Windows Client" is indeed landing, though that could be pointing toward Windows 11 version 24H2, traces of which first started appearing at the end of last year, inside a DMSA-related group policy. Later on, more evidence was unearthed in official documentation related to the enumeration of device drivers. However, there was a recent build jump from 26047 to 27545 which might be pointing towards early next-gen Windows work.

Qualcomm at its latest Q1 2024 earnings call, added that the "next version of Microsoft Windows" is arriving in "mid-2024." Cristiano Renno Amon, President and Chief Executive Officer of the company stated:

.. We're tracking to the launch of products with this chipset tied with the next version of Microsoft Windows that has a lot of the Windows AI capabilities. We're still maintaining the same date, which is driven by Windows, which is mid-2024, getting ready for back-to-school. ..

In case you are wondering about the product and chipset being discussed, it is the Snapdragon X Elite and Qualcomm has added in its report that it's seeing even more design wins.

Qualcomm's own presentation suggested that it tested its X Elite chipset on an undefined "Windows OS" different than Windows 11 and this can certainly lead to the idea that perhaps the company has internally already run on Windows "12" on its hardware.

You can view the full performance charts in our dedicated article.

Besides, this isn't the first time that the mid-2024 release time frame for next-gen Windows has been mentioned. Last year, another report surfaced which claimed something similar, that Microsoft and its hardware OEM partners were gearing up for the launch of a whole bunch of "AI PCs" in June. Besides Qualcomm, a senior Intel executive had also stated that a "Windows refresh" was on the cards in 2024.

Source: Qualcomm Q124 earnings transcript (PDF) via PCMag

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Interestingly, the specified dates almost match the last year's conference. In 2023, Microsoft held the event from May 23 through May 25.

The Build conference usually focuses on things that make lives easier for developers. Therefore, expect this year's event to feature multiple announcements tailored to app-makers. Still, there may be a few consumer-facing reveals. For example, in 2023, Microsoft announced Copilot integration in Windows 11, RAR support, taskbar improvements, native RGB controls, and many more. You can check out all the Build 2023 news here.

Of course, we have to wait for Microsoft to confirm the date and give us some hints on what to expect from the Build 2024 conference. Still, it is probably safe to assume that the company will unveil multiple AI-related features and changes for developers and consumers, which will arrive in the second half of the year. 2024 is expected to be a big year for "AI PCs," so Build 2024 looks like a perfect place to highlight stuff that is coming soon to the Windows ecosystem.

As it usually goes with unconfirmed information, even that coming from reliable sources, take it with a grain of salt until we have a word from Microsoft.

What would you like to see at the Build 2024 conference? Is there a specific feature you want Microsoft to bring to its operating system? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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Using obsolete software within state-owned services and systems is not uncommon worldwide. The cause is sometimes simply a lack of resources and necessary investments, but occasionally, it’s a mere fact that the old code is simply just enough for a given job.

That’s apparently the case of German railroads where 30-year-old Windows for Workgroups 3.11 is still being used. Its ongoing duty was revealed a few days ago in a job posting on the German website Gulp.de, reported the local publication Heise Online.

The now-deleted job posting was listed by Siemens Mobility, which provides services to state-owned railroad company Deutsche Bahn (DB). It was looking for a system administrator with knowledge of legacy operating systems, especially Windows 3.11 for Workgroups.

The presented task of the administrator was to handle the updates and maintenance of the old system released in November 1993. The posting specifies that Windows 3.11 for Workgroups powers the cab’s display system, which shows the driver all the important technical data in real-time.

Tom’s Hardware reports that the system is most likely used in old ICE 1 and ICE2 high-speed InterCity Express trains. Those are old generations of German ICE railroad network trains manufactured between 1989 and 1997.

German tabloid Bild used the opportunity to highlight the fact that 36 % of German long-distance trains were late in 2023, with a delay of six minutes or more. However, there Is no indication that the cause could be tracked to Redmond’s developers back in the early nineties.

Siemens Mobility confirmed to Heise Online the authenticity of the job posting, explaining the trains and railroad infrastructure have a service life of 30 years or more. The company assured the public that its customers “continue to safely use tried and tested legacy systems that are standard in the industry” and that Siemens Mobility is providing support and maintenance for the entire life cycle.

Of course, newer systems are developed using the currently available software products, even utilizing artificial intelligence, the company added. But don’t be surprised if those modern systems still use Windows 10 or 11 in 2054.

Image: Neowin via Internet Archive

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• Microsoft’s upcoming Windows update, codenamed Hudson Valley, will focus on AI features, but its name remains undecided.
• Experts believe it’s likely to be a Windows 11 update due to leadership changes, fragmentation concerns, and user preference for familiarity.
• Microsoft might aim for a unified Windows experience, avoiding a repeat of the Windows XP fragmentation issue.

Microsoft is gearing up for a significant update to its Windows operating system later this year, codenamed Hudson Valley. Packed with AI-powered features and potentially marking a new era for Windows, the update’s name remains a mystery. Will it be unveiled as Windows 12, signifying a major shift, or simply another update for Windows 11?

Before everything, we recently covered a post clarifying that Microsoft wasn’t releasing or testing the “first Windows 12 insider build” yet.

Highlighting several factors influencing Microsoft’s decision:

Microsoft’s Windows division recently underwent a leadership change, with Mikhail Parakhin, CEO of Advertising and Web Services, now overseeing Windows alongside web products like Edge and Bing. This shift in leadership might bring a renewed focus on frequent updates and a unified Windows experience across different versions.

Currently, Windows 10 and 11 coexist, with roughly 1.4 billion users divided between them. Introducing another major version, Windows 12, could further fragment the user base, creating compatibility and support challenges for Microsoft.

Users often resist major interface changes, and Microsoft might prioritize user comfort by sticking with the familiar Windows 11 interface for Hudson Valley. This could ensure wider adoption of the update, especially considering Microsoft’s goal of showcasing its AI advancements to as many users as possible.

Recent decisions to backport features from Windows 11 to Windows 10 hint at Microsoft’s desire to treat both versions as a singular platform. This further strengthens the argument for Hudson Valley being an update within Windows 11, maintaining a unified user experience.

Microsoft’s ultimate goal could be to adopt a Chrome OS-like approach where Windows updates would be seamless and wouldn’t require major versioning, similar to how Chrome OS receives continuous updates without much hype. It would be interesting to see if Microsoft goes down this route in the future.

While strong arguments lean towards Hudson Valley being a Windows 11 update, Microsoft’s final decision remains under wraps. External factors like pressure from hardware manufacturers or internal plans for a major UX overhaul could still influence the naming and features of the update.

More here.

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If you are on the other end of the spectrum, already on Linux, and would like to try Windows via VM, and you happen to be running an Intel processor, 12th Gen or newer, there is good news for you. That's because Intel has been working to integrate Thread Director optimizations such that Windows guests on Linux hosts can perform better. These optimizations (spotted by Phoronix) can net up to a 14+% performance bump. The patch was tested on the 13th Gen Core i9-13900K.

The patch notes also says that additional support from Intel HWP (Hardware P-States / Performance States) and CPPC (Collaborative Processor Performance Control) is also necessary

... the purpose of this patch set is to enable the ITD-based scheduling logic in Guest so that Guest can better schedule Guest tasks on Intel hybrid platforms.

 

Currently, ITD is necessary for Windows VMs. Based on ITD virtualization support, the Windows 11 Guest could have significant performance improvement (for example, on i9-13900K, up to 14%+ improvement on 3DMARK).

 

Our ITD virtualization is not bound to VMs' hybrid topology or vCPUs' CPU affinity. However, in our practice, the ITD scheduling optimization for win11 VMs works best when combined with hybrid topology and CPU affinity (this is related to the specific implementation of Win11 scheduling).

 

[..]

 

To enable ITD related scheduling optimization in Win11 VM, some other thermal related support is also needed (HWP, CPPC), but we could emulate it with dummy value in the VMM

In case you may not be aware, Intel Thread Director (ITD) is the technology that helps Windows schedule tasks optimally across appropriate P-cores and E-cores on its Performance Hybrid architecture CPUs, ie, 12th Gen and newer.

Outside of VMs, it is noteworthy that Thread Director optimizations have already been a part of the Linux kernel for some time now.

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Microsoft Teams: Separate chat for Teams town hall presenters and more

This was an especially busy Roadmap update for various versions of Teams. One of them that will be added to Teams on the desktop and Mac platforms in March involves a new Town Hall feature.

Organizers, co-organizers, and presenters can chat privately in a separate chat from attendees. This chat is available to access before, during, and after the event.

In April, Microsoft Teams Rooms on Windows will get an additional language feature:

Users can change the default app language on Microsoft Teams Rooms on Windows by tapping "More" and then "Language" on the room console. Admins can select up to three languages that users can pick from in the room.

The Teams mobile apps got some attention on the Roadmap this week. In March, Parents who use Teams for Education on iOS and Android will be able to connect to the School Connection feature via a link provided by their children's school.

Android Teams users will be able to record their screen and share it on a Teams channel or with other users in March. Also, during that month, Teams Rooms admins will be able to add a requirement for Android users to access a meeting ID and passcode to join a meeting.

In June, admins will be able to send Android Teams Room users custom backgrounds, like the company's logo and brand for the main Teams room display, the extended room display, and its touch console.

Microsoft Outlook - Attachments drag and drop download support

The new Outlook for Windows app will get a new email attachments feature in March.

Users can drag and drop attachments and emails from the new Outlook for Windows to their desktops or local folders to download them directly to that location.

That's a quick look at some of the Microsoft 365 Roadmap additions in the last week. We will be back in seven days for another quick rundown of the new additions.

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Another one, which continues its development is ReactOS, which has often casually been referred to as the "Open source Windows," and it has again received a major update this past week.

If you recall, we covered the last big update back in November where the ReactOS development team announced that 64-bit UEFI bootability was available across a wider range of devices.

Alongside that, the team has been working to improve the GUI-mode setup, which is another way to go about installing ReactOS aside from the text-mode installer called "USETUP."

The idea behind this upgrade is simple, GUI is just much more convenient overall for the average user and when it comes to ReactOS, which has been described as the open-source Windows, the impetus for it to have a well-defined GUI (graphical user interface) is obvious.

In its blog post, ReactOS writes:

Although the installation workflow used by the text-mode USETUP might make sense, from a UI perspective (each action is done from a different screen; only forward progress is allowed, and once an action has been chosen, it cannot be undone), the GUI-mode setup changes some of these assumptions. The wizard-style of the GUI setup allows going back and forth between different pages.

 

Its partitioning page shows a minimal interface, similar to the text-mode one, but more reminiscent of other GUI partitioning software.

The image below combines screenshots of the improved ReactOS Setup wizard one page after another, starting from the Welcome screen and ending on the partitioning page:

As you can see, the GUI is fairly similar to the classic Windows setup, like that of Windows 95.

The "Advanced Options" on the fourth quadrant of the image lets users choose the target directory for ReactOS installation. Despite UEFI support, GPT (GUID partition table) does not work currently.

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Recently, YouTuber AR 4789, who is a prolific Windows concept creator, published a concept on the alleged next Windows, "Windows 12," imagining it as a revolutionary operating system from Microsoft in their video named "Windows 12 - The Revolutionary."

Another interesting abstract was presented before, where Windows XP was showcased in the style of Windows 11. The same creator has again gone retro, though not as far back, as they have published a new video about Windows 7.

The general public sentiment around Windows 7 has mostly been positive. It took the best of Windows Vista while also addressing its shortcomings and criticisms. And even in 2024, Windows 7 is far from dead as it holds on to about 3% of the market per the latest Statcounter data.

The concept has an interesting touch as it includes the popular and beloved Windows Experience Index, a free hardware performance tool that, while basic, gave users an idea about how their overall system was and which component was the weak link. Sadly, Microsoft removed it on a Windows 8.1 Preview.

There is an error in the above screenshot (purposely, perhaps) as it highlights the highest score (of 9.9) instead of highlighting the least.

Moving on, the video starts with the OOBE (out-of-box experience), and it contains the all-too-familiar window prompting users to connect to the internet, like on Windows 11.

After that, we are greeted by the Windows desktop with the Start menu and Widgets, each of them having mixed the classic Windows 7 GUI style with a touch of modernity.

Finally, we have the File Explorer and a hint of the Settings app that shows some of the personalization options:

The changes made in this concept are rather subtle (especially when compared to something older like XP), and it kind of shows how good Windows 7 really was for its time that even today, we have hardly made much progress in the GUI department.

You can watch the full video above.

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The past couple of weekends, we have been taking a look back at alternate PC operating systems that tried and failed to compete with Microsoft's Windows. Both of them employed user interfaces that were similar to Windows 95-98. One of them, BeOS, was developed completely from scratch, while another, Lindows, used Linux as its basis.

Both BeOS and Lindows were created by start-up companies. However, another contender for a Windows OS competitor in the late 1990s-early 2000s came from a well-established software company, Corel.

Corel was founded in Canada in 1985, and early in its history, it had a hit software product with the graphics editor CorelDRAW. In January 1996, the company decided to purchase the WordPerfect word processor program from Novell in a deal that at the time was worth $180 million.

In a report from Deseret News about the deal, Corel's purchase of WordPerfect quickly turned the business into the world's second-largest software company, behind only Microsoft. Corel's Chairman Michael Cowpland stated his hopes that the company could compete with Microsoft in the early stages of the consumer internet.

The Internet . . . is not being controlled by Microsoft and companies like ourselves are able to jump on that as far as anybody else.

It's clear that Corel was going after Microsoft's growing market share for PC software with the purchase of WordPerfect. However, Microsoft's own Word software was becoming the dominant product in the word processing space. So in 1999, Corel decided to go after Microsoft in their biggest software area: the PC operating system.

As reported by CNN in November 1999, the company first announced Corel Linux OS at the Comdex trade show. ZDNet stated at the time the operating system was based on the Debian 2.2.12 version of Linux, which Corel chose because it felt Debian had quality coding.

ZDNet stated the user interface for the OS was based on the KDE 1.1.2 desktop environment. It was certainly familiar to anyone who used Windows 95 or 98 at the time, but it offers some extras like being able to customize the themes of the UI. It also had its version of a File Manager, which again was designed to look and act much like the File Manager on Windows 95/98.

Yet another selling point was its relatively short (at that time) installation. ZDNet stated that it would take about 20 minutes to install the OS on an Intel-based PC.

The company offered three different versions of Corel Linux OS when it launched; there was a free version anyone could download from Corel's site. there was also a standard boxed version that was available for $49, which included 30 free days of email customer support and a limited version of WordPerfect.

There was also a Deluxe boxed edition of the OS that was priced at $89. People not only got Corel Linux OS, full print manuals, a full version of WordPerfect, and 30 free days of email and phone support, but it even came with a small rubber Linux penguin figure in the box.

Unfortunately for Corel, no one seemed interested in using their Linux based operating system. The company did release a second major update for the OS in August 2000, but it didn't gain traction either. In August 2001, according to Wired, Corel sold off its Linux business to a startup company called Xandros. That business sold a version of Corel Linux under the name Xandros Desktop. Ironically, Xandros's software was eventually acquired by PC/OpenSystems, which also owns Linspire, the former name of Lindows.

Corel itself continues to offer versions of CorelDRAW, WordPerfect, and other software products. However, in September 2022, the parent company rebranded itself as Alludo, which is supposed to mean "all you do.” It also is the parent of many other software products, including WinZip, Parallels, and more.

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We suspected that the new drivers would probably have optimizations in them for the recently released Ryzen 8000 G-series APUs, and we were right, though the general chipset notes do not disclose that. However, digging further down, we find that AMD has updated the Micro PEP (Platform Extension Plug-in) driver that is responsible for maintaining ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface) sleep states on Windows.

The driver notes says "support new APU" which likely indicates the new Ryzen 8000 G-series parts. While not mentioned, the driver might have something for the recently discovered performance-throttling STAPM bug too, though chances of a firmware fix are higher.

There seem to be multiple improvements related to the S0i3 system idle state or Modern Standby mode. Besides the Micro PEP, the S0i3 Filter driver has also been updated and it is supposed to fix a wake issue where a system was unable to wake up.

The release notes for the drivers are given below:

AMD MicroPEP Driver 1.0.42.0

• Provide support of S0i3 entry/exit notification to ISP and PMF
• Support new APU
• Provide functionality to block S0i3 entry for certain user scenario temporarily
• Reinforce security descriptor in INF

 

AMD S0i3 Filter Driver 1.0.0.17

• Fix for system unable to wake up the from s0i3 on Windows 11.

Aside from Standby-related improvements, AMD has made some improvements to the SFH or Sensor Fusion Hub. As the name suggests, the SFH helps AMD manage and process various sensors' data.

AMD SFH1.1 Driver1.1.0.16

• Fixed the simple orientation update count.
• Report ALS data if valid only.
• Updated the backend lib for comparing the Color and Lux coeff.
• Included additional platform for accel WA setmodetwice.
• Support of stutter parser application.

You can read the general release notes of the driver package from our original article.

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That's 28 news posts from me today, hope you enjoy reading them. Now I need a little nap

It is too early for Microsoft to speak about a new Windows 11 version (the one coming later this year should be called 24H2). Still, you can already spot its references in Microsoft's official documentation. Users noticed that the Microsoft Learn website mentions Windows 11 version 24H2 on a page describing the EnumDeviceDrivers function that allows app developers to retrieve the load address for each device driver in the system.

Starting in Windows 11 Version 24H2, EnumDeviceDrivers will require SeDebugPrivilege to return valid ImageBase values.

Microsoft published the EnumDeviceDriver article on January 29, 2024, so it is unlikely that the version 24H2 mention is a typo. At the same time, this short sentence only proves what was already rather obvious without giving any interesting details, timelines, or specific features. Windows versions decipher as a year/half, so a big feature update for Windows 11 released in the second half of 2024 should get version 24H2, duh.

Rumors say Microsoft plans to market Windows 11 version 24H2 as an AI-centric update with plenty of new features that rely on artificial intelligence and dedicated hardware, such as neural processing units in the latest processors from AMD, Intel, and Qualcomm. At the same time, Microsoft wants to make sure users with older hardware can benefit from AI features. For example, one of the latest Windows 11 Canary builds allows using the Voice Clarity feature on systems without NPUs.

There are also unconfirmed reports that Microsoft increased the RAM baseline for so-called "AI PCs" to 16GB. However, that might be just a recommendation, not a requirement (Windows 11 needs a minimum of 4GB to install without modifying official ISOs).

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