The build brings updated UEFI Secure Boot certificate, begins unrolling those users from the Beta Channel, those of whom have chosen to do so using the “Stop getting preview builds” option. This will be done via an in-place upgrade. There are several other bug fixes as well.

In terms of features, there is Snap Layout suggestions. The full changelog is given below:

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

 

[Snap Layouts]

 

• We will show suggestions in Snap Layouts that help you instantly snap multiple app windows together. When hovering over the Minimize or Maximize button on an app (or WIN + Z) to launch the layout box, you will see app icons displayed in various layout options to help recommend the best layout option that works best.

Suggestions in Snap Layouts.

 

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

 

[Start menu]

 

• Fixed an issue from the previous flight causing the Recommended section in Start menu to be blank for some Insiders.

 

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

 

[General]

 

• Starting with today’s Beta Channel flight, Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel who have turned on the toggle to unenroll their device under Settings > Windows Update > Windows Insider Program and “Stop getting preview builds” with begin receiving an in-place upgrade that removes their device from flighting. This in-place upgrade will install Windows 11, version 23H2 with the most recent servicing updates available to retail customers. Please note that unenrolling a device from flighting in the Beta Channel will result in a loss of some features that are not yet available for retail customers. However, your personal data will still be there. Going forward, choosing to unenroll a device through this process will provide an in-place upgrade to opt-out of flighting in the Beta Channel. Note you will need to update to Build 22635.3130 (and higher) in the Beta Channel first for this experience to light up.

 

[Widgets]

 

• The new settings experience for Widgets that began rolling out in early December to the Beta Channel that also introduced the ability to further customize the widgets board experience such to beginning to rollout again after being disabled briefly.

 

Fixes for everyone in the Beta Channel

 

• The update addresses a known issue that affects the colour font format for COLRv1. It now renders properly. Windows uses this format to display emoji with a 3D-like appearance.

Before and after of the updated colour format for emoji.

 

• This update affects Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) Secure Boot systems. It adds a renewed signing certificate to the Secure Boot DB variable. You can now opt for this change.
• This update addresses an issue that affects RemoteApp windows. In certain cases, they persist on client devices after you close them.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Wi-Fi Protected Access 3 (WPA3) in the Group Policy editor. HTML preview rendering fails.
• This update addresses an issue that affects a Bluetooth phone call. It stops the audio from routing through the PC when you answer the call on your PC.
• This update addresses an issue to make video calls more reliable.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Access Point Name (APN) profiles. It stops you from automatically configuring APN profiles for cellular enabled devices. This occurs when you run the “netsh mbn show readyinfo *” command.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) Audio earbuds. They lose sound when you stream music.
• This update includes quarterly changes to the Windows Kernel Vulnerable Driver Blocklist file, DriverSiPolicy.p7b. It adds to the list of drivers that are at risk for Bring Your Own Vulnerable Driver (BYOVD) attacks.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the LocalUsersAndGroups CSP. It stops processing group memberships if it cannot find a group.
• This update addresses an issue that affects certain types of 7-Zip files. They appear as empty in File Explorer.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI). A caching issue occurs. The issue causes CurrentTimeZone to change to the wrong value.
• This update addresses an issue that stops WMI from working. This occurs in certain scenarios with mobile device management (MDM) providers, such as Microsoft Intune.
• This update addresses an issue that causes your device to stop responding. This is intermittent and occurs after you install a print support app.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Active Directory. Bind requests to IPv6 addresses fail. This occurs when the requestor is not joined to a domain.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Windows Local Administrator Password Solution (LAPS) Post Authentication Actions (PAA). The actions occur at restart instead of at the end of the grace period.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Group Policy Folder Redirection in a multi-forest deployment. The issue stops you from choosing a group account from the target domain. Because of this, you cannot apply advanced folder redirection settings to that domain. This issue occurs when the target domain has a one-way trust with the domain of the admin user. This issue affects all Enhanced Security Admin Environment (ESAE), Hardened Forests (HF) or Privileged Access Management (PAM) deployments.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the OpenType font driver. On a certain architecture, the issue might affect how text renders for third-party applications.
• This update addresses an issue that stops search from working on the Start menu for some users. The issue occurs because of a deadlock.
• This update addresses an issue that occurs when you change the keyboard language. The change fails to apply to RemoteApps in some scenarios.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the File Explorer Gallery. It stops you from closing a tooltip.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the display of a smart card icon. The icon does not appear when you sign in. This occurs when there are multiple certificates on the smart card.
• This update addresses an issue that causes your device to shut down after 60 seconds. This occurs when you use a smart card to authenticate on a remote system.
• This update addresses a known issue that affects BitLocker data-only encryption. A mobile device management (MDM) service, such as Microsoft Intune, might not get the right data. This occurs when you use the FixedDrivesEncryptionType or SystemDrivesEncryptionType policy settings in the BitLocker configuration service provider (CSP)
• This update addresses an issue that affects Trusted Platform Modules (TPM). On certain devices, they did not initialize correctly. Because of this, TPM-based scenarios stopped working.
• This update addresses an issue that affects a remote desktop client. It might connect to a wrong instance of a user’s session. This occurs if a user has multiple sessions on the host.
• This update makes Windows more reliable during power transitions. This reduces the risk of a stop error.

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

Source

This is a pretty minor Windows 11 preview release with no new features, but members of the Dev Channel will be getting fixes for a number of known bugs in the Start menu, File Explorer, Task Manager, and more.

Here is the changelog for what's been fixed in this build:

Fixes

 

[Start menu]

 

• Fixed an issue that was causing labels like System in the Start menu’s all apps list to be cut off if text scaling is above 100%.

 

[File Explorer]

 

• Fixed an issue impacting explorer.exe reliability.

 

[Widgets]

 

• Fixed the issue where announcements from the Microsoft Start feed are still shown on the taskbar after the feed is hidden.
• Fixed the issue where spacing and fonts used in some settings pages were incorrect.

 

[Task Manager]

 

• Fixed an issue impacting Task Manager reliability on the last few builds.

 

[Accessibility]

 

• Fixed an issue which was causing voice access to crash when setting up new languages.
• Fixed multiple crashes impacting narrator, including one when trying to add new natural voices.

 

NOTE: Some fixes noted here in Insider Preview builds from the Dev Channel may make their way into the servicing updates for the released version of Windows 11.

There are also a couple of known issues with the Dev Channel build 23620

Known issues

 

[Copilot in Windows]

 

• When first launching or after refreshing Copilot in Windows while using voice access, you’ll need to use “Show grid” commands to click in the “Ask me anything” box for the first time.

 

[Widgets]

 

• Keyboard navigation from settings subpages back to the top-level Settings page is broken.

You can check out the full blog post here.

Source

What is new in Microsoft Edge 121?

Here is the official changelog:

Added support for AVIF and AV1 file formats. Microsoft Edge now supports the AVIF and AV1 file formats which offer better compression and higher quality images and videos. Users can enjoy faster loading times and better quality media on websites.

 

Microsoft Edge migrates the updates experience into Browser Essentials. Getting alerts on available Edge Updates will come from Browser Essentials instead of the Settings page for better visibility and experience. Note: This feature is a controlled feature rollout. If you don't see this feature, check back as we continue our rollout.

 

E-tree in Wallet. Users signed into Microsoft Edge with a personal Microsoft Account (MSA) can grow a virtual seed into a tree with Wallet. Once it's grown, a real tree is planted. Administrators can control the availability using the EdgeWalletEtreeEnabled policy.

 

New Website Typo Protection policies. The built-in Website Typo Protection warns users if it appears there is a mistyped popular domain name which could land users on a malicious webpage. Administrators can control the availability and configure Website Typo Protection by using the PreventTyposquattingPromptOverride and TyposquattingAllowListDomains policies.

 

Enable organizational branding in Edge for Business. Enable your organization's branding assets from Entra onto profile-related UI for profiles signed in with an Entra ID (formerly known as Azure Active Directory) account. You can add your organization's details such as name to the profile pill, name and brand colour to the profile flyout, and logo to overlay the Edge for Business taskbar icon. This branding can help users more easily differentiate between multiple profiles and browser windows.

 

Default organizational branding can be enabled by admins through the following policies:

 

• OrganizationalBrandingOnWorkProfileUIEnabled
• OrganizationLogoOverlayOnAppIconEnabled

 

Admins will need to have "company branding" assets configured in the Microsoft Entra admin center for branding assets to be applied to this feature.

 

For more information, see Microsoft Edge for Business and Add company branding to your organization's sign-in page.

 

Microsoft Edge 121 also contains six browser-specific security updates. You can find more information about the in the official "Security updates" documentation.

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.

Source

How to enable the new weather widget on Windows 10 lock screen?

1. Begin with installing the January 2023 non-security update for Windows 10 version 22H2. That is KB5034203 with build number 19045.2996.
2. After installing the update, go to GitHub and download the latest ViVeTool release. Extract its files in a convenient and easy-to-find folder. For example, you can place those files in C:\vive, so it is easier for you to execute commands from Command Prompt.
3. Press Win + R and type cmd, then press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to launch Command Prompt as Administrator. If you know other ways to launch elevated Command Prompt, feel free to use them.
4. Open the folder containing the previously downloaded ViVeTool files using the CD command. For example, CD C:\Vive.
5. Type vivetool /enable /id:48129505,48158013 and press Enter. Credit for the IDs goes to @thebookisclosed on X.
6. Restart your computer.
7. Go to Settings > Personalization > Lock Screen and press the plus button under "Choose one app to show detailed status on the lock screen." Select Weather.

   

    

8. Press Win + L to lock your computer and check the result. Note that Windows might take some time before showing you the new weather widget. If it is not there right away, give the operating system an hour or so to work its software.

The new weather widget is already getting all sorts of feedback from Windows 10 users. Some like the new variant, while others think the original widget from the Windows 8 era looks and feels much better than the new one.

Although Microsoft does not provide a user-friendly method to switch back to the old widget, you can do so by completing the same steps as described above, with the exception of step 5, where you should replace /enable with /disable. That is assuming your system has already received the new variant.

Here is what the old variant looks like, in case you have forgotten:

Which widget do you like more, the old one or the new one? Let us know in the comments section.

Source

Microsoft announced the upcoming update in Sticky Notes' official X account. The reveal is the first post on the account since April 2020:

A lot of Windows users jumped into replies to speculate about the release (and whether the app even needs one). Some say Sticky Notes will get new AI-powered capabilities, which would hardly be a surprise, considering that even Notepad is getting Copilot. Others gravitate to more pessimistic scenarios, envisioning a web-based revamp. Fortunately, @stickynotes quickly refuted some of those speculations, claiming their "big news is not a web app," at least for now. For now...

Sticky Notes is one of those simple Windows apps that just works, compensating a humble feature set for reliability and simplicity. And with the disastrous launch of the new web-based Outlook with its lacking features and insane data harvesting, it is not hard to guess why Windows enthusiasts are skeptical about this upcoming "biggest announcement." But let's stay positive and hope for the better. Maybe Microsoft will surprise us with amazing new features for the Sticky Notes app, even though, again, it probably does not need them.

What would you like to see in the upcoming Sticky Notes upgrade? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Source

What is new in Intel 31.0.101.5186 and .5234 WHQL drivers?

Intel® Game On Driver support on Intel® Arc™ A-series Graphics for:

 

• Enshrouded
• Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League
• Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
• Tekken 8
• Palworld

 

Intel® Game On Driver support on Intel® Core™ Ultra with Intel® Arc™ Graphics for:

 

• Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
• Tekken 8
• Palworld

As for existing games and performance improvements, here are the uplifts Intel promises with the new drivers compared to versions .5085 and .5122:

Fixed issues in the latest release include the following:

Intel® Arc™ A-Series Graphics Products:

 

• Alan Wake 2* (DX12) may exhibit white corruption on reflective surfaces when Transparency is set to Off. A workaround is to set Transparency to Low or High.
• Sons of the Forest* (DX11) may exhibit corruption on the item text in the game inventory.
• Intel® Smooth Sync may not work as expected with certain DX11 games.

 

Intel® Core™ Ultra with Intel® Arc™ Graphics Products:

 

• The Talos Principle 2* (DX12) may experience an application crash during gameplay with certain Upscaling Presets.
• Call of Duty Modern Warfare III* (DX12) may experience application crash in certain gameplay scenarios.
• Blackmagic Fusion* may experience intermittent application crash during render operations

And here are known issues:

Intel® Arc™ A-Series Graphics Products:

 

• Dead by Daylight* (DX11) may experience an application crash during gameplay.
• Topaz Video AI* may experience errors when using some models for video enhancement.

 

Intel® Core™ Ultra with Intel® Arc™ Graphics Products:

 

• 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.
• Call of Duty Warzone 2.0* (DX12) may exhibit corruption in game menu and during 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 AI* may experience errors when using some models for video enhancement.
• Serif Affinity Photo 2* may experience application crash while running benchmark.

 

Intel® Iris™ X e MAX Graphics Products:

 

• Driver installation may not complete successfully on certain notebook systems with both Intel® Iris™ Xe + Iris™ Xe MAX devices. A system reboot and re-installation of the graphics driver may be required for successful installation.

 

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

 

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

You can download the latest Arc & Iris Xe Graphics Driver 31.0.101.5186 and .5234 from the official website. Full release notes are available here (PDF).

Source

Copilot plugins (Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

Microsoft's Copilot, in addition to answering inquiries using data from the web, can also connect to different plugins to interact with other services. In this guide, I'll show you how you can get started using this feature.

Plugins for Copilot are small applications allowing the chatbot AI from Microsoft to extend its capabilities by connecting to chatbots from other services, offering additional experiences. For example, although Copilot can find and recommend restaurants, you can use the "OpenTable" plugin to get better recommendations and make it easier to make a reservation online.

These plugins are based on the technology provided by OpenAI, but unlike plugins for ChatGPT, Microsoft offers plugins as a free feature for Copilot (free) and Copilot Pro subscribers. The company also provides enterprise plugins, but these instructions are for consumers.

In this how-to guide, I'll outline the steps to enable and start using plugins with Copilot on Windows 11. Since these instructions involve using the web version of the chatbot, you might also be able to refer to this guide to use the feature on different supported platforms.

How to use plugins on Copilot

To start using Copilot plugins, use these steps:

1. Open Copilot (web) or on Bing. 
2. Sign in with your Microsoft account.
3. Click the New topic button. 

• Quick note: Copilot requires you to terminate any current conversation before you can enable a plugin.

4. Click the Plugins tab on the top-right corner.
5. Turn on the toggle switch for the plugins you want to use:

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

• Instacart: Provides recipes and discovers the ingredients you need, and it helps you to have it all delivered from local stores.
• Kayak: Search flights, hotels, and rental cars or get place recommendations.
• Klarna: Searches and compares prices from many online retailers.
• OpenTable: Provides restaurant recommendations and makes it easy to make reservations.
• Shop: Searches online products, similar to Klarna.
• Suno: Provides access to AI to create songs with a single prompt.

6. Compose the question that Copilot will use with the plugin. For example, "Use Klarna to search for the best price on an Xbox Series X."

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

7. Click the Submit button.

Once you complete the steps, Copilot will connect with the plugin to generate the response. 

During my time testing plugins with Copilot, I noticed a few things that are worth pointing out: 

• Even though you can use Copilot without a Microsoft account, you must sign in to access the plugin feature.
• Plugins are expected to arrive in the version of Copilot on Windows 11, but it's only possible to configure the feature from the web at the time of this writing.
• Copilot only allows you to enable up to three plugins at once in addition to the default search plugin, allowing the chatbot to interact with data from the internet.
• If you turn off the "Search" plugin, Copilot won't have access to the internet. So, you can use this option to test the chatbot capabilities without access to recent content from the web.
• To ensure the plugin works, you can ask Copilot: Are you connected to the (plugin-name) plugin? 
• It's not possible to turn on two similar plugins. For instance, enabling "Klarna" and "Shop" will result in an error, and the chatbot will make you choose between the two.
• Although plugins are enabled in the web version of Copilot, you won't be able to access them from the chatbot interface on Windows 11. (At least not yet.)
• When composing a prompt, specify that you want to use a specific plugin. I have tried to ask a particular question that will require the use of the plugin, but Copilot responded with an answer without using the plugin.

Source

Here is the official changelog published in the project's GitHub repository:

• Add support for FreeBSD 14.0. (#2636)
• Fix Proxmox 8.1 boot issue. (#2657)
• Fix VTOY_LINUX_REMOUNT option does not work with latest linux kernel version. (#2661 #2674)
• Fix the VentoyPlugson issue that default_file value is wrong for more than 10 theme files. (#2608)
• vtoyboot-1.0.31 release. Notes

Ventoy is available for Windows, Linux, and as a LiveCD image. You can get the app from its official website or on GitHub.

In addition to the standard ISO-making utility, Ventoy's developers recently released a new tool that lets you install Windows or othersupported operating systems via network (PXE). iVentoy supports over 110 different operating systems, so you can install almost anything (minus macOS, naturally). Here is how the developers describe it:

iVentoy is an enhanced version of the PXE server. With iVentoy you can boot and install OS on multiple machines at the same time through the network. iVentoy is extremely easy to use, without complicated configuration, just put the ISO file in the specified location and select PXE boot in the client machine. iVentoy supports x86 Legacy BIOS, IA32 UEFI, x86_64 UEFI and ARM64 UEFI mode at the same time. iVentoy support 110+ common types of OS (Windows/WinPE/Linux/VMware).

You can also try Rufus for bootable Windows or Linux media. It was recently updated to version 4.4, and the changelog includes Dev Drives fixes, GRUB 2.12 support, and various fixes for a better user experience. Like Ventoy, Rufus is open source and it is available for free from GitHub, its official website, and the Microsoft Store.

Source

What is new in NVIDIA 551.23 WHQL?

Here is the list of added features and capabilities:

This new Game Ready Driver provides the best gaming experience for the latest new games supporting DLSS 3 technology including Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. Further support for new titles leveraging NVIDIA DLSS technology includes the launch of Enshrouded, TEKKEN 8, and Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League which support DLSS Super Resolution.

 

• Adds support for the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER GPU.

Other changes and fixes in version 551.23 include the following:

• Forza Horizon 4: Ansel/ Freestyle filters cause application to freeze or crash.
• RTX 4060 Ti: Display may randomly flicker with a black bar on the top of the screen when using desktop apps.
• Horizontal band may appear when cloning a G-SYNC display to HDMI monitor.

And here is the list of known bugs:

• [Netflix] Display issues for videos when using Edge browser. Recommend using Windows Netflix application as workaround.
• GeForce GTX 10/RTX 20 series: PC may randomly freeze when Windows HardwareAccelerated GPU Scheduling and NVIDIA SLI are both enabled.
• Potential stutter may be observed when scrolling in web browsers on certain system configurations

NVIDIA 551.23 WHQL Game-Ready driver is available for 64-bit Windows 10 and 11 systems with the following graphics cards:

You can download the latest NVIDIA driver from the official website or update an existing installation via the GeForce Experience app. Full release notes for driver 551.23 are available here (PDF).

Source

Source

Here are quick links for your convenience:

• Update Highlights
• Full Changelog
• Known Bugs
• How to get the update

What is new in KB5034204 for Windows 11?

Here are the update highlights, aka the most important changes you should care about:

• This update addresses an issue that stops search from working on the Start menu for some users. The issue occurs because of a deadlock.

• This update addresses an issue to make video calls more reliable.

• This update addresses an issue that causes your device to stop responding. This is intermittent and occurs after you install a print support app.

• This update addresses an issue that makes the troubleshooting process fail. This occurs when you use the Get Help app.

• This update addresses an issue that affects the File Explorer Gallery. It stops you from closing a tooltip.

• This update addresses an issue that affects Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) Audio earbuds. They lose sound when you stream music.

• This update addresses an issue that affects a Bluetooth phone call. It stops the audio from routing through the PC when you answer the call on your PC.

And here is the rest of the changelog with additional fixes, enterprise-related changes, and more:

• This update addresses an issue that affects certain types of 7-Zip files. They appear as empty in File Explorer.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Wi-Fi Protected Access 3 (WPA3) in the Group Policy editor. HTML preview rendering fails.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI). A caching issue occurs. The issue causes CurrentTimeZone to change to the wrong value.
• This update makes Windows more reliable during power transitions. This reduces the risk of a stop error.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the OpenType font driver. On a certain architecture, the issue might affect how text renders for third-party applications.
• The update addresses a known issue that affects the colour font format for COLRv1. It now renders properly. Windows uses this format to display emoji with a 3D-like appearance.
• This update addresses an issue that stops WMI from working. This occurs in certain scenarios with mobile device management (MDM) providers, such as Microsoft Intune.
• This update addresses a known issue that affects BitLocker data-only encryption. A mobile device management (MDM) service, such as Microsoft Intune, might not get the right data. This occurs when you use the FixedDrivesEncryptionType or SystemDrivesEncryptionType policy settings in the BitLocker configuration service provider (CSP) node.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Access Point Name (APN) profiles. It stops you from automatically configuring APN profiles for cellular enabled devices. This occurs when you run the “netsh mbn show readyinfo *” command.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Trusted Platform Modules. On certain devices, they did not initialize correctly. Because of this, TPM-based scenarios stopped working.
• This update includes quarterly changes to the Windows Kernel Vulnerable Driver Blocklist file, DriverSiPolicy.p7b. It adds to the list of drivers that are at risk for Bring Your Own Vulnerable Driver (BYOVD) attacks.
• This update affects Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) Secure Boot systems. It adds a renewed signing certificate to the Secure Boot DB variable. You can now opt for this change.
• This update addresses an issue that affects RemoteApp windows. In certain cases, they persist on client devices after you close them.
• This update addresses an issue that affects a remote desktop client. It might connect to a wrong instance of a user's session. This occurs if a user has multiple sessions on the host.
• This update addresses an issue that occurs when you change the keyboard language. The change fails to apply to RemoteApps in some scenarios.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Windows Local Administrator Password Solution (LAPS) Post Authentication Actions (PAA). The actions occur at restart instead of at the end of the grace period.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Active Directory. Bind requests to IPv6 addresses fail. This occurs when the requestor is not joined to a domain.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the LocalUsersAndGroups CSP. It stops processing group memberships if it cannot find a group.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Group Policy Folder Redirection in a multi-forest deployment. The issue stops you from choosing a group account from the target domain. Because of this, you cannot apply advanced folder redirection settings to that domain. This issue occurs when the target domain has a one-way trust with the domain of the admin user. This issue affects all Enhanced Security Admin Environment (ESAE), Hardened Forests (HF) or Privileged Access Management (PAM) deployments.
• This update changes a setting in Active Directory Users & Computers. By default, the snap-in now uses a strong certificate mapping of X509IssuerSerialNumber. It does not use the weak mapping of x509IssuerSubject.

As a reminder, the update contains one known issue Microsoft confirmed earlier:

You can find more information about the update in the official documentation. To download KB5034204, head to Settings > Windows Update and click Download & Install under KB5034204. Alternatively, get the update using a direct link to the Microsoft Update Catalog.

Source

You're welcome.

If you have no idea what Sysprep.exe is, do not worry. The problem only affects IT Admins using Sysprep.exe in Audit mode to create a generalized image of a Windows installation, which can later be used on multiple computers. In a nutshell, Sysprep.exe is a tool that allows for deploying Windows on numerous PCs while ensuring consistency across systems.

While Microsoft is working on a resolution, it offered a temporary fix for the affected systems with the following error:

 

Sysprep was not able to validate your Windows installation. Review the log file at %WINDIR%\system32\Sysprep\Panther\setupact.log for details. After resolving the issue, use Sysprep to validate your installation again.”

IT Admins can verify if their computers are affected by checking the setupact.log file for the following message:

SYSPRP Package Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge was installed for a user, but not provisioned for all users. This package will not function properly in the sysprep SYSPRP Failed to remove apps for the current user: 0x80073cf2

The suggested workaround involves executing a few commands in elevated PowerShell. You can check out the complete guide in a document published on the Microsoft Support website. A future Windows update will offer a permanent fix that will not require extra actions. Again, regular users should not worry about this problem since the Sysprep.exe tool is not something people use on their home systems.

What regular customers do use on their PCs is the lock screen. The latest Windows 10 non-security update introduced a new weather widget Microsoft promised to roll out a few weeks earlier. In addition, KB5034203 introduces several EU-compliant changes. You can learn more about the update in our dedicated article.

Source

You're welcome.

Here is the change log;

Highlights

 

• This update addresses an issue that affects some single-function printers. They might install as a scanner.
• New! The coming weeks will bring a richer weather experience to your lock screen. This includes dynamic, interactive weather updates. So, as you hover over the weather on your lock screen, you will see more information. When you tap or click on the weather card and sign in, Microsoft Edge opens with the full forecast in MSN weather. If you already use Weather in Settings > Personalization > lock screen > Lock screen status, there is nothing for you to do. Also, this new experience will be on by default if Lock screen status is set to “None.” Like today, lock screen status will be available when you lock your screen no matter which personalization option you select (Windows spotlight, Picture, or Slideshow).

 

Improvements

 

Important: Use EKB KB5015684 to update to Windows 10, version 22H2.

 

This non-security update includes quality improvements. When you install this KB:

 

• Microsoft has been working to ensure compliance with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) in the European Economic Area (EEA). To learn more, see Previewing changes in Windows to comply with the Digital Markets Act in the European Economic Area. These changes will gradually roll out to Windows 10, version 22H2 PCs in the EEA to be compliant by March 6, 2024.
• This update addresses an issue that affects an Internet Explorer shortcut. After you use a policy to remove it, the shortcut reappears.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI). A caching issue occurs. The issue causes CurrentTimeZone to change to the wrong value.
• This update addresses an issue that affects XPath queries on FileHash and other binary fields. It stops them from matching values in event records.
• This update addresses a known issue that affects BitLocker data-only encryption. A mobile device management (MDM) service, such as Microsoft Intune, might not get the right data.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the Code Integrity Module (ci.dll). This issue stops your device from responding.
• This update includes quarterly changes to the Windows Kernel Vulnerable Driver Blocklist file, DriverSiPolicy.p7b. It adds to the list of drivers that are at risk for Bring Your Own Vulnerable Driver (BYOVD) attacks.
• This update affects Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) Secure Boot systems. It adds a renewed signing certificate to the Secure Boot DB variable. You can now opt for this change.
• This update addresses an issue that stops you from reconnecting to an existing Remote Desktop session. Instead, you get a new one.
• This update addresses an issue that occurs when you change the keyboard language. The change fails to apply to RemoteApps in some scenarios.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Windows Local Administrator Password Solution (LAPS) Post Authentication Actions (PAA). The actions occur at restart instead of at the end of the grace period.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Active Directory. Bind requests to IPv6 addresses fail. This occurs when the requestor is not joined to a domain.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the LocalUsersAndGroups CSP. It stops processing group memberships if it cannot find a group.
• This update addresses an issue that affects deleted cloud files. When a cloud provider vetoes a deletion request, the files might still be removed.
• This update addresses an issue that affects MSIX applications. They do not open, and, in some cases, they make the host unresponsive. This occurs when they use MSIX App Attach with a CimFS image.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Group Policy Folder Redirection in a multi-forest deployment. The issue stops you from choosing a group account from the target domain. Because of this, you cannot apply advanced folder redirection settings to that domain. This issue occurs when the target domain has a one-way trust with the domain of the admin user. This issue affects all Enhanced Security Admin Environment (ESAE), Hardened Forests (HF) or Privileged Access Management (PAM) deployments.
• This update changes a setting in Active Directory Users & Computers. By default, the snap-in now uses a strong certificate mapping of X509IssuerSerialNumber. It does not use the weak mapping of x509IssuerSubject.

 

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

 

Windows 10 servicing stack update - 19045.3989

 

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

 

Known issues in this update

 

• Windows devices using more than one (1) monitor might experience issues with desktop icons moving unexpectedly between monitors or other icon alignment issues when attempting to use Copilot in Windows (in preview).
• Workaround: To prevent users from encountering this issue, Copilot in Windows (in preview) might not be available on devices that have been used or are currently being used in a multimonitor configuration. We are working on a resolution and will provide an update in an upcoming release.
• Copilot in Windows (in preview) is not currently supported when your taskbar is located vertically on the right or left of your screen.
• Workaround: To access Copilot in Windows, make sure your taskbar is positioned horizontally on the top or bottom of your screen. We are working on a resolution and will provide an update in an upcoming release.

You can find the full support post here.

Source

You're welcome.

AMD Fluid Motion Frames (AFMF) is now officially out of beta, giving Radeon users the ability to enable frame generation technology on any DirectX 11 and 12 via the driver. The tech must be manually enabled for each game, though it is not recommended for fast-paced competitive games due to the additional latency it might add.

Here are all the new technologies included in this suite:

• AMD Fluid Motion Frames (AFMF) - Boost FPS up to 97% for a smoother gaming experience by adding frame generation technology to any DirectX® 11 and 12 game. RS-630
  • AFMF improves performance by adding frame generation technology to AMD Radeon™ 700M, RX 6000, and RX 7000 series GPUs for notebook and desktop platforms.
  • Up to 97% average increase in performance across select titles at 1080p resolution when AMD Fluid Motion Frames (AFMF) is ON and upscaled with FidelityFX™ Super Resolution 2 (FSR 2) at Quality Mode, using AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition™️ 24.1.1 on the Radeon™ RX 7600XT GPU, versus when AFMF and FSR 2 upscaling are OFF. RS-630
  • Up to 103% average increase in performance across select titles at 1440p resolution when AMD Fluid Motion Frames (AFMF) is ON and upscaled with FidelityFX™ Super Resolution 2 (FSR 2) at Quality Mode, using AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition™️ 24.1.1 on the Radeon™ RX 7600XT GPU, versus when AFMF and FSR 2 upscaling are OFF. RS-631
  • AFMF preserves image quality by dynamically disabling frame generation during fast visual motion.
• AMD Video Upscaling – Advanced video upscale algorithm to improve video playback image quality for AMD Radeon™ RX 7000 desktop series GPUs.
  • AMD Video Upscaling can be enabled within the Graphics tab to enjoy improved sharpness and clarity, for DirectX 11 applications such as Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Media Player, with resolution support up to 4K.
  • For more instructions on how to enable upscaling, please ensure that your version of AMD Software is up to date, and learn more HERE!

 

• Additional Video Improvements
  • Content Adaptive Machine Learning (CAML) text detection has been updated to support up to 4K gaming for even greater clarity.
  • Various encoding support within AMD Software including AVC, HEVC and AV1 codecs have undergone additional optimizations to improve video encode quality.
  • AMD continues to work with partners to implement video enhancements into 3rd party apps; more updates to follow in upcoming drivers.
• AMD Smart Technology Tab – Access the suite of great A+A features from one convenient location to maximize the power of your AMD-powered system.
• AMD Assistant – Automatically enable or disable AMD Software features based on various situations for improved performance or battery life.
• Additional OS Feature Support
  Support for Hardware Accelerated GPU Scheduling has been expanded to Radeon™ RX 7600 series GPUs on Windows 11 version 22H2 and newer. Click HERE for more information.

Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio's Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth is releasing on January 25, while Bandai Namco's Tekken 8 is coming out on January 26. Both games are gaining day-one support for AMD Radeon cards with this release.

Here are the fixed issues of this release:

• Performance drop may be observed in some DirectML workloads.
• Intermittent grey screen after driver upgrade with certain monitors (such as Nixeus NX-EDG274K) on Radeon™ RX 7000 series GPUs.
• Graphics API metric may show as N/A in certain UWP applications.
• Heavy stuttering may be experienced while playing Warframe and loading into a new area or starting a mission.
• Black artifacts may be observed in smoke effects while playing Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® III.
• Black texture flickering may be observed while playing Starfield on some AMD Graphics Products, such as the Radeon™ RX 5600 XT.
• Intermittent install failure may be observed when using the factory reset setting.

The known issues are these:

• Deathloop may experience extended loading times on some AMD Graphics Products, such as the Radeon™ RX 6900 XT. [Resolution targeted for 24.2.1]
• Dead Space may experience an application crash after enabling RTAO on some AMD Graphics Products, such as the Radeon™ RX 6800.
• Excessive stuttering may be experienced when first playing a match in Overwatch 2. [Resolution targeted for 24.2.1]
• Audio may intermittently become out of sync with the video when recording from AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition using AV1 codec. [Resolution targeted for Q2]
• Oculus Rift S may display with a green tint on AMD Radeon™ RX 7000 series GPUs.
• After a system reboot, Parsec host application may experience a crash on some AMD Graphics Products, such as the Radeon™ RX 7900 XTX. [Resolution targeted for 24.2.1]
• During Microsoft Teams meetings, the camera may intermittently display looped footage on some AMD Products, such as the AMD Ryzen™ 7 7840U Processor.

The WHQL-certified AMD Adrenalin Edition 24.1.1 driver can now be upgraded via the Radeon Settings app on Windows. Standalone download links can be found on the official release notes page here.

Source

Tab Organizer is a feature that aims to streamline the management of multiple tabs. When a user right-clicks on a tab and selects "Organize Similar Tabs" or uses the drop-down arrow, Chrome will propose tab groups based on currently open tabs. This automation claims to be helpful for multitasking and keeping your browser tidy. Furthermore, Chrome will suggest names and emojis for these tab groups, seemingly facilitating easy retrieval when needed.

Building on last year's introduction of generative AI wallpapers for Android 14 and Pixel 8 devices, Chrome has said that it now incorporates the same text-to-image diffusion model for creating custom themes as well. For this purpose, you can head over to the "Customize Chrome" side panel, click "Change theme," and then "Create with AI." Additionally, the Chrome Web Store offers other customization options for its users to choose from.

In the upcoming Chrome release, another experimental AI-powered feature will assist users in writing. This tool is intended to "help you write with more confidence on the web". Right-click on any text box or field on a site in Chrome, and select "Help me write" to initiate the AI-powered writing process.

Users will get a chance to test these new features on Chrome for Mac and Windows, beginning in the United States. They will not be available for enterprise and educational accounts due to their experimental nature.

To access Chrome's new AI-powered features, after signing into your Google Account, click on the three-dot menu, select "Settings," and navigate to the "Experimental AI" page.

You may find more details about these features on Google's website.

Source

Source

You're welcome.

What you need to know

• Windows 11's Snipping Tool will let you add shapes to your screenshots soon.
• The feature was spotted in a recently released Windows 11 preview build, though it's not available for everyone since  it appears to be in A/B testing.
• It is likely to roll out to Windows Insiders via a future preview build.

Microsoft has shipped many new features and improvements to Windows 11's Snipping Tool, including a screen recording feature, transforming it from a basic screenshot capture tool to a fully-fledged productivity tool.

And now, the company is seemingly working on incorporating a new feature to the tool that will let you add shapes such as circles and arrows to images, ultimately enhancing the editing experience on the platform as spotted by tech enthusiast PhantomOfEarth on X (formerly Twitter).

This is a welcome addition to the platform as it will let users incorporate circles, rectangles, arrows, and more into screenshots directly from the Snipping Tool rather than having to launch other apps like Microsoft Paint or other third-party tools.

It's worth noting that the feature has yet to roll out to users who are part of the Windows Insider program despite running on the latest version of the app. As highlighted by PhantomOFEarth, accessing the feature requires technical prowess that will allow you to tinker around with the code to find the hidden capability.

As is the case most of the time, this feature might still be in A/B testing, which explains why it's unavailable for users despite updating to the latest version (11.2312.33.0.0). There's a probability that Microsoft might be getting ready to ship the feature to users via a future Windows 11 preview build.

Microsoft is also gearing up to ship the next Windows 11 feature drop in February, which features many nifty features and quality-of-life improvements. Reports indicate that the company is developing the next major version of Windows, codenamed Hudson Valley, which is slated to ship later this year as Windows 11's successor. 

Source

Last one. 28 minutes to post these. You're welcome.

What you need to know

• Microsoft will soon roll out several improvements to Teams meetings, including a new default gallery experience and the video of Teams Room attendees enlarging automatically.
• The default gallery view of Microsoft Teams will show 16 participants, but meeting attendees will have to option to show 4, 9, 16, or 49 participants.
• Teams will support showing or hiding your personal video feed and prioritizing attendees with video enabled.
• The gallery view improvements will launch in public preview later this month.

Microsoft Teams meetings are about to get several improvements, including changes to the well-known gallery view for meetings. Microsoft shared several changes to gallery view that will enter testing in the near future, plus some tweaks to Together Mode and other parts of the popular communication tool.

Soon, all meeting participants in Teams will appear in a 16:9 box, regardless of if their video is enabled or disabled. The default gallery view should also be "more consistent and predictable for all meetings," according to Microsoft. That consistency comes from the uniform size of attendee windows and the default grid showing 16 meeting participants. You'll still be able to change the view to show 4, 9, 16, or 49 attendees.

Teams will use AI to optimize your gallery view in some setups, including prioritizing those who have their hand raised or who are actively speaking.

If a Teams Room joins a meeting, the video feed for that room will get bigger automatically. That makes sense, since a Teams Room will likely have multiple meeting participants, so enlarging the video will make everyone easier to see.

Those who find their own video feed distracting will have the option to hide it from their own gallery view. Enabling this feature will only hide your feed in your own gallery view, leaving you visible for other attendees. You can also just move your video feed within your view instead.

While some of the default for gallery view are changing, you'll still be able to change tile sizes and other settings through the options menu of Microsoft Teams.

Other Microsoft Teams improvements

An improved Together Mode for Microsoft Teams will show attendees in a row with a shared background. (Image credit: Microsoft)

In addition to the changes to the gallery experience, Microsoft has several other features and improvements for Teams in the works. A new Light Theme option is on the way with support for customizing your colour theme. Light Theme is already available within the Teams app.

Together Mode has a new layout that takes inspiration from the front row experience of Teams Rooms. Now, attendees with video feeds will appear in a row at the bottom of the screen with a shared background. The new layout should make attendees appear more connected while still prioritizing presented content. The new Together Mode layout enters public preview in early February.

Improved Teams meeting invites are also on the way in February. They present the most important information in a way that's easier to digest. Shortened meeting links will roll out in the second quarter of 2024 as well.

Picking the right device for your audio and video feeds will soon be easier, thanks to new fly-out menus that let you change more settings without leaving the meeting gallery.

Do you use Microsoft Teams?

We cover a lot of updates to Microsoft Teams, and almost inevitably someone on social media or in the comments complains about the platform. I'm curious if that's a vocal minority or a common feeling among our readers. Do you like Microsoft Teams? Do you use it for work but prefer other services in your personal life? Let us know in the comments below and share what you like or dislike about Microsoft Teams.

Source

You're welcome

What is new in Firefox 122?

The release notes published on the official website include the following new features:

• Firefox now displays images and descriptions for search suggestions when provided by the search engine.

  

   

• The translations feature received an improvement in the quality of translated webpages. The results should be much more stable. This fixes issues where the content of a page could disappear when translated, or interactive widgets could break.
• Firefox now supports creating and using passkeys stored in the iCloud Keychain on macOS.

• MDN Web Docs article suggestions from Firefox Suggest will be available in the address bar for users searching for web development-related information.

   

• The line breaking rules of Web content now match the Unicode Standard. This improves Web Browser compatibility for line breaking. An additional improvement for East Asian and South East Asian end users, Firefox now supports proper language-aware word selection when double-clicking on text for languages including Chinese, Japanese, Burmese, Lao, Khmer, and Thai.

   

• Firefox now ships with a new .deb package for Linux users on Ubuntu, Debian, and Linux Mint.

Firefox 122 also comes with plenty of security fixes to make your browsing safer, plus additional changes for the web platform, developers, and enterprise users. There is also one known issue that affects Firefox users with older AMD processors. According to Mozilla, those chips incorrectly render image thumbnails, resulting in black squares in file dialogs. You can resolve the issue by updating your graphics driver to the latest version.

You can download Firefox 122 from the official website or Neowin's software section. To update an existing installation, head to Menu > Help > About Firefox.

Source

The main Mint release includes Linux 5.15 but the new Edge edition includes Linux 6.5. Linux 5.15 has been available since October 2021, while it has received security patches since, added hardware support has not been added, therefore, people with newer hardware need to run a newer kernel like the one offered in Edge.

One caveat that the team mentioned in the Linux Mint user guide is that the Edge edition may not be as stable as the other ISOs and may not support as many proprietary drivers. It recommends that you should only use the Edge ISO if you can’t boot or install Mint with the other ISOs.

Linux Mint 21.3 was first released on January 12 after more than a month of beta testing. Due to the long testing period, upgrades were opened up on launch day too.

The Edge ISOs that have just been released have been undergoing testing for quite a while now and the first ISO that was tested even failed the tests causing the team to run a second round of tests which subsequently passed.

Unlike the Debian-based LMDE, this Edge version of Mint is still based on Ubuntu - it’s actually comparable to the hardware enablement releases Canonical pushes for Ubuntu. As it’s based on Ubuntu, it will receive updates until 2027 just like the other Mint 21.x versions.

Linux Mint 21.3 includes various upgrades including full support for secure boot and better compatibility with more BIOS and EFI implementations, Hypnotic improvements, and Cinnamon 6.0 which is packed with new features.

To get Linux Mint 21.3 Edge or any other versions, just head to the Linux Mint website and browse the downloads.

Source: Linux Mint

Source

In a blog post, Microsoft revealed that the new default gallery view will put all meeting attendees in boxes of equal size in a 16:9 aspect ratio. This will be the setting even if a person's video is turned off. AI will be used to make sure people who raise their hands or speak during a meeting will have their viewpoints optimized.

While the default gallery view will have 16 people on screen, there will be options in place to change that down to four or nine people or all the way up to 49 folks on screen. People who don't want to see themselves on the screen will be able to hide their own box from their view of the meeting gallery, although everyone else in the meeting will still be able to see them.

There will also be a new option for people to move their own box in the gallery view to the side or on the top of the main gallery. In addition, users will have a way to place the tiles of people who don't have their video cameras activated at the top of the main gallery to focus on the people who do have their video cameras turned on.

Teams has also added a new Light Theme option that's available for all users right now. Microsoft stated:

Light Theme enables you to customize the appearance of your Teams client. You can change the colour theme of your Teams client from the default Dark Mode to Light Theme from your Teams settings. You can join meetings with Light Theme too

Microsoft is also making changes to Teams invites "to better group related information as well as clean it up visually," which will be added sometime in February. The link to join meetings will also become shorter sometime in the second quarter of 2024.

People who use Microsoft Teams (free) with a personal Microsoft Account will soon be able to join Teams work meetings without having to leave the Teams client. That will go live sometime in February.

Source

Meanwhile, on the already existing Windows 11 side, we didn't really have much to go on up until December last year, when we had the first leak about the next Windows 11 version, Version 24H2, which was mentioned in a group policy related to the new DMSA feature.

At that time, Neowin speculated that the mention of this next version could possibly indicate a couple of things: a co-existence of Windows 11 24H2 alongside Windows "12;" or a possible delay of the latter, though that would go against the rumor of the three-year release cadence that we previously mentioned.

According to a new report from Windows Central, perhaps we were right in a way as apparently, Windows "12" may not be landing this year, and the lack of intent may be a consequence of the departure of ex-Windows and Surface head Panos Panay. About Windows 11 version 24H2, the report says:

Many predict that Microsoft will end up calling this update "Windows 12" given how it's expected to be timed with next-gen AI PCs and experiences. However, this is just a rumor, and my sources say it's unlikely now that ex-Windows chief Panos Panay has left the company.

Instead, the focus is likely going to be mainly on Windows 11 24H2, which could arrive sometime in September.

According to my sources, Microsoft is targeting a September release window for version 24H2, with the company expecting to finalize the update over the summer. I'm told Microsoft intends to market this release as an AI-centric one, timed with next-gen AI PCs that Microsoft has already announced are coming throughout 2024.

The report, as you may note above, indicates that the finalization of the update will be during summer which is also when several major OEMs and PC manufacturers are expected to unveil a slew of "AI PCs" in June, possibly around the Computex time frame.

Therefore Windows 11 24H2 looks to be a fairly major upcoming release unlike version 23H2 which was downloaded via an enablement package (EKB) on top of 22H2.

There was also a recent mention of "Windows 11 24H1" by Dell though that was probably done erroneously as a Microsoft spokesperson shot it down, confirming to Windows Central that its yearly release cycle was still intact.

Nothing has changed in terms of annual version updates for Windows [and] that they come in the second half of the year

To sum up, it looks like the first generation of AI PCs could land on Windows 11 itself with the future ones possibly ushering in with Windows "12." These rumors also give a feeling that perhaps Microsoft itself may not be entirely sure about what the best way would be to march into the next generation of AI-rich Windows.

Source

The feature was spotted by the ever-giving source of insights into Windows 11 preview builds, @PhantomOfEarth. He managed to unearth the Snipping Tool's shape features by messing around with the system's internals. Sadly, the updated app is not rolling out to Windows Insiders, so getting it to work requires more software magic than just installing the latest update or enabling a command. Still, the published video gives plenty of info on what is about to come.

According to a post on X, a future Snipping Tool update will let you add shapes like squares, circles, lines, and arrows, change their colours, and turn the shape fill on or off. You will also be able to customize outlines with thickness and colour options.

The ability to add shapes to screenshots will make Snipping Tool a much more appealing alternative to well-established apps for taking screenshots, such as ShareX or Snagit. Also, it is good to see a feature in the works that is not all about AI (I am looking at you, Cowriter in Notepad).

Microsoft has not announced the updated Snipping Tool app with shapes support, but @PhantomOfEarth claims the feature is already working well in version 11.2312.33.0 (the latest release for Insiders). Therefore, you can expect the company to unveil it to Windows Insiders somewhere soon, maybe alongside the next Windows 11 preview build.

Source

On Windows 11 or any version of the operating system, it's a matter of time before you notice a decline in speed and responsiveness. Usually, this happens due to misconfiguration, compatibility issues, bugs, malware, hardware problems, and so on.

When your computer starts showing signs of performance issues, there are several tweaks that you can implement to make the device faster before considering a replacement. (If you have had the same computer for more than four years, then yes, there's a good chance that an upgrade is on the table.)

In this how-to guide, I'll outline different tips that you can use to increase the system performance as much as possible on Windows 11.

How to increase performance on Windows 11

On Windows 11, you can perform several tweaks to help improve the overall performance, and here's how.

1. Shut down and restart computer

The easiest way to increase the performance is by performing a basic shutdown and restart. (I know it might be obvious for many people, but it's usually not.)

The restarting process closes background processes and applications. Also, it clears the data in memory, which usually fixes performance issues, especially if the computer has been running for a long time.

To shut down and restart the computer to resolve common performance issues, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Click the Power button.
3. Select the Shut down option. 

• Quick tip: The "Sleep" or "Hibernate" options do not reset the system or clear the data in memory.

4. Press the power button to turn on the computer.

Once you complete the steps, you should notice some performance improvements on your computer. 

If you haven't seen any improvements, continue with the recommendations.

2. Turn off apps at startup

On Windows 11, some apps can register themselves to start automatically with the "Startup" feature, and the system can remember certain apps and restart them automatically after signing in to make it easier to pick up where you left off. 

Although these are convenient features, they can significantly slow down the system and startup process. However, you can always control these features to speed up the device. 

Disable startup apps

Certain apps can register with the system to launch automatically during startup. Although this behavior can speed up getting to the app, the more apps you have in the queue, the longer the device will take to start and the more resources it will waste.

If you're trying to increase the system performance, disable as many apps as possible from the startup queue. 

To manage apps at the startup, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on Apps.
3. Click the Startup page on the right side.

4. Click the Sort by menu and select the Startup impact option.
5. Turn off the toggle switch for any unnecessary app.

6. Restart the computer.

After you complete the steps, the apps you turned off will no longer start automatically in the next reboot.

Disable restartable apps

Windows 11 can save and restart specific applications when you reboot the computer and sign in. However, if you want to improve the speed of your computer, you'll be better off disabling this feature.

To turn off restartable apps on Windows 11, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on Accounts.
3. Click the Sign-in options page on the right side.

4. Turn off the "Automatically save my restartable apps and restart them when I sign back in" toggle switch.

Once you complete the steps, Windows 11 will no longer save and restart compatible applications when you sign in to your account.

3. Remove unused apps

If the computer includes many applications you don't use, they will only be wasting valuable space and system resources. Uninstalling those apps can help to increase performance.

To uninstall apps on Windows 11, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on Apps.
3. Click the Installed apps page on the right side.

4. Click the open the app menu from the right and choose the Uninstall option.

4. Click the Uninstall button again.
5. Continue with the on-screen directions (if applicable).

After you complete the steps, you may need to repeat the steps to remove other apps.

At all costs, avoid installing outdated or poorly designed applications and those loaded with unnecessary features, as they can impact your computer's performance. (It's important to note that well-known companies can also make low-quality applications.)

To maintain your device's health and efficiency, prioritize installing reputable apps. Also, consider opting for apps available on the Microsoft Store, as they undergo thorough reviews for both security and performance. If the specific app is not in the store, only download it from a trusted source.  

When in doubt, conduct online research to gather more information about the app. Explore software vendor forums to check for user experiences and potential issues. 

4. Free up hard drive space

Filling up the system hard drive is never a good idea as it can affect performance. 

If your computer is running slow when launching apps and managing files, the reason could be that the drive is running out of space. Typically, you will notice a performance degradation as the drive fills up around 70 percent of the available capacity.

On Windows 11, you have many different ways to free up space. However, the easiest way is to use the Storage settings to delete temporary and unnecessary files.

To free up space on Windows 11, use these steps: 

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on System.
3. Click the Storage page on the right side.
4. Click the Temporary files setting.

5. Check the files you want to delete to reclaim space and improve system performance. 

• Quick tip: When selecting the temporary files, remember that checking the "Downloads" option will delete everything inside the "Downloads" folder. If you want to keep these files, do not check this option. 

1. Click the Remove files button.

Once you complete the steps, the overall performance should be measurable.

If you need more space, use this guide to find more ways to optimize the storage on your computer.

5. Install system, driver, and app patches

Windows 11 constantly receives updates to patch security vulnerabilities, resolve problems, and add new features. As such, it's important to update the system to ensure it has the latest fixes and improvements for optimal performance.

Install latest updates

To update Windows 11 to receive the latest patches and performance improvements, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on Windows Update.
3. Click the "Check for updates" button.

4. (Optional) Check the "Get latest updates as soon as they're available toggle" switch.

• Quick note: This option will download preview versions of upcoming updates that may include fixes to restore the system performance.

5. Click the Restart now button.

After you complete the steps, system updates should be downloaded and installed on the computer.

Upgrade to latest version

To upgrade to the newest version of Windows 11, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on Windows Update.
3. Click the "Check for updates" button.

1. Click the Check for updates button.
2. Click the "Download & install" button.
3. Click the Restart now button.

Once you complete the steps, the system will upgrade to the most recent version of Windows 11 that can potentially resolve previous performance issues.

Update drivers to latest version

To update device drivers on Windows 11, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on Windows Update.
3. Click the Advanced options button.

4. Click the Optional updates setting.

4. Select the available drivers to update.

5. Click the Download & install button.

If the specific device driver causing issues has no update, you should check with your manufacturer support website to download and install the latest update. 

Update drivers manually

You should utilize the instructions provided on the manufacturer support website to accomplish this task. If instructions are not available, you can refer to the steps below.

1. Open Start.
2. Search for Device Manager and click the top result to open the app.
3. Expand the branch for the device driver causing problems. For example, Display adapters.
4. Right-click the device and select the Update driver option.

5. Click the "Browse my computer for driver software" option.

6. Click the Browse button under the "Search for drivers in this location" section.

6. Select the folder with the device driver installation files.
7. Click the OK button.
8. Click the Next button.
9. Click the Close button.

Once you complete the steps, the device driver should be installed on the computer.

Update apps

To update Microsoft Store apps manually on Windows 10, use these steps:

1. Open Microsoft Store.
2. Click the Library button from the bottom-left corner.
3. Click the Get updates button.

After you complete the steps, the Microsoft Store will check, download, and install the latest updates for your applications.

Check the developer support website for updates if you have non-Microsoft Store apps. You may also be able to use the update option in the application itself.

6. Rollback to previous version

Although updating your setup can indeed help to improve performance, sometimes, this process can also cause problems. Usually, this happens when a new version or an update for the operating system ships with unknown issues.

If an update or a new version was recently released, and you're experiencing performance problems, rolling back to the previous version can help speed up the performance.

Uninstall update 

To uninstall a problematic update, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on Windows Update.
3. Click the Update history setting.

4. Click the Uninstall updates setting under the "Related settings" option.

5. Click the Uninstall button for the most recent update.

Once you complete the steps, the system will revert to the previous version before the problematic update, mitigating the performance issue on the device.

Uninstall upgrade 

To roll back to a previous version of Windows, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on System.
3. Click the Recovery page on the right side.

4. Click the Go back button under the "Recovery options" section.

5. Confirm the reason you're rolling back.
6. Click the Next button.
7. Click the No, thanks button.

5. Click the Next button.
6. Click the Next button again.
7. Click the Go back button.

The option to roll back is only available for the first ten days after the original upgrade. Only use this option if it's known that a bug is causing performance issues on Windows 11.

7. Change power plan to high performance

Windows 11 offers a variety of plans (Balanced, Best Power efficiency, and Best performance) to fine-tune the power consumption. If you want to enhance your system's performance, you can opt for the "Best performance" setting. This option increases the power consumption but improves the overall performance.

To change the power plan of Windows 11 to improve performance, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for Control Panel and click the top result to open the app.
3. Click on Hardware and Sound.
4. Click on Power Options.

1. Select the "High performance" option.

On laptops, you can also change the mode to increase performance by tapping or clicking the battery icon in the Taskbar's notification area and selecting the "Best performance" option using the slider.

8. Choose the default GPU for applications

If you have a computer with multiple graphics cards, you can assign a specific card to a particular application for the highest performance possible.

To assign a high-performance GPU to an application on Windows 11, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on System.
3. Click the Display page on the right side.
4. Click the Graphics setting under the "Related settings" section.

4. Click the Graphics setting under the "Related settings" section.

5. Use the "Add an app" setting to choose the application for which you want to change its graphics settings.
6. Click the Options button.

7. Select the "High performance" option.
8. Click the Save button.

After you complete the steps, you should note an increase in performance on the application. 

It's important to note that sometimes, the application includes the option to choose the graphics card for best performance. Use the app's settings if this is the case.

9. Disable visual effects

Windows 11 has various visual features like animations, shadows, and advanced techniques like blur and see-through effects, all part of the Fluent Design style.

While these features improve the user experience, they need extra system resources, especially for older machines, making them slower. However, you can turn off these effects to save resources and make the experience feel a little faster.

To turn off the animation effects, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on Accessibility.
3. Click the Visual effects page on the right side.

4. Turn off the Animation effects toggle switch.

5. Turn off the Transparency effects toggle switch.

You can use these instructions to turn off all the visual effects on Windows 11 to improve performance and battery life as much as possible.

10. Turn off search indexing

Search is a critical feature since it allows you to find your files, settings, and apps. However, it's one of those components that can consume a significant amount of system resources and impact some devices like low-end computers and gaming setups. 

If you want to speed up the system as much as possible, it's possible to change the index settings to optimize the feature for performance.

To configure the indexer to improve system performance on Windows 10, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on Privacy & security.
3. Click on Searching Windows.

4. Turn on the "Respect power settings when indexing" toggle switch.
5. Choose the Classic option in the "Find my files" setting to minimize battery and processor usage.
6. Click the "Add an excluded folder" button under the "Exclude folders from enhanced search" section.

1. Select the folder to exclude.
2. Click the Select folder button.
3. (Optional) Click on "Advanced indexing option."

1. Click the Modify button.
2. Click the "Show all locations" button.

1. Clear the Outlook option and other locations as necessary.

1. Click the OK button.
2. Click the Close button.

Once you complete the steps, indexing should stop conflicting with the system's performance. If you're excluding the Outlook location, Windows 11 won't surface results from your emails when performing a search from the Taskbar.

11. Reconfigure page file settings

On Windows 11, virtual memory refers to the "page file" on the hard drive that works as a temporary memory to handle the overflow when the system runs out of physical memory.

If you know what you are doing, you can improve the system performance by increasing the page file size.

To change the page file settings to speed up Windows 11, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on System.
3. Click the About page on the right side.

4. Click the "Advanced system settings" option under the "Device specifications" section.

5. Click the Advanced tab.
6. Click the Settings button under the "Performance" section.

5. Click the Advanced tab.
6. Click the Change button under the "Virtual memory" section.

7. Clear the "Automatically manage paging files size for all drives" option.
8. Select the Custom size option.
9. Specify the minimum and maximum size for the paging file in megabytes.

• Quick tip: Usually, you should use a number one and a half times the total available memory for the "Initial size" and three times the available memory for the "Maximum size" when possible.

12. Click the Set button.
13. Click the OK button.
14. Click the OK button again.
15. Restart your computer.

After you complete the steps, the changes will apply, and the system should show signs of improvement while using apps.

In the case that the changes are causing stability issues, undo the configuration with the same steps, but on step 9, select the "System managed size" option and check the "Automatically manage paging files size for all drives" option.

12. Repair installation files

If the computer has system files that are corrupted, you will notice performance issues and other problems. In this case, you can use the Deployment Image Service and Management Tool (DISM) and System File Checker (SFC) command-line tools to fix the setup without resourcing to reinstallation.

Fix installation files with DISM

To use DISM to repair the image system files, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and click the Run as Administrator option.
3. Type the following command to repair the image files and press Enter: DISM /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth

After you complete the steps, the tool will repair the files in the image, and you can then use the SFC tool to fix problems with the current installation of Windows.

Fix installation files with SFC

To use SFC to repair corrupted system files on Windows 11, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and click the Run as Administrator option.
3. Type the following command to repair the installation and press Enter: sfc /scannow

Once you complete the steps, the computer should start running normally without performance issues.

In this set of instructions, you will find more details on how to use these command-line tools.

13. Scan and remove viruses

If the computer isn't acting up or runs slower than usual, this could be a signal that malware has gained access to the system. 

Usually, viruses, spyware, and other malware types can take up substantial system resources, making the device unusable.

Although the Microsoft Defender Antivirus runs automatically, it's not guaranteed that the device will always be free of malware. You should periodically perform a full virus scan, especially when you suspect the computer could be infected.

Defender Antivirus full scan

To run a full virus scan, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for Windows Security and click the top result to open the app.
3. Click on Virus & threat protection.
4. Click the Protection updates option in the "Virus & threat protection updates" setting.

5. Click the "Check for updates" button.

5. Click on "Virus & threat protection" from the left pane.
6. Click the Scan options option under the "Current threats" section.

7. Select the Full scan option.
8. Click the Scan now button.

After you complete the steps, Microsoft Defender Antivirus should detect and remove any malware impacting performance.

Defender Antivirus offline scan

You can use the Defender offline feature if the antivirus cannot remove the malware because the system is running. When you run the offline scan, the computer will reboot into the Windows Recovery Environment to perform a scan when the system isn't loaded into memory. After the scan is complete, the antivirus will remove the malware and restart the computer automatically.

To perform a Microsoft Defender Antivirus offline scan, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for Windows Security and click the top result to open the app.
3. Click on Virus & threat protection.
4. Click the Scan options option under the "Current threats" section.

5. Select the "Microsoft Defender Offline scan" option.
6. Click the Scan now button.

Once you complete the steps, the antivirus will scan the system and try to remove the malware causing the performance degradation.

If you use other anti-malware solutions like Malwarebytes, Bitdefender, Trend Micro, or Norton, check their support documentation to remove viruses and other malicious programs.

14. Gaming-specific performance configurations

If you want to optimize the performance for gaming, in addition to the recommendations outlined in this guide, you can also perform some additional configurations. 

Turn on Game Mode

To enable Game Mode on Windows 11, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on Gaming.

1. Turn on Game Mode toggle switch.

After you complete the steps, the system will optimize the computer for gaming by turning off non-essential processes to free up more resources. This mode should also improve framerates during gameplay and stop services like Windows Update from disrupting the experience.

Turn off memory integrity and virtualization

According to Microsoft, gaming performance can be affected by two security features, including Memory Integrity and Virtual Machine Platform. 

If you want to improve your computer's gaming performance, consider turning off these features. Here's how:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for Windows Security and click the top result to open the app.
3. Click on Device Security.
4. Click the "Core isolation details" option under the "Core isolation" section.

5. Turn off the "Memory integrity" toggle switch (and do not restart the computer yet.)

6. Open Settings.
7. Click on Apps.
8. Click the Optional features tab.

6. Click the "More Windows features" setting under the "Related settings" section.

6. Clear the "Virtual Machine Platform" option.

6. Click the OK button.
7. Click the Restart now button.

Once you complete the steps, games should run more smoothly.

It's important to note that Microsoft recommends turning on the feature again after playing games to keep your device secure. You can always revert the changes using the same steps outlined above, but on step 5, turn on the "Memory Integrity" option, and on step 10, check the "Virtual Machine Platform" option.

15. Reset computer to factory defaults

If the device is still sluggish, and you encounter other problems after trying the different recommendations, you can try performing a factory reset without losing your files to improve performance and resolve other issues.

To reset Windows 11 without losing your files, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on System.
3. Click the Recovery page on the right side.

4. Click the Reset PC button for the "Reset this PC" feature under the "Recovery options" section.

5. Click the "Keep my files" option.

6. Click the Cloud download option.

7. Review the apps to reinstall after the reset to factory settings.
8. Click the Next button.
9. Click the Reset button.

Once you complete the steps, the device will reset to the factory settings, preserving your files and restoring the performance levels.

16. Upgrade hard drive and memory (optional)

If you're not seeing performance improvements after going through the recommendations, it might be time to upgrade the system drive and memory. You should also consider investing in a new computer if you have the system for three or four years.

Since most devices running Windows 11 already feature a Solid-State Drive (SSD), I won't talk about how upgrading from a traditional hard disk drive (HDD) will make a difference. However, you could upgrade to a larger and higher-performance SSD or an NVMe drive if the system supports it, as this media type offers significant performance improvements over traditional SSDs.

If the computer doesn't have enough memory, it will run slower than it should, especially if you work with memory-demanding applications.

You can always determine if the computer is running out of memory by launching and using the applications you usually use, and then open "Task Manager" (Ctrl + Shift + Esc), and from the "Performance" tab, check the memory usage. 

For example, check the total amount of memory in the top-right corner, and in the bottom-left corner, under "In use (Compressed)," you can find the total amount of memory currently in use.

If the total amount of "in use" memory is constantly high (around 80 percent), it's time to upgrade.

Some extra tips

Some lesser tips that you can use to speed up the system performance include connecting your laptop to a power outlet when performing demanding tasks, especially gaming. Otherwise, the hardware is likely to start throttling as soon as the battery starts to drop. 

Also, by default, Windows 11 switches to power saving mode when the device is running on battery, which limits the performance of the device.

I'm not including the defragment feature, since most devices running Windows 11 already use Solid State Drives.

Source

Source