According to the developer, tiny11 core is a good option for testing and experimentation inside a virtual machine, such as running a specific driver or program. The image includes the VirtIO driver, which allows direct access to hardware on Linux without relying on slower emulated drivers.

It is worth noting right away that tiny11 core has notable limitations compared to "regular" tiny11 and vanilla Windows 11. You cannot service tiny11 core, and its security is much more limited. Therefore, do not use the project on production or mission-critical devices. As the developer said, tiny11 core is intended for experiments on virtual machines and other enthusiast-level stuff.

You can download tiny11 core for ARM64 from the Internet Archive. The image weighs slightly more than 3GB, and a complete installation requires roughly 8GB of storage.

If you like the idea of a lightweight Windows 11 with a smaller disk footprint and reduced bloat, check out tiny11 version 2311. Based on Windows 11 version 23H2, it offers everything a regular consumer may need from a modern PC. Unlike tiny11 core, the standard tiny11 does not compromise security and serviceability, so you can run Microsoft Defender and install cumulative updates. In addition, it supports games from the Microsoft Store, so it is a decent option for gaming systems.

As usual, keep in mind the potential risks of using modified Windows 11 images. Do not install tiny11 if you do not trust the developer.

Source

Let me tell you a story.

Once upon a time, I wrote quite a large amount of content for another company. My calendar days were filled with entries, one for each article I wrote. At the same time, I wrote for other companies (but not as much). For that main company, I used the default color for each calendar appointment and would change the color for each appointment that was for a different client.

That worked well for me -- until that client and I parted ways.

Insert sad trombone sound.

When ZDNET took the place as my primary client, for whatever reason, I didn't want them associated (in any way) with the old company. This led me to change the default color for every calendar entry for a ZDNET article.

That's not efficient. After over a year of that, I realized I should simply change the default color of that calendar to reflect what I'd chosen to represent ZDNET. So, instead of that dull blueish color that had come to represent the client for which I no longer wrote, I could change it to the ZDNET neon green. That way, there'd be no mistaking what entries were for ZDNET. 

Easy peasy.

This may sound trivial, but when you want to be able to quickly glance at your calendar and know exactly what you're doing and for whom, it makes perfect sense.

I know what you're probably thinking: "Why not create a specific calendar for every client?" That's all fine and good, but it would require selecting the calendar every time I were to create an event. On top of that, I'd have to go through and set up notifications for each calendar I create.

Considering the number of clients I work with, that's a bit much (especially, when I'm trying to work as efficiently as possible).

That said, how do you do this? It's very simple. Let me show you.

How to change the default color of Google Calendar events

What you'll need: The only things you'll need for this are a valid Google Account and a web browser. That's it. Let's hit the calendar.

1. Open Google Calendar

The first thing to do is open your web browser, make sure you're logged into your Google account, and point it to Google Calendar.

2. Open the options for the main calendar

In the left pane, you should see a listing for all of the calendars you've created. Hover your cursor over the main calendar (which will probably be labeled with your name) and click the three-dot menu button.

Make sure to hover over the calendar you want to change.

Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET

3. Select your color
 

A pop-up should appear, where you can select from one of the pre-defined colors. If you don't like any of those options, click + and you can change the color using one of three methods: the color picker, the slider, or the Hex value. Once you've changed the color to your liking, click Save, and you're good to go.

You can select from the pre-defined colors or choose your own.
Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET

If the colors on your calendar don't automatically change, refresh the page and they should. 

Yes, you can go through and change the default color value for all of your calendars if you like. Or, you can simply change the color value on a per-event basis (if you want all calendar events to be added to your primary calendar but want different colors to represent different clients, types of events, etc.).

And that's all there is to this handy tip. I've been using different colors to represent different clients and events for years, and it makes it far easier to know exactly what my day consists of by way of a quick glance. Hopefully, this feature will help you as well.

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Even if you've never used Windows 11 before, you can quickly boot up the computer and easily use it to surf the web, watch videos and play music. All you really need is your mouse to get to where you need -- but if you want to be a Windows power user, and not just a Windows novice, you need to know keyboard shortcuts.

In this story we'll cover the most important keyboard shortcuts for Windows 11, many of which carry over from Windows 10 and earlier versions of Microsoft's operating system. That includes the basics, like copying highlighted items and undoing a previous action, as well as lesser-known shortcuts, like snapping an active window into place.

Windows 11 shortcut basics

To start, here are the ones you'll use most often.

• Ctrl + A: Select all items in a window.

• Ctrl + C or Ctrl + Insert: Copy selected or highlighted item (text, images and so on).

• Ctrl + V or Shift + Insert: Paste selected or highlighted item.
• Ctrl + X: Cut selected or highlighted item.
• Ctrl + Z: Undo previous action.
• Ctrl + Y: Redo action.
• Ctrl + N: When File Explorer is your current window, open a new File Explorer window with the same folder path as the current window.
• Windows key + F1: Open "how to get help in windows" Bing search in default browser.
• Alt + F4: Close the current app or window.
• Alt + Tab: Switch between open apps or windows.
• Shift + Delete: Delete selected item permanently (skip the Recycle Bin).

Start menu and taskbar

You can use these keyboard shortcuts to open, close and otherwise control the Start menu and the taskbar.

• Windows key or Ctrl + Esc: Open Start menu.
• Windows key + X: Open the secret Start menu.
• Windows key + T: Cycle through the apps (including pinned apps) on the taskbar.
• Windows key + [Number]: Open the app pinned in the [number] position on the taskbar. For example, if you have Edge pinned in the first position on the taskbar and you click Windows key + 1, Edge will open. If the app is already open, a new instance or window will open.
• Windows key + Alt + [Number]: Open the right-click menu for the app pinned in the [number] position on the taskbar.
• Windows key + 😧 Show or hide desktop (Windows key + , will display the desktop briefly).

Screenshots

Windows 11 also has several ways to take a screenshot, including three different keyboard shortcuts.

• PrtScn: Take a screenshot of your entire screen and save it to your clipboard.
• Windows key + PrtScn: Take a screenshot of your entire desktop and save it to a folder on your computer.
• Windows key + Shift + S: Open Snipping Tool menu to take a screenshot of only a section of your screen.

The desktop: Windows, Snap Assist and virtual desktops

These shortcuts control how individual windows act on your desktop, including virtual desktops.

• Windows key + M: Minimize all open windows.
• Windows key + Shift + M: Restore minimized windows.
• Windows key + Home: Minimize all windows except the selected or currently active window.
• Windows key + Up arrow: Maximize selected window.
• Windows key + Shift + Up arrow: Maximizes the active window vertically while maintaining its width.
• Windows key + Down arrow: Minimize selected window.
• Windows key + Left arrow: Snap selected window to the left half of the screen.
• Windows key + Right arrow: Snap selected window to the right half of the screen.
• Windows key + Alt + Up: Snap selected window to top half of the screen.
• Windows key + Alt + Down: Snap selected window to bottom half of the screen.
• Windows key + Shift + Left arrow or Right arrow: Move selected window to the left or right monitor.
• Windows key + Tab: Open Task view (virtual desktops).
• Windows key + Ctrl + 😧 Add new virtual desktop.
• Windows key + Ctrl + Right arrow: Move to the next virtual desktop (to the right).
• Windows key + Ctrl + Left arrow: Move to the previous virtual desktop (to the left).
• Windows key + Ctrl + F4: Close current virtual desktop.

The Windows key

These keyboard shortcuts use the Windows logo key to perform various tasks, such as launching both Windows and third-party apps.

• Windows key + A: Open the Action Center.
• Windows key + S: Open Cortana in text mode, so you can type in the search bar. (Windows key + Q does the same thing.)
• Windows key + 😄Open Cortana in listening mode (similar to saying "Hey, Cortana").
• Windows key + E: Open File Explorer.
• Windows key + F: Open the Windows 10 Feedback Hub.
• Windows key + Ctrl + F: Search for PCs on a network.
• Windows key + G: Open the Game bar.
• Windows key + H: Open the Share sidebar.
• Windows key + I: Open the Settings menu.
• Windows key + K: Open the Connect sidebar (for connecting to new Bluetooth devices or Miracast).
• Windows key + L: Lock your computer.
• Windows key + O: Lock screen orientation.
• Windows key + P: Open presentation or projection sidebar.
• Windows key + R: Open the Run window.
• Windows key + U: Open Ease of Access center.
• Windows key + W: Open the Windows Ink Workspace for scribbling on tablets or touchscreen laptops.
• Windows key + (+) or (-): Zoom in and out with magnifier.
• Windows key + Esc: Exit magnifier.

The F keys

The F keys at the top of your keyboard can perform a number of actions when used with other keys, but they're also useful on their own.

• F2: Rename a selected item.
• F3: Quickly search for files in File Explorer. 
• F4: Highlight the address bar in File Explorer.
• F5: Refresh your active window.
• F6: Cycle through elements (tab, buttons, search bar, etc.) in a window or your desktop.
• Alt + F8: Show login password on the start screen.
• F10: Activate the menu bar in the active window.

Windows Command Prompt

You can use these keyboard shortcuts inside the Windows Command Prompt.

• Ctrl + C or Ctrl + Insert: Copy selected text to the clipboard.
• Ctrl + V or Shift + Insert: Paste copied text inside the Command Prompt.
• Ctrl + A: Select all text on current line. (If the current line has no text, all text inside the Command Prompt will be selected.)
• Ctrl + Up or Down: Move screen one line up or down.
• Ctrl + F: Search Command Prompt via Find window.
• Ctrl + M: Enter Mark mode (allows you to select text with mouse). Once Mark mode is enabled, you can use the arrow keys to move the cursor around.
• Shift + Up or Down: Move cursor up or down one line and select text.
• Shift + Left or Right: Move cursor left or right one character and select text.
• Ctrl + Shift + Left or Right: Move cursor left or right one word and select text.
• Shift + Page Up or Page Down: Move cursor up or down one screen and select text.
• Shift + Home or End: Move cursor to beginning or end of current line and select text.
• Ctrl + Shift + Home/End: Move cursor to beginning or end of screen buffer and select text and beginning or end of Command Prompt's output.

Source

As 2023 concludes, Microsoft Edge reports a year marked by significant advancements in artificial intelligence integration, security measures, and user engagement initiatives. The browser’s performance highlights include:

• Edge users engaged in over 1.9 billion Copilot chats, demonstrating increased adoption of its AI-powered assistant. Additionally, users created over 1.8 billion AI-generated images, showcasing the browser’s creative potential.
• Edge successfully blocked over 127 million phishing attacks, emphasizing its focus on online security. This means protecting users from approximately four phishing attempts every second throughout the year.
• Edge users in the US enjoyed an average yearly saving of $400, while global shoppers were offered over $4 billion in potential savings.
• The introduction of casual games proved popular, with users accumulating a combined playtime of nearly 9,000 years. Notably, the daily user base of the Edge Surf game surpassed the population of Huntington Beach, California.
• Gamers earned 148 million reward points through Edge, demonstrating the platform’s commitment to user engagement.

Microsoft Edge is confident that 2023 will be remembered as the year AI truly entered our everyday lives, and the browser is at the forefront of this revolution. 

For those interested in experiencing Microsoft Edge, the browser is pre-installed on Windows PCs and available for download on macOS, mobile devices, and Linux systems.

More here.

Source

While Microsoft has continued reminding users on Windows 10 about Windows 11, and will likely force-update eligible systems, those that do not meet the system requirements will remain on 10 and thus will no longer be serviced.

A third-party application now seeks to remind users how such a system can still be useful. Things like adding an SSD, which is at least three to five times faster than an HDD, is going to make a system instantly snappy. Much like Neowin recommended, the utility also suggests such users could perhaps try switching to Linux, to see how it is on the other side. Even Microsoft wants you to have a go.

The dev writes:

This started as a fun application to inform some colleagues that they shouldn't throw away their Windows PC. A fresh install can be sufficient and often even work wonders. If you add a little boost here and there in the form of an SSD, the PC might not need to be discarded at all. Currently, some are already dealing with the end-of-life of Windows 10 in October 2025 and the question of how much electronic waste will be generated.

 

For a better feeling, I have now packaged a wealth of information and system checks into an app (hosted in a WebView2/Chromium control) that analyzes the system and provides tips and hints regarding its health status. This might help prevent someone from throwing away their PC and instead consider other uses for it.

 

The tool essentially employs Chromium as the frontend and utilizes C# in the backend. I'll upload the code later. Perhaps, this could even be the foundation for something more significant – a tool for efficiently and straightforwardly assessing the system's health. It aims to present information to the average user in understandable language.

The utility is dubbed "WhatsPC" and it is available on GitHub. The source code is yet to be published though, and hence, it is not recommended that you install it.

Here's what it tells about my system which is running Windows 10 22H2:

(This is for informational purposes only) If WhatsPC app can't help you with your decision to throw away your PC, consider the following.

 

- Consider using your computer as a small file server.

 

- Keep your computer as a backup.

 

- Consider installing a lightweight OS like Linux Lite.

 

- Explore the option of selling or giving away your computer.

In case you are wondering, I have Ryzen 5700G, a 6800 XT, and an A520 AM4 motherboard running 2x 16GB DDR4-3600 CL16 memory.

Source

The blog post states that in the past 12 months, Edge users, along with people who used Bing search, engaged in "more than 1.9 billion Copilot chats". It added that Edge users "created over 1.8 billion AI-generated images".

Microsoft also noted that Edge users who shopped online had a "yearly average savings of $400." It said that " worldwide shoppers were offered a total of more than $4 billion in savings on Edge." In November, Microsoft rolled out Copilot Shopping services, which let users type in generative AI text prompts to find deals on the internet for extra savings.

Microsoft added support for playing casual games in Edge a while ago. Today, the company revealed that "users played almost 9000 years of casual free games," or 4.7 billion minutes, since that feature was added to the browser.

In terms of security, Microsoft claims that in 2023, "Edge stopped over 127 million phishing attacks". The company stated that was the same as "four phishing attacks stopped every second for an entire year."

Finally, Microsoft said that in 2023, members of the Microsoft Rewards program earned "148 million rewards points on Edge." This particular bragging point is pretty ironic, considering that Microsoft cut back the number of reward points that people can earn every day on Edge just a few weeks ago.

With 2024 just a few days away, we will have to see how Microsoft continues to add AI features to Edge. Hopefully, the company will also cut down on the intrusive promotion of Edge and Bing that has resulted in many users complaining about those efforts.

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What is feature deprecation in Windows?

As a reminder, feature deprecation does not mean feature removal. When Microsoft deprecates a Windows component, it no longer receives updates and new capabilities. Usually, deprecated features remain available and continue working for a while, eventually becoming optional components or leaving the operating system for good.

Table of contents:

• Universal Windows Platform (UWP) Apps for ARM32
• Microsoft Support Diagnostic Tool (MSDT)
• Cortana for Windows
• TLS 1.0 and 1.1
• AllJoyn
• WordPad
• VBScript
• Timeline for Microsoft Entra accounts
• Remote Mailslots
• WebDAV
• Computer Browser
• Tips App
• Steps Recorder (psr.exe)
• Microsoft Defender Application Guard for Office
• Windows Speech Recognition
• Legacy console mode
• Microsoft Defender Application Guard for Edge
• Windows Mixed Reality

Deprecated features in Windows in 2023

Universal Windows Platform (UWP) Apps for ARM32 | Deprecated in January 2023

Future Windows 11 updates, including the next-gen Windows client, will remove support for 32-bit Universal Windows Platform apps on ARM. If you are a Windows developer, Microsoft urges you to update your project to ARM64.

Microsoft Support Diagnostic Tool | Deprecated in January 2023

MSDT is the engine for the legacy troubleshooters in Windows. Microsoft plans to retire MSDT in 2025, moving troubleshooters to the Get Help platform. Half of the built-in troubleshooters have already been redirected there.

Cortana app for Windows | Deprecated in June 2023

The original assistant for Windows 10 and 11 is dead. As a gesture of goodwill, Microsoft allowed users to uninstall the app in the latest Windows 11 updates. Right-click Cortana in the All Apps list and select "Uninstall."

TLS 1.0 and 1.1 | Deprecated in August 2023

The original Transport Layer Security protocols are extremely outdated, and they create unnecessary security risks for Windows users. However, TLS 1.0 and 1.1 are still available as optional features for organizations that rely on them. This change does not affect regular users.

AllJoyn | Deprecated in August 2023

AllJoyn was an open-source IoT protocol for things like turning lights on or off, getting temperature information, etc.

WordPad | Deprecated in September 2023

The built-in WYSIWYG text editor for Windows is no longer in development. It is still available for use in the latest Windows 11 updates, but Microsoft plans to remove it in future releases. If you need an alternative for doc and rtf documents, Microsoft recommends Word or Word Online.

Here is a quick look at the history of WordPad.

VBScript | Deprecated in October 2023

Microsoft's active scripting language for Windows will soon be removed from Windows. However, Microsoft will let developers install VBScript as a feature-on-demand to prepare for its removal.

Timeline for Microsoft Entra Accounts | Deprecated in October 2023

Microsoft ditched Windows Timeline for Windows 10 for personal accounts in 2021, a few months before launching Windows 11, where Timeline is not available at all. However, cross-device syncing of Microsoft Entra is still available on Windows 10. Microsoft will drop it in January 2024.

Remote Mailslots | Deprecated in November 2023

This old and unreliable mail protocol, first introduced in MS-DOS, is now turned off by default.

Webclient (WebDAV) Service | Deprecated in November 2023

This HTTP extension no longer runs by default in modern Windows versions.

Computer Browser | Deprecated in November 2023

Do not confuse this with Edge or Chrome. Computer Browser is an old and unsafe device location protocol. Microsoft turned it off alongside SMB1 in Windows 10.

Tips App | Deprecated in November 2023

For some reason, Microsoft decided to deprecate and remove this app. However, it will continue receiving new content for the latest Windows 11 features until Microsoft removes it from the operating system.

Steps Recorder (psr.exe) | Deprecated in November 2023

This old troubleshooting utility you can use to show your grandma how to get things done in Windows will soon be removed. Although it is still available in Windows 10 and 11, Microsoft suggests moving to apps like Snipping Tool, Xbox Game Bar, and Microsoft Clipchamp, even though none can replace all the features available in the old Steps Recorder.

Microsoft Defender Application Guard for Office | Deprecated in November 2023

MDAG for Office and its related APIs are deprecated, so Microsoft recommends organizations shift to Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. Do not worry if that explains nothing to you—regular consumers are not affected (they do not even have access to MDAG).

Windows Speech Recognition | Deprecated in December 2023

First introduced in Windows Vista, the old Windows Speech Recognition app is no longer in development. Windows 11 users can replace it with the new Voice Access feature in Windows 11 version 22H2 and newer. However, the latter has a very limited set of supported languages.

Legacy Console Mode | Deprecated in December 2023

This feature allowed running old console apps in modern Command Prompt versions. Despite deprecation, Microsoft will keep LCM as an optional feature for those needing it.

Microsoft Defender Application Guard for Edge | Deprecated in December 2023

Like MDAG for Office, MDAG for Edge is now deprecated alongside its related APIs. Microsoft has a special whitepaper with more information about securing Microsoft Edge in business environments. Again, MDAG for Edge is not available for regular users.

Windows Mixed Reality | Deprecated in December 2023

This is a big one. WMR was introduced alongside Windows 10, and it was Microsoft's big push into VR and an attempt to standardize VR helmets and make them affordable. It did not take off, so Microsoft decided to pull the plug after more than eight years. Mixed Reality Portal and Windows Mixed Reality for SteamVR will soon be removed from future Windows releases.

Total: 18 features deprecated. You can learn more about them in the official documentation.

Source

You're welcome.

Without a doubt, Microsoft's biggest update to Windows 11 in 2023 was the addition of Copilot (formerly Bing Chat). The generative AI chatbot, which is also being tested by Windows Insider members for Windows 10, is being marketed by Microsoft as more than just a Cortana-like digital assistant. Indeed, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella recently said that Copilot will be "the entry point into this world of AI on the PC."

However, it seems like computer makers are coming up with new ideas of how a generative AI feature like Copilot could be used in future Windows PCs. Today, Gizmodo posted an article about viewing a recent demo from Dell that showed how something similar to Copilot could make it easier to change settings on a PC.

The demo included mockups of Windows 11 running with advanced Copilot-like features. Gizmodo said that Dell showed how a Copilot icon could be set up on the Windows 11 taskbar. Clicking on that icon could enable users to either type or speak prompts. These prompts could be used to ask Copilot to bring up a trackball's brightness controls or see which graphics driver version you have installed, instead of going through a ton of menu and settings options to find them on your PC.

In another Windows 11 mockup demo, Dell showed how Copilot might be able to automatically set up Wi-Fi security settings when you try to log into a public Wi-Fi router. Users could type or speak into Copilot and ask it to have their PC run at the faster performance settings possible. That command is then accomplished by Copilot, again without the user having to make these changes manually.

It's important to note that Dell's Windows 11 demo does not mean Microsoft is actively working to expand Copilot in these directions. This is simply a possible look at what Copilot could do in future versions of Windows. However, the fact that Dell went to the trouble of making these Windows 11 Copilot mockups shows that at least one major PC maker has some ideas about where these AI features could be used. Microsoft might want to take some notes as it looks to expand the use of Copilot in 2024.

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I’m hoping that the relatively well-behaved December updates are a good omen for the upcoming patching year.

Given that December was quiet and many Microsoft employees are taking a holiday break, applying updates now is likely to be safe. Accordingly, I’m lowering the MS-DEFCON level to 4.

Part of my reasoning is that the December patches were Windows security updates, with feature updates limited to a minor Office update. I was not expecting many side effects, which proved to be the case. For consumers, these updates should be a nice Christmas gift. The only possible lump of coal is the rollout of Copilot, but most of you have been reporting that it has not yet been pushed to you. Of course, expect dribbles in the coming year.

Microsoft did present a special gift — a fix for the annoying installation of the HP Smart app. KB5034510 provides a troubleshooting tool to rid our computers of the app, which was pushed to many unmanaged computers, even if they did not have an HP printer installed. Microsoft has not acknowledged what happened to make many of us receive this unexpected and silent installation, but my guess is that someone in charge of updating and deployment didn’t set the targeting correctly. You can still manually uninstall it, but I’m very glad to see that a more automated solution has been provided. However, it’s not quite as easy to use as I would like. As the instructions note, you can’t just click on the link and let the troubleshooter run; you have to run it from the command line.

Download the troubleshooter and then perform the following steps:

Unfortunately, the program is not perfect. On one of my home PCs that used to have an HP printer, the troubleshooting tool did not remove the HP Smart app. It appears that manual removal is the only solution in such a case.

For businesses, I’ve seen feedback that the results were less than ideal. One user of the troubleshooting tool indicated that the only good way to clean up the leftover mess was to reinstall the printers.

Speaking of printers, Microsoft is announcing its plans to make long-term changes in how printing and printer drivers work. In a recent Tech Community post, A new, modern, and secure print experience from Windows, an engineer from the Microsoft Offensive Research & Security Engineering (MORSE) team described the company’s plan to implement the Windows Protected Print mode (WPP) that is based on the widely supported Internet Printing Protocol (IPP). WPP will soon be enabled by default in Windows. Importantly, Microsoft support for third-party printer drivers will be phased out by 2027. There are a lot of links in this paragraph, but I encourage AskWoody readers to take a close look at Microsoft’s position and plans.

Although Microsoft’s explanation of WPP makes sense and acknowledges the disruption the change may cause, I’m a bit skeptical. I am convinced that no one — other than perhaps one accountant in a back room somewhere in the bowels of Microsoft — prints anything anymore. This is why the printing experience is less than ideal. Between printer drivers that don’t work well to Microsoft mistakenly pushing out the HP Smart app, the state of printing needs a lot of work. I’ll be keeping an eye on Microsoft’s plans and reporting more on this in the future.

I recommend that you install the December updates if you have not done so already. Before and after installing updates, make a backup of the hard drive.

Sometimes you shouldn’t pay too much attention to that event log hiding in your computer. Plus member Tex265 posted that his event log was flooded with events 131 and 201. Although the flood may be annoying, these errors do not cause performance errors and are “cosmetic” in nature. I think it’s better to wait for Microsoft to fix the underlying issue. But be sure to use Windows’ Feedback Hub to report the problem. Microsoft eventually gets around to fixing these types of issues.

I haven’t noted any other major issues in this month’s updates. Therefore, I recommend installing updates now.

I’m going to be a bit more cautious about the business case and recommend rolling back or even redeploying.

Be aware of possible issues with Qualcomm QCA61x4a, seen often on school computers connecting to wireless access points. Windows 11 computers may experience this issue after installing KB5033375 on either 22H2 or 23H2. Microsoft has acknowledged the issue and has initiated a known-issue rollback to fix the underlying problem.

Note that machines connecting to home wireless access points were not impacted by this issue. It affected only businesses and educational institutions with a more corporate-based access point, as described in Microsoft’s release dashboard. This indicates that events Microsoft can easily fix are acknowledged in about a week after the release of the updates. Thus I recommend waiting and not installing updates right away.

There are also a few reports of Explorer and the taskbar breaking on Windows 11 PCs. In testing my Home and Pro workstations, I am not seeing this issue. Given the reports in the education forum where I noticed this, more often than not it is triggered by software unique to that location. But it’s once again a reminder to those using tools to edit or adjust File Explorer or menu systems that those tools be kept up to date.

I’ll be dedicating an entire column to a review of the patching challenges for business in 2023 as well as potential pitfalls that we may see in 2024. Stay tuned for a look back and a look forward.

Resources

Source

“According to my sources, the next Windows 11 Moment update is expected to be finalized in early February, with rollout scheduled to begin a few weeks later. Internally, Microsoft also calls this feature drop the “February 2024 Moment,” which implies it will hit general availability sometime in February,” the report reads.

Bowden expects the Moment 5 update for Windows 11 23H2 to be the only “Moment” update for the OS next year until the next annual update, codenamed “Hudson Valley”, is released in the fall of 2024. This update, which may or may not be called “Windows 12”, will reportedly double down on AI features, with a new Copilot assistant that could run in the background.

In the meantime, here are the new Windows 11 features that are expected to be part of the next Moment update coming in February:

Ink everywhere you can type: Users with a PC with a digital pen will be able to ink directly into all boxes that accept text input across the OS

Changes to inbox apps and Windows Search (EU only): Users in the EU will be able to uninstall more inbox apps including Microsoft Edge. The Windows Search panel will also support adding other search providers than Bing.

Widgets changes: Windows 11 users will be able to disable the Microsoft Start feed in the Widgets panel and also pick up other news providers instead.

Windows Spotlight changes: Windows Spotlight, which offers a different wallpaper from Bing every day will be the new default wallpaper option for people who were previously using one of the default Windows wallpapers.

Nearby Share: The Windows feature that lets users share documents, photos, and more with nearby PCs by using Bluetooth or Wi-Fi will let users pick up a custom name for their PC.

Copilot improvements: The new AI assistant is getting an undocked mode, and the app’s window will also appear alongside other thumbnails when pressing Alt + Tab.

Windows 365 improvements: Windows 365 Boot will let users log in to their Windows 365 Cloud PC from the Windows 11 login screen using Windows Hello for Business. Windows 365 Switch, which makes Cloud PCs accessible from Task View, will also offer the option to disconnect from a Cloud PC from this interface.

Voice Access and Narrator improvements: Voice Access is getting multiple monitor support and the ability to create custom voice commands. Narrator will also let users use voice access to interact with the OS.

NotePad: The text editor, which is now being updated via the Microsoft Store, will get a character count display in the status bar for selected text. Microsoft will also be adding a new ‘Edit with Notepad’ option in the context menu in File Explorer

If you’re a Windows Insider on the Canary, Dev, or Beta Channel, you should likely be able to test most of these new features. As usual, some of them are rolling out in waves, which is always frustrating when you’re eager to try out the latest changes coming to Windows 11. Anyway, this list may not be complete yet as Microsoft still has time to introduce new changes before the “Moment 5” update is finalized and February.

Source

• Microsoft has noticed a surge in QR code phishing attacks, with hackers embedding malicious QR codes in emails to trick users into downloading malware.
• Microsoft Defender for Office 365 uses advanced technologies to detect and block QR code phishing attacks.
• Microsoft advises IT admins to enhance protection with Defender XDR and Defender for Endpoint against QR code phishing campaigns.

Microsoft has recently shared details about how Defender for Office 365 is effectively countering the rise of QR code phishing attacks. A QR code (Quick Response code) is a two-dimensional barcode capable of storing different types of information (such as product details, contact information, and website URLs). It can be easily scanned with smartphones or other mobile devices.

Over the past few years, Microsoft has observed a significant rise in QR code phishing attacks. This technique allows hackers to insert QR code images that link to harmful content either directly into the email body or as an attachment. Once scanned, the code redirects the user to a fake website that can download malware or steal sensitive information.

“A QR code can be easily manipulated to redirect unsuspecting victims to malicious websites or to download malware in exactly the same way as URLs, only by putting the URL in a more difficult-to-detect location. Adversaries craft QR codes to look legitimate, for example a message coming from an IT Administrator, and when scanned will ask the user to verify their account via their credentials or download a malicious file onto the user’s device,” Microsoft explained.

QR code as an image within email body redirecting to a malicious website

Here’s how Microsoft Defender for Office 365 detects QR Code phishing attacks

Microsoft highlighted that various QR code phishing detection capabilities are available for Defender for Office 365 customers. The service uses advanced image extraction technologies to detect QR codes in emails. Microsoft Defender for Office 365 also uses a combination of QR code signals, sender intelligence, message headers, content filtering, and recipient details to identify malicious messages.

Additionally, Microsoft Defender for Office 365 uses machine learning models to analyze URLs extracted from QR codes. Microsoft has also added heuristics-based rules within Defender for Office 365 to detect and block malicious emails.

Microsoft advises IT administrators to enhance protection against QR code phishing attacks with Defender XDR and Defender for Endpoint. It’s also recommended to implement Attack Simulation Training to educate end users on mitigating phishing attacks.

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WingetUI, which is a third-party GUI utility tool for managing CLI package managers like Winget, Scoop, Choclatey, npm, among others, received its latest update yesterday. The new update, version 2.2.0, improves the ease of usage and convenience as it now supports WingetUI Widgets which makes it easier to install available package updates.

Other usability improvements include saved details regarding installation of packages, reworked export with YAML and JSON format support, and more.

The new release also adds support for PowerShell Gallery. As the name suggests, the PowerShell Gallery or PSGallery is a repository that contains scripts, modules, and Desired State Configuration (DSC) resources. You can find the full changelog for WingetUI version 2.2.0 below:

WingetUI 2.2.0 changelog:

 

• WingetUI does now support PowerShell Gallery, the 7th Package Manager.
• Added Support for WingetUI Widgets, a set of widgets for the Windows Widgets pane that will ease installing available package updates.
• Installation options will be saved for each package, so they do not need to be reapplied on each install/update
• Exporting packages has been reworked:
• Installation options will be saved next to the package list.
• Ignored updates and skipped versions will also be exported
• Package lists can now be exported in YAML or JSON formats.
• WingetUI can now backup your installed packages automatically.
• Chocolatey and PowerShell do now support multiple sources. Winget and Scoop sources mechanisms have been improved.
• Add Romanian as a supported language
• Added the ability to uninstall, then update packages
• Added the ability to reinstall packages from the Installed Packages tab
• WingetUI source code is more modular, partially detaching the interface from the Package Engine. This will allow for further interface improvements.
• Integrity checker is now more powerful and reaches more WingetUI files.
• Ignored packages and skipped versions will be now stored on human-readable, JSON files.
• Minor improvements on the sharing interface
• Prerelease packages can now be installed with a simple toggle from the details tab.
• Install location can be customized for Winget packages.
• Improvements to the Interface API (Widgets and Share)
• A new WebView Wrapper has been added in order to show Release Notes and Help articles
• Save cached files under AppData\Local\WingetUI instead of under .wingetui
• Improvements in operation logs
• General interface improvements
• Better handling for when .NET Framework is not installed
• Improvements in the Settings Tab
• Tons of other under-the-hood improvements and fixes

 

What's changed

 

• Several improvements to Spanish translation. by @uKER in #1488
• Improvements by @panther7 in #1468
• Add [CustomMessages] in Inno Setup and icon by @mapi68 in #1478
• Account for cases where the user has a PowerShell profile by @Carterpersall in #1506
• Fixed search translation strings on multiline by @panther7 in #1517
• Fix for Accent colour Change Theme bug by @raghavdhingra24 in #1524
• Add widgets API by @marticliment in #1572
• Fix Steam and Uplay by @ppvnf in #1590
• Add custom WebView2 wrapper to show help articles by @marticliment in #1588
• Digitally sign DLL files by @marticliment in #1591
• Change ignore file format to json by @FrecksterGIT in #1500
• Improve Import/Export capabilities by @marticliment in #1592
• Universal manager-source handling interface by @marticliment in #1619
• Readme: Make install through Winget command more specific by @tomasz1986 in #1634
• Structure WingetUI as a module by @marticliment in #1633
• Add Powershell Gallery support by @marticliment in #1639

To download the latest WingetUI, head over to Neowin's software story page or visit the utility's GitHub page.

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Updates may introduce new features, patch security issues or non-security bugs. While they may also introduce unwanted functionality at times, it is usually a good idea to install updates when they do get released.

You may use software update checkers. These programs were popular in the past, as they ran a check across the entire system to find out if updates were available for installed or portable applications. Sumo was one of the most popular apps of its kind, but its developer, KCSoftwares, shut down in October 2023 rather unexpectedly.

Winget is your friend

Windows includes a useful package manager of its own. It is called winget, or Windows Package Manager, and you may use it to install programs or update them. One of the great options of winget is to let it check if updates are available for many of the installed programs.

Since it is integrated into recent versions of Windows, it can be run right away. If you run an older version, you may need to integrate it manually though.

Here is what you need to do:

1. Select Start, type CMD and select Command Prompt from the list of search results.
2. Type winget list --upgrade-available and press the Enter-key on the keyboard.
3. Select Y to agree to the terms of service.

Winget checks the installed programs against its database to find out if updates are available. It lists all applications with updates in a convenient list. The list displays the name of the program, the installed version and the latest version that is available.

You may use winget to upgrade some or even all of the programs, or visit the website of the developer to download the update manually, if you prefer that.

To upgrade a single program using winget, run the command winget upgrade name, e.g. winget upgrade PicPick, and press the Enter-key. This downloads the latest version and starts the installer. The installer may display prompts, just as if you would have downloaded it manually and ran it afterwards.

You may also use winget to update all programs at once. Just type winget upgrade --all and press the Enter-key to do that. It is convenient, provided that you want all listed programs to update. Note that you may get several installation prompts when you run the command.

Closing Words

Winget is a useful tool to quickly check if updates are available and to install these updates either individually or all at once.

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Microsoft Teams - New collaborative notes support coming to meetings and more

Starting in March 2024, Microsoft will add a new way for Teams meeting users on the desktop to create collaborative notes:

This enhancement to Collaborative notes enables anyone invited to the meeting to create collaborative meeting notes and agendas both before and after the meeting. This means more collaboration, more efficiency, and an even more seamless teamwork experience.

Speaking of Teams meetings, they will be getting some invite improvements in February 2024 on the desktop and Mac:

Meeting invite is the first thing that the user invited to the meeting sees before joining. We are making some design improvements to make sure we have the most important information there and it's better grouped.

In February 2024, Teams on the web, desktop and Mac will get some live translation improvements:

Organizers can select up to six languages for attendees to choose from for live translation for captions during a town hall.

Other Microsoft 365 Roadmap listings for Microsoft Stream and Outlook

Microsoft Stream, which offers enterprise users a way to offer videos to their employees, will get a new option in January 2024 for blocking the downloads of shared videos:

Some videos are meant to be viewed but not downloaded. Soon you will be able to share videos more securely with the "Can view, but not download" option. This option will be available in the permission drop down in the Microsoft 365 share dialog for Stream videos. When you select "Can view, but not download," people who access the video you shared will be able watch it, but won't be able to download or copy the video file.

Outlook users on the Mac will get a new To DO feature in January 2024:

To Do helps you manage your tasks and stay on top of what's next. These features will be available in Outlook for Mac for commercial users

This will be the final Microsoft 365 Roadmap roundup article of the year. Come back in two weeks on January 7, 2024 for the first such post for the new year.

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Opera has been my on-and-off default browser for years. Starting early in 2023, once the development team added artificial intelligence to the browser, I thought I was done with it permanently. But I gave it a chance and am glad I did.

To my surprise, I found Aria -- Opera's built-in AI tool -- to come in handy for one specific function. And that function has me using google.com less and less with every passing day.

Let me explain.

• When I run a search on google.com and the results appear, I always assume one or more of the following:
• The resulting site content will be out-of-date.
• The resulting site will contain so many ads (or poorly designed code) that it will cause problems with my web browser.
• The resulting site content is behind a paywall.
• The resulting site content will require that I sign up.

I realize that's a bit heavy on the pessimism, but anyone who searches as much as I do will get what I'm throwing down. 

It can be exhausting. 

It also means I have to continue refining my search to find what I'm looking for. And, given most often what I'm querying is for research purposes (either for an article or a book), I need to be as efficient as possible. I'm too busy to spend my time on deep dives down various rabbit holes to find what I need. 

That's where Opera's Aria comes in. Let me give you an easy example.

In the current book series I'm writing, every character's name is a combination of classical composer's names. For example, one of the main characters is Anton Frank. The first name is from Anton Dvorak and the last name from Frank Bridge. I'm sometimes randomly putting those names together and sometimes with intention. Although I know a lot of classical composer names, once you're four books into a series, you have to start digging deep into more obscure composers. 

To that end, instead of using a Google search -- which might have me clicking through sites until I find one that's useful -- I open Aria and type:

List 50 classical composers

If that doesn't give me what I need, I might type:

List 50 female classical composers

I can continue narrowing down the query, making sure to start each one as a new chat -- which saves it in the Aria sidebar -- so I can refer back to it later.

When I go this route, I don't have to worry about poorly coded websites dragging my browser to a halt or any of the other issues I've run into when researching something.

Aria just works.

Keep this in mind: I don't use Aria (or any AI) for anything but that purpose. I'm not using it as a crutch to write for me. AI is not my muse and it never will be. You see, I've spent 30 years developing my "writer's voice" and have no intention of not using it. 

Essentially, I use Aria in place of Google searches.

One thing to keep in mind, however, is that I don't use Aria in place of the sites I like to frequent. When I follow a writer, it's because of their unique perspective and/or voice. I don't want to read pieces that were generated by soulless algorithms. I want heart in my news and/or entertainment; I want vision, depth, and experience in the words I read. I want to know that someone was moved enough by something to write about it. 

When I discover that a site uses AI to create content, I never return. I won't knowingly read articles or books written by AI, won't listen to music created by AI, and would never watch videos created by AI. AI is not a creative process and it never will be.

But for research…I only need information (like names).

So, at least for me, Aria is beating Google at its own game and I don't see this changing any time soon. Give Opera's Aria a try. I believe you'll find it can often best Google at helping you find the answers you need for your queries, without worrying about what site you're being sent to.

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If you use either Rocky Linux or AlmaLinux as your server operating system of choice, you’ll find them as powerful as it is flexible. And thankfully, they are not nearly as complicated as they once were.

Take, for instance, the firewall. Back in the old days, working with the firewall required you get to know the highly complicated iptables utility.

Here’s a sample command for adding an iptables rule:

1 iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 22 -m state --state NEW -m recent --update --seconds 60 --hitcount 4 --rttl --name SSH -j DROP

This adds a rule to the INPUT chain for incoming TCP traffic on port 22, and uses the recent module to mark the source IP address, updates the rule to drop packets if the rate limit exceeds 4 new connections within 60 seconds.

To be fair, iptables is capable of doing some very complicated things. But with that complication comes the challenge of writing rules that work. It takes a long time to master iptables and most new Linux admins are busy just getting up to speed with the basics of the operating system.

What Is Firewalld?

That’s why the far simpler firewalld is a better place to start. Firewalld is a firewall management tool that provides a dynamically managed firewall that is user-friendly and supports features like network zones. With firewalld, you can easily open ports, block IP addresses, manage zones, and even add a GUI for easier management (so long as you’ve installed Rocky Linux with a desktop environment).

Let’s dive in and take our first steps with this powerful firewall tool.

What You Need

To follow along, you’ll need a Linux distribution that uses firewalld (such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Rocky Linux, Alma Linux, CentOS Stream, or Fedora) and a user with sudo privileges. That’s it, let’s get to know this firewall system.

Enable the Firewall

Out of the box, you might find the firewall is disabled. Because firewalld runs as a service on your Linux distribution, you can enable it with the help of systemctl like so:

1 sudo systemctl enable --now firewalld

You can then verify the firewall is running with the command:

1 sudo systemctl status firewalld

It should be listed as active (running).

List Currently Active Rules

Next, we’re going to take a look at the currently active rules running in the firewall. This can be done with the command:

1 sudo firewall-cmd --list-all

Notice the command is not firewalld, but firewall-cmd. Firewalld is the daemon (service) and firewall-cmd is the command used to manage the rules.

The output of the above command will look something like this:

Instead of listing both ports and services simultaneously, you could view them separately with the command:

1 sudo firewall-cmd --list-ports
2 sudo firewall-cmd --list-services

Adding a Service or Port through the Firewall
 

Let’s say you need to add HTTP (port 80) and SSH (port 22) through the firewall. Before we do that, we have to decide which zone we’ll work with, of which there are nine (drop, block, public, external, internal, dmz, work, home, and trusted). Of those nine, you’ll probably mostly work with these four:

• public – public, untrusted networks
• home – private, trusted networks
• work – same as home, only used for business purposes
• trusted – all connected machines are trusted

For our purposes, we’re going to focus on the public zone because that is generally associated with external connections (WAN). If you’re running a web server, you’ll probably want to allow public traffic through the firewall so it can reach the websites you are serving up.

To make sure you’re using the public zone, use the following command:

1 sudo firewall-cmd --set-default-zone=public

Verify the change with:

1 sudo firewall-cmd --get-active-zones

You should see something like this in the output:

1  public
2  interfaces: enp0s3
 

To allow port 80 (HTTP) through, issue the command:

1 sudo firewall-cmd --zone=public --add-port=80/tcp --permanent

What that does is add the new rule but it doesn’t automatically activate it. For that, you must reload the firewall with the command:

1 sudo firewall-cmd --reload
 

Now, if you check the firewalld status, you’ll see HTTP listed. Let’s say you also need HTTPS added to the firewall. Instead of using the port number, we can do so via a service like so:

1 sudo firewall-cmd --zone=public --add-service=https --permanent
 

Again, reload the firewall with:

1 sudo firewall-cmd --reload
 

You can do the same thing with SSH (port 22), which can be added with either of the following commands:

1 sudo firewall-cmd --zone=public --add-port=22/tcp --permanent
2 sudo firewall-cmd --zone=public --add-port=22/tcp --permanent

Reload the firewall with:

1 sudo firewall-cmd --reload

Removing a Port or Service from the Firewall

In the same way, you can remove a service or port from the firewall, thereby blocking access to the server. Sticking with our examples, we can remove access via a service with a command like this:

1 sudo firewall-cmd --zone=public --remove-service=https --permanent
 

We can also remove access via a port like so:

1 sudo firewall-cmd --zone=public --remove-port=443/tcp --permanent
 

Notice we have to use a protocol (such as tcp) when adding or removing via port numbers, which isn’t required when adding or removing via service. And, remember, any time you modify the firewall, you have run the sudo firewall-cmd –reload command before the changes take effect.

And there you have it, your first steps with the firewalld system. Thankfully, you don’t have to worry about working with the iptables command, which is far more complicated. To learn more about firewalld, check out the official documentation.

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Although it was initially planned for as a Windows 11 feature, Microsoft released it to Windows 10 as well in August. This was not the first or the last time the tech giant expanded a Windows 11 feature to Windows 10 as something similar happened to Copilot, as well as a Group Policy for deploying optional updates.

While the backup app on Windows 10 has generally been a welcome addition, it did cause some inconvenience to IT and sysadmins when Microsoft pushed it onto enterprise and managed systems. The tech giant later acknowledged the inconvenience and promised a future Windows update that altered this behavior.

Still, if you don't like the official Windows backup app, there is a new third-party option available in preview. Dubbed "Appcopier," this utility allows the local/offline backing up and restoring Windows 11 preferences and settings; and it could work with Windows 10 too, although the developer does not guarantee that.

However, the app is said to be fairly lightweight in the way it works and users are told to expect super-fast backups, at least initially. You can see the UI of Appcopier in the image above.

The dev says:

It allows you to back up and restore your most important Windows 11 preferences and settings offline and locally. The app mimics the new backup app of Windows 11 - which is part of the Windows 11 2023 Update (23H2) - but without the obligation of the cloud.

 

How does Appcopier works? Quite simple! Only registry entries and/or associated folders and files of the respective area are exported. This process is very quick and lightweight, akin to the weight of a fly. So don't be surprised if the first backups fly through in the nanosecond range.

You can try the app by downloading it from GitHub, though keep in mind that this is an unofficial, third-party software.

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Unlike the big 23H2 update released on October 31 and some of the previous "Moment" updates, the next feature drop for Windows 11 will not bring many new features or groundbreaking changes. You can expect a few minor additions, polishes, and changes to make the operating system compliant with the Digital Markets Act.

The Windows 11 "Moment 5" update will introduce widgets improvements, such as the long-promised option to hide the newsfeed. There will be accessibility and sharing improvements, new features for the Windows 365 integration, and updates for inbox apps (a character counter for Notepad, a new section for the Microsoft Store, etc). As for those living in the European Union, Moment 5 will let them uninstall Microsoft Edge with just a few clicks.

It is worth noting that there is no need to wait for the "Moment 5" update to get some of its best parts. You can already install the updated Widgets Board with the ability to turn off the news. Also, there is a method to uninstall Microsoft Edge even if you live outside the European Union. In addition, you can enroll your computer into the Windows Insider Program (the more stable Beta Channel will do) to try the upcoming changes before they become available to all Windows 11 users.

Since the report is unconfirmed, take the information with a grain of salt (even officially announced plans can change). As usual, we will prepare a detailed look into the upcoming "Moment 5" update, even though it is not expected to feature a wide variety of changes.

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Google Chrome users looking for the latest in safety and performance will want to update the desktop browser to its newest version. In a blog post published Thursday, Google highlighted a couple of new features designed to notify you of malicious activity and help free up the browser's memory use.

First on the list is Safety Check. This built-in tool alerts you if any of your stored passwords have been caught up in a data breach, if any of your installed extensions are potentially malicious, and if any specific site permissions need your attention.

In the past, you'd had to run the Safety Check manually. But with the latest update to Chrome, Safety Check now runs in the background and will automatically warn you of any potentially dangerous activity.

Safety Check will also allow you to revoke permissions to certain sites that you haven't used in a while. For example, you can disable their ability to track your location or use your microphone.

Further, the tool will tell you if you're receiving a lot of notifications from sites you hardly use so you can quickly disable them. You can still run Safety Check manually but now it will run on its own as well.

On the performance front, Google has also beefed up the Memory Saver tool. This one aims to reduce the amount of system memory and resources that Chrome chews up, especially as you open more tabs. With Memory Saver enabled, the browser frees up memory from inactive tabs so that the active ones remain responsive.

With recent updates, you're now able to view the memory usage of each open tab just by hovering over it. Plus, you can more easily choose which sites should always remain active in a tab.

To enable Memory Saver, open Settings, go to the Performance section, and turn on the switch for Memory Saver. Here, you can also specify which sites you want to always remain active.

And here's another even more pressing reason to update Chrome to the latest version -- 20.0.6099.129 for Mac and Linux and 120.0.6099.130 for Windows. A new security fix puts the kibosh on a critical bug discovered by researchers at Google's Threat Analysis Group and already spotted in the wild.

Labeled CVE-2023-7024, corruption of a heap buffer overflow in the WebRTC (Web Real-Time Communications) component in previous versions of Chrome could be exploited by a remote attacker via a specially crafted HTML page. All that technobabble means that a bad guy could trick the browser into crashing or even running malicious code.

But wait, there's more on tap.

Chrome already offers a feature called Tab groups to help you better organize all your tabs. Courtesy of an update rolling out over the next few weeks, you'll be able to save your Tab groups to access them on other computers and devices that run Chrome.

And in one more teasing tidbit, Google said that smarter and more helpful features will hit Chrome in early 2024 driven by the company's AI-powered Gemini model.

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The firm first acknowledged the bug in November on its Windows 11 version 23H2 known issues page when it reported that users who had clean installed Windows 11 version 23H2 could not run the Narrator accessibility feature while during Windows Setup. This issue did not impact those who had upgraded to 23H2 with Windows Update, and Narrator would work fine for those doing a clean install once Windows Setup was complete.

But this issue has now been resolved, Microsoft says.

“Starting December 19, 2023, a new file is available to create an installation media to update to Windows 11, version 23H2,” an update to the original document reads. “The new media does not encounter this issue and contains the December 2023 security update. It is available for download at the Software Download page for Windows 11 in the section ‘Download Windows 11 Disk Image (ISO) for x64 devices’.”

Even if you don’t use Narrator, it may be worth downloading the new Windows 11 version 23H2 ISO file and/or using Microsoft’s Media Creation Tool (MCT) to create updated Windows 11 installation media (it’s available on the same page linked above) because they’ve both been updated to the December 2023 security update. And it doesn’t appear that Microsoft will be updating the ISO/MCT to address other recently resolved issues related to Wi-Fi and printing, though it arguably should do so.

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Microsoft is gearing up to ship the next Windows 11 feature drop in early 2024, also known as "Moment 5" or the "February 24 Moment" for Windows 11. This feature drop will be much smaller in scope compared to previous moment updates, with the primary focus being on delivering necessary changes to the OS to make it compliant with the Digital Markets Act (DMA.)

With that said, there are a number of quality of life improvements coming with the Moment 5 update, which we expect will begin rolling out in late February or early March 2024. Microsoft is working on upgrades to some of Windows 11's built-in accessibility features, improvements to the Windows 365 cloud PC integration, and the ability to remove news from the Widgets Board, and Bing from the Windows Search pane.

As always, we will keep this post up to date with any new features that Microsoft adds them to the testing program for the Moment 5 update. As of right now, this is everything we're expecting to see ship in February 2024.

Release date

(Image credit: Windows Central)

According to my sources, the next Windows 11 Moment update is expected to be finalized in early February, with rollout scheduled to begin a few weeks later. Internally, Microsoft also calls this feature drop the "February 2024 Moment," which implies it will hit general availability sometime in February. 

Just like previous Moment updates, Moment 5 will be delivered as a cumulative update via Windows Update, likely rolled into the March 2024 Patch Tuesday release after being made available as an optional preview update in late February. Moment updates are not optional forever, so Windows Update will eventually automatically install the Moment 5 update if you don't manually request it.

Moment 5 will only be offered to users running Windows 11 version 23H2, meaning if you want the latest features you will need to upgrade from Windows 11 version 22H2 first, if you haven't already. Moment 5 is expected to be the last Moment update for Windows 11 users in 2024, as the next big OS update, codenamed Hudson Valley, launches later in the year.

General updates

Tablet users can now ink directly into any text box. (Image credit: Microsoft)

The Moment 5 update for Windows 11 brings with it a number of quality of life improvements, such as the ability to ink directly into text boxes across the OS. This is a feature other platforms have had for some time, and now it's finally coming to Windows. This makes using the OS with a digital pen much more streamlined, as you no longer need to enter a dedicated handwriting panel to type things.

As part of the changes being made to the OS to comply with the DMA, Microsoft is also making even more in-box apps uninstallable by the user. These apps include Edge, Cortana, Camera, and Photos. Yes, that means for the first time ever, the Edge browser will be uninstallable if it's something you don't intend to use.

On that same line, Microsoft is also making the Windows Search pane interoperable, which means third-party search providers such as Google or Yahoo can build a plugin for the Windows Search pane to let users switch from Bing to another search provider if they choose. Currently, this capability and the ability to uninstall Microsoft Edge is exclusive to Windows 11 PCs running Moment 5 in the European Economic Area (EEA.)

Elsewhere in the OS, Microsoft is making some changes to the incredibly handy Nearby Share feature, which is essentially AirDrop but for Windows PCs. Nearby Share now has "friendly name" support, which means you can give your PC a more readable name such as "Zac's Laptop" in the Nearby Share menu. This will appear when another PC attempts to share a file with you using Nearby Share. Microsoft also touts transfer speed improvements with the Moment 5 update.

You can now give your PC a friendly name for Nearby Share. (Image credit: Microsoft)

Microsoft also says the Windows Spotlight feature, which pulls in a background of the day from Bing, will be set as the default wallpaper setting starting with the Moment 5 update. This setting will only take effect if you're using one of the built-in Windows wallpapers, if you're using a custom wallpaper the Windows Spotlight option will not be automatically toggled. 

Unsurprisingly, the first Windows 11 feature drop to land post Copilot launch comes with a number of improvements for the feature. First, Copilot can now be "undocked" which will allow apps to exist underneath the Copilot sidebar instead of being forced to appear next to it. The Copilot interface now also shows up in the Windows ALT+TAB menu too, making it quick and easy to switch to using the keyboard shortcut. Copilot now also works across multiple displays, so you can open in wherever your heart desires. 

Lastly, Microsoft is making minor changes to the casting menu in the Quick Settings panel, which will now better describe the feature to new users who haven't used it before. Microsoft will also suggest using the Cast feature whenever the OS detects the user is multitasking by constantly switching between multiple app windows. 

Oh, and the "All apps" button in the Start menu has changed to just say "All" now.

Widgets Board

The new Widgets Board settings panel. (Image credit: Microsoft)

Microsoft is making several changes to the Widgets Board on Windows 11 to comply with the DMA. The biggest change is the ability to disable Microsoft News integration within the Widgets Board, allowing users to outright turn off the "Microsoft Start" news feed in the Board's settings page.

This means users can choose to use a widgets only layout in the Board for the first time, which is excellent news for those who don't care about the latest headlines being fed to you through the OS. 

In addition to being able to disable Microsoft Start, the company is also making the Widgets Board interoperable, which means third-party news services can build a plugin that integrates with the Widgets Board. For example, Google News or Apple News could build support for the Windows Widgets Board, and users would be able to install that plugin if they prefer those services over Microsoft News.

Unlike some of the other DMA changes, this one appears to be universal, meaning you don't need to be in an EEA region to access it.

App updates

Notepad now counts characters along the bottom of the app. (Image credit: Windows Central)

There are also more improvements to in-box apps on the way with the Moment 5 update. Starting with Notepad, which now includes a character count along the bottom of the app. An "Edit with Notepad" shortcut now also appears in context menus when right-clicking select file types, which is pretty neat.

The Microsoft Store has also been updated with a new "Arcade" tab, which lets you play instant games that don't need to be downloaded. The games are pretty basic, but they're great for killing a few minutes as you wait for a file to download or render to finish.

The app has also gained some quality of life improvements, such as a richer interface that appears when you hover over an app on the Store home page. The app now also launches faster, so you can get to downloading your favorite apps more quickly. 

Windows 365

(Image credit: Microsoft)

Microsoft continues to work on integrating Windows 365 into the Windows 11 OS. With Moment 5, Microsoft has taken further steps to polish this experience, such as adding the ability for an organization to customize the login page with their own logo for employees punching in Cloud PC credentials.

There's also a new disconnect button in Task View that will let users disconnect from their Cloud PC when using the local Windows 11 desktop. Within the Cloud PC, there is now also a disconnect button directly in the Start menu, which will switch you back to your local desktop.

Task View now also has indicators that will pop up just above the Taskbar whenever you switch between your local desktops or Cloud PC. Plus, users can now more easily configure local device settings when connected to a Cloud PC, with a dedicated button for opening the local Windows Settings app within the Cloud PC Windows Settings app. 

Lastly, Microsoft is launching a new mode for Windows 365 Boot called Dedicated Mode, which can now boot to your Windows 365 Cloud PC from your designated company-owned device. You will be able to seamlessly log in to your Windows 365 Cloud PC from the Windows 11 login screen using password-less authentication methods like Windows Hello for Business. This mode also comes with fast account switcher experience to effortlessly switch profiles to log in with, personalized experience with your username and password, display picture on lock and login screen, remember your username, and more.

Accessibility

(Image credit: Microsoft)

Last up, Microsoft is making more improvements to some of the accessibility features built-in to Windows 11. To begin, Voice Access now supports multiple monitors, which means you will be able to navigate the OS using your voice across more than just your main display now. Additionally, Microsoft is adding support for more languages, which are French (France), French (Canada), German, Spanish (Spain) and Spanish (Mexico.)

Voice Access is also gaining a new feature called "voice shortcuts," which lets you create custom commands that use your voice to activate. Just shout "what can I say" when voice access is enabled, and select the "voice shortcuts" tab in the window that pops up. From there, you can create an action based on a custom phrase, and pick from a selection of actions provided by the voice access app.

So for example, I could set up a voice shortcut that opens a specific file, and give that shortcut the command "open my favorite file." Voice Access will then open the file that you specified every time you say those words. Pretty neat!

Narrator is also gaining some updates, including the ability to preview new natural voices before you download them. Narrator can now also use voice access to open applications, dictate text, and interact with elements on screen using voice. Commands such as "speak faster" and "read next line" work now in conjunction with voice access. 

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The feature is dubbed Dynamic Lighting and motherboard maker ASRock quite proudly announced today that it is the first such vendor to release support for Dynamic Lighting on some of the newer generation of Intel and AMD motherboards.

While this is certainly a decent achievement on the part of ASRock, the firmware microcode update (MCU) released by the firm is in beta so it is possible that ASRock may have rushed a bit trying to get the MCU out first. The company also puts up the standard disclaimer that the firmware is in development state and there could be bugs.

In a press release today, ASRock writes:

ASRock leads the industry in supporting Microsoft's Dynamic Lighting feature, a pioneering step in motherboard RGB lighting synchronization support. To enable the Dynamic Lighting feature, users are required to update their Windows® 11 OS to the 23H2 version and install the Beta firmware which can be downloaded from the ASRock official website. Once activated, users can control the motherboard LED lighting, RGB gaming mice, keyboards, and other RGB lighting devices via Windows® 11 OS.

 

...

 

▲Most Intel® 600/700 series, AMD AM4 B550/X570, and AM5 X670/B650/A620 motherboards are capable of supporting Windows® 11 Dynamic Lighting function.

To use Dynamic Lighting, navigate to Settings > Personalization > Dynamic Lighting. Inside you can find the following options:

• Use Dynamic Lighting on my devices
• Compatible apps in the foreground always control lighting
• Background light control
• Brightness
• Effects

When Windows 11 detects a compatible device, the following pop-up window will appear that says "Dynamic Lighthing-ready device detected."

One minor caveat of course is that users can not use Dynamic Lighting alongside ASRock's Polychrome RGB and other third-party RGB software.

You can find the full list of Dynamic Lighting-certified devices below:

• Laptops

   

  • MSI CreatorPro Z16

  • MSI CreatorPro Z17

     

• Keyboards

   

  • ASUS ROG Scope II Wireless 96 Gaming Keyboard

  • Coming soon: HyperX Alloy Origins Core

  • Coming soon: HyperX Alloy Origins 60

  • Coming soon: ROG FALCHION series

     

• Mice

   

  • ASUS ROG Harpe Ace AimLab Edition Gaming Mouse

     

Meanwhile, the devices below are not certified but should work:

• Keyboards

   

  • Coming soon: All Logitech G Lightsync RGB devices

  • Razer Basilisk V3 Pro

  • Razer BlackWidow V3

  • Razer Cobra Pro

  • Razer Huntsman Mini Analog

  • Razer Huntsman Tournament Edition

  • Razer Huntsman V3 Pro

  • Razer Huntsman V3 Pro Mini

  • Razer Huntsman V3 Pro Tenkeyless

  • Razer Turret Keyboard Xbox One Edition

     

• Mice

   

  • Coming soon: All Logitech G Lightsync RGB devices

  • Microsoft Pro IntelliMouse

  • Razer Turret Mouse Xbox One

     

You may find more information on this page on Microsoft's website.

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MSEdgeRedirect, a popular third-party app for fixing Edge-related annoyances in Windows, has been updated to version 0.7.5.1. It is now available for download from GitHub with a dedicated "Europe Mode" and a few extra bug fixes.

According to the developer, Europe Mode in MSEdgeRedirect changes your device region to one of the supported countries where uninstalling Edge does not require messing with the operating system's internals. It should also enable additional liberties, such as turning off web search, third-party search providers, Narrator scripting extensions, and more.

Modifications made by MSEdgeRedirect should survive Windows updates and work as a permanent solution. A future MSEdgeRedirect update will bring another method that involves changing ownership and modifying one of the system files so that Windows thinks your real country is a member of the European Union, thus allowing you to uninstall Edge with a few clicks while leaving regional settings intact.

Finally, here are the bug fixes version 0.7.5.1 introduces:

• Adds Europe Mode (1 of 2 Methods Implemented)
• Adds Stock Decoder (not yet used, thanks @whamer100)
• Improves Installer UX Flow
• Removes leftover legacy files
• Removes Darksky for Weather (thanks Apple...)
• Adds rounded corner support (not yet used)
• Adds StartPage for Image Search
• Adds Locale Support for Windy.com
• Fixes bug where Edge would not close
• Adds Locale Support for Weather.com
• Cleans up some forgotten allocated resources
• Adds Placeholder support in Custom Search URLs (use %query%)
• Adds support for any Ie_to_edge_stub.exe location
• Adds Placeholder support in Custom Image Search URLs (use %query%)
• Adds Recursion Failure Logging to help debug for 1.0.0.0
• Adds Unsafe Flag Block Logging to help debug for 1.0.0.0
• Restores being able to Redirect Bing Chat instead of just disabling
• Fixes Recursion Prevention making assumptions about command line parameters
• Adds Placeholder support in Custom Weather URLs for Latitude, Longitude, and Locale (use %lat%, %long%, and %locale% respectively)
• Fixes --win-session-start and other command line parameters being handled as webpages
• Fixes Active Mode File Handling (except for PDFs). Local files attempting to open in Edge will now open in Edge

You can download MSEdgeRedirect from its repository on GitHub.

Important: Always mind the potential risks of modifying your Windows installation using third-party apps or scripts. Back up important data before proceeding. Alternatively, you can remove Microsoft Edge from Windows 10 and 11 using a method that relies on manual registry modifications.

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The Arc browser definitely does some different things with its user interface, including placing the URL address bar, tabs, and the search bar on the left side instead of at the top. It also supports organizing tabs into "spaces" in the browser and they can also be pinned on the sidebar.

While the Arc browser has its share of fans, it seems that The Browser Company has even more ambitious plans. This week, it announced on both its X (formerly Twitter) account and its YouTube account that it is working on something else.

What exactly is this new product? The company's YouTube video is extremely vague on what that reveal will actually show off. It does show its CEO and co-founder Josh Miller and other employees of The Browser Company talking about how, with the release of the Arc browser, "Act 1" is now over and it's time for the business to move onto "Act II".

There's some talk about how the company wants to offer "a new computer". Miller says that the way we use the internet is like we hunt and gather information on a web browser and that now we need some way for the internet to come to users this time.

So is this a software product? A hardware product? A combination of both? We don't really know. The only concrete info we have is that The Browser Company plans to make this "Act II" reveal on January 30, 2024. It definitely sounds like the company believes they have something major to show off, and we hope this hype is justified.

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In a blog post, Google stated that Safety Check now runs automatically in the background when you use Chrome. It added:

You'll get proactively alerted if passwords saved in Chrome have been compromised, any of your extensions are potentially harmful, you’re not using the latest version of Chrome, or site permissions need your attention. These alerts will appear in the three-dot menu in Chrome so you can take action.

Safety Check in Chrome will also cut the permission to use certain features on a site, like access to your microphone or finding your exact location if you have not surfed to that site in a while. It will also let you know if you are getting a lot of notifications from a site that you have not visited in a long time.

Chrome is also getting some improvements for its Memory Saver feature:

We recently added more details about your tabs’ memory usage when you hover over them in Memory Saver mode, including the potential memory saved when they go inactive. And we’ve made it easier to specify sites that should always remain active.

Finally, Google is adding some improvements to tag groups, which allow users to put in a series of tabs in one group for better organization. Google stated that this improvement will come in handy for people who use Chrome on more than one device:

Rolling out over the next few weeks in Chrome on desktop, you’ll be able to save tab groups so you can access them on other desktop devices and easily pick your projects back up.

The company plans to add more features to Chrome in early 2024 that will use its recently launched AI model Gemini.

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