What is new in KB5032288?

• New! You can use Copilot in Windows (in preview) across multiple displays. Press the Copilot in Windows taskbar button on the taskbar of the display where you want Copilot in Windows to appear. To show Copilot in Windows on the last display that it was on, press Win+C. If you use a keyboard, press Win+T to put the keyboard focus on the taskbar. Then go to the Copilot in Windows button to open it on any display. This is available to a small audience initially and deploys more broadly in the months that follow.
• New! You can use Copilot in Windows (in preview) with Alt+Tab. When you press Alt+Tab, the thumbnail preview for Copilot in Windows appears among other thumbnail previews of open windows. You can switch between them using the Tab keystroke. This is available to a small audience initially and deploys more broadly in the months that follow.
• New! In the coming weeks, you might see Windows Spotlight set as the default background. This might occur when your background is set to an inbox Windows image.
• New! You can ask Copilot in Windows (in preview) for help ten times when you sign in to Windows using a local account. After that, you must sign in using a verified account. These include a Microsoft account (MSA) and Azure Active Directory (Azure AD). Note that the name for Azure AD will change to Microsoft Entra ID.
• New! This update starts the roll out of account-related notifications for Microsoft accounts in Settings >Home. A Microsoft account connects Windows to your Microsoft apps. The account backs up all your data and helps you to manage your subscriptions. You can also add extra security steps to keep you from being locked out of your account. This feature displays notifications across the Start menu and Settings. You can manage Settings notifications inSettings > Privacy & security > General.
• This update improves how fast Copilot in Windows (in preview) opens from the taskbar.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the Copilot in Windows (in preview) icon on the taskbar. It does not show as active when Copilot in Windows is open.
• This update addresses an issue that causes IE mode to stop responding. This occurs if you press the left arrow key when an empty text box has the focus and caret (cursor) browsing is on.
• This update addresses an issue that causes IE mode to stop responding. This occurs when you have multiple IE mode tabs open.
• This update affects Dynamic Lighting. It reduces the amount of power it uses on your device.
• This update addresses an issue that might affect the cursor when you write in Japanese. The cursor might move to an unexpected place.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the cursor. Its movement lags in some screen capture scenarios.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the Widgets notification badge. It is in the wrong position on the taskbar.
• This update addresses an issue that affects File Explorer. When you press Shift + F10, the shortcut (context) menu does not open.
• This update addresses an issue that affects File Explorer windows. When you do not expect them, they appear in the foreground.
• This update addresses an issue that affects File Explorer. The options in the left pane show the wrong state.
• This update addresses an issue that affects apps that you download from Microsoft Store. They stop responding and will not update.
• This update affects the shortcut (context) menu. Its performance is now better when you open it on the desktop and in File Explorer.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Narrator. It fails to open on the Setup screen when you install Windows.

As a reminder, this Windows update still has issues with icons moving around when using Copilot on multi-monitor setups (that also applies to Windows 10), COLRv1 rendering problems, and the broken Narrator when clean-installing Windows 11 version 23H2 using the Media Creation Tool app or official ISO images.

To install the latest non-security update for Windows 11 version 22H2 or 23H2, head to Settings > Windows Update and toggle on the "Get the latest updates as soon as they're available" option. Alternatively, you can download KB5032288 from the Microsoft Update Catalog.

Source

Just a reminder: The Beta Channel update members can turn on a toggle that will let them get first access to new features. Turning the toggle off means those features won't be rolled out to them immediately, but they will get some additions that will be rolled out to all Beta Channel members.

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

[General]

 

• Steps Recorder will not receive further updates and is planned for removal in a future Windows release. Starting in this build, Steps Recorder (PSR.exe) will display a new banner notification to guide users towards alternative options. We encourage our users to explore other options in Windows 11 such as Snipping tool, Xbox Game bar or Microsoft Clipchamp. For more, see this article.

[Nearby Sharing]

 

• If you turn on nearby sharing via quick settings or directly in Settings and you have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth off, it will turn Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on so nearby sharing will work as expected. If you turn off Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, it will also turn off nearby sharing.

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

[Task Manager]

• Did some work to help improve the performance when expanding the navigation pane in Task Manager.
• Fixed an issue which was causing a Task Manager crash when changing Always on Top mode.
• Fixed an issue where the dropdowns in settings would float up the screen if you scrolled.

New features gradually being rolled out to everyone in the Beta Channel

[New widgets board settings]

We’ve updated the widget settings experience, providing more ways for users to customize their widgets board experience. One of the new settings enables you to just show widgets on your widgets board and another makes it easier for you to discover how to personalize your feed content.

 

 

New widgets board settings.

 

The new settings experience also allows you to select the account you want to use for your Microsoft Start powered widgets and feeds. This means you are no longer limited to using the account you used to sign into Windows to drive those experiences, just like your other app powered widgets. You can easily manage the account used by Microsoft Start by navigating to ‘Microsoft Start’ settings under the ‘Personalize your content’ section in your widgets board settings. This change allows you to further personalize the experience to your preferences. The new settings experience is not limited by region.

 

[We are beginning to roll this out to Windows Insiders in the Canary, Dev, and Beta Channels today, so the experience isn’t available to all Insiders just yet as we plan to monitor feedback before pushing it out to everyone.]

 

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

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

[Settings]

 

• Optional features previously listed under Settings > Apps has moved to its own page under Settings > System.

Fixes for everyone in the Beta Channel

• New! You can use Copilot in Windows with ALT + Tab. When you press ALT +Tab, the thumbnail preview for Copilot in Windows appears among other thumbnail previews of open windows. You can switch between them using the Tab keystroke.
• New! You can use Copilot in Windows across multiple displays. Press the Copilot in Windows taskbar button on the taskbar of the display where you want Copilot in Windows to appear. To show Copilot in Windows on the last display that it was on, press WIN + C. If you use a keyboard, press WIN + T to put the keyboard focus on the taskbar. Then go to the Copilot in Windows button to open it on any display.
• New! In the coming weeks, you might see Windows Spotlight set as the default background. This might occur when your background is set to an inbox Windows image.
• This update addresses an issue that might affect the cursor when you write in Japanese. The cursor might move to an unexpected place.
• This update addresses an issue that affects File Explorer. The options in the left pane show the wrong state.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Remote Desktop web authentication. This issue might stop you from connecting to sovereign cloud endpoints.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Settings. It stops responding after you turn off Device Encryption.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the cursor. Its movement lags in some screen capture scenarios.
• This update addresses an issue that affects File Explorer windows. When you do not expect them, they appear in the foreground.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Windows Sandbox. If the locale of your machine is not US English, File Explorer stops responding.
• This update addresses an issue that affects File Explorer. When you press Shift + F10, the shortcut (context) menu does not open.
• This update affects the shortcut (context) menu. Its performance is now better when you open it on the desktop and in File Explorer.
• This update addresses an issue that affects .RAR files. They display as if they are empty in File Explorer.
• This update addresses an issue that causes IE mode to stop responding. This occurs when you have multiple IE mode tabs open.
• This update addresses an issue that affects IE mode. A webpage stops working as expected when there is an open modal dialog.
• This update addresses an issue that causes IE mode to stop responding. This occurs if you press the left arrow key when an empty text box has the focus and caret (cursor) browsing is on.
• This update addresses an issue that affects 32-bit GDI based applications. They stop responding. This occurs when they run on 64-bit Windows OSs that use more than 2 GB of memory.
• This update addresses an issue that affects apps that you download from Microsoft Store. They stop responding and will not update.
• This update addresses an issue that affects hardware that uses the PresentAt feature. Power use grows when you play a video in full screen.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the Copilot in Windows icon on the taskbar. It does not show as active when Copilot in Windows is open.
• This update improves how fast Copilot in Windows opens from the taskbar.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the Trusted Sites Zone logon policy. You cannot manage it using mobile device management (MDM).
• This update affects Microsoft Defender for Endpoint (MDE). It enables Conditional Access (CA) scenarios.
• This update affects the Netherlands time zone. It adds the recent man-made landmass outside of Rotterdam to the shape files.
• This update addresses a leak in volatile notifications. This might stop you from signing in to your machine.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) decoder. It does not work well on some websites that set the wrong input sampling rate.
• This update addresses an issue that affects remote direct memory access (RDMA) performance counters. They did not return networking data on VMs in the right way.
• 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 affects Windows LAPS. Its PasswordExpirationProtectionEnabled policy fails to turn on the setting.
• This update addresses app cursor issues. The cursor changes from a hand to a cursor when it should not, or the cursor disappears. These issues occur when apps use the WebView2Standalone XAML control.
• This update addresses an issue that might affect Microsoft OneNote. When you use a pen right-click to open it, that might fail.
• This update affects Dynamic Lighting. It reduces the amount of power it uses on your device.
• This update addresses an issue that affects certain PCs. It stops them from downloading speech recognition packages.

And here are the Known Issues

[Widgets]

 

• [NEW] The Microsoft 365, Outlook Calendar, and To Do widgets get stuck in an error state when the Microsoft Start feed is disabled.
• [NEW] You may experience a loading delay when the Microsoft Start feed is reenabled.
• [NEW] Announcements from the Microsoft Start feed are still shown on the taskbar after the feed is hidden.
• [NEW] The Widgets Board should automatically close and reopen when enabling or disabling feeds.
• [NEW] Keyboard navigation from settings subpages back to the top-level Settings page is broken.
• [NEW] Incorrect spacing and fonts used in some settings pages.

You can check out the full blog post here.

Source

To celebrate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (December 3), Microsoft published a blog post detailing all the new accessibility features Windows 11 received this year. They are all built upon the new capabilities introduced in the Windows 11 2022 Update (version 22H2):

• Live Captions: Windows 11 can locally generate live captions from any source. In 2023, Microsoft introduced 10 additional languages in 21 locales.

  

   

• Narrator Voices: The Windows 11 "September 2023" Update (also known as Moment 4) brings eight new languages in 10 regions, allowing users to enjoy more natural voices when interacting with the operating system. The updated Narrator also supports more Braille displays.
• Narrator Extensions: Users can enjoy improved productivity and efficiency in apps like Outlook and Excel using dedicated Narrator extensions. They make Narrator more concise and personalized, plus give more context into your spreadsheets.
• Voice Access: It is now much easier to make corrections when inputting text using just your voice. Besides, the Voice Access feature lets you dictate complex and non-standard words and interact with more control types, including the Lock Screen. Those relying on Voice Access can also back up and restore their preferences using the new Windows Backup app (also available on Windows 10).

  

   

Microsoft also took a chance to thank all those providing invaluable feedback that helped in making the OS more accessible to everyone:

We want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who helped us on our way by giving us feedback through different channels. We are excited to share that there are more milestones that we are tracking, where we would continue to need your help. So, do join us by trying Windows 11 and giving us your feedback to help create better experiences for each of us. Just press the Windows logo key + F to launch the Feedback hub and share what’s on your mind.

All those accessibility improvements are now available in the Windows 11 Moment 3 Update and newer (in supported languages and regions). You can download it and all subsequent updates, including version 23H2, using Windows Update or clean-install using images from the official website. However, it is worth noting that there is a bug that breaks Narrator during the setup, but Microsoft is working on resolving the problem in new ISO files.

If your computer does not support Windows 11, but you want to try its features and latest accessibility improvements, check out our guide detailing how to install Windows 11 version 23H2 on unsupported hardware.

Did you know? Microsoft has a dedicated Disability Answer Desk accessible via phone, chat, or American Sign Language. Customers with disabilities and physical limitations can use it to get technical help with Windows or another Microsoft product.

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Without further ado:

What is new in PowerToys 0.76?

Update highlights:

• Upgrade to .NET 8. Thanks @snickler!
• Keyboard Manager can now remap keys and shortcuts to send sequences of unicode text.
• Modernized the Keyboard Manager Editor UI. Thanks @dillydylann!
• Modernized the PowerToys Run, Quick Accent and Text Extractor UIs. Thanks @niels9001!
• New File Explorer Add-ons: QOI image Preview Handler and Thumbnail Provider. Thanks @pedrolamas!

Full release notes:

General

• Updated the WebView 2 dependency to 1.0.2088.41. Thanks @davidegiacometti!
• Fixed unreadable colour brushes used across WinUI3 applications for improved accessibility. Thanks @niels9001!
• Flyouts used across WinUI3 applications are no longer constrained to the application's bounds. Thanks @Jay-o-Way!
• Upgraded the WPF-UI dependency to preview.9 and then preview.11. Thanks @niels9001 and @pomianowski!
• Upgraded to .NET 8. Thanks @snickler!
• Updated the WinAppSDK dependency to 1.4.3.

Awake

• Added localization to the tray icon context menu.

Crop And Lock

• Fixed restoring windows that were reparented while maximized.

Environment Variables

• Fixed crash caused by WinAppSDK version bump by replacing ListView elements with ItemsControl.

FancyZones

• Reverted a change that caused some applications, like the Windows Calculator, to not snap correctly. (This was a hotfix for 0.75)
• FancyZones Editor will no longer apply a layout to the current monitor after editing it.
• Fixed and refactored the code that detected if a window can be snapped. Added tests to it with known application window styles to avoid regressions in the future.

File Explorer add-ons

• Solved an issue incorrectly detecting encoding when previewing code files preview.
• Fixed the background colour for Gcode preview handler on dark theme. Thanks @pedrolamas!
• New utilities: Preview Handler and Thumbnail Provider for QOI image files. Thanks @pedrolamas!
• GCode Thumbnails are now in the 32 bit ARGB format. Thanks @pedrolamas!
• Added the perceived type to SVG and QOI file thumbnails. Thanks @pedrolamas!

GPO

• Added the missing Environment Variables utility policy to the .admx and .adml files. (This was a hotfix for 0.75)
• Fixed some typos and text improvements in the .adml file. Thanks @htcfreek!

Hosts File Editor

• Added a proper warning when the hosts file is read-only and a button to make it writable. Thanks @davidegiacometti!

Image Resizer

• Fixed a WPF-UI issue regarding the application's background brushes. Thanks @niels9001!

Installer

• Included the Text Extractor and Awake localization files in the install process.

Keyboard Manager

• Modernized the UI with the Fluent design. Thanks @dillydylann!
• Added the feature to remap keys and shortcuts to arbitrary unicode text sequences.

Mouse Without Borders

• Removed Thread.Suspend calls when exiting the utility. That call is deprecated, unneeded and was causing a silent crash.

Peek

• Added the possibility to pause/resume videos with the space bar. Thanks @davidegiacometti!
• Fixed high CPU usage when idle before initializing the main window. Thanks @davidegiacometti!
• Implemented Ctrl+W as a shortcut to close Peek. Thanks @Physalis2!
• Solved an issue incorrectly detecting encoding when previewing code files.
• Fixed background issues when peeking into HTML files after the WebView 2 upgrade.

PowerToys Run

• Moved to WPF-UI and redesigned according to Fluent UX principles. Thanks @niels9001!
• Fixed an issue causing 3rd party plugins to not have their custom settings correctly initialized with default values. (This was a hotfix for 0.75) Thanks @waaverecords!
• Fixed a crash in the VSCode plugin when the VSCode path had trailing backspaces. Thanks @davidegiacometti!
• Fixed a crash when trying to load invalid image icons.
• Fixed a crash in the Programs plugin when getting images for some .lnk files.
• Fixed a rare startup initialization error and removed cold start operations that were no longer needed. Thanks @davidegiacometti!
• Improved calculations for Windows File Time and Unix Epoch Time in the DateTime plugin. Thanks @htcfreek!
• Fixed a crash when trying to get the icon for a link that pointed to no file.
• Cleaned up code in the WindowWalker plugin improving the logic. Thanks @davidegiacometti!

Quick Accent

• Moved from ModernWPF to WPF-UI. Thanks @niels9001!
• Added support to the Finnish language character set. Thanks @davidtlascelles!
• Added currency symbols for Croatian, Gaeilge, Gàidhlig and Welsh. Thanks @PesBandi!
• Added a missing Latin letter ꝡ. Thanks @cubedhuang!
• Added fraction characters. Thanks @PesBandi!
• Added support to the Danish language character set. Thanks @PesBandi!
• Added the Kazakhstani Tenge character to the Currencies characters set. Thanks @PesBandi!
• Renamed Slovakian to Slovak, which is the correct term. Thanks @PesBandi!
• Added the Greek language character set. Thanks @mcbabo!

Settings

• When clicking a module's name on the Dashboard, it will navigate to that module's page.
• Fixed the clipping of information in the Backup and Restore section of the General Settings page. Thanks @niels9001!
• Updated the File Explorer Add-ons fluent icon. Thanks @niels9001!
• Added a warning when trying to set a shortcut that might conflict with "Alt Gr" key combinations.
• Added a direct link to the OOBE's "What's New page" from the main Settings window. Thanks @iakrayna!
• Changed mentions from Microsoft Docs to Microsoft Learn.
• Fixed the slow reaction to system theme changes.

Text Extractor

• Move to WPF-UI, localization and light theme support. Thanks @niels9001!
• Disabled by default on Windows 11, with a information box on Settings to prefer using the Windows Snipping Tool, which now supports OCR.

Documentation

• Fixed some typos in the README. Thanks @Asymtode712!
• Reworked the gpo docs on learn.microsoft.com, adding .admx, registry and Intune information. Thanks @htcfreek!

Development credits:

Development

• Updated the check-spelling ci action to 0.22. Thanks @jsoref!
• Refactored the modules data model used between the Settings Dashboard and Flyout.
• Fixed a flaky interop test that was causing automated CI to hang occasionally.
• Increased the WebView 2 loading timeout to reduce flakiness in those tests. Thanks @davidegiacometti!
• Added support for building with the Dev Drive CopyOnWrite feature, increasing build speed. Thanks @pedrolamas!
• Addressed the C# static analyzers suggestions. Thanks @davidegiacometti!
• Addressed the C++ static analyzers suggestions.
• PRs that only contain Markdown or text files changes no longer trigger the full CI. Thanks @snickler!
• Updated the Microsoft.Windows.CsWinRT to 2.0.4 to fix building with the official Visual Studio 17.8 release.
• Fixed new code quality issues caught by the official Visual Studio 17.8 release.
• Added a bot trigger to point contributors to the main new contribution issue on GitHub. Thanks @Aaron-Junker!
• Removed unneeded entries from expect.txt.
• Turned off a new feature from Visual Studio that was adding the commit hash to the binary files Product Version.
• Refactored and reviewed the spellcheck entries into different files. Thanks @Jay-o-Way!
• Added Spectre mitigation and SHA256 hash creation for some DLLs.
• Reverted the release pipeline template to a previous release that's stable for shipping PowerToys.

PowerToys is available on Windows 10 and 11. You can download the app from the Microsoft Store or GitHub.

Source

Zorin OS 17 Beta introduces an improved activities overview, emphasizing ease of use in multitasking. Workspaces are now arranged horizontally and are easily navigable, offering a more intuitive workflow.

The Software store has been revamped for speed and usability. The new design aims to simplify the process of discovering and installing applications, enhancing the overall user experience.

The Spatial Desktop feature in Zorin OS 17 brings a cool 3D perspective to workspace switching and window management, aiming to provide users with an engaging and dynamic desktop experience.

A key focus of the operating system has been on enhancing speed and performance. The OS has been fine-tuned at every level to ensure a responsive experience on a variety of hardware configurations.

Responding to user demands, Zorin OS 17 includes an advanced window-tiling feature, designed to boost productivity through innovative tiling options and shortcuts.

The new system indicator menu offers direct access to key settings such as Dark Mode, audio device selection, and customizable Power Modes, aiming to strike a balance between performance and energy efficiency.

Screen capturing capabilities have been enhanced in Zorin OS 17, with a new overlay interface making it easier to capture and record screen content.

The weather app has been overhauled for a more detailed and visually appealing forecast, integrated with the desktop and Calendar app for better planning.

Zorin OS 17 Beta isn't just about new features. It also includes improved parental controls, enhanced hardware support, updated theming, and a commitment to long-term support until 2027. You can download an ISO here now.

Source

Although we haven't yet published our findings showing the differences between Windows 11 22H2 and 23H2 (we plan to do it soon), several users on the internet say they are suffering from performance losses after upgrading to version 23H2.

Reddit user BNSoul opened a thread on the Windows 11 subreddit explaining how they noticed performance regression of around 5 to 8% in several CPU benchmarks. Games also apparently exhibited random stuttering and hitching. They write:

To put it simple[sic], every CPU benchmark shows significantly reduced CPU performance after updating to Windows 11 23H2 from 22H2, even after a fresh/clean install.

 

...

 

I could add an endless list of benchmark results here but just lets say it's always 23H2 5-8% slower in every single one be it single or multi-thread compared to 22H2.

 

Games are also affected with random stuttering, all of this fixed by rolling back to 22H2.

In a separate thread on the Microsoft forum, user Anant Acharya posted about similar performance degradation issues from the CPU side wherein games would randomly drop frames due to the GPU utilization dropping off in those instances. They also report texture loading issues. Curiously, the CPU usage seems to remain the same but the game issues bandwidth-related error messages.

After I had updated to the Windows 23H2 update. I have been noticing sudden stutters and drastic FPS drops in the above-mentioned games.

 

..

 

In newer games like Forza Horizon 5 the GPU utilization (remaining at 92-99 %) suddenly drops to 20-23 percent and the FPS drops from 70-80 to about 10-23, textures not loading. while the CPU utilization remains the same. the game returns a Bandwidth issue warning. as the game was installed on my 7200 RPM hard drive. i decided to move it to my SSD. the issue still existed.

 

..

 

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 (campaign remastered) crashed with GPU errors after updating the latest drivers and re-installing windows entirely (still 23H2) the issue presists[sic]. as it has suddenly been brought up and i see no physical signs of damage that may have caused it. and the issue being brought up right after the 23H2 update. i suspect the OS to be the cause.

Several others upvoted this query and also posted their own findings and issues there. Fettman 53 writes:

Unfortunately I have nothing to add, other than that I'm having the same issues. Games I played literally earlier the same day before downloading 23H2 worked flawlessly, and after downloading the OS update, they now run like garbage and have the same issues you listed here. A friend of mine is reporting the same.

David Alfredo, another user who ran several benchmarks, posted:

Same issue here after a clean install of Windows 11 Pro 23H2, I spent a whole day troubleshooting and noticed a CPU performance degradation in all the usual benchmarks (Cinebench, Geekbench, 7-zip built-in benchmark, Corona renderer, OCCT, Super Pi, Y-Cruncher.....) so yeah, it seems like there's something going on with the latest update that affects CPU performance to the point that games now show stuttering. Maybe it's just me but there's not a single CPU benchmark that gets the same or better results on 23H2 compared to 22H2, they all score much lower.

Although the two threads, the Reddit one and the Microsoft forum one, may not stem from the same root cause, there seems to be a solution for the former, which involves resetting the Windows Security app, which seems to resolve the performance problems users may be noticing after upgrading to Windows 11 23H2:

Received an answer from Microsoft after 3 days, they told me to reset Windows Defender through a couple of PowerShell commands

 

(1- "Set-ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted" and

 

2- "Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.SecHealthUI -AllUsers | Reset-AppxPackage") then reboot and enable CPU Virtualization in BIOS (SVM in my X570 BIOS),

 

then in Windows 23H2 open Windows Security and enable Memory Integrity under the Core Isolation settings. Restart and Hypervisor should be running, Virtualization Security will be Enabled and... that fixes the CPU performance issues, CPU now performing as in 22H2 where I had these security features disabled.

 

Tested some benchmarks and games, everything is now ok within margin of error compared to 22H2, GPU benchmarks are 3-5% faster which is nice, games are marginally faster at least CP2077 and SoTR benchmarks, CPU benchmarks on the other hand some performs the same as in 22H2, others improved and a couple of them are maybe 0.2% (margin of error) slower perhaps due to memory integrity being enabled.

Hence, if you are experiencing performance-related issues on your newly upgraded 23H2-based PC, perhaps it's worth a shot to reset Defender.

Source

The "Arcade" tab is available in the Microsoft Store app version 22311.1401.0.0 and newer (you may need to change the system region to the United States), and it works just as it sounds: You open the "Arcade" section, select a game, and click "Play." The Microsoft Store then opens a new window and launches the selected game.

Microsoft announced instant games for Windows 11 in late September 2023 when the company launched the Moment 4 update. Back then, Microsoft said the idea was to "make it easier to explore and access content even faster in the Microsoft Store on Windows."

The latest Microsoft Store update indeed makes it faster and easier to explore games, assuming you are looking for something resembling Flash games from the early 2000s.

If you are a Windows developer and you would like to make your project available in the "Arcade" section, fill out this form to let Microsoft know.

A dedicated section for instant casual games is not the only recent change Microsoft released for its store app. One of the most significant updates was the one that drastically improved the performance, allowing you to open the Microsoft Store in a second or two. In addition, the app now lets you select a drive for the game you are about to download.

What do you think about the new "Arcade" section in the Microsoft Store?

Source

The incident puzzled affected users, especially those without HP printers connected to their devices. A deeper analysis of affected systems revealed that Windows did change the make and model of some printers on the system.

Printers were suddenly listed as HP LaserJet M101-M106 internally. This affected physical and also virtual printers. Microsoft Print to PDF is one of the default virtual printers of the operating system. It can be used to turn any document into a PDF file.

This virtual printer would suddenly report itself as a printer from HP with the model ID HP LaserJet M101-M106. Other installed printers, physical and virtual, would also have that internal identification.

While printers continued to work as expected, Windows initiated the installation of the HP Smart software because of the change. This software is created for HP printers and it appears to be installed automatically by Windows if a supported printer is detected on the system.

Remove HP Smart

HP Smart may be installed on user devices, but it can be uninstalled easily. Here is how that is done:

1. Use the keyboard shortcut Windows-I to open the Settings, or select Start > Settings.
2. Open Apps > Installed Apps.
3. Search for HP Smart.
4. Click on the three dots on the right side of the HP Smart entry and select Uninstall.
5. Select uninstall again, if the prompt appears.

The software is now removed from the device.

Tip: you can also use a third-party app like O&O AppBuster to remove Windows apps.

Microsoft has yet to acknowledge the issue or provide guidance for affected users. It is unclear if it is still ongoing or if Microsoft has put an end to it already.

An easy way to find out if you are affected is to type HP Smart in the Start Menu. Windows will return the app only if it is installed on the device.

The only apparent downside for affected users is that an app was pushed to the system without permission. The app doesn't appear to interfere with printing, but it is still recommended to remove it immediately.

Now You: was HP Smart's software installed on your devices? (via WinFuture / Windows Latest)

Source

NVIDIA's latest driver also fixes a single "bug" in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2:

• [Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2] Updated application profile.

Some issues still await for their corresponding patches:

Driver issues:

 

• [Discord] When streaming gameplay, colours may appear muted.
• A new NVIDIA icon is created in the system tray each time a user switch takes place in Windows.
• [Netflix] Display issues for videos when using Edge browser. Recommend using Windows Netflix application as workaround.

 

Issues not caused by NVIDIA drivers:

 

• [Windows 10 Fall Creators Update][HDTV]: 12 bpc is automatically applied even on HDTVs that support only 8 bpc, resulting in a scrambled display.
• Because cross-adapter clone mode is handled by the Windows 10 OS, there are no display controls in the NVIDIA Control Panel if no display is connected to the NVIDIA GPU on Optimus notebooks.
• Functionality of some display controls in the NVIDIA Control Panel may be affected if cross- adapter clone mode is enabled through the Windows Control Panel. In this case, use the Windows Control Panel to adjust display settings.

NVIDIA Game-Read WHQL 546.29 is available for the following graphics cards:

NVIDIA still supports desktop graphics cards based on the Kepler architecture, but they are only limited to patches for critical security vulnerabilities. The end of support for Kepler is scheduled for September 2024.

You can download NVIDIA's Game-Ready WHQL 546.29 driver from the official website or using the GeForce Experience application. Full release notes are available here (PDF).

Source

Stable users interested in the feature may enable it already, however. The feature is also available in some other Chromium-based browsers, including Brave and Vivaldi. Read on to find out more about the new feature and how to enable it in your browser.

All it takes is to hover the mouse cursor over an open tab in the browser to see its memory usage. Chrome will also highlight if its Memory Saver feature has put a tab to sleep to free up memory, and if a tab is playing audio.

The feature relies on the new hover cards functionality that Google introduced in the browser recently.

For users, it is an interesting way to spot misbehaving websites quickly. Notice general slowdowns when using Chrome? You could move the mouse cursor over all open tabs to maybe find one that uses an excessive amount of memory. A right-click on the tab gives you options to reload or close it among other options.

Google's head of Chrome Developer Experience published an article on the feature on Medium. According to the information published there, reported memory includes the consumption of the active page and also any background processes.

Chrome users may configure Memory Saver in all versions of the web browser. To do so, load chrome://settings/performance in the browser's address bar or go to Menu > Settings > Performance. There you find the Memory Saver option, which you may toggle on or off. There is also an option to keep certain sites active all the time. Click on the "add" button to add a site to that list.

Chrome will put inactive tabs into sleep mode to recover memory. Inactive tabs are activated again when they are selected.

How to show memory usage in Chrome

If Chrome is not showing memory usage of individual tabs at this point, you may enable the feature.

Here is how that is done:

1. Load chrome://flags/#memory-saver-memory-usage-in-hovercards in the browser's address bar.
2. Set the feature to Enabled.
3. Restart Google Chrome.

Once done, Chrome will report memory usage of each open tab. Even memory of internal pages, like the page you opened to make the change, is reported.

Note: most Chromium-based browsers, including Brave and Vivaldi, support the experimental flag as well. Microsoft Edge does not, by the way.

Memory Saver information

Memory Saver is part of a set of performance tools that Google is integrating into Chrome. Another is Energy Saver, which is designed to improve battery life while using Chrome.

Memory Saver can free up memory, but it depends on factors such as the system memory and usage. Users who have dozens or even hundreds of tabs open will likely benefit more from the feature than users who have one or two tabs open only.

Google claims that it can save up to 40% memory so that Chrome may use "10GB less memory". This is obviously the upper end and not the average that users can expect to save.

Closing Words

The new memory reporter in Chrome is a useful feature for users of the browser and also developers. Users may use it to spot high-memory use sites and tabs, developers to optimize their projects.

Now You:  would you use a memory reporter tool, if supported by your browser?

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Before we start, it is worth noting that getting the necessary toggle requires downloading and installing a package that is only available to Windows Insiders (it works on stable releases). Also, you must enable a feature ID using a third-party app called ViVeTool. If you are not comfortable with that, wait for Microsoft to release the updated Windows Web Experience Pack to all users, not just Windows Insiders.

Important: Back up important data before tinkering with your computer.

How to turn off news in Windows 11 Widgets?

1. Head to store.rg-adguard.net and set the first drop-down to ProductID. You can skip the next five steps if you run Windows 11 preview builds and have already installed Windows Web Experience Pack version 523.33200.0.0 or newer.
2. Type 9MSSGKG348SP into the search box, select Fast from the next drop-down, and click the button with a checkmark.
3. Download the file called MicrosoftWindows.Client.WebExperience_523.33200.0.0_neutral_~_cw5n1h2txyewy.appxbundle.

    

   
4. Open the downloaded bundle and click Update.
5. Download ViVeTool from GitHub and extract it in a convenient folder.
6. Open Command Prompt as Administrator (Terminal in Command Prompt profile will work) and navigate to the folder containing the extracted ViVeTool files using the CD command. Here is an example: CD C:\Vive.
7. Type vivetool /enable /id:45393399 and press Enter (via @technosarusrex).
8. Restart your computer.
9. Open the Widgets board by clicking its button on the taskbar or pressing Win + W.
10. Click the settings button.
11. Scroll down and click Show or Hide feeds.

     

    
12. Toggle off Microsoft Start.

Now you can enjoy a clean Widgets board with just your widgets and no autoplaying videos, yellow press, and other news of questionable quality. It is great to see Microsoft finally delivering to its customers the most requested feature. There are still a few things people want, and you can check out the top 10 in our dedicated article.

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A few months ago, we wrote about the launch of Windows 95 and all of the promotions that Microsoft did to push their next-generation PC operating system to the masses. One of the things that the company tried to do in its marketing was to push it for gaming.

One of the ways that Microsoft tried to make the OS appeal to gamers was to create a small game on its own that used the graphical and multimedia aspects of Windows 95. It was called Hover (or, more accurately, Hover!).

Microsoft didn't really promote the fact that it added Hover to Windows 95. Indeed, the game was somewhat hidden inside the CD-ROM editions of the OS. You had to go into the "Fun Stuff" folder to discover that it was there.

However, it didn't take long for people to find it and play it. Hover was a single-player first-person game with a sci-fi setting. Unlike FPS games like Doom, however, Hover was meant to be non-violent. The game had you inside a futuristic hybrid of a hovercraft and bumper car. Your goal was to collect all the blue flags in the level before the AI-based opposing team in their own hovercraft collected all of the red flags in the level.

There were also special objects in the levels that, when the player ran over them, offered some special temporary abilities, such as going faster in the game or even cloaking the hovercraft from the AI enemies.

Not only was Hover a fairly good game but it was included free with Windows 95. It definitely offered up something different to play than, say, Solitare or Minesweeper. Indeed, it has generated something of a cult following over the years since the launch of Windows 95.

Years later, Microsoft was trying to promote the WebGL graphics platform and how it could be used to make higher-end games that would run on a web browser like, for example, Internet Explorer. That got the attention of a game developer named Dan Church, who happened to be a big fan of Hover.

Indeed, as Geekwire reported in 2013, Church remembered playing Hover when Windows 95 launched in 1995 when he was just 6 or 7, and being highly entertained. He stated that the game "just kind of drew me in . . . It really sparked my imagination.”

Church grew up to become a software engineer. When he saw that Microsoft was trying to promote the use of WebGL to game programmers, he got in touch with the company with a proposal. He would use the platform to bring back Hover so it would run again on any web browser.

The end result was that Church, with some help from a Seattle-based software company called Pixel Lab, not only recreated the Windows 95 version of Hover, but made a full remake with updated graphics, multiplayer support, touchscreen support, and more.

Microsoft launched the Hover.ie website with the new version of the game in October 2013. While officially the site was taken down in 2019, you can go to the Wayback Machine Internet Archive so you can at least access the single player version of the title.

Hover was designed to be a simple game to just jump in and play, in both its original Windows 95 incarnation and in its more recent web-based version. It's a small bit of Microsoft gaming history that, while perhaps not as well known as Solitare, Minesweeper, Age of Empires or Halo, deserves to be remembered on its own. Perhaps Microsoft will go back sometime and relaunch Hover for the next-gen Xbox console.

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Microsoft Teams - Join a work meeting from the free version and more

If you want to join a Teams work meeting but couldn't use the paid version to sign in, an upcoming update for all Teams platforms in February 2024 will fix that issue:

This feature enables Microsoft Teams (free) users, those using a personal Microsoft Account, to directly join Teams for work meetings from within the client and stay connected even after the meeting has ended. This feature similarly also enables Microsoft Teams (work or school) users to join the Microsoft Teams (free) meetings directly from within the client. These users are no longer prompted to join via a browser and treated as meeting guests (anonymous).

Another upcoming feature for Premium desktop and Mac Teams clients in February 2024 will add the recent Intelligent Meeting Recap feature for transcript-only meetings:

Intelligent recap will support meetings with only transcript enabled, and without recording enabled. In the case when only transcript is enabled for a meeting, the features from intelligent recap that users can access are AI-generated meeting notes, AI-generated tasks, and name mentions.

The new Teams for Windows app will add a feature in January 2024 to make it easier to control your microphone:

This feature, available in the new Teams experience on Windows, enables you to mute and unmute your audio by clicking the mic icon in Windows taskbar. To control your mic during the meeting from the taskbar, do the following: select the mic icon on your taskbar or press Windows logo key + Alt + K to mute or unmute.

Microsoft Outlook - Opening the To Do app and more

Microsoft is continuing to add new features to the recent revamp of the Outlook email client for Windows. One of them will launch in January 2024, according to the roadmap:

Use the To Do app without leaving the new Outlook for Windows! Clicking the To Do icon in the navigation bar will open inline and will no longer open in a separate browser window.

That's all for this week, but come back in seven days for another look at the Windows 365 Roadmap.

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As you may be aware, we have been benchmarking different scenarios with the Intel Core i9-14900K sent to us. It provides an ultra-modern test bed to test Microsoft's flagship Windows 11 OS against the older, but more trusted, Windows 10 counterpart.

Tech and gaming enthusiasts will swear blindly that their choice of OS is the best: wherever you look online you will find different results, on the one hand, Windows 10 is better, on the other, Windows 11 should be your choice. It's a hard question to answer with so many different variations of hardware and software being used with test results, so why not try to answer it with some of the best hardware currently at our disposal.

So to put it plainly, which is better, the eight-year-old Windows 10, or on the ongoing development of Windows 11? It is a question we, and other websites, have tried to answer before.

First up, here is a run-down of our test system, you may recognize it from the 14th gen Intel Core i5 and i9 CPUs review we did in October:

Test Hardware

• Intel Core i9-14900K
• ASUS ROG STRIX Z790-H GAMING WIFI (BIOS v1402)
• ASUS ROG STRIX 850W Gold
• Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE ARGB CPU Air Cooler
• Carbonaut thermal grizzly 0.2mm
• 2x 16GB Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB DDR5 6000MT/s in XMP
• Sabrent 1TB Rocket 4 Plus-G (PCIe 4.0)
• MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Ventus 3X
• Samsung Odyssey G9 Neo at 5120 x 1440 @ 240Hz on DisplayPort

Operating System

Windows 10 Pro was clean installed and was updated to the October Patch Tuesday update: build 19045.3570. Then Windows 11 Pro was clean installed to build 22631.2715 (KB5032190), which is the November Patch Tuesday update. On both systems, ASUS Armoury Crate was allowed to install all the drivers that our system needed and Nvidia driver 545.92 was installed for the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti.

The ambient room temperature while testing was measured to be between 19C (66.2 °F) and 20C (68 °F), and our test rig was open plan.

Benchmarks

First up, the GPU bound benchmarks, where the RTX 4070 Ti was pushed to its limit.

In 3DMark, supplied to us by UL Benchmarks, you can see there is barely any difference here between Windows 10 or 11, with the GPU score on 11 edging out Windows 10 ever so slightly, though it is well within the margin of error. The above tests were run three times, and the highest scores were used.

Interestingly, the combined score is higher on Windows 10 despite Windows 11 getting the higher GPU score. Hence, it seems like the processor utilization on the older OS is better. We do gain more insight on this later on in the Time Spy CPU benchmarks section.

While Time Spy is based on the newer DirectX 12 API, Fire Strike Extreme is built on the older DirectX 11. Both Time Spy and Fire Strike Extreme run at 2560 x 1440.

Fire Strike Extreme is a slightly different story as the combined scores are almost identical on the two Windows versions, though once again, Windows 11 manages to edge out Windows 10 by a slim margin. However, just like on Time Spy, the advantage in favor of Windows 11 23H2 is not significant, either statistically or perceptibly.

After testing a couple of synthetic benchmarks, we move on to test a real game.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider's built-in benchmark (released in 2018) does not differ in the stand-off between the two, with Windows 11 again coming out on top (best score after three runs) in all three framerate metrics: average, 95 percentile, and minimum. We start the framerate axis at 60 since 60fps (frames per second) and above is what is considered playable.

From gaming, we move to a bit of productivity testing next. Cinebench 2024 was allowed to run for 10 minutes three times, after which the highest score was used. Here we can see a significant 668 points difference between the older and newer OS. That is a ~3.49% advantage in favor of Windows 11.

If you recall, the new version of Cinebench introduces GPU rendering and uses the RedShift engine. This directly helps us compare CPU and GPU rendering as the rendering scene is the same, unlike on some earlier Cinebench versions.

Hence, across gaming and productivity, it's clear that Nvidia is somehow managing to take better advantage of the newer Windows 11. Although the performance difference is nothing to shout about, this data suggests that Windows 11 is slightly better in the graphics department than Windows 10 under the same testing conditions.

Next up are the CPU-bound benchmarks where we test the might of the new Intel flagship.

As you can see, it's a different story when it comes to CPU performance between the two Windows versions. With Time Spy, Windows 10 edges out Windows 11 in the CPU score by 1,316 points (best score after three runs) and that translates to a difference of 5.83%. That is a serious lead in favor of Windows 10.

It's sort of a similar situation in Fire Strike Extreme though the difference this time is even greater. Here, Windows 10 edges out Windows 11 in Physics by a whopping 6,788 points or ~13.16%. This however does not reflect much in the overall score as Windows 11 is just 2 points behind (best score after three runs).

Looking at these CPU score differentials in the 3DMark test suite does surprise us considering Intel and Microsoft have both confirmed how the Windows 11 is optimized for the hybrid architecture.

Moving on from synthetics, we tested Shadow of the Tomb Raider to see if the same holds true in a real game as well; and indeed, Windows 10 comes out on top, edging Windows 11 ever so slightly in CPU scoring in all of the test scores that were recorded, this was based off the scores of three runs of the benchmark. Once again, we start the framerate axis at 60 since 60fps and above is what is considered playable.

In the CPU Profile test, which tries to gauge how good the scaling is across CPU threads, Windows 10 once again takes the crown, besting Windows 11 at every stage. The highest scores were used after running the benchmark three times. Again, this too is surprising given how Thread Director should make Windows 11 do better on Intel's hybrid CPUs.

The PCMark 10 performance is a mixed bag with Windows 10 and 11 sharing the victories. Overall Windows 11 comes out on top as it wins in two categories: Essentials and Digital Content Creation. The performance lead for Windows 11 in the case of Rendering & Visualisation is especially noteworthy, where it is 6,937 points or 38.5% ahead.

Windows 11 again beat out Windows 10, though, by only 3 points in the Cinebench 2024 CPU benchmark. Interestingly, however, this is nowhere near the 38.5% performance difference we found in the PCMark 10 rendering workload.

We also ran the default 32MB 7-Zip benchmark which measures in GIPS (billion instructions per second). Here Windows 10 edges out Windows 11 in decompression, although Windows 11 performs better in compression, but the differences are once again within the margin of error.

So what have we proven here? It seems like Windows 10, in the case of gaming, is more optimized for CPU while Windows 11 edges out the older OS for GPU performance. Overall, it's generally a close tug-of-war between the two. Microsoft would have a hard time claiming much of a significant performance jump between the older and newer Windows.

Would it convince me to permanently switch to Windows 11? Not in its current state, nope. But despite this, there is no evidence based on these tests that Windows 11 is worse in gaming and productivity. You could probably safely just go with what you prefer and not lose a bunch of gaming or productivity performance, as our tests prove that they are mostly marginal.

Check out our other benchmark coverage of Windows 10 clean install vs Windows 11 in-place upgrade and our Intel Core i5-14600K and i9-14900K review.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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"bfcache is an in-memory cache that stores a complete snapshot of a page (including the JavaScript heap) as the user is navigating away," explains Google's web.dev site.

"With the entire page in memory, the browser can quickly and easily restore it if the user decides to return."

Site admins can specify how their web pages are stored in a browser's cache using the "Cache-control:" header. One option is to use the "Cache-control: no-store" header, which prevents the website response from being stored in the browser.

However, browsers have not been storing webpages in bfcache if they use this header, causing performance issues when users return to those pages using the back and forward browser buttons.

Google to ignore the "no-store" header for the bfcache

Google proposes that webpages should be stored in the BFCache even when the "Cache-control: no-store" header is present on HTTPS pages. This approach would increase the instances of instant back/forward navigations, resulting in a better experience.

Google engineer Fergal Daly says that the primary objective isn't to prevent the restoration of pages containing sensitive data. Instead, the focus is to avoid restoring pages with sensitive data that the user should no longer have access to.

If there are no changes to cookies, the assumption is that the browser's HTTP requests, and thus access decisions, remain consistent. The challenge lies in server-side changes resulting in loss of access.

For sites using technologies like EventSource to reflect changes to open pages, these updates will trigger eviction from BFCache or deliver events promptly upon restoration. For sites without immediate update mechanisms, there's a risk that users may access outdated data, which the proposed BFCache behaviour could potentially exacerbate.

Google is working on addressing these concerns by rolling out the feature to test channels first and getting enough data to understand the impact.

Some have raised concerns that this change could break promises to web developers who assume that the "Cache-control: no-store" header means the browser will not cache the webpage.

"To me this seems to be touching a sensitive area and I'm not certain how this will play out in the real world," commented Opera developer Daniel Bratell.

"Even if cache-control: no-store is being badly overused, and the numbers you list seem to indicate that is the case, hasn't there been a promise to web developers that such a resource will be forever gone once the page is no longer shown, and is that a promise that can reasonably be broken?"

However, Daly says that this header only promises not to store a web page in the regular browser cache, not the bfcache.

"There is no explicit promise that CCNS prevents BFCaching. The CCNS header, or in general, all the Cache-control directives, are intended to control the HTTP caching, so the explicit promise is about HTTP cache," explained Daly.

"BFCache is not part of the HTTP caching, and developers should not interpret the CCNS header as a promise that the page will not be BFCached."

By redefining how BFCache interacts with the "Cache-control: no-store" directive, Google Chrome developers hope to create a more responsive browsing experience without compromising user security and privacy.

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Disclaimer: Steam conducts a monthly survey to collect data about what kinds of computer hardware and software gamers are using. Participation in the survey is optional and anonymous.

According to Valve, 96.56% of all Steam users play games on Windows computers. 53.53% of them run the good old Windows 10. However, the latter appears to be bleeding customers at an alarming rate. The November 2023 Survey results showed Windows 10 losing as much as 12.05 points in just one month.

Windows 11, on the other hand, significantly increased its market share. 42.04% (+11.51) of Windows users on Steam have already upgraded to Windows 11. Now, the difference between Windows 10 and 11 on Steam is only 11 points.

December 2023 will be the final month we see Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 in Valve's reports. The company will cut off access to the platform on January 1, 2024. Although more than 99% of Steam customers use a supported Windows version, there are still people playing games on systems with Windows 7 and 8. 64-bit Windows 7 has 0.69% (-0.38), 64-bit Windows 8.1 has 0.16 (+0.03), and 32-bit Windows 7 has 0.06% (+0.06).

1. Windows 10: 53.53% (-12.05)
2. Windows 11: 42.04% (+11.51)
3. Windows 7 64-bit: 0.69% (-0.38)
4. Windows 8.1 64-bit: 0.16% (+0.03)
5. Windows 7 32-bit: 0.06% (+0.06)

And here is the most popular hardware among Steam users:

You can find more information on the official Steam website.

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In case you haven't been keeping up with Windows 12 leaks and rumors, the next-gen OS launch is purportedly scheduled to happen sometime in 2024 if previous reports are to be believed, and according to a new report, such rumors were indeed correct. Taiwan's Commercial Times (CTEE) reports that Microsoft will be releasing Windows (12) in June of 2024 alongside a wide variety and range of AI-based PCs. This sounds very close to Computex 2024.

Although there are no direct quotes provided, the publication attributes this to recent statements made by Quanta Chairman Lin Baili and Acer Chairman and CEO Chen Junsheng at the recent Taiwan Medical Technology Exhibition.

While you are probably familiar with Acer as it is a fairly popular PC manufacturer in the US, UK, Canada, and most parts of the world, Quanta Computer is mainly based in Taiwan and also makes PCs, like notebooks, among other electronics hardware.

It also makes sense that this report comes from a place like Taiwan as this region in South-East Asia is brimming with such activities that include manufacturing and assembly of computer parts and PC hardware.

Aside from Quanta and Acer, earlier this year, a senior Intel executive said that a "Windows refresh" was expected in 2024, though it did not explicitly state if that meant Windows 12 or a feature update to Windows 11.

The mention of AI-based PCs alongside Windows 12 makes a lot of sense too as Microsoft has doubled down on AI features like Copilot recently. Although not stated in the report, it is likely that systems with dedicated AI-accelerating hardware could be recommended by the tech giant and also by its hardware partners like AMD, Intel, and Nvidia.

If you recall, Microsoft was at AMD's CES 2023 event earlier this year endorsing and discussing the advantages of such hardware. Hence, such a recommendation does not seem too far-fetched. It is unlikely though that such hardware will become a minimum system requirement as the vast majority of PCs today lack both AMD's Ryzen AI technology and Intel's NPU (neural processing unit) / VPU (vision processing unit).

Source: CTEE

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In case you haven't been paying attention to the Windows 12 rumors and leaks, a report from back in mid-2022 suggested that Microsoft would be going back to its three-year upgrade cadence, which implied that Windows 11, which landed in 2021, would be succeeded by a new Windows version in 2024.

We recently speculated that Windows 12 could indeed become a real thing next year given how Microsoft seemingly did not deny the existence of a "New Windows Client". While that may have been a stretch on our part given how Microsoft can not publicly comment on unannounced leaks and rumors, there have been an overwhelming number of reports suggesting that the next Windows version could indeed be landing in 2024. A senior Intel executive stated that a "Windows refresh" was happening, though once again, there was no specific confirmation of the version name as "Windows 12."

As we wait with bated breath to see what actually ends up happening next year, Microsoft may have unknowingly helped to ease the hype and excitement built up around it a bit; or perhaps it has made things even more interesting depending on how you look at it.

Inside a group policy related to the new DMSA (Delegated Managed Service Account) feature in Active Directory (AD), X (formerly Twitter) user and Windows enthusiast Xeno, spotted the mention of "Windows 11 Version 24H2" as a requirement for the DMSA group policy.

The first image below shows the screenshot of the group policy (GP) in focus whereas the image below shows the ADML Administrative Template file of that GP:

The mention of Windows 11 24H2 could mean a few things here. Perhaps Microsoft is simply using it as a placeholder name for Windows 12, though that seems a bit too unlikely given how it gets a mention inside a GP.

It could also be a 2024 feature update for Windows 11, separate from the Windows 12 release, similar to how Windows 10 version 21H2 co-existed with Windows 11 21H2. Lastly, it is possible that "24H2" could simply be an error.

If you are wondering what DMSA is, Microsoft announced the new feature this week. You can watch its video on the Windows IT Pro YouTube channel. The full announcement can be viewed here.

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Microsoft announced the idea on Dev Home's GitHub repository, and the company wants to hear your feedback and ideas about what options or features to include in "Advanced Windows Settings." The post also acknowledges that developers wish to tweak many settings or registry keys that are "either not accessible via the Settings app" or are "difficult to discover throughout the OS."

Ultimately, "Advanced Windows Settings" will give developers (and regular customers) more control over their computers, provide access to new or experimental features for developer workflows, and increase awareness of features that could improve their experiences. Consider it a developer-focused variation of PowerToys.

Microsoft also clarifies that "Advanced Windows Settings" are not meant to replace existing options and features in Settings > System > For Developers or other settings across the app or make customizing and tweaking Windows computers more complicated. The main goals behind the proposal are the following:

1. Give developers more control over their system settings and advanced bevhaviors.
2. Help developers discover powerful settings that can improve their daily workflows & improve machine performance.
3. Create a uniform UI experience for managing/customizing new developer experiences on Windows (e.g. Native File Explorer + Version Control integration) so we can rapidly iterate on new features/customizations.
4. Work with the developer community to identify additional settings that are helpful to populate in the tool.
5. Can be easily scripted and re-applied to new and/or existing machines.

Here is what the early mockup looks like:

You can read more about "Advanced Windows Settings" and propose your ideas in a post on GitHub.

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Note: Statcounter cannot provide 100% precise data about the market share of each Windows version. Click here to learn how the company gathers its intelligence and prepares monthly reports.

Windows 10, on the other hand, lost a notable chunk of users, going down from 69.31% in October 2023 to 68% in November 2023. It is now on the same level as it was one year ago, just one month before Microsoft stopped supporting Windows 7. After January 2023, Windows 10 experienced a sudden increase in its market share, which slowly decreased during 2023 as more users upgraded their computers to Windows 11.

Windows 7 still holds roughly 3.16% of the market, and its customers seem to be indifferent to the fact that Microsoft no longer provides security updates and other critical patches. Windows 8.1 has 1.34%, and Windows XP is at 0.45%.

1. Windows 10: 68% (-1.31 points)
2. Windows 11: 26.66% (+0.49 points)
3. Windows 7: 3.16% (+0.15 points)
4. Windows 8.1: 1.34% (+0.61 points)
5. Windows XP: 0.46% (+0.13 points)

In case you missed it, a report recently revealed that Windows 11 is now installed on more than 400 million monthly active computers, which beat Microsoft's initial expectations. 400 million+ Windows 11 devices and over 1 billion Windows 10 machines align with Statcounter's estimations, giving users and developers a more-or-less precise breakdown of the Windows market.

You can find more information about the November 2023 report from Statcounter on the official website.

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Disclaimer: Reports from Statcounter and other companies are never 100% accurate, and the idea is to provide average values and pinpoint general trends. You can learn how Statcounter gathers its data in the official FAQ.

Despite achieving an all-time high, Microsoft Edge is still far from its main competitor, Google Chrome. Even Apple's Safari, the only non-cross-platform browser in the report, has more users than Edge on Windows, macOS, and Linux combined. Statcounter claims Safari has 13.3%, and it keeps the gap after overtaking Edge in April 2023.

As for Google Chrome, the world's dominant choice on the desktop market, it has 62.06%. In November 2023, its market share went down from 63.24%.

1. Google Chrome: 62.06% (-1.18 points)
2. Apple Safari: 13.3% (+0.56 points)
3. Microsoft Edge: 11.23% (+0.43 points)
4. Firefox: 6.69% (+0.6 points)
5. Opera: 4.54% (-0.42 points)

Here is what the browser market looks like with all platforms combined:

1. Google Chrome: 62.92% (-0.25 points)
2. Apple Safari: 19.97% (+0.07 points)
3. Microsoft Edge: 5.5% (+0.04 points)
4. Mozilla Firefox: 3.24% (+0.22 points)
5. Opera: 3.15% (-0.16 points)

Edge's ongoing struggle to get more users may explain somewhat aggressive and sometimes desperate Microsoft attempts to make users stick to Edge. The company is shamelessly injecting massive ads on the Chrome website and even asks users to take a poll before installing Google's browser.

At the same time, the company had to comply with EU policies and allow Windows 10 and 11 users to uninstall Microsoft Edge. You can check out this guide to learn how to remove Edge relatively easily, even if you live outside the European Union, where the new changes do not apply.

You can find more information about the November 2023 Statcounter report on the official website.

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The new release of the browser is available already. It should be installed automatically on most devices. You may speed up the process by selecting Menu > Help > About Firefox.

Firefox opens a small overlay window. There, you see the current version of the browser. Firefox will run a check for updates and installs the latest version automatically. The page should list Firefox 120.0.1 after the required restart.

Firefox 120.0.1

Firefox 120.0.1 is a non-security update. It fixes a total of five different issues in Firefox.

Two of the main issues fixed in this release are performance related. The first addresses an issue that caused 100% CPU usage on certain sites, including Google Maps. Users may notice hangs on affected sites as a consequence.

According to the bug report, it was caused by incorrect loop code. You may check out the bug report here for additional information on the issue.

The second performance issue affected the start of the browser. Mozilla notes that a bug caused "persistent startup slowdowns" and that it has addressed this issue in the point release. This issue is caused by a caching issue, that Mozilla addressed in the update. More information is available on Bugzilla.

The three remaining issues are not performance related. The first addresses a startup crash on Linux, but only for some users who use aarch64 systems and only if the page sizes are not 4K.

The second fixes a green screen display issue on the video site YouTube that affects some installations. This was caused on systems with hardware acceleration enabled. Firefox would display a green video instead of the actual video. Turning off hardware acceleration restored the original functionality. Mozilla addresses the issue in the point update for Firefox.

The third and final issue fixes another video related issue. Firefox displayed the status bar in some cases when viewing fullscreen video, which it should not.

Firefox users may want to update the browser asap, especially if they are affected by one or multiple of the fixed issues in the release.

The next major release is Firefox 121, which is also the last major Firefox release of the year.

Now You: do you use Firefox? Did you run into any bugs recently?

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Microsoft says the logic behind the change (it is rolling out gradually to Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel) is to place the Copilot icon in a clearer and more intuitive spot, right where the operating system shows the Copilot pane. As a result, the "Show desktop" button is now turned off by default.

We are making a change where the Copilot icon is shown on the right side of the system tray on the taskbar to make the entry point to Copilot more clear and easily accessible by being closer to where the Copilot pane opens.

The change sounds reasonable enough, but it might create minor inconveniences for customers, especially for those regularly using the "Show desktop" button since its introduction in Windows 7 (Microsoft experimented with the idea much earlier, but it made it to the public only in 2009) when Microsoft moved it to the bottom-right corner. In addition, you will have to retrain your muscle memory and aim for the notification button. It is by no means the end of the world, but still an inconvenience. Old habits die hard, as they say.

Fortunately, you can still easily restore the "Show desktop" button. Head to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar behaviors and toggle on the "Select the far corner of the taskbar to show the desktop" option.

What do you think about having the Copilot icon next to the tray clock? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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Microsoft is rolling out the non-security update for Windows 10 22H2, with the build number 19045.3758 (KB5032278). The update adds, among other features, the Copilot generative AI feature, which is labeled as a preview.

Microsoft notes there will not be a non-security update for Windows 10 22H2 in December, due to the holiday season

Here is the changelog:

Highlights

 

• New! This update adds the Copilot in Windows (in preview) button to the right side of the taskbar. This only applies to devices that run Home or Pro editions (non-managed business devices). When you select it, Copilot in Windows appears at the right on your screen. It will not overlap with desktop content or block open app windows. This is available to a small audience initially and deploys more broadly in the months that follow. To learn more, see How to get Copilot in Windows (in preview) on Windows 10 and Welcome to Copilot in Windows.
• New! The news & interests feature on your device is now larger! This will help you use the feature more effectively and show the content you care about most on a larger scale.
• New! If you use Home or Pro consumer devices or non-managed business devices, you can get some of the newest experiences as soon as they are ready. To do so, go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update. Set the Get the latest updates as soon as they are available toggle to on. Note that this toggle is not turned on for devices that your IT department manages unless IT configures a new policy.
• This update addresses an issue that causes IE mode to stop responding. This occurs when you have multiple IE mode tabs open.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the cursor. Its movement lags in some screen capture scenarios.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the touch keyboard. It might not appear during the out-of-box experience (OOBE).

 

Improvements

 

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

 

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

 

• New! This update adds new functionality that affects app defaults. To learn more, see A principled approach to app pinning and app defaults in Windows.
• New! This update adds Windows Update opt-in notifications to the screen when you sign in.
• This update affects the Netherlands time zone. It adds the recent man-made landmass outside of Rotterdam to the shape files.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the Trusted Sites Zone logon policy. You cannot manage it using mobile device management (MDM).
• This update addresses an issue that causes IE mode to stop responding. This occurs if you press the left arrow key when an empty text box has the focus and caret (cursor) browsing is on.
• This update addresses an issue that affects IE mode. A webpage stops working as expected when there is an open modal dialog.
• This update addresses app cursor issues. These issues occur when apps use the WebView2Standalone XAML control.
• This update addresses an issue that affects fontdrvhost.exe. It stops responding when you use Compact Font Format version 2 (CFF2) fonts.
• This update addresses an issue that affects non-admin processes. Game performance goes down, and the video stutters.
• This update addresses an issue that affects protected content. It stops cross-process windows from being created. Because of this update, you can keep using out-of-process hosting for things like WebView2 under protected, top-level windows.
• This update affects Microsoft Defender for Endpoint (MDE). It enables Conditional Access (CA) scenarios.
• This update addresses a localization issue for Great Britain English (EN-GB) locales. The error message for invalid characters in a new Windows Hello PIN is wrong.
• This update addresses a leak in volatile notifications. This might stop you from signing in to your machine.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Windows LAPS. Its PasswordExpirationProtectionEnabled policy fails to turn on the setting.

 

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 - 19045.3745

 

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

 

Issue - Using the FixedDrivesEncryptionType or SystemDrivesEncryptionType policy settings in the BitLocker configuration service provider (CSP) node in mobile device management (MDM) apps might incorrectly show a 65000 error in the "Require Device Encryption" setting for some devices in your environment. Affected environments are those with the “Enforce drive encryption type on operating system drives” or "Enforce drive encryption on fixed drives" policies set to enabled and selecting either "full encryption" or "used space only". Microsoft Intune is affected by this issue but third-party MDMs might also pe affected.

 

Important This issue is a reporting issue only and does not affect drive encryption or the reporting of other issues on the device, including other BitLocker issues.

 

Workaround - To mitigate this issue in Microsoft Intune, you can set the “Enforce drive encryption type on operating system drives” or "Enforce drive encryption on fixed drives" policies to not configured.

 

We are working on a resolution and will provide an update in an upcoming release.

 

Issue - 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.

 

Issue - 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

What you need to know

• The latest Insider build of Windows 11 includes a hidden feature that prevents the operating system from showing the Windows 10 taskbar.
• Windows 11 has a new taskbar compared to its predecessor, but the Windows 10 taskbar can be forced to appear through third-party applications, at least until recently.
• Starting with Windows 11 Build 26002, Explorer will crash or the Windows 11 taskbar will load when attempting to make the Windows 10 taskbar appear.

Microsoft wants you to move on from the Windows 10 taskbar, or at least that's what the company's latest actions suggest. Windows 11 Build 26002 recently shipped to Insiders in the Canary Channel. Starting with that update, Windows 11 will prevent you from showing the Windows 10 taskbar, even if you use a third-party application like StartAllBack or ExplorerPatcher.

PhantomOcean3 explained on X (formerly Twitter) how the hidden feature works. The feature, called, DisableWin10Taskbar simply stops the Windows 10 taskbar from appearing at all. Attempting to show the Windows 10 taskbar either makes Explorer crash or shows the Windows 11 taskbar.

The fact that the Windows 10 taskbar is hidden within Windows 11 at all is a little strange, though not too surprising. Windows 11 has a long list of legacy components and lines of code dating back decades. When I spoke with Uno Platform about porting the Windows calculator to Android, they confirmed that the Windows calculator has code from the 1990s.

Earlier this year, a bug in Windows 11 caused some customization apps to break. Microsoft has since fixed that bug, but it appears the company wants to close the door on the Windows 10 taskbar.

If you really want to customize the look of Windows 11, you should look at Start11 from Stardock. I recently interviewed Stardock's Brad Wardell about a broad range of topics, including how the company uses AI to generate voices in Galactic Civilization IV: Supernova. During our talk, Wardell explained that Stardock is immune from many changes to Windows 11 that affect customization apps. Since Start11 doesn't use the Windows 10 taskbar, it's not affected by the change seen in Windows 11 Build 26002.

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