The new versions of Google Chrome are available already. Most Chrome installations will receive the update automatically, but some may need to be updated manually. Chrome users may speed up the updating to prevent potential attacks that target one of the patched security issues.

To update Google Chrome manually, select Menu > Help > About Google Chrome from the main menu. Google Chrome displays the installed version, checks for updates and will install any new version of the web browser that it finds automatically. A restart is still required to complete the process.

The About Google Chrome page should list one of the following versions after the update:

• Chrome for Mac or Linux: 113.0.5672.126
• Chrome for Windows: 113.0.5672.126 or 113.0.5672.127
• Chrome Extended for Windows or Mac: 112.0.5615.204

These versions include the latest security patches for the browser.

Chrome 113: the security fixes

Google published information about some of the vulnerabilities patched in the new Chrome version on its Chrome Releases blog.

The company publishes information about vulnerabilities reported by third-party researchers only. A total of six different security issues are listed on the page. The remaining six were discovered internally and are not disclosed.

• [$TBD][1444360] Critical CVE-2023-2721: Use after free in Navigation. Reported by Guang Gong of Alpha Lab, Qihoo 360 on 2023-05-10
• [$7000][1400905] High CVE-2023-2722: Use after free in Autofill UI. Reported by Rong Jian of VRI on 2022-12-14
• [$3000][1435166] High CVE-2023-2723: Use after free in DevTools. Reported by asnine on 2023-04-21
• [$NA][1433211] High CVE-2023-2724: Type Confusion in V8. Reported by Sergei Glazunov of Google Project Zero on 2023-04-14
• [$TBD][1442516] High CVE-2023-2725: Use after free in Guest View. Reported by asnine on 2023-05-04
• [$1500][1442018] Medium CVE-2023-2726: Inappropriate implementation in WebApp Installs. Reported by Ahmed ElMasry on 2023-05-03

One of the externally reported security issues has a severity of critical, the highest possible rating. There are four security issues with a high rating, and one with a medium rating. The critical issue is described as a "use after free in navigation".

Use after free vulnerabilities exploit the use of dynamic memory by programs. Exploits may lead to arbitrary code execution, data corruption or crashes. Three additional use after free issues were reported to Google by third-party researchers.

Google makes no mention of exploits in the wild that it is aware of. Chrome users may still want to update their browsers as soon as possible, and system administrators may also want to update Chrome installations under their management to prevent future attacks against these issues.

Expect other Chromium-based browsers to release updates to address shared issues in the coming days as well.

Google released Chrome 113 security update with 12 security fixes

You can check out the changelog below:

GAMING HIGHLIGHTS:

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

• The Outlast Trials
• The Lord of the Rings: Gollum
• Starship Troopers: Extermination Early Access

Game performance improvements versus Intel 31.0.101.4335 software driver for:

• The Outlast Trials (DX12)
  • Up to 65% uplift at 1080p with Ultra settings
  • Up to 52% uplift at 1440p with High settings

• The Lord of the Rings: Gollum (DX12)
  • Up to 4% uplift at 1080p with Epic settings
  • Up to 11% uplift at 1440p with High settings

• Minecraft Bedrock (DXR)
  • Up to 30% uplift at 1080p with Ray Tracing enabled at 8 RT chunks
  • Up to 34% uplift at 1440p with Ray Tracing enabled at 8 RT chunks
  • Up to 28% uplift at 1440p with Ray Tracing enabled at 24 RT chunks

Get a front row pass to gaming deals, contests, betas, and more with Intel Software Gaming Access.

FIXED ISSUES:

Intel Core Processor Products:

• Battlefield: 2042(DX12) may exhibit colour corruption at the game menu.
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (DX12) may experience colour corruption in Quick Play Lobby

KNOWN ISSUES:

Intel Arc Graphics Products:

• The Last of Us (DX12) may experience an application crash during gameplay.
• System may hang while waking up from sleep. May need to power cycle the system for recovery.
• GPU hardware acceleration may not be available for media playback and encode with some versions of Adobe Premiere Pro.
• Topaz Video AI may experience errors when using some models for video enhancement.

Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics Products:

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

Intel Core Processor Products:

• Total War: Warhammer III (DX11) may experience an application crash when loading battle scenarios.
• Call of Duty Warzone 2.0 (DX12) may exhibit corruption on certain light sources such as fire.
• Conqueror's Blade (DX12) may experience an application crash during game launch.
• A Plague Tale: Requiem (DX12) may experience application instability during gameplay.

INTEL ARC CONTROL HIGHLIGHTS:

Display Page

• A new display page is now available in Intel Arc Control that allows users to view connected display information as well as shortcuts to the OS for changing resolution and refresh rate of displays.
• Variable Refresh Rate status and control is now available within the new Display page.

Resizable BAR Status

• Resizable BAR status reporting within Intel® Arc Control now contains a drop-down menu to view per graphics device Resizable BAR status.

Driver Update Beta Opt-In

• Recently introduced improvements for the driver update feature within Intel Arc Control allows users to opt-in to the beta releases of drivers made available on intel.com. Users can now also view the type of release which is installed as well as release notes for that release within Arc Control.

Search Bar

• A new feature available within Intel Arc Control that allows you to easily and quickly search for and navigate to features within the user interface.

Performance Telemetry Support

• Telemetry within the performance page of Intel Arc Control now has a drop-down selector that allows telemetry for supported graphics products connected to your system to be viewed.

Fan Speed Controls

• Added new fan speed controls within the performance page under performance tuning configuration of Intel Arc Control.
  • Automatic allows the driver to control your fan speed behavior.
  • Fixed fan target enables a static fan speed.
  • Fan curve enables a dynamic fan speed to adjust fan speed with temperature targets.

Virtual Camera Filters

• Lighting adjustments enable auto and manual adjustment of lighting conditions.
• Background replacement has been improved with the ability to adjust colour balance.

INTEL ARC CONTROL FIXED ISSUES:

• Windows UAC Admin is required to install and launch Arc Control.
• The Live Performance Monitoring page may not apply the desired removal of some performance metric tiles.
• The Resizable BAR status may show an incorrect value on systems with multiple Intel® Graphics Adapters.

INTEL ARC CONTROL KNOWN ISSUES

• Using Arc Control Studio capture with certain games may incorrectly generate multiple video files.
• With Intel Arc Control installed, systems may experience slightly higher than expected power consumption during system sleep or hibernate.
• May observe “could not stop Highlights” notification when stopping Auto-Game Highlights.
• The Camera on-screen preview may incorrectly persist when switching between Desktop and Overlay modes.
• The “Connector” type in the Display page may incorrectly show DP when using an HDMI display connection. Intel Arc Control Performance Tuning (BETA):
• Intel Arc Control Performance Tuning is currently in Beta. As such, performance and features may behave unexpectedly. Intel will continue to refine the Performance Tuning software in future releases.

You can download and learn more about the update on Intel's official site.

New Intel 31.0.101.4369 Windows Arc WHQL driver adds support for LOTR Gollum, and more

Bug Fixes :

• Fixed various UI issues including some issues with navigating or issues with cutoff images
• Fixed an issue where selecting Resume All might actually pause some downloads
• Fixed an issue where Minecraft might not correctly appear as Recently Played
• Fixed an issue where certain DLC purchases might show a “Try again error”
• Fixed an issue where narrator might not work properly after disconnecting from remote play
• Fixed an issue where Filtering games might not show the correct titles around online multiplayer
• Fixed an issue where users might be prompted to select installation drive even after selecting prompt not to

Known Issues:

• Hearts of Iron IV bundle items show ‘Unable to display right now’ error message
• Art maybe sometimes be missing or show a sad face on game cards

You can find the full blog post here.

New Insider Xbox app for Windows update fixes a number of bugs

Their options essentially are to upgrade to Windows 10 22H2 or make the move to Windows 11, which would make Microsoft happy.

Servicing and support for the Windows 10 21H1 Home, Pro, Pro Education, and Pro Workstation editions ends June 13, with the June 2023 security update – due out that same day – being the last one for those editions.

"After this date, devices running these versions will no longer receive monthly security and preview updates containing protections from the latest security threats," Redmond writes in a reminder.

And no worries if you forget to upgrade the OS. Microsoft says it will automatically update those using Microsoft 10 21H1 to a supported version of Windows. You're welcome.

The automatic update is for "consumer devices and non-managed business devices that are at, or within several months of, reaching end of servicing," Microsoft adds. "This keeps your device supported and receiving monthly updates that are critical to security and ecosystem health."

The timeline for the forced changeover is unclear, though the company says users can choose a time for the upgrade that is convenient to them.

Microsoft reckons users should upgrade to at least the latest version of Windows 10 but no doubt would like to convince as many as possible to make the leap to Windows 11. According to StatCounter, Windows 10 is still used by more people than any other version of the operating system, by a large margin.

Over the last 12 months, use of Windows 10 has remained relatively steady, reaching about 71 percent last month. It was just over 73 percent in March 2022. Meanwhile, Windows 11 use has jumped from almost 9 percent in March to 23 percent in April.

At least use of Windows 7 and 8.1 continue to fall.

Windows 10 22H2 is the last version of Windows 10 and support for it will continue until October 2025.

No OS iteration lasts forever. Even as Windows 10 continues to wind down and Microsoft makes the push for Windows 11, the speculation – Microsoft hasn't confirmed anything – is that Windows 12 could make its debut next year, three years after Windows 11 came onto the market. ®

Source

Unfortunately for the dev, Microsoft banned the app from the Store due to some policy violations. Although it made a short-lived re-entry after workarounds, BloatyNosy was once again removed and it seems this time the ban may be permanent.

The developer continues to build on top of the app though as the debloater is now getting a new separate junkware remover dubbed "JunkCTRL". Previously, this was part of BloatyNosy and was known as "BloatPilot".

BloatyNosy is getting a little brother. He goes by the name JunkCTRL (formerly BloatPilot within the BloatyNosy app). It has undergone a complete overhaul at its core and has been taken to the next level. In the future, Junkctrl will do more than just detecting appx packages.

This is the initial release of the application which means there isn't any changelog. In case, you wanted to try out JunkCTRL, you can download it from GitHub. However, this is a third-party tool so it is always great to exercise caution if you aren't sure what you are doing.

Windows 11 debloater app, which got Microsoft Store-banned, gets separate junk remover

If you do not use Microsoft Edge or wish it wouldn't load with Windows, here is how to disable it.

• Open Microsoft Edge.
• Click the 3 dots in the top right.
• Click Settings at the bottom.

• In the search box of settings type Startup and press enter.
• Flip the switch off next to startup Boost.

That's it! Now Microsoft Edge will no longer be starting with your computer!

Happy Computing!

If you learned something today, great! If not, maybe share your own tech tip in the comments below!

How to stop Edge from automatically loading on Windows startup

According to a Google Workspace blog post, starting now all Outlook Calendar users who access it using the same email address they use to sign in to Google Calendar will get those invites and RSVPs into their Outlook calendar as well.

According to the blog post:

A default meeting reminder will be generated in Microsoft Outlook if the invitation was created in Google Calendar to help make sure guests using Outlook do not miss events.

In addition, any non-Google Calendar recurring events will now be updated with more accuracy inside Google Calendar.

The new updates are available for personal Google accounts, along with Workspace accounts and anyone still using the older G Suite Basic and Business accounts. Admins don't have to turn on anything as the new features will be available for all users automatically.

Microsoft Outlook calendar users can now get Google Calendar invites

Windows Subsystem for Android version 2304 (2304.40000.5.0) adds package verification with anti-virus software, the ability to reallocate memory for better performance, Android AppLink support, a new Linux kernel, and more. Here is the full changelog:

• Package verification for apps on WSA: Android apps are scanned using anti-virus software installed on Windows prior to app installation.
• Ability for users to configure how much memory to assign to Android
• Android apps will be launched when a user opens the supported app link from any app (Android AppLink support)
• Linux kernel updated to 5.15.94
• WSA reliability and performance improvements

The update is available to all Windows Insider channels (Release Preview, Beta, Dev, and Canary). If you want to test WSA updates earlier than Windows Insiders, sign up for its dedicated preview channel in the official documentation.

You can download Windows Subsystem for Android with the Amazon App Store from the Microsoft Store on compatible PCs running Windows 11. Hardware requirements for WSA are available here.

New Windows Subystem for Android brings a few neat features to Windows Insiders

Two major versions of Windows have reached end of support in January 2023 already. Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1 are no longer supported by Microsoft.

Two major versions of Windows 10 and 11 reach end of servicing for Home users in 2023. Next month, Windows 10 version 22H1 will reach end of servicing. The operating system will receive a last round of security updates on the June 2023 Patch Day before support is ended officially.

Microsoft announced already that it will upgrade devices to Windows 10 version 22H2 automatically, provided that they are not managed. The upgrade from Windows 10 version 22H1 to version 22H2 is small and should not cause too many issues.  The entire procedure is comparable to the installation of a monthly cumulative update for the operating system.

The list of known issues of Windows 10 version 22H2 is small, but administrators should scan it for potential issues that may arise after the upgrade to the latest version of Windows 10. The last update to the list dates back to February 2023.

The Home and Pro editions of the first version of Microsoft's Windows 11 operating system, Windows 11 version 21H2, reach end of servicing in October 2023. Microsoft extended support for Windows 11 versions to 24 months for consumers.

Administrators should check the list of known issues of Windows 11 version 22H2 before they start the upgrade to the new Windows 11 version.

The 2023 feature update for Windows 11 will be released at the same time. Windows 10, on the other hand, won't receive any more feature updates.

Most administrators may want to upgrade Windows 11 devices to version 22H2 and not to the soon-to-be-released Windows 11 version 23H2. New releases may introduce issues. A waiting period of several months or even longer prevents that a system is hit with unknown issues. Microsoft addresses these over time.

Several Windows client and server products reach end of support in 2023. The list includes Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2, several Windows Embedded releases and more.

Here is the list of products that reach end of support in 2023:

The full list of products that reach end of servicing or end of support is available on the Microsoft Learn website.

Several products are moved to extended support. Microsoft Office 2019 and its applications reach extended support on October 10, 2023.

Now You: do you run any of these products? (via Deskmodder)

List of Microsoft products that reach end of support in 2023

It's Mental Health Awareness Month in the US, and Google is rolling out a series of new resources for people in need.

The search giant, which already highlights suicide prevention information at the top of relevant results, will soon offer pre-written prompts people can send via text message to a trusted friend or family member.

"When someone is in a vulnerable situation, it can be difficult to put this experience into words and know what to say to ask for help," says(Opens in a new window) Dr. Megan Jones Bell, director of consumer and mental health at Google.

Starting soon in the US, those who search for suicide-related terms will see conversation starters below the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. "If you're struggling, it's OK to share your feelings. Use these messages as a starting point to send to a trusted contact or suicide hotline," the page says.

Available messages range from "I'm struggling right now and just need to talk to someone—can we chat?" to "When you get a chance can you contact me? I feel alone and suicidal, and could use some urgent support."

Developed in partnership with the International Association for Suicide Prevention, these prompts aim to reduce the stigma of reaching out for help, which, according to Jones Bell, can help people get support when in crisis.

"People often turn to Google Search in some of their most vulnerable moments," she says. "In the context of a crisis, it is critical to instill hope and give simple information that is easy to act on." It's unclear if the prompts will show up on the desktop, given the text message component.

Google-owned YouTube, meanwhile, recently updated its approach to eating disorder-related content, removing videos that show or describe certain behaviors and adding age restrictions to recovery-based clips. A crisis resource panel also appears under related videos and search results to reach more people.

"If you or a loved one are experiencing a mental health crisis, there are resources available to help from Google and many other trustworthy organizations," Jones Bell says.

Source

The new Pride themes are currently limited to Outlook users for Mac for some odd reasons. A better commemoration would be to release these Pride-inspired themes for all its services across different platforms. Those using Outlook on Windows should also get access to apply Pride themes to celebrate LGBTQIA month. Meanwhile, if you are using Outlook on a Mac, you can follow the steps below to apply new Pride themes

1.     Click Outlook in the macOS Menu bar.
2.     Select Settings (select Preferences if you are using anything below macOS 13).
3.     Click General.
4.     Select the one you want from the five Pride themes listed under Theme.

However, in its official blog post, Microsoft has also pointed out that these new Outlook themes are limited to Insiders running Version 16.73 (Build 23042600) or later. If you are not a Microsoft 365 Insider running the required build, you will not see them on the Outlook settings page. That said, these themes should be ready to reach the general public starting in June. We hope they will make their way to Outlook for Windows and the web next month.

Source

According to a Google Workspace blog post, starting now all Outlook Calendar users who access it using the same email address they use to sign in to Google Calendar will get those invites and RSVPs into their Outlook calendar as well.

According to the blog post:

A default meeting reminder will be generated in Microsoft Outlook if the invitation was created in Google Calendar to help make sure guests using Outlook do not miss events.

In addition, any non-Google Calendar recurring events will now be updated with more accuracy inside Google Calendar.

The new updates are available for personal Google accounts, along with Workspace accounts and anyone still using the older G Suite Basic and Business accounts. Admins don't have to turn on anything as the new features will be available for all users automatically.

Source

The mysterious Intel patch unveiled

The Intel GitHub page has unveiled the code for the patch, revealing its compatibility with chips dating back to 2017 and including the latest 13th-generation processors. This comprehensive coverage implies that Intel deems it necessary for a significant number of PC users to have their systems patched. However, the purpose behind this microcode remains shrouded in mystery, leading to speculations of a potential security concern being addressed.

A mysterious Intel patch has been added to GitHub under the code of ''microcode-20230512''

Intel's response and clarification

Concerns surrounding the patch's purpose prompted PCWorld to reach out to Intel for clarification. In response, Intel provided an email statement, assuring users that the microcode update released on May 12, 2023 (referred to as "Microcode 20230512 update") does not introduce any security updates.

The statement also explained that the note [INTEL-SA-NA] signifies the absence of applicable security updates in the package. Instead, the update exclusively includes functional enhancements, as documented in the product erratum.

No spectre and meltdown redux

While Intel's statement alleviates worries about other widespread security vulnerabilities like Spectre and Meltdown, which affected numerous PCs, it fails to shed light on the patch's exact nature. Consequently, curiosity lingers regarding the specific issue being addressed.

Determining the true purpose of the patch might require waiting for its integration into future Windows updates or motherboard BIOS updates, as these are typically where Intel's patches find their way.

The mystery surrounding the forthcoming Intel patch has captivated the tech community, leaving many eagerly anticipating its release. Given the absence of security-related updates, it is possible that this patch is aimed at optimizing performance or addressing specific functional issues. Only time will reveal the true significance and impact of this unexpected update on the PC ecosystem.

Source

This Patch Tuesday release, among other things, fixed a critical Secure Boot bootkit vulnerability, tracked under CVE-2023-24932. Microsoft also later published a separate guidance piece which explains how one can create secure Windows boot managers.

However, although undocumented, there are apparently plenty of issues in the latest Patch Tuesday (KB5026372). For starters, some users are outright unable to install the update. They seem to be experiencing failure error codes: "0x800f081f" and "80070002". Aside from these, there are also problems related to the VPN. And some people claim older issues like one related to SSD speeds are still unfixed with this update.

You can get the updated Windows 11 22H2 ISOs from Microsoft's official website via the Media Creation Tool. The filename should be "Win11_22H2_English_x64v2.iso".

Aside from Windows 11, Microsoft is also rolling out updated ISOs for Windows 10 as well. You can download it from the official website through the Media Creation Tool option. Like Windows 11, it will contain the latest Patch Tuesday update (KB5026361) for Windows 10.

Microsoft recently re-reminded users about the impending end of support for Windows 10 21H2. The tech giant confirmed it will soon start pushing version 22H2 feature update out to such users.

Microsoft releasing new updated ISOs for Windows 11 22H2 and Windows 10 22H2

• Microsoft Windows users are now able to send texts from their iPhones through their desktops, allowing users to essentially operate their phones from their PCs.

• Most Americans use iPhones, and Apple’s PC and phone integration is one advantage that helps explain why its Mac laptops have been taking market share over Windows PCs in recent years.

Microsoft  announced Monday that the latest version of Phone Link for Windows 11 PCs can receive notifications, send texts and answer calls from a user’s paired iPhone.

Most Americans use iPhones, and Apple’s integration across its products has helped its Mac business take market share from Windows PCs in recent years. Apple accounted for about 10% of global PC shipments last year, with the remainder being overwhelmingly Windows machines, according to IDC.

Microsoft’s move could eliminate a barrier for computer buyers who otherwise would have picked a Mac. Phone Link previously only worked with Android phones.

The Phone Link software doesn’t have nearly as many features as Apple’s Messages for Mac. It works through Bluetooth, according to The Verge, and requires the iPhone to have Microsoft’s “Link to Windows” app installed.

A Phone Link-enabled Windows PC gets notifications from the user’s iPhone and shows the messages in Windows. It doesn’t support group texts through iMessage and doesn’t allow users to send photos or videos, either. Phone Link can only display messages that it sends or receives, so a user who sent some texts on their phone won’t see that part of their message history in the Windows app.

“Messaging feature is limited by iOS,” the company said in Monday’s announcement. An Apple representative didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Source

Connecting your Spotify account to Windows 11 now opens the proper login screen with a prompt to link your account. Previously, an attempt to sign in resulted in a blank "Connecting to a service" window. Problems and bugs like this usually do not require updating the affected apps, but you can still check the Microsoft Store for updates for good measure.

As Darth Vader once said in its youth, ITS WORKING, ITS WORKING!

For those unfamiliar, Focus Sessions is a Windows 11 feature that lets you select a reminder from your to-do lists, set a time, pick a playlist in Spotify, and mute all notifications to focus on a specific task without distraction. You can start a focus session from the Clock app or the calendar flyout. It is indeed a great feature for those who want to improve their productivity and work without interruption from other apps. And although one may question whether it is a "game-changer," it is great to see Microsoft finally fixing its broken applications.

Microsoft fixes its 'game-changing' Windows 11 feature after months of neglect

The 0x800f081f is apparently a Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) issue and seems to be happening to more people. Over on a thread by Srihan Tiwari on the Microsoft forum, the question has been upvoted by 37 using the "I have the same question" option. Meanwhile, the second most common error seems to be the 80070002 code. 9 people have upvoted this query.

Over on the Reddit thread for the KB5026372 update, users noticed that Microsoft has reintroduced broken Security app wherein half the stuff does not work. ThorneBearer writes:

Ooh, very nice.
The broken grey and black boxes are back in windows security!
And TPM detection and core isolation settings are still broken just as they have been for months!

Neowin user kiddingguy, among others, are also continuing to see LSA is turned off bug, even though Microsoft says it fixed the issue.

Another fairly common issue seems to be related to VPN where affected users are saying Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP)/ IPSec (Internet Protocol Security) protocol has been broken by the latest Patch Tuesday.

Meanwhile, users say the SSD speed degradation issue still remains. This bug was seemingly introduced back with the March Patch Tuesday.

Windows 11 KB5026372 fails to install with 80070002, 0x800f081f errors, VPN issues too

Due to Apple's restrictive policies, Phone Link for iOS is minimal compared to what Android users have. You can make and receive calls (including FaceTime Audio), view notifications, and text people using SMS or iMessage. And although the latter may sound extremely exciting, iMessage for Windows via Phone Link is crippled at best with no support for any kind of media, group chats, voice messages, and other perks of Apple's messenger. Still, even such a limited feature set is better than nothing.

You can pair your iPhone with Phone Link by downloading the latest app version from the Microsoft Store. After that, scan the on-screen QR code and follow the onboarding instructions. Microsoft also has detailed step-by-step instructions you can check out on the official website.

Phone Link for iOS is now available to all Windows 11 users

For those unfamiliar, Vivaldi is a privacy-focused, feature-packed browser powered by Chromium. It offers many unique features and options to boost your browsing experience, such as tab tiling, tab stacks, workspaces, sidebars, built-in privacy tools, cross-platform sync, powerful customization, Mail and Calendar, RSS Reader, and more. You can also speed up the interaction with the browser using mouse gestures, macros, and shortcuts.

Vivaldi frequently gets feature updates and improvements that introduce new capabilities and enhance existing ones. For example, version 6.0, the latest Vivaldi release, has brought Workspaces and a new customization tool for personalizing the UI with custom icons and themes.

Vivaldi works on Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android. The browser is available on the official website, but now Windows users can get it from the Microsoft Store.

Source

Windows users may download Winaero Tweaker from the official homepage of the project. The app may be run as a portable version or installed on the system. It does require elevation to run, as this is necessary to apply most of the tweaks on the system.

The first version of Winaero Tweaker was released in 2015.

Winaero Tweaker 1.52

The developer of the application has cleaned up the interface for Windows 11. Tweaks that do not work on Windows 11 are no longer displayed. Several tweaks stopped working when Microsoft released Windows 11 version 22H2, and this has also been corrected in the new version of the Windows program.

Winaero Tweaker 1.52 includes several new tweaks that users may find useful. Here is an overview of what is new or improved:

• The User folder backup prompt -- Set up protection of important files -- can be disabled now. The prompt suggests to Windows users to back up files from Documents, Pictures and Desktop to Microsoft's OneDrive service.
• Microsoft Edge users may disable several features of the browser:
  • Disable Personalize Web Experience.
  • Disable the Edge Sidebar.
  • Disable the creation of desktop shortcuts after Microsoft Edge updates.
  • Disable Microsoft Edge updates.
• Option to add classic system properties and advanced system properties links to the This PC right-click menu in File Explorer.
• The shutdown shortcut tool has a new option to create a Lock shortcut to quickly lock the PC. There is also a new related option to prevent the screen from turning off while in locked state.
• The Windows desktop background history may now be cleared.

Besides these new features, Winaero Tweaker 1.52 includes a number a fixes. The Open PowerShell and Open Terminal menus were fixed, the list of Settings pages has been updated, and the Customize This PC folders has also been updated.

Closing Words

Winaero Tweaker 1.52 is a powerful tweaking tool for Microsoft Windows devices. While it is possible to make these tweaks manually, usually by editing the Windows Registry or applying policies, it is improving usability significantly, especially in home environments.

Source

Microsoft pushed a new update to the release preview development version of Windows 10 this week. This update included two new, but minor, feature changes. In pushing the update, Microsoft confirmed that Windows 10 may also get new features in the future.

While there won't be a new feature update for Windows 10 released later this year, or in the 29 months of support the operating system has left, new features and improvements may be included in the cumulative updates that Microsoft releases for Windows 10 on the second Tuesday of each month.

The Release Preview Channel update increased the build number to 19045.3030. It is mostly a bug fix release and not comparable to the massive update that Microsoft released to Windows 11's Release Preview Channel.

The first change improves the search functionality on Windows 10. Microsoft notes that the search box now supports top and bottom taskbar positions, as well as regular or small taskbar icons. The Search Box includes highlights and users may use it to "easily access apps, files, settings, and more from Windows and the web" according to Microsoft.

The second change improves the priority notification feature. Windows may show up to three "high priority toast notifications" at the same time now. Windows apps and native features may use the built-in notification system to inform users about events. Priority notifications have precedence over regular notifications. These notifications may be alarms, reminders or notices for calls.

With the update installed, Windows 10 devices may display up to three priority notifications and one regular notification at the same time.

The remaining changes of the update address issues.

Closing Words

The picture is a bit clearer now regarding Windows 10's last 29 months of official support. Microsoft won't release feature updates for the operating system anymore, but some smaller feature changes will still find their way into the operating system. These changes will be part of the cumulative update for the operating system that Microsoft releases on the second Tuesday of each month.

It is likely that these feature changes will become less and less the closer the operating system gets to October 2025. Microsoft has started to upgrade Windows 10 version 22H1 devices to the latest Windows 10 version automatically. Windows 10 version 22H1 reaches end of support in June 2023.

Now You: Any feature that you would like to see supported in Windows 10?

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Windows 10 will still get smaller feature updates

Microsoft is testing thumbnail options for the "Favourites" hub page in Edge Canary, allowing users to preview a small image representation of a larger web page image. Currently, you only get a list view of all the web pages you saved as "Favourites" in Edge. While the list view is more compact and creates room for more bookmarks to be displayed on that page, thumbnail preview does exactly the opposite, as its main aim is to give you a snapshot of the web page you saved. Understandably, you can not see as many favorite items as you could in the list view when you switch to the thumbnail view.

As spotted by Twitter user Leopeva 64-2, the "Favourites" hub page in Edge Canary displays a few thumbnail options, a couple of which include "Small thumbnail view," "Medium thumbnail view," and "Large thumbnail view." These different options are for different thumbnail sizes, and you can choose whatever suits your need.

Thumbnail options for Edge "Favourites" are similar to Chrome's "Visual view," a feature Google added to its web browser last year. However, it is only available through a flag, even though it's been more than six months since Google introduced that functionality. On the bright side, the thumbnail view is not hidden behind a flag in Edge Canary, though it is available for limited users. This will hopefully change with Microsoft rolling it to more people in the coming days, if not months.

Thumbnail options maybe coming soon to Microsoft Edge 'Favourites' hub

The Registry is an essential database for the proper functioning of Windows 11, as it stores configuration settings and options for the system and apps. Since it contains information about hardware devices, applications, user preferences, and system settings, any misconfiguration can cause irreversible damage to the current setup. As a result, it's never a good idea to change its settings. 

However, when you must modify the Registry for a particular reason, you can create a backup of the specific key (or set of keys) instead of backing up the entire database or system.

Furthermore, the ability to export and import parts of the Registry can come in handy when you have to apply the same configuration to other devices running the same version of the operating system.

This how-to guide will walk you through the steps to back up and restore Registry keys on Windows 11.

How to backup specific Registry keys on Windows 11

To export a specific Registry key on Windows 11, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for Registry Editor, right-click the top result, and click the top result to open the app.
3. Browse to the path where the settings are located.
4. Select the key to export as a backup. 
5. Click on File and choose the Export option. 

(Image credit: Future)

• Quick note: You can export keys like folders, DWORDs, and Strings. If you choose a folder, everything within that location will be backed up.

 

6. Select the location to back up the key.
7. Confirm a descriptive name for the ".reg" backup file.
8. Choose the Selected branch option.

(Image credit: Future)

9. Click the Save button.

 

Once you complete the steps, the settings will be exported into a ".reg" file, which you can use to undo changes or replicate the same configuration on another computer.

How to restore specific Registry keys on Windows 11

To restore Registry keys from a backup file, use these steps:

 

1. Open Start.
2. Search for Registry Editor, right-click the top result, and click the top result to open the app.
3. Click the File menu and choose the Import option.

(Image credit: Future)

4. Browse to the location where you have stored the Registry backup.
5. Choose the ".reg" file.
6. Click the Open button.

(Image credit: Future)

7. Click the OK button.

 

After you complete the steps, the contents of the file will merge into the database. Usually, the Registry changes will apply immediately, but in some cases, you may need to restart the computer.

Although the import process can help you restore previous settings, this option won't change any additional settings you may have configured after exporting the keys into the ".reg" file. 

 

In other words, if you created a backup of a specific DWORD key and added another DWORD or String to the Registry, the import process will only affect the settings you exported in the backup. If you also have to remove other settings, you will have to select and delete each of the keys individually.

How to backup and restore specific Registry keys on Windows 11

In this guide, we'll explain how to make a TOC in Microsoft Word with tips and tricks.

How to make a table of contents in Word?

A document's table of contents is a list of the document's major headings, along with the page numbers on which those headings first appear. Tables of contents help readers rapidly discover the information they need in lengthy papers.

Here are the steps you need to take to make a table of contents in Word:

• Place the cursor at the location where you want the table of contents to appear.
• Click the "References" tab.
• In the "Table of Contents" group, click the "Table of Contents" button.
• Select a table of contents style from the menu.

• Word will create a table of contents based on the heading styles that are used in your document. If you change the heading styles in your document, you will need to update the table of contents. To do this, right-click the table of contents and
• select "Update Table of Contents."

To further personalize the table of contents, select the "Custom Table of Contents" option. This will bring up the "Table of Contents" dialogue window, where you can modify the table of contents' font, style, and alignment.

If you need more help making a table of contents in Word, consider these suggestions:

• Use heading styles to create a consistent look for your table of contents.
• Update the table of contents whenever you change the heading styles in your document.
• Customize the appearance of the table of contents to match your document's style.
• Use a table of contents to help readers find the information they are looking for quickly.

How to make a table of contents in Word?