News: Software News

Twitter says third-party apps broke “long-standing API rules,” won’t name rules

Wed, 18 Jan 2023 18:22:54 +0000

It's not much, but it's more than app developers have heard in nearly a week.

Ever since Twitter revoked the API access of prominent third-party clients, developers, dedicated fans, and tech pundits have been waiting for an explanation. They still haven't received one, but a recent tweet from Twitter's API team suggests it's all the developers' fault for breaking "long-standing API rules" that the company will not name.

The Twitter Dev account says the social network "is enforcing" those rules, and it "may result in some apps not working." Twitter's API documentation is extensive and contains many rules and limits dependent on several factors. Tech video producer Marques Brownlee, who has 6 million followers, replied to the account soon after its post, asking, "What are the rules." Neither Brownlee's nor any other questions elicited a response.

No one outside of Twitter can say whether the company sought a reason to ban third-party clients and found it in its API language or if the company suddenly decided to enforce API rules against some of the most popular third-party clients just as the company was seeking to bolster its revenues against a significant drop in ad revenue and upcoming debt payments. (Third-party clients typically don't show Twitter's "promoted" tweet advertising.) A timeline of Musk's Twitter ownership published recently by The Verge and New York Magazine noted that the entire API team of Amir Shevat was wiped out during an early November layoff.

Internal chats seen recently by tech news site The Information (subscription required) last week showed a senior software engineer stating that "third-party app suspensions are intentional." Third-party app developers who changed out their API keys for those that were severely limited found their access quickly revoked again. Tweetbot co-creator Paul Haddad posted on Mastodon that the quick re-ban proved that the bans were "intentional" and that "we and others [third-party client apps] were specifically targeted."

Twitter has redefined and restricted its API many times before, but prior to Musk's ownership, the changes were communicated in advance, with ample time for developers to shift or, as often happened, make public complaints. Twitter's Dev team suggests that this time, the rules were already in place, but it has no comment on what they might be.

Twitter says third-party apps broke “long-standing API rules,” won’t name rules

How to remove the Firefox Unified Extensions button and restore the Overflow Menu

Wed, 18 Jan 2023 18:00:30 +0000

Mozilla released Firefox 109 to the stable channel yesterday for Windows, macOS and Linux. One of the biggest changes in the update was support for Manifest V3, and the introduction of a new Unified Extensions button.

According to Mozilla's article, the new extensions button will allow users to control website specific extension permissions. So, it was introduced to comply with Manifest V3.

Firefox Unified Extensions vs Overflow Menu

The new button is very much for all intents and purposes similar to the one that you can find in Chrome, Edge, Vivaldi, Brave, and Opera. It is a pop-up panel that lists all non-pinned add-ons that are installed in Firefox, i.e. the buttons for extensions that are not displayed on the browser's toolbar.

My biggest gripe with the new panel is that it is ridiculously long, it takes a lot of space on the screen, and if you have a ton of add-ons you have to actually scroll down till you see the bottom of the list. It almost looks like a resized version of the about:addons page. Just look at the image below, and compare it with the screenshot above, the number of items in the list are identical.

And it is not customizable at all, you cannot remove the button from the toolbar or move it (rearrange it). I know I have an absurd amount of add-ons installed in Firefox, but each of those serves a specific purpose. The whole point of having extensions is to have a customized browser, tailored to suit the user's needs, not the developer's.

Oh, and there are more issues with it. You cannot rearrange the order of the items in the new Firefox Extensions panel, and it does not have a sort by option either, so instead of an alphabetical order (or reverse), or a custom order, you are stuck with a random mess.

A useful feature that the Overflow Menu had was to remove extension buttons from the toolbar. Let's say you have an add-on installed which doesn't need any interaction from the user, for example, Facebook Container. The remove from toolbar option can be used to hide the button from both the toolbar and the menu, but still allows the add-on to work. The icon can be restored from the "Customize" section that can be accessed by right-clicking the toolbar. This is not possible with Firefox's new Unified Extensions, so the add-on is either on the toolbar, or in the new panel, which lengthens the list.

Fortunately, you can disable restore the good old Overflow Menu, and get rid of the new design simultaneously.

How to remove the Firefox Unified Extensions button and restore the Overflow Menu

1. Open about:config in a new tab. Click on Accept the Risk and Continue button.

2. Type or paste the following flag's name in the text box.

extensions.unifiedExtensions.enabled

3. Double-click on the result to change its value from True to False.

4. Restart Firefox.

Note: If you wish to revert the change, just follow the same steps, and set the value to true.

This is important because some people may have heard about the new button, and decide not to update to the latest version. You should not do that, because you will be missing some important bug fixes. Update your browser and change the setting, and you can continue using it per usual.

Why replace a perfectly functional user experience with one that is lacking options that the old one had? The new button in Firefox is clearly a work-in-progress feature, that should not have been made the default user experience in the stable channel of the browser.

A ticket on Bugzilla refers to the customization options in the Unified Extensions panel. A developer has mentioned that it is still being worked on. There is a discussion on Mozilla Connect about the feature and potential improvements suggested by users.

What is your take on the Firefox Unified Extensions panel?

Source

Microsoft: Windows 11 apps might not start after system restore

Wed, 18 Jan 2023 16:38:15 +0000

Microsoft has acknowledged a new bug affecting some Windows 11 applications triggering launch issues and causing them to display errors after a system restore.

The company said that "after running a System Restore to a previous restore point on a device that is running Windows 11, version 22H2, some Windows applications that use the MSIX Windows app package format may experience" various instability problems, including failures to launch, freezes, and crashes.

Multiple Microsoft apps are known to be affected by this known issue, including Notepad, Paint, Microsoft Office apps, Cortana, and the Windows Terminal app.

"This list of apps is not a complete list. Any Windows applications that use the MSIX Windows app package format may experience this issue," Redmond said.

Affected users might experience one of the following symptoms users might experience:

An error message "This app can't open" is displayed instead of the app starting.
The app might have multiple entries on the Start menu.
An app may not respond when you try to start the app.
An I/O error may occur, followed by the app not responding, and then the app crashes.
If you try to start the app again, the app now runs.

While these are some of the issues that users are most likely to experience following a Windows system restore, others not listed above could also occur on impacted devices.

The Windows 11 22H2 editions impacted by this known issue include Windows 11 22H2 SE, Home, Pro, Enterprise, Enterprise Multi-Session, Education, and IoT Enterprise.

Workaround available

Microsoft has not said if it's investigating this known issue or working on a fix but has shared a workaround for affected users.

Those experiencing problems when trying to launch apps after system restore might be able to work around this issue by:

Starting the app again.
Re-installing the app from the Windows Store.
Re-installing the app from the original source from which it was first installed.
Running Windows Update.

In related news, Microsoft released a PowerShell script over the weekend to find and recover some of the Windows app shortcuts deleted Friday morning by a rogue Defender for Endpoint attack surface reduction (ASR) rule.

The faulty ASR rule has caused widespread disruption in enterprise environments, with users unable to launch their applications and Windows administrators scrambling to restore shortcuts.

Source

Windows 11 22H2 build (KB5022360) fixes TPM-related bug, thread deadlock, and more

Wed, 18 Jan 2023 04:54:33 +0000

Microsoft has released a new Insider build 22621.1192 (KB5022360) to the Windows 11 Release Preview channel. The new build will now offer .NET Framework updates will be displayed inside Settings. Aside from that, it also fixes a TPM-related issue, a search indexing issue, a thread deadlock issue, and more.

You can view the full changelog below:

New! We changed the experience for preview .NET Framework updates. After you installed this update, all future preview (optional) .NET Framework updates will be displayed on the Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options > Optional updates page. On that page, you could control which optional updates you wanted to install.
We fixed an issue that affected searchindexer.exe. It randomly stopped you from signing in or signing out.
We fixed an issue that stopped you from searching for a file based on the file’s contents.
We fixed a resource conflict issue between two or more threads (known as a deadlock). This deadlock affected COM+ applications.
We fixed an issue that affected conhost.exe. It stopped responding.
We fixed an issue that might have affected the Domain Name System (DNS) suffix search list. When you configured it, the parent domain might have been missing.
We fixed an issue that might have occurred when the Input Method Editor (IME) was active. Applications might have stopped responding when you used the mouse and keyboard at the same time.
We fixed an issue that might have affected FindWindow() or FindWindowEx(). They might have returned the wrong window handle.
We fixed an issue that might have occurred when you converted or reconverted Japanese Kanji using a multibyte character set (MBCS) app. The cursor might have moved to the wrong location when you typed.
We fixed an issue that might have affected applications that used Microsoft Edge WebView2 to display content. Applications that used WebView2 included Microsoft Office and the Widgets app. The content might have appeared blank or greyed out.
We fixed an issue that affected certain systems that had firmware Trusted Platform Modules. (TPM). This issue stopped you from using AutoPilot to set up those systems.
We fixed an issue that affected picture files you found using search on the taskbar. This issue stopped you from opening those pictures.
We fixed an issue that affected mstsc.exe. It stopped responding while connecting to a RemoteApp and Desktop Connection.
We fixed an issue that affected a Group Policy for Expanded Toasts.
We fixed an issue that caused Windows Server 2022 domain controllers (DC) to stop responding. This occurred when they processed Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) requests.
We fixed an issue that affected the Resilient File System (ReFS) MSba tag. The issue caused a nonpaged pool leak.
We fixed an issue that affected the ReFS. The issue caused high nonpaged pool usage, which depleted system memory.
We fixed an issue that affected devices that were subject to Microsoft Exploit Protection Export Address Filtering (EAF). Some applications stopped responding or did not open. These included Microsoft Office and Adobe Reader.
We fixed an issue that affected some game controllers. When the game controller was connected to the computer, the computer might not have gone to Sleep mode.

You can find the official blog post here.

Windows 11 22H2 build (KB5022360) fixes TPM-related bug, thread deadlock, and more

Firefox found a way to keep ad-blockers working with Manifest V3

Wed, 18 Jan 2023 04:51:33 +0000

Google’s version of Manifest V3 limited features used by content blockers; Mozilla’s promising it’s not doing the same.

Firefox’s version 109 update, released on Tuesday, includes a new extensions system that sparked years of controversy when it was adopted for Google Chrome, due to the fact that it nerfed some ad-blockers. However, Mozilla promises that its version will still let users “access the most effective privacy tools” and ad-blockers, while still maintaining the cross-compatibility that will let developers easily port their software between browsers.

(While Google hasn’t pulled the plug on the system that lets ad-blockers operate as they have been, users do still have to deal with the threat of that happening. It’s currently unclear if Google will wind up keeping the system that’s currently letting them run.)

In a Tuesday blog post explaining the new extensions system, Mozilla says it adopted Manifest Version 3 to make things a lot easier for people developing extensions for both Chrome and Firefox. But while its implementation is largely meant to be cross-compatible, the organization says its version is different from Google’s in “some critical areas,” mainly security and privacy.

What’s a manifest?

A manifest tells the browser all sorts of information about an extension, from what its name and version number are, to what permissions it’ll use, and what versions of a browser it’ll run on. New versions of the Manifest file format used by the browsers change what features extensions have access to, and can mandate changes. For example Manifest V3 in Chrome no longer allows a developer to load code from a remote server.

Google also cited those areas when it added Manifest V3 to Chrome in 2021, calling the move “part of a shift in the philosophy behind user security and privacy.” But one of the changes in the update broke features in several popular content and ad-blocking extensions by removing a feature they used to block certain network requests (be those to trackers, advertisers, or anyone else).

I won’t go too deep into how it did that — we have an explainer that goes into the technical side of things — but the high-level takeaway is that Mozilla’s version of Manifest V3 keeps the feature Google removed, while adding support for the more limited replacement as well. That should make it so content-blocker developers don’t have to create new (and potentially more limited) versions of their extensions, while making it easier for other developers to write multi-platform extensions.

There are downsides to this approach; Mozilla itself admitted last year that there can be security risks to leaving that feature in. Apparently the foundation believes it’s worth the risk to preserve content blocking, which it called “one of the most important use cases for extensions.”

Privacy advocates like the Electronic Frontier Foundation and developers behind content-blocking extensions like Ghostery likely agree; both condemned Google’s version of Manifest V3, saying it was bad for privacy. While the extension system is in current versions of Chrome, Google has backed down a bit — late last year, the company announced it was reviewing its plans to turn off Manifest V2 support this summer, which would’ve cut off people’s access to blockers that have been avoiding the new restrictions by not switching to V3.

Still, it’s good to see that Mozilla has seemingly followed through with its promises to implement a version of Manifest V3 that allows fully-featured content blockers, while also adding many of the genuine improvements that came with Google’s version. That’s especially true given that Google can often feel like a web browsing monopoly; Chrome is the most popular browser by a long shot, and even “alternative” browsers like Microsoft Edge, Brave, and Opera are powered by its tech (though they aren’t 100 percent beholden to Google’s decisions).

Firefox 109 also introduces an extensions button, which is meant to give you a way to manage your browser add-ons from the toolbar. One of the panel’s features is that it lets you quickly see what permissions an extension has on a specific webpage, and potentially even manage them if the extension supports it.

Firefox found a way to keep ad-blockers working with Manifest V3

Beware: Windows 11 system requirement Secure Boot broken on MSI motherboards, full list here

Tue, 17 Jan 2023 19:20:56 +0000

One of the major security features Microsoft made mandatory as a system requirement for Windows 11 was Secure Boot. The idea behind Secure Boot is to prevent malicious software from loading when a system boots. This is done by verification of signed drivers and authenticating Windows boot files. With MSI, however, it looks like Secure Boot settings inside its motherboards have been set wrong for over a year.

Polish security researcher Dawid Potocki discovered the issue on an MSI Pro Z790-A WiFi. All options under the "Image Execution Policy" inside Secure Boot settings are set to "Always Execute" which meant the motherboard would accept every OS image whether trusted or not.

On the AMD Ryzen side, a B450 Tomahawk Max showed similar problem (firmware version 7C02):

Upon further digging around, Potocki found that the roots of the issue can be dated back to sometime around Q3 2021. This means MSI motherboards have been vulnerable to exploitation for over a year.

A full list of affected motherboards for both AMD and Intel has been provided by Potocki:

Affected motherboards (all firmware versions):

AMD:
- Every X670(E) motherboard
- Every B650(E) motherboard
- X570:
  - MEG X570S ACE MAX
  - MEG X570S UNIFY-X MAX
  - MPG X570S CARBON MAX WIFI / MPG X570S CARBON EK X
- B550:
  - B550 GAMING GEN3
  - MAG B550 TOMAHAWK MAX WIFI
  - PRO B550M-P GEN3
  - PRO B550-P GEN3
  - PRO B550-VC
Intel:
- Every Z790 motherboard
- Every B760 motherboard
- Z590:
  - MEG Z590 UNIFY-X
- B660:
  - MAG B660M MORTAR MAX WIFI DDR4
  - PRO B660M-A CEC WIFI DDR4 V2
- H610:
  - PRO H610M 12VO
  - PRO H610M VDHP DDR4
  - PRO H610M-E DDR4
- H410:
  - PRO H410M-B

Affected motherboards (newer firmware versions) (confirmed):

AMD:
- TRX40:
  - Creator TRX40: 7C59v17 (2022-05-18) [2022-05-17]
  - TRX40 PRO 10G / TRX40-A PRO: 7C60v18 (2022-05-24) [2022-05-17]
  - TRX40 PRO WIFI: 7C60v28 (2022-05-24) [2022-05-17]
- X399:
  - MEG X399 CREATION: 7B92v146 (2022-08-11) [2022-08-11]
  - X399 GAMING PRO CARBON AC: 7B09v1D9 (2022-08-11) [2022-08-10]
  - X399 SLI PLUS: 7B09vA89 (2022-08-11) [2022-08-11]
- X570:
  - MAG X570 TOMAHAWK WIFI: 7C84v18 (2022-01-06) [2021-12-29]
  - MAG X570S TOMAHAWK MAX WIFI: 7D54v11 (2021-12-22) [2021-12-17]
  - MAG X570S TORPEDO MAX: 7D54vA1 (2021-12-22) [2021-12-17]
  - MEG X570 ACE: 7C35v1H1 (2022-01-05) [2022-01-14]
  - MEG X570 GODLIKE: 7C34v1F (2022-01-05) [2021-12-27]
  - MEG X570 UNIFY: 7C35vAB (2021-12-23) [2021-12-22]
  - MPG X570 GAMING EDGE WIFI: 7C37v1G (2021-12-22) [2021-12-16]
  - MPG X570 GAMING PLUS: 7C37vAF (2021-12-22) [2021-12-16]
  - MPG X570 GAMING PRO CARBON WIFI: 7B93v1E (2021-12-22) [2021-12-17]
  - MPG X570S EDGE MAX WIFI: 7D53v11 (2021-12-28) [2021-12-27]
  - PRESTIGE X570 CREATION: 7C36v1F (2022-01-05) [2021-12-19]
  - X570-A PRO: 7C37vHF (2021-12-21) [2021-12-16]
- X470:
  - X470 GAMING M7 AC: 7B77v1I1 (2022-07-15) [2022-07-19]
  - X470 GAMING PLUS: 7B79vAL1 (2022-07-04) [2022-06-24]
  - X470 GAMING PLUS MAX: 7B79vHD2 (2021-09-29) [2021-09-26]
  - X470 GAMING PRO: 7B79v1I (2022-01-28) [2022-01-26]
  - X470 GAMING PRO CARBON / X470 GAMING PRO CARBON AC: 7B78v2I1 (2022-07-15) [2022-07-16]
  - X470 GAMING PRO MAX: 7B79vMB (2021-09-29) [2021-09-28]
- X370:
  - X370 GAMING M7 ACK: 7A35v1H2 (2022-05-10) [2022-05-12]
  - X370 GAMING PLUS: 7A33v5L2 (2022-05-10) [2022-05-12]
  - X370 GAMING PRO: 7A33v4K1 (2022-05-10) [2022-05-11]
  - X370 GAMING PRO CARBON: 7A32v1P1 (2022-05-10) [2022-05-13]
  - X370 GAMING PRO CARBON AC: 7A32v2K1 (2022-05-10) [2022-05-13]
  - X370 KRAIT GAMING: 7A33v1L2 (2022-05-10) [2022-05-10]
  - X370 SLI PLUS: 7A33v3L2 (2022-05-10) [2022-05-11]
  - X370 XPOWER GAMING TITANIUM: 7A31v1O2 (2022-05-10) [2022-05-10]
- B550:
  - B550-A PRO: 7C56vA8 (2021-12-20) [2021-12-16]
  - B550M PRO: 7D14v26 (2022-01-05) [2021-12-22]
  - B550M PRO-DASH: 7C95v37 (2021-12-22) [2021-12-21]
  - B550M PRO-VDH / B550M PRO-VDH WIFI: 7C95v29 (2022-01-05) [2021-12-23]
  - B550M PRO-VDH WIFI (CEC): 7C95vH1 (2022-01-05) [2021-12-23]
  - B550M-A PRO: 7C96v26 (2021-12-15) [2021-12-13]
  - MAG B550 TOMAHAWK: 7C91vA8 (2021-12-20) [2021-12-16]
  - MAG B550 TORPEDO: 7C91vH5 (2021-12-20) [2021-12-16]
  - MAG B550M BAZOOKA: 7C95vA8 (2022-01-05) [2021-12-23]
  - MAG B550M MORTAR / MAG B550M MORTAR WIFI / MAG B550M MORTAR MAX WIFI: 7C94v19 (2021-12-20) [2021-12-15]
  - MAG B550M VECTOR WIFI: 7D14vB6 (2022-01-05) [2021-12-19]
  - MEG B550 UNIFY: 7D13v14 (2021-12-22) [2021-12-17]
  - MEG B550 UNIFY-X: 7D13vA4 (2021-12-23) [2021-12-17]
  - MPG B550 GAMING CARBON WIFI: 7C90v18 (2021-12-22) [2021-12-20]
  - MPG B550 GAMING EDGE WIFI: 7C91v18 (2021-12-20) [2021-12-15]
  - MPG B550 GAMING PLUS: 7C56v18 (2022-01-05) [2021-12-30]
  - MPG B550I GAMING EDGE WIFI / MPG B550I GAMING EDGE MAX WIFI: 7C92v18 (2021-12-22) [2021-12-21]
  - PRO B550M-VC WIFI: 7C95vH1 (2022-01-05) [2021-12-23]
- B450:
  - B450 GAMING PLUS MAX: 7B86vHD3 (2021-09-29) [2021-09-28]
  - B450 GAMING PRO CARBON MAX WIFI: 7B85v283 (2021-09-29) [2021-09-28]
  - B450 MORTAR MAX: 7B89v2E3 (2021-09-29) [2021-09-28]
  - B450 TOMAHAWK: 7C02v1H8 (UNKNOWN) [2022-04-18]
  - B450 TOMAHAWK MAX: 7C02v3C (2021-09-29) [2021-09-27]
  - B450 TOMAHAWK MAX II: 7C02vH63 (2021-09-29) [2021-09-27]
  - B450-A PRO MAX: 7B86vME3 (2021-09-29) [2021-09-28]
  - B450I GAMING PLUS AC: 7A40vAF7 (UNKNOWN) [2022-03-30]
  - B450I GAMING PLUS MAX WIFI: 7A40vB62 (2021-09-29) [2021-09-27]
  - B450M BAZOOKA: 7A38vHH6 (UNKNOWN) [2022-04-13]
  - B450M BAZOOKA MAX WIFI: 7C87v17 (2021-09-29) [2021-09-27]
  - B450M BAZOOKA PLUS: 7B90v1F6 (UNKNOWN) [2022-04-21]
  - B450M BAZOOKA V2: 38vPE6 (UNKNOWN) [2022-04-13]
  - B450M MORTAR: 7B89v1I (2022-08-10) [2022-07-27]
  - B450M MORTAR TITANIUM: 7B89vAG6 (UNKNOWN) [2022-04-21]
  - B450M PRO-M2 MAX: 7B84vAE2 (2021-09-29) [2021-09-27]
  - B450M PRO-M2: 7B84v2H7 (UNKNOWN) [2022-04-11]
  - B450M PRO-M2 V2: 7B84v4E (UNKNOWN) [2022-04-11]
  - B450M PRO-VDH PLUS: 7A38v9C4 (2021-10-12) [2021-10-09]
  - B450M PRO-VDH V2: 7A38v8F6 (UNKNOWN) [2022-04-13]
  - B450M-A PRO MAX: 7C52v3D2 (2021-09-29) [2021-09-28]
- B350:
  - B350 GAMING PLUS: 7A34vMHS (2021-11-04) [2021-11-04]
  - B350 GAMING PRO CARBON: 7B00v1JS (2021-11-02) [2021-11-01]
  - B350 KRAIT GAMING: 7B08v1IS (2021-11-02) [2021-11-01]
  - B350 PC MATE: 7A34vALS (2021-11-04) [2021-11-04]
  - B350 TOMAHAWK: 7A34v1Q2 (2021-11-04) [2021-11-04]
  - B350 TOMAHAWK ARCTIC: 7A34vHKS (2021-11-04) [2021-11-04]
  - B350 TOMAHAWK PLUS: 7B36v1ER (2021-11-02) [2021-11-01]
  - B350I PRO AC: 7A40v1E2 (2022-05-10) [2021-11-01]
  - B350M BAZOOKA: 7A38v1LR (2021-11-02) [2021-11-01]
  - B350M GAMING PRO: 7A39v2NS (2021-11-02) [2021-11-01]
  - B350M MORTAR: 7A37v1MW (2021-11-04) [2021-11-01]
  - B350M MORTAR ARCTIC: 7A37vAKT (2021-11-04) [2021-11-01]
  - B350M PRO-VD PLUS: 7B38v2GV (2021-11-04) [2021-11-04]
  - B350M PRO-VDH PLUS: 7A38vAJS (2021-11-02) [2021-11-02]
  - B350M PRO-VH PLUS: 7B07v2FV (2021-11-02) [2021-11-01]
- A520:
  - A520M PRO: 7D14v193 (2021-09-27) [2021-09-26]
  - A520M PRO-C DASH: 7C57v173 (2021-09-27) [2021-09-26]
  - A520M PRO-VDH: 7D49v135 (2021-09-27) [2021-09-26]
  - A520M PRO-VH: 7C96vA81 (2022-08-08) [2022-08-11]
  - A520M-A PRO: 7C96v183 (2021-09-27) [2021-09-28]
  - MAG A520M BAZOOKA WIFI: 7D49vA35 (2021-09-27) [2021-09-26]
  - MAG A520M VECTOR WIFI: 7D14vA93 (2021-09-27) [2021-09-26]
- A320:
  - A320M GRENADE: 7A39vAK2 (2022-05-10) [2022-05-11]
  - A320M PRO-VH / A320M-A PRO M2: 7C52v192 (2022-01-05) [2022-01-04]
  - A320M PRO-C: 7C58v242 (2022-05-10) [2022-05-13]
  - A320M-A PRO MAX: 7C52v411 (2022-05-10) [2022-05-10]
  - A320M-A PRO: 7C51v162 (2021-12-28) [2021-12-22]
  - A320M PRO-M2 V2: 7B84v34Z (2021-11-04) [2021-11-04]
  - A320M PRO-E: 7A36vH51 (2021-11-02) [2021-11-02]
  - A320M PRO-VD/S V2: 7A36vA63 (2022-05-10) [2022-05-14]
  - A320M PRO-M2: 7B84v191 (2022-07-19) [2022-07-19]
  - A320M PRO-VHL: 7B07v1I2 (2022-05-10) [2022-05-10]
  - A320M PRO-VD PLUS: 7B38v1I2 (2022-05-10) [2022-05-13]
  - A320M PRO-VH PLUS: 7B07v3I2A (2022-05-10) [2022-05-10]
  - A320M BAZOOKA: 7A38v2K2 (2022-05-10) [2022-05-11]
  - A320M GAMING PRO: 7A39v1M2 (2022-05-10) [2022-05-10]
  - A320M PRO-VD/S: 7A36v2L3 (2022-05-10) [2022-05-14]
Intel:
- X299:
  - Creator X299: 7B96v151 (2022-03-10) [2022-09-07]
  - MEG X299 CREATION: 7C06v183 (UNKNOWN) [2022-09-07]
  - X299 GAMING M7 ACK: 7A90v1G (UNKNOWN) [2022-09-07]
  - X299 GAMING PRO CARBON / X299 GAMING PRO CARBON AC: 7A95v1H2 (UNKNOWN) [2022-09-07]
  - X299 PRO / X299 PRO 10G: 7B94v142 (UNKNOWN) [2022-09-07]
  - X299 RAIDER: 7A94v1H4 (UNKNOWN) [2022-09-07]
  - X299 SLI PLUS: 7A93v1I6 (UNKNOWN) [2022-09-08]
  - X299 TOMAHAWK / X299 TOMAHAWK AC: 7B05v1G2 (UNKNOWN) [2022-09-07]
  - X299 TOMAHAWK ARCTIC: 7B05v2G (UNKNOWN) [2022-09-07]
  - X299 XPOWER GAMING AC: 7A91v1F2 (UNKNOWN) [2022-09-08]
  - X299-A PRO / X299-S01A: 7A94vA24 (2022-03-10) [2022-09-07]
  - X299M GAMING PRO CARBON AC: 7B06v1F2 (2022-03-10) [2022-09-07]
  - X299M-A PRO: 7B40v1D2 (2022-03-10) [2022-09-07]
- Z690:
  - MAG Z690 TOMAHAWK WIFI: 7D32vH41 (2022-05-18) [2022-05-17]
  - MAG Z690 TOMAHAWK WIFI DDR4: 7D32v142 (2022-05-18) [2022-05-18]
  - MAG Z690 TORPEDO / MAG Z690 TORPEDO EK X: 7D32vA41 (2022-05-18) [2022-05-17]
  - MAG Z690M MORTAR WIFI: 7D42vB31 (2022-05-18) [2022-05-19]
  - MEG Z690 ACE: 7D27v143 (2022-05-18) [2022-05-17]
  - MEG Z690 GODLIKE: 7D26v141 (2022-05-18) [2022-05-18]
  - MEG Z690 UNIFY: 7D28v142 (2022-05-18) [2022-05-18]
  - MEG Z690 UNIFY-X: 7D28vA42 (2022-05-18) [2022-05-18]
  - MEG Z690I UNIFY: 7D29v142 (2022-05-18) [2022-05-18]
  - MPG Z690 CARBON WIFI / MPG Z690 CARBON EK X: 7D30v144 (2022-05-18) [2022-05-17]
  - MPG Z690 EDGE WIFI: 7D31vH42 (2022-05-18) [2022-05-18]
  - MPG Z690 EDGE WIFI DDR4: 7D31v144 (2022-05-18) [2022-05-18]
  - MPG Z690 FORCE WIFI: 7D30vA42 (2022-05-18) [2022-05-17]
  - PRO Z690-A / PRO Z690-A WIFI: 7D25vA42 (2022-05-23) [2022-05-17]
  - PRO Z690-A DDR4 / PRO Z690-A WIFI DDR4: 7D25v143 (2022-05-23) [2022-05-17]
  - PRO Z690-P DDR4: 7D36vA5 (2022-05-18) [2022-05-18]
  - PRO Z690-P WIFI: 7D33v121 (2022-05-18) [2022-05-18]
- Z590:
  - MAG Z590 TOMAHAWK WIFI: 7D08v23 (2021-09-15) [2021-09-13]
  - MAG Z590 TORPEDO: 7D08vA3 (2021-09-15) [2021-09-13]
  - MEG Z590 ACE / MEG Z590 ACE GOLD EDITION: 7D04v13 (2021-09-15) [2021-09-22]
  - MEG Z590 GODLIKE: 7D03vA3 (2021-09-15) [2021-09-22]
  - MEG Z590 UNIFY: 7D38v12 (2021-09-15) [2021-09-06]
  - MEG Z590 UNIFY-X: 7D38vA2 (2021-09-15) [2021-09-06]
  - MEG Z590I UNIFY: 7D05v13 (2021-09-13) [2021-09-08]
  - MPG Z590 GAMING CARBON WIFI / MPG Z590 CARBON EK X: 7D06v15 (2021-09-15) [2021-09-13]
  - MPG Z590 GAMING EDGE WIFI: 7D07v13 (2021-09-13) [2021-09-09]
  - MPG Z590 GAMING FORCE: 7D06vA3 (2021-09-15) [2021-09-13]
  - MPG Z590 GAMING PLUS: 7D07vA3 (2021-09-13) [2021-09-09]
  - MPG Z590M GAMING EDGE WIFI: 7D12v12 (2021-09-14) [2021-09-08]
  - Z590 PLUS: 7D11v13 (2021-09-15) [2021-09-09]
  - Z590 PRO / Z590 PRO WIFI / Z590-A PRO: 7D09v13 (2021-09-08) [2021-09-06]
  - Z590 PRO WIFI (CEC): 7D09vA3 (2021-09-09) [2021-09-06]
  - Z590M PRO: 7D18v22 (2021-09-15) [2021-09-09]
- Z490:
  - MAG Z490 TOMAHAWK: 7C80v1A (2021-10-18) [2021-10-19]
  - MEG Z490 ACE: 7C71v1A (2021-09-13) [2021-09-30]
  - MEG Z490 GODLIKE: 7C70v1A (2021-10-18) [2021-10-21]
  - MEG Z490 UNIFY: 7C71vAA (2021-09-13) [2021-09-30]
  - MEG Z490I UNIFY: 7C77v1A (2021-10-18) [2021-10-20]
  - MPG Z490 GAMING CARBON WIFI / MPG Z490 CARBON EK X: 7C73v1A (2021-10-18) [2021-10-22]
  - MPG Z490 GAMING EDGE WIFI: 7C79v19 (2021-09-13) [2021-09-30]
  - MPG Z490 GAMING PLUS: 7C75vA9 (2021-09-13) [2021-09-30]
  - MPG Z490M GAMING EDGE WIFI: 7C76v2A (2021-09-13) [2021-09-30]
  - Z490 PLUS: 7C98v16 (2021-10-30) [2021-10-22]
  - Z490-A PRO: 7C75v2B (2021-09-13) [2021-09-30]
- Z390:
  - MAG Z390 TOMAHAWK: 7B18v1C (2022-11-08) [2022-11-02]
  - MAG Z390M MORTAR: 7C00v1B3 (2022-10-14) [2022-10-13]
  - MEG Z390 ACE: 7B12v1B3 (2022-10-14) [2022-10-13]
  - MEG Z390 GODLIKE: 7B10v1D (2022-11-07) [2022-11-01]
  - MPG Z390 GAMING EDGE AC: 7B17vAC3 (2022-10-14) [2022-10-13]
  - MPG Z390 GAMING PLUS: 7B51v1E2 (2022-10-14) [2022-10-12]
  - MPG Z390 GAMING PRO CARBON / MPG Z390 GAMING PRO CARBON AC: 7B17v1C3 (2022-10-14) [2022-10-13]
  - MPG Z390I GAMING EDGE AC: 7C04v1B (2022-11-07) [2022-10-21]
  - MPG Z390M GAMING EDGE AC: 7B50v1C (2022-10-24) [2022-10-20]
  - Z390-A PRO: 7B98v1E (2022-11-08) [2022-10-21]
- B660:
  - MAG B660 TOMAHAWK EVA e-PROJECT: 7D41vH31 (2022-05-23) [2022-05-23]
  - MAG B660 TOMAHAWK WIFI: 7D41vA31 (2022-05-23) [2022-05-23]
  - MAG B660 TOMAHAWK WIFI DDR4: 7D41v241 (2022-05-23) [2022-05-23]
  - MAG B660M BAZOOKA: 7D43vM21 (2022-05-23) [2022-05-21]
  - MAG B660M MORTAR / MAG B660M MORTAR WIFI: 7D42vA31 (2022-05-18) [2022-05-19]
  - MAG B660M MORTAR DDR4 / MAG B660M MORTAR WIFI DDR4: 7D42v143 (2022-05-18) [2022-05-19]
  - PRO B660-A / PRO B660M-A WIFI: 7D59vA31 (2022-05-23) [2022-05-21]
  - PRO B660-A DDR4 / PRO B660M-A WIFI DDR4: 7D59v131 (2022-05-23) [2022-05-21]
  - PRO B660M-A / PRO B660M-A WIFI: 7D43vA31 (2022-05-23) [2022-05-20]
  - PRO B660M-A CEC WIFI DDR4: 7D37v131 (2022-05-18) [2022-05-18]
  - PRO B660M-A DDR4 / PRO B660M-A WIFI DDR4: 7D43v133 (2022-05-23) [2022-05-19]
  - PRO B660M-B: 7D45vA21 (2022-05-23) [2022-05-20]
  - PRO B660M-B DDR4: 7D45v141 (2022-05-23) [2022-05-20]
  - PRO B660M-E DDR4: 7D46v231 (2022-05-18) [2022-05-18]
  - PRO B660M-G: 7D45vA21 (2022-05-23) [2022-05-20]
  - PRO B660M-G DDR4: 7D45v141 (2022-05-23) [2022-05-23]
  - PRO B660M-P DDR4 / PRO B660M-P WIFI DDR4: 7D24v221 (2022-05-18) [2022-05-18]
  - PRO B660M-VC WIFI DDR4: 7D37v131 (2022-05-18) [2022-05-18]
- B560:
  - B560-A PRO: 7D15vH1 (2021-09-15) [2021-09-09]
  - B560M PRO: 7D20v13 (2021-09-15) [2021-09-09]
  - B560M PRO WIFI: 7D21v12 (2021-09-15) [2021-09-09]
  - B560M PRO-E: 7D22v23 (2021-09-15) [2021-09-09]
  - B560M PRO-VDH / B560M PRO-VDH WIFI: 7D18v13 (2021-09-15) [2021-09-09]
  - B560M PRO-VDH WIFI (CEC): 7D18vH1 (2021-09-15) [2021-09-09]
  - B560M-A PRO: 7D20v253 (2022-05-23) [2022-05-21]
  - MAG B560 TOMAHAWK WIFI: 7D15v23 (2021-09-15) [2021-09-09]
  - MAG B560 TORPEDO: 7D15vA3 (2021-09-15) [2021-09-09]
  - MAG B560M BAZOOKA: 7D18vA3 (2021-09-15) [2021-09-09]
  - MAG B560M MORTAR / MAG B560M MORTAR WIFI: 7D17v14 (2021-09-09) [2021-09-08]
  - MPG B560I GAMING EDGE WIFI: 7D19v13 (2021-09-10) [2021-09-09]
- B460:
  - B460M PRO / B460M-A PRO: 7C88v17 (2021-10-18) [2021-10-22]
  - B460M PRO-VDH / B460M PRO-VDH WIFI: 7C83v15 (2021-10-30) [2021-10-26]
  - MAG B460 TOMAHAWK: 7C81v13 (2021-10-30) [2021-10-25]
  - MAG B460 TORPEDO: 7C81vA2 (2021-10-30) [2021-10-25]
  - MAG B460M BAZOOKA: 7C83vA4 (2021-10-30) [2021-10-26]
  - MAG B460M MORTAR / MAG B460M MORTAR WIFI: 7C82v15 (2021-10-18) [2021-10-19]
  - MPG B460I GAMING EDGE WIFI: 7C86v12 (2021-11-12) [2021-11-05]
- B360:
  - B360M BAZOOKA PLUS: 7B23vHC (2022-10-28) [2022-10-24]
  - B360-A PRO / B360 GAMING ARCTIC / B360 GAMING PLUS: 7B22v2D (2022-10-24) [2022-10-21]
  - B360M PRO-VD / B360M PRO-VH: 7B53v1C (2022-11-07) [2022-10-21]
  - B360M PRO-VDH: 7B24vAC (2022-11-02) [2022-10-26]
  - B360M MORTAR: 7B23v1C (2022-10-27) [2022-10-24]
  - B360M MORTAR TITANIUM: 7B23vAC (2022-10-27) [2022-10-24]
  - B360M BAZOOKA: 7B24v2C (2022-11-02) [2022-10-26]
  - B360 GAMING PRO CARBON: 7B16v2D (2022-11-14) [2022-11-03]
  - B360M GAMING PLUS: 7B19v1B (2022-10-25) [2022-10-20]
  - B360I GAMING PRO AC: 7B31v1B (2022-11-07) [2022-10-28]
  - B360-F PRO: 7B25v1B (2022-10-24) [2022-10-20]
- H670:
  - MAG H670 TOMAHAWK WIFI DDR4: 7D25vH4 (2022-05-23) [2022-05-23]
- H610:
  - PRO H610M-B DDR4 / PRO H610M-G DDR4 / PRO H610M-G WIFI DDR4: 7D46v131 (2022-05-18) [2022-05-18]
  - PRO H610M-C EX: 7D56v131 (2022-05-23) [2022-05-20]
  - PRO H610M-C EX DDR4: 7D56vA11 (2022-05-23) [2022-05-23]
- H510:
  - H510I PRO WIFI: 7D16v13 (2021-09-10) [2021-09-09]
  - H510M PRO: 7D22v16 (2021-09-15) [2021-09-09]
  - H510M PRO-E: 7D23v11 (2021-09-16) [2021-09-14]
  - H510M-A PRO: 7D22v35 (2021-09-15) [2021-09-10]
  - H510TI-S01: 7D35v11 (2022-02-10) [2022-01-20]
- H410:
  - H410I PRO WIFI: 7C86v22 (2021-11-12) [2021-11-08]
  - H410M PRO / H410M-A PRO / H410M PRO-VH: 7C89v19 (2021-11-01) [2021-11-05]
  - H410M PRO-C: 7D01v14 (2021-10-18) [2021-11-05]
  - H410M PRO-E: 7C85v11 (2021-10-18) [2021-10-22]
- H370:
  - H370 GAMING PLUS: 7B22v1D (2022-10-25) [2022-10-21]
  - H370 GAMING PRO CARBON: 7B16v1D (2022-11-11) [2022-11-03]
  - H370M BAZOOKA: 7B24v1C (2022-11-02) [2022-10-26]
- H310:
  - H310-A PRO: 7B83v1B (2022-11-07) [2022-10-26]
  - H310-F PRO: 7B25v2B (2022-10-24) [2022-10-21]
  - H310I PRO: 7B80v1A (2022-11-08) [2022-10-28]
  - H310M GAMING ARCTIC: 7B28vHB (2022-10-25) [2022-10-21]
  - H310M GAMING PLUS: 7B28v1B (2022-10-25) [2022-10-21]
  - H310M PRO-D / H310M PRO-VD / H310M PRO-VH: 7B33v1D (2022-11-08) [2022-10-28]
  - H310M PRO-M2: 7B28vAC (2022-10-24) [2022-10-20]
  - H310M PRO-VDH: 7B29v1D (2022-10-14) [2022-10-12]
  - H310M PRO-VHL: 7B27v1C (2022-10-27) [2022-10-24]
  - H310M PRO-VL: 7B75v1B (2022-10-24) [2022-10-21]

Unaffected motherboards (so far):

AMD:
- A320:
  - A320M PRO-VD
Intel:
- Z590:
  - MPG Z590 GAMING EDGE WIFI SP
- Every Z370 motherboard
- H310:
  - H310M PRO-C
  - H310M PRO-D PLUS
  - H310M PRO-M2 PLUS
  - H310M PRO-VD PLUS
  - H310M PRO-VDH PLUS
  - H310M PRO-VH PLUS
  - H310M PRO-VL PLUS
  - H310M PRO-VLH PLUS

Additionally, Dawid Potocki has been unable to determine the status of some Intel chipset boards. Hence, they have asked for assistance from volunteers:

No downloadable firmware available, need volunteers

Intel:
- X299:
  - MPG X299M GAMING EDGE AC
- H610:
  - H610TI-S01
- H510:
  - H510TI-S03
  - H510TI-S05
  - PRO H510M-E

You can find more details about this issue on Dawid Potocki's blog post.

Source: Dawid Potocki via Risky Biz News

Beware: Windows 11 system requirement Secure Boot broken on MSI motherboards, full list here

Firefox 109 is out with Manifest V3 extensions support, accessibility improvements, more

Tue, 17 Jan 2023 19:15:25 +0000

Following Google Chrome 109 and Microsoft Edge 109 updates, Mozilla released its own "109" update. Firefox 109 is now available in the Release channel, bringing Manifest V3 extensions support, improved accessibility, security fixes, and other improvements. Although Mozilla has implemented Manifest V3 in its browser, developers have no immediate plans to drop Manifest V2 support. On the other hand, Google (and Microsoft) recently decided to extend Manifest V2 support and give developers more time before enforcing the transition to Manifest V3.

What is new in Firefox 109?

New features:

Manifest Version 3 (MV3) extension support is now enabled by default (MV2 remains enabled/supported). This major update also ushers an exciting user interface change in the form of the new extensions button.
The Arbitrary Code Guard exploit protection has been enabled in the media playback utility processes, improving security for Windows users.
The native HTML date picker for date and datetime inputs can now be used with a keyboard alone, improving its accessibility for screen reader users. Users with limited mobility can also now use common keyboard shortcuts to navigate the calendar grid and month selection spinners.
Firefox builds in the Spanish from Spain (es-ES) and Spanish from Argentina (es-AR) locales now come with a built-in dictionary for the Firefox spellchecker.

Various Changes:

Effective on January 16, colourways will no longer be in Firefox. Users will still be able to access saved and active colourways from the Add-ons and themes menu option.
On macOS, Ctrl or Cmd + trackpad or mouse wheel now scrolls the page instead of zooming. This avoids accidental zooming and matches the behavior of other web browsers on macOS.
The Recently Closed section of Firefox View now equips users with the ability to manually close/remove url links from the list.
The empty state messages and graphic components surfaced in Firefox View for the Tab Pickup and Recently Closed sections have been updated for an improved user experience.

You can also check out the list of security fixes in Firefox 109 in the official documentation. Full release notes, including developer, web platform, and developer changes, are available on the Mozilla website.

Firefox will update itself automatically, but you can force-update the browser by navigating to the Menu > Help > About Firefox.

Firefox 109 is out with Manifest V3 extensions support, accessibility improvements, more

How to pin a website to the taskbar

Tue, 17 Jan 2023 19:14:21 +0000

Did you know that you can pin your favorite websites to the taskbar?

Here is how to do it.

Open Microsoft Edge
Go to the website you wish to pin to the taskbar
Click the 3 dots in the top right of Edge
Click "More tools" and "Pin to Taskbar"

If you look at the bottom of your screen you should now have a new icon representing the site you are on.

You can hold down the left mouse button and drag the icon around, moving it left and right and putting it in the exact spot that you want.

If you wish to remove the site from the bar, simply right-click the website's icon and click "unpin from taskbar".

How to pin an inPrivate website to the taskbar

Right-click on the desktop and click "Create shortcut"
Copy and paste this in the shortcut box. "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge\Application\msedge.exe" www.neowin.net -inprivate -new-window
Replace the site with the site you wish to pin.

Click Next
Give it a name and then click Finish

How to get the fav icon for the inPrivate site you wish to pin.

Open Edge
In the address bar type the name of the site you wish to pin with a / favicon.ico (Example www.neowin.net/favicon.ico) then press enter
Once the fav icon shows up you can right-click and save it or drag and drop it on the desktop

Now right-click the shortcut you created above and select properties.
Click Change icon

Then browse for the icon you just saved
Then apply it and close the box

To pin the shortcut you just created to the taskbar simply right-click it and select "Pin to taskbar".

Now you can delete the shortcut and it should remain on the taskbar.

Happy website pinning!

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

Hi, I'm Adam, I'm known as Warwagon on the forum. For the past 19 years, I've been operating my own computer repair business. In doing so, I deal with the average computer user on a day-to-day basis.

Every bit of information I provide for people, I do so with the lowest common denominator in mind. It's a common misconception that everyone who joins or browses a tech site is a techie. Some people are just looking for guidance. That is why for some, these tech tips may seem a bit too simplistic but they are educational for others.

How to pin a website to the taskbar

Firefox 110 will launch with GPU Sandboxing on Windows

Tue, 17 Jan 2023 09:06:09 +0000

Mozilla plans to enable GPU sandboxing in Firefox 110 Stable for Windows in February 2023. GPU sandboxing improves Firefox security by applying isolations to the GPU process.

A sandbox isolates a process so that malware can't be used directly to attack other processes on a device. The malware has to find a way to escape the sandbox to run its attacks on the system.

Firefox supports several sandboxes already, e.g., for content and socket processes.

GPU sandboxing has been in development for six years. It is a major milestone for Mozilla as it addresses one of the main criticisms leveled against Firefox's sandboxing model.

The first iteration of the sandbox will launch weakened, as work on a filesystem related issue is ongoing. The issue, which Mozilla hopes to have resolved by Firefox 112, caused breakage of the shader cache. Engineers resolved this by giving the sandboxed GPU process full access to the filesystem on Windows.

The breakage of the shader cache was observed on some machines only, and additional time is required to investigate the issue and find a solution for the issue.

Once the issue is resolved, full access is revoked and GPU sandboxing works as expected in the Firefox web browser.

Mozilla confirmed the intention to launch GPU sandboxing in Firefox 110 for Windows on the organization's Bugzilla website. There, it confirmed that Firefox 110 will be the first stable release of the web browser that supports the feature by default.

GPU sandboxing has been enabled on Beta, Developer and Nightly versions of the Firefox web browser for some time.

The Firefox preference security.sandbox.gpu.level determines whether GPU sandboxing is enabled. A value of 0 means that it is disabled, a value of 1 that it is enabled.

Firefox users may check the status of sandboxing in the following way on their devices:

Load about:support in the web browser's address bar, or select Menu > Help > More troubleshooting information.
Scroll down to the Sandbox section near the bottom of the page (search for Sandbox to get there quicker).

Firefox lists the status and level of each sandbox. Higher levels mean tighter restrictions.

Firefox 110 is scheduled for a release on February 14, 2023.

Firefox 110 will launch with GPU Sandboxing on Windows

Reports: Twitter’s sudden third-party client lockouts were intentional

Tue, 17 Jan 2023 03:07:30 +0000

Internal chats suggest company has only "started to work on comms."

Twitter has not yet explained why third-party clients like Twitterific and Tweetbot stopped working late last week. But a new report and testing by one app developer suggest the outages and lack of communication are intentional.

Internal Twitter Slack chat messages viewed by The Information (subscription required) show a senior software engineer writing in a "command center" channel that "third-party app suspensions are intentional." Another employee, asking about talking points to use when addressing the outages with product partners, was told by a product marketing manager that Twitter had "started to work on comms," but there was no delivery date, according to The Information's report.

Some Tweetbot users seemed to briefly regain account access early Sunday, without the ability to post, only to lose access again later. That resulted from Tweetbot co-creator Paul Haddad swapping out the app's API keys, but all of his keys were later revoked. That result "proves that this was intentional and we and others were specifically targeted," Haddad wrote on Mastodon Sunday evening, as noticed by The Verge.

"I wouldn't have swapped out the keys in the first place if there was even a shred of communication," Haddad wrote. "Figured if nothing else, this would push the issue. Oh well, on to smaller but greener pastures."

Neither Twitter nor owner Elon Musk has mentioned the failure of third-party clients to connect. Twitter's status page early Monday said that all systems were operational, with no past incidents listed as far back as January 2. "Enterprise" clients, such as business-minded apps that monitor Twitter engagement and track topics, appear to be functioning, as do some versions of third-party clients, like Twitterific for Mac.

Twitter has long kept third-party clients, which allow users and small teams to customize how they view, track, and engage with tweets, at arm's length. Prior to Musk's ownership, Twitter asked developers not to make them, restricted its API, and took away push notifications and auto-refresh for the clients.

Musk's ownership, which commenced with large-scale layoffs and has consistently seen the company rapidly changing policy and making its intent hard to decipher, led some industry watchers and tech pundits to wonder if the third-party API shutdown was simply an infrastructure failure that the company couldn't quickly fix.

But a more likely explanation involves ad revenue. By way of explaining his deep cuts across the company, Musk said in mid-December that Twitter was on track for a "negative cash flow of $3 billion." The cash crunch largely seems due to the $1.5 billion debt servicing needed for Musk's takeover debt, as well as drastically declining advertising revenue since his takeover. Twitter has been sued multiple times by landlords for lapsed rent.

Twitter recently changed its iOS app to default to a tab showing an algorithm-based "For You" feed, requiring users to regularly tap over to view a more reverse-chronological "Following" feed. Third-party clients have traditionally offered far more control over how users can sort their feeds—and, most notably, they don't show Twitter's "promoted" tweet advertising. The company has recently offered deeply incentivized advertising packages following drastic downturns in its ad sales.

We could not contact Twitter for comment, as its public relations and communications departments reportedly no longer exist. Musk's latest tweet, just after midnight ET on January 16, is a lightly coded swipe at media as being quietly state-run.

Reports: Twitter’s sudden third-party client lockouts were intentional

Microsoft, AMD, Nvidia, are all sleeping on Windows 11 MPO display issues

Tue, 17 Jan 2023 03:05:50 +0000

While there are plenty of bugs and issues on both Windows 10 and 11, one of the most recurring problems that plague user PCs is related to MPO or Multiplane Overlay. The feature was introduced by Microsoft in Windows 8.1 via Windows Display Driver Module (WDDM) 1.3. When executing multiple frame buffers, MPO was meant to reduce CPU and GPU overhead with the help of a fixed-function hardware unit in the display controller as opposed to using up shader cycles.

However, the feature has often been plagued with issues. And although Microsoft has in the past dealt with problems and bugs related to MPO and other Desktop Window Manager (DWM) features, in recent times with Windows 11, the issue seems to have mostly been ignored by hardware vendors like AMD and Nvidia, as well as software giant Microsoft.

Plenty of forum posts and threads online are from users who fixed seemingly their display issues by disabling MPO. In fact, Nvidia had once issued a hotfix that recommended disabling the option via a registry tweak. The classic symptoms generally include stuttering, black screen or white screen issues, flickering, among others, in Windows, as well as in browsers like Chrome or Edge. It is possible that some enterprise software display issues, like the one where the Citrix workspace mouse cursor goes white, could also be fixed. Some users say driver timeout issues were fixed too.

While not every display-related bug is due to MPO, disabling the option could come in handy if you have been unable to resolve the issue by other means. To disable MPO, head over to the Display Window Manager (DWM) registry address below and add the "OverlayTestMode" DWORD value 00000005.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Dwm
"OverlayTestMode"=dword:00000005

Steps:

Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Dwm
Right-click > New > DWORD 32-bit value
Name the new DWORD value "OverlayTestMode"
Modify OverlayTestMode DWORD value by right-clicking
Enter value data "00000005"

To restore MPO in case you encounter any issues after this, simply delete the OverlayTestMode DWORD you created. However, if internet voices are to be believed, then disabling the feature certainly seems to magically cure a lot of the problems out there.

Microsoft, AMD, Nvidia, are all sleeping on Windows 11 MPO display issues

MSEdgeRedirect 0.7.3.0 brings improvements and a fix for one annoying bug

Mon, 16 Jan 2023 17:40:47 +0000

MSEdgeRedirect 0.7.3.0 is now available for download from GitHub. This popular third-party tool can fix Microsoft's stubborn unwillingness to unpair Edge from various parts of Windows 10 and 11, such as Windows Widgets or Search. The latest release resolves the situation when the app requires updating the IFEO file after every Microsoft Edge update. In addition, there are several other improvements and fixes.

Here is what is new in MSEdgeRedirect 0.7.3.0:

Fixed PDF handling
Updated Submodule code
Fixed issues with Regex case-sensitivity
Added "Default" option for PDF handler
Fixes issues with NoMoreEdge detection
Add Warning if Installer fails to copy files
Fixed Windows Notifications not being handled
Fixes issues for users with non-C: Windows Installs
Fixed Edge Case in which MSEdgeRedirect might infinitely loop
Temporarily removed /update command line option. This will be improved in 0.8.0.0
Swapped to a directory junction for IFEO passthrough. Permanently fixes asking to update IFEO file!

MSEdgeRedirect is still in beta, so users should expect more changes in the upcoming updates. According to the roadmap published in the project's GitHub repository, version 0.8.0.0 will bring per-user activation mode and overhauled installer/updater. The release should land somewhere this spring. As for the summer, MSEdgeRedirect developers plan to redo the UI and update their documentation. Finally, version 1.0.0.0 will bring refactored code and a release on portableapps.com by the end of the summer.

You can download MSEdgeRedirect 0.7.3.0 from GitHub. If you are unfamiliar with the project, check out our guide describing how to use the MSEdgeRedirect app.

MSEdgeRedirect 0.7.3.0 brings improvements and a fix for one annoying bug

Kodi 20 Home Theater Software has been released

Mon, 16 Jan 2023 17:38:57 +0000

Kodi 20.0, codename "Nexus", has been released. The final version of Kodi 20.0 includes major new features and improvements, smaller changes and fixes. Highlights include support for AV1 hardware encoding, support for multiple binary add-on instances, and more.

Kodi 20.0 downloads are provided on the official project website already. The multimedia application is available for the desktop operating systems Windows, Linux and Mac, for the mobile operating systems Android and iOS, and for Raspberry Pi devices. Support for Android allows Kodi to be installed on many TV streaming devices, including Amazon Fire TV.

All known blockers have been cleared in the release, so that all supported platforms will be updated.

Note: Microsoft Defender SmartScreen may display a warning screen when the Kodi installer is run. The installer is new and that is why the SmartScreen warning is displayed.

The last major Kodi release, Kodi 19.0, was released in February 2021. More than 4600 commits have found their way into the new version of Kodi according to the team.

Kodi 20.0 Highlights

AV1 Video Support --- hardware decoding of AV1 media is now supported on several Kodi platforms. Addons may also play AV1 streams thanks to an update of the Inputstream API.
Multiple binary addons instances -- Multiple instances of binary addons may now be loaded; this may be useful for certain addons that support different servers or connections.
Subtitle system rework-- Kodi 20.0 features a massive rework of the subtitle system. Development and maintenance is improved as a consequence, and some features that could not be supported previously may now be supported. The development team lists dynamic positioning of fonts, subtitle positioning, improve multi-language support and colour changes as new features.
HDR support on Windows -- full HDR support for desktop Windows systems (not on Xbox). Improvements include "more accurate ACES Filmic" and HABLE tonemapping.
NFSv4 support -- Network File System Version 4 support added. It is necessary to either select NSFv3 or NSFV4.
Context Menu improvements -- right-click and long-press context menu handling improved.
Game Savestate Support improvements -- gamers may save game states at any time now, and even if the games do not provide native savestate features.

The release features many under-the-hood changes that improve stability, performance and safety, according to the announcement on the official blog.

Closing Words

Preparations to start work on the next major Kodi release, Kodi 21.0, started already.

Now You: do you use Kodi? What is your impression of the new version?

Kodi 20 Home Theater Software has been released

MX Linux 21.3 "Wildflower" released: Debian 11.6 base, Xfce 4.18, improved hardware support

Mon, 16 Jan 2023 17:32:06 +0000

MX Linux 21.3 “Wildflower” has been released over the weekend bringing bug fixes, kernel, and application updates. Notably, MX Linux is now based on the latest Debian 11.6 base and comes with Xfce 4.18 which was released in December. As a point release, MX-21 users needn’t bother reinstalling MX Linux to get this update, instead, you can just apply all the available updates.

For those just hearing about MX Linux, it’s rated first on Distrowatch’s page hit rankings, meaning it’s one of the most looked-into distros by Linux users. It offers Xfce, KDE, and Fluxbox editions and aims to offer a good feature set while not bogging the computer’s resources down. Its Debian base also makes it a very stable choice.

The main highlights in this update include the following:

Debian 11.6 “Bullseye” base.
New and updated applications.
The Xfce releases now feature Xfce 4.18.
Fluxbox gets a new mx-rofi-manager tool to save and manage rofi configuration.
The KDE release is now a full “AHS” (advanced hardware support) enabled release, defaulting to the 6.0 AHS kernel. The Debian stable kernel (5.10) is still available in mx-packageinstaller.
Deb-installer: a new tool and the Xfce & Fluxbox ISOs for installing deb files directly. Replaces gdebi.
All releases now ship with the menulibre menu editor. mx-menu-editor is now deprecated.
All releases have updated firmware packages.
Updated antiX live/remaster system.
Most MX apps received translation updates (with more to come!)

According to the notes, the main Xfce and Fluxbox ISOs are using the new Linux 5.10 kernel while the AHS versions and KDE are using the Linux 6.0 kernel. If you’re interested in trying out MX Linux, you can get it from the project’s downloads page. If you’re looking for the core experience of MX Linux, then the MX-21.3_x64 Xfce edition is the one you’re probably looking for, though there are 32-bit versions if your system is old.

MX Linux 21.3 "Wildflower" released: Debian 11.6 base, Xfce 4.18, improved hardware support

Here are the new features, enhancements coming to Teams next month

Mon, 16 Jan 2023 17:28:36 +0000

Teams is expected to get more than 20 new features and improvements next month, including the rollout of its new Teams Premium add-on.

What makes Teams interesting is its continuous development through the new features Microsoft is introducing to it. And we’re not just talking about one or two. The communication app is one of Microsoft’s well-loved products that always get a rich number of feature additions every month. As a matter of fact, just this month alone, it has eight features in general availability now rolling out to customers, and there are three already fully released. Even more, the number of these features might soon increase before January ends as 11 of the new Teams capabilities are still under development, though labeled to get their general availability this month. And in February, more are coming.

According to the latest Microsoft 365 roadmap, Teams users can expect over 20 new features next month, including the new Teams Premium, which will bring several new advanced capabilities. Aside from that, other things coming to the communication platform include the Class and Lecture Meeting Templates for the Teams Education platform, profile card expanded view, Virtual Appointments calendar level analytics, and more. Here is the complete list of the features coming in February, alongside their short descriptions.

Video filters in Microsoft Teams Meetings. Users will be able to augment their video stream with visual effects.
Busy-on-busy end user setting. Gives users new options to manage incoming calls when they are currently in a meeting or another call.
File uploading to approval request via Power Automate portal. Files uploaded through the Power Automate portal will show in the view details window of an Approval request.
Suggested Files. An expansion of suggested replies in chats that will detect and suggest the files relevant to your conversations.
PowerPoint Live slide magnification. Allows attendees to privately magnify slides and presenters to do it for everyone at the meeting.
Tabs for anonymous users. Allows developers to show tab experiences for anonymous users in Teams meetings.
Virtual Appointments app. The new one-stop place for professionals and administrators to access different appointment functions, such as managing and setting appointments, viewing appointment insights and analytics, sending appointment reminders, and more. Users will get dedicated Teams/Surface devices and web/desktop versions.
View switcher updated interface for Teams Rooms on Windows. The improvement aims at making it easier to control and customize views in a meeting.
New SMS option for Parent Connection invitation channel. Admins can now choose either email or SMS as the preferred Parent Connection invitation channel when enabling the parent-teacher communication feature on Teams.
Presenter window improvements. Presenter window usability is getting new improvements in screen sharing with the controls now located at the top and raise hand notifications surfaced.
Virtual Appointments Analytics Takeback. Virtual appointment analytics reports will be converted as Teams premium functionality.
Virtual Appointments calendar level analytics. A report showing trends over time and also offers the ability to drill down into individual appointment data.
Microsoft Teams Premium availability. An add-on that will offer more features, such as branded meetings, intelligent recap and search, live translated captions, advanced meeting protection, and advanced webinar and advanced Virtual Appointment experiences.
Virtual Appointment (desktop). A new Teams meeting type tailored for B2C meetings with people outside the organization.
Frontline worker Audience targeting. A new capability for frontline worker communicators to identify target audiences through the use of location, job code, and department. Also coming to Outlook.
Targeted in-meeting notification. Allows users to send in-meeting notifications to specific individuals in a meeting via a bot.
Actionable missed call notification in Activity. Users will get the option to call back on a missed call directly from the activity feed.
Profile card expanded view. Allows users to view more details about other persons’ profiles alongside richer organization chart information.
Class and Lecture Meeting Templates. New templates coming to Teams for Education.
Improved Teams flyout design. Teams for desktop is getting visual layout enhancement for better app engagement and discovery of more apps.
Survivable Branch Appliance call controls. New controls will be accessible with Survivable Branch Appliance when users encounter network outages. It includes accessing contact search, dialing by name, and making a call from the call history.

Here are the new features, enhancements coming to Teams next month

Microsoft's Panos Panay teases next gen AI-powered Windows 11 and Windows 12

Mon, 16 Jan 2023 08:08:11 +0000

Back when Microsoft first launched Windows 11 in 2021, Panos Panay, the company's EVP & Chief Product Officer, said at that time that Windows 11 was "the first chapter in the next era of Windows". Now, over a year later, we may finally be starting to understand what Microsoft meant by that.

At AMD's CES 2023 keynote earlier this month, Panos Panay was invited onto the stage by the host and AMD CEO, Dr. Lisa Su. The discussion was mainly about AMD's new AI engine inside the new Ryzen 7040 series chips, and how it would help Microsoft usher in the next generation of software powered by AI.

He said:

AI is the defining technology of our time, it's like nothing I have ever seen before. It's transforming industries, it's improving our daily lives on many ways - some of it you see, some of it you don't see -, and we are right now right this moment at an inflexion point. This is where computing from the cloud to the edge is becoming more and more intelligent, more personal, and it's all done by harnessing the power of AI.

[..]

.. now AMD is also at the forefront of AI technology, with Ryzen 7040 series, alongside Windows 11. It is our next step in this journey together

After that, the senior Microsoft exec teased a bit about the next generation of Windows too, which will have a lot more to do with AI. While AI is not exactly new on Windows, its integration is likely going to scale up potentially exponentially as the Redmond giant is working on ways for it. Windows 12 could be deeply integrated with the cloud as processing AI is very intensive.

AI is going to reinvent how you do everything on Windows, quite literally. Like these large generative models, think language models, code gen models, image models; these models are so powerful, so delightful, so useful, personal. But they are also very compute intensive, and so we haven't been able to do this before. We have never seen these intense workloads at this scale before, and they're right here. It's gonna need an operating system that blurs the line between cloud and edge, and that's what we are doing right now

A possible cloud-based future for Windows is probably good news for consumers in terms of system requirements as well, something that has always been a hot topic of discussion in the case of Windows 11. If not, then devices which have dedicated AI processing hardware will likely be the norm. Perhaps next-gen AI-powered Windows 12 is Microsoft's bigger master plan that explains the recent rumors of the company's interest in acquiring OpenAI and integrating ChatGPT with Bing.

Source: AMD (YouTube) via Computer World

Microsoft's Panos Panay teases next gen AI-powered Windows 11 and Windows 12

How to customize the Windows 11 desktop experience

Mon, 16 Jan 2023 08:05:44 +0000

While many people love the new interface in Windows 11, others prefer the old look and feel of Windows 10, or at least some of the features that are now missing in the newer operating system.

Thankfully, numerous apps are available to get your Windows 11 experience customized how you like while removing unwanted bloatware from the operating system.

Below are three applications that can help you customize Windows 11 to how you like it.

ThisisWindows11

Windows 11 is essentially Windows 10 with a new design, so it also comes with the same bloatware problem, which is unwanted apps preinstalled by OEM and Microsoft.

Like Windows 10, Windows 11 allows users to remove apps from the Settings or Control Panel manually. But if you want to delete all bloatware from your system quickly, you can try a new open-source app called ThisIsWin11.

This app lets you customize advanced and basic features of the operating system and disable Windows 11 features like Microsoft Teams integration on the taskbar.

The app currently comes with the following features:

Basic settings: It allows you to configure the basic settings of Windows 11 quickly.
PumpedApp: You can check and optimize Windows 11 by making changes to the PowerThrottling.
Bloatware: This feature will allow you to remove the pre-installed Windows 11 apps.
Quickly install apps using packages.
PowerClicks: This enables you to automate Windows tasks using PowerShell scripts.

The tool is available for free on Github.

ElevenClock

With ElevenClock, you can customize the Windows 11 Taskbar clock so that it is formatted how you like, can be customized with different colours, and even brings back "seconds" to the displayed time.

With ElevenClock, you can show the clock over fullscreen, hide the clock when clicked, display a task manager shortcut on the clock context menu, disable the notifications badge, and more.

The tool is available for free on Github.

Start11

Start11 was recently released to help users customize the appearance of the Windows 11 Start Menu and even restore the classic interface.

The program is compatible with Windows 11 and Windows 10 and can be used to recreate the user interface from previous operating systems.

With Start11, you can even get a Windows 11-like Start menu on Windows 10 or the Windows 10 Start Menu on Windows 11.

At the same time, Start11 comes with several other features that allow you to customize the way the Start Menu looks, such as:

Return your Start menu to the left side of your screen.
Dark mode for a sleek look
You can choose a style and theme for your Start menu. For example, you can return to the familiar Windows 7 style Start.
Customize your taskbar by adding texture or adjusting transparency.

The tool is currently in beta, costing $4.99 (free trial available). The program is expected to get more customization options in the future.

You can download the app from here.

How to customize the Windows 11 desktop experience

Microsoft script recreates shortcuts deleted by bad Defender ASR rule

Sun, 15 Jan 2023 19:57:15 +0000

Microsoft released advanced hunting queries (AHQs) and a PowerShell script to find and recover some of the Windows application shortcuts deleted Friday morning by a buggy Microsoft Defender ASR rule.

Early morning on January 13th, Microsoft released a new Microsoft Defender signature update that included a change to the Attack Surface Reduction (ASR) rule known as "Block Win32 API calls from Office macro" in Configuration Manager and "Win32 imports from Office macro code" in Intune.

This rule detects and blocks malware from using VBA macros to call Win32 APIs.

However, a bug in the updated rules caused Microsoft Defender to exhibit false positives, deleting application shortcuts from the desktop, the Start menu, and the Windows Taskbar.

This faulty rule caused widespread disruption in corporate environments, with users unable to quickly launch their applications and Windows administrators scrambling to restore shortcuts.

Microsoft later reverted the change in the new signature update 1.381.2164.0 but warned admins that it could take a few hours for the latest signatures to propagate to all environments.

Script released to recreate deleted shortcuts

On Saturday morning, Microsoft released advanced hunting queries to find affected shortcuts and a PowerShell script to recreate shortcuts for some of the more commonly deleted applications.

"Microsoft has confirmed steps that customers can take to recreate start menu links for a significant sub-set of the affected applications that were deleted," Microsoft explained in a new support document.

"These have been consolidated into the PowerShell script below to help enterprise administrators take recovery actions in their environment."

To determine the impact of this bug in your organization, Microsoft Defender hunting queries can be used to retrieve events from Friday associated with the faulty rule.

If impacted, you can use this PowerShell script shared on GitHub, which will scan the HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\ registry key to check if thirty-three different programs are installed on a computer.

If a program is installed, the script will check if a corresponding shortcut exists in the Start Menu and, if not, recreate it.

The list of applications whose shortcuts will be recreated are:

Adobe Acrobat	Adobe Photoshop 2023
Adobe Illustrator 2023	Adobe Creative Cloud
Firefox Private Browsing	Firefox
Google Chrome	Microsoft Edge
Notepad++	Parallels Client
Remote Desktop	TeamViewer
Royal TS6	Elgato StreamDeck
Visual Studio 2022	Visual Studio Code
Camtasia Studio	Camtasia Recorder
Jabra Direct	7-Zip File Manager
Access	Excel
OneDrive	OneNote
Outlook	PowerPoint
Project	Publisher
Visio	Word
PowerShell 7 (x64)	SQL Server Management Studio
Azure Data Studio

Organizations missing shortcuts for programs not listed above can modify the PowerShell script's $programs array to include other applications.

Microsoft has also shared steps to deploy this script using Intune to devices in a Windows domain.

For those who wish to recreate the shortcuts manually, Microsoft shared the following steps to repair the installation of a program.

It should be noted that this process will take much longer, as in most cases, it will reinstall the entire program. Furthermore, not all applications offer a repair function.

Repair an application in Windows 10:

Select Start > Settings > Apps > Apps & features
Select the app you want to fix.
Select Modify link under the name of the app if it is available.
A new page will launch and allow you to select repair.

Repair an application in Windows 11:

Type “Installed Apps” in the search bar.
Click “Installed Apps”.
Select the app you want to fix.
Click on “…”
Select Modify or Advanced Options if it is available.
A new page will launch and allow you to select repair.

Not a good enough solution

While the released PowerShell script will help recreate shortcuts for some applications, Windows admins report that it does not work well enough.

The script only focuses on thirty-three programs, so it will not recreate the shortcuts for many other applications commonly installed on a computer.

However, even targeted applications like Microsoft Office are not having their shortcuts recreated in some cases.

"Unfortunately, this doesn't restore Microsoft Office shortcuts which were deployed per-user - which is most 365 C2R installations. This is the default installation behaviour for M365 deployed through Intune, so if this can be reflected in the script - this would be very helpful," a Windows admin commented about the script.

Windows admins also commented that the script only recreates shortcuts in the Start Menu but fails to recreate those deleted from the Windows Taskbar Quick Launch toolbar or the Windows desktop.

As one admin noted, it may be possible to recover the Start Menu, Quick Launch bar, and Desktop shortcuts by retrieving them from Shadow Volume Copies.

Users can use tools like Shadow Explorer or ShadowCopyView to check if the shortcuts were saved in previous snapshots and simply copy them back to the system drive.

For those with many devices, using PowerShell to check for and recover the files from Shadow Volume Copies may also be possible.

Overall, this bug has created an enormous mess for Windows administrators and IT support, who will likely have to perform the tedious task of manually recreating some of the missing shortcuts.

Microsoft script recreates shortcuts deleted by bad Defender ASR rule

[Editorial] My Windows 10 PC has finally been offered Windows 11, but I'm not sure I want to update

Sun, 15 Jan 2023 19:52:59 +0000

If you have read my Windows 11 coverage over the past year or so, including my review of the OS, you probably know that there are many things I like about the OS along with some that I don't. However, I'm not sure if I mentioned this before, but I actually have a dual-boot setup on my personal PC, with both Windows 10 and 11 installed.

For the past seven or so years, Windows 10 has been my primary OS, and it remains so today, despite the release of Windows 11 back in October 2021. Thanks to my dual-boot setup, I use Windows 10 about 80% of the time and Windows 11 Dev Channel builds in the remainder portion. The latter usage is primarily to check out the new features in Dev Channel builds and for their coverage that I do on Neowin.

Importantly, despite fulfilling all major Windows 11's strict requirements such as having a recent CPU and TPM 2.0, my PC was not offered the upgrade due to safeguard hold. Following this month's Patch Tuesday update, it seems my PC is finally allowed to update... but I'm not sure if I want to.

Let me explain myself a bit. As some of you already know, I like a number of features in Windows 11 including the aesthetics, Snap Layouts, simplified context menus, tabbed File Explorer, and more. However, I also think that Microsoft has made several unnecessary changes just for the sake of it and these include the Teams integration, removing the seconds from the system clock, the dumbed-down Taskbar, the mediocre Start menu, and more.

And while the good definitely outweighs the bad, I have been asking myself: do I really need Windows 11? Is a prettier design along with a couple of productivity improvements really worth migrating from a stable OS to one that seems to cause issues after updating each month? So far, the answer has been in the negative.

I absolutely expect Windows 11 to become more stable and better over time, but unlike Windows 10 where I installed the OS as my primary setup on day one of Technical Preview (basically the Insider Program of yesteryear), I don't quite feel the need to do the same this time around. A major reason for this is that I found the predecessors - both Windows 8 and 8.1 - to Windows 10 simply awful and I could not wait to jump ship to a newer OS.

Things aren't quite the same right now. I really like Windows 10 and have become quite familiar with it. I don't feel the itch to upgrade to Windows 11 as soon as possible. Perhaps part of the reason is also that Windows 11 leverages much of the groundwork that Windows 10 has already laid and improves upon it in some areas. For me, Windows 11 right now is just a prettier but unstable version of Windows 10. And is that something I want to upgrade to ASAP? I don't think so.

The situation is somewhat similar when it comes to my work PC, although in a different context. On that machine, I was offered Windows 11 from day one but have not pulled the trigger yet simply due to the mantra, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". Windows 10 meets all my job's needs and I've always considered it a risk to install feature updates in fear that it may break some critical functionality that I need.

I know that I might sound a bit irrational but that's how my brain works when it comes to my work PC. I install security updates as they become available but I treat feature updates differently and delay them until they are forced upon me. Contracting as a software engineer for offshore clients in different timezones means that I really can't afford downtime. If I face blocking issues on my PC that require admin privileges from the side of my clients, I may lose an entire day of productivity at the very least while waiting for offshore IT admins to come online.

All in all, while l really like Windows 11 in some aspects, I'm currently struggling to convince myself to upgrade to the OS despite having the update available on both of my PCs. Will I be able to convince myself to update in the short-term? Will Microsoft? The chances are slim, but you never know. The fact of the matter is simply that Windows 11 doesn't have big differentiating factors compared to Windows 10, and while Microsoft's latest OS may be pretty, its predecessor is relatively more stable and familiar.

Have you updated to Windows 11 or are you on the fence as well? What is your rationale for upgrading? Let us know in the comments section below!

My Windows 10 PC has finally been offered Windows 11, but I'm not sure I want to update

Twitter apps are still broken and Musk is still silent

Sun, 15 Jan 2023 19:37:03 +0000

Days later, developers have no idea why their apps mysteriously stopped working. They haven’t heard back from the company.

It’s been a few days since pretty much every major third-party Twitter client broke, and developers say they still haven’t heard anything from the company about what’s going on. The issues seemed to begin on Thursday evening, with some users reporting that they were getting errors related to authentication.

The silence from the company has been pretty much complete. “Still no official/unofficial info from inside Twitter,” said Tweetbot co-creator Paul Haddad in a Mastodon post. “We’re in the dark just as much as you are,” read a Friday blog post from Iconfactory, the company behind Twitterific.

As of Sunday afternoon, there haven’t been any tweets about the plight of third-party apps from either the official Twitter account, the Twitter Support account, or Elon Musk. (So much for “transparency builds trust.”) The company doesn’t have a communications department that we could ask about the issue directly.

Apps like Twitterific have since started displaying a notification to users to address the outage. “Twitterific users are currently unable to access the service,” the notice reads. “This may just be a temporary bug; it may be a more serious issue.” The Tweetbot app displays a similar message.

There’s been speculation from Twitter users, developers, and some news outlets that this is a move from Twitter to shut down third-party clients altogether. However, a Saturday report from The Information appears to confirm that the outage is deliberate. In internal messages viewed by the outlet, a senior software engineer says, “Third-party app suspensions are intentional” in a Slack channel dedicated to Twitter outages and other disruptions.

According to The Information, another employee asks when they can get a list of “approved talking points” in response to complaints about third-party apps not working on Friday. A product marketing manager reportedly replies by saying that Twitter has “started to work on comms,” but that they aren’t sure when that information will be ready to share with developers.

Haddad says his company will be operating under the assumption that the outage is on purpose, and the Iconfactory post points out the possibility of “a new (seemingly unstated and unannounced) policy that is only being applied to apps with large numbers of users.”

Some apps like Albatross and Fenix have continued working for me and some others, though according to the latter’s developer, the Android version has gotten the axe, while the iOS version has stayed up. The first-party Twitter app is also still functional.

Third-party apps rely on Twitter’s API to get data from the service, a point that’s been contentious in the past as the company went through a period where it neglected tools for outside developers.

That appeared to be turning around before Elon Musk bought the company, though where he stands on alternative Twitter apps isn’t clear; he doesn’t appear to have said much positive or negative about them. However, his Twitter 2.0 has incentives to make its first-party app the only game in town; the company is desperately trying to make money, focusing on its Blue subscription service that offers features in its own client. Plus, third-party apps often don’t show ads, meaning that some users were potentially being left completely un-monetized.

It’s hard to tell whether the third-party client outage is due to the API. Attempting certain calls from my individual Twitter developer account seemed to work, while Twitter’s own API explorer tool is currently broken.

Update January 13th, 9:05PM ET: Updated to reflect that it’s now been around a day since the issues started, and to note Twitter’s continued silence.

Update January 14th, 8:45AM ET: Updated to reflect that been a few days since the issues started, as well as to include a report from The Information that indicates the outage is “intentional.”

Update January 14th, 11:58AM ET: Updated to add that some third-party apps are displaying notifications about the outage to users.

Twitter apps are still broken and Musk is still silent

Brave Browser 1.47: Windows group policy templates, clean link improvements, more

Sun, 15 Jan 2023 07:58:14 +0000

Brave Software Inc. released Brave Browser 1.47.171 for supported desktop operating systems. The new browser includes a number of important improvements, including support for Windows group policy templates, clean link improvements, built-in support for the Tor Snowflake extension, and improved window dragging support.

Brave 1.47 is already available. It should be installed on most user devices by default, thanks to the integrated automatic updating functionality.

Brave users may load brave://settings/help to display the installed version. Brave Browser runs a check for updates when the page is opened; any update found is downloaded and installed automatically then.

Brave 1.47

The new version of the Brave browser improves group policy templates handling on Windows. Previously, Brave users had to download the policy templates of the Chrome browser and modify them manually to match them to Brave's registry paths.

Administrators may download the latest Group Policy templates from this support page on the Brave website. The company notes that some settings are not yet implemented in the templates and need to be set manually in the Registry. These exceptions are listed on the support page.

Group Policy support is now also available for the browser's Shields feature.

Copy Clean Link improvement

Brave launched Copy Clean Link in earlier versions of the browser, but limited the feature to the browser's address bar. It is designed to strip of unneeded parameters of web addresses, which are often used for tracking purposes.

With Brave 1.47 comes support to the right-click menu. In other words, copy clean link is now accessible when users right-click on links on any webpage open in the browser.

Snowflake extension integration

Brave Browser supported Tor since 2018. It is a useful privacy feature that tunnels connections through the Tor network. The company launched support for Bridges in Brave 1.44, which helps users access the Tor network in regions in which Tor is blocked.

Now, with Brave 1.47 comes support for the Snowflake extensions. Brave users may install it to share their Internet connections with users in countries where Tor is blocked. Brave users find the option on the privacy Settings page of the browser -- brave://settings/privacy. There, they may enable Volunteer to help others connect to the Tor network, to install the Snowflake extension.

Other changes in Brave 1.47

The official release notes highlight other changes in Brave 1.47. Besides lots of crypto-related changes, here are the ones that stick out:

Brave users who have not enabled the "use wide address bar" feature may now use the blank space on the left and right of the address bar for window dragging. The browser has such a small bar at the top for window dragging, that this may make a difference for users, especially when using touch.
Mixed-content check is now enabled for .onion URLs.
High resolution timer precision reduced to improve user privacy. Sites could use it in fingerprinting efforts previously.
Performance of cosmetic filtering in third-party iframes improved.
Fixed a crash in Brave News.
Upgraded the Chromium core to version 109.0.5414.87.

Now You: have you tried Brave Browser recently?

Brave Browser 1.47: Windows group policy templates, clean link improvements, more

3 ways to check your Internet's true connection speed without installing any app

Sat, 14 Jan 2023 19:39:01 +0000

When you enroll for a monthly broadband subscription plan, you invariably agree to pay a certain amount based on the speed of your Internet connection. The speedier it is, the more you pay, but sadly, your true Internet connection speed can be much lower than your router's maximum speed. So, it’s essential to know how to check the true speed of your Internet connection. We’ll cover 3 ways to do that in this post and you won’t even need to install any third-party apps.

How to check your Internet's true connection speed without installing any app

Checking your broadband speed becomes all more important if despite using a premium plan, you’re only able to stream a show in low definition or find it buffering constantly.

1] Run an Internet Speed Test on Google

The easiest way to check if you are getting the speed the ISP provider promised you is to run a quick Internet Speed Test on Google.

If you’ve set Google as your default search engine, open a new tab in the browser, type Internet Speed Test in the search field, and hit Enter.

Click the RUN SPEED TEST button as shown in the image below.

Allow the test to run for a few seconds. It usually gets completed within 15-20 seconds. Check the results.

Your Internet connection should be able to handle one device at a time streaming a video. If multiple devices are using this connection, you may run into some congestion.

2] Expand Control Panel’s Network and Sharing Center settings

An alternative way to check your Internet connection speed by installing no app is to go to Control Panel’s Network and Sharing Center settings on a Windows PC.

Type Control Panel inside the search box on Windows 11 Taskbar and select it. Under Adjust your computer’s settings section, click the Network and Internet link.

Expand Network and Sharing Center settings by clicking the option and clicking your Wi-Fi connection name.

In the Wi-Fi Status box that appears, check the speed of your connection.

It should give you a clear picture.

3] Inspect the Network & internet settings

Last, you can also check the Internet connection speed by inspecting the Network & internet settings of the Settings app.

Press Win+I Keys in combination to go to the Settings app directly. Switch to the Network & internet tab under the side panel on the left and expand the Wi-Fi menu.

Expand the Wi-Fi network properties by clicking the side arrow next to its name.

Scroll down to the Link Speed connection to check the speed of the connection.

So, if you have any doubts about your provider truly delivering the speeds for which you're paying, use one of these methods to test it and ask them to fix it when it’s not working as desired.

3 ways to check your Internet's true connection speed without installing any app

How to add emoji reactions during a Google Meet

Sat, 14 Jan 2023 19:33:59 +0000

It was about time for Google to add new emoji reactions to previously available emoji reactions (raising your hand or thumbs up). Even though they have planned it since 2021, it was released in January 2023.

Moreover, they released it only for iOS while promising that this feature will soon be available for Androids, whether you use Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Windows Explorer as the default browser. However, stay with me to check those emoji reactions and how to use them during a Google Meet. The steps for using these emoji reactions during a Google Meet are similar.

It's the usual, standard set of emoji reactions, as it is seen from the image. I can now react with heart, meaning I love it, or congratulate/ applaud someone for something. Also, during a Google Meet, I can use these emojis to send reactions of laughing, surprise, thinking, or being sad, in addition to "old" emoji reactions - "thumbs up for "I like it" and "thumbs down" for "I dislike it."

The emoji reactions are placed on the bottom of the screen, right next to the "raise your hand" button. I need to click on the emoji reaction button to send any of these reactions to open the box. When the box is opened, I can choose the desirable reaction. Even though this emoji reaction option is available by default when a Google Meet starts, a host can disable this option. When you react, your reaction is shown on the top left corner of your icon. In case when everyone reacts at the same time, all reactions are visible.

Making a host a person who will disable or enable this option is a good thing. It's different if you are on a Google Meet with your family and friends or attending school or a conference. A host can set this option available when it's expected that the audience reacts to something.

Also, you can adjust the hand's skin tone in the emoji reactions sections. It's easy to do that. For example, move your mouse indicator on the icon for the skin tones. To adjust the skin tone of emoji reactions to mine, I need to click again on the emoji reaction button. The button for skin tones is placed on the right side of the box. Clicking on it will make other skin tones appear, and I can choose mine. This is better than when I had to select a skin tone whenever I wanted to use an emoji.

For sure, it's something that can make our Google Meet experience better than before. First, there is no need to write in chat things we can now show with available emoji reactions. An emoji sometimes conveys our messages in better ways than words. The only bad thing about this is that Android users still have to wait for it.

How to add emoji reactions during a Google Meet

Microsoft says it can't restore Defender-deleted shortcuts on Windows 11 and 10 for you

Sat, 14 Jan 2023 09:59:58 +0000

Friday the 13th is considered an unlucky day in most of the west and several system admins across multiple IT companies definitely felt that yesterday. That's because Microsoft Defender went rogue and deleted shortcuts from the Start menu and Taskbar, among other places. Although the user reports indicated that the issue was present on Windows 10 systems, Microsoft has confirmed today on its health dashboard that Windows 11 was also affected.

After installing security intelligence update build 1.381.2140.0 for Microsoft Defender, application shortcuts in the Start menu, pinned to the taskbar, and on the Desktop might be missing or deleted. Additionally, errors might be observed when trying to run executable (.exe) files which have dependencies on shortcut files. Affected devices have the Atack Surface Reduction (ASR) rule "Block Win32 API calls from Office macro" enabled. After installing security intelligence build 1.381.2140.0, detections resulted in the deletion of certain Windows shortcut (.lnk) files that matched the incorrect detection pattern.

Windows devices used by consumers in their home or small offices are not likely to be affected by this issue.

Affected platforms:

Client: Windows 11, version 22H2; Windows 10, version 22H2; Windows 11, version 21H2; Windows 10, version 21H2; Windows 10, version 20H2; Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2019; Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2016; Windows 10 Enterprise 2015 LTSB
Server: None

System admins soon discovered that a hardened ASR rule in Defender's security intelligence update version 1.381.2140.0 was the culprit and hence a workaround was devised to get around this. Microsoft has also officially validated the workaround:

Workaround: Changes to Microsoft Defender can mitigate this issue. The Atack Surface Reduction (ASR) rules in Microsoft Defender are used to regulate software behavior as part of security measures. Changing ASR rules to Audit Mode can help prevent this issue. This can be done through the following options:

Using Intune: Enable attack surface reduction rules | Defender for Endpoint: Microsoft Endpoint Manager
Using Group Policy: Enable attack surface reduction rules | Defender for Endpoint: Group Policy

Microsoft Office applications can be launched through the Microsoft 365 app launcher. More details on the Microsoft 365 app launcher can be found in Meet the Microsoft 365 app launcher

Microsoft has also published the steps needed to resolve the issue fully. However, sysadmins are likely to be disappointed by the fact that restoring back the deleted shortcuts is not something fixable with this and all Microsoft says here is that affected admins and users "need to recreate or restore these shortcuts through other methods":

Next steps: This issue is resolved in security intelligence update build 1.381.2164.0. Installing security intelligence update build 1.381.2164.0 or later should prevent the issue, but it will not restore previously deleted shortcuts. You will need to recreate or restore these shortcuts through other methods.

Hence, users are advised to update their Defender security intelligence version to 1.381.2164.0 or later. You can find more details about these definition updates here.

Microsoft says it can't restore Defender-deleted shortcuts on Windows 11 and 10 for you

Windows 11 Pro will soon disable insecure SMB guest authentication by default

Sat, 14 Jan 2023 09:56:45 +0000

A few months ago, we learned that Microsoft is significantly improving Server Message Block (SMB) authentication in Windows 11. At that time, the company enabled SMB authentication rate limiter by default to make it a less attractive attack surface for malicious actors. Now, it has announced another change to SMB authentication.

In a technical blog post, Microsoft's Principal Program Manager Ned Pyle has stated that Windows 11 Pro will soon start disabling insecure SMB guest authentication fallbacks. In fact, recent Insider Preview builds 25267 and 25276 have already implemented this security enhancement.

Microsoft's rationale for this change is that guest authentication does not support audit trails and security mechanisms such as signing and certificates. As such, they are a very enticing attack vector for man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks and can even be leveraged in server scenarios. In the worst case, a malicious actor could use guest logon to get read or copy access over your entire network and would not leave any audit trail.

It is important to note that guest logons have not been allowed by default since Windows 2000. Similarly, Windows 10 Education and Enterprise do not allow SMB2 and SMB3 to fallback to guest logon after incorrect password attempts. Interestingly though, while Windows 11 Pro Insider builds disable guest authentication by default, Windows 10 Pro does not.

Microsoft says that the only scenario where you would request guest access would be through a legitimate third-party remote storage device. However, you'll not encounter errors while attempting to do so in Windows 11 Pro. The workaround is to dig around for the remote device's documentation and figure out how to stop requiring guest authentication. If this is not possible, you can temporarily enable SMB2 or SMB3 guest fallback to allow access. However, SMB1 should not be used due to the security vulnerabilities present in the legacy protocol.

Microsoft has mentioned that this behavior is enabled by default in recent Windows 11 Pro Insider builds by default, and that it will become generally available in the "next major release" of the operating system. The move seems like a larger plan to make Windows more secure, with the Redmond tech giant also planning to kill off the Microsoft Support Diagnostic Tool (MSDT) in a couple of years too.

Windows 11 Pro will soon disable insecure SMB guest authentication by default