The official changelog for AMD Ryzen Chipset Driver version 4.11.15.342 contains one modest "bug fixes on few drivers," but the more detailed list of drivers reveals extra information on what is now fixed:

Note that the latest driver also has several known issues:

• Sometimes custom install fails to upgrade to latest drivers.
• Text alignment issues may be seen on Russian language.
• Manual system restart required on Non-English OS after the installation is complete.
• Uninstall summary log may incorrectly show uninstall status as fail on non-English OS.

You can download AMD Ryzen Chipset Driver 4.11.15.342 for 64-bit Windows 10 and Windows 11 from the official website. Full release notes are available in AMD's documentation.

AMD releases new chipset driver to fix blue screens of death on Windows 11 22H2 and more

For starters, Find and Replace in Files is now a whopping 3-4 times faster compared to version 17.3. Microsoft says that it has accomplished this through incremental improvements such as Async save and maximization of caching and indexing. The 95th percentile of Microsoft's test data has replace operations pegged at 25 seconds on Visual Studio 2022 17.3 compared to 8 seconds in version 17.4.

Moreover, indexing is now faster for C++ projects too. You will notice a 25-30% performance gain when populating the source code index in large C++ projects.

Similarly, the need for solution reloads on branch switching has been reduced by 80%. And compared to Visual Studio 2019 which took 16 seconds for branch switching on the 95th percentile, Visual Studio 2022 17.4 takes around 10 seconds.

Meanwhile, the performance gains for .NET configuration switch responsiveness are tabulated below:

Coming over to unit tests, Test Explorer should surface tests across projects much faster. In Microsoft's testing, performance was double compared to the previous release when testing on a solution with 150 projects and 300,000 tests. Similarly, test assemblies ran three times faster and test runner process connections were established faster too.

Finally, most Save operations have been moved to a background thread so that the IDE stays responsive and is not impacted by the saving process. Microsoft says that this improvement will be most noticeable on slow hard drives, large projects, and network shares. If you have any feedback for Microsoft, you can let the company know via a survey or through this portal.

These are all the performance improvements in Visual Studio 2022 17.4

DirectStorage 1.1 does not change the hardware requirements introduced with DirectStorage 1.0: a fast NVMe drive and a GPU that supports DirectX 12 and Shader Model 6.0 is required to make use of the feature.

Graphics processing units that support DirectStorage  do support the updated version as well. Manufacturers like AMD, Intel and Nvidia may release optimizations, called metacommands, to optimize the feature on devices that run their graphics cards.

Intel released a new driver for its ARC GPU series this week that introduced support for " optimized Microsoft DirectStorage* 1.1 with GPU accelerated decompression for developer integration".

AMD has yet to release a public driver with metacommands; the company revealed that it has "a build of a metacommand-enabled graphics driver" for partners available.  Nvidia released driver 526.98 and with it official support for DirectStorage 1.1.

What about games?

The operating system and video cards support DirectStorage, but this means little if there are not any games available that have implemented the API. In fact, gamers will be hard pressed finding games that support the feature right now.

One of the first developers to announce support for DirectStorage was the developer behind the Forspoken game, which will be released on January 24, 2023. Another game is The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, or better, the next-gen version of the game, which CD Project Red plans to release on December 14, 2022. It is unclear if the PC version will include support for the feature on release though.

DirectStorage will make an impact in the coming years, but there is no hurry for gamers to hop on the train right now.

Source

It is worth pointing out that the feature's current state looks half-baked. You can spot the new VPN indicator (on the screenshot to the right) only when you use a wired connection—no eye candy for those using Wi-Fi. Another major limitation is that the operating system cannot recognize third-party VPN applications, so the network indicator will remain unchanged if you access a VPN using its dedicated app.

You need to manually set up a VPN connection in the Settings app to see the new indicator in action. Some VPN services provide guides about connecting using Windows' built-in networking tools, so you should check your provider's website for more instructions.

The updated network icon in Windows 11 build 25247 is a work in progress, so expect Microsoft to polish it a bit more before unveiling it to Windows Insiders (add support for Wi-Fi, for example). If waiting is not an option, use the ViveTool app to force-enable it. Here is how to do that (credits for the finding go to @PhantomOfEarth).

Caution: Unannounced features are often raw, unstable, or borderline unusable. They can also break other things. Back up important data before enabling hidden options using the ViveTool app. Avoiding pre-release software is the best way to ensure your system remains as bug-free as possible.

How to enable the VPN indicator in the notification area in Windows 11 build 25247?

1. Download ViveTool from GitHub and unpack the files somewhere convenient.
2. Press Win + X and select Terminal (Admin).
3. Switch Windows Terminal to Command Prompt profile by pressing Ctrl + Shift + 2 or clicking the arrow-down button at the top of the window.

   

4. Navigate to the folder containing the unpacked files using the CD command. For example, if you have extracted ViveTool to C:\Vive, type CD C:\Vive.
5. Type vivetool /enable /id:38113452 and press Enter. Replace /enable with /disable if you want to revert the feature to its original state.
6. Restart your computer.
7. Connect to a virtual private network from the Settings app or using a dedicated button in the Action Center.

What do you think about the new VPN indicator? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Windows 11 now has a dedicated VPN indicator in the notification area

And outside of PrintNightmare too, there have been several printing-related issues that have bugged Windows 11, as well as Windows 10, and version 22H2 has been no exception. We reported on one such problem towards the end of September where adding printers after an update to the 2022 update (version 22H2) had become a hassle for IT admins and engineers.

A day later, Microsoft also documented another printer bug where the printer settings stuck on default. Consequently, the company forced a compatibility safeguard and blocked the 22H2 feature update. The company has since resolved the problem and has provided an updated timeline for the issue:

• October 7, 2022: This safeguard hold has been updated to only safeguard Windows devices with printers using Microsoft IPP Class Driver or Universal Print Class Driver which currently only allow default settings. Please note, if there are no other safeguards that affect your device, it can take up to 48 hours before the upgrade to Windows 11 is offered. Restarting your device and checking for updates might help it to offer sooner.
• October 21, 2022: A troubleshooter has been released which will automatically download and resolve this issue on affected devices running Windows 11, version 22H2. Once the issue with the installed printer is resolved, the safeguard should be removed and you should be able to upgrade to Windows 11, version 22H2. Please note, if there are no other safeguards that affect your device, it can take up to 48 hours before the upgrade to Windows 11 is offered. Restarting your device and checking for updates might help the troubleshooter apply sooner.
• November 10, 2022: Any printer still affected by this issue should now get resolved automatically during upgrade to Windows 11, version 22H2.

Aside from these, other printer-related problems have also come up since, which include printing fails with domain user authentications, though to the credit of Microsoft, it also did manage to fix a printer bug on Windows 10 recently.

Microsoft finally lets you upgrade to Windows 11 22H2 after fixing a major printer bug

Battery life on your Windows 11 PC will depend a lot on your use cases. But regardless of your usage pattern, lithium-ion cells cannot remain as new forever — it is continuously degrading from the moment you first used your laptop.

As your laptop gets older, you will notice degradation in your laptop’s battery performance, and that’s normal. However, how much it has degraded over the years is something that you need to know. In fact, you would want to keep checking your battery health report, particularly if you work on something mission-critical on your laptop — you would hate to see your laptop turning off at such a time.

And if you are not a tech-savvy person, there are high chances you would not know how to generate a battery health report on Windows 11. This article will help you with not just finding your battery health report but it will also teach you how to interpret the data in that report.

But before getting too excited about the steps, you should make sure that your laptop gives you an accurate reading of the battery’s state of charge. And for that, you need to calibrate your old battery. This one is easy — you need to charge the battery to 100 percent and keep it that way for two to three hours. Now, unplug the charger, and then use your laptop until its battery drains all the way to 0 percent. Then, keep it charging until the battery percentage reaches 100. Congratulations! Your laptop's battery is now calibrated. You are now ready to generate your battery health report by following the below steps.

Get a battery health report in Windows 11

1. Press the Windows key on your keyboard, and type Command Prompt.
2. Press and hold (or right-click) Command Prompt, and then select Run as administrator.

   

    

3. Type the following command in Command Prompt:
   powercfg /batteryreport
4. Press Enter

   

    

   
   Note: the aforementioned steps also work on Windows 10 laptops. So, if you are still running Windows 10, you do not have to worry about if it will work.

Your battery health report is now generated as an HTML file and stored in a folder on your PC. The Command Prompt window will show you the exact file location so that you can quickly find the report. The HTML file will open in your default web browser, giving you a detailed report on your battery usage and its estimated capacity.

It is crucial to know how to read the battery health report. Two of the most important data points are the following:

1. Design Capacity: this is how much power (e.g., 45,200 mWh) your laptop is designed to store.
2. Full Charge Capacity: this is how much battery capacity (e.g., 32,620 mWh) is left currently.

Full Charge Capacity will be less than the Design Capacity, but the most important part is when it should become a cause for concern. Well, Full Charge Capacity should be at least 50 percent of the Design Capacity. If it is anything less than that, consider replacing the battery with a new one or buying a new laptop in case your system is already pretty old.

If you are getting a battery replacement, it should be calibrated as soon as possible (and you already know how to do that). It is recommended that you keep calibrating your battery once every two or three months to make sure that it remains healthy throughout its lifespan.

The battery report also consists of other important data points, including Recent usage, how the battery drained over the last seven days, Usage history, and more. These data points are self-explanatory, and you can interpret those data on your own.

If you are already familiar with these steps, when was the last time you checked your battery health report? Let us know in the comments.

How to get a detailed battery report in Windows 11, and how to read it

Now, more and more Windows 11 users are seeing a bigger search field on the Windows 11 taskbar. Microsoft placed it next to the Start icon and before any pinned icons. Windows 11 users who configured the taskbar alignment to be left, have the widgets icon placed on the right side of the search field.

Activation of search opens the main search interface. It is divided in two main columns: the left displays suggestions, e.g., apps to start, tips or suggestions, and the right content from the Web.

While that may be useful to some Windows 11 users, most may dislike it.

In contrast, opening Start displays pinned programs and, if still enabled, recommendations. Start includes search functionality as well, and the results window is actually using the Search interface.

In other words: it does not matter if a user searches from Start or the Search field, the resulting page is identical.

Why then keep the Search field enabled? Suggestions are basic and not useful to the majority of users. Some users may appreciate web results, but opening any browser displays similar content. Windows 11 users who like it can open the MSN website to get similar content.

It is easy enough to remove search. One additional advantage of doing so is that there is more space for icons on the taskbar.

Here is how you remove the Search field from Windows 11's taskbar:

1. Right-click on a blank spot on the Windows 11 taskbar and select Taskbar Settings. Alternatively, if there is no blank space left, open Start > Settings > Personalization > Taskbar to get there.
2. The Taskbar Items group at the top of the page that opens lists Search as one of the elements that users may display or hide. Just toggle it to off, and search is no longer displayed.

A click on Start, or a tap on the Windows-key opens the search options of the Start Menu. Just tap Windows and start to write to run a search on the system.

Closing Words

Microsoft pushes search on Windows for a specific reason, and it is not for the benefit of the user. Third party tools like the excellent Everything search or a Start replacement app, like Start11, are good options to skip the default Windows 11 search options entirely.

Now You: do you use the built-in search on Windows, or an alternative?

The big search field on Windows 11's taskbar is unnecessary

• Fixed the issue responsible for failing to create presentations in PowerPoint
• Fixed the issue where text in Word was unexpectedly hidden by a shape

You can read the complete official changelog to learn more about the fixes Microsoft is rolling out.

Office Version 2212 (Build 15911.20000) Changelog

PowerPoint

Notable fix

• We fixed an issue where a new presentation was not created when using the PowerPoint.createPresentation API.

Word

Notable fix

• We fixed an issue where text was unexpectedly hidden by a shape even though the text wrapping option was selected.

Office Suite

Notable fix

• We fixed an issue where applying the blockcontentexecutionfrominternet policy would prevent files containing an embedded macro to no longer to run.

Microsoft is currently testing these changes with Office Insiders, so the general public cannot see them right now. The good news is that they will eventually be available for all Office users. Meanwhile, Beta Channel Insiders on Windows will get another new Office Build next Friday, and we are hoping that the upcoming Office update for Windows will be much more exciting with lots of new features and changes.

To update the Microsoft Office Insider Preview Build to the latest version, open any Office program and go to File> Account> Update Options> Update Now.

Microsoft releases Office Version 2212 (Build 15911.20000) with new features

Outside of just aesthetic changes related to how the Settings page appears, Microsoft is also working on some other stuff inside Settings, one that could interest Windows enthusiasts and users who like going digging inside Settings.

The Startup apps page in Settings, which lists the various apps that run when Windows boots up, is getting a change. While the feature is hidden for now, it looks like Microsoft is working on this option to allow users to view the installation directory or file location of such apps in case they were based on Win32. This could certainly come in handy if they don't want to do the same thing via the Task Manager. However, this new option is seemingly more useful due to the more detailed information in certain cases.

The change was spotted by Windows detective PhantomOcean3 - who loves digging such hidden features out - in the latest Dev build 25247.

We list the steps below to enable this feature but keep in mind they are hidden since these are work-in-progress and not fully tested.

Caution: Unannounced features are often raw, unstable, or borderline unusable. Back up important data before using the ViveTool app and enabling hidden options. Remember that using stable Windows 11 is the best way to ensure your system remains as bug-free as possible.

Here's how to do so:

1. Download ViveTool from GitHub and unpack the files somewhere convenient.
2. Press Win + X and select Terminal (Admin).
3. Switch Windows Terminal to Command Prompt profile by pressing Ctrl + Shift + 2 or clicking the arrow-down button at the top of the window.
4. Navigate to the folder containing the extracted files using the CD command. For example, if you have extracted ViveTool to C:\Vive, type CD C:\Vive.
5. Type vivetool /enable /id:41075629 and press Enter.
6. Restart your computer.

In case you want to disable the feature again, repeat the steps above and replace /enable with /disable in the commands on steps 5 and 6.

Besides this, Microsoft has also brought back a hidden feature that was first seen in a previous build 22581. It's related to the option for recycling your PC.

Aside from these changes in the Settings menu, Microsoft is also working on adding a Never combine taskbar buttons option in Windows 11 too.

Microsoft working on changes inside Windows 11 Settings for Startup apps, and more

The "Go back to earlier build" UI is not something you will use daily, if ever. It lets you uninstall the latest feature update or return to a previous Windows Insider build. Still, even though some users do not even know that that dialog box exists, the redesigned variant is another step in making Windows 11 more modern, consistent, and beautiful.

Here is how the new UI compares to the old:

Old

New

And here is the dark variant:

You can enable the new "Go back to earlier build" dialog box using the ViveTool app.

Caution: Unannounced features are often raw, unstable, or borderline unusable. Back up important data before enabling hidden options using the ViveTool app. Remember that stable Windows 11 builds are the best way to ensure your system remains as bug-free as possible.

How to enable the redesigned "Go back" dialog box in Windows 11 build 25247

1. Download ViveTool from GitHub and unpack the files.
2. Press Win + X and select Terminal (Admin).
3. Switch Windows Terminal to Command Prompt profile by pressing Ctrl + Shift + 2 or clicking the arrow-down button at the top of the window.

   

4. Navigate to the folder containing the extracted files using the CD command. For example, if you have copied ViveTool to C:\Vive, type CD C:\Vive.
5. Type vivetool /enable /id:36390579 and press Enter.
6. Type vivetool /enable /id:41670003 and press Enter.
7. Open the Settings app and go to Windows Update > Advanced Options > Recovery > Go back.

If you change your mind and want to restore the original Metro variant, repeat the steps above and replace /enable with /disable in the commands on steps 5 and 6.

Thank you, @PhantomofEarth, for sharing the findings!

Settings app gets a more modern design in Windows 11 build 25247

The Suggested Actions feature is available to some US insiders only as Microsoft begins to roll it out and monitor feedback. However, you can try to force-enable it alongside additional variants that modify how the feature works and behaves. As usual, you need the ViveTool app to tinker with Windows 11's guts.

Caution: Unannounced features are often raw, unstable, or borderline unusable. Back up important data before enabling hidden options using the ViveTool app. Remember that stable Windows 11 builds are the best way to ensure your system remains as bug-free as possible.

How to open Suggested Actions in Chrome in Windows 11 build 25247

1. Download ViveTool from GitHub and place the files in a convenient and easy-to-reach folder.
2. Press Win + X and select Terminal (Admin).
3. Switch Windows Terminal to Command Prompt profile by pressing Ctrl + Shift + 2 or clicking the arrow-down button at the top of the window.

   

4. Navigate to the folder containing the extracted ViveTool files using the CD command. For example, if you have copied ViveTool to C:\Vive, type CD C:\Vive.
5. Type vivetool /enable /id:41539325 /variant:1 and press Enter. If you want to use the new Suggested Actions feature as Microsoft wants, type vivetool /enable /id:41539325.
6. Restart your computer.

You can also try other Suggested Actions modifications. Variant:2 replaces "search the web" with "search copied text," while retaining the ability to search in Chrome. Variant:3 works as the released configuration, and variant:4 shows the "search copied text" button with no option to select which browser to open.

Microsoft says that new features in the Dev channel are not final, which means you can expect changes and improvements in future releases as the company figures out what to ship to the general public. Finally, you can just toggle off the Suggested Actions feature using the vivetool /disable /id:41539325 command.

Windows 11 25247 lets you use Suggested Actions with Chrome, here is how to enable it

What is new in build 25247

New Features:

Access Windows Studio Effects from Quick Settings

Windows Studio effects can now be accessed directly from Quick Settings on the taskbar, for devices that have a supported Neural Processing Unit (NPU). This makes it quick and easy to enable and configure camera effects (Background Blur, Eye Contact, and automatic framing) and audio effects (Voice Focus). You can still access these effects in the Settings pages if desired.

Energy Recommendations

We are beginning to roll out Energy Recommendations under Settings > System > Power & Battery > Energy Recommendations. Review and apply these recommendations to improve the energy efficiency of your PC and reduce your carbon footprint.

Task Manager Improvements

We have a set of Task Manager improvements rolling out with this build.

Filter processes: We are bringing process filtering to Task Manager. This is the top feature request from our users to filter/search for processes. You can filter either using the binary name, PID or publisher name. The filter algorithm matches the context keyword with all possible matches and displays them on the current page. The filter is also applied as you switch between pages. You can also use the keyboard shortcut ALT + F to focus on the filter box. This is a helpful feature if you want to single out a process or a group of processes and want to take action or just monitor the performance of the filtered processes.

Better theme support: We have added the ability to use your preferred theme in Task Manager regardless of the active theme in Windows. You can set it in the setting page in Task Manager.

Task Manager now also supports themes for in-app dialogs. All dialog except for “Run new task” and Properties dialog now support themes and will adhere to either app specific theme or Windows theme.

Improved Efficiency mode dialog: We are making it easy for you to apply Efficiency mode and offering the ability to opt-out of the confirmation dialog. You can make changes on the Efficiency mode dialog box by unchecking “Don’t ask me again” or you can enable/disable it the settings for Task Manager.

New Suggested Action

On copying text with search potential, Windows will pop up an inline light dismissible UI that suggests searching this text in Microsoft Edge. Upon user selection of the search action, a new Edge tab is launched to search the copied text. This will initially be available for Insiders in the U.S. only.

Updates to your cloud storage in settings for Windows 11

With today’s build, the Settings app supports new visuals on your Accounts page to provide a visual overview of your cloud storage usage across Microsoft products. The new visuals include a consolidated cloud storage bar that shows your storage usage for each product and notifies you if you’re running low on storage. We removed the quota bar from our subscriptions card to eliminate duplication on these visuals.

In the months to come, you will also see updates to what Microsoft 365 apps and services data is included in your cloud storage. These updates may impact your storage amount starting February 1st, 2023. Learn more about cloud storage here.

Changes and Improvements:

General

• Earlier this week, we released an optional .NET update (2022-11 Cumulative Update Preview for .NET Framework 3.5 and 4.8.1 for Windows Version Next for x64 (KB5020992)) to Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel designed to test delivery of .NET improvements in the future. This .NET update does not include anything new and will be available under Settings > Windows Update > Advanced Options > Optional Updates If you run into any issues finding or installing this update, please submit feedback via Feedback Hub.

Start menu

• We’ve been working on adding more valuable content to the Recommended section in Start and are excited to introduce a new content type: websites. For the first phase, we will recommend common websites based on your region or browsing history to help you easily get back to the websites you care about. This can be controlled by right-clicking on a website and choosing to remove that website individually or to stop showing all recommended websites entirely. Only some Insiders will see this experience and, if you do, please share your feedback.

Taskbar and System Tray

• In response to user feedback, we are introducing the capability to show seconds in the clock on the system tray. This feature can be enabled by toggling the option listed under Settings > Personalization > Taskbar in the Taskbar behavior section. You can also right-click on taskbar to quickly get to taskbar settings. We are beginning to roll this change out so not all Windows Insiders will see this change right away, but we hope to make it available to everyone soon.

Search on the Taskbar

• We made performance improvements that will allow more files and content on your PC to show up as results in the Windows search box. We look forward to hearing your feedback on whether you notice an improvement with your file results within Windows.

Input

• Switched the touch keyboard icon option under Settings > Personalization > Taskbarfrom being a toggle to now being a dropdown where you can select Never, Always, or When no keyboard attached.
• We are including two new keyboard layouts in this flight. These keyboards implement the two new French keyboard layout standards (AZERTY and BÉPO). The new layouts are designed to allow the user to type all the required characters of the French language. They also include support for all the Latin-based languages of the European Union as well as Greek letters and a large variety of scientific, mathematical, and financial symbols. To enable one of these layouts, go to Settings > Time & language > Language & region and select Language options under the ellipsis for the language you would like to use this keyboard with. On the Options page, select “Add a keyboard” and look for the new keyboard layouts “French (Standard, AZERTY)” or “French (Standard, BÉPO)”. The previous AZERTY layout now displays as (Legacy, AZERTY).
• We have made improvements to Emoji search for Japanese and Simplified Chinese by handling Kana/Kanji and Pinyin properly in the emoji panel.

And now to the fixes:

General

• Fixed a bug causing some users to receive a SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION bugcheck citing an error with win32kfull.sys when installing via the Build 25227 Dev Channel ISO. Today’s release of the Build 25247 ISO should not exhibit this bug.
• We fixed the issue causing pseudolocalized text to unexpectedly appear across the system for Insiders, leading to (amongst other things) what appeared to be garbled text in the navigation headings of Start’s all apps list for Chinese users.

Taskbar & System Tray

• When using the bottom right edge gesture to see Quick Settings, the tablet-optimized taskbar will no longer be stuck in the expanded state, instead of dismissing to collapsed state.
• Fixed multiple explorer.exe crashes impacting taskbar performance.
• Fixed the issue where certain chat apps (that supported it) weren’t flashing with new messages or opening a preview on hover in the system tray.
• The new show hidden icons flyout’s animation should now be consistent with other taskbar flyouts and the arrow will now rotate when open versus closed.
• Fixed an issue causing the do not disturb icon to disappear while in do not disturb mode.
• Fixed an issue where invoking the context menu for items in the system tray might not put the context menu in the foreground and it would get stuck behind the taskbar.
• The pin/unpin visual will now display when dragging system tray icons to any position along the system tray, and not only when hovering over the show hidden icons button.
• The show hidden icons flyout background color should now align with your accent color if “Show accent color on Start and taskbar” is enabled in Settings > Personalization > Colors.
• Fixed an issue where the taskbar was sometimes flashing when transitioning between desktop posture and tablet posture.
• Fixed an issue which was causing certain third-party app icons in the system tray to be unresponsive after the latest system tray changes.
• The Windows Update icon in the system tray should no longer look pixelated after changing between light and dark mode.
• Fixed an issue that was causing the NVIDIA icon in the system tray to show empty notifications.
• Fixed an issue where the weak charger warning (a warning icon on the battery icon) in some cases was not displaying when it should have been.

Input

• Fixed a bug that caused the text cursor to become white on white when hovering over text fields, making it difficult to see.
• Fixed an issue which could result in the touch keyboard / PIN entry keyboard being unable to input text on the login screen.
• Fixed a recent issue where the Japanese IME candidate window might fail to display proper candidates when using reconversion in certain edit controls.
• We’re rolling out changes to improve the reliability of the touch keyboard, IME candidate window, and IME toolbar. It includes fixes for an issue where the IME candidate window and IME toolbar weren’t shown or cropped sometimes and an issue where a blank window titled “Windows Input Experience” appeared sometimes after resuming from the sleep.
• We addressed a rare issue which could lead to certain apps crashing after interacting with incorrectly spelled words that were flagged by the spellchecker.

File Explorer

• Fixed a GDI handle leak when opening Show More Options in the context menu, which could lead to graphical issues and an explorer.exe crash over time if you used this a lot.
• Fixed an issue for Insiders using the Arabic or Hebrew display language which was leading to text not displaying in the context menu when selecting Show More Options.
• Fixes a bug that was preventing certain phones from showing up in File Explorer when connected via USB in the last 2 Dev Channel flights.
• When connecting an iPhone via USB, iPhone photos will now be transferred in HEIF format instead of JPEG if the HEVC extension is installed.
• Fixed an issue which was causing .dotx Word templates to open as new documents instead of a template when you right clicked them and selected Open in File Explorer.

Settings

• Fixed an issue which was causing Settings to crash sometimes when connecting and disconnecting Bluetooth devices.

Windowing

• Fixed an issue where if you maximized a window and then dragged it along the top of the screen into the corner could result in the app getting stuck not being able to resize.
• Apps like Microsoft Edge should no longer unexpectedly show thick lines on the side of the windows.
• Fixed a DWM crash which was introduced in the latest Dev Channel flights.
• If you have two monitors on top of each other, the Desktops list in Task View should no longer appear to be floating in the middle of Task View.

Other

• Switching projection modes using WIN + P / the Project section of Quick Settings should work again now.
• Fixed a high hitting displayswitch.exe crash in recent Dev Channel builds.
• If memory integrity in the Windows Security app cannot be enabled due to incompatible drivers, the information about which drivers are incompatible is now selectable so you can copy it if needed.
• Fixed an issue where the dismiss button for alerts in the Windows Security app might not work.
• Fixed a rare issue which could lead to a DWM.exe crash when taking screenshots using the Xbox Game Bar.
• Fixed an issue where if you booted from an ISO to install Windows, the Windows Setup dialog would just show the text “Status” rather than actually displaying helpful text about the current status.
• Addressed a few issues when booting from an ISO to install Windows, where various items in the Windows Setup dialog weren’t being read out correctly by Narrator.
• Fixed issue where users sometimes could not use FIDO keys to log onto your PC when a full-screen logon message was displayed.
• Fixed a background crash for Windows Hello which was impacting setup and usage.
• Improved the experience on logon after booting up by reducing the performance impact of startup apps.
• Made a change to address a date formatting interoperability issue which was leading to domain login issues on some network shares.
• Did some work to fix an issue causing VmmemWSL to sometimes use an unexpectedly large amount of CPU and lead to freezing on ARM64 PCs over time.
• We fixed a bug which could cause your wallpaper to render only a partial section at the top sometimes.
• Fixed an issue what could lead MSTSC to stop responding when connecting to a RemoteApp or remote desktop.
• Fixed an issue which was causing the runas command to unexpectedly fail in certain cases with error 87 saying the parameter was incorrect (when it wasn’t).
• Fixed the Windows version name written in Microsoft Management Console’s help section.

Each Dev build has its list of known issues, and 25247 is no exception. Here is what is broken in the latest Windows 11 preview from the Dev Channel:

[General]

• We’re looking into reports that audio stopped working for some Insiders after upgrading to the latest flights.
• We’re investigating reports of crashes with a few different apps and games in recent builds.
• We’re working on the fix for an issue causing various UI elements in apps appear to disappear and reappear sometimes in recent builds.

Taskbar & System Tray

• [NEW] The taskbar is sometimes cropped in half when using the tablet-optimized taskbar.

Start Menu

• We’re working on the fix for an issue causing folders in Start menu to not open on the first try.

Search on the Taskbar

• [NEW] For certain files ending with .cmd, .exe or .bat you will need to press backspace after typing before you will see results.
• [Settings]
• [NEW] We are aware that the messaging for OneDrive storage is not the same between the System settings page and the Accounts settings page and will be resolved in a future update.

Task Manager

• [NEW] Filtering by publisher name does not match correctly on the Processes page.
• [NEW] Some services may not show in the Services page after filtering is applied.
• [NEW] If a new process is starting while a filter is set, then that process may appear for a split second in the filtered list.
• [NEW] Some dialogs may not render in the correct theme when applied from Task Manager Settings page.
• [NEW] The data content area of the Processes page may flash once when theme changes are applied in the Task Manager Settings page.
• [NEW] There’s an issue we’re investigating where Task Manager isn’t displaying light and dark content correctly, leading to unreadable text. This happens when you have your mode in Settings > Personalization > Colors set to Custom – as a workaround for the time being, please switch it to Light or Dark.
• [NEW] The Startup apps page in Task manager does not list any apps for some Insiders. If you are impacted, please use Settings > Apps > Startup for the time being.

Widgets

• In right-to-left display languages like Arabic, content animates out of view before the widgets board resizes when clicking to expanded view of the widgets board.

You can install Windows 11 build 25247 by heading to Settings > Windows Update. Alternatively, get the official ISO files for clean installations. As usual, Microsoft urges every Windows Insider to share their thoughts using Feedback Hub. To do so, press Win + F and select the matching category.

Windows 11 build 25247 adds websites recommendations to Start menu, tray clock seconds, more

Microsoft says Windows 11 build 22621.898 (KB5010044) has brought new storage alerts for OneDrive subscribers. The Settings app will start displaying banners on the System page once you get closer to the limit of your OneDrive storage. Those banners conveniently have links that let you buy more space in Microsoft's cloud.

Here is how Microsoft describes the latest additions to the Settings app:

• New! We gave Microsoft OneDrive subscribers storage alerts on the Systems page in the Settings app. The alerts appear when you are close to your storage limit. You can also manage your storage and purchase additional storage, if needed.
• New! We provided the full amount of storage capacity from all your OneDrive subscriptions. It also displays the total storage on the Accounts page in the Settings app.

Besides adding storage alerts, Windows 11 build 22621.898 has introduced the Windows Spotlight theme and a large list of various fixes and minor improvements. You can check out what is new in Windows 11 build 22261.898 in our dedicated article.

This is not the first time Microsoft is adding OneDrive-related notifications to Windows 11. The company recently introduced Start menu badges that can push OneDrive "ads" and other notifications.

Windows 11's Settings app to start displaying warnings when you run out of OneDrive storage

The ability to sign in with a QR code is one of the features Microsoft is testing with Skype Insiders. It is also testing the ‘What’s new’ link, and clicking on it will reveal all the changes added in an update. ‘Sign in with QR code’ and ‘What’s New’ links can be found on the user avatar/user name page.

Another new functionality is the clickable or tappable message, which allows users to open the chat panel in the side bar and then navigate to the message by clicking the text over a user’s feed. This feature is also available on all platforms.

Aside from these changes, Skype 8.91.76.304 also includes bug fixes and stability improvements. You can check out the complete official changelog below.

Skype 8.91.76.304 Changelog

Clickable/tappable message that appears over the user's feed during a video call, in full screen on all Platforms. On desktop and tablet, when a user clicks the text over a user's feed, the chat panel opens in the side bar and you can navigate to the message. On mobile, when a user taps the text over the user's feed, the chat opens and you can navigate to the message.

'Sign in with QR code' and 'What's New' links, added to the bottom list of items, when you clip/tap your user avatar/user name on all Platforms. Easily access 'Sign in with QR code' and 'What's New'.

Stability improvements

Bug fixes:

• Notification issues on Amazon FireOS

• On changing the language continuously, the Done button was disabled on Windows

• Call and messaging issues on Android for some of our users in China

It is important to note that these changes are available for those who registered themselves as Skype Insiders. If you are not an Insider, you will not get Skype 8.91.76.304. But chances are these changes will eventually be available for the general public after the testing is done with Insiders.

Meanwhile, Skype build 8.91.76.304 is rolling out across all platforms. However, Microsoft says the update will be rolled out to users gradually in the next couple of days, and, therefore, there is no need to worry if you haven’t got it yet.

What do you think about these new features and improvements if you are a Skype user? Let us know in the comments section.

Microsoft releases Skype 8.91.76.304 with new features and bug fixes

The issue in question was caused by this month's Patch Tuesday update, and it led to failures with Kerberos authentications when performing numerous activities, such as domain user sign-in, Remote Desktop connection failures for domain users, and printing that may require domain user authentication.

In an update on its Windows health dashboard, Microsoft has announced that it is releasing out-of-band (OOB) updates that need to be installed on all DCs in your environment. The company has cautioned that no other changes are required on client or server devices, so if you made any to work around the issue yourself, you can safely remove them.

It is important to understand that this latest patch is not delivered via Windows Update. Customers need to manually search for specific KB numbers in the Microsoft Update Catalog in order to download and install the updates. The KB numbers for server SKUs are listed below:

• Cumulative updates
  • Windows Server 2022: KB5021656
  • Windows Server 2019: KB5021655
  • Windows Server 2016: KB5021654
• Standalone Updates
  • Windows Server 2012 R2: KB5021653
  • Windows Server 2012: KB5021652
  • Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1: This update is not yet available. Please check here in the coming week for more information.
  • Windows Server 2008 SP2: KB5021657

Depending upon what release cadence its customers have opted for, Microsoft has also published the following guidance:

If you are using security only updates for these versions of Windows Server, you only need to install these standalone updates for the month of November 2022. Security only updates are not cumulative, and you will also need to install all previous Security only updates to be fully up to date. Monthly rollup updates are cumulative and include security and all quality updates. If you are using Monthly rollup updates, you will need to install both the standalone updates listed above to resolve this issue, and install the Monthly rollups released November 8, 2022 to receive the quality updates for November 2022. If you have already installed updates released November 8, 2022, you do not need to uninstall the affected updates before installing any later updates including the updates listed above.

The update affects pretty much all server and client versions of Windows, so it's good to see Microsoft releasing OOB updates for critical issues such as these instead of waiting for next month's Patch Tuesday cycle to kick off.

Microsoft releases OOB Windows update to fix Domain Controller Kerberos authentication issue

Although this build doesn't come with any exciting new UI related features, Microsoft has now combined the Windows Spotlight feature that puts a new wallpaper from Bing on your desktop every day, with Themes on the Personalization page. There's also some OneDrive improvements such as storage alerts in the System Settings app, along with OneDrive subscription details in the Accounts page of the Settings app to further integrate Microsoft's services into Windows 11.

The full changelog is below:

• New! We gave Microsoft OneDrive subscribers storage alerts on the Systems page in the Settings app. The alerts appear when you are close to your storage limit. You can also manage your storage and purchase additional storage, if needed.
• New! We provided the full amount of storage capacity from all your OneDrive subscriptions. It also displays the total storage on the Accounts page in the Settings app.
• New! We combined Windows Spotlight with Themes on the Personalization page. This makes it easier for you to discover and turn on the Windows Spotlight feature.
• New! We added the organizational messages feature. With it, third-party companies can now provide content to their employees. They do not need to use the default behavior of Windows.
• We fixed an issue that affected some modern applications. It stopped them from opening.
• We fixed an issue that affected some devices that are managed by an enterprise. We improved the reliability of app installations for them.
• We fixed an issue that affected daylight saving time (DST) in the Republic of Fiji. It canceled DST for 2022.
• We fixed an issue that affected Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM) authentication hardening. We will automatically raise the authentication level for all non-anonymous activation requests from DCOM clients to RPC_C_AUTHN_LEVEL_PKT_INTEGRITY. This occurs if the authentication level is below Packet Integrity.
• We fixed an issue that affected Unified Update Platform (UUP) on-premises customers. It removed the block that stopped them from getting offline language packs.
• We fixed an issue that affected process creation. It failed to create security audits for it and other related audit events.
• We fixed an issue that affected cluster name objects (CNO) or virtual computer objects (VCO). Password reset failed. The error message was, “There was an error resetting the AD password… // 0x80070005”.
• We fixed an issue that affected transparency in layered windows. This occurred when you were in High Definition remote applications integrated locally (RAIL) mode.
• We fixed an issue that affected certain applications. They stopped working. This occurred when you used keyboard shortcuts to change the input mode for the Japanese Input Method Editor (IME).
• We fixed an issue that affected microphone streams that used the Listen To feature to route to the speaker endpoint. The microphone stopped working after you restarted the device.
• We fixed an issue that might have affected applications that run on the Windows Lock Down Policy (WLDP). They might have stopped working.
• We fixed an issue that affected Microsoft Defender when it is not the primary antivirus. Microsoft Defender failed to turn off passive mode. This issue occurred when you turned off Smart App Control (SAC).
• We added .wcx to the list of Dangerous Extensions that some app control policies do not allow.
• We fixed an issue that affected Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. Automated investigation blocked live response investigations.
• We fixed an issue that affected printing in landscape mode in Microsoft Edge. The print output was incorrect. This issue occurred when you used Microsoft Defender Application Guard.
• We fixed an issue that caused File Explorer to stop working. This occurred when you closed context menus and menu items.
• We fixed an issue that might have caused certain apps to stop responding. This occurred when you opened the Open File dialog.
• We fixed an issue that sometimes affected File Explorer when you opened a file. Because of this, there was high CPU usage.
• We fixed an issue that affected protocol activation of the Settings app. The app failed to open a page under the Accounts category.
• We fixed an issue that affected a computer account. Use of non-standard characters stopped the cleanup of the Out of Box Experience (OOBE) accounts.
• We fixed an issue that affected the CopyFile It might have sometimes returned error 317: ERROR_MR_MID_NOT_FOUND.

Microsoft did not share any known issues with this build.

Opting into Window Spotlight has never been easier!

This build does not appear to include any staggered rollouts, as that is not mentioned in this month's Release Preview update, so all of the new OneDrive integrations, Windows Spotlight in Themes, and organizational messages feature should be available to everyone immediately after updating.

You can view the original blog post here.

Windows 11 Release Preview (KB5020044) fixes high CPU usage in File Explorer and more

The key highlight of this release is that VMware Workstation 17.0 Pro now supports virtual Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 which is a mandatory requirement for running Windows 11 through official means. The introduction of this feature means that the virtualization software now officially supports Windows 11 as a guest OS (there was already a workaround before), along with many other new additions such as Windows Server 2022, RHEL 9, Debian 11.x, and Ubuntu 22.04.

There are several other useful features too, including auto start of local virtual machines when the host machine boots up, the ability to choose between Full or Fast encryption, support for OpenGL 4.3 (guest OS should be Windows 7 or higher, or Linux with Mesa 22.0.0, or Linux kernel 5.16.0), and Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) version 1.2. That said, you should know that it is no longer possible to mount a virtual machine to a drive on the host OS.

There are a couple of known issues to be aware of too. You might see the incorrect version number when you select an ISO image of a FreeBSD, but it does not impact the actual installation. You may also encounter a blank screen on the virtual machine console on host boot up if you have configured auto start. There are a couple of workarounds and lots of other minor fixes that you can check out here.

With this release, VMware Workstation Pro has joined the ranks of VirtualBox in offering official support for Windows 11 through a virtual TPM 2.0. It'll be interesting to see if this gets more people to try out Windows 11 on a virtual machine ahead of installing it on their primary machine.

VMware Workstation 17.0 Pro now live with Windows 11 guest OS and virtual TPM 2.0 support

What’s New

• Enhancement of audio recording quality
• Enhancement of OAuth scenarios
• Support for MPEG2 decoding
• Improvements to the camera experience when the device is not equipped with a camera
• Improvements in input reliability
• Chromium update to 106

Although we're not sure what improvements to the camera experience there can be without a physical camera, our test machine includes one, so we couldn't test. Microsoft did not share any known issues with this update.

You can find the official blog post here.

Windows Subsystem for Android November update brings camera improvements and more

Microsoft has not formally announced the updated clock yet, and the feature is not available "out of box." As is tradition, you need to enable it using the ViveTool app and a dedicated ID (generously provided by @PhantomOfEarth). Here is how.

Note: You cannot enable seconds in the system tray clock on "regular" Windows Insider builds. Only Windows Server build 25246 has this feature for now.

Caution: Unannounced features are often raw, unstable, or borderline unusable. Back up important data before using the ViveTool app and enabling hidden options. Remember that using stable Windows 11 is the best way to ensure your system remains as bug-free as possible.

How to enable seconds for the clock in the system tray in Windows Server build 25246

1. Download ViveTool from GitHub and unpack the files somewhere convenient.
2. Press Win + R and type cmd.
3. Navigate to the folder containing the extracted files using the CD command. For example, if you have extracted ViveTool to C:\Vive, type CD C:\Vive.
4. Type vivetool /enable /id:41314201 and press Enter.
5. Go to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar behaviors and place a checkmark next to the Show seconds in system tray clock option.

   

    

6. Restart the system.

Will you enable the seconds feature once it arrives for "regular" Windows Insiders? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Windows 11 will soon let you enable seconds in system tray clock

However, that was on November 4th, and the firm confirmed last week that no Dev build was planned. And it might be another week with no new Windows 11 Dev release. Yesterday, when a Twitter user inquired about a possible new build, Microsoft confirmed that wasn't happening.

When the same eager user asked Microsoft about a build today, Microsoft again responded in the negative, in a somewhat humorous way.

While those looking forward to a build today are probably disappointed by this news, there are still a lot of leaks that have happened recently which are of interest. For example, it looks like Microsoft may finally be adding a Never combine taskbar buttons setting as possible traces of such a feature have been discovered in the latest Windows Server build. It also looks like seconds will finally be available in the system tray clock.

Microsoft has confirmed there is no Windows 11 Dev build today, again

Microsoft says those sticking to Windows 10 might encounter a weird bug causing the taskbar to disappear momentarily. Also, the entire system might hang and become unresponsive.

Although the problem sounds scary, Microsoft has already implemented the necessary fixes and rolled back the troublemaking code to undo the damage. Affected devices should restore to normal operating mode within 24 hours. However, users can speed up the process by restarting their systems or applying a special Group Policy (only on enterprise-managed devices). You can find more information about Known Issue Rollback in the official documentation.

The Known Issue Rollback feature or KIR frequently helps Microsoft solve Windows bugs on the fly without requiring additional updates or patches. KIR recently helped fix broken Direct Access on various Windows 10 and 11 versions, restoring the ability to connect to remote networks without VPN networks.

Despite this, Microsoft still has several known bugs to resolve. The software giant is working on fixing problems with Kerberos authentication, domain operations error "0xaac (2732)," Secure Boot DBX update issues, and performance degradations in various games.

Microsoft confirms problems with taskbar in Windows 10

Here is what is new in Rufus 3.21 Beta:

• Allow the provision of an arbitrary local account username in the Windows User Experience dialog.
• Improve Windows version reporting from ISO/.wim
• Update UEFI:NTFS' NTFS drivers to v1.4 and exFAT drivers to v1.9
• Switch to remote download for nonstandard GRUB (Fedora 37, openSUSE Live, GeckoLinux)
• Fix UEFI:NTFS partition not being set in MBR mode for ISOs with a >4GB file (UwUntu)
• Fix GRUB support for Arch and derivatives, when a non FAT compliant label is used (#2086)
• Fix incorrect detection of GRUB with nonstandard prefixes
• Fix tab order not working on the Windows User Experience dialog

You can download the latest Rufus Beta from the app's repository on GitHub. Stable versions (portable and installable) are also available on the official website. If you prefer using stable software, check out what is new in Rufus 3.20. If you are new to Rufus, see our guide describing how to create a Windows 11 bootable USB using Rufus.

Rufus 3.21 Beta is out with improved Windows support and several fixes

Frontpaged:   Rufus 3.21.1947 BETA

Among the updated packages are PHP 8.1, Ruby 3.1, Node.js 18, Apache HTTP Server 2.4.53, GCC 11.2.1, glibc 2.34, binutils 2.35.2, GDB 10.2, Valgrind 3.19, SystemTap 4.7, Dyninst 12.1.0, elfutils 0.187, PCP 5.3.7, Grafana 7.5.13, GCC Toolset 12, LLVM Toolset 14.0.6, Rust Toolset 1.62, and Go Toolset 1.18.

If you’re using RHEL for Workstations 9.1, this update now brings native support for Mozilla Firefox to Wayland sessions. The company said that the firefox-x11 package can always be installed if you need XWayland/X11 GTK+ backend support. If you use Microsoft SQL, this update lets you install, configure, and tune single-node SQL Server environments and SQL Server always-on availability groups via the High Availability Add-On.

For users of Red Hat Satellite, version 6.12 is included with RHEL 9.1 and brings several improvements including an updated web interface, performance improvements, and a remote execution pull mode. If you want to download RHEL 9.1, head to the Product Download page, but you’ll need an account.

Red Hat pushes RHEL 9.1 with updated packages and more

In a bid to improve the virtual meeting experience and boost engagement, Microsoft is adding a number of casual games to its chatting and video-calling service – Microsoft Teams.

The tech giant has added a new app called Games for Work to its video-conferencing tool which will allow users to switch to some casual gaming titles and play them together. The app includes games like IceBreakers, Wordament, Minesweeper, and Solitaire and will support as many as 250 people together.

Microsoft asserts that while some people playing games during working hours are nothing more than a source of distraction, in reality, the benefits such activities are plentiful. It cites a report by Brigham Young University to support its claims. The study findings reveal teams that play short video games together remain 20 percent more productive after playing video games for just 45 minutes than those who participate in more traditional team-building activities.

The company further notes that with the sudden shift to remote and hybrid working environments, the networks of relationships among people who live and work together are weakening. Games can offer an easy way to connect and rebuild the weakening bonds within teams.

More importantly, the games supported on the platform are safe for work (“E” rated) and ads-free. Each game within the app emphasizes a different component of team building.

Microsoft has encouraged customers to try these games to boost productivity and have fun simultaneously. In Teams-related news, the company has announced a new license type called "Teams Shared Device", which you can read more about here.

Microsoft is adding games to Teams to make virtual meetings a lot more exciting

The meeting was attended by representatives of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) - Kanpur, Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Technology, Confederation of Indian Industry, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEF).

The government is holding wide-ranging consultations that are aimed to standardize two charging systems, one for all smartphones, tablets, and compatible devices while the other for low-cost feature phones.

AJay Garg of Electronic Industries Association of India, said:

“Globally, the shift is pivoted towards USB-C ports, so it would make sense for us to adopt it too. One important point is that the rate of technological obsolescence in the electronic industry is very high and what is in today is out tomorrow."

It is estimated that India generated 5 million tonnes of e-waste in 2021, ranking behind only China and the US. Another major concern is that once EU makes the shift, obsolete phones and other equipment could be dumped in India.

The Ministry of Consumer Affairs has also formed a sub-group under the task force to examine the feasibility of a uniform charging port for wearables such as smart watches and smart bands.

Just like in Europe, the Indian government's decision will impact Apple devices the most. Although, Apple has promised to "comply" with the law.

The government of India is currently planning for a phased roll-out of the common charging port so that the same can be applied by the industry and adopted by consumers simultaneously.

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