Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22621.586 and Build 22622.586 (KB5016701) to the Beta Channel.

• Build 22622.586 = New features rolling out.
• Build 22621.586 = New features off by default.

Here are all the improvements in the Beta builds 22621.586 and 22622.586:

Fixes in Build 22622.586

[General]

• We fixed an issue causing DWM crashes (leading to black flashes or content stuck on the screen) for Insiders on 22622.575.
• We fixed an issue causing SQL Server Management Studio to fail to launch for some Insiders.

[File Explorer]

• Fixed an issue causing the left-half of the File Explorer title bar to not be draggable via mouse or touch for some Insiders.
• Selecting multiple folders and then using the context menu option to open them in a new tab will now actually do that, rather than opening the first folder in a new tab and all the others in a new window.
• We fixed an issue causing Home, Documents, Pictures, and potentially other folders to become unexpectedly duplicated in File Explorer’s navigation pane or appear on the desktop.
• We fixed an explorer.exe crash which could happen when closing a newly opened File Explorer window.
• We fixed an issue where the search box background in File Explorer might be the opposite color of your current mode (for example dark in light mode).
• Fixed an issue where File Explorer would appear to open, close, and re-open before it finished drawing after being launched from certain places (for example when opening the location of a downloaded file from Microsoft Edge).
• Fixed an issue which could lead to explorer.exe crashing when File Explorer was closed.
• The up arrow should no longer be misaligned in File Explorer.
• • Removed the toolbar some people were unexpectedly seeing (with View / Edit / etc.) after the introduction of tabs in File Explorer. As part of this, the “always show menus” option in Folder Options was also removed which didn’t do anything.
• Fixed an underlying explorer.exe crash which could happen when File Explorer launch was aborted, for example if you were attempting to access a network share from the Run dialog, were prompted for credentials, and then clicked cancel instead of entering them.
• Fixed an issue causing the delete key to unexpectedly not work on files in File Explorer sometimes.
• Fixed an issue which could lead to not being able to unpin Desktop, Pictures, or Documents folders from Quick access.
• Fixed an issue when dragging and dropping a folder to pin it to the navigation pane, that the line indicating where it would be inserted didn’t have enough contrast in dark mode.
• Fixed an issue where the min / max / close button might not be visible in File Explorer when using a contrast theme.

[Taskbar]

• Fixed an issue which could lead to the taskbar overflow flyout unexpectedly appearing on the opposite side of the screen.
• Fixed an issue where the taskbar overflow flyout might appear floating away from the taskbar if you opened it after a display scaling change.
• Fixed an issue where if you right clicked an app in the taskbar and selected Close all windows, it wasn’t bringing the app into the foreground anymore if it needed attention before closing (for example, if you hadn’t saved the contents of a Notepad window).
• Fixed an issue where explorer.exe might crash if you attempted to rearrange app icons on the taskbar while the taskbar overflow was open.
• Fixed an issue for Insiders with at least two monitors, where if the monitors had different DPI, the taskbar overflow could appear before it was needed or end up overlapped with the date and time on the secondary monitor.

[Settings]

• Fixed a Settings crash that could happen when uninstalling certain apps.
• We fixed an issue where the buttons for changing current view in Settings > Apps > Installed apps might unexpectedly show arrows overlaid on top.

[Suggested Actions]

• Fixed an issue where when Suggested Actions was enabled, if you copied multiple items in a row to your clipboard history, some of the items might not display after you pressed WIN + V.
• Your preferred state for the Suggested Actions setting under System > Clipboard should persist upgrade going forward from this build.

Here are the bug fixes for both Build 22621.586 and Build 22622.586:

• We fixed an issue where some Lenovo devices were not receiving updates as expected.
• We fixed an issue causing domain credentials to not work for some Insiders on the previous Beta Channel flight.
• We fixed an issue where the “Sync across your devices” option under Settings > System > Clipboard wouldn’t stay enabled.
• We fixed an issue that affects Microsoft Defender Application Guard (MDAG). It delays or stops MDAG from opening.
• We fixed an issue that affects URLs generated by JavaScript: URLs. These URLs do not work as expected when you add them to the Favorites menu in IE mode.
• We fixed an issue that forces the IE mode tabs in a session to reload.
• We fixed an issue that affects open in IE mode.
• We fixed an issue that successfully opens a browser window in IE mode to display a PDF file. Later, browsing to another IE mode site within the same window fails. 40411607
• We fixed an issue that might bypass MSHTML and ActiveX rules for Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC).
• We fixed an issue that affects the SharedPC account manager. The issue stops it from deleting many accounts during cleanup.
• We fixed an issue that affects a network’s static IP. The issue causes the configuration of the static IP to be inconsistent. Because of this, NetworkAdapterConfiguration() fails sporadically.
• We fixed an issue that affects the FindNextFileNameW() It might leak memory.

And finally, here are the known issues:

[General]

• We’re looking into reports that audio stopped working for some Insiders in recent Beta Channel builds.
• [NEW] A small percent of Insiders may experience repeated explorer.exe crashes on this build after attempting to access certain folders on your system. Insiders who have the Xbox Dev Kit installed will hit this. We’re working on a fix for this in a future flight.

[File Explorer]

• We’re working on the fix for an issue where the taskbar isn’t able to display if File Explorer is maximized and you have the taskbar set to auto-hide.

You can find the official blog post here.

Windows 11 Beta build 22622.586 (KB5016701) fixes DWM, Explorer issues, and more

The full changelog is given below:

First up, What's New:

Updated Touch Keyboard Settings

We are trying out a new touch keyboard setting that replaces the “Show the touch keyboard when there’s no keyboard attached” checkbox under Settings > Time & language > Typing > Touch keyboard with a new dropdown menu with 3 options to control whether tapping an edit control should launch the touch keyboard:

• “Never” suppresses the touch keyboard even when no hardware keyboard is attached.
• “When no keyboard attached” will show the touch keyboard only when the device is used as a tablet without the hardware keyboard.
• “Always” will show the touch keyboard even when the hardware keyboard is attached.

New touch keyboard settings.

[We are beginning to roll this out, so the experience isn’t available to all Insiders just yet as we plan to monitor feedback and see how it lands before pushing it out to everyone.]

Microsoft is looking for feedback on the new Touch Keyboard setting, they ask to file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Input and Language > Touch keyboard.

Changes and Improvements

[Windows Terminal]

• Windows Terminal is now the default terminal in Windows 11. This means, all command line applications will open in Windows Terminal automatically (Command Prompt and PowerShell, for example). The setting for this change can be found via Settings > Privacy & security > For developers. Please note that Windows Terminal version 1.15 or greater is required for this feature.

   

[Settings]

• Updated the Wi-Fi and VPN properties pages in Settings to now include a link to advanced properties for that network.

Here are all the Fixes for build 25188

[Taskbar]

• Fixed an issue related to the taskbar overflow which was impacting explorer.exe reliability.

   

[Start]

• Fixed an issue that was causing Start’s recommended to only show one column instead of two.

• Made a fix for Narrator mistakenly reading out the search box in Start twice.

• Fixed an issue where the access keys (underlined letters) in WIN + X had duplicate definitions when an update was pending reboot.

   

[File Explorer]

• Fixed an issue causing a small percentage of Insiders to experience repeated explorer.exe crashes after attempting to access certain folders on their systems in the last couple Dev Channel builds.

• Fixed a recent issue where if File Explorer was open when you switched between light and dark mode, you could end up with some unreadable text / UI showing the wrong color.

• Fixed an issue that was causing explorer.exe to crash when opening folders with certain images.

• The up arrow should no longer be misaligned in File Explorer.

• Fixed an issue which could lead to not being able to unpin Desktop, Pictures, or Documents folders from Quick access.

• Fixed an underlying explorer.exe crash which could happen when File Explorer launch was aborted, for example if you were attempting to access a network share from the Run dialog, were prompted for credentials, and then clicked cancel instead of entering them.

• If the tab title is too long to display completely in the available space, hovering your mouse over it will now show a tooltip with the full name.

• Fixed an issue which could lead to explorer.exe crashing when File Explorer was closed.

• Fixed an issue causing the delete key to unexpectedly not work on files in File Explorer sometimes.

• Removed the toolbar some people were unexpectedly seeing (with View / Edit / etc) after the introduction of tabs in File Explorer. As part of this, the “always show menus” option in Folder Options was also removed which didn’t do anything.

   

[Search]

• Fixed an underlying crash which could lead to search not launching.

• Searching for “detect displays” will now return Display Settings.

   

[Input]

• Made a number of updates to emoji keywords based on feedback, including fixing that searching for apple didn’t return the red apple emoji in Korean or Polish (in the respective languages), searching for trash or garbage in English should now return the wastebasket emoji, searching for roger in English should now return the saluting face emoji, and searching for bug will now return the ladybug emoji. Please continue sharing feedback about emoji search results under Input & Language > Emoji Panel in the Feedback Hub!

   

[Settings]

• Fixed an issue where in certain cases removing a printer from Settings wouldn’t work.

• Fixed an issue where the DNS suffix search list entry wasn’t displaying correctly in Settings.

• Fixed an issue where the buttons for changing current view in Settings > Apps > Installed apps might unexpectedly show arrows overlaid on top.

   

[Task Manager]

• Updated the positioning of the View button tooltip position so it shouldn’t block the close button in the title bar anymore.

• The arrow shown when sorting processes by CPU should no longer be black on black in certain cases when using dark mode.

• Updated the selection highlight color when you select rows on the Details or Services page to be less bright and more aligned with the other colors used with the updated Task Manager design.

   

[Other]

• Fixed an issue leading to missing / broken characters on the Bitlocker screen when using the Japanese display language.

• Fixed an issue where the Advanced Settings of an application pool on a remote IIS server would display a blank screen.

• Fixed an issue where Steps Recorder wouldn’t close when you pressed ALT + F4.

   

Apparently Microsoft is confident with some of the fixes that have been applied here, as they also note that some of the fixes noted above in build 25188 may make their way into the servicing updates for the released version of Windows 11.

Last but certainly not least, here are the Known Issues in build 25188:

[General]

• Some games that use Easy Anti-Cheat may crash or cause your PC to bugcheck.

• We’re looking into reports that audio stopped working for some Insiders after upgrading to the last flight.

• We’re investigating reports of a few different apps having started crashing in recent builds.

• [NEW] Enabling .NET Framework 3.5 from the Windows Features dialog will not work in this build. If you had it enabled prior to upgrading, it may become disabled. This will potentially lead to issues with apps that rely on these components. We’re working on a fix.

   

[File Explorer]

• We’re working on the fix for an issue where the search box background in File Explorer might be the opposite color of your current mode.

• We’re working on the fix for an issue where the taskbar isn’t able to display if File Explorer is maximized and you have the taskbar set to auto-hide.

• [NEW] A fix for File Explorer appearing to open and close before finally finishing drawing when launched from certain locations will be available in a future flight.

   

[Widgets]

• Notification badge number may appear misaligned on the taskbar.

• In some cases, the notification banner for some badging will not appear in the widgets board.

   

[Printing]

• We’re working on the fix for an issue in recent Dev Channel flights causing lines to not be included when printing tables from certain apps.

   

You can find the official blog post here.

Windows 11 Dev build 25188 has default Terminal, more legacy Settings moved over

Microsoft did not introduce too many new features in Windows 11. Snap Assist, a feature to manage program windows more efficiently, was well received when it was unveiled.

At its core, Snap Assist gives users an option at hand to align program windows on the screen based on a number of supported patterns. The layouts depend on the size of the display, but include options to align two windows side-by-side in a 50% to 50% and 75% to 25% , three windows side by side, three windows with a ratio of 25% to 50% to 25%, three windows with one occupying 50% of the screen and the other two windows split vertically, and four windows with each taking up 25% of the space.

Snap Assist is accessed by hovering the mouse cursor over the maximize button of windows. The keyboard shortcut Windows-Z may also be used to invoke the feature.

Windows 11 displays the available layouts and the selection of one of the layouts aligns the active window and other windows that are open accordingly. Users may choose the location of the active window and of other windows that they want to be visible again.

The beauty of Snap Assist is that it extends Windows' ability to display multiple windows next to each other on the screen without getting in the way. In fact, many Windows 11 users are probably unaware that Snap Assist does exist. Even those who know that it exists, may forget that it is an option at times.

Windows supports snapping two program windows next to each other on the desktop. All it takes for that is to drop a program window to the left or right side of the screen. Microsoft introduced support for snapping windows to a quarter of the screen in Windows 10. There, users had options to display one window on one side of the screen and two windows split in half vertically, or four windows on the screen, with each occupying a corner of the screen.

Snap Assist extends the availably layouts on larger displays and integrates the functionality so that it becomes accessible in the program window itself.

Snap Assist in Windows 11 2022 Update

Microsoft improves Snap Assist in two meaningful ways in the upcoming feature update for Windows 11. Keyboard users who use Snap Assist with the shortcut Windows-Z will notice that numbers are now displayed for each of the available layouts.

In the release version of Windows 11, keyboard users had no option to select one of the layouts using the keyboard. With the Windows 11 2022 Update comes support for that. Just tap on one of the numbers to select that layout.

Once done, even more numbers, starting with 1, show up for each of the available sections of the selected layout. Press the number to assign the active window to the section of the layout. The remaining open windows are displayed then and may be selected using the arrow keys and the Enter-key.

Note that the numbers are only displayed if the keyboard shortcut Windows-Z is used. Hovering over the maximize window button does not display the numbers; this means, that you can't tap on a number on the keyboard to select a layout or assign a window to a position in the layout.

The second change improves the visibility of Snap Assist and unlocks the functionality on touch-powered devices. Whenever a window is moved on the screen, Windows 11 displays a bar at the top. Once the window touches the bar, Snap Assist layouts are displayed. To maximize the windows, move it besides the Snap Assist layouts.

Each layout and section of the layout becomes selectable when you move the window over it. Windows 11 shows a preview of the area on the screen as well to provide better visuals. Letting go aligns the dropped window accordingly on the screen. From there, other windows may be selected to occupy the remaining slots of the layout.

The entire process is very convenient; especially for touch users as it unlocks Snap Assist functionality on their devices.

The bar that is displayed when windows are moved serves a second purpose: it brings attention to Snap Assist functionality to users.

Configuring Snap Assist

Several Snap Assist related configuration options are available in the system settings. These allow users to disable the functionality or change it.

1. Select Start > Settings > System > Multitasking.
2. There, the following options are provided (enabled by default, unless mentioned otherwise):
   • When I snap a window, suggest what I can snap next to it.
   • Show snap layouts when I drag a window to the top of my screen.
   • Show my snapped windows when I hover over taskbar apps, in Task view, and when I press Alt-Tab
   • When I drag a window, let me snap it without dragging all the way to the screen edge.
   • Show Microsoft Edge tabs when snapping or pressing Alt-Tab.
   • Select the number of recent Edge tabs to suggest (default is 3).
   • Configure Title Bar window share (off by default)

An option to disable Snap Assist entirely is provided. Windows users may also disable some functionality, like the small bar that Windows 11 displays when windows are moved using the settings.

Closing Words

Snap Assist in the upcoming feature update for Windows 11 is getting several needed improvements. It improves the functionality for keyboard users, who could not control it using just the keyboard, and it unlocks it for touch-based device users, who could not use it at all until now, as it required using a keyboard shortcut or a mouse.

The default configuration improves the visibility of Snap Assist for all users, at least those who drag windows around. It is likely that some may notice it for the first time at all, even when they worked on a Windows 11 device for month or even since release.

Snap Assist is still not an all-powerful solution. FreeSnap, released in 2008 and likely not compatible with new Windows releases, offered more functionality and keyboard shortcuts. There is also AquaSnap, which gives users more control over the snapping behavior.

Now You: do you use Snap Assist or snapping functionality in previous Windows versions?

Windows 11 version 22H2: snap assist changes

The main highlight of KB5016690 is a fix for the bug causing an 0x1E error when users try to shut down or restart their systems. Here is the rest of the changelog containing more technical improvements and fixes:

• New! Enhances Microsoft Defender for Endpoint’s ability to identify and intercept ransomware and advanced attacks.
• Addresses an issue that causes ServerAssignedConfigurations to be null in a few full configuration scenarios.
• Addresses an issue that might generate error 0x1E when you shut down or restart a device.
• Addresses an issue that prevents virtualized App-V Microsoft Office applications from opening or causes them to stop working.
• Addresses an issue that leads to a false negative when you run scripts while Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC) is turned on. This might cause AppLocker events 8029, 8028, or 8037 to appear in the log when they should not.
• Addresses an issue that causes the Resultant Set of Policy tool (Rsop.msc) to stop working when it processes 1,000 or more “File System” security settings.
• Addresses an issue that causes the Settings app to stop working on server domain controllers (DCs) when accessing the Privacy > Activity history page.
• Addresses a race condition that causes the Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS) to stop working on Active Directory domain controllers. This issue occurs when LSASS processes simultaneous Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) over Transport Layer Security (TLS) requests that fail to decrypt. The exception code is 0xc0000409 (STATUS_STACK_BUFFER_OVERRUN).
• Addresses an issue that affects a lookup for a nonexistent security ID (SID) from the local domain using read-only domain controller (RODC). The lookup unexpectedly returns the STATUS_TRUSTED_DOMAIN_FAILURE error instead of STATUS_NONE_MAPPED or STATUS_SOME_MAPPED.
• Addresses an issue that prevents a private virtual LAN (PVLAN) from providing tenant and virtual machine (VM) isolation.
• Addresses an issue that delays a client’s acquisition of the Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) address for extended periods in an IPv6 environment.
• Addresses an issue that might cause Remote Desktop Session licensing to display a 60-minute disconnection warning after reconnecting.
• Addresses an issue that causes a RODC to unexpectedly restart. In the event log, you’ll find the following:
•  

  • Event 1074 with the message, “The system process 'C:\Windows\system32\lsass.exe' terminated unexpectedly with status code -1073740286. The system will now shut down and restart.”

  • Event 1015 with the message, “A critical system process, C:\Windows\system32\lsass.exe, failed with status code c0000602. The machine must now be restarted.”

  • Event 1000 with the message, “Faulting application name: lsass.exe, Faulting module name: ESENT.dll, Exception code: 0xc0000602.”

     

• Addresses an issue that might cause cldflt.sys to reference invalid memory in race conditions.

   

Users can download KB5016690 from Windows Update (in the optional updates section) or the Microsoft Update Catalog.

It is worth noting that Windows 10 2019 LTSC Editions and Server 2019 will soon stop receiving non-security optional updates (C-releases). Starting September 20, 2022, only cumulative security updates (B-releases) or "Patch Tuesday" will be available.

Microsoft fixes bug causing 0x1E error when shutting down Windows 10

We’ve already experienced the feature on Edge Canary before, wherein the experience is almost the same. On a Reddit post shared by a user named u/TheSiZaReddit four months ago, we saw the feature working by consuming the right portion of the Edge when you click one of the sidebar icons (like what happens when you summon Chrome’s side panel feature). As Microsoft describes the new feature, it works “side-by-side” with the already-launched browsing window, allowing you to multitask easily.

In the update that started shipping on August 19, we see Edge’s sidebar featuring Discover, Bing search, Outlook, Office, Games, and Tools. Discover is a handy function to look for more relevant information about the topic on the page you’re already browsing (e.g., summaries, source information, and more), while Bing Search will function as expected. Meanwhile, professionals who rely mostly on Microsoft products will find the addition of Office and Outlook in the sidebar. By clicking their respective icons, Outlook Mail and Calendar can be launched, as well as different Microsoft Office documents and apps, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive, and more. It is important to note, however, that Edge users with access to the new sidebar should be signed into their Microsoft accounts for a seamless experience of the said Office apps.

On the other hand, unlike the other apps included in the sidebar that opens within the Edge window, games will be launched separately, which is logical to avoid ruining the game experience. The tools icon, meanwhile, gives you access to Edge’s built-in calculator, internet speed test, and unit converter.

While the feature looks amazing, note that Microsoft is not the first to introduce it. We already have it on Opera and Vivaldi, though the shortcuts and functions they offer are far from what we see in this Microsoft sidebar. And as someone who also explores Opera, I can say there is a big difference. For instance, on Opera, social media and messaging apps (which are a big part of our daily lives) are given great importance by directly integrating them into the sidebar shortcut settings. Vivaldi, on the other hand, allows you to open internal browser pages like downloads and history and even external pages like mail. However, in this new Edge update, Microsoft is somehow pushing us to do everything within its own environment. Though it is rational for it to promote its own products, Microsoft is probably missing the point that what users are looking for is a versatile browser. Edge’s little solution for this is its ability to add websites in the sidebar, though it might be more convenient if its settings already have the most popular app and website icons you can toggle on and off anytime.

That said, some might find the sidebar senseless since you cannot fully customize it, unlike the sidebar of Opera or Vivaldi. The bar itself can even be just an eyesore, especially if you are not frequently using any of its tools and apps. Thankfully, it can be disabled by going to the browser’s setting (three-dot icon at the upper right of the window and under the close button) and selecting “Hide sidebar.”

Edge update introduces sidebar allowing launching of apps without leaving the browser

The feature can not be disabled and will simply show the profile picture of each group member when they send a text. Development on the feature is ongoing; hence, beta users do not have access to it yet. Reports suggest the capability will resemble the interface of iMessage and group chats on Messenger and Instagram Direct, since the profile pictures are visible at all times.

Build 22.18.0.72 is also considered to be the 2.22.18.72 version in the WhatsApp Settings. The TestFlight build is 22.18.0. Users can become beta testers for WhatsApp by applying here, although the program is closed at the moment. The official launch date for this feature is unknown, as even beta testers have not received it yet.

Other than this, WhatsApp is working on a couple of other new features to add to its group chats. These include the redo option that will let users undo deleted messages, which was disclosed by WABetaInfo as part of the beta for iOS 22.18.0.70. Also, group admins might be able to delete unwanted messages by members in the chat, although a note stating that a text was deleted may show.

Source: WABetaInfo

WhatsApp might display profile pictures of group members in chats

It can be recalled that Microsoft officially announced the availability of the new Outlook for Windows to Office Insiders in Beta Channel back in May. Unfortunately, while it is a piece of thrilling news for the testers, some are unable to use it since it was only allowed to be used for commercial accounts at that time. However, with the new support for personal Microsoft accounts, the new Outlook has just become more accessible for everyone.

Trying the new Outlook itself doesn’t make a big difference with Outlook on the web due to the fact that it is web-based. At a glance, you’ll think the interface is almost the same between the two, but the new Outlook actually comes with new additions, such as message reminders and a new calendar board. It also offers Microsoft Loop components for seamless collaboration across Outlook and Teams. And in case you want to get your settings from classic Outlook, it is possible.

On the other hand, while it already works with personal Microsoft accounts, using it for third-party email accounts is still impossible. The good news is that the company is very vocal about its intention to have it in the future. In its announcement post in May, Microsoft’s Gabriel Valdez Malpartida, senior product marketing manager on the Outlook team, listed a series of features and functions Microsoft is developing, planning, and investigating. Some of them are the multi-account, offline, and third-party account support for Gmail, Yahoo!, iCloud, and other IMAP accounts.

Microsoft has big plans for the new Outlook, and it includes being a replacement for the Windows 11 Mail and Calendar apps. However, it will still be a long journey for the Outlook Team, given there are still a lot of features to consider and work on.

New Windows Outlook app gets support for personal Microsoft accounts

As for the new features, Microsoft Excel now has better messaging regarding PivotTable compatibility. When Excel is not able to read data, it will now provide you with options to proactively troubleshoot and resolve the issue. In some scenarios where you face PivotTable compatibility issues, Microsoft Excel may also tell you to open it on the web.

In its latest Current Channel Windows Office build, Microsoft has also added 14 new text and array functions to Excel to help you supercharge your spreadsheets. The new text functions include TEXTBEFORE, TEXTAFTER, TEXTSPLIT. The new array functions include EXPAND, TAKE, DROP, VSTACK, HSTACK, CHOOSEROWS, CHOOSECOLS, TOROW, TOCOL, WRAPROWS, and WRAPCOLS.

Microsoft Outlook users are also getting the taste of a new feature. In the latest version, Microsoft added more insights into people in your organization with LinkedIn data in Outlook. The updated Outlook will now show the public LinkedIn profile information where available, and the best part is that it does not need you to connect your accounts to do that.

Remember that Microsoft is currently testing these capabilities with Office Insiders, meaning you will not see them if you are using the regular Office apps. However, most of the features that Microsoft tests with Insiders eventually become available to regular users. The software giant may soon introduce these new Excel and Outlook functionalities to the general public.

Meanwhile, you can read the complete official changelog below.

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 brings new features to Outlook and Excel for Office Insiders

While I switched to the excellent WizTree years ago, TreeSize Free has always been on the radar ever since the first review of TreeSize back in 2010 here on this site.. TreeSize Free 4.6 is the first release of the free version since November 2021.

The new version can be downloaded from the developer website. They push the professional version, but you get the free version download eventually. Options to install the free version or extract it to run it as a portable copy are provided. Existing users may select Help > Check for Updates to run a check for updates from within the application.

Windows users who run the operating system on a 32-bit only device can't run or upgrade to the new TreeSize version. TreeSize Free 4.5 is the last version that supports 32-bit operating systems. The limitation should not affect too many users, though.

Jam Software, the development company, notes that the switch to 64-bit only versions of Treesize Free removes memory limitations when scanning large files and "rare compatibility problems".

The interface displays the size distribution of the main disk partition, which in most cases is drive c. Options to dig into the data or switch drives are provided.

The main new feature of TreeSize Free 4.6 is PDF reporting. More precisely, the ability to create custom PDF reports. All it takes is to select a directory in TreeSize Free, then the File menu, and in the File menu  the Export > PDF File option.

TreeSize Free exports the directory as seen on the screen. Expanded subfolders are included in the report, but any folder that is not expanded is just shown without additional folders or files.

The View > Configure Columns menu adds more information to TreeSize Free and the reports that it creates. Columns such as Full Path, Author, Owner, or Last Accessed may be added, and existing columns may be removed.

Tip: the "expand" menu may be used to expand a directory quickly.

Exporting is still limited when compared to the professional version of the software.

The View menu includes another improvement. There, users find more sorting options to sort the data based on their specifications.

Closing Words

TreeSize Free is a well-designed program for Windows to quickly assess the distribution of storage on connected hard drives. The new update introduces better PDF reporting options, but these are still fairly limited.

Now You: do you use TreeSize Free or another disk space manager? (via Deskmodder)

Landing page:   https://www.jam-software.com/treesize_free

TreeSize Free 4.6: PDF reports and 64-bit only

Frontpaged:   TreeSize Free 4.6.0.503

The setting is not enabled by default, but you can switch it on with just a couple of clicks.

How to enable auto-hide for the sidebar in Opera

Right-click on the Opera sidebar.

Select the option that says "Automatically hide the sidebar".

Hover the mouse cursor to the left edge of the screen, and the sidebar should appear. Move the mouse away from the edge and the panel will hide itself. This can be useful if you want to access your sidebar shortcuts quickly, but don't want the panel to take up space on the screen.

If you don't like it, just repeat the steps to disable the feature. Alternatively, you can manage the option from the browser's sidebar interface (scroll to the bottom) or from the settings page. The following URL will take you to the corresponding section. opera://settings/manageSidebar

Opera sidebar auto-hide

While the idea is good, the animation effect for the auto-hide feature does not appear to be smooth. This is probably caused by a slight delay after moving the mouse away from the sidebar, which makes the panel stay on the screen for a couple of seconds. Currently, there is no setting to change the delay.

Another factor that is worth mentioning is that the sidebar doesn't appear on top of the current tab or window, so when the panel is triggered, it appears as if the tab bar, address bar, and the entire web page are moved toward the right side slightly. And when the auto-hide kicks in, they are shifted to the left-hand side again.

There are a couple of other quirks related to the auto-hide behavior. The Windows version of the browser has the Opera Menu button on the left edge of the toolbar.  When you mouse over the side panel, the button transforms into an O, i.e. the word Menu disappears briefly. The point of auto-hide is to provide a minimalist experience, so it should be the other way around, i.e., the compact O button should be the default view.

Hovering over the side panel in the macOS version of Opera switches from the horizontal layout for the close, minimize, and maximize buttons, to a vertical style. This is similar to when you have the sidebar disabled permanently. I was never really a fan of the vertical buttons, as it breaks the standard design norms.

I also noticed that the sidebar does not hide automatically in a consistent manner. This happened when a few times when I switched between tabs, or to a different application and back using alt + tab, or shortcuts on the taskbar. It clearly needs to be improved before it makes its way to the release channel.

Among other things, Opera 92 fixes an issue that was causing the X button to disappear when trying to close tabs. The build updates the Chromium version to 106.0.5216.6. Download the Opera 92.0.4519.0 Developer edition from the official website.

The stable channel of the browser has also been updated, the latest version is Opera 90.0.4480.54. It is based on Chromium 104.0.5112.102. Opera has added quite a few features in recent times including the Shopping Corners, Horizontal Tab Scrolling, Paste Protection, to name a few.

Do you use the sidebar in Opera?

Opera 92 Dev channel update introduces an option to hide the sidebar automatically

Thunderbird 102.2.0 and 91.13.0 are available already. The new versions will be installed automatically on most client systems. Check Menu > Help > About Thunderbird to display the installed version and run a manual check for updates at the same time. Any new version is picked up automatically.

The security advisory lists several fixed security issues. The overall severity of the detected issues is high. Thunderbird shares code with Firefox, and some of the security issues are not Thunderbird-specific. Still, Thunderbird users may want to consider updating as soon as possible to protect the email client from potential exploits targeting the vulnerabilities.

Thunderbird 102.2.0

The official release notes divided changes into new, changed and fixed sections. Thunderbird 102.2.0 introduces a new configuration setting to disable "encryption is possible" reminder in the email client. To do that, Thunderbird users need to open the Settings, select Config Editor under General, search for the preference mail.openpgp.remind_encryption_possible and toggle its value so that it is False instead of true.

Thunderbird users who have used custom fields in the address book prior to version 102 will notice that the data is restored. Users who waited with the upgrade to Thunderbird 102 because of that may now upgrade, as it should be migrated. Address lines of contacts appear in the correct order now, according to the release notes.

On Mac OS, Thunderbird will prompt for the primary password on startup if one is set. Furthermore, Thunderbird won't offer to import incomplete OpenPGP keys anymore, and selectin or unselecting dictionaries in the Spelling compose toolbar button won't close the menu immediately anymore.

Thunderbird 102 includes a large number of fixes. The developers state that they have improved the startup performance of the email client in the new release. The remaining fixes address issues regarding POP and IMAP functionality, attachments, the entering of special characters using Alt+numpad, and address book fixes.

Two known issues are listed in the release notes. The Department field and the "Get Map" features are missing from the address book.

Now You: do you run Thunderbird 102 or 91? Or another email client?

Thunderbird 102.2.0 is a security and bug fix update

Frontpaged:   Mozilla Thunderbird 102.2.0

However, it is noteworthy that Microsoft has been releasing such builds with no changlogs over the last month. Interestingly, the Build 22621.382 (KB5016632) apparently had the same set of changes that were in the August Windows 11 Patch Tuesday (KB5016629) (via Chaori on Reddit). Hence, a similar thing could be happening once again.

Regardless, we will update the article as soon as we can once Microsoft publishes any changelog.

Update: More than an hour after the build appeared for Windows Insiders, Microsoft has now shared the release notes, which you can view below:

This non-security update includes quality improvements. Key changes include:

• New! We enhanced Microsoft Defender for Endpoint’s ability to identify and intercept ransomware and advanced attacks.
• New! We compressed a file regardless of its size if you have configured Server Message Block (SMB) Compression.
• New! We improved storage replication that occurs over low bandwidth or congested wide area networks (WAN).
• New! You can now view the usage history for the following resources from the Settings page:
• Camera
• Microphone
• Phone Calls
• Messaging
• Contacts
• Screenshots and apps
• Music library

To use this feature, navigate to Settings >Privacy & Security

• We fixed an issue that causes Windows to display tablet mode features for some devices that do not have touchscreens.
• We fixed an issue that causes some application windows to have blank sections in the Task View preview.
• We fixed an issue that occurs for some of you when you copy files from network drives. The error code is 0x80070026.
• We fixed an issue that might cause the Local Security Authority Server Service (LSASS) to leak tokens. This issue affects devices that have installed Windows updates dated June 14, 2022 or later. This issue occurs when the device performs a specific form of service for user (S4U) in a non-Trusted Computing Base (TCB) Windows service that runs as Network Service.
• We fixed an issue that, in certain cases, causes sihost.exe to use a high amount of the CPU.
• We fixed an issue that causes Microsoft Edge to stop responding when you use IE mode. This issue also prevents you from interacting with a dialog. 40242609
• We fixed an issue that causes the App-V client service to leak memory when you delete App-V registry nodes.
• We fixed an issue that prevents you from opening a URL if the URL’s length is more than 2084 characters. This update supports a URL of up to 8192 characters.
• We fixed an issue that prevents codecs from being updated from the Microsoft Store.
• We fixed an issue that causes ServerAssignedConfigurations to be null in a few full configuration scenarios.
• We fixed an issue that sometimes prematurely interrupts the resizing operations of a Snap Assist area.
• We fixed an issue that might cause the deployment of the Windows Hello for Business certificate to fail in certain circumstances after you reset a device.
• We fixed an issue that prevents you from reinstalling Universal Printers after you remove them.
• We fixed an issue that prevents non-Windows devices from authenticating when they connect to a Windows-based remote desktop and use a smart card as the authentication method.
• We fixed an issue that causes the Settings app to stop working on server domain controllers (DCs) when accessing the Privacy > Activity history page.
• We fixed an issue that affects a lookup for a nonexistent security ID (SID) from the local domain using read-only domain controller (RODC). The lookup unexpectedly returns the STATUS_TRUSTED_DOMAIN_FAILURE error instead of STATUS_NONE_MAPPED or STATUS_SOME_MAPPED.
• We fixed an issue that prevents the Storage Migration Service (SMS) from completing the inventory on servers that have many shares. Error event 2509 appears in Microsoft-Windows-StorageMigrationService/Admin channel (ErrorId=-2146233088/ErrorMessage=”Invalid table id”).
• We fixed an issue that affects the Sync across your devices option under Settings > System > Clipboard. The option will not remain enabled.

The official announcement can be found on Microsoft's website here.

Microsoft quietly outs build 22621.457 (KB5016695) to Windows 11 22H2 Release Preview

Windows 11 customers know how painfully slow the operating system restarts the taskbar and its icons. Apparently, Microsoft wants to fix this inconvenience by launching the taskbar parallel to the Immersive Shell, effectively reducing the time the operating system takes to run the taskbar and enable its icons.

Important: Back up important data before enabling hidden features in early Windows 11 builds. You might experience bugs, instabilities, or data loss after force-enabling features Microsoft keeps from the public.

How to make the taskbar load faster in Windows 11 build 25182?

1. Download Vive Tool from its GitHub repository.
2. Extract the files wherever convenient, for example, C:\Vive.
3. Launch Windows Terminal as Administrator and switch to the Command Prompt profile.
4. Navigate to the Vive folder using the CD command. For example, CD C:\Vive.
5. Type vivetool /enable /id:39751186 and press Enter.
6. Restart Windows Explorer to see the config in action.
7. To revert the changes, use the vivetool /disable /id:39751186

After enabling the configuration, you will notice that the taskbar launches faster but without its default fly-up animation. We do not know whether it is intentional or just a side effect of Microsoft's experiments. You can try both variants and decide for yourself which one works better.

Windows 11 build 25182 has a hidden config allowing faster taskbar loading

The full release notes are as follows:

The update is quite modest in terms of updates, which is not surprising given that it’s the summer and Mozilla employees probably aren’t operating at 100% due to holidays and the like. Nevertheless, if you rely on PIP mode to watch Disney+ content, then it’s nice that you’ll be able to pull up the subtitles too in that mini window.

The fact that the UI is also throttled when a window is minimized will be helpful for laptop users who need to keep their computer running for hours without plugging in to charge. With the new power analyser tool in the Firefox profiler, website developers will also be able to make the websites they work on more power efficient.

To update Firefox, just open the hamburger menu go to Help, then About Firefox. It should automatically start looking for and downloading the update on Windows and macOS. If you are on Linux, then you’ll have to wait for the update to be made available through your update manager.

Source

After adding support for Spider-Man earlier this month, the AMD's software team is now ready with another graphics driver. Today's AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition 22.8.2 driver suite comes with support for two newly releasing games and several bug fixes.

Volition's Saints Row reboot is hitting the Epic Games Store on August 23, and those planning to jump in will want to upgrade to this driver for the most optimal experience. AMD recommends users of its graphics cards to stick with DirectX12 when playing the game, as it is working with the developer to resolve DirectX 11 and Vulkan API issues.

The driver also adds support for the August 25 releasing horror game The Bridge Curse Road to Salvation. Unfortunately, AMD hasn't detailed what kind of performance improvements players can expect with either of these games.

Fixed issues are as follows:

• VCE presets may be in mixing in VEGAS Pro™ with some AMD Graphics Products such as the Radeon™ RX 6600 Graphics.
• DaVinci Resolve™ Studio 17 may crash using AMD encoder on some AMD Graphics Products such as the Radeon™ RX 6900 XT Graphics.
• While playing Lost Ark™, flickering may be intermittently experienced after changing displaying settings or checking character info with some AMD Graphics Products such as the Radeon™ RX 6800 Graphics.
• FINAL FANTASY® VIII - REMASTERED fails to launch.

Known issues come next:

• Stuttering may be experienced while playing Call of Duty®: Warzone™ on the Caldera map with some AMD Graphics Products such as the Radeon™ RX 6900 XT Graphics.
• Some stuttering may be experienced while playing Fortnite™ with DirectX® 11 API.
• Radeon™ Super Resolution may fail to trigger after changing resolution or HDR settings on games such as Nioh™ 2.
• Oculus dashboard menu and rendered controllers may appear bouncing/wobbly on Oculus Quest 2 with some AMD Graphics Products such as the Radeon™ RX 6800 XT Graphics.
• GPU utilization may be stuck at 100% in Radeon performance metrics after closing games on some AMD Graphics Products such as Radeon™ 570.
• While previewing the timeline in VEGAS Pro™, some colors may appear inverted.
• Display may briefly show corruption when switching between video and game windows on some AMD Graphics Products such as the Radeon™ RX 6700 XT.
• Enhanced Sync may cause an intermittent black screen to occur during gameplay and video playback using extended displays and toggling Enhanced Sync.

Upgrading to the new AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition 22.8.1 driver can be accomplished using the Radeon Settings app on Windows 10 and 11. The driver appears in the Optional section. A direct link to download the driver can also be found on the official release notes page here.

AMD 22.8.2 driver has support for Saints Row reboot and more

The full announcement says:

We are starting to roll out Cumulative Update Build 25182.1010 (KB5017600). This update does not include anything new and is designed to test our servicing pipeline for builds in the Dev Channel.

Hence, all the bug fixes and improvements that were announced with the earlier released build 25182 to the Dev Channel are carried over into this.

Interestingly, while there are no new changes made in this build, servicing test builds like these before have been known to break some features despite not adding any new features or containing fixes.

The official announcement can be found on Microsoft's website here.

Windows 11 servicing build 25182.1010 (KB5017600) released to Dev channel

Designed by Ramen Software, known for other applications such as 7+ Taskbar Tweaker or Textify, Windhawk was developed to improve the process of adding customizations to programs and the operating system.

The developers own taskbar tweaker for Windows serves as an example. To create such an app, it is necessary to understand some of the inner workings of the operating system, such as process injection or function hooking.

All developers who want to create customization programs need to learn and understand these. Windhawk was created as a core for customizations that everyone may contribute to, without having to develop all these other functions as well.

One of the main ideas of Windhawk is its modular design. Developers may create mods, modifications, which users of Windhawk may then download and apply on their systems.

Windhawk may be installed or it may be run as a portable application. The main interface of the program lists several featured modifications, such as Dark Mode for Notepad, adding mouse over volume controls or scrolling Chrome and Edge tabs with the mouse wheel.

A click on "browse for mods" displays all available mods at the time. These include a number of other interesting tweaks, including the option to disable grouping on the taskbar, enabling the option to reorder thumbnails on the taskbar with the left mouse, or adding text labels for programs on the taskbar on Windows 11.

A click on the details button opens a new page with installation options, the source code, and a preview of the tweak. Some but not all of the available mods list compatibility information.

There is also a fork option to create a custom version of a mod on the local system. Users who don't want any development related options in the Windhawk interface may turn it off in the settings.

A click on install displays a warning that modifications may damage the system, violate privacy or do other harm. Select "accept risk and install" to go ahead with the installation, or cancel to stop it.

Installations are swift and happen in the background.  The install button changes to an uninstall button to remove the mod again from the system. It may take a moment for the tweaks to become available on the system.

Closing Words

Windhawk is an interesting customization application for Windows that includes a good dozen modifications already. The application's success depends largely on support from other developers, and it remains to be seen how many third-party mods will be contributed to the project in the coming months and years.

In the best case, it could turn into a huge marketplace of mods, similar to browser extension stores or userscript repositories.

Now You: have you tried Windhawk? What is your take on the idea? (via Deskmodder)

Landing page:   https://github.com/ramensoftware/windhawk

Windhawk: Windhawk

Windhawk is a mod-based universal customization solution for Windows

I've been a Linux user since 1997, and I am here to tell you that the open-source desktop operating system is not only so much more flexible, reliable, and secure than the competition, but it's also a lot more fun. I've spent many a day (and weekend) tweaking the Linux desktop simply because I could.

Some of the desktops I've configured have been so amazing that friends wanted to know how they could achieve the same look, only to be disappointed that their operating system of choice wasn't capable of pulling off such a feat.

To that end, I wanted to share some of the really cool things that you can do with the Linux desktop that you can't do with other operating systems. My goal is to not only convince you that Linux is a really incredible operating system but hopefully to convince you to give it a try.

And thus, without further ado, let's get to those cool things.

Change it

First and foremost, Linux is about choice. Some might look at this and say, "But there's too much choice!" The thing is, many desktop distributions make the hard choices for you -- which kernel, which bash shell, which startup service, which network manager. Some distributions intentionally limit those choices to keep users from being inundated with options. But even those distributions can be changed.

For example, if you opt to go with Ubuntu Linux and you don't like GNOME, you can install KDE Plasma, Xfce, Pantheon, Budgie, Enlightenment, or any number of Linux desktop environments. And that's part of the beauty of Linux…if you don't like it, change it.

In a matter of minutes, you can change your desktop environment to one that resembles Windows, MacOS, or something completely different.

Revive old hardware

Remember when Windows 11 was released, and a lot of people soon discovered that the computer they bought three years prior wouldn't support the latest version of the operating system? That's not the case with Linux. In fact, there are versions of Linux (such as Lubuntu and Linux Lite) that are specifically created to run on older hardware (although they can also run on newer machines as well).

You might have a machine lying around in a closet that's five years old, and you assumed it was headed for the recycler. Grab a lightweight version of Linux, install it on that ageing machine, and watch it run like an absolute champ.

Never worry about lock-in

One of the problems I find with operating systems like Windows and MacOS is vendor lock-in. With MacOS, you do things the Apple way. With Windows 11, you do things the Windows way. With Linux, you do things your way. In other words, if there's something about the way the desktop functions that you don't like, you can tweak it to fit your needs and workflow perfectly. And nearly every Linux distribution allows for such customization. I don't know about you, but I would much rather work in a way that perfectly suits my needs rather than in a way that aligns with a third party's idea of what is efficient. Most often, I find their idea of efficiency is nowhere near mine.

Upgrade without reboots

How many times have you gone to upgrade either Windows or MacOS, only to find out the upgrade actually happens during a reboot? For me, I could use that time actually being productive. That's yet another reason why I find Linux is superior to the competition. With Linux, I can do a full upgrade, all the while continuing to work on the desktop. In fact, with most Linux distributions, the only time you have to reboot after an upgrade is if the kernel is upgraded. Otherwise, you just keep on using the OS while the upgrade runs in the background.

Run Windows software

That's right, for those who must run Windows software on Linux, there's a way, and it's called WINE. Wine is an installable piece of software that allows you to install Windows software and run it on Linux. Wine is not generally installed by default, but it's found in most distributions' default repositories so that it can be installed from within the various app stores available on Linux.

Speaking of which…

Install tons of software… for free!

You might have heard many people say there's no software available for Linux. They're wrong. With Linux, you'll find thousands upon thousands of free software that can be installed from the GUI app store. And thanks to the likes of Snap and Flatpak, you can even install proprietary apps, such as Zoom and Spotify, on Linux with ease.

I realize that MacOS and Windows both have a large selection of software to install from, but you won't find nearly the selection of free software (and without ads) available for installation. As well, managing installed software is so much easier with Linux (either from the command line or the GUI). Even better, you can add third-party repositories to your package manager to install even more software. In other words, Linux offers considerably more flexibility with regard to software installation.

Wow your friends

As I mentioned earlier, with Linux, you can create a desktop environment that is sure to wow your friends. Back in my early days, I used to spend hours tweaking the AfterStep and Enlightenment window managers to the point where they looked as if they were from the future. I used transparency and window effects that were unheard of on Windows, and everyone who saw my desktops wanted them.

Although few Linux desktops are as flexible as those, there are still desktops (such as Xfce, Enlightenment, and KDE Plasma) that can be configured to look like technological works of art. Not only is this a great way to make everyone around you jealous…it's a lot of fun.

Enjoy unheard of reliability

In the years that I've been using Linux, I've rarely experienced any serious issues. Although I did one time wind up having a server hacked and a rootkit installed, that was an anomaly for me. Outside of that, the vast majority of the issues I've encountered were fixable within minutes. And because Linux gives you all the troubleshooting tools you need to solve those problems, resolving an issue is generally a log file read away.

Linux just works. It really is that simple. But more importantly, it works and works and works. So, if you're looking for a way to put the fun, flexibility, ease of use, and reliability back into computing, do yourself a favor and give Linux a try.

Source

With this new section of YouTube for podcast creators and discovery, Google is seeking to utilise the platform as an alternative option to Apple Podcasts or Spotify as a place for users to listen to their favourite shows. The fact that this also leverages the video capabilities that YouTube is known for gives shows a unique way to market themselves to their audiences.

It appears that the site is in early testing however, as not everyone can access it and even then, some YouTube Premium features are not enabled on the site (such as listening focused controls). It's not known when the site will become widely available to all users at this time but it appears that it went live in July of this year.

 thanks for letting us know! this is a slow ramp and it's best to hang tight. reach out if you have more questions!!

 — TeamYouTube (@TeamYouTube) July 28, 2022

Source: 9to5Google

Source

Users noticed that Microsoft had updated the Get Started app with the following greeting on Windows 11 22H2:

Hi

 You're now running the Windows 11 2022 Update! Read on to discover new features and set things up just how you like.

After Microsoft said it plans to service Windows 11 with one feature update per year, it is reasonable to assume Microsoft would call the upcoming release “2022 Update,” which is a far cry from "Creators Update" and other puzzling Windows 10 update names.

Although the naming supposedly gets less confusing, the overall picture and the fate of Windows 11 remains unclear. Rumors say Microsoft once again plans to release major Windows versions every three years and ship new features for Windows 11 in waves or so-called “Moments.” Hopefully, the company will soon clarify its roadmap.

What do you think about the “Windows 11 2022 Update” name? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Source

•  The platform told CNBC the video violated its guidelines against content that endangers minors.

•  After a video of a Tesla crashing into a child-sized dummy went viral, several drivers have tested how FSD reacts to kids.

YouTube removed a video that showed Tesla fans testing out with real children whether the carmaker's Full Self-Driving (FSD) software would stop for kids.

The video was posted by Whole Mars Blog's on YouTube last week after Omar Qazi, the person who runs the Tesla fan account, posted a call-out seeking a San Francisco parent willing to use their child for a test of the software. Tesla investor and CEO of Volte Equity, Tad Park, agreed to run a test with Qazi using his daughter and five-year-old son.

CNBC was the first to report the video had been removed from YouTube. A YouTube spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment from Insider, but told CNBC the video violated the site's guidelines related to content that endangers minors.

"YouTube doesn't allow content showing a minor participating in dangerous activities or encouraging minors to do dangerous activities," the spokesperson told CNBC. "Upon review, we determined that the videos raised to us by CNBC violate our harmful and dangerous policies, and as a result we removed the content."

Qazi did not respond to a request for comment ahead of publication, but posted an alternate link to the video on Friday via Twitter.

Park, who participated in the test with his son and daughter, told Insider he feels YouTube was pressured by news outlets to remove the video, which he called "benign."

"This wasn't a test, as we were not pushing the system in any way," he told Insider "It was simply a demonstration of the capabilities of the system and that it could recognize pedestrians."

Park told CNBC that the car never went over eight miles per hour in the tests involving his children and that he was prepared to stop the car if FSD didn't halt the vehicle.

The video was posted after a marketing campaign from Tesla critic Dan O'Dowd showed a Tesla seemingly using FSD and crashing into a child-sized mannequin. The video sparked outrage in the Tesla community, with many Tesla fans seeking to defend the software, and O'Dowd's ad led to multiple copycat tests with varying results.

Park and Qazi were also not the only Tesla fans to test the software using real children. Earlier this month, a North Carolina man tested out the software using his 11-year-old son and posted the video on YouTube. In two videos, the driver, Carmine Cupani, goes as fast as 35 miles per hour while his son stands in the middle of the street. Both times the vehicle either comes to a stop or slows and moves around his son.

Cupani did not respond to a request for comment from Insider. The video has not been removed by YouTube.

Last week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a statement to Bloomberg warning drivers that testing out the beta software on kids could have dire consequences.

"No one should risk their life, or the life of anyone else, to test the performance of vehicle technology," NHTSA said in a statement to Bloomberg. "Consumers should never attempt to create their own test scenarios or use real people, and especially children, to test the performance of vehicle technology."

The NHTSA told the publication it has been testing Tesla's software for several months. The agency launched a program for automated testing in 2020.

Though FSD claims to be fully self-driving, in reality it operates as an optional add-on that enables Teslas to automatically change lanes, enter and exit highways, recognize stop signs and traffic lights, and park. Tesla has told drivers that the system does not replace a licensed driver and instructs them to keep their hands on the wheel and be prepared to take over when the system is running.

Source

The software giant says the newest known bug in Windows 10 affects computers differently. Some users experience a complete audio blackout, while others only have audio on specific ports, devices, or applications. Microsoft's findings reveal that the affected audio drivers have the "audio enhancements" setting disabled before installing KB5015878, or the sound device driver has issues with the "audio enhancements" feature.

To prevent the problem from spreading, Microsoft applied the Known Issue Rollback system that can undo problematic changes without any action required from the end user. Interestingly, this time, KIR only ensures the bug will not affect other systems. Those who already have audio issues on Windows 10 after installing KB5015878 should apply one of three workarounds described below:

If you have not yet installed the update, you can do the following to prevent the issue:

• Updating your audio device driver (also called "sound drivers" or "sound card drivers") might prevent this issue. If there are updated drivers available on Windows Update or from your Windows device manufacturer's (OEM) webpage, installing them might prevent this issue.
• If you are using any advanced audio applications such as Open Broadcaster Software (OBS), it is recommended that you backup all your settings before installing the update.

If only certain apps are impacted, you can try the following to mitigate the issue:

• Verify that the audio devices set within those apps are the expected devices. Audio endpoints might be reinitialized after KB5015878 is installed and some apps might set the audio devices for microphone and speakers to default.
• If the device settings within the app are as expected, the apps might be caching the Windows Multimedia Device (MMDevice) ID. Caching the MMDevice ID is not recommended and might require reinstallation of the affected app or contacting support for the developer of the app for how to resolve the issue when audio endpoints are reinitialized and have new MMDevice IDs.

If you have already installed the update and are experiencing issues with audio on all apps, you can try the following to mitigate the issue:

• The Windows audio or sound troubleshooter might be able to resolve the issue for you. You can launch the troubleshooter from Fix sound or audio problems in Windows by selecting the Open Get Help button in the article. The Get Help dialog window should open, and you will need to select yes to open the troubleshooter.
• If your device's audio is still not working as expected, follow the instructions in Disable Audio Enhancements. Note: The article uses the microphone as an example, but you will need to do the steps for any affected audio device.

The audio bug in KB5015878 affects only client Windows 10 versions 20H2, 21H1, and 21H2. It should not bother Windows 11 users, just like the recently confirmed BitLocker recovery bug does not affect Windows 10 customers.

Microsoft shares workarounds for broken audio on Windows 10 after KB5015878

Microsoft probably feels the same too about startup sounds, which is why it has been brought back to Windows 11 after it went missing since Windows 8. However, an ex-employee, Jensen Harris, has unveiled that the Redmond giant never initially intended for such a thing as behind the scenes, the company had worked on and developed a startup sound for Windows 8 too since people had loved the previous Windows 7/Vista tune.

Harris served as the Director for user experience at Microsoft at the time, which meant he was pretty intimate with what was going on inside the company. In a YouTube video published yesterday, Harris has revealed what the Windows 8 sound was like. We have embedded the video below time-stamped, as it is only a couple of seconds long, but you can watch the entire thing too. Or, if you want to re-listen to it, simply refresh this article webpage.

If you feel a sense of déjà vu, you aren't wrong. Although Microsoft never shipped Windows 8 with this startup sound, it has been present inside Windows 10 and 11 as the logon sound. So you can listen to it simply by visiting “Media” folder inside “Windows” in your 😄 or system drive. The tune is named “Windows Logon”.

Microsoft ex-employee reveals canned Windows 8 startup sound but you likely already know it

The application is compatible with Windows 10 and 11 operating systems only. It is a portable program that can be run from any location. It may use data from the local system or from any other system.

Usage is simple: download the zip archive from the NirSoft website and extract it on the local system. You may put it on an USB device as well to run it on any system you connect the USB device to.

Right-click on the executable file and select "run as administrator"; this is required, as AppResourcesUsageView needs to access the system file SRUDB.dat located in C:\Windows\System32\sru\.

AppResourcesUsageView is not the only NirSoft program that uses the SRUDB.dat database. NetworkUsageView uses it as well.

Tip: you can delete the data file in the directory to erase all past records.

Data processing may take a moment, depending on the system and size of the database. The interface uses the same framework as most NirSoft applications. A table lists all relevant information and presents data in chronological order by default.

A click on a column title sorts the data accordingly, e.g., by face time or user name. To display the most used applications, locate the Face Time column and click on its header. The program sorts the data so that the most used applications are listed at the top.

Note that the same program may be listed multiple times in the interface. Still, by going through the listing you may identify the most used programs, or the least used programs and processes, on the device easily.

You can change the view to merge application records. Select Options > Advanced Options, and there the "display summary by app" filter under display mode. The application is listed with its full path and filename then.

The program displays how much data the listed programs read and wrote. You may change the default listing in bytes to something else, e.g., to Megabytes.

AppResourcesUsageView displays data for all users on the system, which administrators may find useful.

Select Edit > Find, or use Ctrl-F to open the search function. Use it to find data quickly in the table.

The program loads the local database file by default. Select Options > Advanced Options to load an external database file instead, for instance, from another PC.

Export options to various formats, including HTML and XML, are provided as usual.

AppResourcesUsageView may be run from the command line. You find instructions, including all available parameters, on the program's project page on the Nirsoft website.

Closing Words

AppResourcesUsageView is a useful little program for Windows 10 and 11 that reveals the most used programs, the read and write records of programs, and more when run. (via Deskmodder)

Landing page:   https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/app_resources_usage_view.html

Find out which Windows program you used the most with free AppResourcesUsageView

Besides officially acknowledging this weird bug, Microsoft revealed temporary workarounds for affected and yet-to-be affected systems:

• Those who have already installed KB5012170 and are now getting BitLocker recovery prompts must enter their BitLocker recovery keys. The official guidance is available in the documentation from Microsoft.
• Those who are yet to install KB5012170 or restart their systems after applying the update can temporarily suspend BitLocker to bypass the bug:
  • Run Command Prompt as Administrator and enter the Manage-bde -protectors -disable %systemdrive% -rebootcount 2 command.
  • Install KB5012170.
  • Restart your computer two times.
  • BitLocker should be back running after the second restart. You can verify its status using the Manage-bde -protectors -Enable %systemdrive% command.

Interestingly, Microsoft says the BitLocker bug does not affect all computers. According to Microsoft, users who have successfully restarted their computers twice after applying KB5012170 will not get the BitLocker recovery prompt. Also, the bug does not bother Windows 10 systems, only Windows 11.

Another issue KB5012170 is causing is the 0x800f0922 error when users attempt to install the Security update for Secure Boot DBX. As Microsoft investigates the problem, customers can bypass the bug by updating UEFI to the latest versions.

Microsoft confirms BitLocker issues in the latest Windows updates