News: Software Newshttps://nsaneforums.com/news/software-news/page/367/?d=2News: Software NewsenMicrosoft is testing a new design for the calling interface in the Your Phone app for Windows 11https://nsaneforums.com/news/software-news/microsoft-is-testing-a-new-design-for-the-calling-interface-in-the-your-phone-app-for-windows-11-r3914/ Microsoft has been updating the look of the Your Phone app for Windows 11.

 

The most recent changes have seen the notifications from its own page into the left sidebar of the app, and the list of pages (messages, photos, apps) to the top.

 

Now the company is testing a new look for the phone call interface in the app, which turns your laptop into a Bluetooth headset for your smartphone.

 

Your-Phone-new-call-UI.jpg

 

This update includes a new in-progress call window with updated icons, fonts, and other UI changes that align with the improved design of Windows 11.

 

The new look is available to Insiders on Windows 11 Build 22533, and should eventually roll out to all Windows 11 users.

 

 

Microsoft is testing a new design for the calling interface in the Your Phone app for Windows 11

]]>3914Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000Microsoft ports DirectX to Linux (again), updates WSL kernelhttps://nsaneforums.com/news/software-news/microsoft-ports-directx-to-linux-again-updates-wsl-kernel-r3913/ Microsoft has released a new DirectX kernel driver for Linux on Kernel.org.  The updated driver reflects feedback from Microsoft’s first attempt to bring the technology to the open-source operating system.

 

Specifically, the driver has been re-written from scratch and organized in logical layers to help open source reviewers better understand how the driver is built, the DirectX driver code has been moved to the Hyper-V area of the Linux Kernel and the driver now fully supports virtualized graphics hardware. There is now also a fully open-source user space for the OpenCL, OpenVINO and OneAPI compute family of APIs on Intel GPU platforms, allowing developers to write GPU compute code that can work both on Linux and Windows.

 

Windows-Subsystem-for-Linux-1642237130-0

 

Microsoft’s Principal Software Engineer Iouri Tarassov writes:

 

A lot of efforts went into addressing community feedback in this revised set of patches and we hope this is getting closer to what the community
would like to see.

 

Between the Intel compute runtime project and libdxg, we now have a fully open source implementation of our virtualized compute stack inside of WSL. We will continue to support both open source user-space API against our compute abstraction as well as closed source one (CUDA, DX12), leaving it to the API owners and partners to decide what makes the most sense for them.

 

Microsoft has also updated WSL in the Microsoft Store to version 0.51.0 provided which now includes kernel version 5.10.81.1 from the Microsoft Store. The update improves kernel configuration and enables some previously missing options for ARM64.  See the full changelog on GitHub here.

via Winfuture

 

 

Microsoft ports DirectX to Linux (again), updates WSL kernel

]]>3913Sat, 15 Jan 2022 20:49:28 +0000FxSound promises to improve the sound quality on Windowshttps://nsaneforums.com/news/software-news/fxsound-promises-to-improve-the-sound-quality-on-windows-r3912/ FxSound is a free audio program for Microsoft Windows devices that is designed to improve the quality of sound playback.

 

fxsound.webp

 

FxSound was a commercial application called DFX Audio Enhance previously, but the developers decided to turn it into a free application.

 

Installation of FxSound is traightforward. Just download the latest version from the developer website and run the installer to install it on the system. The main interface displays the current audio output device as well as the selected preset.

 

FxSound ships with more than ten presets, including sound presets for watching movies, playing games, boosting bass or streaming video. The selection of a preset modifies the sound settings that FxSound provides in the interface.

 

Interested users may download bonus presets from the developer website. Presets for various music genres, including rock, country and 80's are available for download.

 

FxSound promises to improve the sound quality on the Windows device "by targeting and processing sound’s timbre, volume, spatial balance, and dynamics".  The effect is "clearer, louder, deeper, and balanced audio".

 

An equalizer is provided as well as sliders for clarity, ambience, surround sound, dynamic boost and bass boost. Each of these can be changed and custom presets may be saved as new presets so that they can be loaded whenever they should be used.

 

Usage is easy, and the sound quality does change depending on the selected preset or changes that you make. The outcome depends on several factors, including the audio devices of the system and the source of sound.

 

FxSound has a few interesting presets that promise to improve the quality of certain sounds. There is the voice preset to improve speech, the gaming preset that promises to improve the quality of sound in computer games, and several TV and movie presets that promise to improve the quality of media.

 

fxsound-settings.webp

 

The program supports several shortcuts and options. It will switch to new connected output devices automatically by default, but this can be disabled in the options. The keyboard shortcuts are disabled by default. You may enable them in the preferences to toggle the program on or off, change presets, or change playback devices using keyboard shortcuts.

Closing Words

Does it work? FxSound did change the quality of sound during tests. You should not expect wonders, e.g., it turning low quality audio sources into an audiophile's dream, but certain presets and settings may indeed improve the quality of the sound output.

 

Landing page: https://www.fxsound.com/

 

 

FxSound promises to improve the sound quality on Windows

]]>3912Sat, 15 Jan 2022 20:47:06 +0000Browsers based on Chromium will no longer allow users to delete default search engines from the settingshttps://nsaneforums.com/news/software-news/browsers-based-on-chromium-will-no-longer-allow-users-to-delete-default-search-engines-from-the-settings-r3911/ Most web browsers ship with a bunch of different search engines that you may switch to, if you are not a fan of the default option. In addition to changing the provider, you may delete the default search engines from the list. But it appears that Chromium based browsers no longer allow you to do it.

 

Browsers-based-on-Chromium-97-no-longer-

 

This change does not affect the option to set your default engine, you just won't be able to the preloaded providers. That's not necessarily a bad thing per se.

Chromium-based browsers will not allow you to delete the default search engines

A reddit user reported that Microsoft Edge has removed the ability to remove default search engines from the settings. While it is true, another user pointed out that it is not a change in Edge, but in all Chromium-based browsers. Some users says that this only affects the Windows version of the browsers, and that the Linux variants have the option.

 

Google-Chrome-no-delete-button-for-searc

 

According to a commit on the open-source project's page, the proposal to remove the delete button was made in October 2021. The developers felt that deleting the search engines was too easy, and that it was a bad thing because it would not be easy for users to add them back, as it is not possible to set the search provider for suggestions, new tag page and other specialized URLs. Following a small discussion which concluded that deleting a search provider could cause more problems than it would break, the change was approved a day later when Chromium 97 was released.

 

Opera-browser-delete-default-search-engi

 

Chrome 97 was released about ten days ago, and it became the first Chromium-based browser that removed the delete button from the Manage Search Engines page. Microsoft, Opera and Brave have followed suit in removing said option from their respective browsers.

 

Brave-browser-delete-default-search-engi

 

As of now, only Vivaldi, which is still based on Chromium 96, has the option to delete the default search engines. When the browser gets updated to the code based on Chromium 97, it will likely not allow users to remove the search providers. Firefox and Waterfox do not prevent users from deleting the built-in search options either.

 

Microsoft-browser-delete-default-search-

 

Chromium-based browsers will continue to allow the user to edit the keywords but not the URLs.

 

Google-Chrome-edit-search-engine-keyword

 

You can still add custom search providers if you want to, and this allows you to edit the search parameters.

 

Google-chrome-add-search-engine-custom.w

 

I think this change may not affect most users. It is a precautionary measure that could end up protecting the user in the event a malware tries to delete the default search engine, or hijack it. That said, if a malicious extension, toolbar or website, manages to use the add search engine option to inject a harmful search provider in the browser, and set it as the default provider, it wouldn't be stopped, would it? That is likely a very rare scenario, one that can easily be prevented by using an ad-blocker like uBlock Origin, avoiding illegal websites, and good old common sense of not clicking links randomly.

 

I will admit that I find it surprising that the removal of a simple feature in Chromium's source code impacts every browser that uses it as the base, do they have a choice? This does give Google an advantage over the competition. This got me wondering about what could happen when Google decides to kill support for v2 add-ons, and forces extensions to use Manifest V3. Will it impact other browsers in the same way? I mean, if there is no webRequest API that can be used, what could they possibly do except to rely on their own built-in ad-blockers?

 

 

Browsers based on Chromium will no longer allow users to delete default search engines from the settings

]]>3911Sat, 15 Jan 2022 20:43:57 +0000Mozilla releases Firefox 96.0.1 to fix connection issueshttps://nsaneforums.com/news/software-news/mozilla-releases-firefox-9601-to-fix-connection-issues-r3905/ Just days after the release of Firefox 96.0 comes the bug fix update Firefox 96.0.1; the new version fixes a connection issue that affected Firefox users this week.

 

Firefox users started to report connection issues shortly after the official release of Firefox 96.0. Connections were not established and affected users could not use the web browser to access sites.

 

A workaround was found and published, and Mozilla started its own investigation of the issue. Engineers detected the issue and made backend changes to fix it temporarily for all affected users.

 

Mozilla released a statement on Twitter in which it revealed that a configuration change of a cloud provider was causing the issue in the browser.

 

Earlier today, Firefox became unresponsive due to a change in defaults by a cloud provider which triggered a Firefox HTTP/3 bug. We disabled the configuration change and confirmed this fixed the issue.

 

The release of Firefox 96.0.1 patches the issue in Firefox. Firefox users may select Menu > Help > About Firefox to display the installed version and run a check for updates. Firefox should detect the new version and update the browser to it automatically.

 

The official release notes lists two fixes in the release:

 

  • Improvements to make the parsing of content-length headers more robust (bug 1749957)
  • Addresses proxy rule exceptions not working on Windows systems when "Use system proxy settings" is set (bug 1749501)

 

The first addresses the connection issue of Firefox. Firefox users who have applied the workaround on their systems should undo it by setting the preference network.http.http3.enabled to TRUE again on about:config.

 

The second bug fixes an issue in Firefox's proxy handling behavior. Firefox 96.0 did not use all proxy exceptions defined on Windows according to the bug report, but only the first. The previous version, Firefox 95.0.2 worked with all exceptions.

 

 

Mozilla releases Firefox 96.0.1 to fix connection issues

 

Frontpaged: Mozilla Firefox Browser 96.0.1

]]>3905Sat, 15 Jan 2022 06:01:08 +0000Microsoft release Windows 10 Build 19044.1499 to the Release Preview Channelhttps://nsaneforums.com/news/software-news/microsoft-release-windows-10-build-190441499-to-the-release-preview-channel-r3904/

Today Microsoft released Windows 10 Build 19044.1499 (21H2) (KB5009596) to the Release Preview Channel for those Insiders who are on Windows 10.

 

This update includes the following improvements:

 

  • Microsoft fixed an issue in Microsoft UI Automation that might cause Microsoft Outlook to stop working.
  • Microsoft updated daylight saving time to start in February 2022 instead of March 2022 in Jordan.
  • Microsoft fixed an issue that prevents the Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 (WSL2) localhost relay from starting when you enable Fast Startup.
  • Microsoft added parameters that pass to wmic.exe in telemetry to capture additional usage data to address application compatibility concerns.
  • Microsoft fixed an issue in CLSID_InternetExplorer.
  • Microsoft added a reminder to Internet Explorer 11 that notifies users of its upcoming retirement.
  • Microsoft fixed an issue that might sometimes cause Japanese Microsoft Office applications stop working when you use the new Japanese Input Method Editor (IME).
  • Microsoft fixed an issue that causes applications to stop working when you type text using the Chinese IME.
  • Microsoft fixed an issue that might cause Windows to stop working when you use the Pen Haptics API.
  • Microsoft updated the phone number for Windows Activation for locales that have the wrong phone number.
  • Microsoft fixed an issue that causes a device to incorrectly report itself as noncompliant with Conditional Access because of an antivirus or firewall configuration.
  • Microsoft fixed an issue that stops printing or prints the wrong output when you print using USB on Windows 10, version 2004 or later.
  • Microsoft fixed an issue that affects the Remote Desktop screen, in some cases, when you use Advanced Video Coding (AVC) software encoding.
  • Microsoft fixed an issue that prevents certain surround sound audio from playing in Microsoft Edge.
  • Microsoft fixed a deadlock in vpnike.dll and rasmans.dll.
  • Microsoft fixed an issue that affects the Fast Identity Online 2.0 (FIDO2) credential provider and prevents the display of the PIN entry box.
  • Microsoft fixed an issue that causes Windows to stop working and generates the error, “IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL”.
  • Microsoft fixed an issue that might cause the Get-TPM PowerShell command to fail when it attempts to report Trusted Platform Module (TPM) information. The command fails with the error, “0x80090011 Microsoft.Tpm.Commands.TpmWmiException,Microsoft.Tpm.Commands.GetTpmCommand”.
  • Microsoft fixed an issue that causes the AltGr key to stop working if a remote desktop client is running or if RemoteApp was disconnected.
  • Microsoft added a new feature that provides direct access to select your Microsoft Edge profiles from News & interests. You can also go to Microsoft Edge directly from News & interests in the same corresponding profile.
  • Microsoft added a new feature called Sync Your Settings for users who are migrating to Windows 11, original release. You’ll use Sync Your Settings to automatically back up a list of your applications to your Microsoft Account. Then, you can quickly restore those applications on a Windows 11, original release device. This new feature that will deploy over the coming weeks.
  • Microsoft fixed an issue that causes functioning Bluetooth devices to stop working when you attempt to connect to a non-functioning Bluetooth device.
  • Microsoft fixed an issue that causes lsass.exe to stop working and the device restarts. This issue occurs when you query Windows NT Directory Services (NTDS) counters after the NTDS service has stopped.
  • Microsoft fixed an issue that fails to apply the Group Policy Object (GPO) “Do not allow compression on all NTFS Volume” in some cases.
  • Microsoft fixed an issue that prevents Robocopy from retrying the file copy process.
  • Microsoft fixed an issue that might occur when you enable verbose Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS) audit logging and an invalid parameter is logged. As result, Event 207 is logged, which indicates that a failure to write to the audit log occurred.
  • Addresses a memory leak that occurs when you call WinVerifyTrust(). This issue occurs if verification fails for the first signature of a file that has multiple signatures.

 

Windows 10 Insiders in the Release Preview channel can download this Cumulative Update by Checking for Updates in Settings.

 

 

Microsoft release Windows 10 Build 19044.1499 to the Release Preview Channel

]]>3904Sat, 15 Jan 2022 05:51:50 +0000Windows 11 build 22000.466 out with a bunch of fixes in Beta and Release Preview Channelshttps://nsaneforums.com/news/software-news/windows-11-build-22000466-out-with-a-bunch-of-fixes-in-beta-and-release-preview-channels-r3901/ Microsoft today has released a new Windows 11 build for Insiders on the Beta and the Release Preview channels. The latest build 22000.466 (KB5008353) only contains fixes, so no new features or the new Volume Slider experience currently being tested in the Dev Channel build released earlier this week.

 

The official changelog for Build 22000.466 (KB5008353) is as follows:

 

This update includes the following improvements:

 

  • We improved the reliability of application installations on ARM64 devices.
  • We updated daylight savings time to start in February 2022 instead of March 2022 in Jordan.
  • We fixed an issue that causes ARM64 devices to stop responding when they hibernate or resume from hibernation.
  • We fixed an issue that might prevent some image editing programs from rendering colors correctly on certain high dynamic range (HDR) displays. This frequently affects white colors that might display in bright yellow or other colors.
  • We fixed an issue that affects predictive pre-rendering in Microsoft Edge Internet Explorer mode.
  • We fixed an issue that sometime prevents you from entering strings in the Input Method Editor (IME).
  • We fixed an issue that causes the audio service to stop responding on some devices that support hardware-accelerated Bluetooth audio.
  • We fixed an issue in which the text that informs a customer about the Windows update progress is incorrect for Japanese.
  • We fixed an issue that affects icons for apps when the apps are not running. On the taskbar, these icons might display as active as if the apps are running.
  • We fixed an issue that might cause VPN profiles to disappear. This issue occurs when you use Microsoft Intune or a third-party mobile device management (MDM) tool to deploy VPN profiles on Windows 11 (original release).
  • We fixed an issue that affects applications that are written to only integrate with Azure Active Directory (AAD). These applications will not work on machines that are joined to Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS).
  • We fixed an issue that might cause the Get-TPM PowerShell command to fail when it attempts to report Trusted Platform Module (TPM) information. The command fails with the error, “0x80090011 Microsoft.Tpm.Commands.TpmWmiException,Microsoft.Tpm.Commands.GetTpmCommand”.
  • We fixed an issue that causes a remote desktop protocol (RDP) session to disconnect or the screen to be blank for Server Core. This issue occurs when you install the AppCompat feature.
  • We fixed an issue that affects windows.system.profile.retailinfo.dll.
  • We fixed some issues that affect File Explorer’s performance when you browse for files and select files.
  • We added a new Your Microsoft Account page to the Accounts category in Windows Settings for Home and Professional editions.
  • We fixed an issue that incorrectly shows the volume icon in the taskbar as muted.
  • We fixed a reliability issue that causes File Explorer and desktop context menus to stop working.
  • We fixed an issue that fails to pass the Shift KeyUp event to an application when you use the Korean IME.
  • We added the HelpWith feature, which uses Microsoft Bing technologies to suggest Help topics that are relevant for each Settings page.
  • We fixed an issue that prevents the touch keyboard from appearing on the lock screen when a device has a Microsoft account (MSA).
  • We fixed an issue that affects the loading of badging information on the taskbar, which sometimes causes a device to stop working.
  • We fixed an issue that prevents some options from appearing on the Win + X menu.
  • We fixed an issue that causes a device to stop working when it’s connected to multiple displays.
  • We fixed an issue that affects the auto-hide feature of the taskbar. The taskbar might not reliably appear when you hover over the primary or secondary display.
  • We fixed an issue that sometimes prevents you from using the Chinese Simplified IME.
  • We fixed an issue that might prevent icons from appearing on the taskbar of a secondary display.
  • We fixed an issue that fails to install certain printer companion applications when the printer device driver is installing.
  • We fixed an issue that displays outdated battery percentages for connected Bluetooth devices on the Bluetooth and other devices page in Settings.
  • We fixed an issue that prevents IP cameras from connecting and streaming to certain DirectShow (DShow) applications.
  • We improved the auto brightness algorithm to provide a better response under low light conditions on all the supported systems.
  • We fixed an issue that causes lsass.exe to stop working and the device restarts. This issue occurs when you query Windows NT Directory Services (NTDS) counters after the NTDS service has stopped.
  • We fixed an issue that causes a deadlock in the WebDav redirector. This issue occurs when you attempt to read a file from the local TfsStore, which causes the system to stop responding.
  • We fixed a performance regression issue that occurs when you enable the update sequence number (USN) journal.
  • We fixed an issue that fails to apply the Group Policy Object (GPO) “Do not allow compression on all NTFS Volume” in some cases.
  • We fixed an issue that prevents Robocopy from retrying the file copy process.
  • We fixed an issue that causes Windows to stop working and generates the error, “IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL”.
  • We fixed a memory leak that occurs when you call WinVerifyTrust(). This issue occurs if verification fails for the first signature of a file that has multiple signatures.

 

You can grab the Cumulative Update (KB5008353) for Windows 11 through Windows Update so long as you are enrolled as a Windows Insider in the Beta or Release Preview Channel. You can find the original press release for Build 22000.466 linked here.

 

 

Windows 11 build 22000.466 out with a bunch of fixes in Beta and Release Preview Channels

]]>3901Fri, 14 Jan 2022 19:36:15 +0000Nvidia 511.23 driver adds support for God of War, R6 Extraction, DLDSR, and morehttps://nsaneforums.com/news/software-news/nvidia-51123-driver-adds-support-for-god-of-war-r6-extraction-dldsr-and-more-r3899/ Just as promised, Nvidia today put forth a brand-new graphics driver for those on the green team, and unlike the last 511.17 release this isn't just for RTX 3080 owners. The latest drop, GeForce Game Ready 511.23 WHQL driver, has support for a wide range of games including God of War and Rainbow Six Extraction, the new Deep Learning Dynamic Super Resolution technology, and much more.

 

Starting with the games, Sony Santa Monica Studio's God of War is releasing today on PC, and this driver is optimized for the game's DLSS and Reflex implementations for better performance and lower latency, respectively. Also gaining support with this driver are Rainbow Six Extraction (DLSS and Reflex), Hitman III, The Anacrusis (DLSS), GRIT (DLSS), and Monster Hunter Rise.

 

 

Meanwhile, Nvidia is debuting its new AI-powered dynamic super resolution technology DLDSR (Deep Learning Dynamic Super Resolution) with this driver. The feature touts being able to render games at higher resolutions before shrinking the image intelligently while enhancing detail, smoothing edges, and reducing shimmering edges.

 

The setting to enable the feature can be found in the Nvidia Control Panel in the Manage 3D Settings > DSR Factors section. "DLDSR improves upon DSR by adding an AI network that requires fewer input pixels, making the image quality of DLDSR 2.25X comparable to that of DSR 4X, but with higher performance," Nvidia adds.

 

The driver also touts support for Windows 11's Dynamic Refresh Rate tech, CUDA 11.6, and new Vulkan extensions. Find the complete release notes here.

 

Here are the bug fixes included in this release:

 

  • Flicker/disappearing text occurs when 12-bit color is used. [3358884]
  • Random flickering occurs across the top of the screen when using desktop applications. [3427298]
  • In multi-monitor configurations, the screen may display random black screen flicker. [3405228]
  • [Detroit Become Human]: Random stuttering/freezing occurs in the game. [3389250]
  • [HDR][G-Sync]: Mouse pointer gets stuck after turning on HDR from the Windows Control
  • Panel or after toggling G-Sync from the NVIDIA control panel. [200762998]
    • To work around, click the mouse (right or left button). The mouse cursor will be sluggish for a few seconds before returning to normal operation.

 

Here are the known issues:

 

  • [Windows11][Far Cry 6]: Geometric corruption occurs in the benchmark and in gameplay. [3441540]
  • [NVIDIA Ampere GPU]: With the GPU connected to an HDMI 2.1 audio/video receiver, audio may drop out when playing back Dolby Atmos. [3345965]
  • [Deathloop][HDR]: TDR/corruption occurs in the game with Windows HDR enabled. [200767905]
    • If this issue occurs, toggle the Windows HDR setting.
  • Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed may crash on courses where players drive through water. [3338967]
  • [NVIDIA Advanced Optimus][NVIDIA Control Panel]: After setting the display multiplexer type to “dGPU”, the setting is not preserved across a reboot or resume from S4. [200779758]
  • [NVIDIA Image Scaling][Desktop]: The screen moves to the upper left corner on cold boot when Image Scaling is applied to the desktop. [3424721]
    • Do not apply NVIDIA Image Scaling to the desktop. It is intended only for video upscaling or for games which do not run with a scaling resolution unless the same Image Scaling resolution is applied on the desktop.
  • [NVIDIA Image Scaling][DirectX 11 video apps]: With Image Scaling enabled, video playback is corrupted or results in a system hang after performing an HDR transition. [3431284]
    • If HDR is required to be toggled from the Microsoft Control Panel, be sure to switch to a different Image Scaling resolution.

 

The 511.23 Game Ready driver is available for download via the GeForce Experience app. Standalone installation links can be found below. A dedicated Notebook GPU driver has not been made available at the time of writing.

 

Desktop GPUs: Windows 11, 10 – DCH

 

 

Nvidia 511.23 driver adds support for God of War, R6 Extraction, DLDSR, and more

]]>3899Fri, 14 Jan 2022 19:22:43 +0000New Windows Office Insider Build 14827.20088 (Current Channel) comes with new Search by Voice featurehttps://nsaneforums.com/news/software-news/new-windows-office-insider-build-1482720088-current-channel-comes-with-new-search-by-voice-feature-r3894/ Microsoft has released Office Insider Preview Build 14827.20088 for Insiders on Windows in the Current Channel. The new Office update adds a useful new feature for Word on Windows.

 

Microsoft says Search in Word is a powerful tool that returns actions, definitions, files, people, and more when you enter just a few characters. Now, using Voice Search, you can say what you’re looking for and Search will find it just as if you had typed it. It’s all about giving you more ways to interact with Microsoft Search and make it easier to find what you need.

 

You can read the full official changelog below.

Changelog

Word

Search using your voice

The Search function in Word is a powerful tool, returning actions, definitions, files, people, and more when you enter just a few characters. Now, with Voice Search, you can say what you are looking for and Search will find it, just as if you had typed it yourself. To access this feature, just click the new Microphone button in the right corner of the Search box (or hit Alt+Q on your keyboard to place the focus inside the Search box, then hit the right arrow key and press Enter). Then speak what you are looking for; a dropdown menu will appear, and you can select what you’re looking for from the list.

 

Word-Document-Search-Box-callout-zoom.pn

 

Learn more about the new feature here.

 

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

 

 

New Windows Office Insider Build 14827.20088 (Current Channel) comes with new Search by Voice feature

]]>3894Fri, 14 Jan 2022 03:05:25 +0000Microsoft pulls January Patch Tuesday for Windows Server following severe bugshttps://nsaneforums.com/news/software-news/microsoft-pulls-january-patch-tuesday-for-windows-server-following-severe-bugs-r3889/

Windows Server admins have been struggling with severe issues with their servers following the release of the January Patch Tuesday, which includes KB5009624 for Windows Server 2012 R2, KB5009557 for Windows Server 2019, and KB5009555 for Windows Server 2022.

 

Admins were complaining of Hyper-V no longer starting on servers,  main controllers going through an endless reboot loop and ReFS volumes becoming inaccessible and showing as RAW file systems.

 

Following these reports, Microsoft appears to have removed the Cumulative Updates from Windows Update, though the updates are still available via the Microsoft Catalogue.

 

The update fixed 97 security issues, some of them critical, and as is often the case it seems likely the new bugs are related to the fixes for the old bugs.

 

via BleepingComputer

 

 

Microsoft pulls January Patch Tuesday for Windows Server following severe bugs

]]>3889Thu, 13 Jan 2022 21:31:32 +0000Ubuntu 21.04 users need to upgrade their systems this weekhttps://nsaneforums.com/news/software-news/ubuntu-2104-users-need-to-upgrade-their-systems-this-week-r3888/ It’s January 13 which means there’s just one week left until Canonical stops giving out updates for Ubuntu 21.04 'Hirsute Hippo' which launched last April. As it’s an inter-LTS release, it only receives 9-months of updates, and then it’s time to move on. The best plan for people still running Ubuntu 21.04 is to upgrade to Ubuntu 21.10 and then to upgrade to Ubuntu 22.04 LTS (not available until April) before July 14.

 

If you’re not too sure which Ubuntu version you’re running, open Settings, and then on the left-hand pane scroll down to About. This will open a new page in Settings and you need to look for OS Name, next to which, will be the version of Ubuntu you’re running. If you’re on Ubuntu 21.04 or for some reason still on Ubuntu 20.10, then you need to get upgrading.

 

1642061867_ubuntu-release-schedule_story

 

Upgrading is a simple matter, just open the Software Updater and wait for it to check for updates. Providing you haven’t messed with any settings you should see a button to upgrade your installation to the next version. If you do not, your system may not be looking for new Ubuntu versions, simply tap the Settings & Livepatch… button in the Software Updater then in the Updates tab ensure that Notify me of a new Ubuntu version is checking for any new version. In a few months when you get onto Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, you can change this setting again so that it only checks for long-term support versions which will mean that you do fewer upgrades.

 

Most people are probably on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS which came out in April 2020. If you’re still on this version, you can technically stay on it until April 23, 2025. With that said, Ubuntu 22.04 LTS and Ubuntu 24.04 LTS will be out by that date so you’ll have probably upgraded by that point anyway. Ubuntu 22.04 LTS is due for release on April 21, 2022.

 

 

Ubuntu 21.04 users need to upgrade their systems this week

]]>3888Thu, 13 Jan 2022 21:29:09 +0000Some Firefox users report connection issues (workaround inside)https://nsaneforums.com/news/software-news/some-firefox-users-report-connection-issues-workaround-inside-r3887/ The latest stable versions of the Firefox web browser seem to cause connection issues for some users. Firefox 96.0, released this week, appears to be affected.

 

network-http3.webp

 

It is unclear how widespread the issue is, only that it appears to be related to the HTTP3 implementation of the browser.

 

There is a fix for the issue, and it is quite easy to follow:

 

  1. Load about:config in the Firefox address bar.
  2. Confirm that you will be careful.
  3. Search for network.http.http3.enabled.
  4. Set the preference to FALSE with a double-click on its line.
  5. Restart Firefox.

 

The issue should be resolved after the restart, all websites should load just fine. Please note that the preference needs to be enabled again once the issue is resolved by Mozilla, as it will cause breakage in the future when HTTP gets deprecated.

 

firefox-data-collecting.webp

 

A user on Reddit suggested another workaround:

 

  1. Select Menu > Settings.
  2. Switch to Privacy & Security.
  3. Uncheck every option under Firefox Data Collection and Use.

 

If correct, it would suggest that a Firefox's data collection modules or connection attempts to Telemetry servers are causing the issue.

 

A bug report on Bugzilla suggests that the issue may affect other versions of Firefox, including Firefox ESR as well.

 

One commenter suggested that the culprit may be an external service that Mozilla is using:

 

Our current suspicion is that Google Cloud Load Balancer (or a similar CloudFlare service) that fronts one of our own servers got an update that triggers an existing HTTP3 bug. Telemetry was first implicated because it's one of the first services a normal Firefox configuration will connect to, but presumably the bug will trigger with any other connection to such a server. Our current plan is to disable HTTP3 to mitigate until we can locate the exact bug in the networking stack.

 

The main workaround for the time being is to change the preference mentioned above to FALSE. Mozilla is working on a fix but it is unclear how long the investigation and bug fixing will take before the issue is resolved.

 

 

Some Firefox users report connection issues (workaround inside)

]]>3887Thu, 13 Jan 2022 21:26:18 +0000Microsoft Edge gets Thumbnail view for PDF documents as well as Acrylic and Mica effects in Canaryhttps://nsaneforums.com/news/software-news/microsoft-edge-gets-thumbnail-view-for-pdf-documents-as-well-as-acrylic-and-mica-effects-in-canary-r3878/

The chromium-based Microsoft Edge browser has been steadily improving in terms of PDF file management. After extending the Web Capture feature to PDF files, the web browser now offers thumbnails of each page in the PDF document for easy and quick navigation.

 

Microsoft is gradually offering a new method of navigating PDF files right inside the Edge web browser. Microsoft Edge web browser Build 99.0.1133.0 now offers List View as well as Thumbnail View for scrolling through a PDF file. Both types of views will appear in a pane that will be visible on the left side. If this feature sounds familiar, it's because even Google Chrome offers identical navigation for PDF files that users can access right within Google’s web browser.

 

As Microsoft had promised in its official roadmap for the Edge browser, the company recently extended free-form “editing” a PDF file using the Web Capture tool. Incidentally, Microsoft is gradually rolling out these features, and some users might receive them sooner than others.

 

1642017178_microsoft_edge_pdf_file_navig

 

Microsoft has also added 2 new flags in the latest Edge Canary build. These experimental features allow enabling or disabling Mica and Acrylic effects. They are present under #edge-visual-rejuv-materials-title-bar and #edge-visual-rejuv-materials-menu flag respectively.

1642017351_microsoft_edge_canary_build_f

The Acrylic effect setting will impact menus that appear inside Microsoft Edge, while the Mica effect setting will affect Title bars. Incidentally, both these flags will only be available to Windows 11 users.

 

 

Microsoft Edge gets Thumbnail view for PDF documents as well as Acrylic and Mica effects in Canary

]]>3878Thu, 13 Jan 2022 05:22:19 +0000Windows 11 Dev build 22533 centers flyouts for volume, brightness, ISOs also availablehttps://nsaneforums.com/news/software-news/windows-11-dev-build-22533-centers-flyouts-for-volume-brightness-isos-also-available-r3877/ Microsoft has released Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22533 to the Dev Channel. In it, Microsoft has announced a new call experience for the Your Phone app as well as "includes a good set of changes and improvements as well as fixes." There are also ISOs released for this build for those that want to clean install. First up are the Changes and Improvements:

 

  • We have updated the flyout design for the hardware indicators for brightness, volume, camera privacy, camera on/off and airplane mode, to align with Windows 11 design principles. These new flyouts will appear when you press the volume or brightness keys on your laptop and will honor light/dark mode to give you a more coherent Windows experience. Brightness and volume indicators continue to be interactive with the update.

The redesigned hardware indicator for volume.

The redesigned hardware indicator for volume.

  • You can now search for voice access from the taskbar and pin voice access to your taskbar or Start like other apps as well as turn it on/ off.
  • We’re expanding the rollout of extending the 13 touch keyboard themes to IMEs, the emoji panel, and voice typing (first introduced with Build 22504) to all Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel.
  • When you press WIN + X or right click the Start icon it will now say “Installed apps” in the menu instead of “Apps & Features”.
  • It is now possible to uninstall the Clock app if you want.

 

Moving on to the list of fixes, here they are:

 

[General]

 

  • Fixed an issue where Insiders may have seen error 0x8007012a during a driver or firmware update.
  • Addressed an issue causing Insiders to be unable to sign-in to certain apps sometimes, such as Feedback Hub.
  • Fixed the text in the exploit protection description in the Windows Security app so it just refers to Windows and not Windows 10.
  • Fixed an issue resulting in not being able to import photos from certain cameras and mobile phones into the Photos app (it would just loop forever saying 0 items found so far).
  • Launching Windows Sandbox, closing it, and then launch it again, should no longer lead to having two Windows Sandbox icons in the Taskbar (one of which is non-functional).

 

[Taskbar]

 

  • The Wi-Fi icon should appear more reliably in the Taskbar now.
  • If you have multiple monitors connected to your PC and right-click on the date and time on the taskbar on your primary monitor, explorer.exe will no longer crash.
  • Holding CTRL and hovering your mouse over the Task View icon in the taskbar should no longer make explorer.exe crash.

 

[Settings]

 

  • Mitigated an underlying issue related to the use of mica in Settings which was impacting overall reliability of the Settings app in recent flights.
  • Fixed an issue impacting some Insiders which was resulting in Settings crashing when trying to access the Installed Apps, Startup Apps, and Default Apps pages.
  • Mitigated an issue that was making the Wheel page in Settings crash when adding an action for an app.
  • You should no longer hear a crackle if playing audio and repeatedly clicking the volume slider in Quick Settings to change the volume.

 

[Windowing]

 

  • If you hover your mouse over a truncated window title in ALT + Tab or Task View a tooltip showing the full window name will now appear.

 

[Input]

 

  • Improved how the text color and buttons look with theming applied on candidate window, emoji panel and clipboard (before this, some buttons/text was hard to see with certain custom background colors).
  • The voice typing launcher should no longer unexpectedly reappear after clicking the microphone icon to invoke voice typing.
  • For Insiders with the updated input switcher experience, accessibility tools like Magnifier and Narrator should work better with it now.

 

NOTE: Some fixes noted here in Insider Preview builds from the active development branch may make their way into the servicing updates for the released version of Windows 11 that became generally available on October 5th, 2021.

 

And here are the known issues in the build:

 

[Start]

 

  • In some cases, you might be unable to enter text when using Search from Start or the taskbar. If you experience the issue, press WIN + R on the keyboard to launch the Run dialog box, then close it.

 

[Taskbar]

 

  • The taskbar will sometimes flicker when switching input methods.

 

[Search]

 

  • After clicking the Search icon on the Taskbar, the Search panel may not open. If this occurs, restart the “Windows Explorer” process, and open the search panel again.

 

[Settings]

 

  • When viewing the list of available Wi-Fi networks, the signal strength indicators do not reflect the correct signal strength.
  • Settings may crash when going to System > Display > HDR. If you need to enable or disable HDR on an HDR-capable PC, you can do so using the WIN + ALT + B keyboard shortcut.
  • There is a blank entry under Bluetooth & Devices.

 

[Widgets]

 

  • Changing the taskbar alignment can cause the Widgets button to disappear from taskbar.
  • When having multiple monitors, Widgets content on taskbar may get out of sync between monitors.
  • With the taskbar left-aligned, information such as temperature is not shown. This will be fixed in a future update.

New Calls experience for the Your Phone app

This week we are beginning to roll out a new Calls experience for the Your Phone app on Windows 11. This update will be available to all Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel. This update includes a new in-progress call window with updated icons, fonts, and other UI changes that align with the improved design of Windows 11. Placing calls with the Your Phone app should still work as before with this new UI! Please try it out and share any comments with us via Feedback Hub under Apps > Your Phone.

 

build 22533 screenshots

 

You can find the original press release for Dev channel build 22533 here.

 

 

Windows 11 Dev build 22533 centers flyouts for volume, brightness, ISOs also available

]]>3877Wed, 12 Jan 2022 21:05:47 +0000Start11 v1.1 adds icon lock, App folders, Fences support, and more to Windows 10 and 11https://nsaneforums.com/news/software-news/start11-v11-adds-icon-lock-app-folders-fences-support-and-more-to-windows-10-and-11-r3876/ Stardock has released Start11 version 1.1, a program that allows users to customize the Windows Start menu and taskbar. As with previous editions of StartX products, Start11 can make the Start menu appear as it did in previous versions of Windows but also enhance the experience by adding new features and functionality to Windows.

 

Start11 v1.1 adds support for folders, enhanced Fences integration, a new right-click icon submenu, the ability to import existing Windows 10 menu layouts, and more.

 

“Since Microsoft released Windows 11, we have continued to optimize Start11 for the new operating system,” said Brad Sams, VP and General Manager of Stardock Software. “One of our priorities in v1.1 was bringing folder functionality to the Windows 11 style menu and enhancing integration with our most popular application, Fences”.

1641981725_start11_v11_02_story.jpg

In v1.1, both Windows 10 and Windows 11 users can easily create a folder directly within the Start menu by holding down the shift key and dragging one icon over another. The new right-click icon submenu makes it easy to change the appearance of app icons in the Start menu, too.

 

Fences users will enjoy enhanced integration with Start11. This new functionality enables the ability to add fences directly into the Start menu and creates another layer of personalization for the desktop.

1641981741_start11_v11_05_story.jpg

For new installations on Windows 10, Start11 will now import the existing Windows 10 layout for the Windows 10 style, including all existing folders. This makes it easier than ever for users to get started with Start11.

 

For scenarios where devices are used by multiple users, the new “lock” feature will make sure your icons stay right where you left them.

 

Change log:

  • Folder support for Windows 10 and 11 styles. Create a folder directly in the Start menu by dragging one icon over another while holding down the shift key.
  • Open an icon submenu with a simple right click and easily change the app icon that appears in the menu on Windows 10 and 11 styles.
  • Streamlined onboarding with the ability to import an existing Windows 10 menu layout into Start11
  • Easily add fences directly to your Start menu with enhanced support for Fences integration.
  • Lock icon positions in Windows 10 and 11 style menus.

 

1641981736_start11_v11_04_story.jpg

Start11 is currently available for $5.99. There is an upgrade option for users of Start8 and Start10, it is also included with Object Desktop. For more information, visit www.stardock.com.

 

Object Desktop includes programs such as Fences, Start10, Groupy, SoundPackager, DeskScapes, and Multiplicity.

 

 

 Start11 v1.1 adds icon lock, App folders, Fences support, and more to Windows 10 and 11

]]>3876Wed, 12 Jan 2022 21:02:11 +0000Microsoft adds macOS-like hardware indicators to Windows 11https://nsaneforums.com/news/software-news/microsoft-adds-macos-like-hardware-indicators-to-windows-11-r3875/ Microsoft is now rolling out redesigned hardware indicator flyouts (uncannily similar to macOS and iOS ones) that align with Windows 11's design to all Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel.

 

The new design was something customers had been asking for a long time. However, some of them already feel that it won't work that well on Windows devices with touchscreens and it doesn't match the design already showcased in the control panel.

 

"We have updated the flyout design for the hardware indicators for brightness, volume, camera privacy, camera on/off and airplane mode, to align with Windows 11 design principles," Microsoft's Amanda Langowski and Brandon LeBlanc said.

 

"These new flyouts will appear when you press the volume or brightness keys on your laptop and will honor light/dark mode to give you a more coherent Windows experience."

 

The Windows Insider team added that the volume and brightness indicators are still interactive after installing the new dev release, Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22533.

 

Windows_11_new_hardware_indicators.png

Image: Microsoft

This week, Microsoft is also starting to roll out a new Your Phone calls experience to all Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel featuring updated visuals, including new icons and fonts.

 

"This update includes a new in-progress call window with updated icons, fonts, and other UI changes that align with the improved design of Windows 11," Langowski and LeBlanc added today.

 

"Placing calls with the Your Phone app should still work as before with this new UI! Please try it out and share any comments with us via Feedback Hub under Apps > Your Phone."

 

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22533 also includes multiple fixes for driver or firmware update errors, app sign-in issues, photo import problems, and Windows Explorer crashes.

 

Microsoft also rolled out a wholly redesigned Notepad for Windows 11 last month, a design that was first teased in June 2020 in screenshots shared before the official launch to show off changes to native apps' interface.

 

Windows Insiders who want to provide feedback on redesigned experiences can share their opinions using the Feedback Hub (under Apps > Notepad).

 

 

Microsoft adds macOS-like hardware indicators to Windows 11

]]>3875Wed, 12 Jan 2022 20:58:23 +0000Microsoft releases PowerToys 0.53.3 patch to address crash issue with Run toyhttps://nsaneforums.com/news/software-news/microsoft-releases-powertoys-0533-patch-to-address-crash-issue-with-run-toy-r3874/ Microsoft has released PowerToys v0.53.3 less than a week after releasing v0.53.1. However, this is just a patch release to address some issues, as shown below. Microsoft notes that the patch was needed to fix issues in v0.53.1 that they deemed important for stability based on user feedback.

  • #15364 - PowerToys Run perf regression due to disabling list virtualization to improve scroll speed on some computers
  • #15305 - PowerToys Run Uri plugin had an exception with a bad format.
  • #15344 - PowerToys Run crashes due to duplicate key. This was due to community driven plugin having the same name as one of our plugins.

As such, there are no changes, you can view the ull set of changes in our v0.53.1 post here.

1641491709_snag-0002_story.jpg

PowerToys is Microsoft's open-source project that offers a collection of nifty tools that people can use to customize the Windows 10 or 11 UI and experience to their liking. As we know, depending upon feedback and general stability, some of the utilities also make their way to the OS eventually. A prominent example of this is Snap Layouts and Span Groups in Windows 11 which borrow heavily from the FanzyZones tool in PowerToys.

 

If you are using PowerToys in Windows 11, you can grab it in the Microsoft Store. For others in Windows 10, you can open the app and click on "Check for updates" under the updates section on the General tab. Those who would like to try PowerToys for the first time can grab the version 0.53.3 installer from the app's GitHub page.

 

 

Microsoft releases PowerToys 0.53.3 patch to address crash issue with Run toy

]]>3874Wed, 12 Jan 2022 20:56:07 +0000New Windows KB5009543, KB5009566 updates break L2TP VPN connectionshttps://nsaneforums.com/news/software-news/new-windows-kb5009543-kb5009566-updates-break-l2tp-vpn-connections-r3873/ Windows 10 users and administrators report problems making L2TP VPN connections after installing the recent Windows 10 KB5009543 and Windows 11 KB5009566 cumulative updates.

 

Yesterday, Microsoft released Windows updates to fix security vulnerabilities and bugs as part of the January 2022 Patch Tuesday.

 

These updates include KB5009566 for Windows 11 and KB5009543 for Windows 10 2004, 20H1, and 21H1.

Updates break L2TP connections

After installing yesterday's updates, Windows users find their L2TP VPN connections broken when attempting to connect using the Windows VPN client.

 

When attempting to connect to a VPN device, they are shown an error stating, "Can't connect to VPN. The L2TP connection attempt failed because the security layer encountered a processing error during initial negotiations with the remote computer," as shown below.

 

connection-error.jpg

Windows error when connecting to an LT2P VPN

The Event Log will also log entries with error code 789, stating that the connection to the VPN failed.

 

event-log.jpg

Windows event log for failed L2TP VPN connection

The bug is not affecting all VPN devices and seems only to be affecting users using the built-in Windows VPN client to make the connection.

 

A security researcher known as Ronny on Twitter told BleepingComputer that the bug affects their Ubiquiti Client-to-Site VPN connections for those using the Windows VPN client.

 

Many Windows admins also report on Reddit that the bug also affects connections to SonicWall, Cisco Meraki, and WatchGuard Firewalls, with the latter's client also affected by the bug.

 

With many users still working remotely, admins have been forced to remove the KB5009566 and KB5009543 updates, which immediately fixes the L2TP VPN connections on reboot.

 

Windows users can remove the KB5009566 and KB5009543 updates using the following commands from an Elevated Command Prompt. 

Windows 10: wusa /uninstall /kb:5009543
Windows 11: wusa /uninstall /kb:5009566

However, as Microsoft bundles all security updates in a single Windows cumulative update, removing the update will remove all fixes for vulnerabilities patched during the January Patch Tuesday. 

 

Therefore, Windows admins need to weigh the risks of unpatched vulnerabilities versus the disruption caused by the inability to connect to VPN connections.

 

It is not clear what caused the bug, but Microsoft's January Patch Tuesday fixed numerous vulnerabilities in the Windows Internet Key Exchange (IKE) protocol (CVE-2022-21843, CVE-2022-21890, CVE-2022-21883, CVE-2022-21889, CVE-2022-21848, and CVE-2022-21849) and in the Windows Remote Access Connection Manager (CVE-2022-21914 and CVE-2022-21885) that could be causing the problems.

 

Unfortunately, there is no known fix or workaround for the L2TP VPN connection issues at this time.

 

BleepingComputer has reached out to Microsoft about the bug but has not received a reply yet.

 

 

New Windows KB5009543, KB5009566 updates break L2TP VPN connections

]]>3873Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000A bug in Vivaldi browser disables the forward and back buttons if you open a new windowhttps://nsaneforums.com/news/software-news/a-bug-in-vivaldi-browser-disables-the-forward-and-back-buttons-if-you-open-a-new-window-r3872/ An unusual bug has been discovered in Vivaldi browser. The annoyance is causing the back button to become unusable, but only if you open a new window.

 

If you're the kind of person who opens multiple browser windows to keep things organized, you may have noticed this problem already. Don't worry, it's not just you. I read about it when a user reported the bug on reddit, and others who replied to the thread echoed in that they were able to reproduce the issue as described.

 

The complaint was that Vivaldi's back button became greyed out in a background window, when the user opened a new window after clicking a link on their secondary monitor. As I use Vivaldi as my secondary browser, I was intrigued by this and wanted to check if it happens on my computer. You can try it too. Open Vivaldi, visit a couple of webpages in the same tab. Now, open a second window. Switch back to the first window, and you will see that the back button in it cannot be clicked.

 

While that confirms the bug exists, it is not actually limited to multiple monitors like the user said. I was able to reproduce this issue with a single monitor. And it's not just the back button that is affected, the bug disables the forward, rewind and fast-forward buttons. The reload and home buttons seem to be unaffected by the issue, though a couple of users at the Vivaldi community forums claim otherwise. I also noticed that the issue isn't specific to scenarios where you open a new window, but also when you switch between two windows, you have to click inside the window, otherwise it may appear as if it's normal.

 

vivaldi-back-button-issue.webp

 

This maybe a minor hindrance because it does not actually restrict your browsing session. It is more of a glitch than a broken feature. The good news is that you can access your previously visited pages with the help of keyboard shortcuts or by right-clicking on the buttons. Let me explain, if you use the hotkeys to go back or forward (backspace or Alt + Left arrow, Alt + Right arrow, etc), Vivaldi will go back/forward to the corresponding page. When you do this, the buttons become usable again. Alternatively, you can just open a new tab in the first window and close it to reactivate the navigational buttons. It's really odd, isn't it?

 

The problem with these workarounds is that the navigational buttons in the other window get disabled, so it is kind of like an endless cycle. One user at the forum thread that I linked above says that their reload button also became unusable, but I don't have this problem.

 

The bug exists in Vivaldi 5.0.2497.35, which is the latest version available in the stable channel. What is even more unusual is that these issues had been reported over a month ago, well ahead of the holiday season, but still have not been addressed. Even the most recent Snapshot build, 5.1.2526.3, which had been rolled out two weeks after said user reports, has the same bug in it.

 

 

A bug in Vivaldi browser disables the forward and back buttons if you open a new window

]]>3872Wed, 12 Jan 2022 20:52:07 +0000Handbrake 1.5.1 changes Windows requirements to Windows 10 or 11 and .NET 6https://nsaneforums.com/news/software-news/handbrake-151-changes-windows-requirements-to-windows-10-or-11-and-net-6-r3871/ Handbrake 1.5.1, released a day after Handbrake 1.5.0 was released, is a major new release of the open source video transcoder. Among the many changes are new system requirements for the Windows version.

 

Handbrake 1.5.1 is no longer compatible with pre-Windows 10 Windows operating systems. The last working version of Handbrake for those systems is Handbrake 1.4.2, which is still available for download on Github.

 

Handbrake for Windows requires Windows 10 or higher, and the Microsoft .NET Desktop Runtime version 6.0.0 or later. The installer displays a download prompt if the runtime is not detected. The link opens Microsoft's official .NET 6.0 Runtime download page from which the latest version can be downloaded.

 

The developers recommend that queues are emptied before the upgrade to the new version is run.

 

The news of the new version has not been published yet on the official website of the project, but GitHub lists all the information already.

 

Handbrake 1.5.1 is a rebuild of version 1.5.0 of the application. The release includes the usual assortment of updated library files that power core features of the multimedia application.

 

Release notes are divided into sections for all supported operating systems. The Windows release got support for notifications, which users need to enable under Preferences > When Done. Support for right to left rendering has been added, and the queue got two new options -- move to top and move to bottom -- to improve queue management. The new version fixes several issues, including a crash issue on Windows devices.

 

The Mac and Linux versions share some of the changes, and interested users may want to check out the official release notes for an overview. The Linux version comes with updated Flatpak dependencies, and the Mac OS X version requires Mac OS 10.13 or higher now.

 

Handbrake is a handy video encoder that can process single files or queues of files. The program displays the options on start, and users may use drag & drop or a file browser to add supported media files to the application.

 

From there, it depends on the target media formats for the files that were added to the program. Handbrake supports many popular audio and video formats.

Closing words

More and more programs start to make Windows 10 the requirement, even though Windows 7 ESU and Windows 8.1 are supported for another year.

 

 

Handbrake 1.5.1 changes Windows requirements to Windows 10 or 11 and .NET 6

 

Frontpaged: Handbrake 1.5.1

]]>3871Wed, 12 Jan 2022 20:50:05 +0000New Windows Server updates cause DC boot loops, break Hyper-Vhttps://nsaneforums.com/news/software-news/new-windows-server-updates-cause-dc-boot-loops-break-hyper-v-r3869/ The latest Windows Server updates are causing severe issues for administrators, with domain controllers having spontaneous reboots, Hyper-V not starting, and inaccessible ReFS volumes until the updates are rolled back

Y

esterday, Microsoft released the Windows Server 2012 R2 KB5009624 update, the Windows Server 2019 KB5009557 update, and the Windows Server 2022 KB5009555 update as part of the January 2022 Patch Tuesday.

 

After installing these updates, administrators have been battling multiple issues that are only resolved after removing the updates.

Windows domain controller boot loops

The most serious issue introduced by these updates is that Windows domain controllers enter a boot loop, with servers getting into an endless cycle of Windows starting and then rebooting after a few minutes.

 

As first reported by BornCity, this issue affects all supported Windows Server versions.

 

"Looks KB5009557 (2019) and KB5009555 (2022) are causing something to fail on domain controllers, which then keep rebooting every few minutes," a user posted to Reddit.

 

A Windows Server administrator told BleepingComputer that they see the LSASS.exe process use all of the CPU on a server and then ultimately terminate.

 

As LSASS is a critical process required for Windows to operate correctly, the operating system will automatically restart when the process is terminated.

 

The following error will be logged to the event viewer when restarting due to a crashed LSASS process, as another user on Reddit shared.

 

"The process wininit.exe has initiated the restart of computer [computer_name] on behalf of user for the following reason: No title for this reason could be found Reason Code: 0x50006 Shutdown Type: restart Comment: The system process 'C:\WINDOWS\system32\lsass.exe' terminated unexpectedly with status code -1073741819. The system will now shut down and restart."

Hyper-V no longer starts

In addition to the boot loops, BleepingComputer has been told by Windows administrators that after installing the patches, Hyper-V no longer starts on the server.

 

This bug primarily affects Windows Server 2012 R2 server, but other unverified reports say it affects newer versions of Windows Server.

 

As Hyper-V is not started, when attempting to launch a virtual machine, users will receive an error stating the following:

 

"Virtual machine xxx could not be started because the hypervisor is not running."

 

Microsoft released security updates to fix four different Hyper-V vulnerabilities yesterday (CVE-2022-21901, CVE-2022-21900, CVE-2022-21905, and CVE-2022-21847), which are likely causing this issue.

ReFS file systems are no longer accessible

Finally, numerous admins are reporting that Windows Resilient File System (ReFS) volumes are no longer accessible or are seen as RAW (unformatted) after installing the updates.

 

The Resilient File System (ReFS) is a Microsoft proprietary file system that has been designed for high availability, data recovery, and high performance for very large storage volumes.

 

"Installed these updates tonight, in a two server Exchange 2016 CU22 DAG, running on Server 2012 R2. After a really long reboot, the server came back up with all the ReFS volumes as RAW," explained a Microsoft Exchange administrator on Reddit.

 

"NTFS volumes attached were fine. I realize this is not exclusively an exchange question but it is impacting my ability to bring services for Exchange back online."

 

Uninstalling the Windows Server updates made the ReFS volumes accessible again.

 

Yesterday, Microsoft fixed seven remote code execution vulnerabilities in ReFS, with one or more likely behind the inaccessible ReFS volumes.

 

These vulnerabilities are tracked as CVE-2022-21961, CVE-2022-21959, CVE-2022-21958, CVE-2022-21960, CVE-2022-21963, CVE-2022-21892, CVE-2022-21962, CVE-2022-21928.

How to fix?

Unfortunately, the only way to fix these issues is to uninstall the corresponding cumulative update for your Windows version.

 

Admins can do this by using one of the following commands: 

Windows Server 2012 R2: wusa /uninstall /kb:5009624 
Windows Server 2019: wusa /uninstall /kb:5009557 
Windows Server 2022: wusa /uninstall /kb:5009555

As Microsoft bundles all security fixes into the single update, removing the cumulative update may fix the bugs, but will also remove all fixes for recently patched vulnerabilities.

 

Therefore, uninstalling these updates should only be done if absolutely necessary.

 

Not to be outdone by Windows Server, Windows 10 and Windows 11's updates are also breaking L2TP VPN connections.

 

BleepingComputer has reached out to Microsoft for fixes on these issues but has not heard back at this time.

 

 

New Windows Server updates cause DC boot loops, break Hyper-V

 

EDIT: Removed unnecessary "KB" from commands.

]]>3869Wed, 12 Jan 2022 20:44:03 +0000AMD Radeon 22.1.1 driver has God of War and Monster Hunter Rise improvementshttps://nsaneforums.com/news/software-news/amd-radeon-2211-driver-has-god-of-war-and-monster-hunter-rise-improvements-r3868/ Coming out as AMD's first graphics driver launch of the year is the Radeon Software Adrenalin 22.1.1 release. The driver is bringing support for two soon-launching PC ports of rather huge games: Sony Santa Monica Studio's God of War and Capcom's Monster Hunter Rise.

 

AMD doesn't go into detail on the Monster Hunter Rise improvements, but does detail impressive gains on God of War. With the latest driver, AMD saw up to a 7% increase in performance in its testing compared to the previous driver 21.12.1. The test systems were using RX 6900 XT, 6800 XT, and RX 6700 XT graphics cards and a Ryzen 9 5900X CPU, with the game running at 4K using the Ultra preset.

 

Monster Hunter Rise launches later today, January 12, while God of War has a January 14 launch attached to it. This driver is a recommended install for both games.

 

Meanwhile, several bugs have been squashed in this driver release too:

 

  • Connecting multiple monitors with high display bandwidths and differences in vertical intervals to a system may lead to high idle memory clock values being experienced by some users.
  • After upgrading to the latest Radeon™ Software, the Power Tuning component of a saved tuning profile may not load correctly when a user imports a previously saved tuning profile.
  • When some users zoom-in during Halo Infinite™ gameplay, they may experience visual corruption on some AMD Graphics Products such as Radeon® RX 5600 XT Graphics.
  • Flickering may be observed when playing Fortnite™ on some AMD Graphics Products such as Radeon® RX 6800 XT Graphics using DirectX® 12 with Radeon™ Boost enabled.

 

Here are the known issues:

 

  • Enhanced Sync may cause a black screen to occur when enabled on some games and system configurations. Any users who may be experiencing issues with Enhanced Sync enabled should disable it as a temporary workaround.
  • Radeon performance metrics and logging features may intermittently report extremely high and incorrect memory clock values.
  • While playing Borderlands 3™ using DirectX® 12 with Radeon™ Boost enabled, longer than expected load times may be observed on some AMD Graphics Products such as Radeon® RX 6800 XT Graphics.

 

1633011952_ss_f8249da14987e3c2d10fd40247

The Radeon Software Adrenalin 22.1.1 driver is available for Windows 10 and Windows 11, and can be found on the Radeon Settings app in the Optional section. A standalone download link is listed on the official release notes page here.

 

 

AMD Radeon 22.1.1 driver has God of War and Monster Hunter Rise improvements

]]>3868Wed, 12 Jan 2022 20:41:03 +0000Microsoft pushes Patch Tuesday updates for Windows 8.1 (KB5009624) and Windows 7 (KB5009610)https://nsaneforums.com/news/software-news/microsoft-pushes-patch-tuesday-updates-for-windows-81-kb5009624-and-windows-7-kb5009610-r3860/ Microsoft has released its Patch Tuesday updates for Windows 8.1 (KB5009624) and Windows 7 (KB5009610). Both systems have received the same improvements and fixes but each have their own unique known issues while coming with workarounds that will be supplied later in the article.

 

The common improvements and fixes to both versions of Windows is as follows:

  • Addresses a Windows Server issue in which Active Directory attributes are not written correctly during a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) modify operation with multiple specific attribute changes.

The known issues in Windows 8.1 and the respective workaround is shown below

 

Symptom Workaround
Certain operations, such as rename, that you perform on files or folders that are on a Cluster Shared Volume (CSV) may fail with the error, “STATUS_BAD_IMPERSONATION_LEVEL (0xC00000A5)”. This occurs when you perform the operation on a CSV owner node from a process that doesn’t have administrator privilege.

Do one of the following:

Perform the operation from a process that has administrator privilege.

Perform the operation from a node that doesn’t have CSV ownership.

Microsoft is working on a resolution and will provide an update in an upcoming release.

 

Meanwhile, Windows 7 includes the following issues and workarounds:

 

Symptom Workaround
After installing this update and restarting your device, you might receive the error, "Failure to configure Windows updates. Reverting Changes. Do not turn off your computer", and the update might show as Failed in Update History.

This is expected in the following circumstances:

  • If you are installing this update on a device that is running an edition that is not supported for ESU. For a complete list of which editions are supported, see KB4497181.
  • If you do not have an ESU MAK add-on key installed and activated.

If you have purchased an ESU key and have encountered this issue, please verify you have applied all prerequisites and that your key is activated. For information on activation, please see this blog post. For information on the prerequisites, see the How to get this update section of this article.

Certain operations, such as rename, that you perform on files or folders that are on a Cluster Shared Volume (CSV) may fail with the error, "STATUS_BAD_IMPERSONATION_LEVEL (0xC00000A5)". This occurs when you perform the operation on a CSV owner node from a process that doesn’t have administrator privilege.

Do one of the following:

  • Perform the operation from a process that has administrator privilege.
  • Perform the operation from a node that doesn’t have CSV ownership.

Microsoft is working on a resolution and will provide an update in an upcoming release.

 

To get these updates, just head to Windows Update and look for the respective KB numbers. If you don’t see the update, make sure you’ve installed any of the others that are available. If you still don’t get it, check your update history because Windows probably automatically installed it.

 

 

Microsoft pushes Patch Tuesday updates for Windows 8.1 (KB5009624) and Windows 7 (KB5009610)

]]>3860Wed, 12 Jan 2022 06:12:28 +0000Microsoft releases new Cumulative Update for Windows 11 PCshttps://nsaneforums.com/news/software-news/microsoft-releases-new-cumulative-update-for-windows-11-pcs-r3856/ Microsoft today released KB5009566 (OS Build 22000.434) Cumulative Update for Windows 11 PCs. This update fixes several security vulnerabilities and a known issue that affects Japanese Input Method Editors (IME). Find the official change log below.

 

This security update includes quality improvements. Key changes include:

 

  • Addresses a known issue that affects Japanese Input Method Editors (IME). When you use a Japanese IME to enter text, the text might appear out of order or the text cursor might move unexpectedly in apps that use the multibyte character set (MBCS). This issue affects the Microsoft Japanese IME and third-party Japanese IMEs.

 

This update also comes with the following known issue.

 

After installing Windows 11, some image editing programs might not render colors correctly on certain high dynamic range (HDR) displays. This is frequently observed with white colors, which could display in bright yellow or other colors.

 

This issue occurs when certain color-rendering Win32 APIs return unexpected information or errors under specific conditions. Not all color profile management programs are affected, and color profile options available in the Windows 11 Settings page, including Microsoft Color Control Panel, are expected to function correctly.

 

Microsoft will be providing a solution for this known issue in late January.

 

Source: Microsoft

 

 

Microsoft releases new Cumulative Update for Windows 11 PCs

]]>3856Tue, 11 Jan 2022 21:03:42 +0000<![CDATA[Windows 10 KB5009543 & KB5009545 updates released]]>https://nsaneforums.com/news/software-news/windows-10-kb5009543-kb5009545-updates-released-r3854/ The new update is now available for Windows 10 version 21H2, version 21H1, and version 20H2 As per the official release notes, Microsoft has published two main cumulative updates for Windows 10 - KB5009543 and KB5009545.

 

This month's cumulative updates include security fixes for November 2021 Update, May 2021 Update, October 2020 Update (version 20H2). This update is not available for May 2020 Update (version 2004) if you use the consumer edition, but the same update will be offered on devices using enterprise or education SKUs.

 

The update is available via Windows Update, WSUS, and the Microsoft Update Catalog with numerous bug fixes and performance enhancements.

 

The full list of Windows 10 updates released today are:

 

 

Like every Patch Tuesday, you can check for and install new updates by going to Settings, clicking on Windows Update, and selecting 'Check for Updates' to install the updates.

What's new in the latest cumulative update for Windows 10

  • Updates a known issue that affects Japanese Input Method Editors (IME). Text you enter might appear out of order or the text cursor might move unexpectedly in apps that use the multibyte character set (MBCS).

  • Updates security for your Windows operating system. This update makes quality improvements to the servicing stack, which is the component that installs Windows updates. Servicing stack updates (SSU) ensure that you have a robust and reliable servicing stack so that your devices can receive and install Microsoft updates.

  • This update makes quality improvements to the servicing stack, which is the component that installs Windows updates. Servicing stack updates (SSU) ensure that you have a robust and reliable servicing stack so that your devices can receive and install Microsoft updates.

 

 

Windows 10 KB5009543 & KB5009545 updates released

]]>3854Tue, 11 Jan 2022 20:56:20 +0000