The most interesting feature of the listing was that the app supported both Windows 11 (aka Windows 10 version 22000.0) and the Xbox One, something Microsoft never mentioned before.

Given the emphasis Microsoft placed on WSA bringing Android games to Windows 11, this would not have been a complete surprise, but it appears this will in fact not be the case.

The WC received a statement from Microsoft saying “there are “no plans” to bring the Windows 11 Android subsystem to Xbox at the moment.”

Microsoft did leave the door open for future support, but this will certainly not be in place when Microsoft finally delivers WSA to Windows 11.

That work has been delayed and we recently heard that Microsoft will be shipping Windows 11 without support for Android apps, as the company was still working on the technology.

Microsoft will be offering Android apps from the Amazon Store, but while the technology has potential, the Windows Subsystem for Android will not support every app in the Store, and it remains to be seen how impactful the feature will be, especially since WSA will require 16 GB of RAM is recommended for good performance, which is still not the baseline for most consumer laptops.

The Windows Subsystem for Android app can be seen in the Store here.

Microsoft’s Windows Subsystem for Android may not have Xbox One support after all

Many Chrome users know that they can use controls to clear cookies and site data in Chrome. All it takes is to load the internal URL chrome://settings/siteData to get started.

Chrome lists all sites that have stored cookies and other site data on the local system.

You may search the selection, browse it, delete individual cookies, and check what a particular site has stored on the local system.

The option gives users control over the data, as they may analyze the stored data from that very page.

A recent comment by a Google employee on the official Chromium bug tracking site confirms that Google plans to deprecate the entire Cookies and Site Data page. Chromium is the base for many web browsers, including Google's Chrome web browser but also Microsoft Edge, Vivaldi, Opera or Brave.

The page is removed and Google plans to direct user attention to another internal page, chrome://settings/content/all.

The page looks like the original one on first glance; it lists the site name, features a search, total storage space used by the site and also options to expand the selection.

When you do that, you will notice that stored site content is no longer displayed on the page. The link points to Chrome's site permissions page for the site, but there is no option anymore on the page to look at the site data itself. Additionally, there is no option to delete individual cookies anymore that a site has set using the page.

Note: you may still clear individual cookies by clicking on the icon in front of the address in the Chrome address bar. Select a line, e.g. about cookies, to display details about all set cookies and an option to remove cookies individually.

Jeff Johnson discovered Google's intent by accident when he filed a bug on the Chromium tracker. Johnson is critical of the change, as it takes away information and control from users. He did not find out why Google plans to make the change, only that it will be made.

There is a chance that the new page will receive the functionality of the old, but Google has not made any comment in this regard and if past changes are anything to go by, it seems unlikely.

Other Chromium-based browsers will get the change as well. While it is possible that some browsers will retain the old page by adding its code back to Chrome, it is likely that most Chromium-based browsers will end up with the inferior option if it is not improved by the Chromium engineers.

Google plans to replace Chrome's cookies and site data controls with an inferior option

Microsoft has released a new Office Insider Preview Build 14430.20030 for Windows users that registered in the Beta Channel of the Office Insider program. The new build adds no new features but includes tons of fixes for issues found in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access, Project. You can read the full official changelog below.

Changelog

Office Suite

Notable fix

• We fixed an issue where, during the uploading of a file, the application stopped responding and the document was not syncing.

Access

Notable fix

• We fixed an issue where special characters were included in error messages.

Excel

Notable fixes

• We fixed a rendering issue in worksheets with Freeze Panes enabled for certain scrolling scenarios.
• We fixed an issue where localized characters appeared lower than English characters in the sheet tabs.
• We fixed an issue where the Find/Replace dialog only saved history for Find and not Replace (the dialog was not saving the history of what was replaced when Replace occurred).

Outlook

Notable fixes

• We fixed an issue where Read Aloud neural voice regression stopped responding.
• We fixed an issue that caused Room Finder to fail to load.
• We fixed an issue that caused reminders to intermittently display late and show the wrong time in the dialog.

PowerPoint

Notable fix

• We fixed an issue where the slide size can change during print preview.

Project

Notable fix

• We fixed an issue where, when programmatically adding new tasks to a project, the tasks may not be inserted at the correct location if the new task’s summary task is collapsed.

Word

Notable fixes

• We fixed an issue where Read Aloud neural voice regression stopped responding.
• We fixed an issue related to crashes when calling DCompositionCreateDevice.
• We fixed an issue where typing Hiragana with the Japanese input method editor (IME), with the At Mention people picker open, caused the IME to stop working.

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

Microsoft releases Office Insider Preview Build 14430.20030 for Windows users

The developer of EdgeDeflector has released a new version on GitHub bringing it up to version 1.2.3.0 a couple of months after releasing 1.2.2.0 which cleaned up unused code. The release notes are included below:

• Fixed an issue where the app wouldn’t launch when installed to a directory path containing a space. (Contributed by @ajay4q.)

• Fixed an issue where the app would be shown without an icon in some Windows dialogs. (Spotted by @BinToss.)

• Updated to .NET Framework 4.8.

Happily, this little tool also works in Windows 11, despite Microsoft making it very hard to switch from the default apps, which is just another thing people are unhappy about with Windows 11.

If you are on Windows 11, the process to switch to another browser is slightly different than that with Windows 10 (which is explained later in this article). To set Chrome or another browser as default:

• Install EdgeDeflector,
• Open Start > Settings > Apps > Default Apps,
• Scroll to the bottom of that page, select Choose defaults by link type,
• Search for MICROSOFT-EDGE,
• Select URL:MICROSOFT-EDGE,
• EdgeDeflector should be listed as a choice, choose it > Select OK.

The first time you open a link from within Windows like a Widget, you will be prompted to choose a browser, and there you can select Chrome, or Opera or whatever other browser you have installed.

As you can see from the video above, EdgeDeflector forces Windows 11 to respect the default browser when opening links from Widgets... nice!

To use in Windows 10, follow the steps below:

• Download and install EdgeDeflector v1.2.3.0 from the Releases page on GitHub,
• Go to All settings > Apps > Default apps,
• Scroll to the bottom and click Choose default apps by protocol,
• Locate MICROSOFT-EDGE in the list and click on the program icon to the right of it,
• Select EdgeDeflector from the list. Confirm the change if asked to.

The above process is also detailed here, which also lets you reverse the above steps, if needed. If you want to learn more about how EdgeDeflector works and why it was created, you can visit the developer's blog post on it, here.

Source: EdgeDeflector on GitHub

EdgeDeflector v1.2.3.0 released, lets you force Windows 11 to use preferred browser

Last month, Microsoft released PowerToys version 0.43.0 with a ton of bug fixes, including one for Awake high CPU usage. Today, the company has rolled out version 0.45.0 which focuses on optimizing existing features, increasing stability, and making accessibility improvements. Additionally, it also contains installer updates and a new settings menu UI that offers a revamped experience through the utilization of new styling elements. The styling has been done via the Fluent UX, bringing it more in line with the UI of Windows 11.

The lengthy change log for PowerToys 0.45.0, along with all the credits to contributors, can be seen below:

Change log

• Removed ModuleImageLink. Thanks @niels9001!
• Replaced theme radiobuttons settings with combobox. Thanks @niels9001!
• Consolidated to one testing framework for C# components of the project. Thanks @davidegiacometti!
• StyleCop and warnings fix. Thanks @davidegiacometti!
• Removed unused namespace alias. Thanks @jakeoeding!
• Standardized .NET JSON on System.Text.Json. Thanks @royvou!
• Fixed various .xaml broken links and icons. Thanks @Jay-o-Way!
• Updated name property in "Edit layout" and "Create custom layout" controls to not include private Unicode characters. Thanks @niels9001!
• Changed bitmask variable from size_t to uint64_t which will enable PowerToys to support more than 40 zones per layout.
• Adjusted telemetry to better disambiguate when PowerToys Run launches at startup.
• Plugins "Direct activation phrase" setting renamed to "Direct activation string". Thanks @niels9001!
• Updated environment variables when changed. Thanks @dchristensen!

General

• Settings and OOBE windows updated with Fluent UX! We hope you enjoy the new modern feel of the application menus as we align our product with upcoming Windows 11 interfaces. Special thanks to @niels9001 for driving the development of this UI, along with many thanks to the various community members who offered constant feedback and adjustments to make this a truly spectacular update!
• Added button to settings which displays version history. Thanks @niels9001!
• Signed PowerToysSetupCustomActions.dll.
• Improved Update available & Update ready message severity visual. Thanks @niels9001!
• Improved auto-update experience. Thanks @niels9001!
• Aligned OOBE theme color with Settings theme color. Thanks @niels9001!
• Adjusted labeling of "Restart as Administrator" button to "Restart PowerToys as Administrator" to avoid ambiguity in meaning. Thanks @niels9001!
• Added colored icons to settings sidebar. Thanks @niels9001!
• Fixed accessibility issue in OOBE where Microsoft Docs and PowerToys release notes links could not be navigated to via keyboard. Thanks @niels9001!
• Fixed settings header alignment. Thanks @niels9001!
• Fixed updates text next being visible when in light mode. Thanks @niels9001!
• Updated "Learn More" text to be more descriptive. Thanks @niels9001!
• Updated "Read more" text on updates to be more descriptive. Thanks @niels9001!
• Added link to documentation in system tray. Thanks @BenConstable9!
• Fixed error caused by file in use issues when installing PowerToys.
• Fixed issue where opening settings from start menu didn't work when PowerToys was run as admin. Thanks @davidegiacometti!

Awake

• Added Awake as option in translation bug template. Thanks @Aaron-Junker!
• Adjusted description of inactive setting to improve distinguishing between the utility being disabled vs inactive. Thanks @niels9001!

Color Picker

• Fixed bug where changing RGB values doesn't update color's HEX value. Thanks @martinchrzan!
• Fixed accessibility issue with screen reader not announcing when "Copied to Clipboard" is activated.
• Fixed accessibility issue where user could not hover the content of the info icon using a mouse. Thanks @niels9001!
• Fixed color picker format order not being accessible via keyboard. Thanks @niels9001!
• Fixed accessibility issue where screen reader announces incorrect name for "Editor color format" button and not announcing "Toggle switch" button at all. Thanks @niels9001!

FancyZones

• Adjusted "Save and apply" editor button to adjust with text size for localizations. Thanks @niels9001!
• Fixed "Create new layout" button visibility when in high contrast mode. Thanks @niels9001!
• Fixed scaling quirks related to editor UI. Thanks @niels9001!
• Fixed editor crashing when double clicking the "edit layout" button.
• Fixed issue with editor crashing immediately after displaying zones.
• Fixed bug when navigating editor options via keyboard where pressing enter on unselected Canvas option launches Grid editor instead.
• Fixed issue where FancyZones would not restore Console Applications.
• Fixed Canvas editor and Grid editor window heights. Thanks @niels9001!
• Fixed crash due to KERNELBASE.dll.
• Fixed FancyZone icons to be smoother at higher DPI settings. Thanks @niels9001!
• Fixed crash when changing between zone layouts.
• Fixed regression where FancyZones does not resize windows on layout change.
• Adjusted layout settings to reset shortcut key after canceling changes on a particular layout.

File Explorer add-ons

• Fixed issue where markdown files were still previewed even when "Enable Markdown" was unselected.

Image Resizer

• Added warning that GIF files with animations may no correctly resize if the encoding used for the files is incompatible.

Keyboard Manager

• Improved UI for KBM re-mappings list. Thanks @niels9001!

PowerRename

• Expanding a plugin option in settings can now be toggled. Thanks @niels9001!
• Fixed race condition causing PowerRename to crash File Explorer. Thanks @ianjoneill!

PowerToys Run

• Fixed lag caused from PowerToys running in background and invoking Alt-Tab.
• Resolved file not found exception when loading "System.Windows.Controls.Ribbon".
• Fixed null reference exception crash.
• Fixed registry plugin load crash.
• Fixed unauthorized access exception crash when setting registry keys for the utility.
• Improved visibility of warnings when plugin properties are collapsed. Thanks @niels9001!
• Added search for Plugin Manager. Thanks @davidegiacometti!
• Fixed VSCode workspace plugin not working. Thanks @BenConstable9!

Video Conference Mute

• Fixed toolbar top right vertical offset to allow users to close other app windows.
• Fixed compatibility issues for certain systems when compiling from source.
• Fixed toolbox from persisting on screen.
• Fixed microphone unmuting when changing Video Conference Mute toolbar position.
• Added Video Conference Mute to OOBE.

Moving forward, an experimental version of PowerToys 0.46 will be released in the second week of this month, and will tow an updated Video Conference Mute utility.

If you are using PowerToys, 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 0.45 installer from the app's GitHub page.

PowerToys 0.45 brings new settings menu with Fluent Design and stability updates

As spotted by WalkingCat (@_h0x0d_ on Twitter), the Microsoft Store now contains a dedicated page for "Windows Subsystem for Android". Although it's free to download, it currently only pops up a blank window when you install and open it on Windows 11. On our Windows 10 device, it does not even install.

However, the store listing does contain a few interesting details. For one, the minimum requirements have been listed as Windows 10 version 22000.0 or greater, which is likely a typo for Windows 11 as it is the same branch as what we have on the Beta Channel currently. More importantly, it lists Xbox One as a supported OS too, something that has not been hinted by Microsoft before. Supported architectures include ARM64 and x64 while the minimum amount of RAM required is 8GB. The recommended specifications are the same apart from RAM requirements, which have been bumped up to 16GB.

The store listing also cautions that users of the app shouldn't take screenshots or leak other content - likely an advisory for Microsoft employees testing the app internally.

While Microsoft has not revealed further details about Android app support yet, we do know that Microsoft is partnering with Amazon and will deliver Android apps via the Amazon App Store which will be available under the Microsoft Store. With the new update, users will be able to download and install Android apps like TikTok, Pinterest, Kindle and more. Furthermore, these will act like Windows apps allowing users to pin them to taskbar, snap with other apps, resize and more.

That said, it is important to note that none of the details - especially support for Xbox consoles - mentioned in the Microsoft Store listing have been confirmed by the Redmond tech giant itself so it's highly likely that they will change over time. We already know that the capabilities won't be present in the October 5 release of Windows 11.

Windows Subsystem for Android app makes an appearance, touts Xbox support

While the company didn't explain the reason behind Dev and Beta Channel Insiders experiencing Start menu and taskbar unresponsive and having issues accessing other OS areas, including Settings, developer Daniel Aleksandersen discovered that a buggy promo deployment caused the problem.

"The problem wasn’t caused by an update delivered through Windows Update," Aleksandersen explained."Instead, it was caused by a small file [..] [that] contained an advertisement for Microsoft Teams."

"The promo intended to promote the upcoming operating system’s integration with Microsoft Teams Instead, it caused Explorer (the Windows desktop shell) to stop responding and left users without a working Start menu and taskbar."

Windows Insiders impacted by this issue reported that they couldn't use their computers because Explorer and the Taskbar are gone, and the Windows desktop shell is not accessible even after reinstalling the system.

After being flooded with reports, Microsoft acknowledged the issue and pinned it on a "server-side deployment" problem.

"Recently, Windows Insiders in both the Dev and Beta Channels began reporting that Start and Taskbar were unresponsive and Settings and other areas of the OS wouldn’t load," Microsoft said.

"We quickly discovered an issue with a server-side deployment that went out to Insiders and canceled that deployment."

Windows Insiders whose computers' were impacted by the buggy Teams promo need to go through the following steps to get their PCs back into a working state:

• Step 1: Use CTRL-ALT-DEL and choose to open Task Manager.
• Step 2: Choose “More details” at the bottom of Task Manager to expand Task Manager.
• Step 3: Go to “File” and choose “Run new task.”
• Step 4: Type “cmd” in the “Open” field.
• Step 5: Paste the following (everything in bold):
  reg delete HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\IrisService /f && shutdown -r -t 0
• Step 6: Hit enter, and then your PC should reboot. After rebooting, everything should be back to normal.

Update: When asked for more details about this issue, a Microsoft spokesperson told BleepingComputer that "Microsoft has nothing to share on this topic besides the update published in this Windows Insider Blog: Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22449 | Windows Insider Blog and tweet from the Windows Insider Twitter."

Microsoft breaks Windows 11 Start Menu, Taskbar with Teams promo

"Organizations enrolled in the Windows Insider Program for Business can access these builds through all standard channels, including Windows Update, Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), Azure Marketplace, and the Windows Insider Program ISO download page," Microsoft said.

"Along with commercial pre-release availability, we are also offering free support for commercial organizations running these builds. 

For Windows Update or Windows Update for Business users, the Windows 11 commercial preview can be accessed by enterprise customers on devices that meet the hardware requirements with the KB5005101 optional cumulative update released on September 1.

Those who don't want to upgrade to Windows 11 immediately can choose the "Stay on Windows 10 for now" option and install the Windows 10 21H2 feature update.

Commercial devices in the Release Preview Insider Channel which don't meet the Windows 11 hardware requirements will be offered Windows 10 21H2 automatically instead.

According to Microsoft, a device is considered a commercial device if it's not running Windows 10 Home, is managed by an IT admin, OR it has a volume license key or commercial ID or is joined to a Windows domain.

If you're using Windows Server Update Service (WSUS), you can access the two feature updates in the "Windows Insider Pre-release" category in WSUS and Microsoft Endpoint Manager (MEM) Configuration Manager.

The Windows 11 and Windows 10 21H2 commercial previews can also be accessed via the Windows Insider Program ISO site or the Azure Marketplace.

"Regardless of how you choose to deploy the release previews of either Windows 11 or Windows 10, version 21H2, we will keep you supported," Microsoft added.

"If you encounter an issue, please report it to feedback hub or reach out to us directly through our free support offering for commercial organizations."

App Assure with Microsoft FastTrack is also available for eligible enterprise customers with more than 150+ seats who need to troubleshoot compatibility issues at no additional cost.

Microsoft announced on Tuesday that Windows 11 will be released on October 5th, 2021, to all Windows 10 users with supported devices.

Windows 11 will be a free upgrade devices with compatible hardware and running a recent version of Windows. Windows 10 customers with supported hardware will be able to update directly via Windows Update or the media creation tool.

Microsoft releases Windows 11 feature update for enterprise testing

Microsoft Edge Stable version 93.0.961.38 is now available (change log)

Frontpaged:  Microsoft Edge 93.0.961.38

We posted earlier that Microsoft has been notifying Windows 11 Insiders whose PCs do not meet Microsoft’s minimum hardware requirements via a banner in Windows Update that they need to downgrade to Windows 10.

Now Microsoft has taken it a step further and started emailing those who their system understands do not meet requirements, saying:

Your PC does not meet the minimum system requirements for previewing Windows 11. 

Hi Windows Insider,

Some PCs in the Dev Channel do not have an option to switch channels as they were given an exception to install Windows 11 preview builds as outlined in our blog post here on June 24th (the red column in the chart). These PCs do not meet the minimum hardware requirements for previewing Windows 11 builds and will not receive new Windows 11 Insider Preview builds from the Dev Channel going forward.

Based on our data, you have a PC that was given that exception. This PC must clean install back to Windows 10 with the media (ISOs) that we provide and can then join the Release Preview Channel to preview Windows 10 updates.

Please review the message in your Windows Update Settings to learn more.

Thank you for your participation in the Windows Insider Program!

The Windows Insider team

Microsoft has said earlier they intend to continue to release cumulative updates for Windows 11 to those affected until the 5th October Windows 11 General Availability date, but that afterwards users will need to downgrade to Windows 10. Microsoft has not explained what would happen if users ignored the prompt, except to say they would receive no further Windows 11 Builds.

Microsoft starts emailing Windows 11 Insiders who do not meet hardware requirements

So far, we have explored and discussed Search, Widgets, the Start menu, and Snap Layouts and Snap Groups in considerable detail. Today, we'll be taking a look at the taskbar, which has gone through a major revamp in Windows 11 and is usually the first thing that people notice in Microsoft's marketing material and promotion.

Before we dive into the taskbar, it is important to remember that given Windows 11's active development status, it's possible that some of the things we talk about may change by the time of general availability. For the purpose of this hands-on, we'll be taking a look at Windows 11 build 22000.168 that was released last week versus a publicly available and up-to-date Windows 10 (version 21H1 build 19043.1165).

As usual, we start with the Windows 10 taskbar to freshen up our memories a bit. By default, the taskbar is justified to the left with the Windows button for the Start menu and some other controls like Search and Task View next to it. You can right-click on the taskbar and then choose to hide or show certain controls using the context menu. You can pin items like apps and shortcuts to the taskbar depending upon your use-case. Personally, I pin my most-used apps to the taskbar with the least-used apps pinned closer to the left corner. On the right side of the taskbar, we have a space for the recent "News and Interests" widget (that can be disabled), following by some other system icons such as battery, internet connectivity, device volume, time and date, and the notification tray.

Microsoft offers a ton of customization options for the taskbar in Windows 10, and some of them can be seen above. These include locking the taskbar, hiding it in tablet mode, changing its location, disabling badges, combining taskbar buttons, and a separate batch of settings for multiple displays and contacts. You can configure a lot of settings here to customize the taskbar to your liking and use-case and it's fairly flexible.

When we move over to Windows 11, the situation is completely different and in stark contrast to Windows 10. For one, the taskbar is centered by default, which isn't a major concern for me. This is because I usually left-justify it anyway, which is still possible in Windows 11. The problem is that these are the only two alignment options Windows 11 offers. If you want to have the taskbar at the side of the display or at the top, you're out of luck. This is likely done keeping in view the new Start menu, but it will bother a lot of people who don't like either of the two available alignment options.

The layout is similar to Windows 10 otherwise in the sense that the Start menu is to the left with some controls like Search, virtual desktop, widgets, and Teams pinned next to it, followed by pinned items of your own choosing. Again, the predefined apps can be hidden if you right-click on them. For people such as myself who like their own frequently-used apps closer to the middle of the display horizontally will either have to hide all the default icons or left-justify the taskbar in order to achieve the same affect as Windows 10.

Coming over to more missing features, perhaps the biggest is the absence of the right-click context menu for the taskbar. On Windows 10 (scroll to the first screenshot), this menu offered a bunch of useful capabilities like cascading windows, stacking them, centrally controlling what system icons you want to enable or disable, and more. The menu is completely missing in Windows 11 and if you right-click on the taskbar, you get a measly "Taskbar settings" prompt.

Another change likely to annoy people is the fact that you cannot drag-and-drop apps or shortcuts to pin them to the taskbar. Windows 11 simply does not allow this behavior. While I don't use this capability much - I go the old-fashioned way of right-clicking and then clicking on "pin to taskbar" -, the lack of it will certainly bother people who do utilize it.

Moving over to the right side of the taskbar, we have some other major changes. The notification area has been done away with and only shows when you do have a notification to click on. In the same vein, the notification and settings trays have been split up. Notifications now show up in a separate window, while quick settings can be accessed when you click on any of the icons in the right corner. Perhaps we'll discuss this in more detail in another Closer Look article.

The new quick settings UI discussed in the previous paragraph can be triggered if you click on any of the icons on the right side of the taskbar. The thing I do not like about this at all is that instead of only showing the relevant quick settings - for example, clicking on the volume icon should only show the volume controls -, it shows you all the quick settings collectively. Overall, this means that the quick settings tray now takes up less screen estate compared to Windows 10 if you want to view all settings collectively - which I appreciate - it also means that they actually take up more space compared to their predecessor if you just want to view dedicated settings.

I think both the notifications and quick settings areas deserve their own Closer Look article, but I've briefly discussed them here because they are closely related to the taskbar behavior.

Moving on to the final piece of the taskbar puzzle, we have its personalization and customization settings. Similar to the taskbar itself, these configurations have been stripped back as well. As can be seen from the screenshot above, you can't lock the taskbar, use smaller icons, combine them, or move the taskbar to the top or side of the screen.

Although settings for contacts are gone, those for multiple displays are still there but grouped under "Taskbar behaviors". You can also utilize these configurations to enable and disable certain taskbar items, corner items, and corner overflow items. Almost all of these settings could be found in Windows 10 as well but are grouped slightly better in Windows 11.

Overall, my outlook on Windows 11 taskbar's is quite negative. Microsoft seems to have cut back on a lot of features and while I understand that some it has been done for simplicity and consistency, I don't understand why the ability to open the taskbar's context menu on right-click is not available and why items cannot be dragged and dropped to the taskbar, among many other things.

My hope is that the reason for this is that Microsoft is revamping the behavior and/or UI of these components and that we may see them in upcoming builds. However, with Windows 11's general availability just around the corner, this seems like a far cry at this point - at least in terms of getting the missing capabilities by October 5. Then again, it's also possible that Microsoft wants to do away with the features completely and wants user to adjust to the current Windows 11 taskbar as the new normal.

We'll likely find out more closer to October 5, but for now, I feel like too much has been taken away from the taskbar's capabilities to justify the increased simplicity.

In the meantime, what are your thoughts on the current state of the Windows 11 taskbar? Do you like the changes? How would you like to see Microsoft enhance it further? Let us know in the comments section below and inform Microsoft via the Feedback Hub too.

Closer Look: Taskbar in Windows 11

With the release of Windows 11 now nearing, it is not surprising to see the firm begin focusing on bug-fixing releases alone for the Beta channel, while Dev channel users begin to test bits that are slated to be added to the OS in a future release. The company had already begun cautioning Dev channel users that the upcoming builds will be “less stable”.

As for the Beta channel build today, there are improvements to OS in the form of bug fixes. There is just one interesting change, which is the inability to right-click on the Search, Task View, Widgets, and Chat icons on the taskbar and unpin them directly. Users will now have to do so from the Taskbar settings option. There isn't anything in the way of features, which isn't surprising as the OS is close to being complete and ready for shipping to OEMs and eligible users. Here are all the fixes:

[General]

• We fixed an issue with paired Bluetooth LE devices that was causing an increase in Bluetooth reliability issues and bugchecks after resume from hibernate or when Bluetooth was turned off.
• We mitigated an issue that was resulting some users hitting in an unexpected error when trying to take pictures with certain USB cameras.
• When setting up Windows Hello in OOBE, we’ve added a new link to learn more about Windows Hello.

[Chat from Microsoft Teams]

• Arabic and Hebrew languages will now allow changing Teams Settings.
• We fixed the issue where if you were making an outgoing call, there was no ring tone, but the user interface would show that the call is getting connected.

[Microsoft Store]

The following issues were fixed in the most recent Store updates:

• We fixed the issue where the install button might not be functional in limited scenarios.
• We also fixed an issue where rating and reviews were not available for some apps.

AS with every build, the company is also listing the known issues that users must be aware of. While the list is still long, expect these to gradually be addressed in the next few builds as the firm prepares the OS for general availability, which is expected to happen in October. Additionally, fixes made as part of the Dev channel build are also expected to make it to Beta channel releases, so the next few builds might begin addressing all the issues listed below.

Here is the complete list of known issues:

[General]

• We’re investigating reports from Insiders in the Beta Channel where after upgrading to Windows 11, they are not seeing the new Taskbar and the Start menu doesn’t work. To workaround this if you are impacted, please try going to Windows Update > Update history, uninstalling the latest cumulative update for Windows, and the reinstall it by checking for updates.
• We’re working on a fix for an issue that is causing some Surface Pro X devices to bug check with a WHEA_UNCORRECTABLE_ERROR.

[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.
• System and Windows Terminal is missing when right-clicking on the Start button (WIN + X).

[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.
• Search panel might appear as black and not display any content below the search box.

[Widgets]

• The widgets board may appear empty. To work around the issue, you can sign out and then sign back in again.
• Widgets may be displayed in the wrong size on external monitors. If you encounter this, you can launch the widgets via touch or WIN + W shortcut on your actual PC display first and then launch on your secondary monitors.

[Microsoft Store]

• We continue to work to improve search relevance in the Store.

[Windows Sandbox]

• Within Windows Sandbox, the language input switcher does not launch after clicking the switcher icon on the Taskbar. As a workaround, users can switch their input language via any of the following hardware keyboard shortcuts: Alt + Shift, Ctrl + Shift, or Win + Space (the third option is available only if Sandbox is full-screened).
• Within Windows Sandbox, the IME context menu does not launch after clicking the IME icon in the Taskbar. As workarounds, users can access the functionalities of the IME context menu with either of following methods:
  • Accessing the IME settings via Settings > Time & language > Language & region > (e.g. Japanese) three dots > Language options > (e.g. Microsoft IME) three dots > Keyboard options.
    • Optionally, you may also enable the IME toolbar, an alternative UI to quickly invoke specific IME functions. Continuing from above, navigate to Keyboard options > Appearance > Use IME toolbar.
  • Using the unique set of hardware keyboard shortcuts associated with each IME-supported language. (See: Japanese IME Shortcuts, Traditional Chinese IME Shortcuts).

[Localization]

• There is an issue where some Insiders may be some missing translations from their user experience for a small subset of languages running the latest Insider Preview builds. To confirm if you have been impacted, please visit this Answers forum post and follow the steps for remediation.

In addition to this, the Microsoft Store update with a revamped Library Ui and improved navigation is introduced with the last Dev channel build is also making it to the Beta channel with today's update.

Microsoft has also announced that it is releasing Windows 11 in the Release Preview channel for Windows Insider Program for Business customers as an optional update, allowing those customers to begin validation and acceptance testing. Those that do not want to move to Windows 11 can also begin testing Windows 10 version 21H2.

Now that the firm has decoupled Windows 11 builds slated for release later this year from the Dev channel, focusing on bug fixes for the Beta channel, it will not be surprising to see the OS head to Release Preview channel users in the next few weeks, especially since commercial customers are already eligible in that channel. Dev channel users, however, will start testing features and changes that will make it to the OS in a future release, likely the 22H2 updates slated for next year.

Microsoft releases Windows 11 build 22000.176 to the Beta channel, brings bug fixes

The company has been cautioning those that want to opt for stable builds to move to the Beta channel. This is because the company has been readying newer development builds for Dev channel users from the rs_prerelease branch, builds that are not tied to the release expected to happen later this year. Those who were running these builds in the Dev channel on unsupported hardware have also begun being moved out of the Insider Program. The firm cautions users that the code in these builds is "in-progress" code and that users must expect unstable builds.

Today’s build brings a bunch of UI improvements such as acrylic effect for notifications, easier Bluetooth settings access from Quick Setting, updated progress ring for the boot animation, and more. The firm is also bringing SMB compression behavior changes, moving away from the default decision algorithm introduced in Windows 11 and Windows Server 2022. You can read about SMB compression behaviors here.

However, there is no word on when support for running Android apps, a feature that the company showed off during the Windows 11 reveal, will make it to Insider builds. Windows 11 version 21H2 releasing October 5 is not expected to ship with support for that feature. However, it is anybody's guess if the firm adds the feature mid-stream, without waiting for version 22H2 slated to be released in the fall of 2022.

With that out of the way, here is everything new in Windows 11 build 22449:

• The boot screen now shows a progressive ring animation for loading the OS instead of an animated circle of dots. We are working to replace this animated circle of dots in other areas of the OS over time.

• Right-clicking on the Bluetooth entry in Quick Settings and selecting Settings will now open the main Bluetooth & Devices page in Settings.
• The Windows startup sound will no longer play after an unattended update (aka a scheduled Windows update when you are not at your PC).
• Added a link to the touch keyboard personalization settings from Typing > Touch Keyboard to help improve discoverability.
• Notifications now have an acrylic background.
• Updated animation used in the notification introducing you to Windows Hello if it hasn’t been set up.
• Updated the dialog when closing Windows Sandbox so that it has rounded visuals.
• Adjusted the design of Notification Center to make the app names more visibly separated from the notifications.

There is also a long list of fixes being made to the OS. Some of these fixes will also make it to Beta channel users as part of servicing updates. Those users are on build 22000.168 and will likely only see minor improvements in the coming weeks as the firm preps the OS for release later this year.

Here is the list of fixes posted by the firm:

[Taskbar]

• If your Taskbar is set to auto-hide, hovering over the Taskbar corner or bottom of secondary monitors should now properly invoke the Taskbar.
• Fixed an issue that could make the calendar flyout get in a state where only the week names would load and not the calendar part.
• Addressed an issue where the lunar calendar would get out of sync with the actual date in the calendar flyout.
• If you’ve updated your time format, additional clocks added to the calendar flyout will now update to reflect that.
• Hovering over one of the Desktops in the Task View flyout should no longer unexpectedly change your active Desktop.
• The Focus Assist button in Notification Center now has an accessible name for screen readers.
• Fixed an underlying issue that was causing the font in the Taskbar previews to not be correct.
• Did some work to help make explorer.exe more reliable when using the Taskbar on multiple monitors.

[Input]

• We mitigated an issue that was making the Mail app not able to accept keyboard input into the address / subject lines of a new email sometimes.
• Also fixed an input related deadlock that was making certain windows not respond to mouse input, including Search, Start, and the emoji panel.
• If you’re using a tablet or 2-in-1 device in tablet posture, the touch keyboard should now be invoked when tapping Command Prompt to input text without having to tap the touch keyboard button.
• The N’Ko keyboard name should now display correctly in the input flyout when added to the input list.
• We did some work to address an animation issue with the shadow when opening the emoji panel or voice typing.
• Made some performance improvements to help address an issue where the Pinyin IME would take a significant amount of time to start.
• Addressed an issue where the Pinyin IME would crash and get stuck in a broken state that could result in no longer being able to type anything.
• We fixed an issue where Japanese IME didn’t lock Kana input mode and reverted it to Romaji input mode after inputting a single character while UAC was disabled or using Windows Sandbox. Thank you everyone who’s shared feedback so far, we really appreciate it.
• We fixed an issue that when you insert multiple prolong sounds in a row with Japanese IME, the first one and remaining ones were inserted with different character code.
• We addressed some cases where you wouldn’t see anything when trying to launch the input switcher (Win + Space), including when using Windows Sandbox.
• We fixed an issue where an angry looking emoji was returned if you searched for “sad” in the emoji panel.
• Made some tweaks to fix rendering with certain characters when writing vertically, for example writing Japanese vertically with Meiryo UI.
• Did some work to address an issue that could cause the left mouse click button on precision touchpads to get stuck and stop working.
• Inputting ALT key codes on the number pad when using the Japanese IME should work now.
• Addressed an issue that was making Alt-Gr occasionally get ignored when a client RDP window was active.
• Made a change to help address an issue that could result in characters getting dropped when typing with the Korean IME into certain win32 text boxes.

[File Explorer]

• We’ve done some work to help address an underlying issue where moving certain app windows would be very slow if a File Explorer window was also visible on the screen.
• The command bar should now be properly mirrored in Arabic and Hebrew and fixed some positioning when using the command bar flyouts in those display languages.
• Mitigated an issue impacting explorer.exe reliability.
• Fixed a text rendering issue with the apostrophe in the Move Folder dialog.
• Clicking the “Network discovery is turned off” message in File Explorer will now navigate to a more relevant location instead of just the main page of Network Settings.
• Fixed an underlying issue that is believed to be the cause of explorer.exe crashing for some people when using the paste button when right-clicking in File Explorer.

[Settings]

• Fixed a bug that was causing the battery level displayed for connected Bluetooth devices in Settings to get stuck and appear out of date.
• The contrast issues in Sound settings should be fixed now when using the Desert contrast theme.
• Addressed an issue where selecting 5.1 audio type in Sound Settings wasn’t sticking.
• The sliders in the Sound Settings volume mixer should no longer unexpectedly be different lengths.
• The Searching Windows link on the Search Permissions page in Settings now works and should no longer crash Settings if the indexer is not running.
• Made some improvements to help address an underlying issue that could result in display positions and settings being unexpectedly forgotten.
• Fixed an issue that was causing the profile picture in the top corner of Settings to scale poorly sometimes.
• The time format in Power & Battery Settings should now follow your preferences.
• Addressed an issue where clicking the high brightness warning in Powery & Battery Settings wouldn’t lower the brightness.
• The Video Playback page in Settings should no longer show battery options for devices without batteries.
• Fixed misspelling of Santali in Language Settings.
• Fixed misspelling Malaysia (TA-MY) in Language Settings when using the Tamil display language.
• Did some work to fix an issue where navigating to Lock Screen was crashing Settings sometimes.
• The “only allow Windows Hello sign-in for Microsoft accounts on this device” setting in Sign-in Settings will now only show for accounts where this option supported.
• You can now select the text of the update names in Windows Update History again if you would like to copy them out.
• Addressed an issue that is believed to be the root cause of some people experiencing crashes when clicking on some of the links in the Advanced Options page of Windows Update Settings.
• Windows Update History should now correctly show the number of updates in each category, instead of showing 0.
• The BitLocker link in Settings will no longer crash if it’s clicked on devices where it’s not supported.
• Fixed a few places in Settings where Narrator wasn’t reading items, including making an update so Narrator will now announce success after successfully pairing a device.
• Options in Personalization Settings that aren’t supported when a contrast theme has been selected will now be disabled.
• Opening Taskbar Settings in Windows Sandbox will no longer crash Settings.
• Fixed a hang relating to the input flyout that was causing Quick Settings to hang and not launch.
• Did some work to address an issue where the edit button in Quick Settings would go missing sometimes.
• Fixed a deadlock that was resulting in cellular data on/off values not matching between Quick Settings and Cellular Settings page.
• Quick Settings shouldn’t get clipped anymore when using Magnifier.
• Addressed an issue that was making the Duplicate option under the Project flyout in Quick Settings not work in some cases.

[Logging in and Authentication]

• The icons used in Windows Spotlight text on the lock screen should display properly now and not look like boxes sometimes.
• The Windows startup sound should no longer play while updates are in progress.
• Tweaked the buttons of the UAC dialog so the pressed state is more consistent with other buttons.
• The image in the Windows Hello notification is now visible when using light mode.
• The “Getting things ready for you” text after an update should now be written in the correct font (Segoe UI Variable).
• Did some work to help reduce potential banding effects on the “getting things ready” screen after first setting up a device.
• Addressed an issue where the Number Lock state did not persist during a Fast Start reboot.
• Fixed an issue that could cause the Lock screen to appear blank with the default lock screen image if lock screen slideshow was enabled combined with “Automatically pick accent color from my background” in Personalization settings.

[Bluetooth and Devices]

• We fixed an issue for Insiders with paired Bluetooth LE devices that was causing an increase in Bluetooth reliability issues and bugchecks after resume from hibernate or when Bluetooth was turned off.
• Fixed a crash with certain connected devices that could result in not being able to use Bluetooth.
• Mitigated an issue for certain connected devices that was resulting in unexpected beeping, lower than expected maximum volume, occasional Windows Audio service hangs, and volume seemingly getting stuck.
• Addressed an issue that was making certain scanners not work.
• Fixed an issue that could cause unexpected brightness changes when adding a monitor, closing then opening a laptop lid, changing resolution or orientation (including autorotation) or a in game setting or a full-screen mode at a different resolution.
• A new display driver being installed should no longer unexpectedly re-enable disabled devices, including graphics adapters.

[Windowing]

• Min/Max buttons in the title bar of certain apps should no longer become distorted after turning off a contrast theme.
• Fixed an explorer.exe crash that could happen when using ALT + Tab.
• The keyboard focus in ALT + Tab and Task View should be easier to see now.

[Microsoft Store]

The following issues were fixed in the most recent Store updates:

• We fixed the issue where the install button might not be functional in limited scenarios.
• We also fixed an issue where rating and reviews were not available for some apps.

[Chat from Microsoft Teams]

• Arabic and Hebrew languages will now allow changing Teams Settings.
• We fixed the issue where if you were making an outgoing call, there was no ring tone, but the user interface would show that the call is getting connected.

[Other]

• Made a change to help improve Task Manager launch performance in certain scenarios where it was unexpectedly very slow.
• Addressed an issue that was making certain applications sometimes get the wrong color profile in multi-monitor scenarios.
• Fixed an underlying crash that was resulting in the recording and screenshot options in the Xbox Game Bar getting unexpectedly disabled.
• Addressed an underlying app deployment issue believed to be the root cause of Windows Security not launching on a small number of devices.
• The Windows Boot Loader text should now correctly say Windows 11.
• Fixed the logo in the Store apps troubleshooter.
• We did some work on WSL2 to help improve the performance and reliability of localhost relay.

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 after general availability on October 5th.

In addition to the fixes, the firm has also listed a bunch of known issues that you should be aware of if you are running Dev channel builds. You can read through the list below.

[General]

• Windows Insiders with Windows Defender Application Guard (WDAG) enabled will not receive this build. There is an issue in this build that causes PCs to bugcheck continuously with WDAG enabled. We hope to have this fixed in the next flight.
• We’re working on a fix for an issue that is causing some Surface Pro X devices to bug check with a WHEA_UNCORRECTABLE_ERROR.

[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.
• System and Windows Terminal is missing when right-clicking on the Start button (WIN + X).

[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.
• Search panel might appear as black and not display any content below the search box.

[File Explorer]

• If you right click files in OneDrive locations in File Explorer, the context menu will unexpectedly dismiss when you hover over entries that open sub-menus, such as “Open with”.

[Widgets]

• The widgets board may appear empty. To work around the issue, you can sign out and then sign back in again.
• Widgets may be displayed in the wrong size on external monitors. If you encounter this, you can launch the widgets via touch or WIN + W shortcut on your actual PC display first and then launch on your secondary monitors.

[Windows Sandbox]

• We’re investigating an issue in which Windows Sandbox may not launch for some Insiders after upgrading to this build.

[Microsoft Store]

• We continue to work to improve search relevance in the Store.

[Localization]

• There is an issue where some Insiders may be some missing translations from their user experience for a small subset of languages running the latest Insider Preview builds. To confirm if you have been impacted, please visit this Answers forum post and follow the steps for remediation.

In addition to the build, the firm has also confirmed that it will be preventing those Insiders running Dev channel builds on unsupported machines from receiving these new development builds. However, users will continue to receive cumulative updates leading up to the general availability of Windows 11 on 5th October.

As mentioned earlier, the improvements made as part of the Dev channel build today are not tied to any specific Windows version, meaning they might be geared for release next year, as part of Windows 11’s annual update. Moving forward, users that opted to continue receiving Dev channel builds will need to perform a clean install to move to the Beta channel if they did not switch to the Beta channel before installing today’s build.

Windows 11 build 22449 for the Dev channel brings a new startup animation and tons of fixes

On Windows 10, when you want to change default apps, you visit Settings > Apps > Default Apps. One of the options on the screen that opens is to change the defaults for common applications such as the web browser, photo viewer, video player, or music player. Select the web browser, pick another installed browser, and you are done.

Microsoft did make the process less user friendly than in previous versions of Windows, as you can't pick a program from the system anymore when selecting defaults that is not displayed in the initial listing.

On Windows 11, things have gotten worse again. When you open Settings > Apps > Default Apps, you will notice that the list of popular application types is gone. You may set defaults based on a file type or link or by application.

Select a program, e.g. Brave Browser, and you get a list of all file types and link types it has registered itself to open. Each type is listed separately and to make matters worse, there is no "set for all" option on the page.

To make a program the default for all its registered file types and links, you'd have to click on each of the types and pick the desired application from the listing. While you may skip some file types and links, such as SVG for the web browser, you would end up with multiple web browsers being set as the default for certain file types.

For a web browser, this could mean having to repeat the process a significant number of times before the defaults are all changed. If things do get reset, which happened frequently for some users on Windows 10, then you'd have to repeat the process again.

If you want to change the defaults for multiple programs, e.g. an email client, a web browser, a photo viewer, media player, and music player, you'd spend a long time configuring the file types. Media players alone support dozens of different file formats and protocols, and you will spend quite some time changing the defaults on Windows 11.

A quick web browser installation test on a Windows 11 test system confirmed that most users will run into issues with default apps. Most Chromium-based browsers open the Default Apps section of the settings app when users accept the "make us the default" prompt. Firefox was able to set a handful of defaults, most notably HTTP, HTTPS, .HTM and .HTML, but did not do so for others such as .SHTML, .PDF or image formats (which it theoretically can be the default app for).

If you wanted some of these to open in the program as well, you'd still have to go through the ordeal of changing them one after the other.

Why did Microsoft remove the Default Apps option in Windows 11?

A Microsoft spokesperson told The Verge that the new controls would give users control "at a more granular level" by "eliminating app categories and elevating all apps to the forefront of the defaults experience".

The options that have been "elevated to the forefront" are not entirely new. Windows 10 users may set defaults by applications similarly to how defaults are set on Windows 11. The only difference between the two versions of Windows is that Windows 10's functionality is two levels deep in the settings while Windows 11's is on the start screen.

Microsoft failed to mention why it removed the option to set an app as the default for all supported file types and links, just like before. Even a "select all" option when configuring defaults for an app would be sufficient to resolve the issue.

It is clear that making an app the default for all supported file types is more complicated and time consuming than before, if things remain as they are in Windows 11.

Microsoft is making it harder to change Default Apps in Windows 11

Windows Terminal is one of my favorite features to come to Windows 10 over the past few years as it provides a multi-tabbed console window that you can use for PowerShell, WSL, and Command Prompt consoles.

When using Windows Terminal, you can open multiple console tabs simultaneously with a mix of different shells, depending on your needs and the applications installed.

Windows Terminal is now a built-in application in Windows 10 and can be added as the default console program when right-clicking on a folder.

Even better, Windows Terminal is open source, allowing developers outside of Microsoft to contribute new features and fixes.

Windows Terminal Preview v1.11

Windows Terminal Preview v1.11 includes many fixes, but for us, one stands out - the new ability to drag and drop a folder on the new tab button to open a console directly to that folder.

This feature is still a little buggy as if you have increased text scaling in Windows 10, the hot spot to drop a folder will not be directly over the new tab button.

Other highlighted changes in this release are listed below:

• You can now delete autogenerated profiles.
• Terminal will now optionally present a tray icon and minimize windows to it.
• You can now set special font features and custom axis values!
• Bold or "intense" text can now be displayed as bright colors, a bold font, or both.
• There is a new "Split Tab" item in each tab's context menu, which will split the active profile.
• Terminal now supports displaying the titlebar¹ or tab row with the acrylic material.
• There's a new "unfocused appearance" editor at the bottom of the Appearance page (per profile).
• Key bindings now support the browser keys found on some keyboards newer than, say, 2000?
• You can now open a new tab by dropping a folder on the + button.
• Those of you with international keyboards can now specify very particular key bindings to "virtual key" codes or scancodes.
• On newer versions of Windows, startingDirectory can now accept Linux paths when launching a WSL profile.
• Tabs created with wt and default terminal instances will now have the launched command line as their title, instead of the default profile name.
• You can now navigate through panes in creation order using nextPane and previousPane.
• Navigating through panes with the move-focus action works much better and now also works correctly on startup.
• The toggleSplitOrientation action has been added and it switches a pair of panes from a vertical to a horizontal layout.
• The taskbar will now show the progress state of all of the panes/tabs combined, regardless of which is in focus. This is helpful if you’re running a build in an unfocused tab, for example.
• You can now use sc() and vk() for binding keys, which allows many more keys to be bindable.

You can find more detailed information about the bug fixes and changes in the Windows Terminal Preview 1.11 Release notes and on the project's GitHub releases page.

Windows Terminal now lets you drag and drop folders to open tabs

Telegram Desktop app gets updated with new features

Based on the recently released Linux 5.14 kernel series, the GNU Linux-libre 5.14 kernel is here to clean up the i915 Intel OpenGL graphics driver, clean and move the drivers for sp8870 and other av7110 cards in the upstream tree, adjusts the cleaning up script of the Renesas xHCI driver, and removes a r8188eu file.

It also adjust the cleaning up of the btqca driver since it was renamed upstream, cleans up a dts file that contained a blob-loading feature for a new Qualcomm ARM64 variant, disables another blog-loading feature from a new Emulex Fibre Channel Target driver, and cleans up new blob names from the adreno, amdgpu, and btrtl drivers.

On top of all that, the GNU Linux-libre 5.14 kernel also cleans up a firmware patch for vs6624 sensors and some microcode relocation patches for PowerPC 8xx, after a report from a user that there might be some potential non-free code in the GNU Linux-libre kernel, according to the mailing list announcement.

“Both are encoded as arrays of numbers in upstream Linux releases. The latter had long seemed suspicious to me, but I had assumed those who started cleaning up Linux before I inherited Linux-libre had good reasons to leave it in. The former was entirely my own mistake,” said Alexandre Oliva.

Of course, the new GNU Linux-libre kernel is packed with the same new features and improvements as the upstream Linux 5.13 kernel, but it cleans up many of the newly added drivers to provide you with a 100% free kernel that doesn’t include any proprietary code.

Highlights of the Linux 5.14 kernel include new core scheduling functionality to better protect your Linux computer against some Spectre vulnerabilities, burstable CFS bandwidth controller, new mechanism for better controlling resource limits within user namespaces, and a new PCI-over-virtio driver for supporting PCI drivers in user-mode.

Linux kernels 5.14 also features an I/O priority controller for control groups designed for managing the priority of block-I/O requests generated by the members of each group, as well as a new rate limiter for the split-lock detection feature on the x86 architecture for sleeping processes that create a split lock.

If you want to build a 100% free GNU/Linux computer, you can download and install the GNU Linux-libre 5.14 kernel right now from the official website. You can install it on virtually any free GNU/Linux distribution, but the devs provide ready-to-use binary packages for Debian-based and Red Hat-based distros.

Source

Brandon LeBlanc from the Windows Insider program has now clarified the situation somewhat.

In short, if your PC does not meet hardware criteria you will continue to recieve the small cumulative updates which Microsoft has been sending out weekly to Insiders, but not the larger departures Microsoft is planning for Insiders in the Dev ring in the near future.

In addition, when Windows 11 reaches general availability you will once again be asked to downgrade to Windows 10. Microsoft did not clarify what exactly will happen to Windows 11 Insiders who decline to downgrade to Windows 10.

Brandon notes that this was always been the plan since Windows 11 entered the Insider programme on the 24th June.

The relevant section is the Red section – for PCs which do not meet the minimum hardware requirement for the Windows Insider programme.

Notably that minimum requirement is a very low bar – being able to install Windows 11 from the Media Creation Tool, and not Microsoft’s higher bar for Windows 11 offered via Windows Update. Windows 10.

Microsoft has some more clarification to do, but it seems most Windows 11 Insiders will not be affected by this policy.

Microsoft clarifies (slightly) what happens to Windows 11 Insiders with non-compliant PCs

There are advantages and disadvantages of using browser-based PDF viewers such as Microsoft Edge. One of the major disadvantages of using Edge as a PDF viewer was that it didn’t allow users to resume reading from where they last closed the PDF. That changes today with Microsoft rolling out “Pick up where you left off on PDF documents” to both Edge Canary and Dev users in a phased manner.

 

As the name suggests, the new feature will allow you to resume reading from where you last closed your PDF document. However, you can’t use the feature in the default setting of the browser. The toggle for the new PDF feature can be found by navigating to Settings> Cookies and site permissions> PDF documents. The last step consists of turning the “PDF view settings” toggle key. Microsoft Edge browser can now conveniently pick up where you left off on PDF documents.

The ability to resume reading from where you last closed your PDF was one of the most requested features. For many users, this was the main deal-breaker that prevented them from using browser-based PDF viewers such as Edge. While the new PDF feature is finally available, a regular Edge user cannot use it as it’s currently limited to those using the latest version of the Edge Dev and Canary. Worse, not everyone in the Dev and Canary channel got access to the feature as this was a “controlled rollout.”

Another exciting feature that Microsoft recently added to Edge Dev and Canary was a new Picture in Picture(PiP) button. Those using Edge 93 or later can now see a small Picture in Picture button when hovering over a playing video. Clicking on it will allow you to view the video in a PiP window.

The new PiP button is available in the default settings of the browser, meaning you don’t need to play with the browser setting to get access to the new button.

If you’re one of the lucky users that are currently using the feature., hit the comments section and let us know what you think.

via Leopeva64-2

Microsoft Edge now lets you resume reading from where you last closed your PDF

This preview update is part of Microsoft's June 2021 monthly "C" update, allowing Windows 10 users to test the upcoming fixes and changes to be released on September 14th as part of Patch Tuesday.

Unlike updates released on Patch Tuesday, this preview update is optional and only contains bug fixes, performance enhancements, and improvements. It does not include any security updates.

You can install this update by going to Settings > Windows Update and clicking on 'Check for Updates.' As this is an optional update, you will need to click on the 'Download and install' link for the update to be installed, as shown below.

Windows 10 users can also manually download and install the KB5005101 preview update from the Microsoft Update Catalog.

Bluetooth and USB headphone issues fixed

This update tests two fixes for issues Windows 10 users have been experiencing with Bluetooth and USB headphones.

"Addresses an issue that prevents USB audio headsets from working on devices that support USB audio offload. This issue occurs if you installed third-party audio drivers on the devices," explained Microsoft in the KB5005101 support bulletin.

"Addresses a rare condition that prevents Bluetooth headsets from connecting using the Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) for music playback and causes the headsets to only work for voice calls."

These issues do not appear to be common, but will likely be eagerly awaited fixes with many people working remotely.

What's new in the Windows 10 KB5005101 update

After installing the KB5005101 update, Windows 10 2004 will have its build number changed to 19041.1202, Windows 10 20H2 to build 19042.1202, and Windows 10 21H1 to build 19042.1202.

The Windows 10 KB5005101 cumulative update preview includes 34 improvements or fixes, with the ten highlighted changes listed below:

• Updates a rare condition that causes Bluetooth headsets to only work for voice calls.

• Updates an issue that provides the wrong Furigana result when you cancel the Japanese reconversion.

• Updates an issue that resets syncing for Microsoft OneDrive to “Known folders only” after you install a Windows update.

• Updates an issue that prevents audio headsets that connect to a device using USB from working if the device has certain third-party audio drivers.

• Updates an issue with resizing images that might produce flickering and residual line artifacts.

• Updates an issue that prevents you from typing any words in the username box during the out-of-box experience (OOBE) process. This issue occurs when you use the Chinese Input Method Editor (IME).

• Updates an issue with copying and pasting a text box into Office 365 apps. If you use an IME, you won’t be able to insert text into the text box.

• Updates an issue that might cause your device to stop working when making a touch input gesture. This issue occurs if you bring more fingers into contact with the touchpad or screen during the middle of the gesture.

• Updates an issue that might cause an external monitor to display a black screen after Hibernation. This issue might occur when the external monitor connects to a docking station using a certain hardware interface.

• Updates an issue that resets the brightness for standard dynamic range (SDR) content on high-dynamic range (HDR) monitors. This occurs after you restart your device or reconnect to the device remotely. 

With this release, there are three known issues with KB5005101:

• Using the Microsoft Japanese Input Method Editor (IME) to enter Kanji characters in an app that automatically allows the input of Furigana characters, you might not get the correct Furigana characters. 
• Devices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or custom ISO image might have Microsoft Edge Legacy removed by this update, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge.
• After installing the June 21, 2021 (KB5003690) update, some devices cannot install new updates, such as the July 6, 2021 (KB5004945) or later updates. You will receive the error message, "PSFX_E_MATCHING_BINARY_MISSING".

You can find a complete list of improves and fixes and detailed explanations of the known issues in the KB5005101 support bulletin.

Windows 10 KB5005101 Cumulative Update released with 34 fixes

When Windows 11 was first announced, Microsoft released stricter minimum system requirements that required newer CPUs and a TPM 2.0 security processor to install the new operating system.

To show appreciation to their most loyal fans and supporters, Microsoft exempted Windows Insiders in the 'Dev' channel from these hardware requirements and allowed their unsupported devices to install and test Windows 11 until it was released.

This allowed any device, such as one of ours using an i7-2600K CPU without a required TPM 2.0 security processor, to install and test the Windows 11 preview builds.

Since we have been testing the build, we have not experienced a single crash or performance issue, showing that our hardware runs Windows 11 without a hitch.

Microsoft stated that users of unsupported devices could continue previewing Windows 11 until it is generally available, which we learned yesterday would be on October 5th, 2021.

"Once Windows 11 is generally available, these PCs will be opted out of flighting and will not be able to receive future Windows 11 Insider Preview builds. These PCs must clean install back to Windows 10 with the media (ISOs) that we provide and can then join the Release Preview Channel to preview Windows 10 updates.

However, Microsoft is now booting incompatible devices from the Windows 11 Insider program 'Dev' channel without warning over a month before the new operating system becomes generally available.

After showing the notification, Windows 11 prompts you to restart the device, and once restarted, the Insider settings state users must install Windows 10 to receive new builds again.

The full text of this notification is displayed below, with the 'Learn More' link going to Microsoft's original article about previewing Windows 11 builds in the Insider Program.

"Your PC does not meet the minimum hardware requirements for Windows 11. Your device is not eligible to join the Windows Insider Program on Windows 11. Please install Window 10 to participate in the Windows Insider Program in the Release Preview Channel."

However, from BleepingComputer's tests, even after being kicked out of the Windows 11 Insider Program, devices can still download the latest cumulative updates for the operating system, as shown below.

It is not clear if Microsoft will continue to allow Windows 11 devices with unsupported hardware to receive updates in the future.

BleepingComputer has contacted Microsoft with further questions but has not heard back at this time.

Update 9/1/21: Microsoft's Brandon LeBlanc, Senior Program Manager on the Windows Insider Program Team, clarified that unsupported devices will continue to receive cumulative updates but will no longer receive new Windows 11 builds.

As Microsoft plans on releasing a new Windows 11 build to users in the Dev channel, unsupported devices will not be able to receive this build.

Microsoft kicks unsupported PCs out of Windows 11 preview program

Although there is no perfect or invulnerable operating system, it can be said that a Linux computer has a lower risk of being attacked by malware or virus than other systems such as Microsoft’s Windows or Apple’s macOS, for different reasons we will talk about next.

The benefits of Linux to avoid viruses and malware

That Linux computers are not the main target of hackers and viruses has its reason not to be. On the one hand, we find its popularity. The vast majority of computers on the market, both for home and business users, use Windows as the operating system. Linux, on the other hand, has a much smaller market share . This makes the chance of hackers getting some benefit from an infection much lower. Therefore, it is normal that the number of Trojans and viruses for Linux is much lower, which does not mean that they do not exist. To have them there are, and we can have viruses in Linux, but the probability is more remote, without a doubt.

We must also take into account the architecture of a Linux operating system itself. Well, this will always require root permissions to be able to perform any operation, which makes it difficult to introduce viruses. Likewise, Linux distributions have official repositories from which to download the applications, all of them signed and verified. Also, if we stop using Java and other potential vectors for malware such as Silverlight, PDF files, and outdated extensions, it will be more difficult for us to become infected.

Linux is not invulnerable, but it is more secure

It is something that we must be clear about. Linux is not invulnerable in the face of hacker or virus attacks, but it is more secure than other operating systems such as Windows or macos, largely due to having fewer users. That is why, just by following a few basic security tips, Linux users should consider themselves protected from any threat.

However, none of this means that we should rule out yes or no the use of an antivirus or firewall in Linux, as it is, although the risk is not zero and it still exists. Opening unsafe web pages or opening suspicious emails can end up infecting our computer with a virus or Trojan. Depending on our knowledge and usage, it may be advisable to be forewarned and opt for a free antivirus such as ClamAV, Sophos and Comfortable, as it never hurts to be safe than sorry.

In the same way it would happen with the firewall, as a basic it is dispensable, but in case we run a server on our system (web server, email server, etc), it may be interesting to use it. Thanks to the firewall, incoming connections could be restricted to certain ports, ensuring that they can only interact with the appropriate server application.

Source

Starting with deprecations, Chrome 93 is removing support for the 3DES cipher block chaining (CBC) cipher suite in Transport Layer Security (TLS). Google has cited a number of reasons for this including the fact that newer and better AES-based replacements have been available for the past couple of decades. 3DES is also vulnerable to the Sweet32 attack, and is extremely slow, battery-consuming, and CPU-intensive, especially on mobile platforms. Furthermore, many of its implementations leak the cache and timing side channels. In the same vein, Google is also blocking connections to HTTP, HTTPS, and FTP servers on port 989 and 990. This is because of security reasons and is a mitigation to the ALPACA attack.

Google is further enhancing Chrome by allowing web apps to identify themselves as note-taking apps when needed, which will also allow for OS-level integrations. The Multi-Screen Window Placement API is being enhanced to cater to productivity use-cases where having Chrome utilized across multiple screens will result in a better experience. Support for the WebOTP API has been initiated for Chrome on desktop too, as it will allow developers to retrieve one-time passwords (OTP) sent via SMS in a specific format and sync them across Chrome on Android and desktop, provided that you are signed in to the same Google account. Given the increasing popularity of SVG images, the Clipboard API now supports this format too. Similarly, with browser vendors now adding playback speed controls in their offerings, Chrome is giving companies a way to enable and disable this control when playing media on their website.

Apart from all of the above, Google has a ton of developer-facing capabilities present in Chrome 93 too. A CSS property is being added to change the color of form controls, the "style" keyword is being added to the "contain" property again, support for CSS Module Scripts is being added, the AbortSignal.abort() static factory method is being introduced to make the life of developers easier, and the meta element's "media" attribute will now be honored so developers can shift between the theme colors of their website using a media query. In the same vein, the CSS flex box and flex items will obey the keywords for positional alignment put forward in the W3C document here.

Furthermore, a new boolean property called Object.hasOwn is being introduced which is an easier-to-use implementation of the Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty static method. Chrome 93 will also utilize the ICU LocaleMatcher to implement the BestFitMatcher which is used in JavaScript engine v8 to match locale data. Similarly, the Error() constructor now has an optional parameter called "cause" which will allow errors to be chained without requiring much development effort. Finally, a set of new HTTP Client Hints headers are being offered across the user media preference features, allowing websites to make "smarter" choices regarding the visual properties of the website based on headers.

Chrome 93 is expected to roll out later today. If it does not update to version 93 automatically for you throughout the course of the day, head over to Help > About Google Chrome to trigger the update once it becomes available. Next up is Chrome 94 which is currently in the Beta channel with a Stable release expected on September 21, which is in three weeks' time. With Chrome 94, Google will be moving to a four-week release cycle for subsequent Chrome releases.

Chrome 93 is landing today, removes 3DES encryption support in TLS, adds WebOTP on desktop

Frontpaged: Google Chrome 93.0.4577.63

As for today’s build, there is not much in the way of huge features. The firm is adding the ability to use keyboard keys to ink on PDFs and screenshots captured through the in-build web capture tool. Additionally, the browser will also be able to sync payment cards’ data automatically to a Microsoft account via the browser itself. The firm is also highlighting the recently announced WebView 2 updates. Considering that this is the first Edge 95 build for the Dev channel, it is light on features, but there are a bunch of bug fixes, which is always welcome.

As usual, the bug fixes are categorized into reliability improvements and fixes that address changed behavior. This week, the company has listed the improvements for the mobile client within a separate bullet point, giving a consolidated list for mobile alone, for those interested.

Here are all the reliability improvements:

• Fixed an issue where interacting with autofill popups sometimes crashes the browser.
• Fixed a crash when dragging tabs between windows.
• Fixed a tab crash.
• Fixed a crash when closing tabs that contain Office documents.
• Fixed a crash when editing saved passwords in Settings.
• Fixed a crash on Mac when the management policy to Force Sign In is provisioned.
• Mobile issues:
  • Fixed a crash when organizing favorites.
  • Fixed a crash when deleting a favorite.
  • Fixed a crash on launch.
  • Fixed a crash when signing out of the browser.
  • Fixed an issue where the browser fails to open.
  • Fixed a hang when navigating to malicious sites that are blocked by SmartScreen.
• Fixed an issue where WebView2 apps sometimes crash soon after launching (Issue 1678).

And here are the fixes that address changed behavior:

• Fixed an issue where searching Settings causes it to go blank.
• Fixed an issue where some Settings can’t be searched for.
• Fixed an issue where profiles get signed out or duplicated after updating the browser.
• Fixed an issue where a custom scale when printing isn’t retained between prints.
• Fixed an issue where the option to change a password in Password Settings doesn’t do anything.
• Fixed an issue where Rebates sometimes fail to be applied.
• Fixed an issue where Rebates sometimes fail with an error.
• Fixed an issue where Coupons sometimes aren’t found when they should be.
• Fixed an issue where the Web Widget doesn’t display properly.
• Fixed an issue where the Web Widget is missing some UI.
• Fixed an issue where MHT files sometimes don’t render properly.
• Mobile issues:
  • Fixed an issue where the preference for desktop vs. mobile sites is sometimes reset after installing an update.
  • Fixed an issue where signing into the browser sometimes fails for work and school accounts.
  • Fixed an issue where navigating to certain websites takes an inordinate amount of time.
• WebView2 issues:
  • Fixed an issue where a white flash sometimes appears when loading dark content (Issue 1621).
  • Fixed an issue where more DLLs than necessary are sometimes added to projects (Issue 709).
  • Fixed an issue where the wrong certificate is sometimes selected from the ClientCertificateRequested event (Issue 1666).
  • Fixed an issue where a WebView object is sometimes not defined properly (Issue 1144).
  • Fixed an issue where minimizing a WebView2 application sets focus incorrectly (Issue 238).
  • Fixed an issue with error handling.

As usual, the Redmond company has listed the known issues that it is aware of in the browser. This is handy for those who might want to switch to a more stable version if their workflow is broken due to these issues. As with every week, some of these issues have had their place on the list for a long time. Here is the complete list:

• Users of certain ad blocking extensions may experience playback errors on Youtube. As a workaround, temporarily disabling the extension should allow playback to proceed. See this help article for more details.
• Some users are still running into an issue where all tabs and extensions immediately crash with a STATUS_INVALID_IMAGE_HASH error. The most common cause of this error is outdated security or antivirus software from vendors like Symantec, and in those cases, updating that software will fix it.
• Users of the Kaspersky Internet Suite who have the associated extension installed may sometimes see webpages like Gmail fail to load. This failure is due to the main Kaspersky software being out of date, and is thus fixed by making sure the latest version is installed.
• Some users are still seeing favorites get duplicated. This issue should be reduced now that automatic deduplication has been introduced into Insider channels, but we’re still rolling that out in Stable. We’ve also seen duplication happen when running the manual deduplicator on multiple machines before either machine has a chance to fully sync its changes, so make sure to leave plenty of time in between runs of the deduplicator.
• Some users are seeing “wobbling” behavior when scrolling using trackpad gestures or touchscreens, where scrolling in one dimension also causes the page to subtly scroll back and forth in the other. Note that this only affects certain websites and seems to be worse on certain devices. This is most likely related to our ongoing work to bring scrolling back to parity with Edge Legacy’s behavior, so if this behavior is undesirable, you can temporarily turn it off by disabling the edge://flags/#edge-experimental-scrolling flag.

As mentioned earlier, those running Beta builds of the Edge browser should receive version 94 later this week. Edge 93 should also soon make it to the stable channel. As for today’s build, it will begin rolling out gradually, meaning not all users will be able to pull the update via the About Microsoft Edge settings page right away.

First Edge 95 build for the Dev channel brings inking improvements and many fixes

The first of the changes heading to Windows Terminal Preview is the addition of an acrylic effect for the terminal’s title bar, which can be enabled from the Appearance setting or by using "useAcrylicInTabRow": true as the global setting in the settings.json file. This brings a modern look to the offering, bringing a Windows 11-like effect. In addition to the visual effects, the firm is adding the ability to optionally minimize the terminal to the system tray, thanks to the addition of two new Boolean settings, with minimizeToTray sending the app to the notification area and alwaysShowTrayIcon allowing for the tray icon to be always visible despite the minimizeToTray setting.

Intense text is also getting new styles that allow users to render intense text in both bold and bright, only bold, only bright, or no style. The setting resides in the settings UI on the Profile Appearance page, or can be set via “intenseTextStyle”. Speaking of text, the font object now accepts OpenType features and design-variation axes in the settings.json file. You can check out the documentation linked by the firm, including the list of tags here for features and here for axes.

The Preview version is also bringing changes to the behavior of the terminal when it is launched through the default terminal setting, with the offering now obeying the contents of the “Defaults” section in Settings and launching with no profile instead of the default profile. It also adheres to the pre-set windowingBehavior setting.

Another nifty addition is the ability to drag and drop a directory into the ‘+’ button. While it defaults to opening a new tab, Users can hold ‘Alt’ to open the path in a new pane or the ‘Shift’ key for a new window. The pane itself is being improved with a bunch of new features. The "movePane" and "swapPane" actions allow moving a pane across tabs or swapping them within tabs, respectively. A new Split Tab feature accessed via right-clicking on the tab allows users to split an active profile into a new pane.

Lastly, the Settings Ui is receiving a few updates. These include new appearance settings for unfocused profiles and the ability to type in just the key chords when adding keys to users’ actions.

In addition to these, there is the usual crop of improvements that the firm details in its miscellaneous and bug fixes section. Here is the complete list of miscellaneous improvements:

• Dynamically generated profiles can now be deleted (Finally! Sorry for the long wait on this one).
• On newer versions of Windows, startingDirectory can now accept Linux paths when launching a WSL profile.
• Tabs created with wt and default terminal instances will now have the launched command line as their title, instead of the default profile name.
• You can now navigate through panes in creation order using nextPane and previousPane (Thanks @Rosefield!).
• Navigating through panes with the move-focus action works much better and now also works correctly on startup.
• The toggleSplitOrientation action has been added and it switches a pair of panes from a vertical to a horizontal layout (Thanks @Rosefield!).
• The taskbar will now show the progress state of all of the panes/tabs combined, regardless of which is in focus. This is helpful if you’re running a build in an unfocused tab, for example.
• You can now use sc() and vk() for binding keys, which allows many more keys to be bindable.

And here is the list of the bug fixes being made in the Preview version released today:

• Alt+Space can now be unbound from the system menu so that you can send ESC Space to the Terminal (Thanks @FWest98!).
• Snapping the “quake” window to another display will now properly update its size.
• The nextTab and prevTab actions now work correctly when used through wt or the command palette (Thanks @Don-Vito!).
• initialPosition now takes into account window borders.
• Generating WSL distro profiles should be much more stable now.
• The default profile dropdown menu will no longer take off into space when scrolling.

As usual, users can download the latest Windows Terminal Preview from the Microsoft Store or from GitHub. The GitHub listing includes a more detailed rundown of the bug fixes, for those interested. Those that have installed the offering from the Store will automatically receive the update.

Windows Terminal Preview 1.11 adds an acrylic title bar option, brings a ton of improvements