Microsoft has published a new video interview with the current head of Windows, Pavan Davuluri, where he discusses the future of the platform and reveals some very interesting aspects about what's next for the operating system.

In the interview, Davuluri is asked how AI is going to change the way we interact with computers. Here's what he had to say on the matter:

"I think we will see computing become more ambient, more pervasive, continue to span form factors, and certainly become more multi-modal in the arc of time ... I think experience diversity is the next space where we will continue to see voice becoming more important. Fundamentally, the concept that your computer can actually look at your screen and is context aware is going to become an important modality for us going forward."

Right out of the gate, there's a lot to unpack here. Davuluri confirms that in the wake of AI, Windows is going to change significantly. The OS is going to become more ambient and multi-modal, capable of understanding the content on your screen at all times to enable context-aware capabilities that previously weren't possible.

Davuluri continues, "you'll be able to speak to your computer while you're writing, inking, or interacting with another person. You should be able to have a computer semantically understand your intent to interact with it."

This isn't the first time Microsoft has hinted that the future of Windows will prioritize voice as an input method when using a computer. Just last week, Microsoft's CVP of Enterprise & Security teased the same thing in a "Windows 2030 Vision" video that also discussed the future of Windows.

It's clear that whatever is coming next for Windows, it's going to promote voice as a first class input method on the platform. In addition to mouse and keyboard, you will be able to ambiently talk to Windows using natural language while you work, and have the OS understand your intent based on what's currently on your screen.

As many admins have reported on social media and BleepingComputer, this issue affects Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) users, who are experiencing 0x80240069 errors when installing the August 2025 security updates.

On impacted devices, users will also see "Service wuauserv has unexpectedly stopped" and "The Windows Update service terminated unexpectedly" messages in the event log.

"I'm in WSUS environment, the update is approved but all of the existing 24H2 client failed to install, with error code - Download Error - 0x80240069. Tried to decline in WSUS and approve again still no luck," someone said.

"Same here. I've got 100 failures via SCCM with that error code. 2 successful, which likely didn't get it from SCCM," another one replied.

Since this issue appears to affect only systems receiving updates through WSUS, home users are unlikely to experience these update problems, since this network service is typically used only in enterprise environments.

A Microsoft spokesperson was unable to provide a statement immediately when contacted by BleepingComputer earlier today.

While Microsoft has yet to confirm these update problems and an official fix is not yet available, some admins have shared a temporary workaround requiring those impacted to import the update into WSUS manually using the following IDs:

WSUS Sync: Update-ID 8018eab0-7242-4932-adf2-afda36f6b3f6

Update Catalog Import: Update-ID 92061378-be93-4659-a72a-037225e6bb0f

This isn't the first Windows update that can't be delivered via WSUS in recent months. Microsoft confirmed an identical issue in April, when enterprise customers were also plagued by Windows Update Service errors with 0x80240069 codes when trying to update Windows 11 22H2/23H2 systems.

The company addressed the issue in May by rolling out a fix through Known Issue Rollback (KIR) to all enterprise-managed devices.

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Posted Thursday 14 August 2025 at 12:57 pm AEST (my time).

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Others include the retirement of the popular, highly-rated document scanner app called Lens; Microsoft has confirmed it is going away very soon, which has also led to some sharp criticism from many of our readers.

Some changes are also met with mixed reactions. The new Windows 11-exclusive Office "mini apps" that are currently rolling out are a prime example of that. While some feel the addition of these is not necessary, others feel they are at least somewhat helpful.

On the topic of Microsoft 365, the tech giant recently announced yet another upcoming change and this time we feel it will most certainly be perceived as something that improves the experience of a user, and that is what Microsoft hopes to achieve as well.

The company is changing the way the Send button works for Outlook email as the current UI (user interface) and UX (user experience) around the Compose toolbar is cluttered and they lead to accidental sending of messages and mails.

With the new update, Microsoft is moving the Send button from the bottom of the Compose view to the top, thus decluttering it.

In a Microsoft 365 roadmap entry titled "Outlook: Send Button update", the company has described the new feature and how it works. It writes:

"This feature reduces accidental message sends by moving the send button from the bottom of the compose view, in the compose toolbar to the header of the compose view. By moving the send button to a less crowded location, users can avoid accidental taps, resulting in a more intentional and error-free messaging experience."

The entry has been added under ID 499900. The feature is planned for rollout next month, September 2025, on Android and iOS devices.

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Posted Thursday 14 August 2025 at 3:55 am AEST (my time).

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The Command Palette now also supports keyboard shortcuts for context menus, lets you pin your favorite apps, and adds history support for the Run extension.

On top of that, Microsoft says it is faster because of some backend work with Ahead of Time compilation, reducing startup memory usage by 15%, and slashing the installation size by a whopping 55%.

Back in June, we told you that the Microsoft engineers were planning a huge redesign for the PowerToys dashboard. Some users felt the old interface was "undercooked", especially as more modules were added to the collection.

Version 0.93 ships with the new "modern" card-based dashboard and brings changes like a much clearer view of which utilities are on or off, a central list of all your shortcuts, and quick-launch buttons right on the homepage.

For the Mouse Highlighter module, there is a new Spotlight mode that inverts the tool's usual function. Instead of just drawing a circle around your cursor, it dims the entire screen, leaving only the area around your mouse lit up.

Other modules that got updated include:

• Peek: The file previewer now supports instant previews and embedded thumbnails for Binary G-code (.bgcode) 3D printing files, a great addition for makers and hobbyists who need to quickly inspect models.
• Quick Accent: Full support for the Vietnamese language has been added, including mappings for vowels and the letter 'd', expanding the tool's international utility.
• Apps Extension: You can now pin and unpin applications directly from the Command Palette with a quick Ctrl+P shortcut. Microsoft also added all the standard file context menu options to the app items, adding a layer of functionality.
• Calculator Extension: This now accepts regular spaces in numbers that use space separators. There is also a new setting to make "Copy" the primary button and enable a "Close on Enter" option to speed up workflows.
• Window Walker: The "Kill process" command has been renamed to "End task" for better consistency with the terminology used in the Windows Task Manager.
• Add Bookmark Extension: It now automatically detects whether you are adding a file, folder, or URL, so you no longer need to specify the type manually.
• Web Search Extension: Microsoft fixed an issue where a fallback item would not hide properly when a search query became invalid and added a proper message for when no results are found.
• Run Extension: This extension now features command history, allowing you to easily access and re-run previous commands you have executed.
• Windows Settings Extension: A fallback command was added to this extension to improve search results when you are looking for a specific setting.

As for bug fixes, the team addressed the annoying acrylic (frosted glass) display issues in the Command Palette, which sometimes failed to render correctly. There was an issue in the Settings page header where it would drift when resizing the window; that is gone now.

The team also fixed several window behavior problems, including one where focus would not return to the previous application after using the palette, and another where the window would fail to appear properly on top of other apps. Navigation got a fix for the Alt+Left Arrow shortcut not working when the search box contained text.

In the main Settings app, developers sorted out an issue where the page header would drift away when resizing the window and resolved a crash related to an incompatible property name in the ZoomIt config.

You can check out the full changelog on the GitHub repo and download the release binary for your OS.

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Posted Thursday 14 August 2025 at 3:53 am AEST (my time).

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Microsoft appears to be working on an updated design layout for the Edge web browser that places Copilot at the forefront of the experience on Windows 11. The new mysterious UI is appears to be codenamed Olympia, and features a cleaner address bar and window frame, vertical tabs, and other big changes.

The new UI was first spotted by Leopeva64 on X, and appears to have been in the works for a number of months. The latest builds of Microsoft Edge Canary include an early version of the interface that can be enabled, though the UI is still very rough and non functional in a lot of places.

Based on this early implementation, we can see that this new UI places Copilot directly into the address bar, which now takes on a smaller footprint and is centered along the top of the interface. This new address bar places heavy emphasis on Copilot, with the omnibox now prioritizing search and chat, as well as voice input with a microphone icon placed directly in the address bar that is accessible at all times.

The so-called "Olympia" was uncovered towards the end of last year, and it can be enabled in recent Edge Canary builds. While the experience is not complete and some things are not working, we can have a rough look at what Microsoft is preparing. A reworked address bar now sits at the top center and works as your standard omnibox and a Copilot composer. This allows you to enter a website address or ask AI about something, including with Voice Mode.

Like the current version of Microsoft Edge, Olympia lets you have vertical or horizontal tabs. When in vertical mode, all your tabs are hidden in a dropdown menu, and when in horizontal mode, tabs appear below the new omnibox, similarly to Safari's user interface on iPadOS and macOS.

Microsoft has not made any announcements about the new user interface for its browser. Therefore, details about it remain scarce, and a lot is open for speculation. Olympia could be a dedicated user interface for Copilot Mode, as Microsoft leans more into AI, or it could be a complete revamp in an attempt to stand out from its main competitor, Chrome, which dominates the browser market with an overwhelming market share.

At the same time, the thing could never materialize. After all, Microsoft is known for testing stuff that never shipped, such as Windows Sets, a simplified tray area for Windows 11, and rounded tabs for Microsoft Edge. Right now, all we have to do is wait for Microsoft to acknowledge the new user interface and provide more details.

Source: Windows Central via Leopeva64 (X)

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Posted Thursday 14 August 2025 at 3:49 am AEST (my time).

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Microsoft is enabling customers to analyze images in Excel through the existing integration with the Python programming language. Users can simply insert an image into a single cell in the workbook and then write Python code in a separate cell using the PY() encapsulation. The cell with the image can be referenced with the xl() function, so if your inserted image is in the cell A1, you can simply refer to it with xl("A1").

In its blog post, Microsoft has demonstrated an example of detecting whether an image in Excel is blurry or sharp through a Laplacian filter. It has recommended using the Pillow library in Python as it contains multiple tools for opening images, processing them, analyzing their image data and metadata, applying filters and transformations, and more.

Since image analysis can be computationally expensive, performance is an important consideration in this implementation too. As such, Microsoft has added a new Default input size for images option under the File > Options > Advanced > When calculating this workbook > Python in Excel menu too. It enables users to choose between multiple resolutions including the default option of Actual size, Small (320x240), Medium (640x480), and Large (1280x960). If you exceed the per-cell data limit, Excel will throw an error that also shows guidance about how you can adjust this setting.

Image analysis in Excel with Python is available right now for Microsoft Insiders on the web, Windows (Version 2509, Build 19204.20002 or later), and Mac (Version 16.101, Build 25080524 or later). You can also provide feedback to the company directly through the Help > Feedback section in Excel.

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Posted Thursday 14 August 2025 at 3:48 am AEST (my time).

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The new filter’s options allow for flexible transcription, including choosing the AI model, specifying the language, and setting the output format such as text, SRT, or JSON. It can handle pre-recorded files and live audio streams and users can also use Voice Activation Detection (VAD) to improve transcription accuracy and efficiency.

The filter uses a queue technique which allows users to balance between transcription accuracy and processing speed. It also supports GPU acceleration, which can significantly speed up the transcription process. For users, this feature replaces the need for external, multi-step transcription processes, consolidating tasks into a single, efficient command line workflow.

The new filter is able to generate subtitle files, such as SRT files for videos and podcasts, it also enables live audio transcriptions for streaming or other real-time applications. The filter is able to give you output metadata that can be used for further automation within FFmpeg. The new feature simplifies the process for content creators, archivists, and developers and also saves significant amounts of time and effort for anyone who wants to transcribe audio content.

This integration sets a precedent for FFmpeg to add other AI and machine learning models in the future. It also solidifies FFmpeg’s position as an industry-standard media tool. While some people may be concerned with AI, it’s clear that it’s going to permeate most software going forward.

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Posted Thursday 14 August 2025 at 3:47 am AEST (my time).

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The app just got its first 2.x series releases, version 2.0, and as the dev team notes, it introduces multiple major changes.

Starting with the biggest change, the database backend has migrated from Google's LevelDB to SQLite. This means if you have a large setup with tons of files, the first launch of version 2.0 will trigger a one-time migration that could take a while. The switch to SQLite offers benefits like being easier to understand and maintain, which should hopefully lead to fewer bugs down the road.

In previous versions of Syncthing, information about deleted items was kept in the database forever. Now 2.0 is changing this with a new policy that forgets deleted files after six months. If your workflow requires that deletions remain tracked for longer, there is a --db-delete-retention-interval= flag you can pass when you run syncthing serve, allowing you to set a custom duration or disable the feature entirely.

As for logging, there's a new log level called WARNING, which now sits between INFO and ERROR. The INFO level itself has become more detailed, indicating the specific sync actions Syncthing is taking, which provides a clearer picture of what is happening under the hood.

The command-line interface also received a significant overhaul. The application drops support for old single-dash long options, so a command like -home must now be written as --home. More importantly, some options have become subcommands.

For example, --device-id, which you could use to get your device's ID in previous versions, has been moved to its own separate subcommand under syncthing device-id.

Unfortunately, a few platforms will no-longer get pre-built binaries, including Windows on ARM, NetBSD, and Solaris. The dev team cites "complexities related to cross compilation with SQLite" as the reason for this change.

The team also canned the rolling hash detection of shifted data, stating that the feature never really provided a meaningful performance benefit and that scanning is more efficient without it. Other changes include:

• Using multiple connections by default between v2 devices for better performance.
• No longer creating a "default folder" on the first startup.
• A change in how conflict resolution works, allowing a deletion to be the winning outcome.

Syncthing 2.0 brings several new features like UDP portmapping for QUIC, which should improve connectivity for users behind certain types of firewalls. This is complemented by the new default behavior of using multiple connections between devices, with one stream dedicated to metadata and two for data, so large file transfers will not block index updates. For security, sync connections can now use modern Ed25519 keys.

Power users who monitor their systems will appreciate that folder and device information is now exposed as metrics. The developers even added a handy option in the GUI to limit bandwidth usage on the local network.

As for bug fixes, there's plenty, like better handling of connection deadlocks and several fixes to improve stability on Android, including one that addresses an issue with discovering local gateways on Android 14 and newer.

The developers also patched up the GUI, preventing it from showing connection errors for paused devices and stopping the "Sync Waiting" status from flashing unnecessarily. Windows users also get a fix for an error that could pop up when checking file system properties on modern versions of the OS.

If all this sounds interesting, you can check out the full changelog and download a binary for your preferred platform from the GitHub Releases page. The full documentation for 2.0 is available here.

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Posted Wednesday 13 August 2025 at 5:48 pm AEST (my time).

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Over on its Windows Release Health dashboard, Microsoft has begun tracking a new bug related to the Event Viewer. As history repeats itself, this software is now showing an error related to CertificateServicesClient (CertEnroll). The error ID for this event is 57, with the accompanying error message stating that "The 'Microsoft Pluton Cryptographic Provider' provider was not loaded because initialization failed".

This entry is logged to Event Viewer each time the device is restarted, but Microsoft says that customers can safely ignore it as no actual Windows component is impacted. Once again, Redmond has emphasized that this entry is being logged due to an upcoming feature that is still under development. As such, there is no impact on Windows processes and no action required from IT admins or end-users.

It is important to note that this bug affects Windows 11, version 24H2 only. It is present for customers who installed the KB5062660 non-security preview update for July and even the Patch Tuesday update for August 2025 which became available today. Microsoft has assured customers that it is working on a fix that will be released in an upcoming update, but has not provided concrete timelines yet. That said, it seems like there is nothing to worry about, so customers should carry about with their business as usual.

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Posted Wednesday 13 August 2025 at 5:47 pm AEST (my time).

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Microsoft says that the introduction of GPT-5 in development workflows should expedite the processes starting from ideation and going up to productionization of solutions. The company has touted various benefits, including "substantial" improvements in reasoning and decision-making while handling complex tasks, better code quality and maintainability with minimal prompting, agentic tuning, and clarity in explanations when discussing code changes. Microsoft believes that GPT-5 will make you "move faster" while still staying in control.

Although Microsoft and OpenAI think that GPT-5 will revolutionize how AI models shape our lives for the better, reception to the latest model has been lukewarm so far. There was backlash regarding chat limits in ChatGPT following the rollout of GPT-5, which then prompted OpenAI to fine-tune its rate limits in response to feedback. Social media is also rife with examples and jokes about how GPT-5 is actually worse than older models in many ways:

GPT-5 has begun rolling out to Visual Studio customers leveraging paid GitHub Copilot plans starting today. However, since this is a staggered rollout, it may not become available to you immediately. You can check if you have it by clicking the Copilot badge in Visual Studio, opening chat, and then selecting GPT-5 (Preview). You can access it in both Agent Mode and Ask Mode. Enterprise customers should ask their admins to enable the GPT-5 policy in their Copilot settings, which will enable tenants to select the latest model from the model picker in Visual Studio. In a similar vein, also keep in mind that certain older models like o3-mini will soon be deprecated in GitHub Copilot.

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Posted Wednesday 13 August 2025 at 5:45 pm AEST (my time).

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Microsoft will remove PowerShell 2.0 from Windows 11 version 24H2 later this month (likely in the upcoming non-security update) and next month from Windows Server 2025. All the following Windows releases will not include PowerShell 2.0, just like the current Windows Insider builds (Windows 11 Canary build 27891 from July 3, 2025, removed PowerShell 2.0). Microsoft says it decided to remove the old PowerShell version to clean up legacy code, reduce the complexity of the ecosystem, and improve Windows security.

According to the support document, most users will not notice the change. Also, the removal of PowerShell 2.0 does not affect PowerShell 5.1 and PowerShell 7.x. However, if you have scripts or apps that rely on PowerShell 2.0, Microsoft urges you to take action and update to a new version. Since PowerShell 5.1 (default mode) is backward compatible, most scripts should work as expected. As for apps, if a certain program specifically requires PowerShell 2.0, it might fail to install. As such, Microsoft asks users to use more recent versions to avoid compatibility issues.

It also appears that Windows 11 version 23H2 and older will keep PowerShell 2.0 as an optional component. You can find all the details about the removal of PowerShell 2.0 in the official support document. Also, Microsoft has a blog post from 2017 that offers more technical information about PowerShell 2.0 deprecation, how to prepare for its removal, and more.

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Posted Wednesday 13 August 2025 at 5:44 pm AEST (my time).

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The changelog for KB5063878 is given below:

Highlights

• This update addresses security issues for your Windows operating system.

Improvements

This security update contains fixes and quality improvements from KB5062660 (released July 22, 2025). The following summary outlines key issues addressed by the KB update after you install it. Also, included are the available new features. The bold text within the brackets indicates the item or area of the change.

• [Authentication] Fixed: This update addresses an issue that caused delays during sign-in on new devices. The delay was due to certain preinstalled packages.

Microsoft says there are no known issues on either.

These updates will be available from Windows Update and should install automatically in most cases. If you would like to download these updates for offline installation, you can get them from the Microsoft Catalog website. You can find the update for 24H2 here, and for 23H2/22H2 here.

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Posted Wednesday 13 August 2025 at 4:09 am AEST (my time).

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The new updates are being distributed under KB5063709, bumping up the builds to 19044.6216 and 19045.6216. You can find standalone links to download the new update on the Microsoft Update Catalog at this link.

The major highlight of the release is security patches. Microsoft writes:

• [Internal Windows OS] This update contains miscellaneous security improvements to internal Windows OS functionality. No specific issues are documented for this release.

This release has known issues with Noto fonts.

Some of the older Windows 10 versions have also received updates today, which have been listed below with their respective release notes (KB) linked as well as links to download them at Microsoft's Update Catalog:

It is noteworthy that Windows 10 20H2 and Windows 10 1909 reached the end of servicing. Non-LTSC editions of 21H2 have also reached the end of servicing.

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Posted Wednesday 13 August 2025 at 4:06 am AEST (my time).

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References to a feature called "agentic companions" for the Taskbar have been spotted in recent Windows 11 preview builds, suggesting the company is working on bringing AI companions to the Taskbar at some point in the near future.

The strings were spotted in Windows 11 Insider builds last month, though more recent builds have been updated to remove the mention of "agentic" capabilities, likely to draw attention away from such feature during development. Details around how this new companion feature will be implemented are currently unknown, but that means we can speculate a little.

An AI companion that's accessible via the Taskbar could take the form of a dedicated system button that the user clicks on whenever they want an AI overlay or flyout to help out with a current task or activity that's on screen. The button could exist in a dedicated part of the Taskbar near the System Tray, being always available to the user should they choose to enable it.

The feature could be extensible, allowing users to select which AI companion they'd like quick access to via the Taskbar. That said, Microsoft is keen to get more people using Copilot over competitors. ChatGPT, Gemini, and others are all competing for the same userbase, and Microsoft would like most Windows users to choose Copilot if possible.

Microsoft has been working on a whole bunch of AI experiences for Windows 11 over the last year, most of which require new hardware under the Copilot+ umbrella to function. Just recently, Click To Do launched, delivering an AI overlay that you can access by pressing and holding the Windows key on your keyboard.

Click To Do is similar to Google's Circle To Search — An AI model that scans your screen to identify images and text, and provides contextual actions based on what it sees. It's super handy for extracting text from images, or learning more about a word or image you've seen pop up in an app.

In a newly published document on the Microsoft Learn website, the company notified users that Windows 11 version 23H2 will be out of support after November 11, 2025. Microsoft released version 23H2 in October 2023 with a typical Windows 11 two-year lifecycle. After November 11, 2025, Windows 11 version 23H2 will stop receiving security and feature updates, forcing users to a newer release, version 24H2 or the upcoming version 25H2.

Here is what the message says:

Windows 11 Home and Pro, version 23H2 will reach the end of updates on November 11, 2025. This version was released in October of 2023.

 

This edition will no longer receive security updates after November 11, 2025. Customers who contact Microsoft Support after this date will be directed to update their device to the latest version of Windows 11 to remain supported.

However, it is worth noting that the end of support only applies to certain editions. Consumer SKUs receive updates for 24 months from the day of launch, while commercial editions last 36 months. Therefore, November 11, 2025, marks the end of support for Windows 11 Professional, Professional Education, Professional for Workstations, Home, and SE. The latter, by the way, is going six feet under altogether—Microsoft recently announced that Windows 11 SE will not be updated to version 25H2, and it will be discontinued in October 2026.

In case you missed it, we recently published a complete list of all the products that Microsoft will discontinue this year. They include not just various Windows versions, but a bunch of Office apps, services, etc.

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Posted Wednesday 13 August 2025 at 4:03 am AEST (my time).

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Reports of such companion apps first surfaced back in November of 2024 where bits and traces of a newly revived People app and File Search companion app emerged. At the start of the month, we had reported on the new People app, and then later on towards the end, the new File Search app popped up.

For those wondering what the deal with these new Companion apps is, Microsoft recently announced that these "mini apps" are meant to help enhance the productivity of users as they can be easily accessed from the taskbar. Companion apps are Windows 11 exclusive (only desktops, at least for now) and won't work on Windows 10, which also makes sense given that the latter is going out of support very soon and is also seemingly at an overall performance disadvantage currently, according to our benchmarks.

In a new Microsoft 365 roadmap entry, the tech giant has described the feature and the rollout schedule. It writes:

Microsoft 365: Microsoft 365 companion apps- a suite of apps designed to enhance productivity

 

Microsoft 365 companions is a suite of apps, including People, File Search, and Calendar, designed to enhance productivity through quick access to key tools directly from the Windows 11 taskbar. These lightweight apps integrate seamlessly with Microsoft 365, allowing users to efficiently look up contacts and navigate organization charts, locate files, view calendars and streamline workflows without distractions.

It can be found under ID 486856.

Additional information about the new feature has also been shared. Microsoft notes that the companion apps will be installed automatically on eligible user PCs as per the deployment schedule as part of the Microsoft 365 update process.

Once these apps are installed, Microsoft says that they will automatically launch on startup, although users will have the option to disable the auto-launch through the apps' settings.

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Posted Wednesday 13 August 2025 at 4:00 am AEST (my time).

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Perplexity has just offered to buy Google Chrome for $34.5 billion — a bid that’s far more than the AI search startup itself is valued at, according to reports from The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg. The startup sent the unsolicited bid on Tuesday, just months after Perplexity said it would buy Chrome if the government forces Google to sell its browser.

The startup also offered to buy TikTok earlier this year. Google hasn’t indicated that it would sell Chrome at any price, and so far, the court hasn’t ordered a sale.

Perplexity spokesperson Jesse Dwyer confirmed to The Verge that the WSJ’s reporting is accurate. The startup’s bid for Chrome stands in stark contrast to the startup’s valuation of about $18 billion.

Dmitry Shevelenko, Perplexity’s chief business officer, told Bloomberg that “multiple large investment funds have agreed to finance the transaction in full.” A spokesperson for the startup also told Bloomberg that Perplexity would invest more than $3 billion in Chrome and Chromium over the next two years if Google accepts the deal.

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Posted Wednesday 13 August 2025 at 3:59 am AEST (my time).

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Hellblade II's enhanced update brings a new graphics preset, along with a new Dark Rot game mode, improved photo mode, and developer commentary. Those with RTX 50 Series graphics cards can also use multi-frame generation for higher frame rates. GTA V Enhanced now also supports DLSS 4 multi-frame generation on RTX 50 Series GPUs and frame generation on RTX 40 Series GPUs.

Additionally, the driver fixes two general bugs:

• Samsung 57" Odyssey Neo G9 Flicker/Underflow when idle at the desktop.
• Some notebook displays may appear dim when an external HDR monitor is connected and the display mode is set to "NVIDIA GPU only."

The list of known bugs includes the following:

• Cyberpunk 2077 will crash when using Photo Mode to take a screenshot with path tracing enabled.
• Counter-Strike 2: Text may appear slightly distorted when in-game resolution is lower than the native resolution of the display.
• Adobe Premiere Pro: Some system configurations can freeze during export using hardware encoding.

Nvidia 580.97 WHQL is available on 64-bit Windows 10 and 11 systems equipped with one of the following graphics cards:

You can download driver 580.97 WHQL from the official Nvidia website or the Nvidia app. Release notes are available here (PDF).

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Posted Wednesday 13 August 2025 at 3:56 am AEST (my time).

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Given Linux Mint’s reputation as a stable operating system, this disc image is likely quite solid. With that said, it is still a beta and may contain critical bugs, and should only be used for testing purposes. Users running other Linux Mint 22 versions will be able to do an in-place upgrade sometime after the stable release.

One of the first things that you may notice with Linux Mint 22.2 is the new blur effect on the panel and dialog box at the login screen. Additionally, you can finally see your user avatar letting you personalize your desktop a bit more. The relatively new Hypnotix streaming app has also received Theater Mode and Borderless Mode as well as performance improvements.

The team has also been busy working on a new app for its XApp app collection called Fingwit, which has been introduced for fingerprint authentication for the screensaver and admin commands. This will make the operating system feel a bit more modern. One note users should be aware of though with Fingwit is that the login screen still requires a password for most users who use home directory encryption or a keyring.

Not all of the changes are user-facing, there are several notable behind-the-scenes improvements for better visuals. For example, libAdwaita has been patched to work with themes and now Mint-Y, Mint-X, and Mint-L support it. There’s also a new XDG Desktop Portal XApp that supports access colors in libAdwaita Flatpak applications based on the GTK theme. Finally, the core theme has been subtly adjusted with a hint of blue to align with modern design practices and libAdwaita’s new color scheme.

While Linux kernel developers are already working on version 6.17, Linux Mint 22.2 will only ship with version 6.14. It’ll also be heavily based on Ubuntu Noble Numbat’s package base. The development team will continue to use the same package base for future versions until next year, focusing all efforts on its development.

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Posted Wednesday 13 August 2025 at 3:53 am AEST (my time).

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With the August 2025 firmware update, Surface Pro 11 and Surface Laptop 7 can limit the maximum charge level to 80%. Charging the final 10-20% is the least efficient; it takes much more energy than lower levels and puts more stress on the battery. As such, limiting the maximum charge level helps prolong the lifespan of the battery. A battery charge limiter is now a common feature on modern devices, such as phones, tablets, and laptops.

Of course, despite the energy efficiency of Qualcomm's Snapdragon X processor, cutting off 20% of the battery is quite a hit. Therefore, Microsoft lets you switch back to 100% or use an adaptive mode that promises the longest battery life while being easier on the battery.

The August 2025 firmware update also fixed security vulnerabilities and addressed the following bugs:

• Fixes an issue that caused unexpected shutdowns to occur after updates were installed and shutdowns related to the monitor display.
• Fixes an issue that caused the backlight to flash when devices were used at the lowest brightness level.

Full release notes with the list of new drivers are available here (Surface Laptop 7) and here (Surface Pro 11).

You can update your computer's firmware by heading to Settings > Windows Update. While the updates have no known issues, it is better to back up important data before installing, since firmware updates are non-uninstallable. Also, note that the new battery feature is only available on ARM-powered Surface Laptop 7 and Surface Pro 11. Intel-based variants have yet to receive this feature.

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Posted Wednesday 13 August 2025 at 3:52 am AEST (my time).

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This release follows the release of 1.4.1 back in May, which saw user-facing improvements like a Multi-device setup QR code for products sold in packs, Onboarding with NFC, and a simplified setup flow.

Matter, for those unaware, is the industry's big push for a universal translator for smart home gadgets. It lets devices from Samsung, Google, Amazon, Apple, and hundreds of other companies talk to each other directly over your local network. This gets rid of the need for a dozen different apps and dependence on a company's cloud server just to turn on a light.

For version 1.4.2, the CSA is enabling Wi-Fi-only commissioning through a feature called Wi-Fi Unsynchronized Service Discovery. This means that you'll get more affordable devices, since device manufacturers can now skip putting a Bluetooth LE radio into their products if it is only being used for the initial setup. It also allows some existing Wi-Fi-only products to get Matter support through a simple firmware update.

Next, scenes, the feature that lets you trigger a bunch of actions at once, like for a "movie night" setting, is getting improved. Scene support is now a certifiable feature, and it adds time-based behavior, so you can have your lights fade out over a set period instead of just snapping off.

Matter 1.4.2 will also improve the "Quieter Reporting" data model to reduce the volume of data generated by smart home devices. The standard now extends this optimization to more features and devices. Before this update, the benefits were mostly for intermittently connected gadgets like switches, buttons, and sensors.

As for security, vendors are getting new tools. Controllers can now use Vendor ID Verification to cryptographically confirm that the platforms controlling a device are legitimate. Certificate Revocation Lists also let ecosystems block or flag devices with known security risks before you even add them to your home.

Other changes in 1.4.2 include Consistent Endpoint Unique IDs, which stop devices like smart power strips from showing up as confusing duplicates when you reconfigure your devices.

The standard also sets predictable behaviors for robot vacuums so they respond to commands consistently, and it raises the requirements for network hardware to ensure your home network can handle at least 150 Thread devices without breaking a sweat.

Check out the CSA's announcement for more details.

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Posted Tuesday 12 August 2025 at 8:54 am AEST (my time).

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The updated support document now has a banner stating that the browser itself and the WebView2 Runtime (engine used for web content in applications) will remain supported on Windows 10 for three more years. Additionally, the browser will continue receiving updates regardless of whether your Windows 10 PC is enrolled in the Extended Security Program or not. Here is what the message says:

Microsoft Edge and the Microsoft WebView2 Runtime will continue to receive updates on Windows 10 22H2 until at least October 2028, coinciding with the end of the Extended Security Updates (ESU) program. The ESU program won't be required for devices to continue receiving Microsoft Edge or WebView2 Runtime updates.

Last time Microsoft Edge ditched an operating system was in December 2023, when Microsoft stopped updating its browser on Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, and Windows Server 2012 R2. Later on, Edge also dropped PCs with processors that lack the SSE3 instruction set.

Although we are only entering the end of Windows 10 support phase, and the operating system will remain here for quite a while, companies are already outlining their plans for the outgoing OS. Nvidia, for one, recently announced the end of support date for its drivers on Windows 10 PCs. Google, on the other hand, has not shared its plans yet.

You can also expect some companies to give Windows 10 more support even beyond October 13, 2028. 0patch, for example, offers up to five years of security patches for Windows 10, and Mozilla still provides security updates for Firefox ESR on Windows 7.

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Posted Tuesday 12 August 2025 at 4:56 am AEST (my time).

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Basically, Microsoft has integrated the Explain Formula capability powered by Copilot directly into the grid. It does exactly what it says on the tin as you can now see descriptions for complex formulas inline to a cell, without opening a dedicated chat pane or anything similarly distracting. What makes this feature truly powerful is that it offers contextual explanations that are grounded in your current workbook and workflow, rather than providing generic information from the web.

As can can't be seen in the GIF above, you can trigger Explain Formula by clicking on a cell with a valid formula, clicking on the Copilot icon that appears next to it, and selecting the Explain this formula option from the drop-down. Copilot will then show you a step-by-step breakdown of the formula along with an overall summary based on the current context. It is important to note that while the default behavior will show you inline explanations as evident in the GIF above, the dedicated Copilot chat pane will be prioritized if that is open already.

Microsoft has boasted that Copilot can explain any formula, regardless of its simplicity or complexity level. For now, it is being gradually rolled out to Excel for Windows and Excel for the web customers, so don't fret if you haven't received it yet. The Redmond tech firm has encouraged customers to utilize the thumbs-up and thumbs-down icons at the bottom of each Copilot interaction - such as Explain Formula - to indicate if the AI-powered assistance was useful.

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Posted Tuesday 12 August 2025 at 4:53 am AEST (my time).

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Mint 22.1 Xia was based on Ubuntu 24.04, and was released in January 2025. Linux Mint 22.2 is based on Ubuntu 24.04.3 LTS Noble Numbat, the latter was released last week.

Linux Mint 22.2 Beta comes with a new Hardware Enablement kernel (HWE). 9to5Linux reports that Mint 22.2 Beta ships with the Linux 6.14 Kernel as the default. I have been using 6.14 for a few weeks, it's perfect.

Linux Mint 22.2 has a new app called “Fingwit“, which is a fingerprint configuration tool. You can use it to set up your computer's fingerprint reader, and use biometric authentication for the login screen, screensaver, sudo commands, and admin apps.

(Image courtesy: Linux Mint)

Mint's Cinnamon edition is being improved to make input methods and keyboard layouts compatible with Wayland. The new version of Mint brings some theme updates (refer to the image below), accent color support, improved libAdwaita compatibility.

(Image courtesy: Linux Mint)

In early July, I began testing Mint on an external SSD. Three weeks ago, I finally ditched Windows after 30 years, and moved to Linux Mint. I also tested Fedora KDE briefly on my external SSD, but switched it to Bazzite for testing purposes. Sure, Mint gets updates way slower, and Wayland support is not impressive. But I have no trouble with my games (Steam, GOG, Epic Games), or apps on X11. I even have a Windows virtual machine (for testing features/writing about them) in QEMU/KVM.

The Linux Mint 22.2 Beta ISOs with Cinnamon, Xfce, and MATE desktop environments are available for download. Since it is my primary machine, I won't be testing the beta now. But I'll install Mint 22.2 when the stable version is released, likely to happen next week.

On a side note, Debian 13 Trixie has been released. Linux Mint Debian Edition 7 will be based on Debian 13. LMDE 7 is called Gigi, and is expected to be released in September.

Have you tried Linux Mint 22.2?

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Posted Monday 11 August 2025 at 6:12 pm AEST (my time).

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