Microsoft Weekly: Money, updates, Start menu improvements, and new stuff for File Explorer

In this episode of Microsoft Weekly, we look at fresh rumors about the upcoming AI Explorer for Windows 11, updates for the old File Explorer, Start menu improvements in the latest Windows Insider builds, the new financial report from Microsoft, Edge updates, app updates, and a lot more.

Table of contents:

1. Windows 10 and 11 news
2. Windows Insider Program
3. Updates are available
4. Gaming news
5. Reviews
6. Great deals to check
7. A blast from Microsoft's past

This Microsoft Weekly starts with the latest financial report from Microsoft. On April 26, the company announced its earnings, revealing $61.9 billion in revenue and $21.9 billion in net income. Most of the company's divisions reported double-digit growth.

Windows 11 and 10

Here we talk about everything happening around Microsoft's latest operating system in the Stable channel and preview builds: new features, removed features, controversies, bugs, interesting findings, and more. And of course, you may find a word or two about older but still supported versions.

The April 2024 non-security updates for Windows 10 and 11 are now available. Windows 10 received KB5036979, and Windows 11 got KB5036980.

Those non-security updates contain one thing that will most likely upset many Windows 11 users: The company is now stuffing the Start menu with app ads. Fortunately, you can turn them off. This short guide provides more insight into that. Also, Windows 11 should soon become more clear about ads across its parts.

On the bride side, Windows 10 updates are now significantly smaller in size. Microsoft implemented some of Windows 11's practices in its previous-gen operating systems, resulting in a notable decrease of hundreds of megabytes.

This week, NTDEV, the maker of Tiny11, released a new version of Tiny11 Builder, a script that uses official Microsoft-made tools to debloat any Windows 11 build or edition. You can now make your own Tiny11 without risking using modified Windows images.

Microsoft announced some big changes on the Microsoft Store website. Now, users can download app executables directly from the website with fewer clicks. Microsoft says that the new system is faster, allows installing apps on systems without the Microsoft Store, and downloading several apps side-by-side.

If you recently purchased a Windows 11 and are now wondering if it qualifies as an "AI-enabled" one, Dell has the answers you need. The company published a support page with detailed explanations of what makes a Windows computer "AI-enabled."

The upcoming Surface Pro 10 should be one such "AI-enabled" computer. We are less than one month away from the public announcement, and benchmark leaks are already spoiling the show. A test on Geekbnch revealed a Surface Pro 10 configuration with the Snapdragon X Plus chip and 16GB of RAM.

Shortly after that, Qualcomm unveiled the Snapdragon X Plus, a new, more affordable SKU in its upcoming lineup. It features 10 Cryo cores operating at up to 4.3GHz and a GPU capable of delivering up to 3.8TFLOPs. However, that is not everything Qualcomm has in store. A new report emerged about the company planning to release even more versions, including 80-core server processors.

All those Snapdragon processors should enable the new AI Explorer, which will be available in Windows 11 later this year. Just short of one month before the official announcement, a new report revealed more details about the feature.

Windows Insider Program

Here is what Microsoft Released this week for testing in the Windows Insider Program:

Besides the two documented changes in build 22635.3566, the latest Beta build brought updates to the new "All Apps" Start menu layout and the ability to duplicate tabs in File Explorer. You may not get the new AI Explorer on your old PC, but at least you can have some quality-of-life improvements for the classic File Explorer, which is nice.

To finish the Windows section, here is a useful guide explaining how to reinstall Windows 11 without losing your data using just Windows Update.

Updates are available

This section covers software, firmware, and other notable updates (released and coming soon) delivering new features, security fixes, improvements, patches, and more from Microsoft and third parties.

Microsoft announced a bunch of new text-editing features for the Edge browser. One allows you to rewrite any editable text using Copilot, and the other is Windows Ink support in the address bar, text areas, and more. Needless to say, not everyone is a fan of a Copilot banner popping on the screen when selecting text, so check out this guide to learn how to toggle it off.

But that is not all. Edge 124 received a much-needed update, which reverted the recently released (allegedly by mistake) Copilot app on Windows Server SKUs. Version 124.0.2478.67 also introduced notifications for insecure HTTP downloads and a new feature for IT admins.

Firefox received a minor update under version 125.0.2 to resolve problems with downloads introduced in versions 125.0 and 125.0.1 due to hardened security measures. Mozilla says developers are working on fixing the problem and plan to re-release security improvements in future updates.

Vivaldi Technologies released a big update for its browser and joined the ranks of browsers that offer tab hibernation for memory saving. Version 6.7 is now available for download.

Surface Pro X (Wi-Fi) and the second-generation Surface Studio received new firmware updates with stability and security improvements. Also, Surface Pro 9 (Intel), Surface Pro 8, Surface Laptop 5, and Surface Laptop 4 (AMD) received audio playback and recording improvements. Get those updates in Windows Update if you have one of those Surface computers.

Remember the Windows Print Spooler security issue saga? As it turned out, a Russian hacker group has been actively exploiting an old security vulnerability to access networks around the globe and steal information.

We had a few interesting stories from Microsoft about AI this week. The company unveiled Phi-3, its latest and smallest AI model for smartphones. Available in three variants, it offers from 7 to 14 billion parameters while consuming notably fewer resources than traditional LLMs.

With the ever-increasing popularity of AI services, questions of security and ethics have become more apparent. This week, Microsoft and Google announced new child safety commitments, plus Microsoft expanded its private preview of Cotent Integrity tools to combat deepfakes.

Other notable updates include the following:

• The latest ExplorerPatcher update ditches the old Windows 10 taskbar in Windows 11 24H2.
• Skype 8.118 Preview is out with camera improvements, better chat sorting, and more.
• Dev Home Preview 0.13 is out with improved widgets and new Windows customization features.
• Microsoft will discontinue MDAG browser extensions in May 2024.
• Microsoft Planner received new features designed for frontline workers.
• Microsoft announced the end of support dates for the classic Teams app.
• Microsoft Defender for Individuals is now available on iOS in the US and UK.
• GitHub was abused to host malware and create legit-looking Microsoft links.
• Cognizant purchased 25,000 Microsoft 365 Copilot seats to expand enterprise AI.
• The Coca-Cola Company plans to spend $1.1 billion on Microsoft's cloud and AI services.
• ChromeOS can now open and edit Microsoft 365 files.
• Dropbox Beta received Microsoft 365 real-time co-authoring.

And here are the newest drivers released this week:

• Intel Arc 31.0.101.5445 WHQL with Manor Lords support and fixes for A Plague Tale: Requiem.
• AMD Radeon Software 24.4.1 WHQL with Manor Lords support and various bug fixes.

Finally, here is this week's recap of the latest additions to the Microsoft 365 Roadmap. Those include Designer for Word, more AI features for Teams, Copilot in other apps, and more.

On the gaming side

Learn about upcoming game releases, Xbox rumors, new hardware, software updates, freebies, deals, discounts and more.

On April 29, Microsoft will host its new ID@Xbox Digital Showcase event in partnership with IGN. Microsoft says we can expect many gaming news and gameplay videos of upcoming PC and Xbox games.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is now available in the EA Play catalog, which means Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing the game without paying anything extra.

Microsoft and Meta are working on a limited edition "Xbox-inspired" Quest VR headset. The story emerged after Meta announced that third-party VR headset makers can now license its Horizon OS.

On April 30, 343 Industries will release a new "Operations" update for Halo: Infinite. The update will bring a new in-game store (do not worry, there will be no microtransactions), weapons balance changes, tweaks to different gameplay modes, and more.

Forza Horizon 5 received a new free content update. "Apex AllStars" is now available on Xbox and PC, bringing new exclusive GT cars, some long-requested EventLab props, and more. In addition, gamers can purchase a new DLC car pack comprised of seven different GT cars.

Minecraft also received a new content update. Version 1.20.5 is now available on all supported platforms, bringing armadillos, eight wolf variations, new armor, and other changes. In addition, Mojang released several improvements for Realms Plus, allowing players to enjoy bigger render distance, feeds in their realms, and more.

Bethesda finally released the much-anticipated next-gen Fallout 4 update on PC and consoles. It includes two new performance modes on consoles, wide and ultra-wide display support on PC, and the official Steam Deck verification. In addition, the game is now available from the Epic Games Store.

Nvidia GeForce NOW received more Blizzard games, such as Diablo II: Resurrected, Diablo III, and more. Also, there's now support for Dead Island 2, Phantom Fury, Metaball, and more.

On the hardware side, gamers in eligible countries can participate in Microsoft's latest Sweepstakes giveaway. This time, the company is offering a chance to win a custom Xbox Series X console and controller inspired by Marvel Animation's X-Men 97.

Finally, Microsoft published a head-up for Xbox users, reminding them to back up old game captures before it starts deleting them in May 2024.

Deals and freebies

The Epic Games Store is giving away two games: Industria and LISA: Definitive Edition. You can add them to your library for $0 until next Thursday. For more deals, go to this week's Weekend PC Game Deals article, which contains Earth discounts, automation bundles, DRM-free Fallout, and more.

Other gaming stories from this week include the following:

• Rare, the maker of Sea of Thieves, revealed its new sustainable design building.
• Blizzard is now hiring new people for an unannounced project.
• Cities Skylines II received a new update with DLSS, free DLC content, and more.

Reviews are in

Here are the software and hardware reviews published this week.

Robbie Khan published a review of the EasySMX X10 Mechanical Master. This inexpensive controller offers comfortable ergonomics, solid performance, mechanical buttons, and other perks for just $49. However, it does not come with a case, and the app installation is a bit cumbersome.

Steven Parker reviewed the Acemagic F2A mini PC, one of the first with an Intel Core Ultra processor and Wi-Fi 7 support. This relatively inexpensive computer offers the latest hardware, fast storage and memory, and easy upgradeability.

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