Microsoft Weekly: New Surface, new processors, Windows 11 24H2, and more

In this episode of Microsoft Weekly, we look at various announcements at IFA 2024, new Surface devices, new processors for Copilot+ PCs, a review of Windows 11 24H2, several useful guides for Windows 11 users, Windows stats, and more.

Table of contents:

1. Windows 10 and 11 news
2. Windows Insider Program
3. Updates are available
4. Reviews
5. Gaming news
6. Great deals to check

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.

This week's Microsoft Weekly kicks off with fresh stats from Statcounter and Valve. Since Microsoft does not provide official numbers about Windows 11's adoption, users and developers must rely on third-party stats providers. Statcounter, for one, says Windows 11's market share continues climbing while Windows 10 steadily loses customers. By September 1, 2024, Windows 11 was reported to have 31.63%. Also, Windows 11 finally managed to beat Windows 10 on Steam. Valve confirmed that over 50% of Windows systems are finally running Windows 11.

As for browsers, another part of Statcounter's data, Microsoft Edge is not going anywhere that fast. During the last month, it only increased its market share by the narrowest of margins.

We finally published our Windows 11 version 24H2 review, where you can check out what is coming to your Windows 11 computer in the next few weeks. Spoiler alert: the update is okay. It should not make things worse, and there are several quite nice feature additions, improvements, and changes. Many annoyances are still unresolved, though, which is a bummer.

Windows 11 version 24H2 is currently available in the Release Preview Channel. If waiting is not an option, get the update using our handy guide. You might regret installing a preview build, so keep this guide on hand in case you want to go back to version 23H2 or even Windows 10 (assuming you upgraded from it).

Another handy guide we published this week was about the Downloads folder in Windows 11 and its nasty bug that reverts the directory to the default view. Neowin discovered a simple workaround, so check it out here.

As it turned out, Microsoft is not going to let you uninstall Recall. The company's spokesperson confirmed in a statement that Recall showing up in the "Turn Windows features on or off UI" was nothing but a bug, and a future Windows update would remove it from there. Before you panic, remember that Recall is not even available yet, and the experience is strictly opt-in.

In other Recall-related news, at IFA 2024, Intel announced a new processor lineup, the Intel Core Ultra 200V. These chips have powerful neural processing units built in, which qualifies them for the Copilot+ PC program. Both Microsoft and Intel confirmed that computers with 200V processors will get Copilot+ PC AI capabilities sometime in November 2024.

Intel was not the only company that brought new Windows hardware to IFA. Qualcomm officially unveiled two new entry-level Snapdragon X Plus processors for more affordable Copilot+ PCs. These chips will open the door for $700-$900 ARM-powered computers with powerful AI capabilities.

While announcing the chips, Qualcomm's CEO revealed that more popular apps are getting native versions for ARM. Some of them include the Google Drive client (currently blocked on ARM even if emulated) and some VPN clients, such as Express VPN.

At IFA 2024, Microsoft announced two new Surface devices, making its Copilot+ PCs accessible to commercial customers. The Surface Laptop 7 for Business and the Surface Pro 11 for Business are now official (but they are almost completely identical to their consumer versions).

As for slightly bizarre devices (such things are no strangers to the Windows market), ASUS announced a mini-PC with Intel's latest Core Ultra Chips and a dedicated button for Copilot. Why? No one knows.

Another odd device coming from IFA 2024 is the Lenovo Auto Twist, a two-in-one laptop with a motorized hinge that rotates the display to follow you during video calls and opens/closes automatically with voice commands. Sadly, the Lenovo Auto Twist is just a wild concept, so there is no information on whether the company plans to make it a publicly available device.

Microsoft also published a few support documents that acknowledged the importance of choice regarding default apps and even provided tips on how to change defaults. Another document explained how to fix the "we could not find this app" error, and another one offered suggestions for improving slow startup performance. Besides, the company detailed WDDM 3.2 improvements, such as better AV1 decoding and fewer driver crashes in Windows 11 24H2.

Finally, Microsoft released a new Windows 11 24H2 setup update under KB5042580 and a new Recovery update under KB5041980.

Windows Insider Program

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

Despite the "no build" week (the only build was Server 26280), Microsoft released some interesting updates to Windows Insiders. A new version of the Photos app is now available with navigation improvements, iCloud Photo support on Windows 10, and a new entry in the context menu on Windows 11. If you do not like the latter, check out our guide that details how to remove "Edit with Photos" in Windows 11.

Microsoft updated release notes for builds 22635.4145 and 27695. The former now includes details about the improved Account Manager (the Sign-out button is no longer hidden in a menu) and a new Gamepad keyboard for controller users, and the latter contains details about the redesigned Wi-Fi sharing UI.

Speaking of the keyboard, check it out in more detail here. The new layout is rolling out to Insiders in the Beta Channel, so you may want to enable and test it yourself.

Another interesting feature of the recent Windows 11 preview builds is a new way to pin Windows 11 apps to the taskbar. In Canary builds you can drag apps from Windows Search results directly to the taskbar. Also, Microsoft confirmed that some users have problems with updating Canary builds. The company acknowledged the 0xC1900101 error and promised to release a fix.

To finish the Windows section, here are some performance reviews of Windows 11, which show that the operating system still has some performance issues with VBS/HVCI and other stuff.

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.

PowerToys finally received a big new feature update with a great productivity-boosting tool. Called "Workspaces," it allows you to launch multiple apps at once, specify CL arguments for additional configuration, and more. Besides, PowerToys 0.84 contains improvements for existing modules, so go get the update right now if you are still on version 0.83. By the way, future updates (likely version 0.85) will bring two more utilities.

The Microsoft Remote Desktop app on macOS and iPadOS/iOS will soon receive a new name, and customers are pretty rattled. Microsoft wants to change Remote Desktop to just "Windows Apps," which, according to many, makes no sense and is extremely confusing. However, some claim the new name is actually very fitting.

There were some hardware updates as well. Incase, the company that at the beginning of this year promised to relaunch Microsoft-made PC accessories under a new brand, announced that those accessories are delayed. Now, the company expects to ship them in the fourth quarter of 2024.

Finally, Microsoft announced two new events. One will take place on September 16 to discuss Microsoft 365 Copilot "Wave 2," whatever that means. The other will be held on October 8 to discuss OneDrive updates.

On the third-party side, one of the best third-party File Managers for Windows 11 received a big update. The Files app version 3.7 is now available for download, and it features improved navigation, the ability to hide the tray area icon, improved file compression, and more.

VMware released a new update update for its Workstation Pro hypervisor. Version 17.6 is now available for download with support for new host and guest operating systems, various fixes, and a bunch of deprecated features. By the way, in case you missed it, VMware Workstation Pro is now free for personal use. Commercial use still requires purchasing a license.

Mozilla released a new feature update for its browser on all supported platforms. Version 130 arrived with improved page translation, copy-paste fixes, new localization, and more. If you use Firefox, you are most likely already on version 130—you can check that by heading to Menu > Help > About Firefox.

Other notable updates include the following:

• Edge 130 arrived in the Dev Channel with several improvements and fixes.
• Microsoft is turning off ActiveX by default in Office 2024.
• Microsoft released Windows App SDK 1.6 with native AOT support and more.
• Microsoft released Visual Studio Code 1.93 with major productivity updates.
• Microsoft launched Mv3 high-memory virtual machines with improved performance.

• Microsoft announced the general availability of two new AI security features.

• Microsoft SharePoint pages can now remove the title area in favor of banners.

• Microsoft expanded Azure OpenAI service to more government organizations.

• Microsoft openly criticized Apple's 30% App Store fee, calling it uneconomical and unjustified.

• Microsoft partnered with StopNCII to remove harmful intimate images from Bing.

• Copilot for Microsoft 365 now supports Welsh and Catalan languages.

   

The latest drivers released this week include the following:

• Intel 32.0.101.5989 non-WHQL with Warhammer 40,000 Space Merine 2 support and more.
• AMD 24.10.37.10 non-WHQL with Anti-Lag 2 Vulkan support for Counter-Strike 2 and more.

Several Surface devices received new firmware updates this week:

• Surface Studio 2+ received security patches and fixes for Wi-Fi dropouts.
• Surface Pro 9 5G received fixes for BSODs and non-working USB-C ports.
• Surface Go 2 received fixes for display flickering and Wi-Fi improvements.

The update section ends this week with an odd one: someone ported Windows 7's taskbar and Start menu to Windows 10 and 11. So, you can now have a bit of a 15-year-old operating system on your Windows 11 PC because why not. Jokes aside, the project is not suitable for daily use, so try it on a spare system on a virtual machine.

Reviews are in

Here is the hardware we reviewed this week.

Steven Parker reviewed the Beelink ERQ6, an office-class mini PC with the Ryzen 9 6900HX and 24GB of RAM. While it is not a gaming PC by any means, it offers solid build quality, powerful hardware, front Type-C ports, and a decent price. As for downsides, only two displays are supported, and there are no VESA mount options.

On the gaming side

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

Sony made a surprising announcement that its ill-fated first-person shooter Concord, which spent eight years in development, would be taken offline only one month after the launch and hardly selling over 25,000 copies. Everyone who purchased the game on the PlayStation 5 console or PC will get a full refund. Better luck next time.

Halo: Infinite received a new Operations update with some old-school content, six new Forge maps based on Halo: Reach, a new 20-tier Operation Pass with cosmetic items, and more.

Forza Horizon 5 also received a new content update. "Hidden Horizons" features a brand-new game mode, exclusive cars, new character swag, fresh collectibles, and more.

Microsoft announced a new wave of games coming to Xbox and PC Game Pass. The latest additions include Star Trucker, Age of Mythology: Retold (check out our review here), Expeditions: A MudRunner Game, Riders Republic, and Train Sim World 5. You can find the exact release date in our dedicated article here.

Undead Labs is ending State of Decay 2 updates soon. The reason is simple: the studio wants to ramp up the development of State of Decay 3, which was announced earlier this year.

Nvidia announced new games that are now playable on GeForce NOW. The latest additions include Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, Age of Mythology, Final Fantasy XVI Demo, Sins of a Solar Empire II, and more.

Deals and freebies

The Epic Games Store is giving away two titles: Football Manager 2024 and Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts. Both games are available until next Thursday. More deals and specials are available in our weekly "Weekend PC Game Deals" series.

Other gaming stories include the following:

• Phil Spencer revealed that Destiny could have been an Xbox exclusive.
• Capcom fighting game collections have been finally confirmed for Xbox.
• Astroneer: Glitchwalkers expansion announced with a new planet, biomes, and a villain.
• No Man's Sky received a new update that lets you go fishing on alien planets.
• Microsoft shared more details about the Forza and Jordan collaboration.
• Cities: Skylines II fixed homeless citizens, added a new decoration menu, and more.
• Baldur's Gate 3 Patch 7 arrived on PC with new ending cinematics and more.

Microsoft Weekly image background by akirEVarga on Pixabay.

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