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It is probably fair to say that that the week has been a very eventful one when it comes to Windows Recovery. The first Patch Tuesday WinRE (Windows Recovery Environment) updates for Windows 11 25H2 under KB5067039 and KB5067019 are seemingly broken as it makes WinRE menu navigation impossible if you happen to have a USB mouse and keyboard. You can read more about the issue in its dedicated article here.
 
So the situation is not exactly confidence-inspiring as the very first update is leading to such a large-scale problem, and also at a time when Microsoft is rolling out the 2025 Windows 11 feature update to everyone.
 
Meanwhile, on Windows 10 which received its final Patch Tuesday update this past week with the October release (under KB5066791) also received the final WinRE Dynamic updates for every supported version of Windows 10.

This week's news recap is here, bringing you the latest news from the world of Microsoft. We have Windows 10 [not] six feet under, Windows 11 version 25H2 for more users, some bugs here and there, new preview builds with useful changes, app updates, guides, and more.

Most of you who have used Windows 10 may remember Cortana. It was Microsoft's failed digital assistant for Windows 10 that was clearly inspired by how popular Siri was on the iPhone. The assistant, based on the character of the same name from the iconic Halo universe was given a personality, and Microsoft publicized it rather heavily initially before giving up on it in 2023, after years of disinterest from the general public. In many ways, Copilot on Windows is Microsoft's second attempt at Cortana, but is it making the same missteps as its predecessors?

Windows 11 2025 Update, more commonly referred to as Windows 11 25H2, was released earlier this month by Microsoft. The company explained how easy it is to upgrade to the new version you already were on version 24H2 via an enablement package and shared a full list of new features users can expect to find on the newer version. Aside from those, Microsoft also announced some more features later including a new default 64-bit lightweight CLI editor, "Hey Copilot" voice activation input, and more.

Microsoft released the first Patch Tuesday update (KB5066835) for Windows 11 25H2 this past week and it is probably fair to say that it has been a rough start for the new feature update. Despite the announcement of a wide rollout wherein the new version is now available for download for everyone, the company has already confirmed large-scale issues.

Windows 11 is getting an agentic AI assistant that lets you ask Copilot to control apps and files for you. It's also making it easier to access Copilot from the Taskbar and with your voice.

The ‘cleaner’ look is rolling out across mobile, web, and TV.

Every week we take a close look at the most pirated movies on torrent sites. What are pirates downloading? 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' tops the chart, followed by 'The Conjuring: Last Rites'. 'Superman' completes the top three.
 
The data for our weekly download chart is estimated by TorrentFreak, and is for informational and educational reference only.
 
Downloading content without permission is copyright infringement. These torrent download statistics are only meant to provide further insight into piracy trends. All data are gathered from public resources.

Microsoft has released Patch Tuesday updates for Windows 11 25H2, 24H2, 23H2, and 22H2. The 25H2 and 24H2 update is provided via KB5066835, while the 23H2 and 22H2 updates are delivered via KB5066793. You will be on builds 26200.6899 on 25H2, 26100.6899 on 24H2, 22631.6060 on 23H2, and 22621.6060 on 22H2, respectively, after applying the updates.

It's the second Tuesday of the month, which means it's Patch Tuesday time again. As such, today, Microsoft is rolling out the monthly security update (also called "B release") for October 2025 on Windows Server 20H2 and Windows 10 for the latest supported versions, 20H2, 21H2, and 22H2.

If you have been a regular Neowin reader, you are probably aware of Microsoft's stance on using local accounts when installing Windows 11. The company has never really been quite a fan of that as it has actively tried to discourage the use of local accounts while promoting the benefits of the Microsoft Account, like BitLocker encryption recovery, which can be a scary thing if you are not careful.

One of the downgrades that Windows 10 users experience when moving to Windows 11, especially when clean-installing the newer operating system, is the inability to create a local account and set up Windows 11 in offline mode. Back in the days of Windows 10, the OS allowed setting it up with a local account and without an internet connection. Nowadays, though, Windows 11 will not let you proceed if you are not connected, and using a Microsoft Account is mandatory. Additionally, Microsoft is making bypassing those requirements more difficult with each update. If you do not want to deal with it, you can still set up Windows 11 with a local, offline account. Here is how.

Beyond security fixes, Microsoft is rolling out quality-of-life upgrades for Start menu, Copilot, and system performance in versions 25H2 and 24H2.

Windows 10's ESU program is increasingly starting to feel like a last-minute snooze button, which merely postpones the single biggest jump in dumped computers by 12 months.

Windows 11 25H2 brings clocks, Recall reset, and smarter search settings. Here's all that and more explained.

Every week we take a close look at the most pirated movies on torrent sites. What are pirates downloading? 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' tops the chart, followed by 'Superman'. 'Play Dirty' completes the top three.
 
The data for our weekly download chart is estimated by TorrentFreak, and is for informational and educational reference only.
 
Downloading content without permission is copyright infringement. These torrent download statistics are only meant to provide further insight into piracy trends. All data are gathered from public resources.

This week's news recap is here, bringing you the latest news from the world of Microsoft. Windows 11 version 25H2 is here, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is now significantly more expensive, more Windows upgrade blocks are lifted, driver updates, gaming news, reviews, and more.

Windows has been around for several decades, which means that it has gone through multiple stages of evolution across various eras of technology to become what it is today. Since thousands of Microsoft engineers have worked on Windows, which has been used by hundreds of millions of customers, it's natural that the operating system contains many small "hidden" features that Redmond doesn't advertise, mostly because they are not needed by the vast majority.

Windows 11 version 25H2 is here, and many apps are getting optimizations and tweaks that make them run better on the latest release. Wintoys, one of our favorite tools for Windows 11, has just received a big update, and now Flyoobe, a popular app for skipping Windows 11's hardware requirements and removing unnecessary parts, has also received a handful of optimizations.

As of October 1, 2025, Windows 11 version 25H2 has the following known bugs:

Microsoft has now also shared a separate list of features that are new in Windows 11 version 25H2 for home PCs.

Every week we take a close look at the most pirated movies on torrent sites. What are pirates downloading? 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' tops the chart, followed by 'Superman'. 'Weapons' completes the top three.
 
The data for our weekly download chart is estimated by TorrentFreak, and is for informational and educational reference only.
 
Downloading content without permission is copyright infringement. These torrent download statistics are only meant to provide further insight into piracy trends. All data are gathered from public resources.

This week's news recap is here. Windows 11 version 25H2 is right around the corner, new details about extended security updates for Windows 10, a single preview build for Windows Insiders, new games at Tokyo Game Show 2025, new processors for Arm PCs, and more.

By Susan Bradley
 
For consumers, it’s the end of the road for 23H2, and a deadline looms.
 
After nearly a year of urging you to delay the upgrade to Windows 11 24H2, I’m now giving you the all-clear. Accordingly, I am lowering the MS-DEFCON level to 4.

Every week we take a close look at the most pirated movies on torrent sites. What are pirates downloading? 'Weapons' tops the chart, followed by 'Superman'. 'The Naked Gun' completes the top three.
 
The data for our weekly download chart is estimated by TorrentFreak, and is for informational and educational reference only.
 
Downloading content without permission is copyright infringement. These torrent download statistics are only meant to provide further insight into piracy trends. All data are gathered from public resources.