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Earlier this month, we reported on a couple of big changes Microsoft is bringing regarding Windows hardware testing. First, the tech giant deprecated Windows Device metadata and the Windows Metadata and Internet Services (WMIS) on the latest OS version of Windows 11.

The next version of the Windows 11 operating system will debut later this year. Here's everything we know about it so far, including potential release date, platform changes, and more.

Windows Update orchestration platform will deliver a unified experience for app and driver updates.
Microsoft announced the "unified future for app updates on Windows" this week. The tech giant created the Windows Update orchestration platform to bring together app updates and other updates on your PC.

Earlier this month, we wrote a news piece about Windows 11 KB5058411 installations failing with various error codes. The KB update was released for Windows 11 24H2 PCs and we noted how the company's support guide for such error codes proved helpless in such a situation.

Microsoft has announced plans for what it is calling the Windows Update orchestration platform, essentially a big push to make Windows Update the central hub for pretty much all software updates, not just the operating system itself. The idea, outlined in a blog post, is to stop the mess of every app having its own updater, its own schedule, and its own annoying notifications.

Microsoft has introduced a new update orchestration platform built on the existing Windows Update infrastructure, which aims to unify the updating system for all apps, drivers, and system components on Windows systems.

Stardock released Fences® 6 today – a major update to its popular Windows desktop organization software with over 20 million downloads. Fences is the easiest way to organize your desktop workflow by neatly organizing apps, files, and icons on the desktop.

Mozilla has recently released Firefox 139, bringing with it custom wallpapers, link previews, and more, which you can read about on Neowin. Alongside the release of Firefox 139, we also got the release of Firefox 140 Beta with some accompanying release notes. One of the big features in this release is the ability to add custom search engines.

Here is some good news for Notion users: the app is now available for download from the Microsoft Store. At Build 2025, Microsoft announced that this popular productivity application would soon be available in its app store for Windows PCs, and just a few days later, you can get Notion from the Microsoft Store.

It is the last Tuesday of the month, which means it's time for another C-release or non-security preview optional update. The new update is out for Windows 11 22H2 and 23H2 as the March non-security preview update under KB5058502 and builds 22621.5413 and 22631.5413.

Firefox 139.0 is now available for download. The latest feature update for the browser includes several new features that improve translation and personalization, a new experimental link preview feature, and various bug fixes.

In 2022, Arc Browser was termed as the "Chrome replacement" that people wanted. Three years later, The Browser Company has discontinued the app, all because it wants to build a new browser, Dia.

Every week we take a close look at the most pirated movies on torrent sites. What are pirates downloading? 'A Minecraft Movie' tops the chart, followed by 'Final Destination: Bloodlines'. 'Fountain of Youth' 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.

Earlier this year, in March, we covered an interesting Microsoft recommendation for new Windows 11 PCs. The company highlighted how its Smart App Control feature can keep PCs more secure. However, we noted that the feature is only available with clean installations.

The sole developer behind AnduinOS, a Windows-like Linux distribution, has revealed the path forward in terms of the upcoming releases. Anduin Xue revealed that AnduinOS 1.4 will be based on Ubuntu 25.10 and will arrive in late-October, while AnduinOS 1.5 will be based on Ubuntu 26.04 LTS and arrive in late April 2026.

This week's news recap is here with a lot of news and announcements from the Build 2025 developer conference, a bunch of new Windows 11 preview builds, fresh features for inbox Windows 11 apps, more Xbox games for PlayStation 5, and other stories.

Signal has introduced a new feature called Screen security, and you can thank Microsoft for it. The option disables screenshots from being captured on Windows 11.

Copilot is more than just an app on Windows 11, and in this guide, you'll find everything a beginner needs to get started.

On Windows 11, you can use Copilot with the official native app or through integration within other apps, and in this guide, I'll help you get started with the chatbot.

Windows 10 is running out of support soon and as such Microsoft issued a reminder recently. The tech giant also published a list of Surface PCs that can't upgrade to Windows 11 as they don't meet the system requirements. The company's official stance is simple: get a new device, ideally, a Copilot+ PC.
 
Meanwhile, home users are also starting to debate how they would deal with this upcoming change. For those still on pre-2015 systems that can't officially run Windows 11, many feel that Windows 8/8.1 and not Windows 11 or even Windows 10, is the way to go, as the older OS feels snappier. Neowin readers also opined on the topic by sharing their thoughts. You can join the discussion in this article.

On Earth there is no record of Niallia tiangongensis, a bacterium found aboard the Tiangong station that appears to be well adapted to conditions there.

Microsoft likes to pat itself on the back from time to time, but let's be honest, there is nothing wrong with it. They say "love yourselves," and Microsoft does just that, just like any other company out there. Last month, Microsoft went on to explain how it relied on its own "design instinct" rather than "user feedback alone" to make the modern Windows as "special" as it is.
 
And more recently, a senior engineer talked about how even smaller elements on the Windows OS, like the clipboard, are designed to be high-performance. This post, coincidentally, was made just a few days after we reported on the user dissatisfaction regarding the performance of Windows 11 despite Microsoft actually boosting the performance.

Google’s AI-heavy keynote featured updates across its apps and AI models.
 
Google just wrapped up its big keynote at I/O 2025. As expected, it was full of AI-related announcements, ranging from updates across Google’s image and video generation models to new features in Search and Gmail.

Every week we take a close look at the most pirated movies on torrent sites. What are pirates downloading? 'A Minecraft Movie' tops the chart, followed by 'Snow White'. 'Captain America: Brave New World' 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.

Although Windows 95 is now 30 years old, that doesn't stop some people reminiscing about the OS that made Microsoft a household name. As such, a user on reddit going by the name international-dish78 made a post earlier this week in which they painstakingly recreated the original Windows 95 setup wallpaper in 4K for everyone to enjoy. And after obtaining permission to use the assets and share, we felt that it deserved a little more attention.

This week's news recap is here, bringing you fresh stories from the world of Microsoft. Unfortunate layoffs, useful Copilot updates, Patch Tuesday releases, BitLocker shenanigans, gaming news, quite a lot of hardware reviews, and more.