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Microsoft began rolling out its Moment 5 feature update for Windows 11 initially at the end of February via a KB5034848 update. Microsoft labels such updates as Configuration Updates.
 
This past week, the update was made available to all Windows 11 users via KB5035942 as an optional update. However, several users online are reporting installation issues, and some of the affected who are managing to complete the installation and setup are further experiencing black screen issues on startup.

In this episode of Microsoft Weekly, we look at a jam-packed week full of Microsoft news. From a new Windows head to a redesigned Start menu in the latest Windows 11 preview builds, leaked pictures of a new Xbox Series X, revoked Edge updates, and plenty of various app updates.

The weather button will now be located on the right when the Start button is left aligned.

Windows 11 version 23H2, which was released in late 2023, brought a few modern elements to File Explorer, including a redesigned address bar. Despite the fancy looks, improved accessibility, and better optimizations for touch inputs, there was one major catch: the operating system would no longer let you drag files and folders onto the address bar to move them up a folder or few. The change upset quite a lot of Windows users, so Microsoft is fixing the situation.

Microsoft has been giving members of the Windows Insider Program a preview of a new lock screen experience. Today, the company confirmed that the new lock screen will become officially available in April for both Windows 11 23H2 users and Windows 10 version 22H2 users.

Microsoft deprecated WordPad, the old text editor first introduced in Windows 95, in September 2023. Later, release notes for one of the Windows 11 preview builds confirmed that the company plans to delete WordPad from the operating system with no way to install it back. Now, we have more information about the inevitable death of the old WYSIWYG text editor.

By Susan Bradley
 
Business patchers take heed.
 
Usually, monthly updates have the same impact on both business and consumer PCs. This month, applying patches to consumer machines is generally safe, which would have earned a MS-DEFCON level of 4. But business machines are another matter; I’ve lowered the level to 3.

Windows 11 "Moment 5" update is now available to all users in the form of the March 2024 optional non-security update. KB5035942 (build numbers 22621.3374 and 22631.3374) is now available for download from Windows Update.

Microsoft, earlier today, published the latest Stable version of Windows Terminal, and it has a significant change that will affect those users who are running PCs with older processors, like Intel Core 2 Duos, in a positive way. The company had recently updated the compiler following which it stopped working on such CPUs which lack PopCnt and SSE 4.2 instructions.

Every week we take a close look at the most pirated movies on torrent sites. What are pirates downloading? 'Road House' tops the chart, followed by 'Madame Web'. ‘'Oppenheimer' 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.

There is no denying that when it comes to desktops, Windows is a popular OS. But while most users prefer to use their mouse clicks and occasionally the keyboard to type in things, the latter can be useful in many more ways thanks to keyboard shortcuts that most casual users rarely use as their usage tends to be confined to enthusiasts and working professionals.

In this episode of Microsoft Weekly, we look at the new Surface Laptop 10 for Business and the Surface Laptop 6 for Business, a bunch of extra deprecated features in Windows client, the new Microsoft AI division, more lock screen widgets for Windows 10 and 11, and other news.

Earlier this week, Microsoft confirmed problems with LSASS (Local Security Authority Subsystem Service) memory leaks on several Windows Server versions, which could trigger an unscheduled reboot of domain controllers. Shortly after, the company pushed an out-of-band update to resolve the problem.

Microsoft Edge 123 is now available in the Stable Channel. The latest feature update delivers bug fixes, performance improvements, and security patches. In addition, Edge 123 contains two new features for businesses and a plethora of new policies. Here are the details.

There are plenty of tricks and tools to use in your searches.

While a lot of our files are stored in the cloud, there are still many ones and zeros that get stored locally. But as the capacity of the drives used by our desktops and laptops has increased, finding files has gotten that much harder. How many photos and videos do you have stacked up in your computer? How many documents and downloads?

These are the settings you should be using on Microsoft Edge for the best experience on Windows 11.

On Windows 11, if you prefer Microsoft Edge over other browsers to access the internet, there are some configuration changes every user should make for the best experience.

The 40-year-old app still receives love and updates from Microsoft.

What you need to know

Notepad will soon support spell check and autocorrect, according to recent leaks.

The app will allow you to enable or disable spell check and autocorrect separately and choose which file types will use the features.

While Notepad is a basic app, Microsoft has worked on new features for it recently, including tabs, character count, and even AI.

Back in September 2023, rumors started flying that Microsoft might automatically install the New Outlook for Windows on with the Windows 11 23H2 (2023 update). Following that, the press began reporting about another quirk of the new Outlook: it would send users' non-MSA data to its servers and Microsoft felt it was for your own good.

There are certainly valid reasons why you may not like Windows 11. A lot of it has to do with the stringent system requirements Microsoft introduced, which turned off a lot of users who had PCs that were only a few years old - at the time of the Windows 11 announcement - labeled incompatible. There have been more changes since then. And those on eligible systems often find Windows Update reminders or forced / automatic updates.

The Files app has been updated to version 3.3, just one month after its last release. Version 3.3 is now available for download with two main changes: a reworked layout slider and thumbnail improvements, including better DPI support. In addition, the update contains multiple fixes for other parts of the application.

Mozilla Firefox 124 is now available in the Release channel with various improvements and new features. The most notable changes include caret browsing support in the PDF viewer for better accessibility (the ability to navigate a webpage with a keyboard), improved Windows jumplist support, fullscreen API support on macOS, and more.

In February 2023, Microsoft and Adobe announced a joint effort to improve the PDF viewing experience in Edge by integrating the Adobe Acrobat PDF engine into the browser. That allowed Microsoft to provide its customers with better document rendering, snappier performance, and improved security and accessibility.
 
A few days ago, Microsoft updated the original announcement post with new details about the removal of the old PDF engine (via Deskmodder).

Every week we take a close look at the most pirated movies on torrent sites. What are pirates downloading? 'Madame Web' tops the chart, followed by 'Oppenheimer'. ‘'Poor Things' 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.

In this episode of Microsoft Weekly, we look at new builds in every Windows Insider channel, Samsung spoiling the next-gen Copilot features, Copilot Pro launching worldwide, a new wave of ads targeting Chrome users in Windows 10 and 11, game sales, and all sorts of app updates.

The theme of the week is technology that extends across platforms.

What a wild week it's been for Microsoft and Windows news. Seemingly by coincidence, the biggest news stories of the week have a theme, crossing platforms. Sea of Thieves became was the most pre-ordered game on PlayStation, developers managed to get the Surface Duo to run Windows 11, and new EU law forced Microsoft to let people use non-Microsoft services on Windows. Toss in Windows 11 shoving an ad for Bing into Chrome, and you have a packed week of news. Oh, and did I mention the free version of Copilot got an upgrade as well?