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You can now open an item as admin using a new shortcut within the Start menu on Windows 11.

Google Chrome's Manifest V3 framework poses a major security threat.

The Snipping Tool is one of Windows 11's best features, and it's getting a big boost soon with a direct keyboard shortcut for text OCR copy and paste.

One of the recent Paint updates introduced a redundant entry for Windows 11's context menu, letting users edit images in Paint without using the "Open with" submenu (currently available only to Windows Insiders, but a stable release is expected soon). Context menus in Windows 11 are already controversial enough, and the latest Paint update does not make things any better. Fortunately, you can remove "Edit with Paint" from Windows 11's context menus quite easily.

In this episode of Microsoft Weekly, we look at new bugs in Windows 11, fixed compatibility issues letting more people update to Windows 11 version 24H2, four new Windows 11 preview builds, more damage to context menus, AI updates, gaming news, and a lot more.

On October 10 2024, Microsoft released Patch Tuesday updates for the month on Windows 10 (KB5044273 / KB5044277 / KB5044293 / KB5044286) and Windows 11 (KB5044284, KB5044285, KB5044280). The company also made the update available on the official Media Creation Tool the same day. And in case you are looking to download Windows 10 using it, the tech giant wants you to think twice.

Shortly after launching Windows 11 version 24H2 last month, Microsoft acknowledged a problem with the Voicemeeter app. Due to driver compatibility issues, the app would cause a blue screen of death with a MEMORY MANAGEMENT error code. To prevent a bad user experience, Microsoft placed an update block on systems with the Voicemeeter app. Now, the company has an update to the story.

Microsoft released Windows 11 build 22635.4445 in the Beta Channel on November 8, offering Windows Insiders a set of File Explorer and taskbar fixes. However, the build also has some undocumented stuff related to file sharing. As discovered by @phantomofearth, Microsoft is testing more areas from which you can share a file.

The clock is ticking for the old Windows Mail, Calendar, and People apps. Microsoft recently updated the official documentation to clarify that with the end of support, the apps will stop working altogether on December 31, 2024. In other words, even if you manage to keep the new Outlook app away from your computer, the old Mail app will lose its ability to send and receive mail in less than two months.

Apple quietly added a new feature in iOS and iPadOS 18.1 that restarts the device if it hasn’t been unlocked for a while. This reset helps secure iPhones and makes it tougher for police to access stored data, as multiple iPhone security experts have pointed out.

Among the decades-old Windows apps to get renewed attention from Microsoft during the Windows 11 era is Notepad, the basic built-in text editor that was much the same in early 2021 as it had been in the '90 and 2000s. Since then, it has gotten a raft of updates, including a visual redesign, spellcheck and autocorrect, and window tabs.

On October 22, 2024, Microsoft released the latest non-security update for Windows 11 version 23H2 under KB5044380, also known as builds 22621.4391 and 22631.4391. The update introduced several useful improvements and changes, including battery drain fixes, Copilot key remapping, new settings for notifications, and more. Unfortunately, the update also wrecks some things.

AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, which is the latest entry in the series of 3D-V Cache / X3D CPUs from AMD, is getting sold-out everywhere. But there’s more to the story.

Microsoft recently added support for several new Intel processors for Windows 10 LTSC 2021. We compiled the full list of new CPUs added in this dedicated article. Moving to LTSC can be a good option considering the OS will reach the end of support (EOS) in less than a year from now on October 14, 2025, and the company wants $30 for extended security updates (ESU).

Reviews show that AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is the fastest gaming CPU in the world. Faster than AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D, Intel Core i9-14900K and Intel Core Ultra 9 285K.

AMD continues the theme with its second generation of 3D V-Cache to deliver unparalleled gaming performance and middling productivity. Thankfully, most gamers do not care about the benchmark-breaking number crunching as long as they get their framerate boosts, and the Ryzen 7 9800X3D delivers that sweet extra FPS. It's not a big enough jump to tempt those happy with a previous-gen Ryzen 7 7800X3D, but anyone on Ryzen 5000 chips or jumping ship from Intel will love it if the $30 MSRP hike and AM5 overhauls don't sour the temptation.

After 15+ years of blackholing IP addresses and making the Domain Name System tell more lies than Pinocchio, some may wonder whether site-blocking is harming prospects of a future open internet. Confirmation that piracy blocking tests are now being conducted at the internet's core routers isn't a surprise. It's only the internet's spinal column, so what could possibly go wrong?

A new utility is on the block that helps eliminate stringent system requirements of Windows 11. The utility, in the form of a PowerShell script, is called UnattendedWinstall and it is called so since it is based on Windows Answer files (also called Unattend or AutoUnattend files).

Do you remember Paint 3D? Back in the days when Microsoft was obsessed not with AI but with 3D, Mixed Reality, seriously uncool Windows 10 update names, and other interesting stuff. Despite the effort, Paint 3D failed to become as iconic as its classic predecessor, which is why Microsoft abandoned the idea and focused on upgrading the good old Paint with some quite useful features.
 
As of right now, Paint 3D is no longer available in the Microsoft Store, but it does not mean it is now lost media. In fact, you can still install Paint 3D if you are interested in giving this interesting piece of software another try. Although Paint 3D was conceived in the early days of Windows 10, it still works perfectly fine, even on the latest Windows 11 updates, such as version 24H2.

Every week we take a close look at the most pirated movies on torrent sites. What are pirates downloading? 'Joker: Folie à Deux' tops the chart, followed by 'Deadpool & Wolverine'. 'Alien: Romulus' 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, today, has released a new preview of Windows 11. Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.2213 (KB5045885) released to the Dev Channel comes with changes to the Gamepad keyboard, it has been disabled in this flight, but may return in a future release. The build also contains a number of fixes for the Start menu that correct app spacing and more.

Last week, Mozilla released a big feature update for its browser. Version 132 arrived with Microsoft PlayRead encrypted media playback on Windows, allowing streaming DRM-protected content in resolution up to 4K. Now, several days later, Mozilla is back with another update, this time a small one.

Earlier this year, Microsoft announced that it is retiring the Paint 3D app. It will no longer receive updates or be available in the Microsoft Store starting November 4th. Microsoft updated the official 'Deprecated features for Windows client' list with the following message:
 
The Paint 3D app was first announced with high expectations as part of the Windows 10 Creators Update release. Despite having some innovative features for 3D creation, Paint 3D didn't catch much of consumers' attention.

I think the glacial pace of updates to the Xbox app represents a platform team that is wholly spread too thin.

The Xbox app on Windows 10 and 11 is the main conduit to the Microsoft Gaming ecosystem on PC, pulling together services like Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Cloud Gaming, and core PC games from the Microsoft Store into a single place. However, it's also been the subject of much criticism.

This week, Microsoft announced Windows Server 2025 general availability alongside System Center 2025. At the same time, the company also published a list of processors that have been validated for Server 2025; it contains a couple of modern Pentium chips too alongside the other typical server-based SKUs.
 
Speaking of which, Neowin noticed that Microsoft, back in September, had also added several new Intel SKUs to the supported CPU list for Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2021. It includes Atom Amston Lake parts, Raptor Lake mobile, and Alder Lake N.