Welcome to a new edition of Microsoft Weekly where we summarize everything important that happened in the Microsoft-verse over the past seven days. Finally, we have a week full of exciting news regarding Windows Updates, some upcoming Windows features as well as Microsoft 365 enhancements. Without further ado, let’s dive into our latest digest from January 8th to January 13th!
New File Explorer
We heard some interesting news this week where we got our first look at what the new version of File Explorer for Windows 11 could be. This “leak” comes from the latest dev channel build 25272, which appears to have a new home page. Works with more details like insights, activities, properties, related files, conversations, sharing status, and more. This is in addition to the recommended content that Microsoft is also planning for File Explorer. The good news is that the enthusiasts among us can enable the hidden UI through the process mentioned here, but be aware that the software is unstable in its current state.
Speaking of the dev channel, we got 25276 builds this week. It brings several new features such as a live kernel dump in Task Manager, updates to cloud storage notifications – including new reminders for OneDrive -, updated dialog boxes, and more. Naturally, this was followed by Windows Server Preview build 25276 with no changelog.
One security feature that may worry some readers is that Microsoft will soon disable the fallback of insecure SMB guest authentication in Windows 11 Pro. In the same vein, the Redmond tech company is also planning to phase out the Microsoft Support Diagnostic Tool (MSDT) in the next two years, possibly due to the security risks it poses.
Some of you may have also noticed slow download and install speeds when updating to the new Windows 11 Insider builds. And if so, you’ll be relieved to know that Microsoft is actively investigating the issue.
The death of Windows 8.1
This week, Microsoft finally put Windows 7 and 8.1 to sleep forever in terms of support. Both operating systems are no longer supported which means Microsoft will not provide technical support for them and you may face security and usability issues while running the OS. It’s important to note that Windows 7 was only supported for paid Extended Security Updates (ESUs) users until this week.
Naturally, this was followed by news of many third-party software dropping support for the operating systems as well. These include Paint.NET 5 and Google Chrome. That said, the latest version of Chrome is the last to support legacy OSes, with support officially ending next month with Chrome 110. Amidst all this fuss, we learned that Microsoft has mysteriously implemented a half-baked version of native UEFI and Secure. Boot into Windows 7, which is odd considering the OS was on its deathbed.
Both Windows 7 and 8.1 also received their final Patch Tuesday updates this week. They pack some validation improvements, minor SQL Server driver fixes, and some known issues. Meanwhile, Windows 10 caught up with some security fixes along with a known bug. And Windows 11 had similar improvements with two known issues. Interestingly, Windows 11 Patch Tuesday also packs two hidden features (find out how to enable them here), but doesn’t document them.
In terms of other fixes and improvements from Microsoft, the company fixed the OOBE issue in Windows 11 version 22H2 and the BSOD issue on Windows 10. It also established a partial fix for a Friday the 13th bug that caused Defender to randomly delete various shortcuts. Windows version. In this regard, Microsoft is making it easier for IT administrators to manage Win32 app upgrades and changes in their organizations.
Third-party developers were also not far behind in providing software updates. Rufus received an updated FIDO script to fix broken Windows ISO downloads while its alternative Ventoy fixed Windows 11 requirements bypass, VHDX booting issues, and many more bugs.
Finally, in terms of app updates, it looks like the new Windows 11 Media Player is also on its way to Windows 10. But if you can’t wait for that, then another exciting news for you might be that hell has frozen over. As preview apps for Apple Music, Apple TV, and Apple devices have arrived in the Microsoft Store.
Microsoft Teams Paywall
Earlier in the week, Microsoft Teams users received some good news as we reported that Microsoft is ditching some existing features behind the more expensive Teams Premium add-on, which will launch next month at $10/user/month. happening Capabilities that will find themselves behind a paywall next month include live translated captions, custom Together mode scenes for organizations, timeline markers in Teams meetings when a member joins or leaves a meeting. So its recording marking etc.
OneNote users will be happy though as OneNote for Mac includes a keyboard shortcut for drawing straight lines with preview features, AI-backed voice commands, complete with pen and ink enhancements. Similarly, Microsoft Planner finally netted recurring tasks and a grid view, while SwiftKey for Android introduced a new way to change your app’s language. Microsoft has also confirmed a number of issues in Outlook that it is still investigating. That said, he has a job offer for now.
This week also saw the release of Microsoft Edge 109 with security improvements, text prediction, changes to TLS server certificate verification, and account linking between a personal Microsoft account (MSA) and an Azure Active Directory (AAD) account. . Also, we learned that Microsoft is working on even more rounded corners this time around in Edge.
Finally, if you feel that Microsoft 365 is too expensive for you, Microsoft now offers an attractive basic plan with the following capabilities:
- 100GB of space in OneDrive
- Ad-free Outlook on web and mobile
- Additional security features, such as data encryption in Outlook, attachment scanning, and checking for suspicious links
- Additional features for OneDrive, such as Personal Vault, password-protected and expiring links, ransomware data recovery, and bulk file store (later this year)
- Additional technical support by phone or online chat for apps and Windows 11
Microsoft 365 base price is $1.99/month or $19.99/year.
Good
Microsoft finally confirmed its rumored gaming showcase with Bethesda a few days ago. It’s called “Developer_Direct” and is expected to take a closer look. Forza Motorsport, Minecraft Legends, Red Falland the future of The Elder Scrolls Online On January 25 Starfield A notable absence but Microsoft has assured gamers that a standalone showcase for the highly anticipated title is planned for later.
In other interesting news, Microsoft’s deal to acquire Activision Blizzard is now facing opposition from Google and Nvidia. Both have filed complaints with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) citing unfair advantages for Microsoft in the cloud, subscription and mobile gaming sectors if the deal is approved.
That hasn’t pushed Microsoft away from other areas of gaming. It recently published a video emphasizing the benefits of gaming on Windows 11 version 22H2, and confirmed that Xbox is the world’s first carbon-aware console.
On the topic of games, i am fish While the title is on offer through the Xbox Free Play Days promotion Mortal Shell: Enhanced Edition, Monster Hunter Riseand a couple Personality Titles are the latest addition to Game Pass. But if none of that interests you, you might want to check out this weekend’s PC game deals instead, curated by our news editor Plasthi Aryasinghe.
Dev Channel
Under the spotlight
News reporter Taras Boria published a list with his thoughts on the top five features Microsoft should include in Windows 11 in 2022. Find out if you agree or not.
Meanwhile, news reporter Rahul Naskar shares his thoughts on how despite switching to macOS, he still misses Windows a lot.
On the other hand, news reporter Hemant Saxena has published an article listing five ways to speed up your Windows PC if it’s been struggling with performance lately.
Finally, if you’re struggling to keep track of your tasks and to-dos, be sure to check out forum member Adam Bottgen’s Tech Tip Tuesday about note-taking on a Windows PC.
Logging off.
We have more interesting news of the week in this section this time. For starters, the US Congress has rejected the military’s request for $400 million in funding to buy about 7,000 HoloLens headsets. The rationale behind this is that the investment is not worth it in the current state of headsets in which soldiers suffer eye strain, nausea and headaches. Instead, a budget of $40 million has been approved to improve the headset to fix existing issues in the next iteration of the hardware.
Microsoft’s hardware woes don’t end there, though. The company apparently has the Surface Duo 3 planned for late 2023 as early as possible, at least in its current form factor. This is due to the warm reception of this line-up. Instead the firm is now working on another one with a traditional foldable and “standard” smartphone design. This is part of the “Perfect Together” strategy to differentiate Surface hardware from other competitors. How successful this project is, only time will tell.
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