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Welcome to a new edition of Microsoft Weekly where we summarize everything important that happened in the world of Microsoft in the last few days. It was a relatively quiet week, likely due to the upcoming holiday season, but we still had some news regarding Windows issues, a surprise fine on Bing, and some updates to Microsoft Teams and Excel. Without further ado, let’s dive into our weekly digest for December 17th – December 23rd!
A new set of Windows bugs and fixes
For the past few weeks, Windows bugs and issues seem to have occupied a dedicated and important section of our Microsoft Weekly articles, and this week is no different.
We’ll start with a Windows 10 issue that started with the latest Patch Tuesday update and a blue screen off with error code “0xc000021a” on some systems due to a mismatch between the HIDPARSE system files (hidparse.sys). Causes Death (BSOD). ) in two different system directories. While there’s a workaround for now, it looks like we’ll have to wait until next month’s Patch Tuesday update for a more permanent fix.
Fortunately, the rest of the section on bugs in Microsoft software covers the fixes available for them. Android 13 recently broke the Intune enrollment process for Samsung devices, but that has now been patched. Although some user actions are required read the instructions here.
Additionally, Microsoft has fixed an Outlook on Windows bug where multiple calendars would display incorrect meetings and timeslots. Interestingly, one possible reason that caused the problem was low screen DPI.
Subsequently, network adapter issues in Hyper-V hosts managed by System Center Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) configured with Software Defined Networking (SDN) in Windows Server 2022 have also been eliminated. And new versions of Intel drivers for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth have also been made available to address streaming errors, dropped downlinks and stability issues in Windows 10 and Windows 11.
A binge is fine.
Microsoft’s Bing search engine finally got some attention this week, but some of it may not have been what it wanted. Basically, the Redmond tech company has been slapped with a €60 million fine by the French data protection agency CNIL for not offering an opt-out for cookies in Bing. It has also been asked to include consent for ad fraud detection cookies, but the company has expressed concern over the requirement that such cookies “not require the consent of those who deceive others.” Should.”
In some more positive news, Microsoft has partnered with the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) to provide satellite imagery for its Santa Tracker this year. Bing Maps is a 3D version of the tracker powered by satellite imagery provided by the API Now live here on the dedicated portal..
Teams and Excel updates
Microsoft also shared some updates regarding new Teams and Excel features. As for the former, the company is working on an “improved visual layout” for the desktop client that should make app engagement and discovery easier. This will apparently be enabled via a flyout UI, but implementation details have yet to be revealed, given that the feature isn’t due until February 2023.
The Redmond tech giant also shared a list of all the capabilities it added to Excel this month. Highlights include formula suggestions, formula fill, an improved IMAGE function, and a new shortcut to launch the Power Query Editor.
Finally, if you’re still using Basic Authentication in Exchange Online, your time is almost up. Next month, Microsoft will permanently deprecate this method in favor of Advanced Authentication (OAuth 2.0) for many protocols including MAPI, RPC, Offline Address Book (OAB), Exchange Web Services (EWS), POP, IMAP, Exchange ActiveSync (EAS). will automatically start disabling. , and Remote PowerShell. SMTP AUTH is unaffected but Microsoft does not recommend using Basic Auth for this either.
Good
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On the gaming side of things, we have a few interesting items. A group of 10 gamers has sued Microsoft over its proposed $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. It is worth noting that three of them play exclusively on PlayStation. It remains to be seen whether their arguments to reject the acquisition will hold any weight in court.
Meanwhile, some recent testing has revealed some pretty cool benefits of using DirectStorage in Windows 11 games. That said, taking advantage of the technology’s benefits requires extra effort from developers. Thus, the widespread adoption of APIs is still under debate.
What will make Microsoft happier is this. High on life A great Xbox Game Pass hit. The title broke several records on the service, including the biggest launch of 2022, the biggest third-party game launch of all time, as well as the biggest single-player single game launch since its debut on the service. Is.
Finally, if you’re looking for holiday sales, check out the Xbox countdown sale and this weekend’s PC game deals, curated by our news editor Plasthi Aryasinghe.
Under the spotlight
If you’re using Windows 11 but aren’t happy with some of the design choices, our resident news reporter Taras Boria may have a few guides that might interest you. For example, if you’re using a stable build of Windows 11 version 22H2, you can follow these instructions to get back to the old search button.
And if you’re using a preview build of Windows 11 and have the inexplicable urge to use stickers on your Windows 11 desktop via a secret method, Taras has you covered there too.
But if you’re a gamer and don’t care about those bells and whistles, be vocal about what gaming capabilities you want in Windows 11.
Finally, don’t forget to check out forum member Adam Botgen’s latest TechTip Tuesday article that talks about the audit process for sites you’ve given access to notifications.
Logging off.
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Our most exciting news of the week has to do with Meta settling a class action lawsuit over the 2018 Cambridge Analytica data harvesting scandal for $725 million. This is the largest amount Meta has agreed to pay to settle a private class action lawsuit and the largest financial settlement ever in a data privacy class action. Although awareness of the scandal, which exposed the private data of millions of Facebook users, has brought many benefits such as increased scrutiny of the technology, better laws, and heavy fines, Meta has rejected part of the settlement agreement. No error was admitted in this matter. .
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