The year goes by fast, we are already in the middle of April. With the end of another week comes a new edition of Microsoft Weekly where we discuss everything that happened in the world of Microsoft in the last few days. This time, we have news related to some Windows bugs, OS related features and GPT integrations. Without further ado, let’s dive into our latest extract!

Windows bugs

Microsoft has had many updates about their bugs and fixes, where available, over the course of this week. Let’s start with a bug related to task manager handling in Windows 11 Canary build 25336. In short, the software fails to finish the hold, and as a result they accumulate and cause severe system slowdowns and crashes. The good news is that Microsoft has identified the root of the problem and is working on a fix.

The Redmond technology company also shared a fix for a BitLocker out-of-the-box (OOBE) issue in Windows 10 and Windows 11, where the encryption feature doesn’t automatically renew even after it hits the reboot count parameter. And speaking of OOBE, Microsoft has released an update for Windows 11 22H2 and 21H2, as well as all supported versions of Windows 10 to improve compatibility with unsupported registry usage.

As it fixes operating system bugs, Microsoft has seemingly pushed a buggy SecureBoot update (again) alongside this month’s patch. It contains issues that the company is still investigating according to its health dashboard, but has issued some guidance on the BlackLotus security vulnerability. Another update to ensure domain controller (DC) hardening against the Kerberos security flaw has now been pushed back to June, later than the originally planned April 11th date.

There are two Windows Insider releases that can be attached to this section as well. The latest preview of version 22000.1879 is out for the original Windows 11, it contains many bug fixes. On the other hand, there’s also Dev Channel build 23435 that came out with a new “gallery” view in File Explorer, but it’s pretty buggy.

Additionally, Mozilla resolved a 5-year-old Windows Defender bug in Firefox that caused high CPU usage in Windows Defender and the Antimalware Service (MsMpEng.exe) real-time protection when using the browser. On a related note, Microsoft has also released Defender updates for Windows installation images.

While the last two items we mention next are not really bugs, they may appear as problems for many due to their behavior and nature. Some Microsoft 365 users were unable to send or receive email messages following a recent policy change from Microsoft that meant that your 5GB of OneDrive storage now includes Outlook usage. Finally, there’s a new ability in Edge Canary that lets you disconnect your sidebar and dock it as a vertical taskbar to the side of the screen Some may find this annoying, especially since there seem to be some limitations, but the good news is that it’s optional.

GPT combinations

As has been the case for the past two months, Microsoft’s AI efforts once again made a lot of headlines at Neowin this past week. A major update in this section is that Microsoft announced a ton of new and improved Bing Chat integrations with its other services. These include SwiftKey, Skype and Microsoft Start. A Redmond executive also hinted that third-party plug-in support for Bing Chat is in the works and Compact View for Bing appears to be as well.

But that’s not all. The latest release of Edge 114 in the Dev channel includes tighter integration with Bing Chat in the sidebar, while Edge 113 Beta introduces better security and a new update for macOS.

Edge isn’t the only Microsoft app getting even more AI-powered, either. The premium version of Microsoft Teams is getting intelligent meeting summaries created sometime later this month. It’s also slated to have controls to limit profanity in live captions, along with Speaker View, over 20 Snapchat lenses and animated backgrounds to play with during informal meetings. With all this goodness coming to Teams soon, it’s also worth mentioning that Teams Free (Classic) is shutting down. The Redmond company advised customers to switch to the new Microsoft Teams (free), but none of their existing data and chats will be transferred.

Finally, even PowerToys – which received a minor update this week – does web integration with ChatGPT (along with a built-in Launcher). This application is currently underway, but it is early days so there is no actual release date yet.

New ways to take screenshots in Windows and other features

Microsoft is preparing to change the standard way to take a screenshot. When you press the Print Screen key on the keyboard, instead of taking a screenshot silently, the system will activate the cropping tool. It’s important to note that this behavior was present in a disabled state in Windows 10 but became enabled by default in the latest Windows 11 Beta build 22624.1546, which means it will be rolled out to everyone else sooner rather than later. And while it’s not directly related, the updated Microsoft Surface app also includes a new way to take screenshots.

But back to the Insider releases, the Windows 11 beta channel also got build 22624.1610 to fix a registry compatibility issue, among other things. The Dev Channel build 23435 mentioned in the first section also contains hidden and disabled behavior for Windows 11 Search and if you’re intrigued, you can find out how to enable it here.

Similarly, Windows 10 Release Preview build 19045.2908 restored the search box in the taskbar while Windows 11 Release Preview build 22621.1631 added animations to the taskbar widgets. Finally, the Windows 11 Canary channel received build 25336.1010, but this is only a mock release to test the service pipeline.

There have also been other non-Insider releases, thanks to Patch Tuesday. The latest Windows 10 release KB5025221 brought security fixes and a known issue while the release of Windows 11 version 21H2 and 22H2 introduced many new improvements that you can read more about here. These Patch Tuesday updates also made Local Administrator Password Solution (LAPS) a built-in implementation for select Windows SKUs. A new version of Windows Subsystem for Android is also available, it brings support for picture-in-picture mode for Android apps.

Finally, if you like messing around with Windows installations and ISOs, the developer of Tiny11 has created a bootable Live DVD of Windows 11, called “live11”. In a similar vein, the third-party utility EverythingToolbar has also received an update with some fixes and new features.

GUD git

Perhaps the headline of Microsoft’s gaming news this week was that the company is reportedly working on a “handheld mode” for Windows 11 that runs on consoles/handhelds, like the Steam Deck. The leaked UX is meant to fix issues related to poor controls in non-Steam games, lack of display and UI optimizations, and more.

There are some Xbox OS updates to talk about as well. The latest release of Alpha Skip Ahead contains tons of new features, including improvements to cohesion. The latest beta update also includes some of the same capabilities as well as improvements to Discord Voice. Meanwhile, the April update, now generally available, includes a revamped search interface and a new adjustable hours option. Interestingly, Microsoft has halted Insider testing of the upcoming and revamped Xbox Home experience, saying feedback so far has not been positive.

On the gaming side, Microsoft has confirmed that its upcoming platform exclusive from Arkane, red fallIt won’t include a 60FPS mode at launch on Xbox, much to the disappointment of many – you can still try to find one red fall– Xbox Series X from Microsoft if you don’t mind. And if you are interested in purchasing more goods Quiet Play, Minecraft There is now an official cookbook with over 40 recipes. Speaking of hardware, you can also purchase new colors for the Elite Series 2 custom controller from the Xbox Design Lab.

Finally, we will gather news related to subscription services and transactions. Ubisoft+ has landed on Xbox consoles while an additional 40 countries now have access to PC Game Pass. In addition, game subscribers with gold can now grab Peaky Blinders: Mastermind And transactions with gold for customers can save a lot at dusk, Forza Horizon, and more. People looking forward to the Xbox Free Play Days promotion can get big discounts on two popular titles while PC purists can check out the latest PC gaming weekend deals, rounded up by our news editor Pulasthi Ariyasinghe.

The development channel

under the spotlight

We posted some original pieces during the week. The first was by news reporter John Callham, who took a trip down memory lane to talk about the history of the Start menu and his personal experiences with it.

On a related note, news reporter Taras Buria posted a guide on how to remove the controversial Recommended section from the Start menu.

Taras also went on to compile a list of the top 10 apps that solve what he calls the “inconveniences” of Windows 11. See here if you share his perspective and find the listed apps useful.

Meanwhile, I’ve also posted an editorial theory of what Windows 12 could look like and whether it’s going to be an incremental update to Windows 11 versus something big.

Finally, forum member Adam Bottjen has posted a handy guide for Windows beginners that details the process of creating a folder.

disconnects

Our most intriguing news this week is about a smart device called LipIO that uses our tongue to control various connected devices and engage in hands-free virtual activities. It can detect many input gestures such as sliding the tongue, pressing the two lips against each other and touching the tongue with the tongue at a certain point. While this may be useful for the disabled community, the researchers behind the project highlighted utilities like a lip-based guitar receiver, the ability to open your smart door while your hands are occupied, and even gaming. Read more about the crazy technology here.

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