Best Windows apps this week
Five-hundred-and-ninety-six in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 and 11 on the Microsoft Store and elsewhere in the past seven days.
Microsoft released the upcoming feature update Windows 11 24H2 to the Release Preview channel. This marks the last step before its final release later this year. Recall, an AI feature that Microsoft unveiled earlier this week, is not yet part of the preview.
Microsoft is ready to pull the plug on VBScript, making it optional in Windows 11 24H2
After decades of service, Microsoft is deprecating VBScript -- or Visual Basic Scripting Edition. The deprecation process will first see VBScript being changed into an optional, on-demand feature with the release of Windows 11 24H2, although it will be enabled by default.
The timeline continues into 2027 when VBScript will remain a FOD (feature on demand), but will be disabled by default. Ultimately, Microsoft will carve the feature from Windows completely, and the company has published advice about the implications.
Microsoft starts the rollout of Windows 11 24H2 -- install it now!
The next major update to Windows 11 has started to make its way to users. Microsoft has commenced the rollout of Windows 11 24H2 to Windows Insiders signed up to the Release Preview channel.
Making the update available in this way is a clear indication that Windows 11 24H2 is near-as-damn-it complete. Let's take a look at all of the exciting new additions and changes, as well as revealing how to get hold of the update now.
New Recall tool could be Microsoft's best use of AI in Windows 11 yet -- and its most private
Microsoft Build kicks off today but -- as is usually the case -- there have been various pre-event announcements, not least of which is the unveiling of AI-powered Copilot+ PCs. The hardware side of things is both powerful and exciting, with huge implications for not only computing capabilities, but also privacy.
This new breed of computers features neural processing units (NPU) meaning AI-tasks can be performed on-device, without the need to transmit data via the internet. One of Microsoft’s first tools to take advantage of this is Recall (once known as AI Explorer) which is an astonishingly powerful workflow tool that records and maintains a timeline of your computing activities and gives you a way to instantly locate content you have been working on. Microsoft describes it as like having a photographic memory, but it is perhaps better thought of as the ultimate productivity assistant.
Acer unveils Swift 14 AI Windows 11 Copilot+ PC powered by Snapdragon
Acer has launched its first Copilot+ PC, the Swift 14 AI laptop, marking a new era of AI-enhanced computing. Encased in a thin-and-light aluminum chassis, the Swift 14 AI features optimized AI capabilities for productivity and mobility.
The laptop is powered by Snapdragon X Series platforms, featuring an integrated NPU capable of 45 Trillions of Operations Per Second (TOPS). This supercharges the Swift 14 AI to deliver a significant leap in performance, all-day battery life, and advanced AI experiences. Running on Windows 11, the Swift 14 AI supports next-generation AI features including Recall, Cocreator, Live Captions, new Windows Studio Effects, and Auto Super Resolution.
How to unlock the updated version of File Explorer in Windows 11 right now
The Beta and Canary builds of Windows 11 have been used by Microsoft for some time to test out new features before they are given a full release. But in addition to the advertised changes and additions to new builds, there are also often hidden secrets.
A recent example is to be found in the latest release to the Beta channel. With a little trickery, Windows 11 build 22635.3640 has been found to include an updated version of File Explorer, complete with new visuals, a revamped Home page and more.
Best Windows apps this week
Five-hundred-and-ninety-five in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 and 11 on the Microsoft Store and elsewhere in the past seven days.
Microsoft is working on a new Start menu feature called Companions. This adds a sidebar to Start that shows dynamic content such as widgets there.
Microsoft PC Manager utility warns Windows 11 users switching from Bing that they need to 'repair' their PC
The Microsoft PC Manager app -- a free and official tweaking and optimization utility available from the Microsoft Store -- is the latest software from the company to offer up questionable and controversial advice.
We've already seen the appearance of ads (or recommendations as Microsoft prefers to call them) in Windows itself, Office and Edge. Now users of the Microsoft PC Manager who have changed Edge's search engine to something other than Bing are being told that this is something that needs to be repaired.
Microsoft fixes VPN issues in Windows 11 with KB5037771 update, and brings ads to the Start menu
Microsoft has released its monthly patches for Windows 11 in the form of the KB5037771 update. There are lots of fixes in this release including for problems with domain controllers, VPNs, and SMB clients.
There are a number of security fixes, but also more controversial changes -- including ads in the Start menu (or app recommendations as Microsoft calls them). Other changes include improvements to Widgets and Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 (WSL2).
Microsoft makes the Windows 11 Start Menu expandable with Start Menu Companions
Microsoft has made a lot of controversial decisions when it comes to the Start menu in Windows 11, not least of which is the plan to introduce ads. In the latest beta build of Windows 11. However, there are some interesting changes afoot -- notably Start Menu Companions.
While not yet fully operational, Companions are essentially plugins or extensions for the Start menu. The display information -- such as weather or stock prices in a floating panel to the side of the Start menu, will blend the ideas of Live Tiles and Widgets into something new.
Best Windows apps this week
Five-hundred-and-ninety-four in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 and 11 on the Microsoft Store and elsewhere in the past seven days.
Unactivated Windows 11 systems could soon prevent users from changing certain Microsoft Edge settings. Edge could show a "PC not activated" notification in Settings to users.
Linux fan develops a fricking amazing tool to remove all ads from Windows 11
Windows 11 is far from perfect, and any complaints are usually met with disdain from the Linux community. The advice proffered by Linux users is to switch from Windows 11 to one of the nearly endless number of Linux distros that are available.
This is unhelpful advice because, in the most part, Windows users simply don’t want to use Linux. They chose Windows for specific reasons, and the fact it is not completely ideal is not really a good enough reason to simply abandon it. So it is lovely to see that one Linux fan has put their software development skills to good use and produced OFGB (Oh Frick Go Back), a utility that removes ads from Windows 11.
Microsoft eases its foot off the accelerator for Copilot development in Windows 11
The world has gone crazy for AI, and Microsoft has jumped feet-first into the technology. Copilot is just one of the company’s tools in this field, but not everyone is completely in love with this digital assistant.
For anyone who is of the opinion that things are moving too fast when it comes to Copilot, there is some good news. With the release of the latest beta build of Windows 11, Microsoft says that it is slowing down the rollout of new Copilot experiences.
Best Windows apps this week
Five-hundred-and-ninety-three in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 and 11 on the Microsoft Store and elsewhere in the past seven days.
Microsoft reduced the size of Windows 10 updates to improve delivery performance. The same technique has been used on Windows 11 since the release of the operating system in 2021.
Microsoft tells users 'if you want to fix 0x80070643 errors, you'll have to do it yourself'
Updates released for Windows 10, Windows 11 and Windows Server back in January proved problematic for many users. There have been widespread reports of 0x80070643 errors, and Microsoft acknowledged the issue some time ago.
But for anyone holding out for a fix, there's some disappointing news. The company says that it will not be releasing a fix for the problem, but is instead expecting users to follow instructions to sort things out for themselves.