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Mar 30

Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27823 (Canary Channel)

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Hi all, last Wednesday Microsoft relesed Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27823 to the Canary Channel.

Flighting a new flight from Redmond Campus alsways feels a bit special, some nice tweaks in thos build.

Glad to see the OneNote printer issue fixed

Happy Upgrades!

Changes and Improvements

[General]

  • This update includes a small set of general improvements and fixes that improve the overall experience for Insiders running this build on their PCs.

[Settings]

  • [ADDED] We are rolling out “top cards” under Settings > System > About. These top cards provide an easy way to view your PC’s key specifications—processor, RAM, storage, and GPU—helping you understand your PC’s capabilities at a glance. This is designed to simplify decision-making by highlighting potential areas for hardware improvements while giving you a clear snapshot of your PC. Top Cards won’t appear yet on managed commercial PCs. Note this change appears only on specific PC form-factors such as desktops.

Fixes

[File Explorer]

  • Fixed an issue where File Explorer might be blank and not render if you ALT + Tab to it from a minimized state in the latest Canary builds.
  • Fixed an issue where the see more menu “…” in the command bar was drawing in the wrong direction at some resolutions.
  • As part of our ongoing commitment to improving File Explorer accessibility, this release includes increased support for the text scaling (via Settings > Accessibility > Text size) across File Explorer, File Open/Save dialogs and the copy dialogs.

[Input]

  • Fixed an issue which could cause a ctfmon.exe crash when copying content from certain apps.
  • Fixed an issue where GetRawInputData was unexpectedly failing to read data in some cases, with lastWin32Errror invalid handle error.

[Login and Lock]

  • Fixed an issue where clicking Sign in Options was crashing for some Insiders.

[Settings]

  • Fixed an issue which could cause Settings to crash when interacting with Bluetooth & Devices > Cameras.
  • Fixed an issue causing some unexpected space at the top of System > Sound, and some other Settings pages.

[Printing]

  • Fixed an issue where non-admin users couldn’t uninstall printers that they’d added.
  • Fixed an issue which was causing some Insiders to unexpectedly see a message saying a Send to OneNote driver for printing wasn’t working.

[Other]

  • Fixed an issue which was causing certain apps to fail to install in Builds 27813+.
  • Fixed an underlying issue which was causing some Insiders to unexpectedly get bugchecks with UNSUPPORTED_PROCESSOR when upgrading or clean installing the latest builds.
  • Fixed an issue where when using CopyPixels the pixels may be unexpectedly inverted in certain cases.
  • Fixed an issue in the latest Canary builds where traffic routing might not work correctly when network adapters were connected.

Known issues

[General]

  • [IMPORTANT NOTE FOR COPILOT+ PCs] If you are joining the Canary Channel on a new Copilot+ PC from the Dev Channel, Release Preview Channel or retail, you will lose Windows Hello pin and biometrics to sign into your PC with error 0xd0000225 and error message “Something went wrong, and your PIN isn’t available”. You should be able to re-create your PIN by clicking “Set up my PIN”.
  • [NEW] The toggle to get the latest updates as they are available via Settings > Windows Update is not rendering correctly and gets turned off by itself. This is just a visual issue and will be fixed in a future flight soon.

[Taskbar]

  • We’re working on the fix for an issue where the taskbar icons aren’t increasing in size as they should when using your PC in a tablet posture.

source: Windows Blogs

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Mar 30

Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5510 (Dev Channel)

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Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5510 (KB5054148) to the Dev Channel.

Thi is the 1st build in teh 26200 series for Dev channel, Dev is no longer on the same builds as beta channel

Starting today, the Dev Channel will begin receiving 26200 series builds. This means the window to switch from the Dev Channel to the Beta Channel is now closed once Build 26200.5510 is installed. If you are currently in the Dev Channel and wish to switch to the Beta Channel at the last minute, you can pause updates in Windows Update when Build 26200.5510 is offered, switch your channel to the Beta Channel, and then un-pause updates.

My Copliot+ pc neede to reactivate recall due to updates and changes to the models

Happy Upgrades!

Known issues

[General]

  • After you do a PC reset under Settings > System > Recovery, your build version may incorrectly show as Build 26100 instead of Build 26200. This will not prevent you from getting future Dev Channel updates which will resolve this issue.
  • The toggle to get the latest updates as they are available via Settings > Windows Update is not rendering correctly and gets turned off by itself. This is just a visual issue and will be fixed in a future flight soon.

[Recall]

  • [REMINDER] Make sure you update Microsoft 365 apps to the latest version so you can jump back into specific documents.

The following known issues will be fixed in future updates to Windows Insiders:

  • Some people may experience Recall being no longer able to save new snapshots or modify settings. This will be fixed in a future flight.
  • Some Insiders may experience an issue where Recall is unable to automatically save snapshots, and the setting can’t be turned on in Settings. We’re working on a fix for this issue.
  • Recall can be enabled or disabled from “Turn Windows features on or off”. We are caching the Recall binaries on disk while we test add/remove. In a future update we will completely remove the binaries.

[Click to Do]

  • [REMINDER] The intelligent text actions are now locally moderated to ensure the safety of prompts and responses and has replaced the cloud endpoint. Now that these intelligent text actions are fully local, they are also available in Click to Do in Recall.
  • [REMINDER] If any of your actions on image entities are no longer appearing, please ensure you have the latest updates for the Photos and Paint app from the Microsoft Store.

The following known issues will be fixed in future updates to Windows Insiders:

  • Sometimes additional context is given when using more intelligent text actions powered by Phi Silica.

[Improved Windows Search]

  • [REMINDER] For improved Windows Search on Copilot+ PCs, it is recommended that you plug in your Copilot+ PC for the initial search indexing to get completed. You can check your search indexing status under Settings > Privacy & security > Searching Windows.

[File Explorer]

  • We’re working on the fix for an issue causing File Explorer to be very slow to close for some Insiders when closing using the X button. This may also have an impact on the other title bar buttons.
  • We’re working on the fix for an issue causing File Explorer Home to crash for some Insiders. If you launch File Explorer to a different folder (for example, using search or the Run dialog), you should be able to navigate your folders.

[Taskbar]

  • We’re working on the fix for an issue where the taskbar icons aren’t increasing in size as they should when using your PC in a tablet posture.

[Task Manager]

  • After adding the new CPU Utility column, you may notice that System Idle Process always shows as 0.
  • The CPU graphs in the Performance page are still using the old CPU utility calculations.

source: Windows Blogs

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Mar 22

Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27818 (Canary Channel)

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Hi all, last Wednesday Microsoft released Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27818 to the Canary Channel.

Some tweaks in this build, all updates went through smoothly on my devices, they did seem to take a bit longer than the previous build

Happy Upgrading!

Changes and Improvements

[General]

  • This update includes a small set of general improvements and fixes that improve the overall experience for Insiders running this build on their PCs.

[Windows Security]

  • We are beginning to roll out a change in the Windows Security app where will show more details such as manufacturer and manufacturer version for Pluton TPM chips if your PC has one under Device security > Security processor details.

[Other]

  • Suggested actions that appear when you copy a phone number or future date in Windows 11 are now deprecated. We are disabling this feature.

Fixes

[General]

  • Fixed a d3d9.dll crash which was causing multiple apps to fail to launch starting with Build 27802 for some Insiders.

[File Explorer]

  • Did some more work to improve the performance of extracting zipped files in File Explorer, particularly where you’re unzipping a large number of small files.
  • Fixed an issue where File Explorer Home might not load correctly and just show random floating text saying “Name”.

[Taskbar & System Tray]

  • Fixed an issue with the taskbar app window previews, where the corners of the flyout weren’t drawn with the correct radius in certain cases.
  • Fixed an issue where the underlines under app icons in the taskbar may get stuck showing even if the app had been closed.

[Input]

  • Fixed a high hitting ctmon.exe crash, which could impact the ability to type.

[Settings]

  • Fixed an underlying issue which could result in Settings failing to launch with “The instruction at 0x00007FFEDEBDC003 referenced memory at 0x0000000000000010. The memory could not be read”. If impacted, you might also see a similar error message with RuntimeBroker.exe.
  • Fixed an issue for Japanese users, where the name displayed at the top of Settings > Accounts showed First Name Last Name instead of Last Name First Name.

[Graphics]

  • Fixed an issue which could cause sluggish video when using multiple monitors after changing from Second Screen Only to Duplicate display mode in the latest Canary builds.
  • Made a couple of fixes to address issues which could cause Settings > System > Display > Graphics to crash.
  • “Fixed an underlying issue which could lead to certain games failing to launch after an upgrade, saying DirectX function CreateComputePipelineState failed with E_INVALIDARG or StorePipeline failed with E_UNEXPECTED.

[Admin Protection]

  • Fixed an issue which could cause Visual Studio Code to not be able to be installed when Admin Protection was enabled.

[Remote Desktop]

  • Fixed an issue which could lead to Remote Desktop freezing when connecting.

[Other]

  • Fixed an underlying issue which was causing certain apps to fail to open with an error saying “The application was unable to load a required virtual machine component”.

Known issues

[General]

  • [IMPORTANT NOTE FOR COPILOT+ PCs] If you are joining the Canary Channel on a new Copilot+ PC from the Dev Channel, Release Preview Channel or retail, you will lose Windows Hello pin and biometrics to sign into your PC with error 0xd0000225 and error message “Something went wrong, and your PIN isn’t available”. You should be able to re-create your PIN by clicking “Set up my PIN”.

[Taskbar]

  • [NEW] We’re working on the fix for an issue where the taskbar icons aren’t increasing in size as they should when using your PC in a tablet posture.

source: Windows Blogs

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Mar 22

Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3576 (Dev and Beta Channels)

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Hi all, last Monday Microsoft released Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3576 (KB5053650) to the Dev and Beta Channels.

All sootm update on my Dev Channel devices

Happy Upgrades!

New features gradually being rolled out to the Dev Channel with toggle on*

Voice access commanding made more intuitive and user-friendly

On Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs, we’re introducing the ability for you to speak more flexibly while giving existing commands in voice access.

Traditionally, voice commands in voice access would require you to follow a fixed syntax, making interactions rigid and sometimes frustrating. For example, if you said “Can you Open Edge application” instead of “Open Edge” which is the actual command, it wouldn’t work. With this improvement to voice access, you can now say “Can you open Edge application”, or “Switch to Microsoft Edge”, or “Please open the Edge browser”. Voice access understands your intent and executes the right action for the voice command you speak. This means that you no longer need to pause and remember the exact phrasing of a command, just say what feels most intuitive.

Just in case something doesn’t get picked up correctly, voice access will also show you real-time command suggestions based on your last utterance to help you recollect the right commands.

Real-time command suggestions in voice access to help you remember the right commands.
Real-time command suggestions in voice access to help you remember the right commands.

We’re making voice access more flexible, intelligent, and easy to use on your Copilot+ PC. Let us know what you think!

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Accessibility > Voice access.

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out to the Dev Channel with toggle on*

[Voice access]

  • We are introducing Chinese support for voice access. You can now use Voice access to navigate, dictate, and interact with Windows using voice commands in Simplified Chinese (zh-cn) and Traditional Chinese (zh-tw).

[Settings]

  • [ADDED 3/20] We’re beginning to introduce a new settings page under Settings > Apps > Actions for managing which apps Windows can recommend actions from on Copilot+ PCs. For example, turning off the Photos app on this settings page will turn off the available actions from the Photos app in Click to Do on Copilot+ PCs. 

Fixes gradually being rolled out to the Dev Channel with toggle on*

[File Explorer]

  • Fixed an issue causing the see more “…” menu in the command bar to open in the wrong direction for some resolutions.

[Login and Lock screen]

  • Fixed an issue which could cause the login screen to crash if you clicked the sign in options link.

[Recall (Preview)]

The following fixes are rolling out for Recall on Copilot+ PCs:

  • We fixed the issue where if you were trying out Recall on a PC managed by an IT administrator in your organization (signed in with a Microsoft Entra ID), you would see your Recall snapshots get deleted after installing Build 26120.3380 and after each reboot on that build.

[Settings]

  • Fixed an issue causing an unexpected amount of extra space at the top of Settings > System > Sound, and a couple other pages.

[Printing]

  • Fixed an issue which was causing some Insiders to unexpectedly see a message saying a Send to OneNote driver for printing wasn’t working.
  • Fixed an issue where non-admin users couldn’t uninstall printers that they’d added.

Known issues

[General]

  • [NEW] When joining the Dev or Beta Channels on Windows 11, version 24H2 – you will be offered Build 26120.3360 After installing Build 26120.3360, you will be offered the most recent update available. This 2-hop experience to get onto the latest flight in the Dev or Beta Channels is just temporary.
  • [NEW] If you use the option “Fix problems using Windows Update” under Settings > System > Recovery, you will experience a 0x80070005 error attempting to reinstall this build.
  • [NEW] The toggle to get the latest updates as they are available via Settings > Windows Update is not rendering correctly and gets turned off by itself. This is just a visual issue and will be fixed in a future flight soon.
  • After you do a PC reset under Settings > System > Recovery, your build version may incorrectly show as Build 26100 instead of Build 26120. This will not prevent you from getting future Dev Channel updates which will resolve this issue.

[Recall]

  • [REMINDER] Make sure you update Microsoft 365 apps to the latest version so you can jump back into specific documents.

The following known issues will be fixed in future updates to Windows Insiders:

  • [NEW] Some people may experience Recall being no longer able to save new snapshots or modify settings. This will be fixed in a future flight.
  • [NEW] Some Insiders may experience an issue where Recall is unable to automatically save snapshots, and the setting can’t be turned on in Settings. We’re working on a fix for this issue.
  • Recall can be enabled or disabled from “Turn Windows features on or off”. We are caching the Recall binaries on disk while we test add/remove. In a future update we will completely remove the binaries.

[Click to Do]

  • [UPDATED 3/17] The intelligent text actions are now locally moderated to ensure the safety of prompts and responses and has replaced the cloud endpoint. Now that these intelligent text actions are fully local, they are also available in Click to Do in Recall.
  • [REMINDER] If any of your actions on image entities are no longer appearing, please ensure you have the latest updates for the Photos and Paint app from the Microsoft Store.

The following known issues will be fixed in future updates to Windows Insiders:

  • Sometimes additional context is given when using more intelligent text actions powered by Phi Silica.

[Improved Windows Search]

  • [REMINDER] For improved Windows Search on Copilot+ PCs, it is recommended that you plug in your Copilot+ PC for the initial search indexing to get completed. You can check your search indexing status under Settings > Privacy & security > Searching Windows.

[File Explorer]

  • We’re working on the fix for an issue causing File Explorer to be very slow to close for some Insiders when closing using the X button. This may also have an impact on the other title bar buttons.
  • [NEW] We’re working on the fix for an issue causing File Explorer Home to crash for some Insiders. If you launch File Explorer to a different folder (for example, using search or the Run dialog), you should be able to navigate your folders.

[Taskbar]

  • [NEW] We’re working on the fix for an issue where the taskbar icons aren’t increasing in size as they should when using your PC in a tablet posture.

[Task Manager]

  • After adding the new CPU Utility column, you may notice that System Idle Process always shows as 0.
  • The CPU graphs in the Performance page are still using the old CPU utility calculations.

source: Windows Blogs

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Mar 15

Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3380 (Dev and Beta Channels)

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Hi all, Last Monday Microsoft released Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3380 (KB5053660) to the Dev and Beta Channels.

The new recommend files feature is great, was expecting it to allow touch to scroll left & right though (Feedback Hub: https://aka.ms/AAv349q)

New features gradually being rolled out to the Dev Channel with toggle on*

Recommended files in File Explorer

Recommended files in File Explorer Home are now available to all Windows Insiders who are signed in with their personal Microsoft account (and local accounts). These files will provide you quick access to relevant files based on your activity in the Recommended section which is displayed as a carousel with thumbnail previews. This includes content such as files you frequently use, have recently downloaded, or added to your File Explorer Gallery. Users with a work/school account (Entra ID) will have additional types of recommendations available with this update. This change is not yet rolling out in the EEA (European Economic Area). Quick access folders will continue to be available in the navigation pane for easy access to pinned folders.

File Explorer Home showing Recommended files.
File Explorer Home showing Recommended files.

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Files Folders and Online Storage > File Explorer.

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out to the Dev Channel with toggle on*

[Live captions]

  • On AMD and Intel®-powered Copilot+ PCs, we’re beginning to roll out the ability to do real-time translation to Chinese (Simplified). Supported languages include Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech Danish, German, Greek English Spanish, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Slovene, and Swedish.

[Start menu]

  • We are trying out a new change where we will recommend a snap group in the Recommended section of the Start menu based on two apps that are most likely to be snapped together. Let us know what you think if you see this!
Example of recommended apps to snap together on the Recommended section of the Start menu.
Example of recommended apps to snap together on the Recommended section of the Start menu.

[Search on the Taskbar]

  • Improved support for web search providers in Windows Search for the EEA, including with increased discoverability.

[Notifications]

  • To ensure you never lose access to your Microsoft account, we are introducing a new toast notification that will prompt you to add a secondary email or recovery phone number to your account. This will only appear if you’re signed in to your PC with your Microsoft account and this information is missing from your profile. Adding these account proofs will help you recover your Microsoft account if you ever forget your password or get locked out for any reason.

[Widgets]

  • In this flight, we’re introducing the ability for web developers to easily utilize their existing web content to build dynamic and interactive widgets that can be added to the widgets surfaces in Windows 11. For more information, click here.

[Input]

  • We are trying out a new experience to improve the discoverability of the emoji and more panel in Windows 11 with the introduction of a new system tray icon on the taskbar. With this new system tray icon, you can easily express yourself by using emojis, GIFs, Kaomoji etc. across all apps and surfaces in Windows in addition to using the WIN + . keyboard shortcut which is also now shown on the emoji and more panel. This new system tray icon for the emoji and more panel shows can be changed by right-clicking on the icon to go to taskbar settings page.
The new system tray icon for the emoji and more panel highlighted with a red box.
The new system tray icon for the emoji and more panel highlighted with a red box.

[Settings]

  • We are rolling out “top cards” under Settings > System > About. These top cards provide an easy way to view your PC’s key specifications—processor, RAM, storage, and GPU—helping you understand your PC’s capabilities at a glance. This is designed to simplify decision-making by highlighting potential areas for hardware improvements while giving you a clear snapshot of your PC. Top Cards won’t appear yet on managed commercial PCs. Note this change appears only on specific PC form-factors such as desktops.
New top cards at the top of the About settings page displaying your PC’s processor, RAM, storage, and GPU specifications.
New top cards at the top of the About settings page displaying your PC’s processor, RAM, storage, and GPU specifications.

Fixes gradually being rolled out to the Dev Channel with toggle on*

[File Explorer]

  • As part of our ongoing commitment to improving File Explorer accessibility, this release includes increased support for the text scaling (via Settings > Text size) across File Open/Save dialogs and Wizard dialogs.

[Windowing]

  • Fixed an issue where the Snap Bar at the top of the screen was unexpectedly showing corners on the side closest to the screen.

[Input]

  • Fixed a high hitting ctfmon.exe crash, which could impact the ability to type.

[Settings]

  • Fixed an underlying issue which could lead to Settings crashing when adding a color profile in Settings > System > Display.
  • Fixed an issue where Settings might crash after using Settings to sign into an MSA.
  • Fixed an issue for Japanese users, where the name displayed at the top of Settings > Accounts showed First Name Last Name instead of Last Name First Name.

[Other]

  • Fixed an issue which could lead to a bugcheck with PDC_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT when resuming from sleep.
  • Fixed an issue with windows.storage.dll in the last few flights, where trying to open files from an app could lead to the app crashing.

Known issues

[General]

  • After you do a PC reset under Settings > System > Recovery, your build version may incorrectly show as Build 26100 instead of Build 26120. This will not prevent you from getting future Dev Channel updates which will resolve this issue.

[Recall]

  • [REMINDER] Make sure you update Microsoft 365 apps to the latest version so you can jump back into specific documents.

The following known issues will be fixed in future updates to Windows Insiders:

  • [ADDED 3/13] After installing this update, you may be notified to turn snapshots back on in Recall via Recall’s system tray icon. If you see this, please file feedback.
  • [NEW] If you are trying out Recall on a PC managed by an IT administrator in your organization (signed in with a Microsoft Entra ID), you will see your Recall snapshots get deleted after installing this build and then continue to get deleted each time you reboot. As a temporary work around until we fix this issue, you can follow these steps before installing this update to prevent your snapshots from being deleted (you may need to do these steps prior to each reboot as well after installing this update):
    • Type gpedit.msc in the search box on your taskbar to open Group Policy Editor.
    • Navigate down to the following: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows AI.
    • AI-generated content may be incorrect.
    • Set “Allow Recall to be enabled” to Enabled.
    • Set “Turn off saving snapshots for use with Recall” to Disabled.
  • Some Insiders may experience an issue where Recall is unable to automatically save snapshots, and the setting can’t be turned on in Settings. We’re working on a fix for this issue.
  • Recall can be enabled or disabled from “Turn Windows features on or off”. We are caching the Recall binaries on disk while we test add/remove. In a future update we will completely remove the binaries.

[Click to Do]

  • [REMINDER] If any of your actions on image entities are no longer appearing, please ensure you have the latest updates for the Photos and Paint app from the Microsoft Store.
  • [REMINDER] The intelligent text actions leverage the power of Microsoft’s secure cloud to improve your text results by ensuring prompts and responses are safe and appropriate. This data is automatically deleted. Local moderation to ensure the safety of prompts and responses will be added in the future, replacing this cloud endpoint.

The following known issues will be fixed in future updates to Windows Insiders:

  • Sometimes additional context is given when using more intelligent text actions powered by Phi Silica.

[Improved Windows Search]

  • [REMINDER] For improved Windows Search on Copilot+ PCs, it is recommended that you plug in your Copilot+ PC for the initial search indexing to get completed. You can check your search indexing status under Settings > Privacy & security > Searching Windows.

[File Explorer]

  • We’re working on the fix for an issue causing File Explorer to be very slow to close for some Insiders when closing using the X button. This may also have an impact on the other title bar buttons.

[Task Manager]

  • After adding the new CPU Utility column, you may notice that System Idle Process always shows as 0.
  • The CPU graphs in the Performance page are still using the old CPU utility calculations.

source: Windows Blogs

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Mar 15

Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27813 (Canary Channel)

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Hi all, last Wednesday Microsoft released Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27813 to the Canary Channel.

A few small fixes, all smooth updates on my Canary Channel devices

Happy Upgrades!

Changes and Improvements

[General]

  • This update includes a small set of general improvements and fixes that improve the overall experience for Insiders running this build on their PCs.

[Other]

  • We are removing the Location History feature, an API used by Cortana to access 24 hours of device history when location was enabled. With the removal of the Location History feature, location data will no longer be saved locally, and the corresponding settings are also being removed from Settings > Privacy & security > Location page.

Fixes

[Audio]

[Settings]

  • Fixed an issue where in Settings > System > Display > Color Management, it might not display the expected color profile list for the selected monitor.

Known issues

[General]

  • [IMPORTANT NOTE FOR COPILOT+ PCs] If you are joining the Canary Channel on a new Copilot+ PC from the Dev Channel, Release Preview Channel or retail, you will lose Windows Hello pin and biometrics to sign into your PC with error 0xd0000225 and error message “Something went wrong, and your PIN isn’t available”. You should be able to re-create your PIN by clicking “Set up my PIN”.
  • We are working on the fix for a d3d9.dll crash which is causing multiple apps to fail to launch starting with Build 27802 for some Insiders.

source: Windows Blogs

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Mar 15

The 5 Windows 11 OOBE Privacy Questions: Why “Yes” is the Answer

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The Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE) in Windows setup includes five key privacy-related questions that shape how your device interacts with you and the digital world. Here’s a blog post exploring why selecting “Yes” for these questions is often the best choice, along with the potential limitations if you opt for “No.”

When setting up a new Windows device, you’re prompted to make decisions about privacy settings. These questions determine how your device collects and uses data to enhance your experience. Let’s break them down:

1. Location Services

  • Why “Yes”? Enabling location services allows your device to provide location-based features, such as weather updates, navigation, and finding nearby services. It also helps locate your device if it’s lost or stolen.
  • What happens if you say “No”? Apps like Maps, Weather, and even certain browser functionalities won’t work optimally. Additionally, you lose the ability to track your device remotely.

2. Find My Device

  • Why “Yes”? This feature helps you locate your device if it’s misplaced or stolen. It uses your Microsoft account to track the last known location.
  • What happens if you say “No”? You won’t be able to track your device remotely, which could be a significant drawback in case of theft or loss.

3. Diagnostic Data

  • Why “Yes / Include Optional”? Sharing diagnostic data with Microsoft helps improve Windows by identifying and fixing issues. It also ensures your device runs smoothly with the latest updates and features.
  • What happens if you say “No / Required Only”? While you might gain a slight edge in privacy, you risk missing out on tailored updates and fixes that could enhance your device’s performance.

4. Tailored Experiences

  • Why “Yes”? This setting personalizes your experience by using diagnostic data to suggest tips, apps, and services that align with your usage patterns.
  • What happens if you say “No”? Your experience becomes more generic, and you might miss out on features or apps that could be genuinely useful.

5. Advertising ID

  • Why “Yes”? Enabling this allows apps to provide personalized ads based on your interests, making them more relevant.
  • What happens if you say “No”? You’ll still see ads, but they won’t be tailored to your preferences, potentially making them less useful or engaging.

Balancing Privacy and Functionality

While it’s natural to be cautious about sharing data, these settings are designed to enhance your experience without compromising your privacy. Microsoft provides transparency and control, allowing you to adjust these settings later if needed.

By saying “Yes” during OOBE, you unlock the full potential of your device, ensuring a seamless and personalized experience. However, if you’re deeply concerned about privacy, you can always revisit these settings in the Privacy section of the Windows Settings app.

What are your thoughts on these settings? Do you lean towards functionality or privacy? Let me know!

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Mar 09

Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27808 (Canary Channel)

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Hi all, last Friday Microsoft released Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27808 to the Canary Channel.

More features earlier released to the Dev Channel make their way to th ethe Canary Cahnnel

Upgrades went smootly except for a strange phenonemon on One of my devices with Administrator Protection enabled, Hyper-V VMconnect and VMcreate crash upon usage, truning off the Admin Protection does not restore the functionallyti nor does removing and reinstalling the Hyper-V feature (Feedback Hub: https://aka.ms/AAuyet0 & https://aka.ms/AAuxzf2)

Changes and Improvements

[Task Manager]

  • We are beginning to roll out a change to the way Task Manager calculates CPU utilization for the Processes, Performance, and Users pages. Task Manager will now use the standard metrics to display CPU workload consistently across all pages and aligning with industry standards and third-party tools. For backward compatibility, a new optional column called CPU Utility is available (hidden by default) on the Details tab showing the previous CPU value used on the Processes page.
New CPU utility column option for Details page in Task Manager.

Fixes

[Gaming]

  • Fixed an issue leading to some popular games like Roblox potentially having a bugcheck (green screen) on launch on Build 27802.

[Printing]

  • Fixed an issue where printing from some apps might cause a bugcheck (green screen) on Build 27802.

[Search]

  • Fixed an issue causing the search window to be blank for some Insiders recently when searching from the taskbar, due to a background crash.

[Graphics]

  • Fixed an underlying issue which could lead to Settings crashing when adding a color profile in Settings > System > Display.
  • Fixed an issue which could cause color profiles to not load correctly after waking your PC from sleep.

[Power and Battery]

  • Fixed an issue where the colors in the new battery icon weren’t displayed correctly when you have your mode in Personalization > Colors set to certain options with Custom.

[BitLocker]

  • We did some work to improve the performance of loading early boot UI including the BitLocker PIN, BitLocker Recovery key, and boot menu screens.
  • Fixed an issue for a small number of Insiders which was causing a BitLocker loop in Build 27802.
  • Fixed an issue in recent flights where if you tried to run Get-BitLockerVolume, it unexpectedly showed an error.

[Other]

  • We believe one of the underlying changes in the previous flight addressed the issue causing reports that Hyper-V, and other features which rely on Hyper-V (such as WSL) weren’t working properly. If you continue having issues, please don’t hesitate to file a new piece of feedback in the Feedback Hub.

Known issues

[General]

  • [IMPORTANT NOTE FOR COPILOT+ PCs] If you are joining the Canary Channel on a new Copilot+ PC from the Dev Channel, Release Preview Channel or retail, you will lose Windows Hello pin and biometrics to sign into your PC with error 0xd0000225 and error message “Something went wrong, and your PIN isn’t available”. You should be able to re-create your PIN by clicking “Set up my PIN”.
  • [NEW] We are investigating a d3d9.dll crash which is causing multiple apps to fail to launch starting with Build 27802 for some Insiders.

Microsoft Store Update

Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev Channels running version 22402.x and higher of the Microsoft Store and higher will see the following improvement rolling out:

New Spotlight Design: We are trying out a new design for the “spotlight” on the department pages that show off more products at a glance for users to explore.

New spotlight design in the Store.
New spotlight design in the Store.

Updates to the Downloads Page: We’re continuing to improve the Downloads page with new sections to display updates for Microsoft-managed apps, which will be automatically applied, and updates for publisher-managed apps where you can update each independently. This ensures you can more easily view and manage updates for your apps and games.

New sections to display updates for Microsoft-managed apps in the Store highlighted in green boxes.
New sections to display updates for Microsoft-managed apps in the Store highlighted in green boxes.

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Microsoft Store.

source: Windows Blogs

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Mar 02

Configure Dynamic lock with Microsoft Intune

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Dynamic Lock is a security feature in Windows that automatically locks your computer when you step away from it. It uses Bluetooth to detect the proximity of a paired device, such as your smartphone. If the device moves out of range, Windows will lock the computer to prevent unauthorized access. This feature enhances security by ensuring your device is protected even if you forget to manually lock it.

To configure Dynamic lock using Microsoft Intune, follow these steps:

  1. Open the Microsoft Intune admin center and navigate to Devices > Windows > Configuration policies.
  2. Create a new policy:
    • Platform: Windows 10 and later
    • Profile type: Templates – Custom
    • Select Create
  3. Configure the profile:
    • Name: Provide a name for the profile.
    • Description: (Optional) Add a description.
  4. Add OMA-URI settings:
    • Enable Dynamic lock:
      • Name: Enable Dynamic lock
      • Description: (Optional) This setting enables Dynamic lock
      • OMA-URI: ./Device/Vendor/MSFT/PassportForWork/DynamicLock/DynamicLock
      • Data type: Boolean
      • Value: True
    • Define the Dynamic lock signal rule:
      • Name: Dynamic lock Signal Rule
      • Description: (Optional) This setting configures Dynamic lock values
      • OMA-URI: ./Device/Vendor/MSFT/PassportForWork/DynamicLock/Plugins
      • Data type: String
      • Value: <rule schemaVersion="1.0"><signal type="bluetooth" scenario="Dynamic Lock" classOfDevice="512" rssiMin="-10" rssiMaxDelta="-10"/></rule>
  5. Assign the profile to the appropriate groups.

Also avialable here: Microsoft Learn

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