Category: Systems and procedures

WhatsApp launches new disappearing messages option

WhatsApp is introducing a new disappearing messages option this month. The feature will allow WhatsApp users to enable disappearing messages on chat conversations between friends, to automatically delete messages after seven days. Anyone can enable the option in individual chats, and group admins will be able to enable disappearing messages in group chats.

“We’re starting with 7 days because we think it offers peace of mind that conversations aren’t permanent, while remaining practical so you don’t forget what you were chatting about,” says a WhatsApp spokesperson. “The shopping list or store address you received a few days ago will be there while you need it, and then disappear after you don’t.”

Disappearing messages will also wipe out photos and videos after seven days, and while messages will disappear for both parties it’s still possible to take screenshots or just simply copy messages before they’re automatically deleted.

You’ll need to enable disappearing messages on a per group or contact basis. Once the feature has rolled out fully, it will be available as a new option in the contact section of each friend in WhatsApp. The setting won’t wipe out older messages, and only affects new messages once it’s enabled by either party. WhatsApp says it will start rolling out disappearing messages to all users this month.

Microsoft to “Reinvigorate” Windows 10 User Experience with a Massive Design Refresh – Internally Calls It Windows 10++

First introduced in 2015, Microsoft hasn’t since given a design overhaul to Windows 10. The company releases two major feature updates every year usually focusing more on small, incremental improvements than drastic changes. With the latest Windows 10 October 2020 Update, version 20H2, Microsoft slightly redesigned the Start menu, making it theme aware. It appears more design changes are in the pipeline as the Windows maker intends to refresh the design with 2021 updates.

“Microsoft is planning to update many top-level user interfaces such as the Start menu, Action Center, and even File Explorer, with consistent modern designs, better animations, and new features,” the folks at Windows Central reported citing internal sources.

“Internal documentation describes the project as ‘reinvigorating’ and modernizing the Windows desktop experience to keep up with customer expectation in a world driven by other modern and lightweight platforms.”

The UI refresh is codenamed “Sun Valley” expected to be introduced with Windows 10 Cobalt – the 2021 H2 update. The project is being led by the new Windows chief Panos Panay who was already handling the company’s Surface division and has this year taken charge of Windows development, as well.

“Personally I’m very excited to lead the Windows Client for Microsoft, which will help us streamline our decision-making processes, be clear on our priorities, and deliver the best end user experiences from silicon through operating systems across all Microsoft apps and service connected devices (OEMs and Surface),” Panay had written in an internal email at the time.

ZDNet adds to this information saying that internally Microsoft engineers have been describing the 21H2 (aka “Cobalt”) release as Windows 10++, which means there are definitely some big plans for the next fall update.

Windows 10 refresh borrows design from Windows 10X

Microsoft was supposed to introduce its new operating system, Windows 10X, for folding dual-screen laptops this holiday season. While that has been postponed due to the pandemic, the company is expected to borrow its design elements for Windows 10. This isn’t a new development as we have been hearing about these plans for months now, but it appears Windows 10 2021 will be the year to make it all happen.

Some parts of Windows 10 that are expected to be redesigned include:

Start menu

Action Center

Better dark mode support

Updated Taskbar

New design for File Explorer

“Fluid experiences” for tablets

Keyboard and emoji improvements

Overall consistent look and feel

While this particular report doesn’t mention Control Center, the company has been taking steps to move more and more of Control Center to the Settings app. It is likely that Microsoft will take further steps in that direction considering the presence of Control Center isn’t only confusing but also a massive design eyesore.

Not a new OS

It should be noted that this wouldn’t be a super drastic change that will make users feel like they are shifting towards a new operating system. This design refresh is intended to implement Fluent Design throughout the OS and make consistent changes across the board to refresh and “reinvigorate” the desktop experience.

Whether any of this actually happens or not is a big question that probably can’t even be answered by Microsoft right now… Considering how things are going with the release of Windows 10X, it won’t be a surprise if the company has to delay this Windows 10 design refresh, as well. But, 2021 or 2022, Windows 10 does deserve some more attention from its maker to finally feel like a consistent operating system both in terms of its design and its update delivery system.

Windows 10 update will take copy-and-paste to new heights

An upcoming Windows 10 update is set to improve upon the operating system’s Cloud Clipboard facility, allowing users to copy-and-paste text and images across all their devices, new screenshots have confirmed.

Released in 2018, the existing feature synchronizes clipboard content across multiple Windows 10 computers attached to the same Microsoft account. For example, users can copy text to the clipboard on their desktop and paste it into a document stored on their laptop later in the day.

Owners of top-end Samsung smartphones can also communicate with devices running the April 2018 Windows 10 update via the Your Phone app.

However, screenshots of the beta version of the Microsoft-owned SwiftKey keyboard have confirmed the company is working to extend this handy tool to all Android-based phones and tablets.

Windows 10 copy-and-paste update

Microsoft SwiftKey for Android is an alternative keyboard that learns the user’s writing style to offer up the most relevant word predictions. A swipe typing mode also provides a different way for users to compose texts and emails on their Android devices.

With the new integration with Windows 10 Cloud Clipboard, Android users will be able to copy items on their mobile device and paste to their Windows 10 machines (and vice versa), making working across multiple pieces of kit far smoother.

Microsoft did not respond to our request for clarification over whether the SwiftKey Cloud Clipboard integration will also come to Apple devices at a later date.

The expansion of the cross-device clipboard feature comes hot on the heels of two other major changes to Windows 10 copy-and paste, announced in the summer.

Microsoft recently unveiled a new-look local clipboard, which will contain a panel that stores all the most recently copied images and GIFs, as well as 25 text entries.

The company’s flagship web browser, Edge, is also getting a new Link Format feature, which will allow users to specify whether a URL copied from the address bar is pasted as a link or in plain-text.

Windows 10 now hides the SYSTEM control panel, how to access it

With the release of Windows 10 20H2, Microsoft is now preventing access to the venerable SYSTEM control panel and is instead redirecting users to the newly updated ‘About’ settings page.

The SYSTEM control panel was first introduced in Windows NT 3.51 and Windows 95 and provides information about the installed version of Windows, the bit-type of the operating system, the computer name, workgroup, CPU, and memory.

As the control panel provides a lot of information about a computer, it is commonly used when troubleshooting a Windows PC or determining a computer’s basic information.

In July, BleepingComputer reported that Microsoft had updated their ‘About’ settings page to include most, but not all, of the information found in the SYSTEM page. At the time, Microsoft was also testing a hidden feature that would redirect a user to the About page when opening the SYSTEM control panel.

With Windows 10 20H2, Microsoft drove another nail into the control panel’s coffin and is now preventing users from accessing the SYSTEM control panel. Now, when a user tries to open it, they are brought to the About page instead.

With the testing of a modern Disk Management tool, refresh rate option, and a test that redirects the ‘Program and Features’ control panel to the ‘Apps & Features’ settings, we can see Microsoft’s gradual killing off of the Control Panel.

Ultimately, this is good because Windows 10 is a confusing mess of settings being located in different places. By organizing them under the Settings feature, it will make it easier to find a particular setting.

The good news for those who routinely use the SYSTEM control panel is that there is still a way to access it, which we describe below.

How to access SYSTEM in Windows 10 20H2

While Microsoft is redirecting the SYSTEM control panel, there is a way to access it via a specially crafted Windows shortcut.

To create a shortcut that opens the SYSTEM control panel, please follow these steps:

Minimize all open applications and folders so that you see the Windows Desktop.

Right-click on the Desktop and select New > Shortcut, as shown below.

When the Create Shortcut window opens, copy and paste explorer shell:::{BB06C0E4-D293-4f75-8A90-CB05B6477EEE} into the field. Then press the Next button.

You will now be at a page asking to name the shortcut. Enter SYSTEM as the name and press the Finish button.

A shortcut called SYSTEM will now have been created on your Desktop that can be used to open the SYSTEM control panel again.

A video illustrating how to make this shortcut in Windows 10 20H2 can be seen below.

This SYSTEM shortcut can also be launched directly from the Start Menu by searching for ‘SYSTEM’ and selecting the icon that appears under the Apps section.

In the current Windows 10 Insider preview builds (tested on Windows 10 20231), all other ways to access the SYSTEM control panel redirect to the new About page.

Windows 10 emergency update: US government just issued warning

Microsoft late last week issued an emergency patch for Windows 10, prompting the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to issue its own alert urging owners of affected systems to run the update.

“Microsoft has released security updates to address remote code execution vulnerabilities affecting Windows Codecs Library and Visual Studio Code,” wrote the DHS’ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) on Friday (Oct. 16).”An attacker could exploit these vulnerabilities to take control of an affected system.”

The flaws affect computers on which users have installed either a High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) plug-in to play specially compressed videos (including 4K Blu-ray discs or videos shot on recent iPhones) or the Microsoft Visual Studio software-development program. 

If the HEVC plug-in was installed from the Windows Store, it should update itself; otherwise, users should update the software manually. Likewise, Microsoft Visual Studio should also be updated manually.

How this hack works

Remote code execution (RCE) is when a hacker can reach out across the internet and attack your machine. It’s more serious than local code execution, where the attacker needs to have physical access to your computer.

In this case, there are two RCE vulnerabilities. According to Microsoft’s own security advisories, the first flaw affects the way Windows 10 handles video compression in HEVC and can be exploited by “a specially crafted image file” — i.e., a malicious image. 

The other flaw exists in Visual Studio and can be exploited “when a user is tricked into opening a malicious ‘package.json’ file.”

Because exploiting either vulnerability requires some interaction from the user, even if it’s just to download a malicious file, the patches are rated as “Important” rather than “Critical.”

Neither flaw had yet been exploited in the wild as of late last week, Microsoft said, and not enough details were disclosed to make exploitation easy to achieve. But crooks and hackers are likely taking apart the released patches to find out how to attack the vulnerabilities.

Adjust These Settings on the New Windows 10 20H2 Update

Since we can only have Halloween parties in Animal Crossing nowadays, I would’ve written off my favorite month were it not for one big milestone dropping soon: The Windows 10 20H2 update.

This isn’t a gigantic update packed full of wild features, but there are a few new settings and features that you might love or despise. And that’s fine! Microsoft has made it possible turn a number of these changes on or off. Where it hasn’t, a more creative approach can usually bring you back to the Windows 10 experience you previously preferred.

In this article, we’ll take a look at the more noteworthy changes that are coming to Windows 10 once 20H2 launches—today, ideally, since it’s Patch Tuesday. I’ll also walk you through how you can can readjust some of Microsoft’s changes to create the most ideal Windows 10 experience for you.

To note: Windows 10 20H2 is an optional update (for now), so Windows Update will have a specific callout when Windows 10 20H2 is widely available for everyone to try. You won’t get it through the normal “Check for updates” button; you also won’t miss the link for the optional update, as it’ll be right below the “Check for updates” button on this screen.

Microsoft Scores Another Windows 10 ARM Success

I’m told there was an Apple event today. I’m told it was one of the biggest moments of its year. Yet the event was for this year’s tweak of the iPhone, not Apples’s big moment of innovation. That’s coming later this year, when Tim Cook’s team reveal a new MacBook that will be running on ARM-based architecture, rather than Intel. While some hand-picked developers have had access to a Developer Transition Kit, presumably under heavy NDA, the project has been shrouded in darkness, with only the occasional leak of online benchmarks and to-be-expected hyperbole from the geekerati.

It’s in stark contrast to Microsoft’s approach.

With far less pomp and circumstances, the Windows 10 on ARM project made another step today. For some it will be seen as a very important step, unlocking the full power of the ARM platform. For others it will be seen as something that should have been done before consumer devices were available, especially Microsofts own Surface Pro X.

Today saw the release of the ARM-compiled version of Microsoft Teams.

This is not a review of Microsoft Teams. I’m not even going to touch on the application, beyond noting that it is one of Microsoft’s applications that many enterprises and organisations regard as a key application, and it integrates through Microsoft clouds to mobiles, tablets, browser, and dedicated applications on multiple platforms. It’s about Microsoft’s open nature as it develops the Windows 10 on ARM platform.

Last year’s launch of the Surface Pro X put the Windows 10 on ARM project front and centre. Consumers could buy the 2-in-1 and use it in anger. Many did, and you can find praise for the Pro X online in consumer reviews and social media chat. It wasn’t cheap to buy into, with the entry level 8 GB RAM / 128 GB Storage model priced at $999 (plus a keyboard for $140, or a keyboard and stylus for $269). For that price consumers expect a finished package and a machine that works.

Was it the finished package? The hardware certainly was – even though I don’t agree with the removal of the 3.5mm headphone jack and SD card expansion slot. Was the software? Here’s where it gets interesting, because there are three broad flavours of Windows 10 apps to consider… those compiled directly for ARM, those compiled for older Intel-based x86 Windows machines using 32-bit code, and those compiled for the Intel x86 machines using 64-bit code.

Naturally ARM apps are going to run on the ARM computer. But what about the countless number of legacy apps; many of which are business critical apps in the enterprise situation. Microsoft is not in the habit of standing up and saying ‘we’re dropping all support for 32-bit apps, good luck’. The solution is an emulation layer. As the Pro X launched, Windows 10 on ARM could emulate x86 32-bit apps. These would run on the Pro X; albeit drawing more power from the battery, potentially running slower than on an Intel machine such as the Surface Pro 7, and in some cases obscure drivers would not be supported. But in the main your 32-bit legacy apps would still be available.

x86 64-bit emulation was not supported at launch. It was promised, and it wa recently announced that the Windows Insider build would pick up 64-bit support in November, with a public release expected in Q1 2021. This created some blind spots for apps that did not have 32-bit versions.

Depending on the apps you need, the Pro X was either a potential purchase, or clearly off limits (side note: not everyone needs Photoshop on their laptop, it’s not a dealbreaker for everyone).

This was Microsoft’s choice. It could have kept the ARM project as an internal project and one wrapped up by NDAs with third-party developers and manufacturers. Or it could go live with the code, release the hardware, and iterate the software during 2020 and beyond. Going with the later has given Microsoft a year of customer feedback, raised the profile of Windows 10 on ARM, and by virtue of the release is publicly putting the weight of the company behind the platform.

That development has seen not only software updates to Windows 10, but the updating of first- and third-party software to include ARM versions alongside Intel. Probably the biggest release was the ARM build of Microsoft’s Chromium-based Edge browser. 

While most of Microsoft’s Office apps were available in 2019 as ARM apps, Microsoft Teams was notable in only being available as an x86 32-bit app. That meant running under emulation, and users were quick to notice both the reduced performance and how it was faster to run the cloud based version in the Edge browser.

With the release of the ARM build of Microsoft Teams, we see another step. Yes it’s one taken by Microsoft, which is heavily invested in this project, but it’s a step that Microsoft needs developers to consider as worthwhile. To achieve that, the platform needs visibility, it needs a sense of momentum, and it needs to be wanted by the consumer.

Microsoft’s open approach is just as valid as Apple’s closed approach. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. But the one advantage Microsoft has over Apple, and one that Apple should pay attention to, is the open nature of the Windows 10 on ARM development cycle. As the project continues, so more people will believe in the project, will invest in the project, and create a virtuous circle.

How to Remove Recently Added Apps in Windows 10’s Start Menu

By default, when you open your Windows 10 Start menu, you’ll see recently added apps at the top of the app list. This section shows some of the apps you have installed most recently. If you’d like to remove that, it’s easy to change. Here’s how.

Here’s what a typical “Recently Added” section looks like at the top of the Start menu app list. It’s a small area that shows the names and icons of recently installed apps.

If you’d like to hide the “Recently Added” section, we’ll need to visit Windows Settings. Open Settings by clicking the “Start” Menu and selecting the “Gear” icon (or by pressing Windows+I).

In Settings, click “Personalization.”

In Personalization, click the “Start” option in the sidebar.

In the Start menu settings, find the switch labeled “Show Recently Added Apps.” Click the switch to turn it “Off.”

The next time you open the Start menu, the recently added apps section at the top will be gone. You will no longer be reminded of all the apps you’ve installed recently, but you can, of course, find them in the All Apps list or by using the search box in the Start menu.

Windows 10 is finally getting desktop spotlight feature and more

As you may already know, the next feature update ‘October 2020 Update’ for Windows 10 is going to be a minor release, which means that you won’t get any exciting new features this year.

However, if you’re still part of the Windows Insider program, you will soon be allowed to test multiple new features.

It’s been rumoured for some time that Microsoft is working on UI and features consistency improvements for Windows 10, and we’re now finally seeing some of that come true. In preview builds, Microsoft is hiding several features inside the operating system

Microsoft is now internally experimenting with two new features – Desktop Spotlight and theme aware splash screen.

Desktop Spotlight

One of the easiest ways to add some flair to your old Windows 10 desktop is by setting a custom wallpaper. Windows 10 currently allows you to download theme packs from the Microsoft Store, use a photo from your gallery, create a slideshow using your own photos, or download a cool wallpaper.

You can dive into your Windows 10 personalization settings to set a custom image, but the process for creating your own slideshow is still time-consuming as you need to choose photos manually.

In a future release of Windows 10, Microsoft is introducing support for ‘Desktop Spotlight’, which is a feature that would display Bing’s gorgeous images as a slideshow. This feature is currently exclusive to lock screen, but it’s finally coming to your desktop.

You’ll be able to enable Spotlight feature by heading to Settings > Personalization > Background and selecting “Spotlight Collection” in the “Background” drop-down menu, as shown in the screenshot above.

That’s it. This will allow you to have a Bing images slideshow going on your desktop and it works automatically.

Currently, the feature is not working in the preview builds, but Microsoft is expected to enable it sometime later this year.

Theme-aware splash screen

Windows 10 is getting support for the theme aware splash screen that will appear when a UWP program is launching. For example, you will notice the new theme-aware splash screen when launching Microsoft Store, Groove Music, Settings, etc.

Currently, the splash screen focuses on Windows 10’s accent colour with the logo of the app in the center, but that will change soon.

In a future release, modern apps will match the system theme (dark or light), which should make the apps launching experience itself look much cleaner and consistent when using light or dark mode.

Microsoft has already enabled theme aware live tiles in the Windows 10 Start Menu and the feature is now heading to splash screen of your favourite apps.

Don’t install this Windows 10 update Microsoft just pushed out

The latest Windows 10 update has rolled out a selection of old and defunct drivers that could affect the functionality of certain hardware, users are reporting.

As an example, some users have been served a driver update listed as “INTEL – System”, which is backdated to 1968 despite having been delivered via a Windows 10 2004 update this month.

The offending driver updates – found under the Optional Updates settings panel – are said to have been pushed to certain devices that are not registered with Microsoft’s Windows Insider Program.

In some instances, users have also found that the outdated driver updates mysteriously reappear in the updates queue, even after successful installation.

Roll back your Windows 10 driver updates

The role of drivers (also called device drivers or hardware drivers) is to allow hardware to communicate effectively with the operating system – in this case, Windows 10.

Installing an outdated or default driver (as opposed to the latest custom driver provided by the manufacturer) can affect the ability of the hardware to function as it should and could even serve to disable the kit entirely.

Driver updates found under Optional Updates in Windows 10 are usually the last port of call for system administrators struggling to fix an issue with a specific piece of hardware. In other words, there’s no need to install these driver updates if the associated hardware is fully functional.

“If you have a specific problem, one of these drivers might help. Otherwise, automatic updates will keep your drivers up to date,” reads the settings page.

If you have already installed the optional driver updates issued by Microsoft, your drivers will have been relegated to an old or default version – but there are a couple of solutions.

One option is to seek out the most up-to-date drivers on the device manufacturer’s websites and manually install the latest versions available

Alternatively, users with administrative privileges could locate the relevant device in Device Manager, navigate to the Properties menu, switch to the Driver tab and click Roll Back Driver. This will revert to the previous device driver, in place prior to the update.