Mar 10

Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19577

Hi all, Last week Microsoft released Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19577 to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring.

Another week another build & more new Icon’s, lots of smoot upgrades here.

Only bump so far is .ics files are linked to the calendar app by default after upgrade, re-linking them to outlook seems not possible without a repair of Office

What’s new in Build 19577

Diagnostic data changes in Settings

As part of the Microsoft initiative to increase transparency and control over data, we’re making some changes to the Settings app and Group Policy settings that will start showing up in Windows Insider builds this month. Basic diagnostic data is now known as Required diagnostic data and Full diagnostic data is now Optional diagnostic data. If you’re a commercial customer and choose to send Optional diagnostic data, we will also be providing more granular Group Policy settings to configure the data that’s collected within your organization. We’ll publish more specifics around the new policies when we get closer to the retail release, and in the meantime, check out the Microsoft Privacy Report for more information around our data collection practices.

Note: Please make sure your device is set to “Full” before updating to Build 19577. You will not be able to take future flights if your diagnostic level is left at “Enhanced”. AAD/Domain-joined PCs set to “Enhanced” will be blocked from taking Build 19577. For more information, see this Answers post.

More new icons: Windows Security

We’re continuing to roll out updated icons to many of the built-in apps in Windows 10. In today’s build, we’ve updated the Windows Security icon to match the new design principles outlined here from the Microsoft Design Team. Unlike many of the built-in apps in Windows 10, which can be updated through the Store, the new Windows Security icon is updated through the OS and will rollout in a future Windows 10 feature update.

The new Windows Security icon as it appears on the taskbar.

Other updates for Insiders

Announcing PowerToys 0.15.1

Yesterday, during our Windows Insider webcast, the PowerToys Team announced the release of PowerToys 0.15.1. PowerToys 0.15.1 contains these improvements:

  • Notifies you there’s a new version from within PowerToys
  • Removed requirement to always ‘run as admin’
  • Added almost 300 unit tests to increase stability and prevent regressions.
  • Resolved almost 100 issues
  • Made .NET Framework parts of the source run faster with NGEN
  • Improved for how we store data locally
  • Increased FancyZones compatibility with applications
  • Created the 0 strategy, the launcher, the keyboard managerspecs
  • Worked on cleaning up our issue backlog and labels

Get more details about these improvements. If you missed our webcast yesterday, watch it on-demand from our Mixer channel!

Continuing the optional updates experiment with drivers

We’re continuing to look at ways we can improve the update experience on Windows 10 PCs for our customers. Back in January in Build 19551, we announced we were conducting an experiment related to how we deliver driver updates through Windows Update. During this experiment, drivers categorized as “optional” will not be automatically downloaded and installed on Windows Insider’s PCs running Build 19536 and newer. To install any new optional drivers available for a PC that’s involved in this experiment (including drivers for new devices that might get plugged in to a PC), Insiders can go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > View optional updates and manually download these drivers. We are extending this experiment to now run through the end of March. (Note: This applies ONLY to the latest builds in the Fast ring and not 20H1.)

General changes & improvements

  • Following up on our post about the new Cortana app, we wanted to let you know that in addition to timers and instant answers, which lit up last month, assistant conversations are now online. Some examples to try are “tell me a dad joke”, “tell me a bedtime story”, or “rock, paper, scissors.” We appreciate your patience while we worked on this. This is a server-side change, however we’re noting it here for awareness.
  • We’ve updated the behavior of Advanced startup (Settings > Update & Security > Recovery > Advanced startup “Restart now”) to enable some Ease of Access features to work properly. For example, previously, if the narrator feature was enabled prior to launching Advanced startup, it would stop working. Now, Advanced startup will reboot directly into the Windows Recovery Environment.
  • While the Vietnamese alphabet doesn’t include the Latin letters F, J, W, or Z, based on feedback we’re updating the grouping in the Start menu’s all app’s list to account for these letters when using this display language, so that apps like Windows PowerShell are included in the expected group.

Fixes

  • We fixed an issue where input would stop working in some places if clipboard history (WIN + V) was dismissed without pasting anything.
  • We fixed an issue resulting in extra characters in the message in File Explorer when no files were listed yet in Recent Files.
  • We fixed an issue where, when setting up Windows Hello while using the Arabic display language, the box tracking progress of setup wouldn’t line up with your face.
  • We fixed an issue where preferred SafeSearch settings (Settings > Search > Permissions & History) were no longer persisting upgrade.
  • We fixed an issue which caused the microphone to sometimes not work on certain devices from Builds 19559 to 19569. If you continue seeing issues with your microphone, please file a problem report in Feedback Hub with “recreate my problem” logs.
  • We fixed an issue impacting Explorer.exe reliability when navigating in File Explorer for some Insiders.
  • We fixed an issue where using Restart Manager API to restart explorer.exe would result in all open UWP apps being closed as well.
  • We fixed an issue that could result in the DWM crashing when inking on your PC.
  • We fixed an issue that could result in Outlook crashing if you typed too many characters into the To field using the Korean IME.
  • We fixed an issue where, when using Storage Sense to clean up Windows.old, it might not be totally removed.
  • We fixed an issue that could result in Settings hanging when accessing Windows Update Settings.
  • We fixed an issue where the Family & Other Accounts page wouldn’t finish loading for some Insiders.
  • We fixed an issue resulting in the system potentially bugchecking upon toggling Bluetooth ON and OFF after waking back from sleep.
  • We fixed an issue for local account users where, until rebooting, night light would no longer work after attaching your Microsoft account.
  • We fixed an issue resulting in the machine not rebooting and kicking off the scan when you selected Microsoft Defender Offline Scan in Windows Security.
  • We fixed an issue resulting in Windows Update failing with error 0x80070002 for some users.
  • We fixed a high hitting DWM crash that some Insiders were experiencing.

Known issues

  • BattlEye and Microsoft have found incompatibility issues due to changes in the operating system between some Insider Preview builds and certain versions of BattlEye anti-cheat software. To safeguard Insiders who might have these versions installed on their PC, we have applied a compatibility hold on these devices from being offered affected builds of Windows Insider Preview. See this article for details.
  • We are aware Narrator and NVDA users that seek the latest release of Microsoft Edge based on Chromium may experience some difficulty when navigating and reading certain web content. Narrator, NVDA and the Edge teams are aware of these issues. Users of legacy Microsoft Edge will not be affected. NVAccess has released a NVDA 2019.3 that resolves the known issue with Edge.
  • We’re looking into reports of the update process hanging for extended periods of time when attempting to install a new build.
  • We’re investigating reports that some Insiders are unable to update to newer builds with error 0x8007042b.
  • The Documents section under Privacy has a broken icon (just a rectangle).
  • When you upgrade with certain languages, like Japanese, the “Installing Windows X%” page isn’t rendering the text correctly (only boxes are displayed).
  • The cloud recovery option for Reset this PC isn’t working on this build. Please use the local reinstall option when performing Reset this PC.
  • When trying to use Win + PrtScn to capture a screenshot, the image is not saved to the Screenshots directory. For now, you’ll need to use one of the other options for taking screenshots, such as WIN + Shift + S.
  • We’re looking into reports where, when running corruption repair (DISM), the process will stop at 84.9%.
  • Notifications sometimes have the wrong actions associated with them (for example, a reply box or various buttons).

source: Windows Blogs

Mar 02

Announcing Universal Print: a cloud-based print solution

Commercial and educational customers moving to the cloud with Microsoft 365 have long needed a simple, easy print experience for their employees. Today we are happy to announce a private preview of Universal Print, a Microsoft cloud-based print infrastructure that will enable a simple, rich and secure print experience for users and help reduce time and effort for IT.

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Universal Print moves key Windows Server print functionality to the Microsoft 365 cloud, so organizations no longer need on-premises print servers and do not need to install printer drivers on devices. In addition, Universal Print adds key functionality like security groups for printer access, location-based printer discovery, and a rich administrator experience.

“As a school with limited IT resources, we were happy with how easy it was to install Universal Print and get it up and running.” said Brian Hoyt, Director of IT at French American School of Puget Sound. “Also, we did not have to modify end-user devices, which saved us a significant amount of time.”

IT organizations can deploy printers and register them with the Universal Print service without the need for a complex hybrid print setup. In addition, printers can be preconfigured and are easily discoverable from Windows devices that are Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) joined. Users can continue to print from their Windows devices or Office as they always have, with no learning curve.

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You will get the best cloud experience with printers that natively support Universal Print. We are working with our partner ecosystem to bring you the latest printers with native support, and are excited to be working with Canon Inc.  

“The way people work is changing as cloud computing and technology continue to expand and evolve, driving digital transformation. Canon Inc.’s imageRUNNER ADVANCE and Office Printers provide the flexibility and scalability to address diverse workplace needs. In partnership with Microsoft, we are committed to supporting Universal Print and support our customers in their journey to the digital workplace.” said Isamu Sato, Senior General Manager, Office Imaging Products Operations, Canon Inc.

For existing printers, you can simply use a Universal Print proxy application that connects printers to Universal Print.

If your organization or school wants to deploy the private preview of Universal Print, you must have Windows 10 Enterprise or Education, version 1903 or later and have an Azure Active Directory (any edition) tenant. Universal Print does not require Windows Server.

If you would like to participate in the private preview, complete this form, and join us in making this journey a success. You can also join the Universal Print community on Tech Community to get updates and provide feedback.

For more details on functionality and requirements, see our Universal Print documentation.

Source: Tech Community Website

Mar 01

Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19569

Hi all, February 20th Microsoft released Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19569.1000 to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring.

The new icon give your device a fresh look & feel

Notifications are still acting a bit funny, like the option to reply on a screenshot or archive your connected device, but there’s a fix in the works

Evolving the Windows 10 icons

We are currently working on a multi-year effort across Microsoft’s design teams to redesign the icons across all our products. We started with the Office icons, and now we’re moving forward with updating the icons in Windows 10, starting with the built-in apps like Alarms & Clock, Calculator, Mail, and Calendar. Research and feedback from Windows Insiders showed a desire to see consistency in design and connection to the brand, with enough differences to aid in recognition. You can read all about our approach to updating the icons in Windows 10 in this Medium post from the Microsoft Design Team!

The Windows 10 Start menu showing many of the newly designed icons for the built-in apps.

Many of these icons will be updated as app updates from the Microsoft Store. We are beginning to roll them out to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring first, starting today. The Mail and Calendar icons rolled out this morning to Release Preview. Over the coming months, Insiders will see more of the icons in Windows 10 get updated with new designs!

General changes, improvements, and fixes for PC

  • We fixed an issue resulting in OneDrive not working and using an unexpectedly high amount of CPU for some Insiders on the previous build.
  • We resolved an issue where SCSI drivers weren’t being recognized with certain third-party virtual machines, which was causing c1900191 errors on these devices. We’re continuing to investigate additional c1900191 errors on other devices.
  • We fixed an issue impacting Start menu reliability after upgrade for some Insiders.
  • We fixed an issue resulting in some Insiders experiencing a green screen with a SYSTEMTHREAD EXCEPTION NOT HANDLED error on recent builds.

Known issues

  • BattlEye and Microsoft have found incompatibility issues due to changes in the operating system between some Insider Preview builds and certain versions of BattlEye anti-cheat software. To safeguard Insiders who might have these versions installed on their PC, we have applied a compatibility hold on these devices from being offered affected builds of Windows Insider Preview. See this article for details.
  • We are aware Narrator and NVDA users that seek the latest release of Microsoft Edge based on Chromium may experience some difficulty when navigating and reading certain web content. Narrator, NVDA and the Edge teams are aware of these issues. Users of legacy Microsoft Edge will not be affected. NVAccess has released a NVDA 2019.3 that resolves the known issue with Edge.
  • We’re looking into reports of the update process hanging for extended periods of time when attempting to install a new build.
  • We’re investigating reports that some Insiders are unable to update to newer builds with error 0x8007042b.
  • The Documents section under Privacy has a broken icon (just a rectangle).
  • When you upgrade with certain languages, like Japanese, the “Installing Windows X%” page isn’t rendering the text correctly (only boxes are displayed).
  • We’re continuing to investigate the issue where input stops working in some places if clipboard history (WIN+V) is dismissed without pasting anything.
  • The cloud recovery option for Reset this PC isn’t working on this build. Please use the local reinstall option when performing Reset this PC.

source: Windows Blogs

Feb 17

March Updates for IT Pro’s

Over dit evenement

Ook in het nieuwe decennium brengen we sessies met content gericht op de IT Pro’s. Onze eerste sessie brengen we op dinsdag 03 maart in samenwerking met Sentia in Lochristi.

Leading the way is het motto van Sentia, wat aansluit met wat we willen brengen van content voor de community. Ook deze keer praktische sessies, notes-from-the-field en networking. Uiteraard met een drankje en een hapje voor het allemaal wat te verteren.

Sessie 1: Azure Policy Guest Configurations: The end of Windows GPO?

Group Policies bestaan al sinds de lancering van Windows 2000 en zijn nog steeds het hart van elke Windows omgeving. Enterprise Mobility MVP, Micha Wets zijn sessie toont dat er modernere manieren zijn om je configuraties te controleren en binnenkort af te dwingen.

Sessie 2: The new EDGE is here!

Na 35 jaar trouwe dienst, begraaft Microsoft officieel Internet Explorer met de lancering van de nieuwe EDGE browser. Waarom je deze browser moet gebruiken wordt uitgelegd door Windows Insider MVP Erik Moreau.

Sessie 3: Ransomware

In deze sessie laat Didier Van Hoye – MVP en Technical Architect & Strategist – de impact zien van Ransomware. Hij belooft een ton aan (eng en benauwde) real-world voorbeelden.

Agenda:

• 18h00: Welcome & Food

• 18h30: Azure Policy Guest Configurations: The end of Windows GPO? – Micha Wets

• 19h15: The New Edge – Erik Moreau

• 20h00: Break

• 20h15: Ransomware – Didier van Hooye

• 21h00: Networking and Questions

• 21h30: End

Wanneer: Dinsdag 3 Maart om 18:00

Locatie: Sentia, Denen 157, 9080 Lochristi

Technine is part of the Belgian Community, check out all the other great communities Microsoft Cloud & Security Community, Microsoft Cloud and Client Management Community, Belgian Enterprise Mobility User Group and more!

Registatie Link

The Slides

Azure Policy Guest Configurations: The end of Windows GPO? – Micha Wets

The New Edge – Erik Moreau

Ransomware – Didier van Hooye

Feb 17

Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19564

Hi All,

Late last week Microsoft released Windows 10 Build 19564 to the Insider Fast ring, upgrading did take some time longer than expected, but all were successful for me, if you’re lucky you might get the new calendar app preview option

Pipline Testing:

After installing Build 19564.1000, Windows Insiders will be offered Build 19564.1005 (KB4541091) as a Cumulative Update via Windows Update. This Cumulative Update does not include any new code and is designed to help us test our servicing pipeline.

Some reminder notifications have a special twist:

FeedbackHub url: https://aka.ms/AA7cdbd

What’s new in Build 19564

Graphics Settings Improvements

We’ve updated the Graphics settings page (Settings > System > Display > Graphics settings), allowing for better control over designating which GPU your apps run on. With this update, the app list and GPU preference are pre-populated on a best effort basis to improve the default preference management experience. If your desired app isn’t pre-populated, you can still add it by using the app selection drop-down.

The updated Graphics settings page with pre-populated app preference management.

You’ll notice alongside this, we’ve also added a search box and a filter for the list of apps.

Other updates for Insiders

Preview the new Calendar app on Windows 10

The new and improved Calendar app for Windows 10, showing a February 2020 calendar view.

We’ve been working on an improved version of the Calendar app for Windows 10 and the preview is now available to Windows Insiders! Here is a sneak peek of what’s new in the preview:

  1. New themes: choose from over 30 different themes!
  2. Improved month view: Month view now includes an agenda pane that lets you see your day’s events at a glance.
  3. Simplified event creation: We’ve made it even easier to add an event to your calendar.
  4. Redesigned account navigation: We’ve collapsed the account navigation pane, leaving more space for your day’s events.       All of your syncing calendar accounts are now represented as clickable icons on the left.

You can try the preview by going to the Calendar app and selecting the toggle to try the new experience. Don’t worry, you can always switch back at any time! We are excited to hear what you think of the new experience.

The toggle to try the new Calendar experience inside of the Calendar app.

Learn more about the Calendar preview here!

General changes, improvements, and fixes for PC

  • We fixed an issue resulting in East Asian IMEs (Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean and the Japanese IME) potentially being missing from the language/keyboard switcher (e.g. opened by Windows key + Space key) after upgrading from 20H1 Build 19041 or lower builds to Windows 10 Insider Preview build (19536 or later). Please note that this fix will stop it from happening, however, if you were already impacted from a previous build, you’ll need to remove and re-add any keyboards that are missing from the keyboard switcher by going to Settings > Time & Language > Language > Preferred languages, in order to get yourself back into a good
  • We’ve updated the Japanese IME so that when using the new Microsoft Edge in inPrivate mode, this will also enable private mode in the IME.
  • We fixed an issue from the previous flight where if you brought up clipboard history (WIN+V) and dismissed it without pasting anything, input in many places would stop working until you rebooted your PC.
  • We fixed a rare crash when opening the Windows Ink Workspace.
  • We fixed an issue that could result in the Wheel UI (that you’d see when using a Surface Dial) crashing when no custom commands had been configured.
  • We fixed an issue that could result in the login screen password field unexpectedly not rendering.
  • WSL Issue 4860: We’ve fixed an issue resulting in some Insiders experiencing this error message when using WSL2: A connection attempt failed on Windows.
  • We’ve resolved one issue preventing some Insiders from updating to newer builds with error 0xc1900101. We’re continuing to review logs to further investigate additional issues with this error code.
  • We fixed an issue with the Windows setup UI (that you would see when using an ISO, or if prompted to fix issues impacting Windows Update, such as low space) where the apostrophe in “you’re” was replaced by junk characters.
  • We fixed an issue resulting in certain devices no longer sleeping on idle in recent builds.
  • We reduced TLS usage in certain shell components. What does that mean for you? Basically, we made things take a little less memory, which also helps certain apps that are sensitive to TLS usage.
  • We fixed an issue resulting in a small set of Insiders seeing their system time unexpectedly jump forward.
  • We fixed a crash resulting in some Insiders seeing a green screen with a CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED error message.
  • We fixed an issue that could result in a deadlock (where everything would freeze) when using your PC.
  • We fixed a crash some Insiders were hitting in EoaExperiences.exe when using the text input cursor indicator.
  • We fixed an issue resulting in not being able to set focus to the search box in the common file dialog when launched from remote desktop connection settings and certain other apps.
  • We fixed an issue where File Explorer wasn’t calculating the correct folder size in Properties when the UNC path was longer than MAX_PATH.
  • We fixed an issue where the banner at the top of Settings might say an update was in progress, even though Windows Update Settings would say you’re up to date.
  • For Insiders that have the Settings header, you may notice the OneDrive icon has been updated with today’s build.
  • We fixed an issue resulting in Settings crashing when selecting sync across devices > Get Started under Clipboard.
  • We fixed an issue with wallpaper transitions on Build 19536+, which was affecting some third-party wallpaper apps.

Known issues

  • BattlEye and Microsoft have found incompatibility issues due to changes in the operating system between some Insider Preview builds and certain versions of BattlEye anti-cheat software. To safeguard Insiders who might have these versions installed on their PC, we have applied a compatibility hold on these devices from being offered affected builds of Windows Insider Preview. See this article for details.
  • We are aware Narrator and NVDA users that seek the latest release of Microsoft Edge based on Chromium may experience some difficulty when navigating and reading certain web content. Narrator, NVDA and the Edge teams are aware of these issues. Users of legacy Microsoft Edge will not be affected. NVAccess has released a NVDA 2019.3 that resolves the known issue with Edge.
  • We’re looking into reports of the update process hanging for extended periods of time when attempting to install a new build.
  • We’re investigating reports that some Insiders are unable to update to newer builds with error 0x8007042b.
  • The Documents section under Privacy has a broken icon (just a rectangle).
  • When you upgrade with certain languages, like Japanese, the “Installing Windows X%” page isn’t rendering the text correctly (only boxes are displayed).
  • The cloud recovery option for Reset this PC isn’t working on this build. Please use the local reinstall option when performing Reset this PC.

Jan 29

Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19551

Hi all, Last week Microsoft released Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19551.1005 to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring. 

If you want a complete look at what build is in which Insider ring, head over to Flight Hub. You can also check out the rest of our documentation here, including a list of new features and updates. 

Most effective fix for me RDP to multiple servers works again!

Other updates for Insiders

We’re continuing to look at ways we can improve the update experience on Windows 10 PCs for our customers. As part of this effort, we are conducting an experiment related to how we deliver driver updates through Windows Update. During this experiment, drivers categorized as “optional” will not be automatically downloaded and installed on Windows Insider’s PCs running Build 19536 and newer. To install any new optional drivers available for a PC that’s involved in this experiment (including drivers for new devices that might get plugged in to a PC), Insiders can go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > View optional updates and manually download these drivers. This experiment will be running now through March 5th, 2020.

General changes, improvements, and fixes for PC

  • We fixed an issue resulting in snipping not working on secondary monitors.
  • Thank you for reporting that the Optimize Drives Control Panel was incorrectly showing that optimization hadn’t run on some devices. We’ve fixed it in this build.
  • We’ve fixed an issue causing Remote Desktop Connection crashes when attempting to connect to multiple sessions.
  • We’ve made a server-side fix to address the issue causing Narrator Home to crash when selecting the “What’s New” button in Narrator Home.
  • We fixed an issue that could result in the language defaults listed at the top of Language Settings unexpectedly being blank.
  • We’ve done some work to help address feedback reports that screenshots (WIN+Shift+S) pasted into Outlook would be unexpectedly large.
  • We fixed an issue where, if you’d changed the candidate pane font for the Pinyin IME, it would be reset back to default after you reboot your PC.
  • We fixed an issue resulting in the “Safely Remove Hardware” icon in the notification area sometimes unexpectedly drawing in white (making it unreadable) when using light theme.

Known issues

  • BattlEye and Microsoft have found incompatibility issues due to changes in the operating system between some Insider Preview builds and certain versions of BattlEye anti-cheat software. To safeguard Insiders who might have these versions installed on their PC, we have applied a compatibility hold on these devices from being offered affected builds of Windows Insider Preview. See this article for details.
  • We are aware Narrator and NVDA users that seek the latest release of Microsoft Edge based on Chromium may experience some difficulty when navigating and reading certain web content. Narrator, NVDA and the Edge teams are aware of these issues. Users of legacy Microsoft Edge will not be affected. NVAccess has released a beta of NVDA that resolves the known issue with Edge. Further information can also be found in the In Process blog post that goes into more detail about the beta.
  • The cloud recovery option for Reset this PC isn’t working on this build. Please use the local reinstall option when performing Reset this PC.
  • We’re looking into reports of the update process hanging for extended periods of time when attempting to install a new build.
  • We’re investigating reports that some Insiders are unable to update to newer builds with error 0x8007042b.
  • We’re looking into reports that some Insiders are unable to update to newer builds with error 0xc1900101.
  • We’re looking into reports of certain external USB 3.0 drives not responding with Start Code 10 after they’re attached.
  • The Documents section under Privacy has a broken icon (just a rectangle).
  • The IME candidate window for East Asian IMEs (Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and the Japanese IME) may not open sometimes. We are investigating your reports. As a workaround if you encounter this, please change the focus to another application or editing area and back to the original and try again. Alternatively, you can go to Task Manager and end the “TextInputHost.exe” task from the Details tab, and it should work afterwards.
  • [ADDED] There is an issue impacting ARM64 devices from updating to this build successfully. A fix will be coming soon in a future flight.

source: Windows Blogs

Jan 20

Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19546

Hi all, Last week Microsoft released Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19546 to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring.

Windows Calculator gets a preview Graphing mode awesome!

Indexer Diagnostics App available through the store, now this is the app we’ve been waiting for!

Insight, troubleshooting the indexer at last!

Found some issue with uploading an album to OneDrive in the Photos app Feedback Hub link: https://aka.ms/AA71n5a

What’s new in Build 19546

Introducing Graphing Mode in Windows Calculator

Today, we’re updating Windows Calculator for Insiders with a preview of our new graphing mode. Adding support for graphing is one of our top feature requests in Feedback Hub, and we’re excited to bring this feature to our users. Graphing capabilities are also essential for students who are beginning to explore linear algebra. With this feature, we hope to empower students to learn mathematics by improving their conceptual understanding and attitudes towards math.

Screenshot showing three different equations plotted on the graph.Screenshot showing three different equations plotted on the graph.

Here are a few things you can try out with this new feature:

  • Plot one or more equations on the graph. Enter multiple equations so that you can compare plots against each other and see interactions between the lines. You can also customize the line style and graph viewing window to suit your needs.
  • Add equations with variables. If you enter an equation with a secondary variable (e.g., “y = mx + b”), you’ll be able to easily manipulate those variables so that you can quickly understand how changes to the equation affect the graph.
GIF showing how you can use a slider to manipulate equation variables and see changes live on the graph.
  • Analyze the graph. Trace plots with your mouse or keyboard to better understand the relationship between variables in the equation on the graph. You can also analyze equations to help identify key graph features, like the x- and y- intercepts.
Screenshot showing the analysis of one of the plotted equations.

We’re looking for feedback! Tell us what you want to see next via the Feedback Hub under Apps > Calculator or select the Send feedback button on the About page in the app. If you’re a developer, check out the project on GitHub—we are always accepting contributions! #BuildTogether

Other updates for Insiders

Introducing the Indexer Diagnostics app

Available now in beta via the Microsoft Store, the Indexer Diagnostics app was created to help enhance your understanding of the capabilities of search, as well as increase the troubleshooting ability and support for general Windows Search issues.

The tool will continue to be improved with more functionality added over time—as always, appreciate your feedback! The app is available for anyone running Windows 10 version 1809 or higher.

General changes, improvements, and fixes for PC

  • We fixed an issue resulting in Timeline not showing any activities.
  • We fixed an issue resulting in Outlook search not working for some.
  • We fixed an issue significantly impacting Task View reliability for some.
  • We fixed an issue where pressing Spatial Sound -> Off in the sound menu caused Explorer.exe to crash.

Known issues

  • BattlEye and Microsoft have found incompatibility issues due to changes in the operating system between some Insider Preview builds and certain versions of BattlEye anti-cheat software. To safeguard Insiders who might have these versions installed on their PC, we have applied a compatibility hold on these devices from being offered affected builds of Windows Insider Preview. See this article for details.
  • We are aware Narrator and NVDA users that seek the latest release of Microsoft Edge based on Chromium may experience some difficulty when navigating and reading certain web content. Narrator, NVDA and the Edge teams are aware of these issues. Users of legacy Microsoft Edge will not be affected.
  • The cloud recovery option for Reset this PC isn’t working on this build. Please use the local reinstall option when performing Reset this PC.
  • We’re looking into reports of the update process hanging for extended periods of time when attempting to install a new build.
  • We’re investigating reports that some Insiders are unable to update to newer builds with error 0x8007042b.
  • We’re looking into reports of certain external USB 3.0 drives not responding with Start Code 10 after they’re attached.
  • The Optimize Drives Control Panel is incorrectly reporting that optimization has never run on some devices. Optimization is completing successfully, even though it is not reflected in the UI.
  • The Documents section under Privacy has a broken icon (just a rectangle).
  • Remote Desktop Connection crashes when attempting to connect to multiple sessions.
  • Snipping isn’t working on secondary monitors.
  • The IME candidate window for East Asian IMEs (Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and the Japanese IME) may not open sometimes. We are investigating your reports. As a workaround if you encounter this, please change the focus to another application or editing area and back to the original and try again. Alternatively, you can go to Task Manager and end the “TextInputHost.exe” task from the Details tab, and it should work afterwards.

source: Windows Blogs

Jan 19

The New Edge Is Here

January 15th Microsoft released new Edge Browser, based on the Chromium Engine

This does not mean the Old Edge will be replaced on your system right away.

If you want it Today, you can get it here: New Edge Download Link

If you’re planning to roll it out at your company, go here for the Enterprise version & GPO Templates: New Edge Enterprise Download Link

If you’re a business or education IT administrator looking to deploy widely in your organization or school, we have you covered as well – you can download offline packages and policies and learn more on the new commercial site.

The Insider Builds will remain available on https://www.microsoftedgeinsider.com enabling you to keep testing with versions side by side and stay up to date with the new a coming features


Jan 11

New Edge Chromium to be released 15th of January

Edge Chromium is the New Browser from Microsoft based on the Chromium Engine

Release date set for Edge Chromium is set to January 15th 2020, test version are available in 3 flavors

Canary Channel – Daily new builds

Dev Channel – Weekly new builds

Beta Channel – New Major Build every 6 weeks

All of the above builds will install as an extra browser on your device, so you can test them side by side.

Jan 11

Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19541

Hi all, Happy New Year! Microsoft has released the 1st Build of 2020, Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19541 to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring.

Upgrading went smooth, seemed to take a while longer than usual in the pre-reboot fase. (already on the known issues list)

Enjoy this new stuff:

Not seeing any of the features in this build? Check your Windows Insider Settings to make sure you’re on the Fast ring. Submit feedback here to let us know if things weren’t working the way you expected.

What’s new in Build 19541

Location in-use icon update

As some keen eyed Insiders have noticed, we’ve updated the notification area icon for when an app is using your location. The new icon looks like this:

Showing the new arrow icon for location in use.

Showing architecture in Task Manager

When you’re using the Details tab in Task Manager, we’ve added a new option to show the architecture of each process. If you’re interested, you can add it by right-clicking on a column header, choosing Select Columns, and selecting Architecture from the list.

When you're in the Details tab of Task Manager, you can now add this Architecture option.

Other updates for Insiders

Cortana App Update:

Following up on our previous post, we want to let Insiders know that Bing Instant Answers and Timers are back online. We’re continuing to work on getting jokes (and other assistant conversations) back up and running, and appreciate your patience.

If you’re running English (United States) and would like to try it out, here are some example queries you can use with Hey Cortana or by typing into Cortana:

  • Set a timer for 10 minutes
  • When was the Space Needle built?
Cortana giving you Bing Instant Answers and Timers once again.

General changes, improvements, and fixes for PC

  • We fixed an issue impacted System Settings reliability.
  • We fixed an issue that could result in Windows Update “Reboot needed” notifications persisting reboot.
  • We fixed an issue that could result in the update speed in Task Manager unexpectedly being set to Paused.
  • We fixed an issue when using Narrator that could result in Start not saying the correct index of an app in the all apps list.
  • We fixed an issue where the Search window wasn’t showing acrylic at the top.
  • We fixed an issue from the previous build resulting in the Feedback Hub unexpectedly not showing store apps in the list of contexts when logging feedback under the Apps category. This same issue resulted in the symptom of apps continuing to show Install in the Microsoft Store, rather than Launch, after the app had been installed.

Known issues

  • BattlEye and Microsoft have found incompatibility issues due to changes in the operating system between some Insider Preview builds and certain versions of BattlEye anti-cheat software. To safeguard Insiders who might have these versions installed on their PC, we have applied a compatibility hold on these devices from being offered affected builds of Windows Insider Preview. See this article for details.
  • We’re looking into reports of the update process hanging for extended periods of time when attempting to install a new build.
  • We’re looking into reports of certain external USB 3.0 drives not responding with Start Code 10 after they’re attached.
  • The Optimize Drives Control Panel is incorrectly reporting that optimization has never run on some devices. Optimization is completing successfully, even though it is not reflected in the UI.
  • The Documents section under Privacy has a broken icon (just a rectangle).
  • Remote Desktop Connection crashes when attempting to connect to multiple sessions.
  • Snipping isn’t working on secondary monitors.
  • Timeline isn’t showing any activities.
  • We’re investigating reports that Outlook search isn’t working for some Insiders.
  • [ADDED] Narrator Home crashes when selecting “What’s New” button in Narrator Home.

source: Windows Blogs