Dec 23

Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19536

Hi all, last week Microsoft released Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19536 to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring.

This will be the last build for this year, upgrades went fine and it’s running smooth so far, (the rdp client mstsc.exe crashes when you connect to a 2nd RDS farm)

What’s new in Build 19536

Optional Drivers

We’re still working on making it easier for you to see all optional updates (including drivers, feature updates, and monthly non-security quality updates) in one place. When optional updates are detected, they will be listed under Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > View optional updates.

For drivers, you no longer need to browse Device Manager for a specific device to update. Windows Update will automatically keep your drivers up to date, but if you’re having a problem, one of those optional drivers might help.

View optional updates option in the Windows Update section of Update & Security Settings.

Re-releasing the updated Korean IME

During 19H1 development, we’d started work on an updated version of the Korean IME as part of our ongoing efforts to modernize and improve your typing experience in Windows. Based on feedback, we decided not to ship this with 19H1, and instead worked on further improving the experience first. With Build 19536, we’re re-releasing the updated IME, along with some improvements that help it work better with various apps.

To recap the most noticeable changes included as part of this IME work:

  • For those who’re familiar with typing in Korean when writing in Hanja, we have a new candidate selection window that uses modern controls and clearer typography:
Showing the candidate selection window of the updated Korean IME.
  • The new IME version also comes with an updated algorithm used for text prediction when writing Korean using the touch keyboard. Text suggestions should now be more accurate and relevant to what you are writing.

Family group setup

Microsoft has family features that span across multiple platforms, like Windows, Xbox, and Android. On Windows, you can set things up for your family, like screen time limits, content filters, have kids ask before they buy things, or even stay organized with a shared family calendar, OneNote, and Office 365 Home subscription. If you share a device with family, it’s easy to get their account set up in a family group to take advantage of all these features.

In this build, we want to help customers set up their device to be used by multiple people in their family. While we’re not releasing an ISO for this build, some Insiders who choose to reset their PC may see a screen during setup that asks who’ll be using the device. If they select People in my family, we’ll help them get set up in a family group once they get to their desktop, so that they’re ready to get started with all the features.

Showing the OOBE screen for selecting who will use this device.

If you see this new page, let us know what you think by going to Security and Privacy > Child accounts and family settings in the Feedback Hub.

Other updates for Insiders

Your Phone app – new features rolling to Insiders and production

Photos has evolved. View and interact with your most recent 2000 photos!

We take a lot of photos on our smartphones. We heard our avid Your Phone app users when you when you said you wanted the ability to access more than 25 of your recent photos. Today, we’re happy to announce that we’ve addressed this by letting you view and interact with your most recent 2,000 photos from your Android smartphone’s camera roll on your PC!

With the Your Phone Photos feature, you don’t have to email photos to yourself. Simply take a pic and see it instantly on your PC. When you need to add a recent image to your email, paper, or presentation, just drag and drop. You can also conveniently share it with family or friends or save it directly to your PC by simply right clicking on the image.

Try out this newly enhanced capability and share your experience.

Screen showing photo gallery within the Your Phone app.

Photos requirements:

  • Any Android phones running version 7.0 or higher
  • PC running Windows 10 April 2018 Update or higher

Known Issues:

  • If the Photo selector in Messages appears blank, navigate to Photos on the left and hit refresh. Your photos should now appear in the Photo selector.

This feature will gradually roll out to Windows Insiders on the Windows 10 May 2019 Update or newer, so it may take a few days to be available inside the Your Phone app. Please make sure you have the latest versions of Your Phone Companion and the Your Phone app to experience this feature.

Phone screen now supports pen input

The Phone screen feature is getting a boost. In addition to keyboard, mouse, and touch support, you can now use your digital pen with a compatible stylus to input on any touch screen enabled Windows 10 PC to interact with your mobile apps while in Phone screen session. Leverage your pen’s pressure sensitivity for drawing and writing like you would with your phone’s stylus with apps that support pressure sensitivity. You will also be able to hover over buttons, and it differentiates between the pen and finger touch.

Screen showing a pen’s input on the PC screen and same showing up on the phone.

This feature is available to all Windows Insiders on Windows 10 October 2018 Update or newer and requires Phone screen compatible devices.

We value your feedback, so give it a try and let us know what you think. You can report any issues under Your Phone > Settings > Send feedback or directly through Feedback Hub.

Pen Input Requirements:

  • Your Phone App version 1.19102.500.0 or newer
  • Phone screen compatible devices

Calls—Fifth hero feature now gradually rolling out to all users

Thank you Insiders for your valuable feedback over the last few months to help improve the quality, performance, and user experience of the Calls feature, which originally rolled out in October. We are thrilled to announce that this feature is now ready and gradually rolling out to everyone.

You don’t have to split your attention between your phone and PC to answer those phone calls. With the Your Phone Calls feature, tap into your PC’s speakers, microphone, and larger screen for a richer calling experience. Effortlessly transfer calls between your devices for privacy or when you are on the go.

Detailed capabilities include:

  • Answering incoming phone calls on your PC.
  • Initiating phone calls from your PC using the in-app dialer or contact list.
  • Declining incoming phone calls on your PC with custom/pre-defined text or send them directly to your phone’s voicemail.
  • Accessing your recent call history on your PC. Select the phone number to call or text.
  • Transferring calls between your devices seamlessly.
  • Selecting a phone number in your supported browser initiates a call.
Screen showing recent Calls history and in-app dialer within the Your Phone app.

Calls requirements:

  • Any Android phones running version 7.0 or higher
  • Windows 10 PC with a Bluetooth radio
  • Windows 10 May 2019 Update or higher

You can reference the Your Phone support page for additional information.

As a reminder, the Your Phone app has evolved over the past few months and now provides you with instant access to your recent photos, apps, texts, notifications, calls, and more on your PC. You don’t have to split your attention between your devices or break away from your PC workflows. Give this app a try and let us know what you think!

General changes, improvements, and fixes for PC

  • Whether you want to increase your productivity, decrease your stress levels, or just free up some mental space, Microsoft To Do makes it easy to plan your day and manage your life. If you are opening To Do for the first time, you may notice some new UI that helps ensure you have the latest version of To Do installed. You will only see this the first time you open the app, and users who already have To Do installed will not see this step at all.
  • Windows RE (Recovery Environment) no longer requires an administrator password to access recovery tools.
  • We’ve updated the new File Explorer search experience to enable you to remove previous searches via an option if you right click the entry in the dropdown.
  • We fixed an issue resulting in the first character of your query getting dropped when “automatically type into the search box” File Explorer setting was enabled.
  • We fixed an issue that could result in unexpectedly needing to re-download the whole game when an update to your installed game came via the store.
  • We fixed an issue that could result in Task Manager’s icon not appearing in the notification area of the taskbar even though it had been enabled in Settings.
  • We fixed an issue that could result in Resource Manager getting stuck and not showing any disk activity.
  • We fixed an issue with the Vietnamese Telex keyboard where after typing an upper-case letter in certain apps, Ctrl+A would stop working in that app.
  • We fixed an issue where creating a new storage pool in the UI would fail with incorrect parameter.
  • We fixed an issue where after dragging the bottom of a UWP app up to resize it, any further resizing actions from the bottom wouldn’t work.
  • With this build, users who had previously used HomeGroup will no longer see a notification on upgrade about its deprecation.
  • We fixed a typo in the text under Settings > Search > Searching Window.
  • We’re working on adding Downloads Folder to your Privacy Settings options, and you’ll see it in today’s flight. More details will be shared later.
  • We fixed an issue where if your device was offline, Narrator would still announce that language features were available to download when you navigated to the per-language options under Language Settings.
  • We fixed an issue that could result in no tooltip with the full text appearing in Settings when hovering over text truncated with an ellipsis.
  • We’re removing the separate Hotspot 2.0 setting under Wi-Fi. This setting was provided while the feature was still in experimental phase, and having it enabled is now part of having Wi-Fi enabled.
  • We fixed an issue that could result in the Bluetooth battery level displayed in Settings getting stuck and thus reducing accuracy.
  • We fixed an issue where if you rolled back the build you were on, Windows Update might still list the older build number under Update History.

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).

source: Windows Blogs

Dec 09

Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19035 & 19037

Hi all, lost s of releases these days, feels like Christmas came early this year 🙂 Microsoft released Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19035 (20H1) to Windows Insiders in BOTH the Fast ring and Slow rings.

General changes, improvements, and fixes for PC

  • The build watermark at the lower right-hand corner of the desktop is no longer present in this build. This doesn’t mean we’re done…
  • We’ve completed the experiment related to how we deliver driver updates through Windows Update. Devices that were involved in the experiment will no longer see the Optional Updates link under Settings > Windows Update. This also resolves an issue where after successfully installing printer drivers from the Optional Updates section, the same driver is still showing as available for install.  Thanks to the Insiders who have provided feedback on this feature.
  • We fixed an issue that could result in fingerprint (if enabled) sometimes unexpectedly not being offered as a sign-in option after waking your device from sleep.
  • We fixed an issue that could result in certain apps not launching the first time you tried after resetting the app via Settings.
  • Thank you for all the feedback you provided on the Store version of Notepad. At this time, we’ve decided not to roll this out to customers. Insiders may notice some changes as we remove this change from this build:
    • If you pinned Notepad to your Taskbar or Start menu, you will need to re-pin after you upgrade to this new build.
    • If you had certain file types set to open in Notepad by default, you will see a prompt when you try to open files of that type again and will need to re-select Notepad.

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.
  • Some Insiders have reported when attempting to install recent builds, setup rolls back and returns error code 0xc1900101. In some cases, the update completes successfully on a subsequent attempt.  If you are experiencing the issue, please be sure to file feedback in the Feedback Hub.
  • 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.
  • We’ve received reports of the Optimize Drives app incorrectly reporting that optimization has never run on SSD devices.

Last Friday, Microsoft released Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19037.1 (20H1) to Windows Insiders in the Fast and Slow rings.

General changes, improvements, and fixes for PC

  • The build watermark at the lower right-hand corner of the desktop is no longer present in this build.This doesn’t mean we’re done…
  • Windows PowerShell ISE is now a Feature on Demand (installed by default), and you will see it in the list in Optional Features Settings.

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.
  • Some Insiders have reported when attempting to install recent builds, setup rolls back and returns error code 0xc1900101. In some cases, the update completes successfully on a subsequent attempt. If you’re experiencing the issue, please be sure to file feedback in the Feedback Hub.
  • 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.
  • We’ve received reports of the Optimize Drives app incorrectly reporting that optimization has never run on some devices.

source: Windows Blogs 19035 & 19037

Nov 29

Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19033

Time Flies, build 19030 and 19033 have been released, 19033 release to Slow and Fast Rings at the same time, this does not mean all work is done, just the 20H2 builds will soon be hitting the Fast Rings. With the watermark removed & Winver showing Windows 10 2004 – not 2003

Upgrades went smooth, running without any big issues so far

Happy Upgrades!

General changes, improvements, and fixes for PC

  • The build watermark at the lower right-hand corner of the desktop is no longer present in this build.This doesn’t mean we’re done…
  • Eagle-eyed Windows Insiders will notice that that as of this build, 20H1 officially shows it is version 2004. We have chosen to use 2004 as the version to eliminate confusion with any past product names (such as Windows Server 2003).
  • We fixed an issue that could result in Settings crashing for some users if you navigated to About when in Safe Mode.
  • We fixed an issue resulting in some paired Bluetooth audio devices unexpectedly displaying with a cellphone icon in Bluetooth Settings.
  • We fixed an issue where preferred Focus Assist automatic rules settings weren’t persisting upgrade.
  • We fixed an issue where pressing the WIN + P keyboard shortcut twice in a row could result in ShellExperienceHost crashing.
  • We fixed an issue that could result in the Start menu crashing on launch if a Windows update was pending restart.
  • We fixed an issue where if you were using night light and weren’t already signed into a Microsoft Account, and subsequently attached your MSA, it would result in night light no longer working.
  • We fixed an issue where if you quickly toggled Magnifier on and back off in Settings it would result in Magnifier.exe crashing.
  • At this point, we’re removing the known issue that Settings still isn’t available outside of launching via the URI (ms-settings:) – so far we have not seen any reports from Insiders in the Slow ring that bypassed the impacted build range. If you are in the Fast ring, were on the impacted build range, and are one of the few still experiencing this issue, you will need to reset your PC. We appreciate your patience.
  • We fixed an issue where you wouldn’t be able to type Chinese punctuation with the Pinyin IME after moving focus to and from a password field.
  • Some users may have experienced error 80092004 when attempting to install build 19025.1052. This was isolated to that specific Cumulative Update and should not prevent installing build 19033.
  • We have fixed an issue resulting in Start Code 38 with certain external USB 3.0 drives.

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.
  • Some Insiders are reporting that after successfully installing printer drivers from the Optional Updates section, the same driver is still showing as available for install. We’re looking into the issue.
  • We’re looking into reports of certain external USB 3.0 drives not responding with Start Code 10 after they’re attached.

source: Windows Blogs

Nov 16

Event: December update for IT Pro’s

Wednesday December 4th TechNine organizes the last event of the year, Hosted at Ingram Micro, your added-value distributor.

3 Speakers with a lot of experience have will be presenting inspiring content 

Session 1:

Didier Van Hoye, MVP Cloud and Datacenter Management and Veeam Vanguard. Presents the good, the bad and the ugly van Hyper-V Backups. Will take us on the ride through updates and improvements on Hyper-V backup for Server 2016 en 2019. Closing his session with some notes from the field.

Session 2:

Wim Matthyssen visiting from the BEMUG community is bringing his 7 Habits every Azure Admin Must Have presentation. He’s the Azure specialist at Cegeka, valued speaker and Microsoft Certified Trainer.

Session 3:

Diego Lens, trainer since 2001, spreaker and Citrix expert. As Cloud Technology Strategist will talk about Azure Migrate, The tool to migrate workloads to Azure. The merge of Azure Site Recovery and Azure Migrate created a central hub for cloud migration.

Agenda:

• 18h00: Welcome & Food

• 18h30: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly – Didier van Hoye

• 19h15: 7 Habits Every Azure Admin Must Have – Wim Matthyssen

• 20h00: Break

• 20h15: Azure Migrate – Diego Lens

• 21h00: Networking and Questions

• 21h30: End

When: Wednesday December 4th at 18:00

Where: Ingram Micro, Hermeslaan 1b / 3rd floor, B-1831 Diegem

Reserve your seat here

Nov 16

Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19025

Hi all, a 2nd release to the Fast Ring this week! 19025 is ready to grab in your Updates, the Windows Defender Application Guard & Sandbox issue has been fixed.

Improving Windows Search

As Insiders know, over the releases, we’ve been continuing to work on improving search results based on your feedback. Including adding Enhanced search mode (adding an easy option to expand search across all folders and drivers) in 19H1, as well integrating Windows Search into File Explorer, to ensure more consistent results regardless of where you start your search.

In 19H1, we asked Insiders why they were turning off the search indexer. Your feedback helped us make improvements then and helped us focus on three key areas of improvement in 20H1: excessive disk and CPU usage, general performance issues, and low perceived value of the indexer.

Based on this, we’re introducing an algorithm that detects high disk usage and activity, so it can better identify peak usage times and manage the indexer accordingly. We’re also making changes for developers to prevent searches of certain repositories and project folders to improve disk usage.

Learn more about these features that we’ve been working on throughout 20H1 and get helpful tips and troubleshooting info to help you make the most of Windows Search in our Supercharging Windows Search article.

General changes, improvements, and fixes for PC

  • We fixed an issue from the previous flight preventing Sandbox and WDAG from working.
  • We fixed an issue resulting in certain fingerprint readers no longer working as of Build 19013.
  • We fixed an issue that could result in VPN Settings hanging after upgrade.
  • We’ve done some work to help address an issue that could result in certain modern UI components (including notifications and the network flyout), scaling either too large or too small after attaching an external monitor or remoting into the machine from a monitor with a different DPI.
  • We fixed an issue impacted login performance for some users in recent builds.
  • We fixed an issue resulting in Windows Hello authentication not working with certain apps in recent builds.
  • We fixed an issue that could result in the mouse pointer not displaying when logging in to a PC locally after remoting in.
  • We fixed an issue where, when using the touch keyboard docked on a large screen, the keys would stretch out to span the width of the monitor, rather than staying an optimal width for touch interaction.
  • We fixed an issue that could result in ctfmon.exe crashing when using reconversion with the Japanese IME in certain text fields.
  • We fixed an issue that could result in web activities in Timeline not opening if you had new Edge installed.
  • We fixed an issue where a high number of app deployment failures in a short period of time could result in an unexpectedly large volume of disk space being used by evtx files saved under %windir%\temp.
  • We fixed an issue resulting in some apps failing to update with error 0x8007000A.
  • We fixed an issue resulting in jitters when using Magnifier in certain multi-monitor configurations.
  • We fixed an issue where the mouse pointer did not start from where the Magnifier viewport was if it had moved from typing.
  • We fixed an issue impacting Narrator performance reading aloud in Outlook after switching focus from an email back to the list of emails in your inbox.
  • We fixed a memory leak in EoAExperiences.exe after using the text cursor indicator for prolonged periods of time.

Knowns 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’ve heard that Settings still isn’t available outside of launching via the URI (ms-settings:) for some Insiders and are investigating.
  • Some Insiders are reporting that after successfully installing printer drivers from the Optional Updates section, the same driver is still showing as available for install. We’re looking into the issue.
  • We’re looking into reports where, when certain external USB 3.0 drives are attached, they stop responding with Start Code 10 or 38.

source: Windows Blogs

Nov 16

Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19023

Hi all, earlier this week Microsoft released Build 19023 to the Fast Ring, If your’re using Windows Defender Application Guard or Windows Sandbox, you might want to hold off on this one, it’s not working on this build

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 20H1 Build 18980 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 > Windows Update > Optional Updates and manually download these drivers. This experiment will be running now through November 25th, 2019.

General changes, improvements, and fixes for PC

  • We resolved an issue where, if a build attempted to download and install before you had completed the first log in of a prior install (such as Build 19013), you would experience a 2-hour window before you could install this new build.
  • We fixed an issue resulting in a lag processing input when running a video fullscreen.
  • We fixed an issue where the quick action section in the Action Center was slightly off-center in the last few builds.
  • We fixed an issue that could result in Cortana’s voice activation setting switching from on back to off after explorer.exe restarted, or if you rebooted your PC.
  • Just a reminder for Insiders, that as of the previous flight, based on feedback, we’ve decided to remove the downloads folder from Disk Cleanup. If you liked having this option, it’s still available via Storage Settings.

Known issues

  • We’ve identified an issue preventing Sandbox and WDAG from working. If you rely on these features, you may consider pausing updates before taking this build. We know what’s causing this issue, and we’re working hard to get another flight out with the fix as quickly as possible.
  • 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’ve heard that Settings still isn’t available outside of launching via the URI (ms-settings:) for some Insiders and are investigating.
  • Some Insiders are reporting that after successfully installing printer drivers from the Optional Updates section, the same driver is still showing as available for install. We’re looking into the issue.
  • We’re investigating reports that certain fingerprint readers are no longer working as of Build 19013. If you’re impacted, for now you’ll need to log in with a password instead–appreciate your patience.

source: Windows Blogs

Nov 12

Lost your Windows 10 Recovery Partition? Can’t run mbr2gpt?

Here’s how to fix it:

You will need Windows 10 Setup media to recover the WinRE.wim, if you don’t have this you can user

Media Creation Tool

To avoid the need for extra partitions, I used a folder c:\recovery

mount your setup media (iso or usb) 

in an elevated prompt run the following commands:

creating folders

md c:\recovery

md c:\recovery\mount

** mounting Windows Image from media

** (if setup media drive letter is not e: replace the e:\ with the correct driveletter)

dism /mount-wim /wimfile:e:\sources\install.wim /index:1 /mountdir:c:\recovery\mount /readonly

** Copying WinRE.wim from image

copy “C:\Recovery\mount\Windows\System32\Recovery\Winre.wim” c:\recovery\

** Unmounting Image

dism /unmount-wim /mountdir:c:\recovery\mount /discard

** Enable WinRE

reagentc /SetReImage /Path c:\recovery\winre.wim /index 1

reagnetc /enable

reagentc /info

** The last command should show RE enabled, after this I was able to successfully run MBR2GPT

also available here: answsers.microsoft.com

Nov 10

Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19018

Hi all, last week Microsoft released Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19018 (20H1) to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring. Search is getting some tweaks, looking good!

Check out the new super key-combo Win + CTRL + SHIFT +L below in the fixes!

From now on the Skip ahead ring will be merged into the Fast Ring, no user action needed, everyone on the Skip Ahead will be auto-moved to the Fast Ring, this ring will have the latest releases.

What’s new in 19018?

Quick searches now in Search Home

To help you find the info that matters even faster, we’ve added four quick web searches to your Search Home:

  • Weather: Get current conditions and the upcoming forecast
  • Top news: Read the latest headlines from popular news sites
  • Today in history: Explore four events that happened on this day
  • New movies: Find out what’s playing in theaters near you
Showing said entries in the Search home.

To preview these web answers and results, select the search box to open Search Home, then choose one of the quick search buttons. Need quick answers about other topics or searches? Just enter a query into the search box for quick results about almost everything.

Let us know what you think about quick searches and how you would like to see them evolve.

Note: This is a server-side change that’s currently rolling out and will appear for users across builds from version 1809 to 20H1. Currently, quick searches are only available in the US, but will be available soon internationally. (to test this outside of the US, set you reguional settings to US )

Updated design for web preview in search results

We have made a few small tweaks to how it looks–here’s what you’ll see now:

New Open results in browser button, and the Bing filters that used to display at the top are no longer visible.

General changes, improvements, and fixes for PC

  • For Insiders that did not take the Cumulative Update to Build 19013, just a note that this build (like that update), also includes the fix for the issue resulting in black screens and disconnects over remote desktop in the last couple of flights.
  • We’ve fixed an issue where the Settings app was hanging or crashing when accessing the System or Ease of Access sections.
  • We fixed an issue where if a new account profile picture synced down from the cloud, your old one might not be listed in the picture history in Accounts Settings.
  • We fixed an issue where Windows Update history might show an update having failed with error 0x80240017 even though the update had actually succeeded.
  • We fixed an issue that could result in Search sometimes not rendering in the enter space available within the Search window.
  • We fixed an issue that could result in exe using an unexpectedly high amount of CPU when your device was unplugged in recent builds.
  • We fixed an issue that could result in Cortana not responding to Hey Cortana.
  • We fixed an issue that could result in Cortana not being visible in the taskbar right after upgrading, or being visible but not working, until you restarted your PC.
  • We fixed an issue resulting in not being able to keep the Shift key pressed in order to type capital letters in certain languages recently when typing with the onehanded touch keyboard.
  • As some Insiders know, a few releases ago we announced a new keyboard shortcut (WIN + Ctrl + Shift + B) in order to help troubleshoot black screens. With today’s build, in this vein, we’re announcing a new keyboard shortcut (WIN + Ctrl + Shift + L) to help investigate issues with the login screen. Simply press the keyboard shortcut while your PC is locked, reproduce your issue, and then press the keyboard short again–a reference number will be displayed that you can share when reporting your issue. Please note, currently this is only supported for local sessions that have connected to the network and power, and for whom Diagnostic Data is set to Full.
  • Narrator no longer announces changes in fonts when they have not changed.
  • We updated Narrator’s autocorrect sound to be more consistent with the editing experience.
  • We improved Narrator’s navigation and reading experience within Chrome.
  • We’ve improved the Outlook experience with Magnifier when Magnifier is set to track the text cursor in the center of the screen. Arrowing up and down in a list of emails will no longer force the viewport to the left of the list of messages.

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’ve heard that Settings still isn’t available outside of launching via the URI (ms-settings:) for some Insiders and are investigating.
  • Some Insiders are reporting that after successfully installing printer drivers from the Optional Updates section, the same driver is still showing as available for install. We’re looking into the issue.
  • If this build attempts to download an install before you have completed the first login of a prior install (such as Build 19013), you will experience a 2-hour window before you can install this new build.
  • [ADDED] Based on feedback, we’ve decided to remove the downloads folder from disk cleanup.

source: Windows Blogs

Nov 01

Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19013

Hi all, today we’re releasing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19013 (20H1) to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring.

Smooth upgrades here, make sure you check out the new updated power toys, they are awesome!

What’s new in Build 19013

More kaomoji

As some of you may know, with Windows 10 version 1903, we updated our WIN+(Period) / WIN+(Semicolon) keyboard shortcut to not only include emoji, but to also now contain kaomoji and special characters. What are kaomoji? Basically, they’re faces with expressions you can make by combining various characters–for example, you might be familiar with the shruggie:

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[2:00 PM] Jennifer Gentleman Showcasing the kaomoji section of WIN+Period.

In any case, based on your feedback, in this build we’re updating our kaomoji list with a few more favorites, including:

  • ヾ(⌐■_■)ノ♪
  • ლ(╹◡╹ლ)
  • (⊙_◎)
  • ( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡°)
  • ಠ_ರೃ
  • (∩^o^)⊃━☆
  • /ᐠ｡ꞈ｡ᐟ\

And more! Enjoy (❁´◡`❁)

Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) 2 will now release unused Linux memory back to your Windows machine

Previously, your WSL 2 Virtual Machine’s (VM) memory would grow to meet the needs of your workflow, but would not shrink back down when the memory was no longer needed.  With this change, as memory is no longer in use in the Linux VM, it will be freed back to Windows, which will shrink in memory size accordingly.

Other updates for Insiders

PowerToys v0.12 now available!

We’ve just released our 0.12 release of PowerToys on GitHub. We’ve gotten tons of great feedback and suggestions from the community and want to directly say thank you to everyone.

New features include a great new utility called PowerRename, which makes it easy to batch rename a bunch of files, improvements to FancyZones, and support for Dark Mode.

GIF showing how you use PowerRename to select a group of files and batch rename them by searching for and replacing certain words.

Check out our latest article for all the details.

Your Phone app–Elevating the Phone screen feature by removing its dependency on Bluetooth connection

Windows Insiders, we heard your feedback about the Phone screen feature’s dependency on Bluetooth Low Energy connectivity. To address your feedback, we partnered closely with Samsung to bring you a more streamlined experience across all Windows 10 PCs by removing the peripheral role dependency for Phone screen, which will expand the overall reach of this feature.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 was the first device to introduce this feature in August. After a positive response, we’ve recently enabled this feature across Samsung Galaxy Fold, S10, S10+, and S10e smartphones. You’ll need to update your supported Samsung devices with the recent software update that enables the ‘Link to Windows’ feature. To continue offering this experience to other smartphones, we’re expanding this feature support to Samsung Galaxy A30s, A50s, and A90 smartphones, and we’ll continue to add additional devices in the coming months.

With the new experience rolling out, we’ll be removing the Bluetooth connectivity option, effective immediately. If you were previously enjoying Phone screen over Bluetooth and you have a phone model that doesn’t yet support Link to Windows, the Phone screen node will disappear automatically within the Your Phone app. We recommend that you unpair your devices by going to the Bluetooth settings on both your PC and your Android phone, so that you don’t have a connection that is no longer in use.

Thank you for helping us refine the Phone screen experience so far!

Phone screen requirements:

  • Select Android phones running Android 9.0 or greater
  • PC running Windows 10 October 2018 Update or later
  • Android phone must be on and connected to the same network as the PC
  • You will need a supported device to use this feature:
    • Samsung Galaxy Fold
    • Samsung Galaxy Note 10/ Note 10+
    • Samsung Galaxy S10/S10+/S10e
    • Samsung Galaxy A30s/A50s/A90

Refer to the Your Phone FAQs for additional information.

Preview new DirectX 12 features

In the latest 20H1 builds, you can preview new DirectX 12 features, including DirectX Raytracing tier 1.1, Mesh Shader, and Sampler Feedback. In this blog post, the DirectX Team explains what each of these features are and how they will improve the gaming experience in Windows 10!

General changes, improvements, and fixes for PC

  • We fixed an issue resulting in frames being skipped, starting with Build 19002, when running games and videos fullscreen.
  • We fixed an issue where initiating “Reset this PC” with the cloud download option wasn’t working when started from Windows RE.
  • We fixed an issue resulting in preinstalled apps (like Calculator) and other UWP apps being missing from the Apps & Features page in Settings.
  • We appreciate your patience while we worked on our sync engine. As of this build, wallpaper and theme syncing is now up and running again.
  • We fixed an issue resulting in Wi-Fi unexpectedly resetting (turning off and back on) frequently in recent flights.
  • We fixed an issue where Wi-Fi Settings might get stuck saying Connecting, even though the network flyout (correctly) indicated that you were Connected.
  • We fixed an issue where an update being temporarily suspended would result in an 0xc19001e1 error being displayed in Windows Update history.
  • We fixed an issue resulting in the “Open location” search result option not working if the search result was a folder.
  • We fixed an issue where if you moved Cortana’s window to certain places on your screen, and then closed the window, the minimize animation wouldn’t go towards Cortana’s icon on the taskbar.
  • We fixed an issue resulting in File Explorer not rendering correctly sometimes when using multiple monitors with different DPIs on the previous flight.
  • We fixed an issue where you could get into a state where it wasn’t possible to set focus to File Explorer’s search box in order to type your query.
  • We fixed an issue that could result in the app thumbnail disappearing when you right clicked it in Task View.
  • We fixed an issue that could result in the Send Message button in certain notifications not being visible when using High Contrast White.
  • We fixed an issue where the notification following WIN+Shift+S might have a blank space for the screenshot (rather than actually displaying the screenshot).
  • We fixed an issue resulting in Resource Manager unexpectedly not showing any disk activity.
  • We fixed an issue where, if you called SUBST with a path ending with a \ it would give a Path not found error.
  • We fixed a memory leak with running apps that repeatedly sent calls to adjust gamma.
  • Some of you have reached out about when trying to shutdown, seeing a message saying that an app named “G” was preventing shutdown. We investigated and found an issue where windows related to GDI+were only referenced as “G.” We’ve fixed this, so going forward, these will now have the name “GDI+ Window (<exe name>)”, where <exe name> will show the .exe name of the app using GDI+.
  • We fixed an issue resulting in speechruntime.exe using an unexpectedly high amount of CPU on the previous flight.
  • We fixed an issue resulting in Bluetooth devices potentially not reconnecting as expected after closing then reopening the device lid for certain devices.
  • We fixed an issue resulting in the Surface Dial not scrolling in recent builds if you switched to something like zoom and then back to scrolling.
  • Thank you Insiders who shared feedback about the 2-in-1 convertible tablet experience improvements we discussed here. For the time being, we’re returning to the current experience in retail.
  • We fixed an issue where Narrator would sometime report focus as the page instead of reporting the actual focused control within Chrome.
  • We fixed an issue where Narrator would not automatically start reading the Narrator user guide webpage and the YouTube webpage.
  • We corrected Narrator’s “Next Table” command so that it would work in Excel.
  • We fixed an issue where the text cursor indicator was visible on top of the lock screen background picture.
  • We fixed an issue where the text cursor indicator preview wasn’t displaying correctly in Settings when using dark theme.
  • We fixed an issue where when using dark theme, the hardware keyboard text prediction candidate window was unreadable due to black text on a dark grey background.
  • We fixed an issue that could result in the touch keyboard flickering when inputting emoji.
  • We fixed an issue where English punctuations were outputted when using the Chinese Pinyin and Wubi IMEs, even if input mode was set to Chinese under the default IME settings. Thanks for your feedback.
  • We’ve fixed an issue where the character width of alphanumeric characters when using the Traditional Chinese Bopomofo IME would change from half width to full width unexpectedly in some input fields. Thanks for reporting it! If you feel this issue hasn’t been fully addressed in the new version of Bopomofo IME, please let us know your feedback.
  • We’ve fixed an issue where after successfully updating to a new build, the Windows Update Settings page may have shown the same build needed to be installed.
  • We’ve fixed an issue where Optional drivers were failing to install.

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’ve heard that Settings still isn’t available outside of launching via the URI (ms-settings:) for some Insiders and are investigating.
  • If you use remote desktop connection and the target PC is on this build, within about an hour (if not sooner), DWM may start crashing, and the session window will either go totally black, experience black flashes, or you may get signed out of the remote desktop session altogether. We appreciate your patience.
  • [ADDED] A small subset of Insiders are reporting the Settings app hangs or crashes when accessing the System or Ease of Access sections. We’ve identified the cause, which is related to display settings, and are working on a fix for a future flight. As a workaround, launch Settings and then search for the setting you’d like to adjust. Any display-related setting can’t be adjusted until a fix is made available. Thank you to the Insiders who reported this.

source: Windows Blogs

Oct 21

Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19002

Hi all,last Thursday Microsoft released Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19002 (20H1) to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring.

UPDATE 10/18: New update 20H1 Build 19002.1002, which includes a fix for the issue causing some devices to get stuck during shutdown or restart.

New experience connecting Bluetooth devices, a big improvement!

Watch out for Bluetooth devices not reconnecting correctly after closing the lid of your device, this is a know issue – turn off & on Bluetooth a workaround.

What’s new in Build 19002

Update on improving your Bluetooth Experience

With Build 18985 we announced we were working on improving our streamlined workflow for pairing your Bluetooth devices. We’re happy to share that this change is now rolling out to 100% of Insiders–thank you to those that have already tried it and shared feedback!

gif of our streamlined workflow for pairing your Bluetooth devices.

We also wanted to add two new peripherals to our supported device list:

General changes, improvements, and fixes for PC

  • We fixed an issue that could result in upgrades failing with error 0x8007042b.
  • We fixed an issue resulting in the acrylic effect in the Action Center only appearing after the Action Center opening animation had finished.
  • We fixed an issue where with multiple monitors and different DPIs, the File Explorer search box could become enlarged and offset.
  • We fixed an issue with the search indexer resulting in unexpected files being returned as search results when searching using French (France).
  • We fixed an issue for Japanese users where the user name in the Settings header wasn’t displayed in the correct order.
  • We fixed an issue resulting in clipboard history, WIN+(Period), and the touch keyboard displaying English text when being used with non-English display languages.
  • We fixed a rare condition that could result in devices not reconnecting after toggling Bluetooth off and back on.
  • We fixed an issue resulting in the VPN sometimes not automatically connecting after waking your device from sleep.
  • We fixed an issue that could result in the brightness getting stuck at 0 or 100% and requiring a reboot before it could be changed.
  • Text cursor indicator works better in more experiences (e.g. Word, Run dialog, Outlook) now.
  • The Magnifier centered text cursor option should now work correctly when switching Magnifier modes.
  • We fixed the mouse pointer visual when using the Magnifier docked mode.
  • We fixed a bug where Narrator was not saying the state of Scan mode when Edge was opened or closed.
  • We fixed a bug in Narrator where Narrator sometimes say password twice when focus was in a password edit field.
  • We fixed a bug in Narrator where scan mode was getting stuck in edit fields in Firefox.
  • We’ve made some general improvements and bug fixes for the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), please see the WSL release notes for details.
  • If you were one of the Insiders experiencing frequent explorer.exe crashes recently, please go to the Microsoft Store and check for Xbox game bar app updates (specifically version 3.34.4xx should have the fix). If you’re on this app version and still seeing explorer.exe crashes, please file feedback and we will investigate.
  • Just a heads up that we’re expanding the rollout of the Settings header to more Insiders, so it may now appear for you when it hadn’t before. As always, we welcome feedback about Settings – in the Feedback Hub you can share it under Desktop Environment > Settings.
  • [ADDED] For devices that were affected by the Dual Scan issue fixed in Build 18999, you will need to disable WSUS on the device or update from an ISO of Build 18999 or higher, which will be released in the coming weeks.

Known issues

  • fixed with .1002: We’re working on a fix for an issue that started with the previous flight where some devices are getting stuck during shutdown or restart and appreciate your patience. If you’re impacted by this issue, please see this forum post for workaround options.
  • There has been an issue with older versions of anti-cheat software used with games where after updating to the latest 19H1 Insider Preview builds may cause PCs to experience crashes. We are working with partners on getting their software updated with a fix, and most games have released patches to prevent PCs from experiencing this issue. To minimize the chance of running into this issue, please make sure you are running the latest version of your games before attempting to update the operating system. We are also working with anti-cheat and game developers to resolve similar issues that may arise with the 20H1 Insider Preview builds and will work to minimize the likelihood of these issues in the future.
  • We’re investigating an issue where initiating “Reset this PC” with the cloud download option isn’t working on this build or the previous one when started from Windows RE.
  • We’ve heard that Settings still isn’t available outside of launching via the URI (ms-settings:) for some Insiders and are investigating.
  • When using dark theme, the hardware keyboard text prediction candidate window is unreadable due to black text on a dark grey background.
  • When optional updates are available, Insiders with the Settings header may see the Windows Update indicator in a warning state, although the main page of Windows Update Settings shows that everything is up to date.
  • Bluetooth devices may not reconnect as expected after closing the device lid for certain devices. We’re working on a fix, but in the meantime, you can toggle Bluetooth off and back on in the Settings app or reboot the device and that should resolve the issue.

source: Windows Blogs