Windows

Microsoft has found an all new level of efficiency in its August 4th Windows 11 test build: Updating your computer’s IP address by typing “ipconfig /renew” into Windows command line is faster. New asynchronous error handling drops response time from 4.1 seconds to just .1 seconds, “depending on system and network conditions.”

Ah, 2003. We had JNCOs, we were all friends with Tom, and we hated PowerPoint. But some said it was evil. Others, “the end of reason.” The Atlantic recently published a delightful story about the outsized hatred people had for PowerPoint as it reached critical user mass.

Back in April, we offered directions on how to install and navigate Google’s beta version of its Nearby Share app, which lets you share files between your Android phone and your Windows PC. Well, it’s now out of beta, and so we’ve updated our how-to article on, well, how to use it.

Microsoft is making the AI-powered assistant available to Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel, where they can ask it to do things like take a screenshot or summarize a website in Edge.

The operating system can already alert you if you’re typing a reused or insecure password into a brand-new password field — but you can now enable it for copy/paste too in the Insider Preview.

Similar to the Windows 11 emoji update that’s now in testing, Microsoft originally promised this update to the Paint app a couple of years ago. After rolling it out to more limited test groups in June, Microsoft just announced that dark mode for Paint in Windows 11 is now rolling out to Windows Insiders in the beta channel.

The password manager, 1Password, is now available on the Microsoft Store. While you could previously download the app for Windows from the 1Password website, this means more people can find it from Microsoft’s marketplace.

The latest Windows 11 Insider Preview build (25905) will make it easier to sync the more than decade-old media device that was the brown alternative to the popular shiny white iPod. Zune had a cult following and most recently scored a posthumous product placement in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy movies.

Proton has finally launched its Drive app for Windows, allowing you to access all your stored images, videos, and other files from your desktop. The privacy-focused company also offers Drive apps for iOS, Android, macOS, and on the web.

Windows Central shows you how to get the Threads app installed using Windows Subsystem for Android, a feature that allows you to install and use Android apps on your Windows 11 machine.

A new version of Windows 365, designed for frontline workers and shift work, is now generally available. These flexible cloud PCs will soon be integrated into Windows 365 Boot on Windows 11 so businesses can boot straight into cloud-powered virtual PCs instead of a local install. Windows 365 Frontline will also automatically power on soon prior to the start of someone’s shift, speeding up the logon process.

In the release notes of Firefox 115, developers note that Windows 7 and Windows 8, as well as macOS 10.12, 10.13, and 10.14, are all being moved to an extended support release version so they can continue to receive security updates.

Windows 11 is losing those apps starting in 2024, the company announced yesterday (via XDA Developers).

And it’s probably intentional: the XP wallpaper photo was taken in Sonoma, California. The new MacOS name? MacOS Sonoma.

Many people (including yours truly) are having problems with Chromium browsers and other apps flickering after installing the 535.98 driver released May 30th.

Microsoft announced the Intelligent Recap feature for Microsoft Teams Premium back in October last year, and now it’s available in the US (EU gets it in August).