The most popular operating system in the world, Microsoft’s Windows is the software that powers hundreds of millions of PCs. Introduced back in November 1985, Windows has changed and evolved over time to grow as gaming, design, development, and productivity needs have shifted. Whether XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10, or, most recently, Windows 11, Microsoft’s OS is one of the most important pieces of software ever made.
The Windows build of the Arc browser finally supports Arm64 processors. I’ve gotten so used to Arc that I really felt its absence on the Surface Pro. But no longer! Now all I have to do is reinstall twenty extensions and I’m back in business. (Tab and bookmark syncing work fine; extension sync doesn’t seem to.)
[Arc Help Center]
The official Pixel Buds web app is now available for Windows (version 11) and macOS (running Sonoma 14 or newer) allowing more desktop users to manage firmware updates, battery levels, and specific controls like ANC and multipoint connectivity.
Prior to this update, Pixel Buds users needed a Chromebook or Android phone to access advanced features.
[support.google.com]
Following a test in June, Microsoft will now let you send files to your linked Android phone from the Share menu in Windows 11. The update will roll out gradually to users starting today.
Today I learned there’s a really neat Windows app called Twinkle Tray that lets you easily manage the brightness levels of multiple monitors. Useful for the winter nights when you want to adjust brightness levels easily, and the app even integrates neatly into the Windows 11 system tray.
Microsoft has admitted that its August security update has ruined some dual-boot Linux devices. The security patch wasn’t supposed to hit dual-boot Linux / Windows machines, but Microsoft admits “on some devices, the dual-boot detection did not detect some customized methods of dual-booting.” Workarounds include disabling Secure Boot and deleting Microsoft’s update while the company investigates the issue.
[MicrosoftLearn]
Microsoft has been working on moving Control Panel features to its Settings UI in Windows for more than 10 years, but a new support note has got some speculating the Control Panel might finally be removed soon. “The Control Panel is in the process of being deprecated in favor of the Settings app,” says Microsoft. It’s not news that Control Panel is being replaced, but Microsoft still hasn’t answered when that will actually happen.
Stardock’s excellent Start11 app is making its way to Windows on Arm PCs this week. Version 2.1 brings native ARM64 support for customizing the Windows 11 Start menu to exactly how you want it to look and feel. Start11’s update comes just weeks after Microsoft launched its Qualcomm-powered Copilot PCs, and ahead of the busy back to school season for laptops.
Microsoft is adding a toggle to let you only enable HDR on your monitor when you’re streaming video from services like Netflix or YouTube on Windows 11. It’s a nice change that will mean you don’t have to have HDR enabled all the time and run into issues sharing your screen with others in apps or taking washed out screenshots.
APU, audio, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth drivers are now available, according to Valve. Just note that the audio driver is only for audio over headphones or Bluetooth — speaker drivers are coming later.
Personally, I’m still waiting for Valve to release the long-promised ability to dual-boot Windows.
5
Verge Score
This Snapdragon-powered laptop is a productivity machine, but unless work foots the bill, you can do better.
CrowdStrike blamed testing software for taking down 8.5 million Windows machines last month, but now a full root cause analysis offers more details. The main issue was a mismatch between the input fields expected by CrowdStrike’s Falcon driver and the ones supplied in a content update. CrowdStrike is now promising to better test updates and is using two independent third-party software security vendors to review its sensor code and release processes.
[crowdstrike.com]
As we started testing Windows 11 on Arm with new Copilot Plus PCs, we noticed issues with the performance of Adobe Premiere Pro. Adobe blocked the x86 software from Snapdragon X Elite laptops before their public launch, but now Windows Central says it’s available under emulation, and is “good enough for a basic video project,” while a planned Arm-native version is still in development.
