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McAfee has patched two high-severity bugs in its Agent component, one of which can allow attackers to achieve arbitrary code execution with SYSTEM privileges.
Posts tagged "Windows"
Windows 10 and 11 get a fix for search-breaking Outlook bug
Some Windows 10 and 11 users have been suffering at the hands of a strange Outlook bug which affects the search facility in the desktop email client, but a resolution has now been applied by Microsoft.
The bug affected those who installed the November 2021 preview cumulative update (KB5007253) or later (so that includes the December update, of course), and means that when searching in the Outlook app, recent emails may not be returned in a search when they should be.
Microsoft explains: “This issue is related to emails which have been stored locally in PST or OST files. It might affect POP and IMAP accounts, as well as Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft 365 hosted accounts. If the default search in the Outlook app is set to server search, the issue will only affect the advanced search.”
The problem can hit those using Windows 11 and Windows 10 21H2, or Windows 10 21H1, 20H2, or 1809 (and also Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2019).
As mentioned, the good news is that Microsoft has now cured the problem with a ‘Known Issue Rollback’ which is currently being delivered, although it may take up to 24 hours to arrive on any given PC (given the announcement was penned yesterday, at the time of writing, the fix should be deployed everywhere within the next eight hours or so).
Analysis: Automatic fix should be imminent
A 'Known Issue Rollback' just means Microsoft is applying a targeted fix for one specific bug in a cumulative update, rolling it back to how it was before. And at least consumers won’t have to worry about anything in order to fix this problem – the cure will just automatically apply itself to your PC. If you still haven’t got it within the next 8 hours – which you should do, as mentioned – then rebooting your PC may help to grab it (this is certainly worth a try).
As for enterprise PCs, that’s a different situation as you might expect, and those looking after these systems will need to go the route of installing a special Group Policy, with the software giant providing further details here.
- Best email services of 2022: paid and free providers
Via MS Power User
Windows 11 now lets you type with your voice
Windows 11 has a new preview build which extends voice control capabilities to allow typing on the virtual keyboard.
Voice access is a feature which was introduced in testing for Windows 11 in December 2021, allowing for a range of different voice controls including the ability to operate mouse clicks with your voice – so adding the same functionality for the touch keyboard in this new build 22538 makes sense.
The way it works is simple: open the virtual keyboard with a command, and each key has a number on it. To press a key, you simply say “click 27” if you want number 27 (which is the letter ‘s’), for example. You can also easily access numbers, punctuation or emoji.
Microsoft further notes that it's starting to roll out the ability to download Speech Packs (from the Microsoft Store) for “device-based speech recognition that provides a better performance of transcription.”
Also present in this fresh preview release for the Dev Channel is some useful work with Alt-Tabbing and the Task View (the focus rectangle highlighting what’s selected now uses your chosen accent color), and a bunch of other minor changes and bug fixes as ever, all of which are listed in Microsoft’s blog post.
Analysis: Making Dragon a more fiery beast
As we’ve pointed out before, the Windows 11 voice access features are pretty much all drafted across from Nuance’s Dragon speech recognition app (Microsoft bought Nuance last year).
What’s interesting with the on-screen touch keyboard controls brought in with this preview build is that this is a new endeavor not seen in Dragon (at least, not in the version we use – namely Dragon Professional 15, which is the latest release). There are some ways of using your voice to control keys in Dragon 15, but they’re limited (to the likes of function keys, Tab and backspace).
We can expect Microsoft to further build on voice access as Windows 11 matures, and we’re keen to know what comes next. Further honing dictation accuracy – which is already admittedly good – would be great to see.
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Microsoft is making another big change to Windows 11
It appears Microsoft is making a big change to one of Windows 11’s most useful features, with a redesigned Task Manager appearing in a new preview build.
Preview builds of Windows 11 are made available to select users who have signed up to be ‘Windows Insiders’. They can check out new and upcoming features, while pointing out any issues or bugs, giving Microsoft a good idea of the kind of reception the new feature will get, while also having any problems pointed out and fixed, before it gets rolled out to all Windows 11 users.
As Windows Central reports, the latest build, 22538, comes with a tweaked Task Manager with a new design that’s more in keeping with the rest of Windows 11’s look. Not only does it now look more like it belongs in Windows 11, the tabs for switching between views are no longer at the top of the app. Instead, they run down the left-hand side as a menu, much like most modern Windows 11 apps.
Microsoft hasn’t mentioned any tweaks to the Task Manager, and it appears that the version in build 22538 is extremely early, as it’s not fully functional. If you rely on Task Manager, as many of us do (it’s a handy tool for closing unresponsive programs or checking how your system is running), then give Windows 11 build 22538 a miss for now.
Still, it gives us an idea of what Microsoft is planning for the iconic Task Manager.
Analysis: tweak carefully
We’re always pleased to hear that Microsoft is working on improving its legacy apps and bringing them in line with Windows 11. Many of the apps that come with Windows 11, such as Paint, have appearing in various versions of Windows for decades now, so many of them are well overdue a facelift, while also getting added features to make them more useful.
Task Manager is one such tool. It’s been a staple of Windows releases since Windows NT 4.0 back in 1996, and it’s one of the most useful tools included in the operating system. When you press Ctrl + Shift + Esc, Task Manager will appear and show all the apps, services and processes that are currently running on your PC.
If your PC is running slowly, checking Task Manager is a good way to see if there’s a particular app that’s causing issues. Also, if an app crashes and becomes unresponsive, opening up Task Manager allows you to close it.
It’s packed with handy features, many which haven’t changed in years, and while Microsoft’s moves to make it fit in more with Windows 11’s overall look is to be welcomed, we’d also urge caution. When tweaking such a useful legacy app, Microsoft needs to be careful not to drop handy features or simply the app too much – as it could frustrate users who have come to depend on Task Manager.
Microsoft does need to ensure that the look and feel of Windows 11 remains consistent over both new apps and older ones as well, but it also needs to make sure that doesn’t come at the cost of usability.
Hopefully, we’ll get a clearer idea of what Microsoft is planning to do with Task manager in Windows 11 in upcoming Insider builds.
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Google Play Games beta arrives for some Windows 11 users – here’s how to access it
Back in December, it was revealed that Google had plans to bring Android games to Windows 11 and Windows 10 systems in 2022. The company is ready to show more of its hand, with a small beta release of the Google Play Games service.
This means that eager gamers in Hong Kong, South Korea, and Taiwan have the chance to sign up and play their favorite Android games on Windows.
It's a move that sees Google competing directly with the Windows ecosystem for the Android component of Windows 11 that, in conjunction with the Amazon Appstore, gives users of the latest version of Windows the opportunity to install Android apps and games.
Google has developed a unique app that can be used to access a growing catalog of games, which includes Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Summoners War, State of Survival: The Joker Collaboration, and Three Kingdoms Tactics. Although the app has not officially launched just yet, there is a beta program underway that can be used to get early access to it.
Cross platform gaming on Windows
With the app installed on a Windows PC, gamers will be able to play the cream of the gaming crop across mobile, tablet, Chromebook, and Windows PC devices – complete with the benefit of playing with a mouse and keyboard.
While sign-ups for Google Play Games beta are now open, they are only open to people in Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, so if you have accounts based in these countries, you're in luck. Otherwise, you may have to wait.
There's more information available here – otherwise, you'll just have to wait until Google launches Google Play Games to PC users worldwide.
As the company has confirmed that more countries having access will be announced soon, we suspect a bigger announcement of the service will come at this year's Google I/O, where Android 13 will most likely be announced.
Google has shared a video, showcasing what you can expect from Google Play Games:
While Google does promise that it “will have more to share on future beta releases and regional availability soon”, it's an intriguing stance from the company in avoiding the Microsoft Store completely, and it may lead to more categories from the Google Play Store, arriving on Windows 11 soon after.
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WhatsApp for Windows 11 is getting a new look
Last year we saw many new features come to Meta’s WhatsApp messaging service, and now a recent update to the Windows version looks to make it similar to recently refreshed apps in Windows 11.
The new update of the beta version that’s been available on the Microsoft Store for Windows 10 and Windows 11 since November showcases an updated design that’s more in line with the refreshed apps we’ve seen from Microsoft, such as Paint and Windows Media Player.
Besides the Windows 11-inspired design, there’s integration with the new Action Center where you can manage your messages, alongside the rest of your notifications for other apps on your PC.
Whether you decide to use WhatsApp on your laptop or tablet device, it’s a useful alternative for when you’re working in a coffee shop and you need to quickly reply to a WhatsApp message, without taking your smartphone out of your pocket.
Analysis: an easier alternative to WhatsApp Web
UWP (Universal Windows Platform) apps can use design standards that Microsoft has set, such as the appearance and layout, to match the overall look of Windows 11. Microsoft has done this with some of its older apps and features, such as Focus Assist and Clock.
Previously, WhatsApp on the desktop has been using an appearance that’s been mirroring the design of Windows 10. But with this new update, everything looks like it matches other refreshed Windows 11 apps.
It’s another push by WhatsApp to help its users access the app for difficult situations that require it. There are going to be moments where you’ll be on a train with your laptop open for example, and your phone has run out of charge. Thanks to the multi-device feature in testing where you can manage your messages without your phone being connected, you’ll be able to use the desktop app on its own with no issue.
It solves a potential problem, but it also makes the desktop app ready for launch later this year with the updated look for Windows 11, especially with Sun Valley 2 coming.
However, it remains to be seen if a majority of users will be comfortable in using WhatsApp on their PCs, instead of primarily using their phone or a web browser.
- Our picks of the best laptops in 2022 so far
Via Windows Latest
Microsoft is fixing this unloved Windows 11 feature
If you’re using Windows 11, you may have briefly checked out the Widgets panel – before promptly forgetting all about it – but it looks like Microsoft is finally going to make it more useful.
The Widgets panel is a new feature introduced in Windows 11 that can give you details about the weather, news, traffic and more via ‘widgets’ – essentially small apps that give you at-a-glance information. You can bring up the Widgets panel by either swiping from the left-hand side of the screen, or pressing Windows + W on your keyboard.
While this might sound useful, the problem is that there aren’t many widgets available, and most of them are tied to Microsoft services (such as Outlook or OneDrive), making them pretty much useless if you don’t use those services. The fact that the Widgets panel is hidden away doesn’t help either, and it’s led to the feature being all to easy to ignore and forget about.
Microsoft needs to act to make sure the Widgets panel doesn’t go the way of other unloved Windows features, such as the notorious ‘Metro’ Start screen of Windows 8. The good news is that Microsoft appears to be looking at ways to improve Widgets.
Third party support
As Windows Central reports, a developer has posted on Twitter claiming that Microsoft will soon announce that it will allow third party Widgets in Windows 11. This should allow for a much more diverse, and potentially useful, selection of Widgets.
According to the developer, FireCube, Microsoft is talking to third parties, explaining that they will soon be able to submit widgets through the Microsoft Store – in the same way Windows apps are submitted.
Information about third party widgets, publishing widgets and more. Looks like Microsoft is soon going to announce third party widgets officially.#Windows11 pic.twitter.com/ASRD98IMI6January 16, 2022
Hopefully this means we should see an influx of new, more useful Widgets coming to Windows 11. With the documentation apparently being shared with developers, it looks like Microsoft could be getting ready to officially announce third party widgets soon.
Will it be too late for Windows 11 widgets? Perhaps – some people will have already made their minds up about the feature. However, if Microsoft can convince some big names to make widgets for Windows 11, then perhaps users can be convinced to give them another chance.
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Microsoft pushes out emergency fix for Windows Server mess
Microsoft is addressing the problems caused by the January 2021 Patch Tuesday updates – with more updates.
The company has issued an emergency out-of-band (OOB) update to address bugs that forced domain controllers to reboot endlessly, broke Hyper-V, and rendered ReFS volumes inaccessible while showing them as RAW file systems.
“This update addresses issues related to VPN connectivity, Windows Server Domain Controllers restarting, Virtual Machines start failures, and ReFS-formatted removable media failing to mount,” Microsoft explained in the update catalog.
Patches breaking things
All of the patches, issued for different versions of the Windows OS, can be found in the Microsoft Update Catalog. Some can also be obtained through Windows Update, but being labeled as optional, Windows admins need to manually check for updates if they want to take this route.
The updates listed below, however, can only be obtained through the Update Catalog:
Issuing patches for Windows has been nothing short of a roller coaster recently. Earlier in January 201, a patch issued for Windows 10 and Windows 11 broke the software’s built-in VPN tool, preventing it from establishing a connection.
The only way to rid the system of the bug is to uninstall the patch altogether, which also meant exposing the systems to known vulnerability issues. One such issue was recently found (and fixed in that same patch) in the HTTP Protocol Stack. The flaw allows a malicious actor to execute arbitrary code, remotely, without much user interaction.
There’s yet no malware abusing this flaw out there, but being extremely dangerous, it’s only a matter of time before one is discovered. To protect vulnerable devices, disabling the HTTP Trailer Support feature will suffice.
Windows admins will need to carefully weigh the benefits and the downsides of installing, as well as uninstalling, these patches, until Microsoft sorts all of the problems that have piled up in recent times.
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Via: BleepingComputer
Classic File Manager from 1990 gets remade for Windows 11
The first iteration of managing your files and folders has been remade and released for Windows 10 and Windows 11 users, giving you a useful alternative to Windows Explorer.
File Manager first appeared back in 1990 with Windows 3.0, where it was the only way to add, delete and manage your files and folders. But following the appearance of a graphical user interface and Windows Explorer with Windows 95, it was eventually retired in 1999.
But there were some users who loved the control that File Manager gave them, and that control is something that’s seemingly missing or hidden with Windows 11 in Explorer.
With File Manager, almost every feature was discoverable either through an icon at the top of the window, or when you right-clicked a folder, but in Windows 11 currently, some features, such as Command Prompt and ‘Copy’, are displayed through a right-click menu or in an Options menu at the top of the Explorer window.
Thanks to the source code having been released back in 2018, this rewritten version has been headed up by Microsoft Azure Architect Craig Wittenberg, you can drag and drop files into the app, alongside a search function, and much more. You can download it from GitHub or directly from the Microsoft Store to use on your PC to manage your files like it’s 1990 all over again.
Analysis: what’s old is useful again
Using File Manager in 2022 through Windows 11 is, to pardon a phrase, like stepping through a window to 1990. While the appearance of this File Manager may be overwhelming to some users, who may be used to a more elegant appearance for a user interface, the features it offers are very helpful.
Whereas in recent years with Windows Explorer, you’d have to go to the Taskbar or a different app to reach some of the features that exist in a right-click menu in File Manager, such as ‘Run’, ‘Move’ or ‘Go to ‘Directory’. Every function is accessible in a few clicks, and thanks to the tree layout of your files and folders, you gain a better overview of where your content is, alongside how you can manage these files across multiple hard drives for example.
But it also shows how far interfaces and methods in computing have evolved in 30 years. It would be unimaginable now to start up Microsoft Edge through a command line, for instance, or use physical media such as Floppy Disks to play God of War in 8K.
Looking at Explorer in Windows 11, there’s plenty that could be influenced by File Manager. The inclusion of different view options to more clearly display folders and what they contain, alongside the facility to browse multiple windows in one Explorer window rather than separate ones, would be much more useful than what we have now.
With the next major update of Windows 11, Sun Valley 2 on its way, there’s always a chance that we could see further improvements to Windows Explorer that takes everything about what File Manager still does so well, and repackages it for a 2022 audience.
- Our picks of the best laptops in 2022 so far
Windows 11’s best app is getting even better
Microsoft is working on making the best app in Windows 11, Your Phone, even better in an upcoming update to the operating system.
The Your Phone app connects to your smartphone, allowing you to send and receive messages, access photos, drag and drop files and make and receive phone calls, all through Windows 11. Since its arrival in Windows 10, Your Phone has proved to be an incredibly useful app, especially if you have a Samsung smartphone, as Microsoft and Samsung teamed up to bring some exclusive features to the handsets.
When Your Phone came to Windows 11, Microsoft updated the interface to better fit in with its new operating system, while also making it less cluttered and easier to use.
However, as Windows Latest reports, Microsoft has made changes to how phone calls are handled and displayed in the app, with the changes showing up in an early version (Windows 11 Build 22533).
When making a call through the Your Phone app, the window that appears now has new icons and fonts that makes it fit in with Windows 11, while also giving you options that you’re used to seeing on your smartphone when making a call.
You’ll need to connect your smartphone to your PC via Bluetooth, which happens during the initial setup of the Your Phone app, then use your computer’s microphone and speakers for the call. Obviously, your PC will need those as well – the best webcams come with great built-in microphones these days, and we’ve also listed the best computer speakers as well.
Analysis: Work continues
As we had hoped, the launch of Windows 11 wasn’t the end of Microsoft’s work on the new operating system. Instead, the company has been adding new features and fixing bugs since Windows 11 launched last year.
While there is a danger that this makes Windows 11 feel a bit like a work in progress, it also means that if you’re patient, you should end up with an even better operating system. Hopefully the improved Your Phone app comes to all users of Windows 11 soon.
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