Windows 11 Support Thread

It’s time to say goodbye to the Windows Control Panel - Digital Trends​

1724388994308.png

The newer Windows Settings app has been slowly stealing features from the legacy Control Panel for years, and now Microsoft has finally said the obvious out loud — “the Control Panel is in the process of being deprecated in favor of the Settings app.”

First spotted by Neowin, a new Microsoft support page has appeared covering the various system configuration tools in Windows 10 and 11.

Not only does this page refer to Settings as “the main application to customize and manage Windows settings,” but it also explicitly states that the Control Panel is being deprecated. It doesn’t mention any kind of date or timeline, however, which likely means the Control Panel’s death will continue to be as slow as it has been up to now.

The Control Panel first appeared in Windows 1.0 so it’s about as legacy as it gets. The Settings app, on the other hand, appeared in 2012 and was introduced with a bare-bones set of features intended to make the most important settings more accessible to touchscreen users, as well as more intuitive to navigate.

Over the years, more and more advanced settings have migrated over to the Settings app, making Microsoft’s intentions pretty clear, even if it never made anything official until now.

For most people, there isn’t really a downside to the transition — as long as every settings option still exists, it doesn’t matter much where they are.

There are some people who don’t like the idea, but Microsoft is under a lot of pressure to modernize and there’s no true benefit to keeping this legacy feature around. There are lots of legacy aspects of Windows 11 hidden just under the surface, but Control Panel might be the most used one.

Since the process has been ongoing for so long already, however, there’s plenty of skepticism over whether Microsoft will actually go through with it or whether this official acknowledgment will actually affect the timeline at all.
Click to expand...

www.digitaltrends.com

It’s time to say goodbye to the Windows Control Panel

Microsoft has kept its mouth shut for years as the Control Panel has slowly been replaced by the Settings app -- but now its deprecation is official.
www.digitaltrends.com www.digitaltrends.com
 

Here's the Easiest Way to Reinstall Windows 11 and Fix Problems - muo​

1724392688647.png

There are already ways to perform a clean install of Windows, but what if you just want to fix problems without the hassle of starting over? That's when Windows 11's new recovery tool comes in handy. We'll show you how to use it.

www.makeuseof.com

Here's the Easiest Way to Reinstall Windows 11 and Fix Problems

You don't need to start from scratch if you reinstall Windows 11 using this method.
www.makeuseof.com www.makeuseof.com
 
Hey Mr Gates how about you sending me a new Surface Pro 11 so I can transition as you suggest and start using Windows 11 :ROFL:

3rR5Nrf.jpeg
 

Latest Windows 11 update cripples PCs. Here’s what to do if you’re affected - PC World​

This cumulative update for Windows 11 can slow down PCs so badly that they become unusable.

1724647202904.png

Last week, Microsoft released the KB5041585 cumulative update for Windows that packed together a bunch of improvements and security patches along with fixing the BitLocker BSOD issue.

But in what appears to be a trend this year, this Windows update comes with some serious side effects.

According to IT blog Borncity (German), patch KB5041585 can cause Windows 11 PCs to crawl to a halt due to skyrocketing CPU usage. And according to Windows Latest, the patch can even fail to install altogether on some PCs. Complaints from affected users can be found across social media, such as in this Reddit thread.

Windows Latest quotes several affected users, including this one:

“This problem started as soon as the updates installed this morning. Any slightly heavy applications, such as Adobe Photoshop or Audition, or games like Diablo and World of Warcraft keep crashing, and this is the only change this PC has experienced since last month’s updates. Dialog box says ‘XXX program is using too much memory and must shut down’ even though Task Manager says I am only using 18% and there’s over 900GB free space on the drive. This has never been a problem until today.”
Click to expand...
Windows Latest continues: “KB5041585 has also led to high CPU usage, with some users reporting that their CPU is constantly at 100%, causing everything to run slowly and leading to frequent timeouts.”

Here is the article link, which includes the workaround for the issue:

www.pcworld.com

Latest Windows 11 update cripples PCs. What to do if you're affected

This cumulative update for Windows 11 can slow down PCs so badly that they become unusable.
www.pcworld.com www.pcworld.com
 

Windows 11 2024 Update review: A focus on quality and performance, despite Windows Recall controversy - Windows Central​

Platform improvements, general quality of life updates, new AI features, and more headline 2024's annual Windows 11 feature update.

1724647611293.png

The Windows 11 2024 Update is packed with OS improvements and new features across the board, with special attention given to those running an ARM-based device this time around.

Pros​

  • File Explorer improvements are welcome
  • Better performance on ARM-based devices
  • Windows Recall is genuinely useful
  • Lots of quality of life improvements
  • Phone Link integration throughout the OS is nice

Cons​

  • Windows Copilot is worse now?
  • Copilot+ PC features are a mixed-bag
  • New built-in email and calendar app sucks
  • Dark mode STILL inconsistent
Microsoft is back with its annual Windows 11 feature update, this time focusing on the underlying platform and surface-level quality-of-life improvements and updates. Version 24H2 (also known as the 2024 Update) includes everything from better performance to UX changes designed to make Windows 11 easier to use.

Full review at the link below:

www.windowscentral.com

Windows 11 2024 Update review: A focus on quality and performance, despite Windows Recall controversy

Platform improvements, general quality of life updates, new AI features, and more headline 2024's annual Windows 11 feature update.
www.windowscentral.com www.windowscentral.com
 
Last edited:

Microsoft confirms that Windows 11 Recall AI is not optional — a glitch made it appear so in the Windows 11 24H2 KB5041865 update - Tom's Hardware​

Windows senior product manager Brandon LeBlanc says, "This will be fixed in an upcoming update."

1725368423245.png

Early this morning, Microsoft confirmed in a statement to The Verge that last week’s Windows 11 24H2 update, KB5041865, had not added the ability to uninstall Recall in the “Turn Windows features on or off” dialog and that its addition to that menu was a bug that will soon be fixed.

It should be noted that this bugged option to uninstall Recall was also added before Recall itself, so it had no actual functionality besides (seemingly) being a way to opt out ahead of time. Once shipped, Recall will also be something Windows users can disable but not entirely remove.

For those still holding out hope that Recall may be utterly removable once it’s added, Microsoft’s comments may discourage. However, past regulations have forced it to compromise on this question before it could uninstall Microsoft Edge in European Economic Area (EEA) countries.

And, of course, the backlash to Recall and its security concerns contributed to Recall’s rollout being delayed in the first place, which may also encourage Microsoft to allow its complete removal once released.

Microsoft’s comments indicate that Recall will roll out to Copilot+ enabled PCs starting next month for Windows Insiders, as planned. However, if it can’t be genuinely uninstalled instead of just disabled, one could see how Copilot+ devices could become blacklisted in specific corporate or government environments.
Click to expand...

www.tomshardware.com

Microsoft confirms that Windows 11 Recall AI is not optional — a glitch made it appear so in the Windows 11 24H2 KB5041865 update

Windows senior product manager Brandon LeBlanc says, "This will be fixed in an upcoming update."
www.tomshardware.com www.tomshardware.com
 
Ivan Leon said:

Microsoft confirms that Windows 11 Recall AI is not optional — a glitch made it appear so in the Windows 11 24H2 KB5041865 update - Tom's Hardware​

Windows senior product manager Brandon LeBlanc says, "This will be fixed in an upcoming update."

View attachment 1755081



www.tomshardware.com

Microsoft confirms that Windows 11 Recall AI is not optional — a glitch made it appear so in the Windows 11 24H2 KB5041865 update

Windows senior product manager Brandon LeBlanc says, "This will be fixed in an upcoming update."
www.tomshardware.com www.tomshardware.com
Click to expand...
Silly decision from MS. Can't see how there won't be privacy-type lawsuits.
 
I have noticed that an increasing amount of laptops from different manufacturers are setting the default action of the function keys (F1 to F12) on the top row of their keyboards to operate all of the laptop adjustment settings (like mute, volume, brightness, airplane mode, single or dual screen toggle, sleep mode, etc), meaning you have to press the 'Fn' key to operate them as function keys - instead of the other way around with the function keys being the default option.

This makes using MS Office apps a chore for users, as you then have to press the Fn key in conjunction with the keyboard shortcuts utilised in MS Office to use them - such as Fn+F1 for Help, or Fn+F7 for Spell Check, or Fn+F12 for Save As, or Ctrl+Fn+F1 to toggle hiding or revealing the ribbons.

As I train all of the MS Office apps (except Access) for corporate clients, I have to either show the delegates how to use the Fn key properly when using the function key shortcuts - which somehow seems to confuse many of them - or ask them to hold the Fn key & the ESC key for a few seconds to toggle the functionality of the top row to have the F1 to F12 keys working as the default, and then press Fn & the laptop functions if they need to make adjustments to their laptop settings (although this doesn't work for all laptop manufacturers).

The same goes for the cursor arrow keys as well - some laptops also use them for Home, End, PgUp & Pg Dn as well - instead of having separate dedicated keys like a desktop PC keyboard - so they have to press Fn+ an arrow key to navigate within their open file - like Fn+Home to move to Column A of a row in Excel (or to the left margin of a line of text in Word) - or Ctrl+Fn+left arrow for Home, Ctrl+Fn+right arrow for End, or Fn+up arrow for PgUp & Fn+down arrow for PgDn.

It's as if laptop manufacturers DON'T want their users to use any keyboard shortcuts for MS Office - or any other app as well... and rely solely on the mouse or touchpad to interact with the ribbon menus for any user navigation or interaction functionality.

1726799772119.png




1726799225903.png

 
Dimpie (COMPUTEK) said:
^ +1 it sucks
Click to expand...
Yup - with my old Lenovo i3 5th Gen laptop, the only way I could permanently toggle them with 'Fn Lock' was to go into the BIOS and enable a setting there - but then that reversed the primary functions for PrtScn, Scroll Lock & Pause/Break on those keys as well.

With my new Lenovo i5 (12th Gen) laptop, I could toggle the 'Fn Lock' feature by holding down Fn+ESC until the 'Fn Lock' light on the ESC key was illuminated - but my old laptop had Home, End, PgUp & PgDn above the numeric keypad - whereas my new one has 4 keys for multimedia (Play, Pause/Stop. Previous Track & Next Track) and the 4 cursor keys had dual 'Fn key' functions for PgDn, PgUp, Home & End on them - so I used the Keyboard Manager feature in PowerToys to redefine them & swap them over... ;)
 
Here's an opportunity to upgrade your Windows 11 PC or laptop to a non-subscription version of MS Office 2024...

Microsoft has released a new version of Office that doesn't require a subscription - XDA​

1726912158883.png

Not everyone wants an app that updates itself with new features and tweaks. In fact, some people prefer that their system doesn't have an internet connection in the first place.

This goes double for businesses, who may be dealing with sensitive issues and don't want the risk of hackers or dodgy updates ruining their day.

If you're in this camp, Microsoft has some good news: it's making a new "time-locked" version of Office's Long Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) for 2024.

The company ran through its plans on the Tech Community page. If this is the first time you've heard of Office LTSC, it's a special package that gives you all the features that Microsoft has added to Office up until the current year.

Once it's installed, it will not change or update; it doesn't even require an internet connection to run.

This is a fantastic way for sensitive businesses such as hospitals to use Microsoft's Office tools without worrying about a new update breaking everything or a malicious actor using the internet connection to steal data.

In the article, Microsoft does put up a good fight for businesses to use Microsoft 365.

For instance, it advertises Microsoft 365's Copilot feature to "unlock the transformative power of AI" and states that you can go offline with 365 for up to six months before you log in again.

If a business is adamant about using Office LTSC, they won't have to wait long.

Microsoft states that "commercial and government volume-licensed customers" can grab it right now, and Office LTSC 2024 will become "generally available to all customers" on October 1st.

Businesses using Office LTSC 2024 can get five years of security and general support under the Fixed Lifecycle Policy.

For consumers, Microsoft says that it'll share more info on grabbing a subscription-less version of Office 2024 "in the coming weeks."

And if you can't wait that long, you can try Office 2024 right now.
Click to expand...

https://www.xda-developers.com/microsoft-releases-ltsc-2024
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X