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We’ve arrived at the last weekend of the month and it’s time again to discuss everything that’s important in the world of Microsoft over the past few days. Catch-up items this time cover a slew of hidden features in Windows 11 Insider builds, some cybersecurity news, and then some discussion of ads infecting Microsoft products. Read more in our weekly recap for August 20 – August 26!
Hidden Windows 11 Features
Even though Windows 11 Dev Channel build 25182 was rolled out last week – coupled with a maintenance update in this one – people have continued to discover new features and hidden configurations in recent days. One involves making the taskbar load faster by enabling a hidden setting that causes the taskbar to launch parallel to the Immersive Shell and the total time it takes for the operating system to load the UI element and other icons, shortened.
Other features were discovered in build 25188 which was also made available to the Dev Channel this week. The highlights of this release included Windows Terminal as the default terminal in Windows 11, migration of legacy settings, and updated touch keyboard configurations.
However, there is more to building 25188 than meets the eye. Some eagle-eyed users quickly discovered a hidden configuration that allows for some useful animations in the settings icons. There were also indications that Microsoft is working more on the security of the operating system, as it included an updated driver for Microsoft Security Core Boot (msseccore.sys).
Another hidden capability was the ability to export live kernel dumps directly from the Task Manager. This can be very useful for tech-savvy people who want to do an instant analysis to investigate a problem they encounter. In addition, hints of Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) version 3.2 were also seen in a DLL file. It is unclear what the update would bring and when it would arrive.
That said, it’s not Dev Channel that got all the love this week. In fact, the beta channel delivered build 22621.586 and build 22622.586 with improvements for DWM and file explorer. Similarly, Release Preview received build 22621.382 (KB5016632) with the use of certain resources, SMB compression, and more.
A new report also emerged, claiming that build 22621.382 rolled out earlier this month will be released as Windows 11 version 22H2 later this year. There is also evidence that Microsoft will publicly call it “Windows 11 2022 Update.”
Then there were other relatively minor updates spread over the week. KB5016690 was made available to fix a 0x1E shutdown error in Windows 10 and KB5016688 fixed that and other issues related to game installs, IE mode, and more. An optional update was also released in the form of KB5016691, which included improvements to USB printing and Bluetooth audio. Meanwhile, those on Windows 10 experiencing audio issues should check out some workarounds here.
MFA exploits
In the cybersecurity field, we learned that hackers try to abuse Microsoft’s multi-factor authentication (MFA) mechanisms by using a certain configuration. If an account is configured but the associated user has not immediately signed up for MFA, an attacker could potentially take advantage of this delay and log into your account and configure MFA to use their device instead. The caveat, of course, is that an attacker must first perform a brute-force attack or otherwise steal your credentials.
Speaking of authentication mechanisms, IT admins should know that Microsoft will be deprecating the Basic Authentication protocols in Exchange Online in a few weeks and migrating completely to Modern Authentication (OAuth 2.0). Prior to this configuration change, Google published an advisory recommending IT administrators use the same protocol when using Google Calendar interoperability. This advice applies to organizations that use the tool to share and sync schedules between Google Calendar and Exchange Online.
Meanwhile, Microsoft Defender managed to score full points in AV-TEST’s latest ranking, which compared a variety of antivirus solutions in both business and consumer scenarios. If this sort of thing interests you, read all the details here.
Advertisement Contamination
In some bad news for some who use Outlook, Microsoft this week confirmed that it has started showing more ads in the Android and iOS app to non-paying customers. People without Microsoft 365 subscriptions can avoid ads to some extent by using Focused Inbox only for important emails, but ads will still show in the “Other” section of the app.
In related news, Microsoft has also started testing ads in the Microsoft Store. Developers can now register to participate in this initiative by filling out a form. The way ads are displayed is similar to other digital storefronts. For example, if you search for an app, you may see ads for other apps on the side with the “Ad” badge displayed.
When it comes to other Microsoft apps and services, Whiteboard will soon receive a slew of new features. This includes embedded online video support, timer, attribution, comments, and more. Likewise, Teams has delivered a number of new features for teachers and students. This includes a new experience called “Reflect” and a redesigned home page. Finally, frontline workers using Kaizala from Microsoft should know that the messaging service will be discontinued after a year in favor of Teams.
Well done
We’ll start this section with some updates regarding Microsoft’s ongoing acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Saudi Arabia is the first country to approve the deal. There’s still a long way to go, though, as any country where Microsoft plans to officially sell Activision Blizzard titles will need to approve the acquisition. That said, Microsoft’s Gaming CEO Phil Spencer is quite optimistic that the deal will go through.
This week, Sony announced that it is raising the price of the PlayStation in every region except the US. In Europe there will be a significant increase of €50. Sony says the reasoning behind this is challenging global economic conditions, but interestingly, both Nintendo and Microsoft have confirmed that they have no intention of following suit at this point.
But if we talk more about individual games, Age of Empires IV will receive Ottoman and Malian as free civilizations in October. In the meantime, Microsoft Flight Simulator netted City Update 01, which adds cities for the first time. The title will also receive a 40th anniversary edition in November. Xbox-owned Obsidian Entertainment will be released in the same month penance for pc and xbox. Like all first-party titles, this will be on Xbox Game Pass on day one.
And as usual, those looking for deals should check out this week’s Deals with Gold, headlined: Battlefield and Dutyor check out this weekend’s free play days promotion, including: Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, Lot 2and The Elder Scrolls Online. Alternatively, if you’re a PC purist, don’t miss this weekend’s PC game deals, personally curated by Neowin News Editor Pulasthi Ariyasinghe.
Developer Channel
In the spotlight
In this week’s edition of Warwagon’s Tech Tips, written by resident forum member Adam Bottjen — aka “Warwagon” — Adam explained how useful the right-click feature in Windows can be.
And in case you missed it, Neowin co-founder Steven Parker recently wrote a review for the AGM Glory G1S. If rugged phones are your thing, this review is well worth a read.
Log out
If you spent several years of your life wondering what the Windows 8 startup chime would have sounded like, wonder no more. An ex-Microsoft employee has published a video that talks about and shows off the audio that was originally intended to boot into Windows 8. While the sound was never sent this way, there’s still a decent chance you’ll get it. encountered while using Windows 10 and Windows 11 without realizing its significance.
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