The references to Windows 11 AI snapshot and recall features are in line with the previous rumours. For those unaware, AI Explorer is supposed to record everything you do on your PC, including app activities, email activities, documents, meetings, movies, and more.

For example, if you were working on documents about your company’s quarterly reports but can’t remember where they are, you can invoke AI Explorer, which could appear at the top of the screen, and ask the AI to “show me documents about quarterly reports viewed last week,’ and AI Explorer will find them.

This is possible because AI Explorer records everything you do on your PC. It also makes your activities searchable by creating a snapshot of the moment. References to the snapshot feature were recently spotted in the preview builds:

Microsoft watcher Xeno also spotted “snapshot” references in the Control Center. Then there’s a recall feature, which I think lets you go back in time and browse that moment again.

This is another speculation, but based on these references, I think you’ll be able to recall a snapshot by clicking on a toggle in the Control Center on Windows 11.

Microsoft watcher Albacore previously spotted similar references to features like “Snapshot”, “Screen Understanding”, and “Discovery”.

While screen understanding could mean Windows 11 AI Explorer recording your screen, Snapshot lets you go back in time and recall the moment on your PC. On the other hand, Discovery could refer to suggestions like “remove background from an image” that may appear when you’re editing photos.

Similarly, references to a new AI cursor were also spotted in recent Windows 11 24H2 builds.

What makes AI Explorer useful in Windows 11?

Other use cases of AI Explorer could be searching your everyday tasks, such as your spreadsheet. For example, just type ‘find me that spreadsheet Jack shared with me earlier this month,’ and you’ll find it.

Had a discussion with a colleague about a new project but can’t recall the details? You can type ‘find conversations about the new project,’ and AI Explorer will bring up those chats and when they took place.

AI Explorer uses an NPU chip and it won’t save your data in the cloud, and it’s also powered by Microsoft’s small or large language models, which means you can search using everyday language.

When can you try AI Explorer?

Microsoft watcher Zac Bowden previously reported the feature could be unveiled during Microsoft’s AI event on May 21.

However, you won’t be able to use the AI feature on Windows 11 unless you’re willing to upgrade to the Snapdragon X-powered PC.

Here are the full system requirements of Windows 11 24H2 AI Explorer:

1. Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus.
2. 16GB of RAM
3. 256GB of SSD.
4. NPU
5. Windows 11 24H2

In other words, you won’t be able to use it on your existing device because the feature is written for ARM hardware. It also means Microsoft is confident the AI Explorer is so useful that it might convince you to buy a Snapdragon X PC.

In our tests, Windows Latest also observed that Snapdragon X Elite PCs easily outperform Intel and AMD PCs in AI processing capabilities, and the performance gap is so large that these numbers can’t even be compared:

Other details of AI Explorer are unavailable, but we recently spotted references to the “AI sessions” at the Build 2024 developer conference, where we might learn more about the technical details.

The post Leak: Windows 11’s new AI integration will have “snapshots” that you can recall appeared first on Windows Latest

AI Explorer, which has nothing to do with File Explorer, is a new feature that relies on 45 TOPs-capable NPU chips to log everything you do, see, and use on your Windows 11 PC. This includes the apps you open, websites you visit, emails you read, documents you edit, and presentations you create in PowerPoint.

It’s all captured by Windows 11’s AI Explorer, and stored locally, which is why it requires PCs with powerful NPUs. So, how does the feature work? According to references in the preview builds, AI Explorer can understand what’s on your screen, suggest actions, and make all your activities ‘searchable.’

AI Explorer, which is context-friendly, shows up at the top of the screen when it is turned on.

According to a new .dll file spotted by Microsoft watcher Albacore on X, Microsoft is also working on a few new cursors for AI Explorer, but we don’t know how and where these cursors will be used.

The cursor has been spotted in AIX (AI Explorer) DLLs and it may be just a mockup for the demo. At the same time, it is also possible AI cursor could pop-up when you try to interact with your scren using AI Explorer.

AI cursor isn’t a new concept

The idea of the AI cursor isn’t entirely new in Microsoft’s ecosystem.

According to a document found by Windows Latest, Microsoft has an Office project codenamed “Sophia,” which comes with an AI cursor.

As shown in the above screenshot spotted by Windows Latest, Office AI cursor shows up only when you use the Alt + C keyboard shortcut. This cursor allows you to interact with the data that’s on your screen, including texts generated by a large language model.

Office AI Cursor makes it easy to ask follow-up questions without accidentally opening other features. For example, when you’re using the Office Sophia AI project, you can press Alt + C to open the “AI cursor,” then select an area on the screen (content) and ask a question.

This also works in an empty space where you can use AI cursor to create a blue print, document, content, images, and more.

“The AI cursor provides a way for you to interact with the data that’s generated or ask a new question. It responds to natural language commands and provides contextual recommendations as you navigate the content,” Microsoft explained how the AI cursor could work in Office.

AI Cursor in Office is a concept for a now, but it shows that the tech giant has been exploring new cursor ideas for AI.

I don’t know if Microsoft is also working on a AI cursor for AI Explorer in Windows 11, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the tech giant unveils a new way to interact with specific regions of the screen using AI.

The concept of AI Explorer is interesting because it makes everything you do on your PC “searchable.” For example, if you read an article about a pizza recipe several weeks ago but can’t remember where, which browser, email, or app, you can use AI Explorer to find the details.

Similarly, AI Explorer will integrate with other Microsoft services like Teams, allowing you to go back in time and find something interesting from your previous meetings’ transcripts.

While there is a lot of speculation about it above, the whole purpose of AI Explorer is to make everything searchable.

Microsoft is also making this feature exclusive to Snapdragon X Elite PCs with 16GB of RAM, 256GB of SSD storage, and a 45 TOPs NPU chip.

The post Windows 11 leak points to a possible new cursor for some AI Explorer actions appeared first on Windows Latest

Previously, some users were offered Windows 11 22H2 when they checked updates on Windows 10. As a result, those users were forced to download Windows 11 22H2 and then perform another system reboot to install version 23H2.

I don’t know why Microsoft has been pushing Windows 11 22H2 over Windows 11 23H2 on some PCs, but the new server-side update finally skips version 22H2 to download and install 23H2 directly. It is worth noting that this was not the case for everyone, as some of you have always been offered Windows 11 23H2 directly.

I observed that Microsoft quietly started offering a direct upgrade to Windows 11 23H2 over the past few weeks. In the last week of April, my ASUS PC started seeing “Windows 11 23H2” on the Windows Update page.

Previously, the same device was offered to download the older version 22H2. Similarly, my Lenovo’s Legion 5 Pro also started seeing version 23H2.

Windows Latest has observed similar patterns across all our virtual machines in VMWare.

All these devices run Windows 10 22H2 with recent cumulative and driver updates installed, but they were never offered the newer version 23H2 until recently.

This never made sense, especially since version 23H2 is just an update for version 22H2, and is as stable as the previous version. In fact, 23H2 comes with Windows 11 Moment 4 features already turned on, which makes it much better than 22H2.

I looked into it a bit, but I still can’t figure out why the company would offer an older update for Windows 11, and then install a newer update, leading to multiple system reboots.

It’s also worth pointing out that support for Windows 11 22H2 will end on October 8, 2024. This means after this date, Microsoft will no longer provide updates.

On the other hand, Windows 11 23H2 is supported for another year, which could explain why the company has fixed Windows Updates on Windows 10 to push the newer version correctly.

Windows 11 23H2 comes with all the new features from the Moment 4 update, including support for taskbar ungrouping, a new volume mixer, and native 7Zip integration, which lets you open more compressed files.

Support for Windows 10 ends soon

Windows 10’s support is ending in less than two years, and Microsoft will begin nagging people to install the new operating system soon.

If you don’t have a supported device, you must upgrade your hardware, buy a new PC, or pay Microsoft for extended security updates.

The post Windows 10 finally offers a direct upgrade to Windows 11 23H2 for more users appeared first on Windows Latest

Let’s first talk about the new adaptive interface. For those unaware, WhatsApp interface was not really adaptive until the recent update on Windows. When attempting to resize the WhatsApp window to a more compact user interface (small window), the contacts list and chat were displayed together.

This made it difficult to read messages as the interface was shared by both the contacts list and chat. Meta is rolling out a new update that hides the contacts list inside the menu, and chat page now takes the full screen space.

As a result, you can now use WhatsApp on Windows 11 in a compact layout.

Multi-window support rolls out to WhatsApp on Windows

WhatsApp is also adding a new button that lets you open chat in a new window.

This is similar to Telegram’s open in a new window feature, and it allows you maintain multiple “chat” windows of WhatsApp.

Here’s the part where the integration gets interesting: When you click pop-up chat, it opens the selected chat in a new window without all other features. The pop-up window will only have your chat, and it has a more compact UI.

The third feature is a new hamburger menu, which shows your contact statuses and chats in WhatsApp.

All these features are rolling out to stable version.

Windows Latest understands that the menu could be used for AI features, such as shortcuts to Meta AI. At the same time, the new hamburger menu also reduces clutter, and lets you quickly access the  features like chats, statuses, settings and more.

As Windows Latest reported recently, WhatsApp is also testing “Meta AI” integration in the desktop app.

In our tests, we observed that Meta AI’s large language model shows up on Windows 11 only when you use the bot on your phone, and try to access it on desktop later.

It is not possible to initiate the chat directly from desktop, but this could change in a future release.

As shown in the screenshot above, Meta is testing a native dialog for AI features, warning that your messages in Meta chat could be used to train the AI.

The post WhatsApp on Windows 11 gets a new adaptive UI, multi-window and navigation menu appeared first on Windows Latest

We’re also seeing reports that Microsoft now shows the pop-up in multiple languages (like Spanish) based on your system settings, and it makes sense, as the company previously confirmed everyone will see the alert once.

Windows Latest first spotted the pop-up in the second week of March 2024. In our tests, we observed that the pop-up is being pushed to everyone via a server-side update, and the whole experience is powered by two files BCILauncher.EXE or BingChatInstaller.EXE, which can be found under c:\windows\temp\mubstemp

One of our readers, Kasey, who lives in the United Kingdom, recently spotted the Bing pop-up on their Windows 11 PC and shared the following screenshot.

Similarly, more and more people are seeing the pop-up urging them to try Bing as their default search engine. The pop-up cites Bing Chat (now Copilot) and free access to GPT-4 to sell the search engine to the users.

Microsoft also highlights that it is possible to switch back to your previous search engine if you don’t like Bing.

If you accidentally click the “Yes” button to see what it does, you’ll be redirected to some Microsoft website that will install the “Bing Search for Chrome” extension, which reduces the limitations with Copilot or Bing Chat.

When Microsoft tries to sneak in the extension that pushes more Bing stuff, Google shows a warning that default settings have been changed by the Bing extension, which leads to another pop-up by Microsoft urging you not to delete Bing.

The second pop-up reminds you to keep using Bing for free access to GPT 4, DALL-E 3, and other AI stuff.

Microsoft previously confirmed to Windows Latest that this is a one-time notification, and it will appear for everyone on Windows 11 (and Windows 10). You’ll also see localized versions of these pop-ups in your preferred language.

“This is a one-time notification giving people the choice to set Bing as their default search engine on Chrome. For those who choose to set Bing as their default search engine on Chrome, when signed in with their MSA they also get more chat turns in Copilot and chat history. We value providing our customers with choice, so there is an option to dismiss the notification,” Microsoft told Windows Latest in a statement.

In our tests, we observed that that pop-up is tied to a server-side update from Microsoft, which was not sneaked in through Windows Updates.

As much as I want Bing to succeed, I am still against these pop-up ads, which are just bad and do not work most of the time. It can be particularly annoying when they appear during gameplay.

At the same time, I think we might see fewer ads in Windows as it’s no longer headed by Microsoft Bing leadership.

Also, Bing is slowly becoming a better search engine than Google for many queries. It’s gaining more users, which might convince Microsoft to show fewer ads for Bing in the OS.

The post Windows 11’s pop-up nagging Chrome users to use Bing rolls out to more PCs appeared first on Windows Latest

In an update to its support document, Microsoft has now quietly confirmed it has no plans to fix the 0x80070643 error: Automatic resolution of this issue won’t be available in a future Windows update. Manual steps are necessary to complete the installation of this update on devices which are experiencing this error.

Some context on what’s going on: Windows 10 KB5034441 is a mandatory security update for systems with recovery partitions, and it was rolled out to everyone in January with Patch Tuesday updates. However, the update still doesn’t install successfully on thousands of systems due to the following error message:

“There were some problems installing updates, but we’ll try again later. If you keep seeing this and want to search the web or contact support for information, this may help: (0x80070643).”

Here’s a screenshot from my device:

This vague error code, which still appears on my Windows 10 PCs, refers to the lack of space in the recovery partition.

In my case, what’s particularly funny is that I don’t even have a visible recovery partition. Yet, the Windows 10 KB5034441 appears in Windows Update and fails to install with a 0x80070643 error message. And I’m not the only one experiencing issues installing the security update.

Microsoft previously promised that it was working on a fix which would be included in an upcoming update, but the company has now backed off, and you’re on your own.

Here’s a timeline of Microsoft’s botched-up Windows 10 update release:

• In January 2024, Microsoft published January 2024 Patch Updates for Windows 11 and Windows 10. On the same day, Microsoft also published KB5034441 to patch the BitLocker encryption bypass (CVE-2024-20666) affecting WinRE.
• The next day, thousands of users started reporting error 0x80070643 – ERROR_INSTALL_FAILURE” when installing this update.
• Microsoft quickly acknowledged the issue in support documentation with a temporary workaround to manually resize the recovery partition. Microsoft said the update doesn’t install due to low storage space in the recovery partition.
• Microsoft also posted a PowerShell script to increase the recovery partition size and allow Windows updates to install smoothly.
• These workarounds didn’t work for everyone, and Microsoft documents still noted the company was working on a “resolution”.
• In early April, I posted an article stating users should not expect a fix for the issue as Microsoft has moved on.
• On April 30, Microsoft updated its documentation to clarify that it won’t fix the error via an automatic update, so you’re on your own.

So, what are your options? As mentioned, the error code can be fixed if you correctly increase the recovery partition storage. I recommend the workarounds I highlighted in my January article and February article.

If you don’t want to go through a long, complicated workaround, you can hide the update or reinstall Windows 10. Reinstalling Windows 10 is your safest option.

The post Microsoft says it won’t fix Windows 10 KB5034441’s 0x80070643 error appeared first on Windows Latest

You’ll see a new warning in the Chrome menu when a website or social media app sends too many notifications, especially if you’re not interacting with them. Thanks to Safety Check, Chrome notices when a website with access to Windows 11 (and Windows 10) push notifications sends too many alerts in a week.

If you click on this warning, you will be taken to a page where you can choose to block these notifications. As shown in the screenshot below, the browser directly shows the alert “Found 1 site with lots of notifications” in the menu. It is unclear when Google started rolling out this alert to the users, but Windows Latest spotted it over the weekend.

As shown in the screenshot below, under the “Safety recommendations” section, there’s a prompt to review notifications from a site that has been sending a lot.

On my device, it specifically mentions that www.instagram.com is sending about eight notifications a day, which is a lot.

You can ignore Chrome’s warning or click “Block all” to block all websites that send too many push notifications. If you want to block specific websites, click the block button next to their name.

As shown in the above screenshots, Chrome also has a section that lists the actions it has taken so far, including revoking location permissions.

This improvement is part of a bigger update to Safety Check, which can also stop certain permissions for websites you haven’t visited in a long time, like access to your microphone or location.

According to Google’s documentation, Safety Check also helps keep your data safe by:

• Alerting on Compromised Passwords: If your saved passwords were exposed in a data breach, Chrome will let you know.
• Promoting Safe Browsing: Chrome will remind you to check your settings to stay safe from malware and scams.
• Encouraging Updates: Chrome will suggest updating your browser to make sure you have the latest security features.
• Managing Unused Site Permissions: Chrome automatically removes permissions for sites you don’t visit anymore.
• Checking Extensions: Chrome alerts you about add-ons that might be unsafe.

To use Safety Check on Windows and Mac, open Chrome, click on the top right where it says ‘More Organize,’ go to Settings, and then select ‘Privacy and security.’

Since it’s a dashboard, it will also show alerts for compromised passwords and warn you if the browser is outdated or the browser safety features are turned off.

In addition to blocking notifications, Google Chrome has another interesting feature that lets you preview your camera and audio device before giving access to the websites. It’s all part of Google’s efforts to limit browser and Windows-level permissions abuse.

The post Google Chrome on Windows now warns when a website is spamming notifications appeared first on Windows Latest

Dell’s Inspiron 14 Plus 7441 benchmarks on Geekbench are particularly interesting because the multi-core numbers are below 5,000. This is likely because the hardware was tested using incorrect benchmark settings or some weird power configuration, such as incorrect PMICs (power management integrated circuit). It’s pointless to conclude anything based on these botched-up numbers:

It’s also worth noting that the Inspiron 14 Plus 7441 is listed with a Qualcomm Oryon at 3417 MHz, while the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge and Surface Laptop 6 are listed with the same Oryon chip at 4012 MHz.

Benchmark breakdown:

• Model: Inspiron 14 Plus 7441
• OS: Windows 11 24H2 preview build.
• Motherboard: Dell Inc. 032Y94
• Power Plan: Balanced.
• CPU: Snapdragon X Elite – X1E80100 – Qualcomm Oryon CPU
• Topology: 1 Processor, 12 Cores (8 performance, 4 efficiency).
• RAM: 16 GB.

Here’s another benchmark of the Dell laptop:

The Snapdragon X Elite benchmark score in leaked Dell PC is lower than average, likely due to incorrect settings or power state. The device’s max clock speed is different, suggesting it is underpowered in tests.

A higher clock speed generally means that the CPU can execute more cycles per second, which results in better performance.

The Samsung and Microsoft devices’s chips running at a higher clock speed of 4012 MHz will perform more operations in a given period compared to Dell’s 3417 MHz, assuming all other factors (thermal, power state) are equal. This higher clock speed is likely a major contributor to Samsung’s higher benchmark scores.

Again, it is important to understand there are several reasons that can influence the benchmark numbers. In this case, I think it’s the state of the device when benchmark was run (battery level, power supply, running background apps).

It could be anything, and as I mentioned above, do not pay attention to these numbers.

The benchmark listing confirms Dell is working on a Snapdragon X Elite-powered Inspiron 14 Plus 7441, which could be announced at Computex 2024.

Dell is not the only PC maker working on a Windows 11 AI PC with Snapdragon X Elite.

According to benchmarks and other details seen by Windows Latest, here’s what you can expect:

• Surface Pro 10 with Snapdragon X Plus (10 cores compared to 12 of Snapdragon X Elite, but NPU is equally powerful).
• Surface Laptop 6 with Snapdragon X Elite.
• HP Spectre x360 with Snapdragon X Elite.
• Lenovo ThinkPad 14s and Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 14′ with Snapdragon X Elite.
• Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge with Snapdragon X Elite.

Other companies will also join these OEMs at Computex. We’ll learn more about the next generation of Windows on Snapdragon at Microsoft’s AI event on May 20.

The post Dell Inspiron 14 Plus 7441 with Snapdragon X Elite, Windows 11 24H2 benchmarked appeared first on Windows Latest

In a Feedback Hub post first spotted by Windows Latest, several users complained that they’re getting 0x80070520 error messages when they try to change their account profile picture. The error is mostly experienced on devices with a local account only, which means you won’t run into it if you use a Microsoft account.

The error blocks users from changing the profile photo because Windows 11 can no longer save the picture in AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\AccountPictures. Here’s a screenshot from my device:

Microsoft has updated the Feedback Hub post to confirm that it’s aware of the reports and has already made changes in internal builds. This means the May 2024 optional update should fix it in the preview builds, and June 2024 Patch Tuesday will patch the bug for everyone.

I originally spotted and highlighted the broken profile photo setting in KB5036893, which was released on April 9 as a mandatory Patch Tuesday update.

It turns out the bug is also present in KB5036980, which is in the news for the Start menu ads. This time, it is more widespread. In other words, if you did not experience any problems after the April 2024 Patch Tuesday, it is more likely that you will encounter the error with the KB5036980 optional update.

In a statement, Microsoft’s support staff told me the company is investigating error code 0x80070520 when users change their profile picture from Start > Settings > Accounts > Your info and then select Choose a file.

Microsoft confirmed the 0x80070520 error affects the last two Windows 11 updates: KB5036893 (mandatory) and KB5036980 (optional update which adds ads to the Start menu).

“We are working on a resolution and will provide an update in an upcoming release,” the company added.

0x80070520 is not a new error code; it’s been around since the early days of Windows 8, and it’s typically associated with the Microsoft Store.

How to fix the broken profile photo settings in Windows 11

If you’re seeing “Account picture error. This picture couldn’t be saved. Additional problem information: Error Code: 0x80070520 Correlation ID: {89792324-C863-402D-A615-2C06B63E2883}” message, you can fix it by following these steps:

1. Open File Explorer and paste the following directory in the address bar:
2. C:\Users\placeyourusername\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\AccountPictures
   
3. Manually copy and upload the profile photo in .png format. For example, you can upload dogs.png, and Windows will use the image as your computer’s profile photo.
   
4. Reboot your device, and a new profile photo will reflect everywhere.

Other issues in KB5036980 optional update

It’s worth noting that KB5036980 is an optional cumulative ‘preview’ update, which means it won’t download or install automatically unless you manually go to Settings and click “Download & Install” under the update.

KB5036980 is an interesting update because it adds ads to the Start menu, but in the worst case, it could wreck some devices.

As reported by folks on Reddit, Windows 11’s optional April update broke their PC with a black screen for several hours. Another user pointed out they had to reinstall Windows after installing the botched update.

“Yep it broke my PC, I had to reset the CMOS to get it into recovery and reinstall windows. Now it’s doing the same shit. Gonna roll back as soon as I can get back in. (Assuming I don’t have to reinstall again),” one affected user noted in a post.

Windows Latest has also received a report from one user who experienced BSODs after the update, but I don’t think these issues are widespread.

The post Microsoft confirms issues in Windows 11 KB5036980 appeared first on Windows Latest

I installed KB5036908 on Windows 11 24H2, which bumped the OS build number to Build 26100.268. Microsoft hasn’t published a detailed changelog of the update, but it includes all the bug fixes from Windows 11 KB5036893. Here’s a screenshot from my device that shows the new cumulative update for version 24H2:

According to official release notes of Windows 11’s April 2024 Patch Tuesday, Microsoft has fixed 149 security issues in version 24H2.

The 149 figure doesn’t include the fixes released for Microsoft Edge, which is preinstalled in Windows 11 version 24H2. As per the same release notes, Microsoft has rolled out fixes for Windows Secure Boot and Microsoft Edge security issues, including the ones found in Chromium.

Other bug fixes in Windows 11 KB5036908

This update for Windows 11 24H2 has tons of bug fixes from the April 2024 update, so you’ll notice that MSIX packages now work correctly in all languages. It also solves problems with the COM+ component that were causing some apps to freeze and stop working.

Additionally, it fixes issues that were stopping some apps and features from working correctly after users upgraded to Windows 11.

One important fix in KB5036908 solves a problem in CloudAP that was causing issues when different users tried to sign in or out at the same time on virtual machines.

Other critical fixes include making sure Neural Processing Units (NPU) show up in Task Manager, which is an important “fix” ahead of the Windows 11 AI wave.

Here’s a full list of noteworthy bug fixes:

• Microsoft patched an annoying deadlock (Blue Screen of Death error) in CloudAP (software used by businesses).
• For businesses (again), Microsoft fixed an issue where users were unable to configure MDM  or a Group Policy Object (GPO).
• Microsoft patched a printing issue in Notepad, where it failed to print to certain Internet Printing Protocol (IPP) printers when using a print support app.
• Microsoft has also fixed another bug that caused an error where PCs failed with BSOD when it detected more 32 Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC) policies were applied.

The post Microsoft rolls out KB5036908 for Windows 11 24H2, as the update is closer to launch appeared first on Windows Latest