The last seven days were chock-full of Microsoft news. Microsoft recalled Recall, announced a lot of new builds, released Patch Tuesday updates, and revealed many new games. Check out our recap here.
In this episode of Microsoft Weekly, we look at Microsoft recalling Recall, Microsoft shipping new builds in every Windows Insider channel, some neat hacks and guides to make Windows 11 look and work better, Patch Tuesday updates, fixed bugs, a tidal wave of gaming announcements, and a lot more.
Table of contents:
Here we talk about everything happening around Microsoft’s latest operating system in the Stable channel and preview builds: new features, removed features, controversies, bugs, interesting findings, and more. And of course, you may find a word or two about older but still supported versions.
This week is another Patch Tuesday week, which means it is time to install the latest cumulative updates for all supported Windows versions. Windows 11 23H2 and 22H2 received KB5039212, Windows 11 21H2 got KB5039213, and Windows 10 was updated with KB5039211.
This month’s Patch Tuesday updates put the final nail into Windows 11 21H2’s coffin. The OS is no longer supported, and Microsoft is now force-updating users to version 22H2.
Besides the traditional Patch Tuesday updates, Microsoft shipped a new Defender update for all supported Windows install images and removed the controversial Copilot app that was earlier shipped with a Microsoft Edge update.
After releasing the June 2024 Patch Tuesday updates, Microsoft confirmed that it finally fixed the long-standing «65000» BitLocker bug. It is now gone from Windows 11 version 21H2. The company also fixed taskbar bugs that were reported in the latest non-security updates. This one, however, did not require installing a new patch—Microsoft Ctrl + Z the damage using its Known Issue Rollback mechanism.
Speaking of updates, an interesting story emerged this week about HP firmware for its ProBook laptop series. HP shipped a botched update that bricked a bunch of quite expensive laptops and then put all the blame on Microsoft and Windows Update. While the companies are pointing fingers, customers scratch their heads, wondering what to do with their expensive, now out-of-warranty ProBook laptops.
Another big story that happened this week was the recall of Windows Recall. Despite trying to address negative feedback with the recent security update, Microsoft decided not to release Recall on June 18. Instead, the feature will go to Windows Insiders first. Of course, you will still need a Copilot+ PC to try it out, at least officially.
We are adjusting the release model for Recall to leverage the expertise of the Windows Insider community to ensure the experience meets our high standards for quality and security. This decision is rooted in our commitment to providing a trusted, secure and robust experience for all customers and to seek additional feedback prior to making the feature available to all Copilot+ PC users.
By the way, the first Copilot+ PCs are already arriving to their happy owners. Interestingly, the initial tests do not look very promising as users noticed significantly lower processor speeds and, as a result, significantly slower performance.
If you are up for some software trickery, check out this article detailing how to move Windows 11’s taskbar to the left with a third-party mod (some neat taskbar and Start menu improvements are coming soon to Windows 11 on the official level). Also, we published a guide on how to restore the old File Explorer in Windows 11 and make it stay for good.
Microsoft continues updating its official Windows documentation with useful guides and important information. This week, the company revealed hardware requirements for the Paint Cocreator feature that will let you generate images when drawing in Paint, some extra info on switching from a local account to a Microsoft account in Windows, and an explanation of several misconceptions about Windows 11.
This week, a new report emerged about MediTek wanting to dip its toes into the Windows on ARM project. The company is preparing its own processor for Windows 11 PCs, and the first results of that labor should land somewhere in the second half of 2025.
