Glow’s latest incremental update, version 25.13, arrives as a compact, portable refresh that reaffirms the project’s focus on compatibility, usability, and a steadily expanding set of troubleshooting utilities — most notably full support for Windows 11 version 25H2, a newly added Stuck Pixel Repair Tool, UI theming improvements, and reported integration of the October 2025 .NET Framework 4.8.1 security update. This release continues Glow’s long-running strategy: keep the executable small, privacy-respecting and portable while adding targeted features that matter to technicians, help-desk staff, and power users. The release was summarized in community coverage and is reflected directly in the developer’s patch notes.
Glow is a portable system-information and diagnostics utility developed by Türkay Software that aggregates hardware, OS, driver, and service details into one single-pane interface. It competes in a crowded field that includes HWiNFO, CPU-Z, GPU-Z and Speccy, but its portability, export options and bundled troubleshooting tools mark it as a distinct offering for on-the-spot diagnostics and quick support scenarios.
Glow’s release notes and public assets are transparent and practical; users gain utility quickly with minimal friction. The update is a continuation of Glow’s disciplined, incremental approach: small, useful changes that make the tool more reliable in the real world. For those who need a compact diagnostic toolkit on a USB stick or for rapid support calls, Glow remains a go-to option — provided you validate the release in your environment and follow the standard security precautions for portable executables.
Source: Neowin Glow 25.13
Background / Overview
Glow is a portable system-information and diagnostics utility developed by Türkay Software that aggregates hardware, OS, driver, and service details into one single-pane interface. It competes in a crowded field that includes HWiNFO, CPU-Z, GPU-Z and Speccy, but its portability, export options and bundled troubleshooting tools mark it as a distinct offering for on-the-spot diagnostics and quick support scenarios.- Glow runs without installation — extract the ZIP, run the correct binary (x64 or ARM64), and you get a full snapshot of:
- OS and install details
- Motherboard and BIOS/UEFI information
- Processor, memory (including DDR generation detection), and GPU
- Storage and partition details
- Network interface data and active bandwidth
- Battery reports, installed drivers and running services
- Built-in tests and utilities (monitor tests, cache cleanup, memory/CPU benchmarks, screen overlay)
- The tool can export collected data to plain text or HTML for sharing with support staff.
- Glow’s design emphasizes local-only telemetry and privacy — nothing is uploaded by default.
What’s new in Glow 25.13 — Release highlights
The 25.13 patch notes (as published by the developer) call out several visible and practical updates:- Full support for Windows 11 25H2, optimized for enterprise/corporate environments.
- Stuck Pixel Repair Tool added to the Tools section; accessible via the CTRL + C shortcut and billed as a comprehensive stuck-pixel fixer.
- Theme and UI harmony improvements:
- Scroll bars and checkboxes reprogrammed to match Windows 10/11 theme colors, particularly in dark mode.
- New System Theme option in settings so Glow follows the system color automatically (shortcut: F3).
- TS Preloader has been reprogrammed to speed up launch for all Türkay Software apps.
- Claimed integration of the October 2025 security update for .NET Framework 4.8.1.
- Multiple bug fixes and text/punctuation corrections across languages and modules.
- UI spacing and title-bar handling reworked to improve compatibility and presentation.
Deep dive: the Stuck Pixel Repair Tool — practical value and limits
What it does
- The new Stuck Pixel Repair Tool is intended to help recover stuck sub-pixels (red/green/blue) on LCD/OLED screens by rapidly cycling colors and patterns at a high refresh cadence.
- Glow exposes it as a quick-access utility (CTRL + C) from the Tools section so users can attempt recovery without third‑party apps.
Why it matters
- Stuck pixels are a small but common frustration and can often be fixed by aggressive color cycling that forces the LCD/OLED sub-pixels to re-align.
- Including a pixel-fixer inside a system diagnostics tool reduces friction for field technicians — one app, many fixes.
Caveats and realistic expectations
- Not all stuck pixels are fixable. Some are permanently dead (hardware fault) and cannot be recovered in software.
- Aggressive pixel-fixing routines that cycle colors at high intensity can be hard on some panels; always use the tool for short, incremental intervals (e.g., 1–5 minutes), check results, and avoid prolonged unattended runs.
- Users should test on a secondary monitor first when possible, and avoid leaving the tool running for long periods on OLED screens (risk of uneven wear).
- Glow’s implementation claims to be “the most comprehensive of its kind in the industry”; that claim should be treated as vendor marketing until independent tests confirm parity with specialized pixel-fix utilities.
Windows 11 version 25H2 compatibility — verification and implications
Glow 25.13 explicitly states full support for Windows 11 25H2 and optimization for corporate users. That claim is timely: Microsoft published the Windows 11, version 25H2 release notes and rollout guidance on September 30, 2025, describing 25H2 as an enablement-package style annual update built on the same platform as 24H2. The 25H2 update resets servicing windows and is being distributed through standard enterprise channels. For IT professionals this means:- Tools must be tested against the 25H2 enablement package and any new enforcement or removed legacy components (e.g., PowerShell 2.0 / WMIC removals).
- Glow’s UI rework and title-bar / Windows feature compatibility rewrites are exactly the sort of changes needed for utilities that embed custom controls and rely on Windows Chrome for rendering. Microsoft’s documentation confirms that 25H2 is being made available to organizations and will appear through WSUS/Configuration Manager on a set date for enterprise channels, so vendor verification and compatibility testing are necessary for enterprise deployments.
The .NET Framework 4.8.1 “October 2025” integration — verification and caution
Glow 25.13 notes that the “October 2025 security update for .NET Framework 4.8.1 has been integrated.” This is an important point because Glow is a .NET-based utility and may rely on framework patches for runtime reliability and security.- Microsoft publishes monthly cumulative rollups and security-quality rollups for .NET Framework. As of early October 2025, the most recently published cumulative rollups are available through Microsoft’s .NET release notes pages (September 2025 rollup is documented).
- At the time of this article’s verification, Microsoft’s official .NET Framework release notes and support pages document security and quality rollups up to September 2025; the October 2025 rollup is scheduled around the regular Patch Tuesday cadence and, depending on the calendar, may not be published at the time Glow’s notes were posted. That creates two possibilities:
- The developer integrated a pre-release or internal preview of Microsoft’s October security rollup into the build.
- The release notes reference an expected October rollup as part of planned integration (marketing language), which may precede the official Microsoft KB availability.
UI polish, theme consistency and accessibility improvements
Glow 25.13 brings a suite of aesthetic and interaction fixes that read as practical refinements rather than headline-grabbing features:- Dark-theme scrollbars and checkbox recoloring — these appear to make Glow blend more naturally with system-wide dark modes introduced in Windows 11.
- System Theme setting — when enabled, Glow follows the system accent and theme color; this is a small but welcome quality-of-life improvement for users who switch themes based on ambient lighting.
- Title bar and Windows feature algorithm rewrites — likely intended to fix inconsistencies in how custom-drawn controls and system chrome interact on mixed-DPI and multi-monitor setups.
Performance and the TS Preloader: what’s actually changing?
Glow’s notes claim the TS Preloader — an internal preloading mechanism used by Türkay Software — has been reprogrammed to accelerate startup across the vendor’s suite. Faster preloading reduces time-to-first-interaction, which is valuable in time-sensitive troubleshooting.- The practical effect of a preloader optimization is often most visible in repeated-open workflows: technicians launching a diagnostics tool multiple times across many machines will notice cumulative time saved.
- Real-world impact varies by hardware: some users will observe significant startup reductions; others on heavily IO-bound or constrained systems may see smaller improvements.
- Glow’s developer has previously published micro-benchmarks for preloader and WMI optimization gains; these are directional and useful, but they should be validated against representative hardware before using them as procurement or operational justification.
Security and deployment considerations — best practices
Glow’s portability is both an operational advantage and a supply-chain consideration:- Portable EXEs zipped and redistributed by third parties are attractive targets for rehosting and tampering. Always:
- Download Glow from the official developer site or the project’s official GitHub releases page.
- Verify the provided checksum (SHA-1 / SHA-256) against the binary you downloaded before execution.
- Run the executable from an extracted folder (do not launch directly from the ZIP).
- For enterprise use:
- Test Glow in a limited pilot ring on Windows 11 25H2 test devices before approving it for technician toolkits.
- Prefer signed binaries where available and insist on hash verification for archived releases.
- Avoid using portable tools for bulk auditing tasks — they are best for spot checks and ad-hoc diagnostics, not fleet-wide automated reporting.
How Glow compares to the competition
Glow’s niche is clear: a portable, privacy-aware, all-in-one diagnostics toolkit that’s light on dependencies and heavy on practical utilities. Compare briefly:- HWiNFO — Best for long-term sensor logging, professional diagnostics and in-depth telemetry. Less portable and heavier for quick spot checks.
- CPU-Z / GPU-Z — Narrow, specialist tools that provide authoritative CPU and GPU silicon details. Complementary to Glow for chip-level verification.
- Speccy — Clean, consumer-friendly overview; Glow provides more built-in test utilities and export options.
Practical recommendations — how to use Glow safely and effectively
- Download official release from the developer’s site or the project GitHub releases page.
- Verify checksum (SHA-1 / SHA-256) against the value posted in the release notes.
- Extract the ZIP to a local folder; do not run directly from the archive.
- Run the correct binary for your architecture (Glow_x64.exe or Glow_arm64.exe). Run as Administrator for complete driver/service visibility.
- Use the export feature to save system reports (TXT/HTML) for ticketing or remote assistance.
- When using the Stuck Pixel Repair Tool, run in short intervals and monitor panel behavior; stop if any adverse effects appear.
- For enterprise adoption, test on a representative sample of hardware, validate theme and DPI behavior, and confirm compatibility with 25H2-managed images.
Risks, limitations and unanswered questions
- Single-developer cadence: Glow is maintained by a small team; while releases are frequent, critical fixes for obscure edge cases may take longer than for large, open-source communities.
- Marketing claims vs independent verification: Performance percentages, “most comprehensive” claims for embedded tools and integrated pre-release security updates should be validated independently. Treat vendor micro-benchmarks as informative but not definitive.
- Supply-chain risk with portable executables: Validate checksums and prefer official distribution channels.
- .NET integration timing: The claim about an October 2025 .NET Framework 4.8.1 security update being integrated should be validated against Microsoft’s official monthly rollups. Microsoft’s .NET release notes are the authoritative source for the exact KB numbers and release dates; administrators should confirm that Glow’s binary behaves correctly on systems patched with the publicly available Microsoft KBs before deploying at scale.
Conclusion
Glow 25.13 is a sensible, focused update that reinforces the tool’s strengths: portability, a broad toolbox, and practical UI refinements that matter to technicians and power users. The addition of a Stuck Pixel Repair Tool and the theme/DPI compatibility work make Glow more useful on modern Windows 11 desktops and mixed‑DPI setups. Its stated support for Windows 11 25H2 aligns with Microsoft’s release cadence and the need to validate utilities against the latest enablement package. Administrators and support staff should welcome Glow as a fast, local diagnostics option — but they should also apply standard verification steps (checksum validation, pilot testing on 25H2 images, and confirmation of .NET rollback/forward compatibility) before rolling the tool out widely.Glow’s release notes and public assets are transparent and practical; users gain utility quickly with minimal friction. The update is a continuation of Glow’s disciplined, incremental approach: small, useful changes that make the tool more reliable in the real world. For those who need a compact diagnostic toolkit on a USB stick or for rapid support calls, Glow remains a go-to option — provided you validate the release in your environment and follow the standard security precautions for portable executables.
Source: Neowin Glow 25.13
