Welcome back, WindowsForum.com members! It’s time to unpack the latest buzzworthy news from the world of all things Microsoft! This week's standout stories include the arrival of “Recall,” a controversial feature now open to the Insider Program, substantial updates to Windows 11 and 10, and a treasure chest of announcements from Microsoft Ignite 2024. Let’s dive deeper into the highlights and what they mean for you as a Windows user.
Recall essentially functions as a context-aware assistant, designed to retrieve and structure information from various online sources. Think of it as a souped-up user-focused Copilot for bringing AI smarts to web filtering, multitasking, and decision-making. Early adopters, beware! The first deployment of Recall has known limitations: filtered-out websites may still inadvertently bleed into results, causing some concern.
Available to: Eligible Copilot+ devices within the Windows 11 Dev Channel.
For Windows 10 Users: Not to be completely overshadowed, updates in KB5046714 tackle bug fixes and legal software activation issues.
Feeling bold? Share whether Recall deserves the hype or belongs sidelined! And if you haven’t yet, consider updating to the 24H2 version—just don’t lose patience with the quirks along the way!
Source: Neowin Microsoft Weekly: Recall is here, new Windows 11 features, Ignite, and more
Recall Makes a Debut: What Is It and Why Should You Care?
First up, Microsoft has started allowing Insiders to test “Recall,” a much-discussed AI-powered feature debuting within the Windows ecosystem. But don’t fire up your Insider build just yet with lofty expectations—there are a handful of restrictions in this initial outing.Recall essentially functions as a context-aware assistant, designed to retrieve and structure information from various online sources. Think of it as a souped-up user-focused Copilot for bringing AI smarts to web filtering, multitasking, and decision-making. Early adopters, beware! The first deployment of Recall has known limitations: filtered-out websites may still inadvertently bleed into results, causing some concern.
Pairing Recall with Click to Do
If Recall feels like a standalone powerhouse, here’s its AI buddy to complement it: “Click to Do.” This tool is Microsoft leaning hard on quick actions for multitasking agility. For instance, you could interact with snapshots and perform immediate follow-ups, seamlessly switching between applications without needing to structure your workflow manually. Expect more from this duo soon.Available to: Eligible Copilot+ devices within the Windows 11 Dev Channel.
Windows 11 24H2 and Beyond: Features, Fixes, and Flaws
Rolling out updates for its flagship operating system, Microsoft has delivered a significant update bundle labeled KB5046740 for Windows 11 (version 24H2). Here are the headline changes:Coolest Additions
- Jump Lists: Microsoft's taskbar navigational features see refinements that make managing favorite apps easier.
- Improved File Explorer: Otherwise known as its Achilles’ heel in performance, File Explorer gets tweaks, though we hope this time the changes actually stick. Tabs breaking? Hopefully less so.
- Start Menu Tweaks: The Start Menu evolves to support better app grouping and categorization.
- USB Modems, Printers, and Scanners that just refuse to cooperate.
- Affected Ubisoft and Star Wars gaming titles, too critical for any gamer to ignore.
Game-Bar Browser Hype
Need a quick internet detour while gaming? The new in-game browser, called Microsoft Edge Game Assist, is here to stop you from ALT+TABBING your way to lost matches.For Windows 10 Users: Not to be completely overshadowed, updates in KB5046714 tackle bug fixes and legal software activation issues.
Inside the Insider Program: Canary, Dev, Beta Channel Updates
For Windows enthusiasts running beta builds, here’s what to explore this week:- Canary Channel: Build 27754 focuses on backend infrastructure tweaks with no headline features.
- Dev Channel: Build 26120.2415 tests Recall and Click to Do.
- Don’t miss this—optical character recognition (OCR) for Photos has been sacrificed temporarily. Developers promise its return with upgrades in future builds.
Embarking on the Resiliency Initiative
A standout announcement is Microsoft’s Windows Resiliency Initiative, a long-term stability project aiming to fix remote systems faster. A peek at goals like “Quick Machine Recovery” showcases Microsoft aiming for near-lightning-speed PC stability restoration.From Microsoft Ignite 2024: Paradigm Shifting Tech
Hidden amongst all the developer-geared technicalities, Ignite gave us regular folks something to appreciate:The Highlights
- Windows Resiliency Meets Cloud: The new Windows 365 Link thin client shows Microsoft doubling down on cloud-first solutions.
- Security Isn’t Boring Anymore! A new Microsoft-in-house Azure security chip could bring substantial security across Azure-based environments.
- SQL Server 2025: Heart eyes if you’re a data operations nerd—this upgrade supports native vector indexing.
- Hybrid Cloud Fun: Azure Foundry plus its hybrid replacement for Stack HCI promising democratized cloud analytics utility.
The Gaming Corner—Where Microsoft Got It Right and Wrong
No Microsoft update is complete without awkward gaming debacles. This time though, they span across hardware, software, and online services.- Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Tanked: The game suffered one of the worst launches with rendering bugs and endless load screens. Hotfixes are coming, but fingers crossed.
- S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Bossed It: Selling 1M copies on launch makes Microsoft’s short-lived catastrophe pale further.
- What Your Xbox Game Pass Now Covers: Yes, personal collections can now utilize Xbox Cloud Gaming servers even if stored outside normal subscription bounds.
What Should You Watch Out For?
All that glitters isn’t always gold, and the same holds true for some Microsoft innovations:- The Bing Wallpaper App, recently dropped on the Microsoft Store, is causing a bit of controversy, with its sneaky installation behavior branded “borderline malware.” Your recommendation radar? Probably best kept on this one.
Conclusion: Microsoft's Jam-packed Week
Whether you're an everyday Windows user, an insider tester, an enthusiast gamer, or someone eyeing a Black Friday hardware fiesta, this week’s updates packed meaningful impact across the board. While the Leap to Recall signifies big bets on AI, blocked Windows 11 updates, and Ignite trailblazers could determine Microsoft's 2024 destiny.Feeling bold? Share whether Recall deserves the hype or belongs sidelined! And if you haven’t yet, consider updating to the 24H2 version—just don’t lose patience with the quirks along the way!
Source: Neowin Microsoft Weekly: Recall is here, new Windows 11 features, Ignite, and more